by Cora Seton
Wade smirked. “More like two hours. I know it’s all harmless, but every once in a while I want to drop the fact that Kendra owns a Smith and Wesson 9mm and knows how to use it into the conversation.”
Cole slapped him on the back. “I understand. I once had an elderly lady who called 9-1-1 once a week like clockwork because she ‘couldn’t breathe’. We finally figured out that she just wanted to ogle the firefighters, so we made a deal with her. We told her we would stop by once a week when we made a grocery run for the station if she promised not to call 9-1-1 unless it was a true emergency.”
Wade raised a brow. “Did she agree?”
“Yes, she did. She would tell her friends that her boyfriends were coming over and make them leave. We only stayed for about fifteen minutes, but it made her week.” Cole couldn’t help smiling as he remembered her joy at seeing them.
“How old is she?”
He shook his head. “She passed away the summer before last. Ironically, when she did have a heart attack, she didn’t realize it and never called 9-1-1. Every firefighter in our department insisted on going to her funeral. My chief told us we had to have a crew in gear with the truck there in case we got a call. She would have loved to have seen that.”
“I’ll have to remember that story next time my patience is at an end.” Wade patted Ace and moved him inside. “So what brings you back to Poker Flat?”
Cole shrugged and leaned against a stall. “I wanted to find out if you had any word about the break-in.”
Wade closed the stall door and stared at him. “You wanted to see Lacey again.”
Shit, was he that transparent? “Yeah, I wanted to make sure she was okay and that the thieves didn’t get a look at her.”
“It was dark and she was at her house. The thieves didn’t even know she was the one who saw them.”
Cole relaxed. “Do you think the theft and the fire are linked?”
“No idea.” Wade sat on a plastic chair and leaned it back on its legs until his shoulders hit the barn wall. “Not my job to figure that out.”
“Who called 9-1-1?”
“Kendra.” Wade folded his arms across his chest. “She usually works late, as in one or two in the morning. She used to be a professional poker player called The Night Owl, if you hadn’t heard. She’d just left her office when she heard an explosion. When she reached the end of the hall, she saw the flames and called.”
“Wow, that had to have been a shock.” Cole squinted at the wall, picturing the scene. “So what happened next?”
“She called me and I came over to get her. Meanwhile she called all the staff on the grounds. Selma immediately went to the kitchen and Kendra and I came over here to make sure the horses remained safe.”
“What about Lacey, Billy, your bartender and the waitress?”
Wade studied him. “Are you interrogating me?”
Shit, he’d gone too far. “No, no. Just curious. I rarely get to hear about what happened before I arrive to a fire.” He shrugged. “Never mind. You don’t have to tell me. I imagine you’d rather forget the whole thing.”
Wade stood, looking just past him. “You probably don’t want to move.”
“What?” Cole turned around to see what the problem was only to stop at the sound of ripping material. “What the hell?” He looked into the innocent brown eyes of Daisy, his t-shirt firmly clenched between her teeth.
“I told you not to move.” Wade chuckled as he walked over. “Here. The best way to do this is to slip out of your shirt and I can usually get her to open with some celery.”
“Right.” Cole did as Wade suggested then stood back and watched the man try to coax the big horse into relinquishing his clothing. “Aren’t your guests bothered by her little habit?”
“No.” Wade grinned. “Why would they be? They don’t wear clothes.”
Cole covered his eyes with his hand. Of course. He watched as Wade attempted to reason with the horse, but Daisy didn’t care.
“You must smell pretty good because she really likes your shirt.”
“Did you know she had this habit before you bought her?” Cole meandered along the other stalls.
“Yup. That’s why I got her and Sage for such a great price.”
Cole looked back at Wade. “Why did you get a good price on Sage?”
“Because he wouldn’t budge without Daisy.”
Wow, the fact the resort was for nudists may be the most normal part about the place. The staff and animals even had strange backgrounds. He stopped in front of one of the empty stalls. “Uh Wade, I think you might have a problem.”
