by Cora Seton
Ahead of him the sky was a pale pink, the sunrise still an hour away. Was Lacey even awake? Probably. She’d always been an early riser. He should have asked Sean what had happened, but he didn’t want to push him. He should tell the detective his real relationship with Lacey.
At the nondescript dirt road with no sign, he turned off Carefree Highway, gripping the wheel tighter. If someone had been hurt, Sean would have said something. He would have said there was an accident or a shooting or—“Fuck.”
Red and blue flashes of light peppered the desert landscape.
He pressed the gas pedal harder, sending up a cloud of dust to rival a haboob. He didn’t care. His gut twisted with worry and the only way to relieve it was to see Lacey. Finally reaching the sign for Poker Flat, he fishtailed as he took the left too fast.
At the three-walled garage, Cole turned in and parked. No other car was there, which meant Sean hadn’t arrived yet. Shit. Cole stepped out into the cool air and walked to the sheriff department car parked at the wooden boundary. No one was in it.
Looking across the ravine, he could see the lobby area was lit up. What had happened?
The sound of a vehicle coming down the road had him turning. Sean pulled into the garage in his unmarked car. Cole strode toward him, not willing to wait another minute.
As Sean exited his vehicle, Cole entered the covered area. “Is anyone hurt?”
Sean raised a brow. “Good morning to you too.”
Cole took a deep breath. “Sorry. You said it had become dicey. Is someone hurt?”
Sean shook his head. “Not yet.”
The momentary relief Cole experienced disappeared like a frightened gecko. “What do you mean?”
“Walk with me and I’ll explain. The owner is coming to pick us up. We might as well meet her at the barrier.”
He nodded, swallowing the curse he’d been about to utter.
As Sean explained what happened, Cole’s fear mingled with frustration until he couldn’t keep quiet. “Someone was in her home?”
“Yes. Not for long though. I’m hoping I can find out who it was from the other three when I interrogate them.”
Cole fisted his hands. “What about police protection? Will the sheriff’s office provide that?”
“I doubt it.” Sean pointed to a tan golf cart crossing the bridge over the stream. “Here she comes. The sheriff’s office doesn’t want to deal with this resort at all. Why do you think I was assigned to investigate the fire? They certainly aren’t going to see the note as a threat.”
“Not a threat?” His voice rose substantially and the detective looked at him shrewdly.
“I asked you to come as a professional courtesy and with the hope you might discover more from the staff. The firefighter is always the hero. But if you can’t keep your cool, you’re welcome to leave.”
Cole gritted his teeth and simply nodded. He wasn’t sure he could keep his voice down at the moment.
Luckily, Kendra Lowe pulled up. She gave him a questioning look then spoke to Sean. “The deputy sheriff is waiting for you. He said he has to get to court for a vehicle citation hearing.” That she wasn’t happy with the man’s excuse for leaving was clear.
Cole climbed on the back of the cart, his anxiety rising over Lacey’s safety. Shit, she had to be scared as hell. He ignored the passing beauty of the resort on the way down the canyon wall and instead focused on the woman he loved, had always loved.
Dumping her had to have been the dumbest thing he’d ever done, but he’d been young and his parents didn’t want a criminal associated with their ranch. He’d planned to track her down when the cause of the fire had been determined accidental, but his parents told him her family’s close relationship with the town manager had caused the charges to be dropped. There was no clear proof she was innocent.
So he’d moved on with his life, burying his love for her deep in his heart, never understanding why no other woman was the right one for him. Now that he’d found her again, the old feelings had taken over his every waking moment along with new, more mature emotions. There was no way he’d lose her again. Like she’d said the other day, he needed to stand by her no matter what, even if she had started the fire in Orson.
That he could lose her permanently scared the shit out of him. Somehow, he had to keep her safe.
The cart slowed as they approached the main building. Before the vehicle stopped, he jumped off and ran for the front doors of the resort. When he entered, he saw her at once. Ignoring the fact she was surrounded by staff and a deputy sheriff, he strode forward.
Lacey’s gaze swung to him and her tense features relaxed into relief.
It was all he needed to see. Stepping between everyone, he stopped in front of her. “Lacey?”
“Cole.” Fear and need ran across her features, before a tiny tear appeared at the corner of one eye.
He wrapped his arms around her and leaned his chin on her head. The feel of her in his arms tilted his world upright again. Memories of holding her close sped through his mind as he inhaled her fresh scent. A basic instinct welled up from within his heart and permeated his brain. Forever.
A clearing of a throat reminded him where he was, but he didn’t care. He pulled back a bit and lifted Lacey’s chin to look into her watery brown eyes, the light-gold flecks sparkled against her tears. He kept his voice low and soft, for her ears only. “I’m here. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
She smiled tentatively.
