by Karen Rock
Larry nodded. “That is a popular fishing spot, and if Sam finished his duties, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d headed there. Although...we always make the joke that it’d be the perfect place to dump a body.”
Jack pushed away from the cabinets and straightened. “Why’s that?”
“It’s so deep, some claim it’s bottomless.”
“Good to know.”
“Well, I should head back to the barbecue.” The dogs bounded to their feet and followed Larry to the doorway. “How about I bring you back a plate?”
“That’d be nice, thanks.”
Alone, he sat at the desk and dialed Lance.
“Covington.”
“Heard you were looking for me.”
“Glad you called.” Some kind of timer dinged on Lance’s end. “Did that background check you requested yesterday on Sam Perkins.”
Jack placed his elbows on the stacks of envelopes littering the desktop. “What do you have?”
“Nothing. He’s clean. Owns a registered 9mm and has a concealed handgun permit. As long as it’s not loaded, he’s not breaking any laws. No alias. Not Everett Ridland...not that I can prove, anyway.”
Jack’s molars clenched. His best lead shot down today and none going forward. “No prior arrests? Convictions?”
“Nope. Son of a—” Muted swearing came through the phone. Then, “Someday I’m going to arrest whoever makes these TV dinners. Temperatures this hot are a felony manslaughter waiting to happen.”
Jack angled in the flex-back office chair, waiting. Lance and his feud with packaged meals was too long-lived to raise an eyebrow at.
“Anyway,” continued Lance. “He might have been an idiot, but we can’t hang him for being a jerk. If we did, we’d have to string up half the state.”
A short bark of laughter escaped Jack. “Okay, then. I’ll move him down the list, but he’s acting suspicious so I’ll still keep my eye on him.” He thought of the two men who’d been seen with his brother. Sam was the right height, build, and with his hood hiding most of his face that dark night...he couldn’t rule him out.
“Good.” More chewing, then, “If someone up there’s helping Smiley, he might have also assisted him in the double homicide. Explore those leads when you can.”
“Right. So how are things going on your end? You got anything that could help me here?”
“Not much,” Lance said, his voice clear again. “Got the Phillips’ credit card reports in. No strange transactions, though one looks a little off.”
“How so?”
“They bought a couple of tickets to Madagascar for another couple. I’ll know more when I check the flight manifest and see if I can track those two down. If it’s somehow connected to Smiley, I’ll let you know. Oh. And I, uh, heard from James.”
Jack pinched the bridge of his nose and felt a headache throb at his temples as he thought of the second oldest brother in his family.
“You there?” Lance asked.
“Yup.”
“They’re wanting to know if you’re coming home for the reunion.”
“You didn’t give them my answer the first time?”
“Jack. We’re celebrating your ranch’s one hundred and fiftieth anniversary. You should be there.”
“So should Jesse. Night, Lance.”
Going out into the cool night again, he climbed the incline he’d camped out on last night, unfurled the sleeping bag he’d left wedged between a large branch and the trunk of a juniper and stretched out, his fingers laced behind his head.
Dani.
He needed to be objective about her. Tomorrow, after he’d completed more of his grid search for Smiley and a possible accomplice, he’d see what she had to say about Tanya. Other than that, he’d keep his distance. Focus his attention where it belonged: on catching Smiley and anyone who’d lead him to his bounty. Including Sam.
He stared into the night, lying under the fir tree, under the few stars visible in a clouding sky, on the green grass, in the world...wondering what configuration the stars would have to take for him to bring this all together.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
DANI CLIMBED THE small hill to Jack’s lookout for the third time that night. The stars and moon were mostly hidden by a growing number of scuttling clouds and she felt like she was swimming in darkness, her body breaking the air as if it were water.
When her foot slid on the nylon shell of a sleeping bag, she peered into the gloom. He’d come back; but where was he? Had he encountered trouble on his scouting? Was he hurt? An unfamiliar panic rose in her, her thoughts so loud she felt as though her head might explode.
A twig snapped underfoot as she paced forward. Then the moon broke free of its cover and she spotted him. His tall shape was blacker than the air; it seemed to hold all of the light and give none of it away. Relief weakened her joints. Her knees dipped slightly.
“Did you speak to Tanya?” he asked before turning, startling her, the rich timbre of his voice melting into the warm evening.
Faint moonlight and shadows played on his face and pooled along the ridge of his scar, making him look more like a desperado than ever. Strange that, despite this, she felt protected at the sight of him. Less anxious. How much had changed since their first encounter.
“Smiley’s there.” She bit back the sense of betrayal, knowing she was doing the right thing. At least it’d guarantee Tanya stayed safe.
In two strides, Jack reached her. “You saw him.”
“I spoke to him four hours ago and I’ve been calling you ever since but there’s no signal. Tanya’s convinced him to turn himself in.”
He blew out a breath. “He confessed to the drug possession charge?”
“He said he was carrying a package for his cousin.”
“That’s convenient.” Jack rolled up his gear and stashed it in a tree. “I’ll make sure he explains that to the judge. Thank you.”
