by Kat Martin
“Sorry to hear that.”
“Did any of the miners see anyone unusual in the area?” Ellie asked.
“They were all busy working. It was early, so I figure whoever did it was up here last night.”
Kade walked over to examine the pile of rocks that had collapsed into the tunnel but hadn’t completely sealed it off. Turley climbed to the top of the rocks and ducked through the low opening that led to the other side.
Ellie thought of the dark hole Turley had gone into, and her chest clamped down. Kade handed her his Stetson.
“Why don’t you go back and take a look around outside? I’ll be out in a minute.”
Ellie didn’t argue. She was doing her best not to hyperventilate. “Okay,” she said a little breathlessly.
Still, she waited until Kade had climbed the rubble pile and disappeared inside to join Turley. Just watching him sent her anxiety up another notch.
Fortunately, her school nurse had known a lot about anxiety. After the accident, Mrs. Scarsdale taught her some tricks to help her control the panic attacks.
Ellie took a deep breath and slowly released it as she headed back toward the light at the mouth of the tunnel, grateful to feel the sun on her face as she walked outside. She took a couple more calming breaths, then started toward the pickup.
She glanced down at Kade’s hat, which still held a trace of his body heat, the brim marked with the faint imprint of his callused fingers. There was something about the hat, something intimate and strangely sensual that made her stomach contract with an odd sort of longing.
Ellie hurried to the truck, set the hat on the seat, then turned and started toward the group of miners who were busy doing their jobs, whatever they might be. She approached an older, silver-haired man standing off by himself with a can of Pepsi in his big, gnarled hand.
“So I guess there was an accident here this morning,” she said. “What happened?”
His gaze flicked toward the tunnel. “Not sure yet. There was some kind of explosion. Things like that can happen in a mine, but there was no gas buildup, nothin’ like that, and none of us was using any explosives.”
“How’s the man who was injured?”
“Dick Murphy. He might lose his leg. We’re all hoping he’ll be okay.”
“I hope so, too.”
The man looked away and took a long swallow of soda. Being a miner was a dangerous job. The explosion must have brought that truth home to the men.
Kade walked out of the tunnel, and Ellie headed over to meet him.
“Summit County sheriff will be out to take an incident report,” he said, his expression grim. “But it won’t happen till later today. Meantime, I need to get back to the ranch.” He didn’t say more till they were inside the truck, just picked up his hat, settled it on his head, and started the engine.
Kade flicked Ellie a sideways glance. “What happened to you in there?” He drove away from the mine and started back down the narrow road toward the valley below.
“I’m kind of claustrophobic. It started after an accident I had as a kid.” She went on to explain about the log fort collapsing, being half-buried and terrified. “It was dark by the time my dad finally found me. I was only ten. I thought I was going to die.”
“You should have said something.”
She shrugged. “I’m over it mostly. I mean, elevators don’t bother me, stuff like that. The mine . . . that was different.”
He grunted. “It’s not my favorite place, either.”
“The guy I was talking to said the man who was injured might lose his leg. Did you figure out what happened?”
Anger glittered in those golden-brown eyes. “Looks like it was an IED. Murphy kicked a rock and set it off. If he’d stepped on it directly, he’d probably be dead.”
Her stomach squeezed. “IED? Are you sure?”
“Turley’s a marine. Served in Afghanistan. He hasn’t put the information out to his men or anyone else, but he’s sure.”
“Maybe it was a disgruntled employee,” she said. “Someone he fired.”
His gaze slanted to hers. “Someone who wanted payback?”
The knot in her stomach tightened. “Maybe.”
“The mine sits on Diamond Bar property. I’m not a big believer in coincidence.”
Ellie glanced back toward the mine. “Neither am I.”
* * *
Two days later, Kade drove Ellie in for supplies and her lunch date. It burned him to think of her with Jonas Murray. Murray was the biggest womanizer in Coffee Springs. Once Heather was gone, Kade had managed to block the notion the guy could have been sleeping with his wife. He figured Heather would have had better taste. Now Ellie had forced him to face that very real possibility.