“Cole, is there something you want to tell me?” Sean’s voice held serious sarcasm.
He released Lacey partly, keeping one arm wrapped around her waist and addressed the detective. “Yes. You may want to research the financials of Price Construction.”
Sean raised an eyebrow before turning toward the deputy, who looked happy they’d arrived.
“Thank you for coming.” Lacey’s soft voice had him gazing at her again.
There was so much he wanted to tell her, but his fear of rejection cut off the words he really wanted to say. “I had to.” Tell her. What do you have to lose? “You—”
“Whoa and who is this hunk of a cowboy?” The strange woman’s voice interrupted him and irritation tensed his muscles. He looked up to tell her to get lost, but Lacey surprised him by stepping in front of him.
“His name is Cole Hatcher. He was the firefighter in charge the other night. I’ve known him for years.”
If he didn’t know better, he’d say his sweet Lacey was protecting him. He took a closer look at the woman. She had the smooth skin of a first generation Mexican American with an elegant face. Her long black hair and dark-brown eyes would cause her enough attention from the opposite sex, but coupled with a significant bustline, tiny waist and curvy hips that ended in long, gorgeous legs, she would be irresistible…if a man was into all that.
The siren’s eyes widened as she looked at Lacey. Then she nodded and held out her hand. “Hi, I’m Adriana, the bartender here. We haven’t met yet, but I will tell you if you hurt this woman, I will personally shoot you.”
It took his brain a minute to register what she said as she said it with a sultry smile, as if she wanted to bed him, not kill him. He blinked then nodded seriously. “Warning filed.”
She flipped her hair back over her shoulder and moved toward the deputy, who appeared to be trying to cut short his conversation with Kendra. Bemused, Cole watched as the bartender sidled up to the man and offered to take him back to his car.
Lacey slapped his chest. “Cole Hatcher, what are you staring at?”
He moved his gaze to her. “The most beautiful and courageous woman I know.” He touched her cheek, unable to resist. Now that he’d touched her, held her, he didn’t want to stop.
As he hoped, she forgot about the bartender and focused on him. “I wasn’t very courageous. Shoot, I completely freaked out.”
He smiled as his heart warmed. She still wouldn’t swear, a trait that had always triggered his protective instincts and it did
the same now…when she actually needed it. He took her in his arms again. “You had every right to be scared, but not anymore. I’m not leaving your side until they catch whoever is doing this.”
Her eyes widened. “But you can’t do that. You have a job and a ranch to run.”
“There is nothing more important than you.” His heart skipped as she looked away. Shit, had he really hurt her that much? He was an ass to make her so uncomfortable now. “I can always call my grandfather and tell him what to do with Angel.”
“Angel?”
He congratulated himself on distracting her. “Yes, Angel. She is a white Arabian. I just got her in.”
“Where did you buy her from?”
He loved that she stayed in the circle of his arms as they talked, despite all the commotion around them. “I didn’t buy her. I save abused, neglected and hurt horses that owners don’t want. Or at least I try to. Not all make it.”
Her face softened. “Oh Cole. That’s so amazing. What’s wrong with Angel?”
He tried not to tense around her, but his stomach tightened at the image of Angel as he’d last seen her. “She has been flayed brutally by a drunk bastard, but the vet says she has a sixty percent chance of making it and I’m betting on those odds.”
“How could someone do such a thing?”
He shook his head. The abuse cases were the worst because the damage was purposeful and nasty. “I don’t know. But I’ll do everything I can to save her. Who knows, someday she may end up here.”
“Here? Why here?”
“Didn’t Wade tell you? He bought four of my horses and plans to buy more.”
Lacey frowned. “I haven’t seen any paperwork. Why would he hide that from me?”
He squeezed her a little to gain her attention. “We haven’t done any yet. Wade wanted to wait until they caught whoever started the fire and who broke in.”
Lacey’s face paled. “I saw them and they know I did. There were four in all, but Hunter only caught three. He didn’t know there was a fourth until I called him.”
Cole looked over her head at the man in black leaning against one of the beams that held up the massive roof, his arms crossed over his chest, his black cowboy hat shading his eyes. “Mind if we go talk to him?”
She shrugged. “You’re welcome to try, but good luck. He doesn’t say much.”
As much as he would prefer to stay there all day with Lacey in his arms, his need to protect her was stronger. Removing one arm from around her, he walked her over to where Hunter stood, pretending not to watch the proceedings, but it was evident he did.
Cole held out his hand. “Hunter, I’m Cole Hatcher.”
The man grasped his hand and shook, but didn’t say a word.
“Lacey tells me you caught three of the four men who broke in. Do you think the fourth is still here hiding?”
