The Last Goodnight

by Kat Martin

  Kade stiffened. “I didn’t kill the bastard.”

  “You better hope not. Just because you own one of the biggest spreads this side of Denver doesn’t make you exempt from the law.”

  Kade’s shoulders tightened even more. He felt Ellie’s hand on his arm. “Are we done here, Sheriff?” she asked.

  “We’re done. For now. Your weapons are evidence in an ongoing investigation. You’ll get them back once it’s over.”

  “Neither of them has been fired,” Kade pointed out.

  Fischer ignored him. “Sheriff Carver will also want to talk to you. I’m advising you not to leave the state.” He turned to Ellie. “That goes for you, too, Ms. Bowman.” The sheriff strode off to join his men.

  Kade’s jaw hardened. He stared at the house where he’d found the body of a dead man, and dread poured through him. Instead of his problems being solved, things had just gotten worse. Now he was a suspect in a murder investigation.

  “Sonofabitch,” he growled.

  “You didn’t do anything wrong,” Ellie said. “If the sheriff can’t figure that out, we’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he does.”

  Kade looked down at her, took in the stubborn angle of her chin. Her copper hair blazed like hellfire in the sunlight, and her pretty lips were set in a determined line.

  She was sticking by him. She was strong, and she was smart. She wouldn’t leave him to deal with the problem alone.

  Something expanded in his chest. Until that moment, Kade hadn’t realized just how much that meant to him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  DUSK SETTLED OVER THE MOUNTAINS, THE MOTTLED SKY TURNING soft shades of orange and turquoise as the pickup headed back toward the ranch.

  Ellie rode in silence, her thoughts on the shooting, on Frank Keller’s death, and what it might mean to Kade and the people on the ranch.

  “The medical examiner won’t report the cause of death until he does the autopsy,” Ellie said, speaking over the hum of the diesel engine. “Unless something changes, we have to assume Frank was murdered.”

  Kade’s attention swung away from the road and lit for a moment on her face. “We need to find out who killed him—and why.”

  “A better question might be what happens next? With Keller dead, are your troubles over? What if Frank’s beef with you wasn’t personal? What if it never had anything to do with payback?”

  His jaw tightened. “You’re thinking he might have been working for someone else. Someone who paid him to cause me trouble.”

  “That’s right. Maybe the person who hired him wasn’t satisfied with the job Frank was doing. Or he was afraid Frank was about to get caught.”

  Kade nodded. “We found Keller. Which means the sheriff would probably have found him fairly soon. The killer could have shot Frank to keep him from talking.”

  “Could be, and if Keller was murdered to silence him, whoever hired him might not be finished. You and your people could still be danger.”

  Kade’s hands tightened around the steering wheel. “We can’t afford to let down our guard. Not yet. I’ll keep the security guys on the payroll and warn the hands to stay alert till we figure out what’s going on.”

  “With any luck, Sheriff Fischer will come up with something.”

  Kade grunted. “Or Carver will. He’s been looking for the shooter from the beginning.”

  As they got closer to the ranch, Ellie phoned Zoe to tell her to forget about Frank Keller, that they had found him dead. Zoe promised to call on Monday with updates on the rest of the info Ellie wanted.

  By the time Kade parked the truck behind the ranch house and Ellie walked through the back door into the kitchen, supper was in progress. The men had already loaded their plates with steaks off the big stainless grill, baked potatoes, salad, and French bread. It was Saturday night. Sunday was a well-deserved day off for most of the men.

  Ellie recognized a couple of guys from the security detail. There were always one or two men who showed up to eat at the end of their shifts.

  Maria was still working, getting ready to serve dessert. “Sorry I’m late,” Ellie said to her.

  Maria flashed a proud smile. “Everything went smoothly. Turtle helped, and the steaks turned out very good.”

  “Better than good,” one of the men called out. “Maria did great.”

  Ellie looked over to see Alejandro among the hands seated around the table. His arm was in a sling, his shirt unsnapped partway to make room for the bandage around his shoulder. Maria blushed at his compliment and looked away.