As he drove down the road, Kade thought of their earlier conversation. Ellie had wanted to drive herself into town, but Kade had told her he had a Cattlemen’s Association meeting in Eagle, which fortunately was true.
“I’ll be done about the time you’re finished,” he’d said. “Save us taking two vehicles.” It was an excuse, and the look in Ellie’s green eyes said she knew it.
“You told me yourself the guy is at the top of your murder suspect list,” he added. “I don’t like the idea of you being alone with him.”
“I won’t be alone, and even if I am, I’ve got a gun in my purse, so you don’t have to worry.”
It made him feel better, but not much.
“I’ll see you back here in an hour and a half,” he said. “You’ve got my number. Text me if you need more time.”
“All right.”
He wanted to lean over and kiss her, leave her with the imprint of his mouth over hers as she talked to Murray. Fortunately, he came to his senses.
Kade looked in the mirror as he drove away, saw Ellie disappear into the grocery store, and cursed.
CHAPTER NINE
ELLIE GAVE JONAS HER LIST OF SUPPLIES, WHICH HE HANDED TO HIS teenage son, then they walked over to the Coffee Springs Café.
Dressed in jeans, a dress shirt, and a navy wool jacket, Jonas looked good, his perfectly styled brown hair barely moving in the wind blowing down off the mountains.
Wendy Cummings took their orders. The pretty blonde was friendlier this time, probably because Ellie wasn’t with Kade. She and Jonas talked about the weather, always a safe place to start, progressed into a little local gossip, and then Jonas mentioned he had heard someone had shot two of Kade’s steers.
“Word travels fast,” Ellie said, forking up a bite of chicken Caesar salad.
“Probably just some rowdy kids wanting to shoot at something besides a paper target.”
“You think so? I was thinking more along the lines of a disgruntled employee taking it out on Kade.”
Jonas shrugged. “Could be, I suppose. Kade always brings in a bunch of part-time hands to work the fall roundup. Maybe one of them got pissed about something.”
“That certainly sounds possible.” If Kade would make a list of the men he’d hired, they could discuss it, find out if he’d had problems with any of the men.
Jonas finished the first half of his corned beef sandwich. “You’re out at the ranch. Heard anything new on Heather’s murder? I imagine Kade’s pushing hard now that they found Heather’s car.”
It was the perfect opening to discuss the subject.
Ellie gave him a conspiratorial smile. “Kade doesn’t talk about it, but everyone else does. I heard her stuff wasn’t in the car when they pulled it out of the lake.”
“Which means she must have gone with the killer willingly.”
“That’s what I was thinking.” Ellie leaned toward him. “It’s kind of exciting, don’t you think? Being involved in a murder investigation? Did the cops ever talk to you about her?”
He nodded, picked up the second half of his sandwich. “After they found her body, one of the Eagle County deputies came into the store and asked me some questions. Nobody’s come around since they found the car.”
“I saw her picture. She was really beautiful.”
Jonas looked wistful. “Yeah, she was.”
“I hear she got around. Liked to flirt and make guys jealous. Did you ever . . . you know, sleep with her?”
Color crept into Jonas’s face. “No, of course not.”
“I guess I shouldn’t have asked. Kade might go after you if he ever found out. You could end up getting hurt.”
Jonas’s chin jutted out at belligerent angle. “I’m not afraid of Kade Logan.”
Ellie grinned. “So you did sleep with her.”
The corner of Jonas’s mouth kicked up. “I didn’t say that, did I?” But he had the smug look of a man who was proud of the conquest he had made.
Ellie took another bite of salad. “Was Heather the reason you and your wife divorced?” She’d gone online and looked at county records, seen a copy of Jonas’s divorce papers. Jennifer Murray had filed the petition eight years ago, around the time Heather had disappeared.
Jonas shook his head. “Not really. We’d been having trouble for a while.”
They finished their meals, and Wendy refilled their coffee cups. Jonas took a sip of coffee. “We’ve talked about me too long. What about you? You’re not married, right? Beautiful woman like you? Why not?”
