by Lisa Jackson
* * *
“Listen, I’ve told you and Roberto Espinoza everything I remember,” Randi McCafferty insisted. Her hospital bed was propped up and she was no longer attached to an IV. Wearing a jogging suit, peach lipstick and a don’t-mess-with-me attitude, she skewered Kelly in her stare. “I’m going home and meeting my son for the first time, tomorrow my family’s celebrating a belated Thanksgiving, and right now I’d like to forget all this for a little while, okay? I know you’re just trying to do your job, but give me a break.”
“Detective Espinoza and I are just trying to help,” Kelly said, unswayed. “Trying to protect you and your baby.”
“I know it. Really. But please, don’t give me any lectures about taking care of myself or my baby or my safety, okay? Believe me, I’ve heard all the reasons I should stay in the hospital, comply with the police and live my life a virtual prisoner until whoever it is that’s taking potshots at me is caught, a million times over from my brothers. But that’s not going to happen.” She stopped suddenly, sighed and jabbed stiff fingers through her short locks. “Look, I don’t mean to come off ungrateful, or like some kind of bitch. I do appreciate what you’re trying to do.” She let her hands drop into her lap. “It’s just that I want to see my son. I’m going crazy sitting here. I haven’t had the chance to be a mother yet and he’s over a month old. I think the most important thing for me to do is bond with my baby.” The honesty in her dark eyes got to Kelly. “Would it be too much of a hassle for you to drop by the ranch in a few hours, after I’ve settled in and he and I have…well, you know, started to get used to each other?”
Kelly wasn’t immune to what Randi was feeling. Espinoza wouldn’t like it, but Kelly wasn’t feeling particularly interested in keeping on his good side. She was still stung by his insinuations about her love life the other day.
Not a love life, she reminded herself. Don’t kid yourself. You had a good time the other night, but it was sex, nothing more. At least to Matt.
She’d just finished the thought when he strode through the door, larger than life, bringing with him the scents of leather, musk and memories that she should best forget. His dark eyes found hers, and for a second she felt the same heat, the intensity that she had before. Her stomach tightened and she swept her gaze in Randi’s direction again. “I understand. I’ll drop by later. After dinner.”
“Thanks,” Randi said. “I’m sure my brothers will take care of me until then.”
“We’ll try,” Matt drawled, then offered Kelly a smile that silently reminded her of the passion they’d shared. Ridiculously, she felt her cheeks stain. She was a cop, for crying out loud, she couldn’t let some macho cowboy make her act like a silly schoolgirl. “How’re you doin’?”
“I’m fine. I just want to get the heck out of here…oh, you weren’t talking to me,” Randi said.
“I was talking to both of you.”
“I’m fine,” Kelly replied. “I’ll be in the hall, and I’ll see that she gets to the car without any problems with the press.”
“We can handle it. Slade’s making sure all the discharge papers are ready and we’ve parked near a rear entrance.”
“All right.” She gave Randi a professional smile. “I’ll be over about seven tonight, will that be okay?”
“Yes. And thanks.”
Kelly walked out of the room stiffly. Why did she feel so awkward around Matt? So she’d spent a night with him. So they’d made love. So what? This was the twenty-first century, for heaven’s sake. She was thirty-two years old, had graduated from college years ago and was a detective. She had every right to do whatever she wanted, sexually or otherwise, and yet she’d never been promiscuous, hadn’t believed in sex for sex’s sake, hadn’t let herself have “flings” without any emotional attachment. In fact, other than a boyfriend in high school, another in college and one man since, she’d never been emotionally involved. While her sister had fallen in love a dozen times and been married twice, Kelly had been cautious and had lived her life by using her head instead of listening to her heart.
Until now.
Until Matt, damn him, McCafferty.
He caught up with her before she could leave. “I just wanted to double-check. We’re planning a belated Thanksgiving celebration tomorrow and you’re invited. Six o’clock.”
