by Cindi Myers
“That’s fine.” She started to open the door but stilled at the sound of a car approaching. A red Jeep zipped into a parking place near the house. The driver’s door flew open and Lacy Milligan, her dark hair in short layers around her face and topped by a pink fleece cap with an oversize pom-pom like the tail of a rabbit, her petite frame wrapped in a white puffy coat that reached to the top of her fur-trimmed boots, raced toward them, arms outstretched.
“Bette!” Lacy squealed and grabbed her friend in a crushing hug. “Oh, it’s so good to see you! How have you been? Was the drive from Denver horrible? Oh, let me look at you.” She released her hold on Bette and took a step back. “You look fantastic. Oh, I’m so glad you’re here.”
“You look great yourself,” Bette said. She couldn’t stop grinning. Just being with Lacy again made her happy.
“I’ve been trying to make her feel welcome.” Cody spoke up from his spot just behind Bette.
“Thank you, Cody,” Lacy nodded to him, then turned back to Bette. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived. With the wedding less than three weeks away things are absolutely crazy. And with the road being closed and Travis working so much—I swear, I’m going to need a vacation when this is over.”
She took Bette’s arm and ushered her into the house. “I’m going to head over to the stables, if anyone needs me,” Cody said, but Bette doubted Lacy heard. She was chattering away about the wedding preparations and the snow and Travis and who knew what else. Bette glanced behind her to watch Cody exit, his duster slung over one arm.
“Leave it to you to make friends with the best-looking single man in the place.” Lacy nudged Bette. “It’s a good thing you weren’t around when I reconnected with Travis. He wouldn’t have looked twice at me.”
“I’m not interested in catching the eye of any man,” Bette said. “That’s how I got into so much trouble in the first place, remember?”
Lacy’s expression clouded. “You don’t hear from Eddie anymore, do you?”
Bette shook her head. “No. And I hope I never do.” Hooking up with Eddie Rialto had been the absolute worst decision she had ever made in her life. “I’m staying happily single from now on.”
“Oh, men aren’t all bad,” Lacy said. “You just have to meet the right one.”
“You’re in love, so you think everyone else should be, too,” Bette said. “That’s sweet, but I’m here to work—and to spend time with you and wish you well. That’s plenty to keep me occupied.”
“And I’m so glad you’re here.” Lacy took both of Bette’s hands in her own and lowered her voice, her expression serious. “Have you met Rainey yet?”
“Oh, yes, I met Rainey.”
Lacy winced. “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you. She can be a real grouch, but I guess she’s worked for the Walker family forever, so I try not to say anything. She wanted to cook for the wedding herself, but thank goodness Travis backed me up when I said I wanted to hire you.”
“I really appreciate your giving me this chance.” Bette squeezed Lacy’s hands, then released them. “But tell me the truth—how many people know about me? How many people know the two of us met in prison?”
“Travis knows, of course. And his parents. I had to tell them. And his brother, Gage, probably knows. I don’t think he and Travis have any secrets. But it doesn’t matter. They know you served your time and paid for your mistakes, and that you’re making a fresh start. They admire you for it, the way I do. And really, what can they say? I was in prison, after all.”
“You were innocent,” Bette said. “And Travis proved it. You never did the things you were convicted for. But I was guilty. I did help rob a bank.”
“You made a mistake and you paid for it,” Lacy repeated. “That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”
Bette let out a breath, trying to ease the tension in her neck. “I’m glad Travis and his parents were so understanding.” She glanced toward the door. “Not everyone would be.”
“If you’re thinking of Cody, I’m sure he doesn’t know,” Lacy said. “And Rainey doesn’t know, so don’t worry about her. Did you meet Doug?”
“We were introduced. He didn’t stick around long.”
“Just so you know, he has a record, too. He’s supposedly reformed, but frankly, he gives me the creeps. Rainey won’t hear a word against him, though, so if I were you, I’d have nothing but good things to say about her darling boy. You’ll get on her best side that way.”