Ellie shrugged. “I like being single. I like having my independence, being able to do whatever I please.” Though she was playing a role, it was true. She liked her life for the most part. Still, there were times she wished she had someone who cared about her the way Kade had cared about Heather.
Jonas reached over and took hold of her hand where it rested on the table. “Maybe sometime you’d like to come over for supper. Surely you get a day off once in a while. I make a mean pot of spaghetti.” He smiled. “Add a nice bottle of chianti, who knows what might happen.”
“Ellie doesn’t have time to date,” Kade said darkly from beside her, the conversation around them having muffled his approach. Ellie’s head came up, and she jerked her hand out of Jonas’s grip.
“She’s only going to be here a couple of weeks, and I need her on the ranch,” Kade said.
She pasted on a smile and slid out of the booth, trying to hide her annoyance. “I guess it’s time to go. Thanks for lunch, Jonas.”
Jonas cast Kade a disapproving glance, then smiled at Ellie. “I’ll see you in the store on your next trip to town.”
Ellie just nodded. “Thanks again.” She started walking toward the door, felt Kade’s big hand at her waist, and ignored the warmth spreading through her.
She climbed into the truck and slammed the door, silently fuming as Kade slid into the driver’s seat. She pinned him with a glare.
“Why on earth did you do that? Jonas was just beginning to trust me enough to talk.”
Kade’s golden eyes zeroed in on her. “What about you, Ellie? You beginning to trust him, too?”
Her eyes widened. “Are you kidding? I’m not interested in Jonas Murray. I’m trying to find out if he killed your wife!”
A flush rose in Kade’s lean cheeks. “You think he did it?”
Ellie blew out a frustrated breath. “My instincts say no. He’s a chaser, not a killer. But I need to do a little more checking before I can be sure.”
Kade leaned back in his seat. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know what the hell happened. I saw you through the window, and I thought about the way he treats women, the way he talks about them behind their backs. I don’t like the bastard and never have.”
She didn’t tell Kade that Jonas had very likely slept with his wife. She didn’t want to be responsible for the grocery store owner winding up in the hospital.
“You going to his house for supper?” Kade asked.
“No. I would have politely declined. But thank you for saving me the trouble.”
He flicked her a glance that held a trace of amusement. “My pleasure,” he said.
* * *
Kade sat hunched over his desk that night, staring at the screen on his laptop. Ellie wanted the name of the men who had worked part-time during the roundup, or anyone he might have pissed off enough to kill two of his steers.
He had just finished perusing the list one more time when a light knock sounded at the door. He already recognized the knock as belonging to Ellie, and anticipation he didn’t want to feel poured through him.
“Come on in.” He felt a little kick as he watched her cross the room and sit down in the leather chair across from him.
“Did you make the list?”
He studied the screen on his laptop. “I pulled up the names of the part-time guys on the payroll at the time of the roundup. I know most of them. They’ve worked for me before. They’re good men. I can’t remember having a beef with any of them. Or anyone else.”
“Are you sure? Maybe it was something that seemed unimportant to you but was a big deal to one of them.”
He looked down at the computer screen but nothing stood out. He shook his head. “I don’t see anything that rings a bell.”
“How about someone who didn’t make it to the end of the pay period? Someone who might have been paid before the roundup was over and left?”
He thought about it, and a memory surfaced. “Frank Keller. Older guy, always bitching about something. We were short a few men. Seth found him in town and brought him out to the ranch. I remember he only worked a week or so before he got into an argument with Alejandro. Used a racial slur, said he wouldn’t take orders from someone like him.”
“So you fired him?”
“Wyatt sent him packing, but Keller confronted me before he took off. Said he deserved extra pay for changing his plans and driving all the way out here. I told him to forget it. He was a troublemaker. He’d get paid what he’d earned but not a dime more. I told him the only thing he deserved was a punch in the mouth and I’d be happy to give him one.”
