The Ranchers: Destiny Bay Romances Boxed Set vol. 1 (Destiny Bay Romances - The Ranchers)

by Helen Conrad

  But before she could act upon it, he opened his eyes and sat up. “I’ve got to go out again,” he said.

  “No!”

  “Yes.” He swung his legs around until his feet hit the floor.

  She came up on her knees on the bed. “Michael, you can’t. It’s too dangerous.”

  His mouth twisted in annoyance. “Don’t you see that we’re in the middle of a nightmare? It’s got to end. We can’t go on like this.”

  He was right. They couldn’t go on like this. Something awful was going to happen if they did.

  She lay back down, lying very still as he got up and went into the bathroom to find his clothes. Their lovemaking had been so sweet, she’d hoped...

  But he hadn’t found what he was searching for. Not Kerry, something else. He hadn’t found it in the love they’d made together. She wished she knew what it was. She wished it were her.

  Slipping off the bed, she put on a robe she found in the closet, once again wondering just what Sheri was going to think when she came home and found she’d had visitors while she was gone. Jessie knew she herself wouldn’t be too happy about strangers coming in and using her clothes.

  Running down the stairs, she reached the front door just as Michael was going out. The leather jacket was back, and so were the sunglasses, despite the late hour.

  “Be careful,” she called to him.

  He turned and looked back at her, the ghost of a smile hovering on his lips. “You, too,” he answered, and then he was gone.

  Gone. She was numb. He was gone again and she felt as though life had stopped again. Everything was suspended as she waited to see if he would survive. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep.

  Jimmy. She would check on him and that would make her feel better. Almost like a mother. She caught sight of herself in the hall mirror and smiled at her reflection. Almost like a mother? Funny. She’d never wanted to be one before, but it felt so right with Jimmy.

  Opening his door a crack, she looked in. He didn’t stir. All was quiet. Too quiet. Alarmed, she opened the door all the way and went quickly to the bed, pulling back the covers. It was empty.

  “Jimmy?” she called, whirling and making a dash for the adjoining bathroom, only to find another empty room.

  He was gone. She could feel the emptiness of the house all around her. Had he gone to look for his mother, after all? Possibly. But she remembered his wistful talk of getting a job in a casino. Somehow she had a feeling the Strip was a likely place to look.

  Michael was gone. Jimmy was gone. There was no way she was staying.

  Racing back up the stairs, she spun into the master bedroom and began to rifle through Sheri’s dresses. She couldn’t go out on the town in jeans any longer, not after the television clip. Silk dresses, wool jerseys, nothing looked right to her, until she came upon a homespun cotton peasant dress with embroidery around the hem and neckline. Dropping the robe, she slipped into the dress and rummaged around in the bottom of the closet for shoes that would go with it, then ran to the dressing table and pulled a brush through her hair, letting it drape about her shoulders like a cape. Golden bracelets, golden hoop earrings, and she was set. No one would recognize her now.

  She paused and stared at herself in the mirror. It felt good to wear this sort of dress. A part of her was looking forward to Michael’s reaction. How very strange. She couldn’t remember ever feeling quite this way before.

  In another moment, she was out the front door. Stars sparkled in the black sky, so bright she could have reached up and grabbed a handful. There was no traffic. No lights on in the neighborhood. She felt very much alone as she made her way quickly down the silent street.

  The Strip was only a few blocks away. She got there in no time, and it was like stepping into another world. The traffic was almost as heavy as it had been during the day. The neon lit the sky. You couldn’t see the stars from the Strip.

  She had no idea where to begin looking for Jimmy, but the Strip seemed logical. Where else would a boy go in the middle of the night? She began glancing at faces, looking quickly up and down in every crowd, hoping to spot one small child among the milling adults. The need to find him was beating like a drum in her chest. It was her new obsession.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Lucky At Love

  The neon lights cast a garish wash of color over the midnight scene. Faces looked distorted as she hurried past them. Laughter seemed leering; stares seemed threatening. The sound of slot machines, of money hitting metal, of lounge bands playing discordant notes, echoed in her head as she searched the streets and corridors for Jimmy.

