“Are you sure you don’t mind?” She directed her question at him.
“Of course I don’t. Go. Have fun. I’ve really got something private I want to discuss with Ms. B and it can’t wait.”
Nodding, she hurried into the kitchen, then grabbed a sack on her way out the back door.
Once outside, she breathed in the fresh air and smiled. Though she enjoyed being in town, she was a country girl at heart. This farm reminded her of the Colton Valley Ranch, of home. She felt a twinge of sadness because she missed the ranch and her family. Even Fowler and Marceline, despite everything.
Pushing away unpleasant thoughts since she didn’t want to ruin a perfectly beautiful day, she found the apple trees without any trouble. Once there, she saw what Ms. Berens had meant. There was still a lot of fruit up in the trees, but fallen apples littered the ground. Some had rotted, others had clearly been savaged by wild animals or insects. Dismayed at the waste, Piper began gathering any remaining intact apples from the tree branches.
Though she stopped once she’d filled her sack, she could easily have filled several more. She wondered if the elderly widow might need her to pick more, so she hurried back to the house. Surely she’d given Cord enough time to discuss whatever was bothering him. Maybe once he’d gotten whatever was bothering him off his chest, he’d be in a better mood. One thing Piper had learned with her large and unpredictable family was how mercurial moods could be. For that reason, she tried to keep herself on an even keel, happy and upbeat, no matter the circumstances.
The only time she’d failed in recent memory had been when she’d been arrested for the murder of her adoptive father.
The thought had the unfortunate effect of dimming her smile. Shaking her head, she tried to think about something else, like finding Cord’s niece and learning the truth about what had really happened to Eldridge. Rose-colored glasses or not, she knew things were going to look up soon. They had to.
Meanwhile, she had fresh-picked apples and a dawning idea of what to do with the rest.
As she burst through the back door, barreling inside in her excitement, she realized both Cord and Ms. B looked up, utterly silent. A quick glance showed Cord’s expression still grim and miserable, while Ms. Berens looked perplexed.
“Is everything all right?” Piper asked, looking from one to the other. “I’m sorry, but, Cord, you look like someone just died.”
Ms. B snorted. “Doesn’t he, though? I keep trying to tell him that everything is all right. We all fall on hard times every once in a while.”
Hard times. About to ask, Piper noted the warning glare Cord shot her and kept her questions to herself. “I, uh, came back to see if you needed any more apples, Ms. Berens. I got an entire sack full, but there are plenty more. If I don’t pick them, they’ll just go to waste.”
“No, thanks. I spent an entire day canning them. I have enough apples to last me through winter and spring. But if you want to take more, grab another sack and go get them.”
“What would she do with more apples?” Cord asked, his tone mild, though his eyes were still hard.
“Actually, I have a plan. There’s a homeless encampment in Dallas,” Piper said. “A tent city under I-45. I saw it on the news. I was thinking maybe I could take them the apples.”
“Oooh!” Faded eyes sparkling, Ms. B clapped. “They’ll surely love that. Please do. I have a lot of plastic grocery bags in the garage. Why don’t you fill as many of those as you can? That will make me so happy.”
Nodding, Piper gave Cord one more quick glance before moving away. Clearly he didn’t want to share whatever was bothering him and she was okay with that, for now. “I’ll just go pick apples,” she said, infusing her voice with cheerfulness. “Call me if you need me.”
And she hightailed it back out the door, stopping in the garage to pick up the bags. Outside the door, she’d noticed a red metal wagon, ancient from the looks of it, but in good enough shape for Piper to cart the apples back to the house.
On the way to the orchard, Piper hummed under her breath. Once there, she immediately began picking apples.
Busywork, the simple task of filling plastic bags with fruit, felt like exactly what she needed. By keeping her hands occupied, she freed up her mind to think.
Her life had completely changed over the past week. She’d been arrested and spent the night in jail. Members of her own family had confronted her and let her know they considered her a killer.