Her stomach fluttered at his appreciative look, then he strode down the hill. When she hustled after him, he stopped at the base.
“What are you doing?”
“Going with you.”
“Sorry, sweetheart, it’s too dangerous.”
She spotted the faint outline of his Glock beneath his shirt. What if Smiley was armed and panicked? He could resist being brought in despite his assurances. A chill ran through her as she imagined Tanya caught in the middle of a standoff with Jack, a dangerous-looking man whose actions, she didn’t doubt, more than backed up his lethal appearance.
“Tanya’s there.”
“Dani, please go back to your room.”
“Not unless it’s to grab my rifle.”
“I won’t put you in jeopardy.”
She returned his steady gaze and planted her feet, bracing. “I’m not taking a chance that anything happens to Tanya, partner.”
One side of his mouth hitched. “What are the chances of you changing your mind?”
“Not even your Glock could do much persuading.”
“You don’t scare easy,” he said quietly, reaching out to straighten her collar. A gentleness flowed from Jack’s eyes and hung there a moment.
“And I don’t back down.” She nodded and he nodded back; her heart tumbled at his lopsided smile.
“That is one of your more irritating habits.”
“I aim to please.” His deep chuckle warmed her through and they walked the rest of the way to Tanya’s house in an expectant silence that seemed to swell the air around them.
Moments later they reached Tanya’s door and Jack knocked.
Nothing.
Dani cupped her hands around her eyes and peered in the window. Through a slit in the curtains, she saw only darkness and no movement.
“Do you think s
he’s home and not answering the door?”
Dani glanced sideways at the driveway. “Her car’s gone. They must have headed to the sheriff’s office.”
Jack banged on the door with the side of his hand. Somewhere in the distance, Bella and Beau barked.
“Do you have to do that so loudly?”
“It’s called a police knock because it’s meant to wake the dead.”
“Tanya’s not dead,” she said, fear gathering her lungs in a bundle and squeezing. Her mind flashed to Tanya insisting Smiley was a good man. Had he followed through on his promise or had something happened to her friend?
“Let’s see if the back door is open.”
They headed around the house and tried the handle. Locked.
Jack pounded on the door again.
“Look. Window’s open.” She pointed to a small window that she knew led into Tanya’s bathroom.
“Too small.”
“Not for me.” She hauled an empty paint bucket over and turned it upside down.
“Dani. No.”
“I wasn’t asking permission.” Before he could answer, she stepped up on the bucket, pushed the sash the rest of the way up and shoved herself inside. She landed in a heap in the shower unit.
“You okay?” Jack’s fierce question echoed in the small space. She leveraged herself up onto her elbows and stood, wincing as she flexed a sore ankle. “Dandy.”
“Go directly to the back door and let me in.”
“Got it.”
“If you’re not at the back door in thirty seconds, I’m breaking it down.”
“Got it.”
She tiptoed down the hall, peered in Tanya’s bedroom and saw that her bed was still made. Otherwise, the room was empty. Her breath came faster. Please let Tanya be all right.
Mittens sprang from the back of the couch and trotted toward Dani as she halted in the living room doorway. Fear rushed through her. What if Smiley was here...alone...had done something to Tanya? Would he take this opportunity to do something to her, too?
She tiptoed through to the kitchen, noticed Tanya’s purse wasn’t in its usual spot by the toaster and continued on to the enclosed back porch.
Jack scowled at her when she opened the door. He was silent for a moment, then in a voice ragged with emotion, said, “What took you so—”
He cut himself off and pulled her close, his heart thundering against hers, and she melted in his strong arms, loving the way his embrace seemed to banish every last one of her fears. But just as quickly he let her go, steering her behind him, his gun suddenly flashing in his hand.
“They’re gone.”
He whirled, lowering his weapon.
“Tanya’s bed hasn’t been slept in, plus I don’t see her purse. They must have gone to Denver.”
After a quick inspection of the house, he joined her on the front porch and they headed down the lane. Crickets droned in the scrub grass and a wild rabbit emerged from the brush, spied them and froze.
“Didn’t see anything of his,” Jack observed. “No clothes. Toothbrush...”
“I didn’t get the impression he’d been staying here. In fact, he looked kind of beaten up.”
He slanted a sideways look at her as they passed the duck pond. A few solitary birdcalls broke the night’s quiet. “Cuts? Bruises?”
“More like moving stiffly.”
As they walked, he rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger, his expression inward. Considering. “Could be from sleeping on the ground. But where?”
“Tanya mentioned he’d been camping but I didn’t want to alert Smiley by asking too many questions. I went up to your look-out right away, but you weren’t there.”
He swore under his breath and his quickening pace stirred up the dirt road. “Was out searching the property for Smiley and the Sam Perkins look-alike I spotted when I grabbed Dakota.”
Her pulse jumped. “Did you find him?”
“No. I tracked prints to Eagle Rock then down into the ravine.”
“That’s a popular fishing spot. A lot of the staff go there.”
“So Larry said.” Jack pulled out his cell phone and studied it. “I need to call the sheriff’s department.”
“I have a landline in my office.”
