Runaway Colton

by Karen Whiddon

  “Nope. Believe it or not, I actually considered that. I’ve been working behind the scenes to clear your name. I quietly investigated both Fowler and Marceline and they don’t seem to be responsible. It’s got to be someone else. Give me some other names.”

  “I’m working on it,” she said. “As soon as I come up with something concrete, I promise I’ll let you know. How was your Thanksgiving?”

  He snorted. “Strained. We missed you, Pipe.”

  “I missed ya’ll, too.”

  “What about you? How’d you spend the holiday?”

  She smiled when she thought about it. “I ate with friends. Smoked turkey and all the fixin’s. It was small, but nice.”

  “I’m glad. Whitney was beside herself, missing not only her Dridgey-pooh, but you, too.”

  No one had ever figured out why Eldridge had allowed Whitney to call him such a horrible endearment, but the old man actually seemed to like it.

  Piper laughed. “So has the Christmas decorating commenced?”

  “Of course.” Reid sounded grim. “She’s got more decorators than usual and it’s looking more over-the-top than ever this year.”

  “Yikes.”

  “Yeah. Whitney keeps telling everyone who will listen that she wants this Christmas to be extra special because her husband will definitely be home.”

  Piper winced. “I hope so. I’ll keep in touch, okay?”

  “You do that.” Reid paused. “And stay safe, okay?”

  After promising she would, she ended the call.

  “Hey, are you ready to paint?” Renee popped her head around the corner. She’d gone to the flea market and picked up an armoire and asked Piper to help her refinish it. Since Renee had spent all morning sanding it, it ought to be ready for primer soon. She’d even purchased the paint. This time, instead of turquoise, Renee had purchased her original color choice, purple.

  “Yes, I am,” Piper answered. Painting was the part she loved the best. She found the strokes of the paintbrush soothing. And watching the coats of color slowly transform the wood into something else made her happy.

  Renee had everything ready to go in the garage. The double garage door was up so a fresh breeze brought needed ventilation. She’d placed the armoire on newspaper. Paintbrushes and paint sat next to it. Hunched over one of the legs with a piece of sandpaper, Renee didn’t hear Piper approach, Truman by her side as usual.

  Watching her, Piper was struck by how young she looked. Cord had speculated earlier that he thought Renee liked to party, as if she’d taken after her deceased mother. Piper knew the idea had caused him a lot of worry.

  But she now believed it to be unfounded. Renee’s idea of partying appeared to be staying up too late watching TV with popcorn. Though she loved tending bar and seemed to be a people person, Piper had yet to see Renee with anyone who might be considered a close friend. Since Renee definitely couldn’t be considered shy, Piper couldn’t help but wonder what was up with that.

  What the heck. Piper figured she’d take a stab at solving the mystery.

  “You must make lots of friends there at your bartending job, right?”

  Renee barely looked up. “I’m almost done. Friends? I guess you could say that. But I don’t believe in mixing work and pleasure, so any friends from the bar, stay at the bar.”

  “That makes sense,” Piper replied. And it did. Sort of. “What about your other friends?” she persisted. “The high school ones. Why don’t you go out with them once in a while?”

  “Because there aren’t any.” Renee sounded supremely unconcerned. “I try not to make friends. That way it doesn’t hurt as much when it’s time to move away. I learned that at an early age.” Renee’s wry smile contained no humor. “Did you know I was in seven different elementary schools, four middle schools, and this high school was my fifth one?”

  Piper’s heart ached. “Wow.” She did her best to match Renee’s carefree tone. “That must have been hard.”

  “It was. What was even harder was trying to catch up. Not only did we move around a lot, but my parents didn’t care too much if I went to school or not.” Renee smiled. “But I did. I was determined to graduate, to make something of myself. And I will. I’ve been thinking about what you said. I’m tending bar and saving up so I can go to art school. It seemed like a lot of money before, but once I thought about it, I know if I work really hard, I can make this happen.”

  Impressed, Piper squeezed Renee’s slender shoulder. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

  “I’m glad you think so,” Renee quipped. “You can be my fan club. I sure need someone to cheer me on.”