And she’d run, taken off. The exact opposite of what she normally did. In the past, when she had a problem, she usually took the bull by the horns and waded right into trouble. She preferred face-to-face, honest confrontation to subterfuge and lies.
Now look at her. Hanging out with the sexiest bounty hunter and private investigator alive, on the run. Even if he had gone all dark and sardonic for no good reason, she knew if she were alone with him, she could coax him out of whatever funk he’d gotten in.
She needed him focused and confident. He could do the job, she knew, because reputations like his came only from success. For now, he was stuck with her. At least until she got some answers. Was Eldridge truly dead? If so, someone wanted to frame her for his death. But who? Piper couldn’t imagine. Even Marceline, as bitter and hateful as she could be, wouldn’t do something so evil.
Or would she?
Each time she filled a bag, she loosely tied it and placed it in the wagon. Once she had every bag full, she counted. Twelve. That ought to be enough.
Heading back to the house, she took care to make a lot of noise. Whistling, she wheeled the wagon to Cord’s truck and loaded her bagged-up apples in the bed. Then she returned the wagon to the same spot where she’d found it.
Opening the back door and stepping into the kitchen, she peered into the den. Ms. B sat in the same upholstered chair and appeared to be knitting something. Piper didn’t see Cord at all.
“I always wanted to learn to knit,” Piper said softly, approaching the older woman to peer at her creation. “Is that a scarf?”
“Why yes it is.” Ms. B’s lined face creased into a smile. “When you mentioned those homeless people living in tents, I started thinking. Winter is coming and they’re going to need to stay warm. I decided I’d better get busy knitting them scarves, hats and gloves.”
“Wow.” Piper gave in to impulse and kissed the older woman’s cheek. “You’re really something.”
Beaming at her, Ms. Berens shook her head. “Pshaw. You’re the one who gave me the idea.”
Behind Piper, someone cleared his throat. Cord.
“If you two are done with your mutual admiration society,” he drawled, “Pi—I mean, Penelope and I have to go.”
Ms. Berens frowned. “So soon? Are you sure you don’t want to stay and have supper? I can fry up some chicken.”
Homemade fried chicken made Piper’s mouth water, but a quick glance at Cord and she kept her mouth shut.
“I wish we could, but we’ve got a lot to do.” Cord leaned in and kissed the older woman’s other cheek. “I’ll be back soon and maybe we can have that then.”
“Okay.” Smiling fondly, Ms. B patted his hand. “Bring Penelope with you, too, if she doesn’t mind.”
Surprised, Piper swallowed. “I’ll try to come,” she allowed. “As long as our schedules mesh.” Or she wasn’t in jail.
Outside, Cord glanced at the bags of apples in his truck bed. “When are you planning to deliver all that?”
“Today.” Optimism firmly in place again, she grinned. “It’s only about a forty-five-minute drive from here. How about we swing by before we head back to your place?”
Though he grimaced, he nodded as they climbed up into the cab of his truck. “Sure, why not?”
“You’re a good man, Charlie Brown.” This time, she gave in to impulse and kissed his cheek. He stiffened, but didn’t comment. Instead, he started the truck and backed it around.
“You got her knitting again,” he commented. “I haven’t seen her kni
t in a long time.”
“She’s making hats, gloves and scarves to keep the homeless warm.” Buoyed by her enthusiasm, she bounced a little in the seat, despite her seat belt. “Kindness is a wonderful thing.”
Eyes dark, he held her gaze. “Yes. Yes it is.”
When he turned his attention back to the road, she released a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.
“That was pretty awesome,” she said, her voice a little softer than she would have liked. “Back there, what you do for Ms. Berens. Not everyone would be so kind.”
“Kind?” Expression still shuttered, he glanced at her again before turning his attention back to the road. “At first, I started visiting her out of a sense of duty, obligation and guilt. I felt it was my responsibility to make restitution for my father’s crime. But now, I actually enjoy her company. I’ve begun to feel like she’s my elderly aunt or something.”