  Kade hung his hat on a peg and strode toward the injured man. “You sure you ought to be out of bed?”

  “The doctor says I should move around if I want to get well.”

  “You look a little better. How are you feeling?”

  Alejandro flashed his bright white smile. “Much better. Maria’s a very good nurse.”

  Kade flicked her a glance but returned his attention to Alejandro. “All right, but don’t press too hard. Just take it easy.”

  Ellie touched Kade’s arm. “You must be hungry. Why don’t you grab a plate and have some supper?”

  He just nodded. He’d been distracted all the way back from Phippsburg. His mood was dark, his jaw tight. Worry weighed heavily on his broad shoulders. Ellie felt sorry for him.

  Kade filled a plate and sat down in his usual place at the head of the table. For a moment, the hands fell silent.

  “Couple of things I need to tell you,” Kade said, cutting into his steak. “But they can wait till we finish Maria’s delicious meal.” His gaze went to Ellie across the kitchen. “I know Ellie hasn’t eaten. There’s room at the table. It’s Saturday night. Why don’t both you ladies join us?”

  There was always plenty of food. Ellie sometimes took a plate back to her room, or she and Maria sat together after they finished in the kitchen. The young woman made a point of not looking at Alejandro as she carried her plate over and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Ellie sat down next to Turtle, whose round face turned a little red.

  It didn’t take long for the men to relax and go back to talking and laughing. Since there were often women working in the kitchen, bawdy jokes and bad language weren’t tolerated. These were western men. There was a certain code of honor when it came to females in their presence.

  Dessert was served, a sweet Spanish egg dish called flan, one of Maria’s specialties.

  Kade talked as the men dug into their dessert. “This afternoon I made a trip to Phippsburg. Ellie has a friend who came up with a lead on where to find Frank Keller.” Several heads came up. “By the time we got there, Keller was dead. Shot to death in the living room.” Silence fell, not even the clink of silverware.

  “Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy,” Slate drawled, digging back into the flan with a little extra gusto.

  The men rumbled their agreement.

  “What happened?” Wyatt asked.

  “His death was meant to look like a suicide, but there’s a very good chance he was murdered. The sheriff is waiting for the medical examiner’s report. But unless Webb Fischer’s an idiot—which I don’t think he is—he’ll be hunting for Frank’s killer.”

  The men went back to eating. Ellie wondered if they were putting the pieces together, beginning to see that their troubles might not be over.

  “What do you think, boss?” Roy asked. “You think we’re in the clear?”

  Kade set his napkin down next to his empty dessert bowl. “I think it’s too soon to let down our guard. There’s a chance Keller was hired by someone and that someone might have killed him to keep him from talking. If that’s the case, Frank was just a tool for whoever wants to make trouble for me and the ranch.”

  “Any idea who it might be?” Wyatt asked.

  “I’m working on it. If any of you have ideas, I’d like to hear them.”

  No one spoke.

  “Looks like I’ve still got a job.” Trace Elliot, Delaney’s right-hand man, was a forme
r army ranger, good-looking, with wavy brown hair and intense blue eyes.

  Amusement touched Kade’s lips. “I’m sorry to say you’re right.” The men chuckled. “We’re going to need your help till this is over. Eventually it will be—one way or another.”

  “Tomorrow’s Sunday,” Riley said, his white plaster cast angled beneath the table. “Maybe we should stick around instead of taking the day off.”

  Kade shook his head. “We aren’t letting this bastard win. You all work hard. You deserve time off. Whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out.” The men looked relieved. “In the meantime, I need you all to stay alert. More than that, I need you to stay safe. We’re all family here. Your safety is the most important thing.”

  Kade slid back his chair and shoved to his feet. “Great job, Maria. I know the men enjoyed it as much as I did.” He looked at the group around the table. “Enjoy your evening.”

  As he strode out of the kitchen and headed down the hall, the hands began to disperse. Some of them would head back to the bunkhouse, others would drive into Coffee Springs or down to Eagle to enjoy a night out before their day off.