  He had to be somewhere. How could you lose a little boy in the middle of the Strip? He should stand out. Most little boys were in bed, safe, sound asleep. Where was he?

  Should she go to the police? No, that would be a crazy move. She had to find him herself. If only she knew how.

  Finally she stopped her headlong flight into the night, found an empty chair at a keno game and sank into it, buying a drink from the waitress just to have something in her hand. And she gave herself a moment to think.

  Jimmy had left under his own power. He was a sharp, canny child, obviously well equipped to fend for himself. He’d been doing it when they’d met him. He’d be doing it after they all split up. What was the panic here? Was she afraid the world would hurt him—or that she wouldn’t see him again?

  Maybe he wasn’t on the Strip at all, but in one of the many bedroom communities that spread out from the gambling area. There was no way she could search all over town.

  Okay, Jessie, she told herself. Calm down. Take a deep breath. Start over.

  The only way she could possibly hope to find the boy was to get hold of someone who knew what was going on in this town—someone in the know.

  Lenny Morton. Why hadn’t she thought of him in the first place? Of course! Lenny.

  Leaving her drink unsipped and her keno card un-played, she slipped out of the casino and hurried toward the Samarkand, only a few blocks away. The casino lobby was crowded. A floor show was just letting out and she had to fight her way against the tide to reach the house phone. She asked for Mr. Nargeant’s rooms, and to her surprise, the switchboard operator patched her right through. The telephone rang three times and finally a sleepy voice answered.

  “Hello? What is it?”

  “Hi, can I speak to Lenny Morton?”

  There was an outraged silence. “What the devil, do you think he lives here or somethin’? He only works for me, lady. He doesn’t sleep with me.” The line went dead with a crash.

  Jessie hung up quickly. It had never occurred to her that Mr. Nargeant would pick up his own calls. It had also never entered her mind that Lenny might have an existence apart from what she’d seen.

  “Idiot,” she chastised herself as she walked away from the telephone. Now what?

  After wandering aimlessly up a winding walkway that circled the open interior of the building, she stepped out onto a balcony that overlooked the casino floor. Leaning against the railing, she looked down at the people at the slot machines, the quick hands at the green felt blackjack tables, the slouched shoulders at the poker tables, the tuxedoed men and formally gowned women at baccarat. The excitement in the air was palpable, but what drove all these people was anticipation, hope, eagerness. Jessie was driven by a sort of panicked despair. She didn’t know where Jimmy was. She didn’t know where Michael was. And worst of all, she didn’t know how she could help either one of them.

  “Hey.” A hand touched her arm. “Jessie, is that really you?”

  She turned into Lenny’s delighted gaze. He looked her up and down and whistled softly. “It really is you. God, you’re gorgeous.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, Lenny, I’ve been looking all over for you!”

  His grin was cocksure. “I guess it’s true what they say. I just lost a bundle at the tables. And then you fall into my lap.” He laughed, chucking her under the chin. “Lucky at love, unluck
y at cards.”

  Grabbing his hand, she pulled it away from her face and stared up at him earnestly. “This has nothing to do with love, Lenny. I need your help.”

  “You need me.” Turning to look back at his friends who’d been hanging around, waiting for him, he said, “You hear that, guys? She needs me. You’ll have to go on without me.”

  She clutched his arm as his friends wandered off, laughing. “Do they know who I am?” she asked nervously.

  “How would anybody know who you are, the way you look? You’re a goddess, baby. I can’t take my eyes off you.”

  She was glad he thought she looked good, but that was hardly the pertinent issue. “I had to change my appearance after I was all over the news and everything.”

  He took a step back, hand in the air. “Hey, you didn’t just come back to get that jackpot, did you? Because that’s out of my hands. There’s nothing I can do. You should have stayed and collected.”

  She frowned in exasperation. “No, it’s nothing like that.”