“I don’t get off until five, but, yes, I’d love to come.”
“Good. And then…” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Saturday night’s the wedding. Thorne and Nicole are going to tie the knot. I thought you might want to be my date.”
“You did, did you?” she teased.
“Unless you have other plans.”
She laughed. What was it about this man? One minute she was tongue-tied and felt awkward around him, the next she was flirting as she’d never done in her life. “I’ll cancel them,” she joked, and started to walk off, before he caught her by the arm, spun her around and kissed her until she couldn’t breathe.
“Do that,” he whispered, and turned on his heel to disappear into Randi’s room. Kelly cleared her throat, saw two nurses look quickly away, pretending they hadn’t seen the open display, then caught sight of Dr. Nicole Stevenson striding down the hallway.
“Arrogant S.O.B., isn’t he?” Nicole said as Kelly tried to regain some of her professional integrity.
“The worst.”
“Like his brothers,” Nicole said, and then managed a smile. “I know that I’ve come on a little strong sometimes, especially when it comes to my patients. I hope you understand it’s nothing personal.”
“I do.”
“And I hope you’ll come to the wedding. I know it’s short notice, but Thorne and I wanted to wait until Randi could attend. It’s this Saturday night.”
“I’ll be there,” Kelly promised, and refused to second-guess herself.
She returned to the office and holed up, closing the door and the blinds so that she could plow her way through some paperwork on various cases, but as usual ended up flipping through Randi McCafferty’s file. The same old names leaped out at her—friends and family, college roommates, peers and associates, but none leaped off the page as potential enemies. Aside from her half brothers she had an aunt, Bonnie Lancer, on her mother’s side, and one cousin, Nora, who was Bonnie’s daughter. Her friends were a small group who stayed in touch primarily through e-mail and an occasional phone call. Kelly had talked to everyone who had called or e-mailed Randi in the three months prior to her accident and had come up dry. The maroon Ford product that was thought to have been used to force her car off the road had so far proved to be a bust, and she couldn’t figure out how Randi’s book could possibly come into play. What had she written that would make someone angry enough to try to kill her?
She was about ready to call it a day when Stella buzzed. “Detective Dillinger…Kelly, there’s someone here to… Oh, no, don’t you do it again—” She had a visitor just as the door to her office burst open and Matt strode in.
“You really have to stop doing this,” Kelly admonished, ignoring her elevating pulse as Stella, once again sheepish, filled the doorway and lifted her palms. “It’s all right,” Kelly said to the receptionist before the poor girl had a chance to apologize, and Stella hurried back to her desk.
“This is the sheriff’s department, you can’t just keep barging in here,” she said, centering her gaze on the cowboy who in his sheepskin jacket, snow-dusted Stetson and faded jeans seemed to fill up the entire office. “I mean, you’re giving poor Stella fits.”
“We need to talk.”
Her throat constricted. “I assume this is business.”
His nostrils flared a little. “Partly.”
“I’m at work,” she reminded him as she leaned back in her chair, and waved him into a seat on the other side of her desk. “It’s got to be all business. A
hundred percent.”
“Does it?” he challenged, and she saw the glint of a dare in his dark eyes. Her heart nearly stopped and she knew in an instant that he was remembering the night they’d been together. Her throat went dry at the memory of his hot skin, fevered touch, deep groans.
“Yes, well, I think that would be best.” She cleared her throat, tossed an errant lock of hair over her shoulder and flipped open Randi’s file. “What can I do for you?”
The man had the audacity to smile. Slowly. One side of his mouth lifting into a crooked and decidedly wicked smile. “Now, that’s a loaded question.”
“I assume you have a reason, and it had better be a good one, for barging in here, bullying Stella and taking up my time,” she said.
Leaning against the file cabinet, he said, “I heard you say that you were coming out to the house.”
“Later. Around seven.”
“How about now?”
“Why?”
“It’s Randi. She’s not cooperating.”
“Meaning?” Kelly prodded.