Minutes later she left Jack ensconced in her office and slipped back outside to give him privacy and herself some distance.
Overhead, stars put on a show in the clearing sky and she focused on the brightest: the North Star. She’d followed it here, to Colorado, and now she wondered if it’d led her to Jack, too.
He’d been worried about her earlier at Tanya’s house. She hadn’t imagined it. That dark concern in his eyes, his deep voice, had nearly unglued her, and if he hadn’t let her go, she would have kissed him.
The barn door swung open behind her and she turned. Her eyes, now adjusted to the weak light, drank in the sight of him, and a yearning to unburden itself seized her heart.
“Did he report?” she asked, her voice catching in her throat.
Jack shook his head. “Not yet. They’ll call if he does.”
“So you’ll be leaving then?” Disappointment welled up in her, alongside concern for Tanya. Could be they’d stopped for a bite to eat...gone to a hotel...
His eyes searched hers. “Once I have confirmation, there’s no reason for me to stay.”
Silence swelled between them and neither seemed to breathe. “Right. No reason.” Except me, she almost added.
Crazy how just days ago she’d wanted him gone, and now...now...her future, while nearly secure, stretched on, empty and dark when she pictured him no longer in it.
He stepped close enough so that she had to tip her head back to look at him. “Let me see you back to your room.”
“No need.” She backed up, battling the irrational letdown at the thought of never seeing him again.
“I want to.” He dug into her with his eyes, like he was begging for something.
“Okay.”
They strolled to the pasture across from her quarters in the storage barn. A white horse caught her eye and she stopped. “What about me—ah, Milly?” She nearly swallowed her tongue. Or bit it in half. Sheesh. Could she be more obvious?
If she thought about this objectively, she should be happy he’d be leaving. With him gone, she’d be out of danger of discovery and could run down the clock on her statute of limitations.
Yet the thought of the dude ranch—her life—without him filled her with melancholy. What if...
Jack leaned on the fence and studied the horse, who stood in a distant corner, her nose in the grass. When Dani joined him, he angled his head and his eyes searched hers. “She’s got heart,” he said, his gaze on Dani. “Spirit.”
“You can’t just give up on her.” Her voice came out rushed, breathy.
“I don’t want to.” He turned more fully and gathered her hand in his, studying it as he brushed his thumb across her knuckles, making her shiver.
“So stay.”
His eyes rose to hers, the expression hard to read in the dark. “I’m a bounty hunter, not a horse whisperer. Besides, being around people. It’s not my thing.”
“You’re people.” She reached up with her other hand and lightly touched his hair. Brushed it out of his face. It felt smooth and sharp at the same time, like she could feel each strand under her fingertips. “Good people.”
He pulled away. “You had me pegged right that first night.”
A rush of something, everything—her old panic, her new fears, an awareness, a need, a caring for this man—was so strong she had to hold on to the railing. “That’s not true. I was an idiot, and everyone likes you. Jori Lynn, Nan, Larry and Diane. And you worked wonders with those kids today.”
�
��They don’t know who I really am.”
“What do you mean?”
He averted his face and spoke to the distant hills. “Nothing.”
When he shoved off the fence and looked ready to bolt, she swiftly changed the subject. “Don’t you have more leads to chase down here? What about the other guy? The one in the double homicide?”
“Technically, my job is to catch Smiley. If he’s turned himself in, that’s it.”
“But it’s not,” she insisted. “You found those cigarettes at Tanya’s house and Sam Perkins...he’s got a 9mm. Plus he could have caused that avalanche.”
“All things I’ll look into if Smiley doesn’t turn himself in.” Crickets buzzed in the tufted grass and Jack folded his arms across his chest. “Sam’s background check didn’t show anything, but that doesn’t mean he’s clean. Criminal history information isn’t stored by Social Security number, and one of the most common ways for a criminal record to slip through the cracks is through the use of a maiden name, additional name, misspelled name and/or an alias.”
“So, then, I guess there’s...uh...not much you can do, right?”
Jack rolled his eyes to the sky, as if he searched for the hiding spot there. “My next step would be to search a database of warrants and composite sketches to see if he resembles one.”
A faintness stole over her. Could her picture and warrant be in that mix? No. No. No. It was her worst nightmare come true—her past catching up with her at long last. “That sounds like a lot of work.”
“If Smiley’s turned himself in, there’ll be no need for me to search it.” He stared at her for a minute longer than necessary but not as long as she wanted. Not even close. His voice deepened as he said, “Guess this could be goodbye.”
“Oh.” Her eyes felt raw and she looked skyward, blinking fast, marveling at this rush of emotion for a man she’d met only days ago. If he found her picture on that database, he’d despise her and that thought was more than she could bear.
Without warning, he laid his thumb on her lips, as if seeing whether she would pull away. She didn’t. He leaned closer. She wanted to drop her gaze from his but couldn’t. Before, Jack had just been a threat to her secret. Her security. The safe life she’d constructed in this hiding spot. Now all Dani could see were his big dark eyes, the palms of his strong hands, the way his torso shifted under his T-shirt.