“You mean besides owing you a shirt?” Wade strode over and Cole pointed to the man lying on the concrete of the empty stall.
“Do you think he’s dead?”
Wade sighed. “No, but he might as well be. That’s Billy. He passed out.”
Cole studied the clothing of the man lying on his side, his face toward the back wall. “But he just gave me a ride down not two hours ago.”
Wade frowned. “He was probably half in the bag by then. We thought he was doing better, but he isn’t. I haven’t said anything to Kendra yet, but she may need to make a tough decision.”
“Why doesn’t he go to his casita when he’s drunk?”
“He says it makes him claustrophobic. But I think it only feels that way to him when he drinks. He used to pass out in the rub down station, but I made him find an empty stall so the guests wouldn’t see him.”
Cole put a few pieces of information together. “So that’s why he didn’t hear the sirens when we pulled up the night of the fire.”
Wade leaned on the half door of the stall. “No way he heard the commotion. He was so drunk that night he never made it to a stall. Kendra and I found him lying in the middle of the barn. She wasn’t happy, but she had other things to worry about. I moved him into my office in case the barn caught fire.”
“He’s one lucky man.”
Wade gave him a look he couldn’t quite decipher.
“Everyone who works for Kendra is lucky.”
Cole winked. “Some luckier than others.”
A slow smile grew on Wade’s face. “Got that right.”
The sound of a golf cart’s wheels crunching on the gravel outside had them both moving to the entrance of the barn. In the parking area, Lacey dropped off a couple nudists.
She spoke to Wade. “Mr. and Mrs. Irving would like to see the stagecoach.” Then her gaze found his for a moment before she dropped it, giving his naked chest a thorough inspection. She took a deep breath then snapped her head around and turned the cart.
Wade chuckled, before lowering his voice. “So are you trying your luck again with Lacey?”
Cole sighed. “I’d like to, but she doesn’t seem to be open to that right now.” And it made him want to push it more. He was on edge, as if they had lost too much time already. What if he’d disobeyed his parents back then? Would Lacey and he still be together?
The nudists walked away toward the burn site, an ugly black mound on the otherwise pristine resort. It reminded him of the black mark on his otherwise perfect relationship with Lacey.
“Before you go down that path, you better be absolutely sure you’re going to stay on it.” Wade’s grin disappeared. “Lacey isn’t the type to take you back into her life unless she’s fully committed. That girl puts her heart into everything she does and I know a lot of people around here who wouldn’t be happy with you if you broke it again.”
Cole shifted uncomfortably. Wade had a good point. If he planned to pursue her, this time he had to accept her for who she was, even that she had set the fire in Orson, but everything in him said she didn’t start this one. Could he live with that? He needed to be absolutely sure this was the right course of action for both—
The ringing of his cellphone cut off his thought. He walked away for privacy as he listened to his contact at the Humane Society. His friend there always called him first when they found a horse that need
ed rescuing.
“Yes, I’ll take her. Don’t let anyone near her unless they are a certified vet. I’m on my way.” He ended the call and walked toward the front of the barn where Wade put away tack.
“Bad news?”
“Yeah, I’ve got to go save a horse. Good thing you bought four. I’m going to need some of those funds to bring this one back.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, what are you saving it from?”
“Abuse. Purposeful, violent abuse.” He couldn’t help his hands forming fists. Abused horses always made him want to beat their owners to a pulp and this time it had been a fucking drunk who had done it. It would be his pleasure to testify at that trial.
“Hey.” Wade’s hand on his shoulder released him from his black thoughts for a moment. “As soon as the detective finds out how the fire started, I’ll bring those horses here, so you don’t need to care for them. Good luck with this new one.”
Cole forced his jaw to work. “Thanks.”
Wade nodded and let go. “What’s the horse’s name?”
“Angel.” Rage filled his blood at the irony and he stalked away.