“She doesn’t seem to be taking the attacks on her seriously. She’s refused to have a bodyguard and has been snapping everyone’s head off. She claims we’re all paranoid and that everything’s just hunky-dory.”
“Even though someone forced her off the road and then slipped insulin into her IV?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, probably just that damned McCafferty stubborn streak, but I thought maybe you could talk some sense into her. She seemed to listen to you at the hospital.”
“Not much, she didn’t.”
“She’s always been headstrong, but I thought a woman might be able to get through to her. Nicole’s at the hospital, Jenny’s watching the twins, but she’s too young, really a kid herself, so…how about it?”
“Give me ten minutes. I’ll follow you.”
“Fine.” He started for the door, and not knowing what got into her, she caught the crook of his elbow, spun him around and, standing on her tiptoes, kissed him hard on the lips. He gasped and she took advantage, slipping her tongue between his teeth for just the briefest of seconds. His arms tightened around her.
“You’re asking for trouble,” he warned as he kissed her.
She pulled back and skewered him with a vampish look. “And who’s gonna give it to me?”
“Just watch.”
“Slow down. I was only giving you a little of your own back,” she said. To her surprise, he laughed, a deep warm sound that rippled through the offices.
“Don’t lose that thought.” With a tip of his hat and a low, mocking bow, he exited. “I’ll see you at the ranch.”
That you will, cowboy, she thought, and reached for the phone and flipped through her notes until she found Kurt Striker’s number. She needed to get in touch with the P.I., just in case he’d come across any new information. She dialed his motel, waited and left a message when he didn’t answer.
She’d get back to him later, she decided, hanging up and reaching for her jacket and gloves. As she left her office she ran into Roberto Espinoza striding through the front doors of the building. The scent of cigarette smoke clung to him and snow covered the shoulders of his down jacket. “Don’t tell me, you’re on your way to the Flying M, right?” His lips were compressed, his eyes dark, and his gaze landed like a ton of bricks on Kelly.
“Randi McCafferty was released from the hospital today and now she’s not cooperating with her doctors, her brothers or anyone.”
“And lover-boy thought you could talk some sense into her, right?”
Kelly bristled. “I need to question her again.”
Espinoza looked about to spit nails. His dark eyes flashed and he sighed loudly. “As long as it’s business.”
“And what if it isn’t?” she said. Who the hell did Espinoza think he was? “I am a professional, Bob.”
“I know, it’s just that…” Whatever it was he was thinking, he let the idea drift away. Frowning, he took off his hat, hung it on an ancient hook and raked stiff fingers through his hair. “It’s your funeral, I guess.”
“I’ll remember that.” Fuming, she held on to her temper. Blowing up now would only make things worse. For the moment, she had to maintain her composure, meet with Randi McCafferty and try to figure out how much the woman honestly didn’t remember, because Kelly had a gut feeling that Randi knew a lot more than she was saying.
It was Kelly’s job to find out just what it was and she was damned well going to do it.
Chapter 12
“I told you, I don’t remember,” Randi insisted, but Kelly wasn’t buying it. Propped up in a hospital bed in the guest room of the ranch, her baby cradled in her arms, Randi McCafferty was lying through her teeth. And she wasn’t particularly good at it. Then again, Randi wasn’t interested in anything but her son. Cradling and cooing to her baby, Randi couldn’t have cared less who had tried to kill her. She probably wouldn’t have paid any attention if the world stopped spinning.
As Kelly stood near the bed, Matt filled the doorway, leaning a broad shoulder against the frame. He sent Kelly an I-told-you-so look as Harold sauntered in and circled a few times before lying on the rug at the foot of the bed.
“You asked me to stop by and promised you’d answer some questions,” Kelly reminded Randi.