  “Tomorrow I move back into my grandmother’s house,” Maria said as she and Ellie put the last of the dishes into one of two dishwashers. “I’d rather stay with Alejandro, but he doesn’t need me anymore.” She looked at Ellie. “I wish he wanted me to stay a little longer.” Her lips trembled. “I wish he loved me, but he doesn’t.”

  Ellie wiped her hands on a dish towel. “Did Alejandro tell you that?”

  Maria shook her head. “He wouldn’t want to hurt me.”

  “Maybe you should talk to him, tell him the way you feel, ask him what he feels for you.”

  Maria sadly shook her head. “I don’t have that kind of courage.” Untying her apron, she hung it on a peg on the wall, grabbed her coat, and walked out the back door.

  Ellie thought of Kade. She had no idea what Kade felt for her. She had heard his heavy footfalls on the stairs, so she knew he had gone up to his bedroom. He hadn’t asked her to join him. She didn’t think he would come to her room tonight.

  She thought of his weary expression, the worry lines digging into his forehead, the tiny creases beside his eyes. She thought of what might lie ahead for him, the danger his men could be facing, the danger he might be facing himself.

  By now, she knew him well enough to know he would struggle tonight with all of those things. Ellie left the kitchen and headed for her bedroom to shower and change. Whether he admitted it or not, Kade needed her tonight.

  Ellie intended to give him what he needed.

  * * *

  Kade had just walked out of the bathroom, a towel slung around his hips. His hair was still damp from the long, hot shower he had taken. He’d needed to get the smell of death scrubbed from his body.

  He wished it were as easy to erase the memory of Frank Keller’s brains leaking from a hole in his head.

  He sighed as he crossed the room to his dresser and took out a pair of sweatpants. He was about to pull them on when a soft knock sounded at the door. He knew that knock, knew Ellie stood in the hallway, and his body stirred to life.

  Kade silently cursed. In the mood he was in, Ellie was the last person he wanted to see. Apparently his body disagreed.

  He pulled open the door, managed to ignore how beautiful she looked with her face clean of makeup and her burnished hair loose around her shoulders. “It’s been a long day, darlin’. I figure we could both use some sleep.”

  Those big green eyes ran over his bare chest, must have noticed the bulge at the front of the towel. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

  His pulse quickened. She was barefoot, wearing her fleecy robe. He remembered the first time she had worn the robe to his room and the heated lovemaking that had followed.

  His arousal strengthened, but his big head wasn’t in the game. Not after the scene at Earl Dunstan’s. “I’m not in the best mood tonight.” He didn’t move, just stood there blocking the door. “You’d be smart to go back downstairs.”

  Ellie reached for his hand, walked past him, and led him over to the bed. “I’m going to help your mood improve. Lie down on your stomach.”

  “Ellie, I don’t think I can do this tonight.”

  She looked up at him with a trace of pity, then down at the towel, and laughed. He couldn’t believe it.

  “You don’t have to do anything. Not tonight. The bed, Kade. Now.”

  His interest—among other things—was piqued. He climbed up onto the big four-poster and sprawled on his stomach. Ellie pulled off the towel, leaving him naked and more than a little aroused. Tossing her robe on the foot of the bed, she climbed up beside him in a short, silky lavender nightgown that barely covered her fine little ass.

  He hadn’t noticed the bottle of lotion she’d brought with her. He’d mostly been trying to control his building lust. He felt the cooling moisture as she leaned over him, ran her palms across the muscles in his shoulders, began to knead away the tension in his neck.

  “Close your eyes,” she said, spreading the lotion over the tired muscles in his back.

  “If I do, I’ll see Frank Keller’s dead body.”

  “Not for long. I promise.” Her hands never stopped moving, digging into tendons and sinews, smoothing over his skin, moving lower, gently easing away some of the fatigue. He closed his eyes and, little by little, began to relax.

  Ellie massaged his thighs, his calves, spent extra time on his feet. He wasn’t sure when he drifted off or how long he slept, but it was a deep, untroubled slumber.