“Does she have a best side?”
Both women laughed. Lacy put her arm around Bette. “We have you staying in one of the guest cabins,” she said. “It’s adorable, plus you’ll have your privacy. Come on, I’ll show you. And then I want a nice long visit, so I can hear all about what you’ve been up to.”
Chapter Two
Cody leaned over the stall to run his hand along the rough velvet of the mare’s shoulder, and smiled as the animal nuzzled at his shirt pocket. “Sorry, girl, I don’t have any treats for you today,” he said. He’d have to remember to bring a few horse nuggets or a carrot with him next time he visited the stables.
The mare lost interest and turned away to pull hay from the rack on the wall and Cody sat on the feed bin across from the stall. He inhaled deeply of the oats-and-molasses aroma of sweet feed and the still-green scent of hay, and tried to quiet his racing mind. He’d been spending a lot of time here since coming to the ranch. The stables were a quiet place to think. Or maybe brood would be a better word. He wanted to be out there, tracking down and apprehending fugitives, getting bad guys off the streets. Instead, his supervisors had forced him into taking vacation. One screw-up and they thought the answer was time off, but they were wrong. He needed to be back out in the field, proving to them and to himself that he could still handle the job.
He hadn’t minded so much about the forced leave at first—he’d figured this would be a good chance for him and Travis to catch up before the wedding. They could go ice fishing, or maybe elk hunting. Cody could help with work on the ranch. Instead, Travis was neck-deep in the hunt for a serial killer, and Cody could do nothing to help. Sure, his friend had taken pity and let him sit in on a few briefings, but Cody had no jurisdiction and, really, no experience figuring out who committed crimes. As a US marshal, his job was to find the suspects after they had been identified.
At least he wouldn’t be the only outsider at the ranch now. Bette Fuller had been a nice surprise. Somehow, when Travis had talked about the caterer, Cody had pictured an older woman—maybe someone who looked like Julia Child. Instead, a curvy blonde with the most amazing blue eyes and a full mouth that smiled with a hint of a challenge had emerged from the snowstorm to make life on the ranch a whole lot more interesting.
She hadn’t exactly warmed up to Cody. Was Bette so cool to him because he was a cop, or a man—or both? Never mind—he liked a challenge, and they had a couple of weeks to get to know each other better. And if they did hit it off, she was from Denver, and so was he. This could be the start of a fun friendship.
He stood. Time to head back to the house. Bette and Lacy should have had enough time to swap girl talk, and maybe he could find out from Lacy what was up with Travis. As he exited the stables, the scent of tobacco smoke drifted to him. He followed the smell around the side of the barn, where he found Doug Whittington, huddled out of the wind, with a half-smoked cigarette. “Hello, Doug,” he said.
The young man jumped and made as if to hide the cigarette behind his back. “Too late for that.” Cody joined him in the L formed by the stables and the tack room. “I don’t care if you smoke—just don’t set the barns on fire.”
“Don’t tell my mother,” Doug said, then took another long drag. In his late twenties or early thirties, he had close-cropped brown hair and freckles. Cody had never seen him smile, and probably hadn’t exchanged a dozen words with him in the week since he had arrived at the ranch
.
Neither man said anything as Doug finished the cigarette. He threw down the butt and ground it into the snow with the heel of his boot. “Who’s that girl?” he asked. “The one who showed up today.”
“You mean Bette?” Was Doug asking because he was interested in the pretty newcomer? Cody couldn’t blame the guy, though he didn’t think the sullen cook was the type to catch the eye of someone like Bette. “She’s catering the wedding.”
“Yeah, but who is she? Where’s she from and who decided she should come here?”
“She’s from Denver and she’s a friend of Lacy’s.”
“Did you know her in Denver?”
“No. Why did you think that?”
“The two of you seemed friendly, that’s all.”