  “I couldn’t believe it when I saw you on that videotape. You and that kid and—“

  She grabbed him by the arm. “Listen to me. That’s the first thing I want your help with. The kid is gone. The boy who was with us, his name is Jimmy and he’s disappeared. I want to make sure he’s all right. I need help to track him down.”

  Lenny appeared taken aback. “What, a kid? Don’t look at me. Go to the police. Oh, I guess you can’t do that, can you? Well, go to a child care center or something. We don’t handle kids here. They’re not in my area of expertise.”

  “I just thought that maybe if you heard something or saw him somewhere… .you might hear of a little boy hanging around the Strip.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll keep my ears open. I’ll ask around. Now, what else can I do for you?”

  She hesitated, wondering how to put it. “The other thing’s a biggie.”

  Lenny could swagger even when he was standing still. “Yeah? Shoot.”

  She leaned a little closer, not wanting to be overheard by any passerby. “You know that Michael is looking for Kerry Carter.”

  “Sure.”

  She licked her lips and then blurted it out. “Where is he?”

  Lenny looked confused. “Where is who? Michael?”

  “No. Kerry Carter.”

  He laughed. “Oh, honey. You think I know that?”

  “You’re the only person I know who might know.”

  “Am I?” He took that as a compliment and reached out to touch her cheek with one rough finger, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at her. “You know, you turned out so pretty, Jessie. You’re making me all shivery inside, just looking at you.”

  “Lenny...” She tried to push away his hand again, but this time he caught hold of her shoulders and wouldn’t let go.

  “Tell you what,” he said, his eyes gleaming. “I might be able to find out where this Kerry guy is. I could make some calls. But we can’t do it here. You come with me to one of the back rooms and we’ll put our heads together. We’ll see what we can do.”

  “One of the back rooms?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Sure. They’re set up real comfortable, with telephones and everything.”

  Jessie had a feeling that Lenny was up to no good. But she’d do just about anything to help Michael. She was sick of sitting around and waiting. “Okay,” she said quickly, deciding to pretend to go along with him. “I’ll come with you. If you really think you can find the man.”

  “Oh, baby.” He sighed, his fingers digging into her shoulders, his face much too close. “With you by my side, I can do most anything. I know I can.” He drew back and glanced around them. “You wait right here. I’ll go check if the way is clear. Okay?”

  He walked quickly toward an unobtrusive door and pulled it open, looking back at her. “Don’t go away now.” His face was half leering, half anxious.

  She waved at him, an artificial smile on her face. “I won’t go anywhere.”

  The door closed behind him and suddenly Michael was beside her, his mouth a set line of white fury. “I’m getting you out of here,” he muttered, taking her roughly by the arm.

  Her relief at seeing Michael was overcome by the need to explain to him quickly what she was accomplishing here. She put a hand on his chest, stopping him. “Wait. Wait, Lenny’s going to—“

  He covered her hand with his own. “I heard what he said, Jessie. Lenny’s not going to do anything but try to make a pass.”

  “I know, but he knows where Kerry is. He said he’d tell me.”

  “Yeah?” He searched her eyes. “Jessie, listen. I won’t let you pay a price like that for information. Besides, I don’t believe he even knows.” His large hands framed her face and he stared down at her, his silver-blue eyes clouded with questions. “Why are you doing this?”

  She faced him bravely. “Why do you think I’m doing it?”

  He stared at her. Her love was in her eyes, but he couldn’t accept that. Not yet. What if he believed and she turned out to be like all the rest?

  “I don’t know. I don’t understand. You’re ready to throw your entire life away to help me. I’ve never known a woman like you, Jessie. I keep looking for your angle, but there doesn’t seem to be any. What makes you tick?”

  She could have told him, but he wouldn’t have wanted to hear it. So she just shrugged and smiled at him. “Just crazy I guess,” she murmured.

  And then he was kissing her, his hands still holding her face, deep, lingering kisses that made her want to close her eyes and float away.