  It was midnight when a sound in the house awoke him, and his eyes slowly opened. Rain on the roof, he realized, nothing to worry about. For a moment, he couldn’t remember why he was lying facedown on the quilt on his bed.

  Then he remembered. Ellie. He glanced around in search of her, but she was gone. He felt better, just as she’d promised, his mind refreshed and back in control, his focus returned. He wished she had stayed.

  The thought unsettled him. She’d come to help him. She had given him what he needed in a manner he hadn’t expected. Not sex, though he thought that she would have responded to him if he’d wanted.

  Instead she had sensed a different sort of need. Relief from the burdens he carried, the chance to ease his troubled mind, if only for a while. Ellie had given him a valuable gift.

  In his mind’s eye, he saw her in her silky lavender nightgown, all soft, welcoming woman. Kade tossed off the covers, grabbed his jeans off the chair, and slid them on. Barefoot, he headed for the stairs.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  SOFT GRAY, EARLY DAWN LIGHT FILTERED THROUGH THE CURTAINS AT the bedroom window as Ellie slowly opened her eyes. She came fully awake to find herself in a tangle of arms and long, muscular, hair-roughened legs. Curled around her, Kade slept soundly. He had never come to her room before.

  Everything about last night was different. The same fierce passion had burned between them, but Kade’s attention had been focused wholly on her. For the first time, he had made love to her, pleasured her in a deeper, almost reverent manner. He had worshipped her body with his and, in doing so, destroyed every barrier she had so carefully constructed between them.

  She didn’t want to fall in love with Kade. Neither of them was interested in a long-term relationship. Kade had made that clear from the start.

  That was the way she wanted it too. Or thought she did.

  But last night confused and frightened her. Heartbreak lay ahead if she didn’t find a way to protect herself.

  Slipping out of bed, she went in to shower and dress for the day. Kade was still asleep when she returned to the bedroom. Certain he wouldn’t want the hands to know where he’d spent the night, Ellie gently shook his shoulder.

  “Wake up, Kade. I have to go to work, and you need to go back to your bedroom.”

  He rolled onto his back and looked up at her, a lazy smile on his lips. “You tossing me out, darlin’?”

&nb
sp; She would have smiled back, but it was time to start distancing herself. “I’ve got work to do, and you need to get dressed.”

  Gloriously naked, he rolled out of bed. “Thanks for last night,” he said as he pulled on his jeans and zipped the fly.

  Ellie felt the heat creeping into her face.

  “The massage, darlin’, not the sex.” He grinned. “But I enjoyed that, too.”

  Ellie glanced away, the endearment warming her as it always did. She was already half in love with him. After last night, it was time to rein in her emotions.

  “I’ll see you at breakfast.” She pulled open the door and walked out into the hall.

  Maria had the day off, but so did most of the men, which made the cooking light and on Sunday, the meal was served a little later. It wasn’t until breakfast was over and the kitchen cleaned up that she saw Kade again. He walked up behind her, slid his arms around her waist, and nuzzled the nape of her neck.

  “I think it’s time we told the men the truth about who you are,” he said. Surprised, she turned in his arms to look up at him.

  “You came here to find Heather’s killer,” Kade continued. “You need time to do that. That means you can’t spend your day in here cooking.”

  Ellie didn’t disagree.

  “I’m pretty sure you’ve already checked out all the hands,” Kade said. “Unless you found something that points to one of them as a suspect—”

  “I’ve looked at them hard, Kade. I don’t think any of your men would go behind your back to have sex with your wife. Or hurt her or you in any way. As near as I can tell, these are men you can trust.”

  Kade’s shoulders relaxed. “I was hoping you’d say that. Wyatt and the others . . . they’re more than just employees. They’re guys I rely on every day with the most valuable things I own. My land and my cattle.”

  She considered the advantages of having more time to do her job. “Maria can probably handle the cooking—she’s more capable every day.” She glanced around the big stainless kitchen. “But it’s not a small job. She’ll still need someone to help her.”