Cody laughed. He wouldn’t have called his interaction with Bette exactly friendly. “Are you worried she might take your mother’s job?” he asked. “I don’t think that’s her intention at all.”
Doug rolled his shoulders. “Just wondering. How long is she going to be here?”
“The wedding is in two and a half weeks, so I imagine she’ll be here at least until then.”
“Just wondering,” he said again, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. “I gotta go.”
He shuffled off through the snow, away from the house. He was an odd duck, Cody thought, but then, it took all kinds. He headed back to the house and found Lacy and Bette seated before the fire. “Cody!” Lacy greeted him with her usual enthusiasm. “We wondered where you had gone off to.”
“I thought I’d give you two a little time alone to catch up,” he said. He took a seat at the end of the sofa on one side of the woodstove, opposite Bette.
“So considerate,” Lacy said. “Have you been bored out of your mind up here by yourself? I hope not.”
“I’m okay,” he said. “How’s Travis? Any word on how the case is going?”
Lacy shook her head. “I saw him for a few minutes this afternoon, but you know him—he doesn’t like to talk about cases. He did say he’d try to make it home for dinner.”
“Being a cop’s wife isn’t for the faint of heart,” Cody said.
“Oh, I know that.” Lacy waved off his concern. “But I love Travis as much for what he does as for who he is. I like that he’s so committed to doing what’s right. If he wasn’t, I’d still be sitting in prison.”
Cody still marveled that Travis had ended up marrying a woman he had arrested for murder. Three years after her conviction, the sheriff had discovered new evidence that proved Lacy was innocent, and he had thrown himself into seeing that her conviction was vacated. After she was freed, he had enlisted her help to find the real murderer. Talk about an unlikely love story.
“I can’t believe there’s a serial killer in Eagle Mountain,” Bette said. “Lacy, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t want to scare you off,” Lacy said. “Call me selfish, but it’s true.” She leaned toward her friend. “You’re not scared, are you? You don’t need to be. I can’t think of anything safer than being here at the ranch, with two lawmen in residence, now that Cody is staying here. And Gage is up here all the time, too.”
“I’m not afraid,” Bette said. “Though Cody said one of the women was killed here on the ranch.”
Lacy frowned. “Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean it was someone from here. We were having a scavenger hunt. People were spread out all over the place, so the killer could have sneaked onto the property at any time. But if you make it a point not to go anywhere by yourself, you should be fine.”
“I’m happy to accompany you if you need an escort,” Cody said, but the offer only earned him a sour look from Bette.
The door from the kitchen opened and Rainey emerged, bearing a large silver tray. Cody rose to help her, but she shrugged him away. “I can get it,” she said, as she set the tray on the low table in front of the sofa. “I thought you might like something to snack on before supper.”
“Oh, it looks delicious,” Lacy said, scooting forward and helping herself to a cheese puff.
Rainey remained tight-lipped. “Have you seen Doug?” she asked. “He’s disappeared and it’s time for him to help me with supper.”
“I saw him a few minutes ago, out by the stables,” Cody said.
“Probably smoking a cigarette,” Rainey said. “He does that when he’s upset.”
Cody stuffed a sausage roll into his mouth, using it as an excuse not to comment.
“I can help you if you like,” Bette said. She started to stand. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“I can manage fine on my own,” Rainey said. “I’ve been doing it for years. I’m sure you’re the reason Doug is staying away. You’ve upset him.”
“What have I done to upset him?” Bette asked, but Rainey was already walking away, back to the kitchen.
“I’m sorry she’s being so rude to you,” Lacy said. “I can talk to Mr. and Mrs. Walker if you like. I’m sure they would speak to her.”
“No, don’t say anything. I don’t want to cause trouble.” She stood. “I think what I’d like to do is freshen up before dinner. And I want to check out that cute cabin where you’ve put me. I didn’t see much when we dropped off my luggage.”