  And that someone wasn’t Cord. Piper heard the words as clearly as if Renee had spoken them out loud. “Your uncle cares about you, I promise.”

  “I know he does.” Renee went back to sanding a minute area on the leg of the armoire.

  “He just needs some help showing it. Like all men,” Piper said, trying to lessen the seriousness of the moment yet still get her point across.

  To her relief, Renee laughed. “You might be right.”

  “Oh, honey, I know I am. He was a mess when you were gone. He’s just not sure how to go about this being a father figure thing. I think he’s terrified of making a mistake. You have to help him along.”

  Now Renee’s hazel eyes definitely had a sparkle. “I see,” she said. “Just like you have to show him how to be a boyfriend. I’ve noticed he’s not real good at that, either.”

  Though color flooded Piper’s face, she attempted a smile. “We’re both still feeling our way around in that area. I wouldn’t exactly use the term boyfriend or girlfriend. More like friends.”

  Renee’s brows rose. “With benefits?”

  Could she get any more embarrassed? Piper didn’t think she could. Now not only her face felt on fire, but her entire body. “That’s none of your business, young lady,” she said, her prim tone causing Renee’s grin to widen.

  “I thought so!” Renee crowed. “That’s great. You’ll be so good for him.”

  “Good for who?” Cord asked, wandering into the garage from outside.

  Piper and Renee exchanged a quick glance, Piper silently imploring Renee not to say a single word.

  Renee shook her head. “Girl talk,” she said. “How do you like the armoire?”

  Looking from one to the other, Cord dragged his attention from Piper back to the big piece of furniture. “It’s nice. How’d you get that thing here, anyway? It’s way too big to fit in your car.”

  Renee grinned. “I sweet-talked one of the guys that works there into delivering it after work.”

  Running a hand over the wood, Cord nodded. “It’s solidly built. What color are you going to stain it?”

  “No stain. We’re using paint. Like we did with the dresser.”

  Now Cord glanced back at Piper, who managed a smile. “Yep. Paint.”

  “I see.” Cord’s tone indicated clearly that he didn’t understand. “I honestly think you’d do better with stain. It’d bring out the texture of the wood.”

  “Painting this type of furniture is what I do. Did you even get a chance to look at the dresser Renee and I painted? The turquoise one in her bedroom?”

  Cord nodded. “I did. And it looks great, though it’s an odd color choice.”

  As compliments went, that stunk, but Piper knew not everyone appreciated the eclectic look of her stuff.

  “Just wait until you see the color I chose for this one! Look.” Renee opened the paint can. “Primrose purple.”

  Thankful for the time to finish composing herself, Piper enjoyed watching Cord’s reaction. “Wow.” He eyed the can. “That’s certainly...bright.”

  Renee laughed out loud. “That it is. My bedroom could use some cheering up.”

  Cord nodded, but not before Piper saw the regret flash across his face.

  “No worries.” Renee jumped up and gave him a quick hug. “I’m just now figuring out my own style. This is fun.”

&nb
sp; “And relaxing,” Piper put in.

  “Do you have a minute to talk?” Cord asked Piper. “Alone? Maybe we could go for a walk or something, if your ankle is up for it.”

  Heaven help her, her heart leaped at the idea.

  “I was just about to start painting with Renee,” she began.

  Renee glanced from Piper to Cord and back again. “You know what,” she said slowly. “I think I’d like to go solo on this one. If you don’t mind, that is.”

  “Of course I don’t mind.”

  At her answer, Renee beamed, clearly thinking there was some romancing about to go on between the two of them.

  Still Piper hesitated. When she told someone she’d help them, she never backed out without a good reason.

  “Seriously.” Renee gave her a little push. “Go walk. Talk. Enjoy each other’s company. Take the crutches if you need them.”

  *

  Cord didn’t know why his niece apparently felt compelled to match-make, but judging from the way Piper valiantly attempted not to laugh, she wasn’t taking it seriously. Which meant neither should he.