“How often do you go out to see her?”
“Once a month.” Another sidelong glance. “Though I try to call her weekly. If she needs something, I go out there sooner.”
“She’s lucky she has you.”
He shook his head. “I’m not the only one. There are a lot of people looking out for the Widow Berens. Some of the guys from the neighboring farms check on her every Saturday. And the high school shop teacher has his students come out and repair things around her place for a grade. She’s well taken care of. Today was the first time I wasn’t able to—”
Cutting off the words, he turned up the radio. Piper turned it right back down. “Wasn’t able to what?”
“Never mind.”
They didn’t call her Persistent Piper for nothing. “No really, I want to know.”
His sigh contained equal parts exasperation and resignation. “You’re going to bug me until I tell you, aren’t you?”
“Bug you? I’m highly offended.” But she ruined her statement with a grin she couldn’t hold back. “Come on, Cord. Spill. Since we’re working so closely together, I’d rather you don’t have secrets.”
“This has nothing to do with your case.” Though he protested, one corner of his sexy mouth curved up in the beginnings of a smile.
“But you’re thinking about telling me anyway?” She ventured a guess. “Does it have something to do with you making monetary payments to Ms. Berens every month?”
“Damn.”
“I pay attention.”
“If you really want to know, yes. Because I’ve been focusing on searching for Renee, I haven’t had any paying jobs, so I wasn’t able to pay Ms. Berens last month. I’d hoped to catch up, but until I find Renee, I’ve got to hold back a reserve so I can keep more doors open.”
“So you didn’t give her anything? Even though I’m guessing Fowler paid you something up front?”
“He did.” Rueful now, he turned his attention back to the road. “But I’m not taking any other jobs until I find Renee—and learn the truth about Eldridge. So I had to tell Ms. B that once again, I couldn’t pay her in full this month, either, never mind catch back up.”
“I’m sure she didn’t mind. She looks like she’s doing okay.”
He snorted. “You sound like her. What neither of you can see is that it’s the principle of the thing. She told me today she hasn’t touched a dime of the money I’ve paid her—it’s in a savings account in case she ever needs it.”
Piper nodded. “There you go. So stop beating yourself up. Once you find your niece and help me figure out what happened to Eldridge, you can make it up to her.”
Hands on the steering wheel, he stared straight ahead at the road while he considered. “You’re right. You both are,” he finally said. “Though I know you probably don’t understand, failing to meet my obligations makes me feel like my father. And the one thing I’ve sworn not to be is anything like that man.”
“Tell me about him,” she said impulsively. “I barely remember him. Just that he was a ranch hand on the ranch. Oh, and that the ladies loved him. He was a handsome devil.” Like Cord. Because Cord looked a lot like his father, which he probably hated.
“Tell you about him?” Bitterness tinged Cord’s husky voice. “He was an abusive drunk who cared nothing about anyone but himself. He lied constantly and didn’t care what happened to his daughter or his son. My sister, Denice, needed help. She started drinking at an early age and was a full-blown alcoholic by her sophomore year. Not to mention the drugs. I went to him, tried to get him to see, but he laughed at me and told me I needed to take lessons from her, to loosen up and enjoy life.” His voice broke. “And now I’ve gone and told you way more than you wanted to know.”
Though sympathy made the back of her throat ache, she sensed to show this would be the worst thing she could do. So she simply nodded, careful not to look at him lest she reveal the depth of her emotions. “That stinks,” she finally said, keeping her tone mild. “It’s amazing you managed to overcome that to get where you are today.”
He shot her a sideways glance.
“Uh, right. Anyway,” he sounded determined to finish. “Renee is all the family I have left. I didn’t do a good enough job with her, and now she’s heading in the same direction Denice did. I’ve got to find her and get her that help before it’s too late.”
*
Cord had no idea why he’d let loose on Piper like that. All the bottled-up emotions had come spilling out, and he could only imagine how messed up she now thought he was.