Cody stood. “Let me walk you out. My cabin isn’t far and I should probably clean up before dinner, too.”
“I don’t think that’s really necessary,” she said.
“Humor me,” he said, lifting her coat off the pegs by the door.
“Let him go with you,” Lacy said. “I mean, you’re probably perfectly fine, but until Travis catches this killer, it probably doesn’t hurt to be overly cautious.”
If looks could kill, Cody thought Lacy might have been at least injured by the glare Bette sent her, but she allowed Cody to help her into her coat, and she stalked out the door in front of him.
Cody followed, not trying to catch up with her, more amused than insulted. He half suspected Lacy of doing a little matchmaking, trying to throw the two of them together, but it probably didn’t hurt for the women to be a little more careful until the murderer was caught.
Bette had been assigned the first in a row of four log guest cabins arranged alongside the creek, past the horse barns. Cody’s cabin was next to hers, the other two reserved for wedding guests due to arrive later. Someone—one of the ranch hands, probably—had shoveled the stone walkway leading to the cabin, which, if it was like Cody’s, consisted of a single large room and attached bathroom, and a small covered porch with a single chair and small table.
The sun had set, casting the world around them in gray twilight, but a light shone over the door of Bette’s cabin. She stopped at the bottom of the steps leading up onto the porch. Cody halted behind her. “What is it?” he asked, then followed her gaze to the door. There, in bright red paint, someone had scrawled the words Go Home!
* * *
ONCE SHE WAS over the initial shock of seeing the message on her door, Bette was more angry than frightened. “I guess we know what Doug Whittington was up to when his mother couldn’t find him,” she said, starting up the steps, her key in her hand.
“Don’t touch the door.” Cody took her hand as she was reaching for the knob.
She glared at him. “What? You think you’re going to find fingerprints? And then what? I don’t think a nasty message is exactly a major crime.” She pulled out of his grasp, inserted her key in the lock and shoved open the door. Not waiting to be asked, Cody followed her in—not that that surprised her. He was in full-on cop mode, on the case. Except there was no case.
“You don’t know that Doug did this,” he said.
“Unless his mother took a break from preparing dinner and ran out here with a can of red paint, my money is on Doug. No one else here is so anxious for me to leave.” She looked around the room, but clearly nothing had been dist
urbed. Her unopened suitcases stood by the bed, which was still neatly made, a blue-and-yellow patchwork quilt draped across it.
“I’ll talk to him,” Cody said.
“No.” She grabbed his wrist, squeezing hard, making sure she had his full attention. “Don’t say anything. The best way to deal with this kind of harassment is to ignore it.”
He set his jaw in a stubborn line and his eyes met hers—denim-blue eyes a woman could get lost in. Clearly, he wasn’t a man who ignored anything. “If I tell him to lay off hassling you or he’ll have to deal with me, I think he’ll stop,” he said.
“Your job is not to protect me,” she said. “I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself.”
He took a step toward her, so that the front of his duster almost brushed against her puffy coat. He was breathing hard, and she realized she was, too. She was torn between wanting to slap him and wanting to grab his shoulders and pull him down to her in a kiss. Her hormones were jumping up and down, shouting, “Big, sexy man—must have,” trying hard to drown out her brain, which was pleading that she had more sense than this.
Cody’s gaze shifted to her lips and she wondered if he was thinking the same thing—a dangerous thought that had her releasing her hold on him and stepping back, until she bumped into the bed. “You need to leave,” she said, her brain momentarily getting the upper hand.
“Yeah, I probably do.” He stepped back also, though his eyes remained locked to hers. “Just promise me if anything else happens—something more than annoying messages—you’ll call for me. My cabin is next door.” He nodded to his right.
“Sure.” She hugged her coat more tightly around her body. “But nothing is going to happen. This is kid stuff.”
“What are you going to do about the door?”
“I’ll find something to clean the message off the door before anyone sees it.”