*
Lacey woke with a start, her heart beating faster than a roadrunner could run. Glancing at her clock, she placed her hand on her chest. 3:48 a.m. At least her nightmares were occurring later every morning. That had to be a good sign. It had been five days since the first one. Maybe in another week she’d be able to sleep through the night.
They had changed again. Now Cole looked for her in the burning mass with no fire gear. Instead he wore his jeans, hat and no shirt like she’d seen him a couple days ago at the barn. She’d sensed he’d put on a lot of muscle, but the size of his pectoral muscles and the ripples of his abdomen had stayed with her all day, creating a readiness in her core that ached. Never would she have imagined he’d look so hard.
But watching Cole being buried in fiery rubble was taking its toll on her heart, not to mention her ability to concentrate during the day. Not seeing him yesterday didn’t help. For all she knew, he could have been trapped in a burning building somewhere.
Shaking off the fear that came with her dream, she rose and donned her robe. She wouldn’t even try to go back to sleep. She couldn’t arrive at work for another couple hours so she’d get a head start at home.
She padded into the kitchen, turned on the light and started the coffeemaker. She could take her laptop outside, but with the new security guard roaming the premises, she wasn’t willing to be seen in her jammies, even if they were Victoria’s Secret sleepwear. Besides, the low temperature was supposed to be in the high fifties and that was a bit too cold for her.
Now where had she placed her laptop last night when she’d woken? Not seeing it in her little living room, she moved back into her bedroom. The room was dark and she paused a moment to enjoy the view of the setting moon. The bright-orange slice looked as if it would cut into the main building.
Out of habit, albeit a new one, she scanned the grounds around the building. Nothing moved. It was a quiet night as it had been all week. Moving to where her lamp sat next to the bed, she paused. Was that Hunter? She stepped up to her south facing window. “Oh my gosh.”
There were three people huddled around a golf cart parked near the fork in the dirt road that entered the resort. They could very well be guests, but since Poker Flat now had a security guard, it couldn’t hurt to be safe. She picked up her phone, which she kept next to her bed.
“What is it?”
So much for pleasantries. “Hunter, this is Lacey. There are three people by a golf cart at the fork. They could be guests, but I thought I should tell you.”
“Got it. Don’t call me. I’ll let you know.”
The phone went silent. She stared at it, not sure if he’d relieved her worry or added to it. She moved her gaze back to the window and watched. The people were only silhouettes to her, but if she squinted it looked like they wore clothes. She closed her eyes and reopened them. She couldn’t be sure.
One sat in the golf cart like he would drive it away but the other two stood in front of it. If they were having an argument, that would keep them there until Hunter arrived. Lacey scanned the road toward the barn looking for him, but she couldn’t see anything yet. She could see more if she stepped out her front door, but she wasn’t that brave.
She looked back toward the cart. “Oh no.” They all climbed in and the cart headed down the road toward the bridge and the exit. She watched it until it disappeared. She couldn’t think of a single reason why three guests would be headed to the garage at this time of night. She looked toward the barn, but there was still no sign of the security guard. She had to let him know where they had gone.
She turned on the light and dialed. “Sugar.” She exited before she pressed the final number. He said not to call. Something about Hunter made her hesitant to ignore what he said. She turned the light off again and waited for her eyes to adjust. She scanned the road and couldn’t see a thing. What if Hunter was in trouble?
The buzz of her phone made her squeal. Breathless, she answered it. “Yes?”
“I’ve got the thieves. Call 9-1-1.” Again the phone went silent.
She didn’t hesitate. She called and let the dispatcher know what the emergency was. Once the woman had dispatched a deputy sheriff, Lacey exited the call. There was no way Hunter would be able to keep three men in line. Quickly, she dialed Wade’s number. It sent her straight to his voice mailbox. More nervous by the minute, she called Kendra’s phone. It also went to voice mail. Since when did those two both turn off their phones?