Ellie laughed. “Not a good idea to go around assaulting people, Kade. Someone might press charges, and you could end up in jail.”
He didn’t bother to reply. He hadn’t hit the guy, so it was no big deal.
“You wouldn’t happen to know if Frank Keller was ever in the military?” Ellie asked.
“No idea.”
“I’ll find out. Anyone else you can think of besides Keller who might hate your guts?”
Kade grinned. “No.”
Ellie laughed. She rose from her chair. “It’s getting late. I’ve got to be up early, and as you once pointed out, I don’t want to miss my beauty sleep.”
He remembered, and desire slipped through him. He knew exactly how to give the lady a very good night’s sleep. “I’ll see you at breakfast.”
He watched her cross the room to the door and tried not to notice the way her jeans cupped that round behind. His groin tightened. Damn, he needed a woman.
Unfortunately, he had reached the point where only one woman would do. He wanted to pursue the attraction, but with the two of them working together, it wasn’t a good idea. Ellie walked out of the study. The door closed quietly behind her, and Kade softly cursed.
CHAPTER TEN
THE WEATHER CHANGED, GREW OMINOUS. THICK BLACK CLOUDS rolled in over the valley. Lightning erupted, and heavy sheets of rain poured down, turning the pastures to mud. Then the winds swept in, gusts up to sixty miles an hour, heralding an early winter storm of epic proportions that no one had expected.
Kade had been up twenty-four straight hours, most of them in the saddle. He and the men were moving stock from one pasture to another in search of safe havens from the battering wind and rain. When Wyatt, Alejandro, and Roy Cobb showed up to take their shift, Kade, Seth, and Turtle headed back to the ranch.
The men rode into the barn to take care of their horses. Kade swung down from the saddle, rain dripping from the brim of his hat onto his yellow rubber slicker, and Billy ran up to take the reins of Kade’s big buckskin, Hannibal.
“Rub him down real good, Billy, and make sure he gets an extra scoop of grain.”<
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“Yes, sir.”
As the men headed for the bunkhouse to change out of their wet, muddy clothes, Billy led the tired animal away, and Kade headed for the kitchen. Wearily climbing the steps, he removed his wet hat and slapped it against his thigh.
He was wearing his fringed leather chaps against the cold and the yellow rain slicker that helped keep him dry. Stepping into the kitchen, he hung his hat on the rack, along with his slicker and the Carhartt jacket underneath.
“Kade! You’re back.” Ellie. “Come in and get warm. We’ve been worried about you.” The concern in her voice warmed him more than the temperature in the kitchen.
“Sí, you should’ve come in sooner,” Maria chided, and if he hadn’t been so tired, he might have smiled. “I’ll get you a cup of coffee,” she said.
“We made a big pot of beef noodle soup and a stack of roast beef sandwiches,” Ellie said. “We figured when the hands rode in, we’d have something warm for them to eat.”
“That’s good,” Kade said. “Beats the hell out of a sack lunch. Thanks.” He sat down tiredly at the table, and Ellie brought him a bowl of hot soup and a sandwich piled high with beef and cheese on whole wheat bread.
“How’s it going out there?” she asked.
“Riley’s horse took a fall, broke Riley’s leg. We splinted the leg, and Slate took him in. They’re on the way to the clinic in Eagle.”
“Oh, dear. I hope he’s going to be okay.”
“The break looks pretty clean. With any luck, he’ll be fine.”
Ellie frowned. “With Riley gone, that puts you one man short. Two until Slate gets back.”
He just nodded. Losing Riley was going to make a tough situation a whole lot tougher. He dipped into his soup, which, at the moment, tasted better than filet mignon. A couple more mouthfuls and he glanced up to see Ellie standing next to him.
“Maria can handle the cooking. Until the storm passes, we won’t be doing anything fancy. I can take Riley’s place.”
For a second, he thought his hearing was faulty. “You got any idea what it’s like out there?”
Ellie’s gaze went to the steamy glass panes battered by slashes of rain. “I’ve got a pretty good idea just looking out the window.”