“I will, when J.R., and that’s not his name, goes to bed. And don’t look at me like I’m insane, okay? Lots of people go home without naming their babies first.” At her brother’s skeptic lift of an eyebrow, she amended, “Well, okay, not lots, but some. And I want the right name for my son. So don’t give me any grief. Go ahead and call him J.R. if you want, but as soon as I come up with the perfect name, we’re changing it.”
“It might be too late,” Matt drawled.
“Never. I’ve dealt with this in some of my columns,” she said, then added, “the value of a name and all that.”
“Didn’t you have one picked out?”
“Yeah. Sarah. Somehow it doesn’t seem to fit. Oh.” Randi grinned as Juanita brushed past Matt and hurried through the door carrying a warmed bottle of formula. “Gracias, Juanita. You’re a doll.”
The housekeeper flushed as Randi accepted the bottle, adjusted the baby in her arms and offered him something to eat. With wide eyes, little J.R., or whatever she was going to name him, stared up at her. He suckled hungrily, but stopped every so often to observe the woman beaming down at him.
“Isn’t he beautiful?” Randi whispered, awestruck at her infant, and Kelly, feeling just the trace of envy, silently agreed.
One side of Matt’s mouth lifted. “And smart as the devil and no doubt athletic as all get out. I figure Harvard will be cablin’ any day now.”
Randi giggled. “I wouldn’t be surprised. How about you, pumpkin?” she asked her baby as Juanita, too, smiled down at mother and child.
“Oh, no, you can’t call him that. ‘Sport’ or ‘big fella’ or something else, they’re okay, but not ‘pumpkin’ or ‘precious’ or any of those cutesy-sissy names, okay?” Matt insisted.
“You hush,” Juanita snorted. “He is an angel. Perfection.”
“And the least you two will give him is a big head,” Matt grumbled. “Look what happened to Slade.”
“I heard that,” the youngest McCafferty brother grumbled as he paused at the door by his brother.
Kelly realized she wouldn’t get any more information until she was with Randi alone. “I’ll talk to you later, once he’s—” she hitched her chin in the baby’s direction “—asleep.”
“Thanks.” Randi was more than appreciative.
“And I…I had better look in on the pies for tomorrow,” Juanita said, bustling off toward the kitchen.
Kelly stepped out of
the room.
“See what I mean? She’s not taking anything seriously,” Matt growled, walking into the foyer with her.
“She just wants to take care of her child.”
“And bury her head in the sand. If we don’t find out who tried to kill her and he strikes again, she won’t be worrying about anything, baby or no.” He rubbed the back of his neck in agitation.
“You don’t feel she’s safe here?”
“No, actually, it’s better than the hospital. Not so many people coming and going. No strangers. No reporters.”
“So far,” Kelly said, “but that might not last.”
“Damn. The problem is that Randi doesn’t realize that the most important thing right now…the only thing, is finding out who’s got it in for her. Nothing else can be a priority.”
“Not even a baby?”
Matt’s jaw turned to granite. His lips thinned. “This is all about the baby and keeping him safe. What do you think would happen if Randi lost him?”
“Let’s not even consider that,” Kelly said, her heart stopping at the thought.
“No matter what it takes, we have to find whoever’s behind this.” Frantic footsteps pounded overhead and echoed on the stairs. Over the thunder, the phone jangled somewhere in another room as the twins appeared.
Nicole, carrying two small pairs of jeans, was trying to shepherd her two rambunctious daughters, who, once they reached the bottom step, flew by in a blur of dark curls, rosy cheeks and mischief sparkling in two sets of bright eyes. Neither was wearing anything but a sweatshirt and panties.
“Never a dull minute around here,” Nicole said, shoving her hair from her eyes as her daughters tore down the hall. “All I want them to do is try on their dresses for the wedding and you’d have thought I’d asked to handcuff and shackle them.”
Matt’s grin spread wide. “Maybe you should let their stepfather handle that.”
“Now, that’s a great idea!” Nicole said as Thorne, appearing in the hallway from the doorway to the den, called, “It’s Kavanaugh on the phone for you, Matt.”