She wanted to call Cole, but that was crazy. She had no idea where he lived and he might even be working a fire. Just because he walked back into her life didn’t mean he would stay nor that she could depend on him. She looked out her window again. Wherever Hunter had the thieves, it wasn’t where she could see them. Then again, they couldn’t see her.
Dropping her pajama bottoms and robe, she pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and slipped on her flip-flops. Before she lost her courage, she grabbed up her phone and opened her front door. She stopped. The sliver of moon had half set behind the main building already. Taking her gaze from the pretty sight, she scanned the road again. Confident there was no one out there, she ran for Kendra’s two-story house.
She focused on the ground the entire way, avoiding cacti and hopefully the late-night critters like rattlesnakes. When she made it to the door, she banged hard and stopped. She listened for sounds inside then banged hard again.
The door flew open and she was yanked inside the dark house.
“What are you doing?” Wade’s voice made it clear he was angry even if she couldn’t quite make out his features.
“I called, but both your phones went to voice mail. It’s the thieves.” She still panted a little and tried to catch her breath.
He grabbed her shoulders.
“The thieves? Where?”
“Hunter has them. He has three. I called 9-1-1 but I don’t know where he is and it could take them a half hour to get here. What if they overpower him?”
“Shit. Okay. Do you know where he caught them?”
“It was somewhere between the fork and the road up the other side of the canyon.” Her heart slowed to a more normal rate. All these after-dark activities plus her nightmares had her overreacting, she was sure.
“Let me get dressed and I’ll drop you off at your casita on my way to find Hunter.” Wade let go of her and strode away in the dark.
It hadn’t even occurred to her he might sleep naked. Duh. At least it was too dark to see. The last thing she wanted to be looking at was her boss’s fiancé’s parts no matter how hot he was because Kendra would not be happy.
Within minutes Wade was back in a t-shirt, jeans and boots. “Let’s go.”
As he drove her to her home, she quickly relayed what little Hunter said. When they reached her door, Wade put his hand on her arm. “You did good, Lacey. Now
go inside, lock your door, and don’t leave until you hear from me, okay?”
She nodded then jumped out and let herself in. Quickly, she turned and locked the door. She hadn’t even thought to lock it while she ran to Kendra’s. That wasn’t very smart. She scanned the main area of her home. Luckily, nothing was amiss and she breathed a relieved sigh. She dropped her phone on the table and strolled into her bedroom to switch her flip-flops for her bunny slippers.
Returning to the kitchen, she pulled a cup out of the cupboard to pour herself some coffee.
She stepped toward the coffeemaker and froze at the napkin sitting next to it. A message was written in blue ink, the pen, one of her own, lay next to it.
IT WAS YOU.
She dropped the cup and it shattered on the tile floor. Backing up, she clasped both hands over her heart. Oh gosh, oh gosh. She shivered even as her body began to sweat. The thieves knew she’d seen them! Did one get away? Was Hunter hurt?
She had to tell Wade, Kendra, the sheriff’s department, everyone right away. Darn.
Cole, I wish you were here.
Chapter Seven
‡
At the sound of his phone vibrating, Cole glanced at the clock. Shit, it was only five in the morning. It was his last day off before going back on shift and he’d been up half the night with Angel. He checked the number and quickly answered. “Yeah.”
“There’s been another break-in at the nudist resort and things are getting dicey.” Sean’s voice was loud against the quiet morning. “You want to meet me over there?”
His gut tensed as he sat up. “Sure.”
“Good. I’m heading over in about fifteen.”
“Got it.” Cole wished like hell he’d asked Lacey for her number. Was she okay? He could call the main number. She usually answered that, unless she was hurt. The thought had him jumping out of bed. What the fuck did “dicey” mean?
Anxious to see if Lacey was okay with his own eyes, he was dressed and in his truck in three minutes. He sped out of the driveway, hoping no police were on Carefree Highway and that his grandparents could figure out the note he left about Angel. He’d call as soon as he found out if Lacey was okay.