Sadly, she wouldn’t be too far from the mark.
Of course, despite the Colton name and wealth, her life was no picnic, either. Or it hadn’t been, back when they’d been kids.
What surprised him was how much he liked her. He’d liked her back then, but had figured time and money would have changed her. Her breezy self-confidence mingled with earnest sincerity attracted him like a dog to a T-bone steak.
“I’m going to locate your niece,” Piper announced. The certainty in her voice made him want to believe her.
“How?” he asked, equally serious.
“I’m not sure yet, but I will.”
Her brilliant smile hit him hard in the chest. Blinking, he returned his attention to the road, uncertain how she could affect him so strongly.
“I believe in being positive,” she continued. “What you put out into the universe comes back to you, magnified.”
Though he had no idea what she meant by this, he nodded anyway. “You’re a glass-half-full kind of person, I take it.”
“Yes.” She grinned again, making him think he’d say just about anything to see that smile. “Some people find it annoying. But it works. Just wait and see.”
He signaled, exiting the interstate to take the road toward the homeless shelter so they could drop off the apples. “I hope you’re right. The weather’s getting colder and I worry about Renee. I don’t know if she has a warm, safe place to stay and enough to eat.” Not to mention he hoped she was clean and sober, though he didn’t say that out loud.
“I think she is. If she had to fend for herself a lot growing up, and it kind of sounds like she did, she’s got mad coping skills.”
It struck him that he really had no idea. “You may be right. I don’t really know.”
Now Piper studied him, her clear green gaze sliding over him like water flowing over rock. “You said she’s lived with you for two years, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you ever see her stoned or drunk?”
Slowly, he shook his head. “No. Not really.”
“So you’re basing your belief that she’s a partier on her parents’ past behavior?”
Stunned, he finally nodded. “Maybe I am. Again, I can’t be too sure.”
“Okay, then, tell me about her. What’s she like?”
He thought of Renee, of the constant battles they’d had. “Angry,” he finally said. “And sullen. Full of resentment and bitterness. I couldn’t hardly speak to her without setting her off.”
“She’s hur
ting.” Piper nodded, like it all made perfect sense. “And the emotions are confusing and overwhelming to her. That’s what makes her behave that way.”
“You sound as if you speak from experience,” he said, his tone dry. “But you forget, I was there for part of your childhood. Your life wasn’t bad at all.”
She went quiet at that, silent for so long he thought he’d offended her.
Finally, she faced him, her expression once again perky and bright and, as he had begun to realize, completely and utterly fake. “You have no idea what my life was like growing up. We Coltons only let outsiders see what we want them to see.”
Chapter 6
Of course Piper’s cryptic statement only made Cord wonder what she meant. Eldridge had always been a pompous, arrogant ass, but Cord didn’t see him ever abusing any of his children. He hadn’t been affectionate or demonstrative, and maybe that’s what Piper had meant. Of course, she also had to deal with Fowler and Marceline.
Deciding it prudent to change the subject, he nodded. “So what’s your plan? How are you planning to find Renee?”
“Well, first I’m going to ask you a few questions about her. Hopefully, you’ll know enough to be able to answer them.” Her dry tone made him fight to suppress a smile.
“I’ll do my best. Fire away.”
“You said the only jobs she’s ever had were waitressing. What kind of restaurants? Waffle House and Denny’s or steak houses?”
“She worked at Chili’s. She couldn’t wait to be old enough to train to be a bartender. That was the height of ambition to her, tending bar.”
“Well, a lot of people do that while working on something else.” He caught the tactful note in her voice and smiled.
“You said her father was in a band? What kind of band and what instrument did he play?”
At least this one he knew the answer to. “Heavy metal. And he was lead singer and bass guitarist.” Or screamer, as the case may be. Cord had attended a few of his concerts at his sister’s request. He hadn’t been able to even understand the words. Of course, his musical tastes tended more toward George Strait and Waylon Jennings.
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