  “Hey, man, what is this?” Lenny’s shrill voice intruded on her dream. “Get your hands off my girl.”

  Michael swung toward the man. “She’s my girl, Lenny,” he said icily. “Not your girl.” He moved quickly, taking Lenny’s shirtfront in his hand and twisting it up into a chokehold, jamming the man against the wall. “Now tell me everything you know about Kerry.”

  Lenny flailed ineffectually at the air. “I don’t know nothing!”

  Michael twisted the shirt more tightly. “You told Jessie you knew something. You were going to let her buy it off you, weren’t you, slimeball? You were going to get your pound of flesh....”

  “I told her I’d try to find him, I never said I knew!”

  “You know anything, you’d better spill it now, Lenny. I’ll come back and find you later if you’re holding out on me.”

  “Get your hands off me, man! I.. .I just wanted—“

  “You just wanted Jessie.” He slammed him back against the wall. “I’ll tell you something, you little weasel. You’ll never have Jessie. She’s out of your league.” He watched for a moment as Lenny sagged toward the floor. “Come on,” he said to Jessie. “Let’s get out of here.”

  With an arm around Jessie’s shoulders, he started away. Jessie looked back, feeling worried. “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea to make an enemy out of Lenny.”

  “My patience is about used up,” Michael replied. “At this point I don’t care who I make an enemy out of. All I want to do is find that damn Kerry Carter.”

  They hurried down the winding corridor and out through the casino where she’d won the jackpot earlier. She looked longingly at the slot machine as they passed, then turned and gazed up into his face.

  “Michael, Jimmy left.”

  He stopped in the middle of the lobby. “What do you mean?”

  “After you went out, I looked in on him. He was gone.”

  Michael nodded slowly and resumed walking. “It’s probably for the best,” he said. “He’ll find his mother. That’s where he belongs.”

  But what if he didn’t find his mother? She wanted to shout it out, but she held back. Michael had enough to worry about right now. Jimmy was her problem. She would bear the worry alone.

  He led her out of the Samarkand and across the street, heading toward the Farouk Casino. In another moment they were in the lounge, sitting in a shadowed booth, with tall, icy drinks on
tiny napkins in front of them.

  “What if Kerry’s not in Las Vegas anymore?” Jessie suggested.

  Michael shook his head. “He’s here, all right. I’ve picked up bits and pieces that lead me to believe that firmly. I’ve talked to people who’ve seen him, one as recently as yesterday afternoon. But no one seems to know how to get in touch with him. I keep looking around in every crowd, expecting to see his face.” He shrugged. “And I just might.”

  She brought up the next thing hesitantly, knowing how he felt about the matter. “The police might be able to find him better than you can. They’ve got the resources, the connections. If we just told them, maybe anonymously or something...”

  “Jessie, you know how I feel about the police. I went to them in the first place and all I got was the threat of being arrested. No police. No matter what.”

  She nodded quickly, staring at her drink. No police. That meant he was going after these crooks alone, even after he found Kerry. She didn’t see how he could possibly have a chance.

  “Hey,” he said, his eyes shining as he looked at her. “What happened to my cowgirl?”

  Her mouth turned up at the corners. “It’s dangerous being a cowgirl in this town. I thought I’d try being something different.” She shook out her long hair, enjoying the way it felt as it swayed across her back. “How’d I do?” she asked shyly.

  “You look delicious,” he said softly. His hand swept up under her hair and he leaned close to kiss behind her ear. “Do you think anyone would notice if we made love right here in the booth?” he whispered.

  She glanced around at the inhabitants of the lounge, most of whom seemed to be falling asleep over their drinks. “Not really,” she whispered back. “But I still don’t think it’s a very good idea.”

  “Then don’t think,” he teased, kissing her neck and breathing in her fresh scent. “Let me do the thinking for you.”

  She laughed softly, but a waiter passed at that moment, glancing at them curiously, and she pushed Michael away. “We really shouldn’t do anything to draw attention to ourselves,” she reminded him.