  Even in torn, faded blue jeans and a T-shirt, Piper managed to look gorgeous. And sexy as hell. He considered reaching for her hand, but after all that nonsense with Renee, he didn’t want to take a chance on his niece seeing. He didn’t want to give her false hope for something that didn’t stand a chance of happening.

  “Do you want your crutches?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “No. It’s much better. I hardly even notice it unless I move too fast.” As they walked, Truman trotted along at Piper’s side.

  “My dog now thinks he’s yours,” Cord commented.

  “I love him,” Piper said, grinning. Then she glanced from Truman to Cord and back again. “He seems to love me, doesn’t he? Does that bother you? I promise, I’m not trying to steal your dog. I can try to discourage him if you want.”

  Incredulous, Cord shook his head. “Why would I want that? You seem to make him happy, and vice versa. I’m all for happiness. Don’t worry about it. I’ve been enjoying watching the two of you have your mutual lovefest.”

  Relief shone in her face. “Okay. Thanks.”

  They’d barely walked past the first pasture when Piper stopped and turned to face him. “I know you had to wonder about all that back in the garage. It’s just that Renee wants to experience a family so badly. That’s why she’s trying to push the two of us together.”

  His gut clenched. “Do you really think so? Even though she’s eighteen?”

  “I do.” Green eyes serious, she met his gaze. “She might be older, but she’s still young enough to want what she never had. She didn’t have a normal life her entire childhood. Just now she’s beginning to get a taste of what she missed and she wants more.”

  “I know.” He tried to sound hopeful, even though he wasn’t, at least not at that particular moment. He wished life actually could be that tidy and everyone could have a perfect, happy ending. “I’m going to do the best I can to make sure she’s happy.”

  “Good. She deserves the best. She’s a nice kid.” Expression curious, she glanced at him. “What’d you need to talk to me about?”

  “Your case. I’ve been avoiding my office lately, but I have to stop by and check on mail, pay some bills and generally straighten the place up. I also need to do more work on finding out what’s going on with your charges.”

  “I’d like to go with you,” Piper said.

  Regretfully, he shook his head. “Too dangerous. It’s in town and someone could see you. I won’t be gone long.”

  “All right,” she agreed, her disgruntled expression telling him she didn’t like it. “Now that you have your niece back, I feel like I should be doing more to get answers on my own case. I can’t do that if I’m hiding out at your place.”

  Damn, he wanted to kiss that frown away from her beautiful face. Somehow, he restrained himself and simply smiled instead. “Piper, I promised you I’ll get to the bottom of this. While I’m at the office, I’ll check in with a few more of my contacts. Also, I think we need to start talking to attorneys, don’t you? Since they don’t have a body, this should be easy to get dismissed.”

  “Do you think? Alanna was supposed to be hiring one, though I haven’t heard anything.”

  “Yes, I do. In fact, I honestly believe whoever planted that bloody shirt is trying to stir things up and mess with you. They have to know that won’t be enough to convict you.”

  She tilted her head, her expression serious. “Maybe, but what about the supposed eyewitness? Why won’t anyone tell me who it is?”

  “That’s why you need a lawyer. They could be making that up hoping to scare you into a confession.”

  “Let me talk to Reid again,” she finally said. “Knowing him, he, along with T.C. and Alanna, might have already hired one. If not, I’m sure they have someone in mind.”

  “You do that.” He nodded. “We’ll discuss our findings later, after I get home.”

  She nodded, holding his gaze, her color high. “Thank you, Cord.”

  Surprised, he eyed her. “For what?”

  “For believing in me, when even some of my own relatives did not.”

  Then, before he could formulate a response, she turned and went back to the house, walking slowly but not hobbling, Truman at her side.

  Instead of following her, Cord simply got into his truck and headed to town. He couldn’t get Piper out of his head, though he wasn’t sure how to deal with her ability to have such a strong effect on him. This could get plenty messy, with potential for all three of them to get hurt. He’d have to do his best to ensure that didn’t happen. But how?

