Love and Honor: The Coltrane Saga, Book 7 Read Free Page A

to accept the position of emissary to Spain was an honor too grand to even consider not accepting…even though the offer had come at a very sad time in all their lives.
    After months of smoldering tension, war had been declared between the United States and Spain. When President McKinley had persuaded Colt’s father, Travis, to come out of retirement in October of 1898 to serve as a special adviser during peace negotiations in Paris, the entire family had worried that the stress might be too much for him. Travis Coltrane had turned a deaf ear to their protests. He was a man of honor and dedication, and if he felt that his country needed him, he would be there to serve, as best he could. He did, however, request that his only son accompany him, and together the two had proven invaluable diplomats.
    Sadly, however, the family’s fears proved true. On the tenth day of December, 1898, the day the Treaty of Paris was signed, formally ending the war, Travis Coltrane succumbed to a fatal heart attack.
    It had been a difficult time for Colt, and Jade had felt that the assignment in Spain would help him get on with his life. She’d pushed aside her personal regrets over leaving because she loved him so.
    All had gone well. Colt was one of the most respected government emissaries in Spain. Their life had been pleasant enough, but as Kit grew older, Jade felt that if she couldn’t persuade her to go to finishing school, then they should consider moving back to New York for the social and educational advantages there. Kit disagreed vehemently, arguing that if Kit’s twin, Travis, could live in France with Grandma Kitty, then she should be able to enjoy Europe, too. Jade knew that was only an excuse. Kit just preferred riding and the outdoors to what she considered “boring girl things”.
    And as for John Travis living with his grandmother, well, Jade had reluctantly given in, with the understanding that he would live at home during the summer. He did, and they were all very close. Kitty was raising her other granddaughter, Marilee, alone. Marilee was actually Kitty’s step -granddaughter. A long time ago, in a dark part of Kitty and Travis’s lives, Travis had thought that Kitty was dead. He’d married a Kentucky lady named Marilee Barbeau who had died giving birth to their first and only child, Dani, Marilee’s mother.
    Jade swallowed the painful lump that still rose in her throat whenever she thought of Dani…dear, sweet, gentle Dani, who had married Jade’s close Russian friend Drakar Mikhailonov. Theirs had been a rare and special kind of love, shadowed only by Dani’s inability to carry a baby to term. Then, on the day her father had died, Dani had given birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl…and joined her father in death.
    Jade had promised Dani that she would raise her child as her own, but Kitty had insisted, and who could deny her in her grief over losing Travis? Despite their clashes over Kit, Jade admitted to having deep affection and respect for her mother-in-law.
    As for Drakar, his wounded heart would never heal, for a part of him had died with his wife. He had returned to Russia to aid his lifelong friend, the Czar Nicholas, in troubled times. Though she seldom heard from him, Jade thought of him often, and fondly.
    A knock on the door chased away her painful memories. She saw with disappointment, however, that it was the servant girl, Carasia, and not Kit. “Well, did you find her? Have any of the servants seen her?”
    Carasia stared at the floor, picking nervously at her long peasant skirt, then admitted, “ Si , I have found her, señora , but she said to tell you she cannot come now. She said she is sorry you will miss the train, but it cannot be helped, and she begs your forgiveness.”
    Jade’s eyes grew wide with disbelief. “You mean she refuses to come?”
    Carasia nodded and whispered, “ Si. ”
    “Well, exactly where is she?” Jade exploded.
    “In the stable. The mare the