  Chapter 11

  When Cord reached his office and opened the door, he wasn’t surprised to find a bunch of mail the postman had dropped in the door slot. Most of it appeared to be junk, though he spied what looked like a couple of bills. He gathered it all up, sorted through it and tossed the advertisements. Placing the bills on his desk, he checked his messages. There were three, two of them solicitors. The third was a hang up call. He could picture Sam chiding him about letting the business slide. Well, now that Renee was home, he could get to work again. He had connections. Several had let him know that there would be jobs waiting for him when he wanted them. Starting Monday, he’d begin placing phone calls and putting out feelers.

  Right now, he needed to get to the bottom of this nonsense with Piper.

  The door opened without a knock, and Fowler stepped inside, almost as if Cord’s thoughts had summoned him.

  “Any word?” he asked, by way of greeting.

  “Afternoon, Fowler.” Cord tried to keep the exasperation out of his voice. “Why don’t you have a seat and we’ll talk.”

  Fowler sat. “Do you have any bourbon?”

  Careful not to show his surprise, Cord nodded. “I do.” He reached behind him, opened his credenza and pulled out a bottle and one glass.

  “Get two,” Fowler ordered. “We’re celebrating.”

  Celebrating? Had Fowler somehow learned the truth about Piper’s whereabouts? His gut clenched, though he kept his face expressionless as he got out a second glass.

  “All right,” he said, pouring them each a drink. “I don’t have ice, so this will have to do.” He slid the glass across the desk to Fowler, who took it. “What are we drinking a toast to?” Cord asked, his tone casual.

  “I’m engaged.” Fowler beamed, an expression Cord had never seen before on the other man’s patrician features. “I finally asked Tiffany to marry me. She said yes.”

  Since Fowler and Tiffany had been dating for years, Cord wasn’t surprised. He did wonder why the other man chose to share this with him, since they barely knew each other.

  “Congratulations,” Cord said, clinking his glass to Fowler’s, taking a small sip and waiting.

  “Yes. This is supposed to be the happiest time in my life. But with not knowing if Piper is safe, it’s not.” He leaned forward in his ch
air, his gaze intense. “You’ve got to find her and bring her home. It’s bad enough with Eldridge missing and possibly dead.”

  Cord noted Fowler didn’t call Eldridge Dad or Father. In fact, neither did Piper, now that he thought about it.

  “But with Piper gone, Whitney is hysterical,” Fowler continued. “When Tiffany and I gave her the news of our engagement, all she could say was that I needed to bring my sister home.” He sniffed.

  “I’m working on it,” Cord began.

  “Are you?” Voice angry, Fowler drank deeply. “I’ve paid you a boatload of money and so far, gotten nothing back for my investment. Instead, you’ve been dodging my phone calls and refusing to give me anything.”

  Damn. Cord took another sip to stall things. He had to be careful because he didn’t want to start outright lying. His father had turned telling falsehoods into an art form. Cord refused to be like him. While he’d never claimed to be a saint, he’d learned early on that there were ways around having to outright lie. Though this situation with Piper had him coming pretty damn close.

  “Here’s what I have done,” Cord said, outlining both his visit to the sheriff and to the courthouse. “All they have on Piper is circumstantial. I imagine if your family were to hire a good attorney, they could make the charges go away.”

  “That’s not what I’m paying you to do,” Fowler declared, his narrow gaze radiating anger. “You’re to bring Piper home, nothing more.”

  “You do know I can’t legally make her do anything, right?”

  Fowler narrowed his eyes. “You know as well as I do that there are ways to get such things done.”

  Was he suggesting Cord kidnap here? “I plan to stay inside the law,” he began.

  “I don’t care what you have to do. Just get her back home.”

  “Yeah, well maybe if the charges were dropped, she’d show up on her own,” Cord snapped back. “Ever think of that?”

  Now would be the time for Fowler to agree, to state his belief in Piper’s innocence.

  Instead, Fowler shook his head. “The police have no idea who killed Eldridge.”

  “Of if he’s even dead.”

  “True.” Finishing his drink Fowler placed the empty glass down on the desk with a thunk. “All this uncertainty is hampering my ability to run the company.”