Hunter shook his head. “Found tracks. He’s long gone.”
That pronouncement brought him some relief, but it didn’t mean the trespasser would stay away.
Lacey studied Hunter. “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt. I mean, there were three of them. I saw them.”
Hunter looked over her head. “Kids.”
“Kids?” Cole frowned. “You mean teenagers?”
Again, Hunter shook his head. “College.”
Hmm, Desert Rim University was nearby, or as nearby as anything could be. He couldn’t think of any other college close enough for students to make the trek out to Poker Flat. “Were they just trespassing or did they do damage?”
Hunter motioned with his head toward the front. “They were stealing a golf cart.”
Lacey looked up at Cole in puzzlement before her face flushed with excitement. “That means they had a big enough vehicle nearby to put the golf cart in. That’s how the fourth one got away.”
He smiled at her. If only she’d seen the fourth one in her house. Then she could tell a sketch artist what the guy looked like.
He forced himself to move his gaze to Hunter. “Thank you. Both of us are breathing easier now.” The man made the slightest movement with his shoulders as if to shrug. He was definitely different, but he’d caught three college boys and Cole didn’t doubt that hadn’t been easy.
Sean joined them. “I’m going to need to take statements from everyone who was involved last night before I interrogate the suspects. I’ll start with you, Mr. McKade.”
As Sean and Hunter moved down the hallway to Kendra’s office, Lacey sighed. “Here we go again.”
“Has Poker Flat always had so many issues?”
“It seems like it. Someone is always out to make trouble for us. I don’t understand why they can’t simply live and let live. Nudists are people like you and me, but lately it seems like they are even better. Oh no, I have to get to work. Kendra’s good friends are coming today.”
“Whoa, wait a minute. You’ve been through a harrowing night. Can’t you have the day off?”
She put her hand on his chest, which he didn’t mind at all.
“That would be nice, but no, we only have the staff we need to run the resort until Kendra is sure we can afford more. Besides, what am I supposed to do, sit at home thinking about what happened over and over again?”
“I can think of other things you could do.” He winked, anxious to judge her reaction.
At her full-blown blush, hope kindled inside him.
“Cole, behave yourself.”
“You say that to me at a nudist resort?” He feigned shock.
She smiled. “Now I have to get to work. The guests will be waking up soon and Buddy and Ginger will be arriving this morning. We need to get ready.”
“Then I’ll camp out in the lobby.”
She stared at him as if he’d just turned into a giant dust devil. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s daytime, the resort is full with guests and the staff are all here. I’ll be fine. You have a horse that needs you. I don’t.”
He scowled at her final comment, not liking the way that sounded at all.
Lacey slapped him on the arm. “Oh please. Go take care of Angel. If you want, we can have dinner tonight. Okay?”
He grinned. “Okay.” He wanted more than anything to give her a kiss, but a nude couple entered the lobby and he doubted Lacey would appreciate him doing that in front of them. Shit, he felt like he was walking over a nest of scorpions with her. One wrong step and he’d be struck. “I’ll tell Sean I’m leaving.” Even as he said the words, he could see Lacey pull herself into efficient receptionist mode though she wasn’t behind her counter yet.
She lowered her voice. “See you tonight.” After a quick smile to him, she moved off to greet the couple.
He watched for a moment, impressed with her professionalism despite preferring she kept her attention on him, but then he moved down the hallway toward Kendra’s office. He had his own responsibilities to take care of before he went on shift tomorrow morning.
Halfway down the hall Hunter passed him. The man gave the smallest of nods and walked by. Cole wanted to dislike him, but he’d done his job well and there was something about him that reminded Cole of his horses, which made no sense.
Finding the office door open, he stepped in and cleared his throat.
Sean looked up from the notes he’d been making. “You’re not going to believe this.”
Cole strode in and took a seat opposite Sean. “What? What did Hunter tell you?”
Sean ran his hand across his buzz cut. “These students are from a fraternity and they are pledging. And of all the asinine things, part of the pledge is to steal something from this resort. Can you believe that?”
“What? That’s nuts. What does this fraternity want? A house full of men with records?”
Sean shook his head.
“So what about Lacey?” He was crazy to ask but it was already obvious he had feelings for her and he was worried about what the frat boys might do to her.
“If you are so head over heels for her, why did you tell me she had b
een accused of starting the fire in Orson?”
He looked away. “I had to. It was information about someone on this resort that might be critical to the investigation. Is she a suspect?”
“Yes.”
Cole felt his heart freeze in his chest. He couldn’t believe it. There was a chance she’d simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time with the Orson fire, but Lacey wasn’t stupid. This time, he was with her a hundred percent. “Why?”
Sean studied him. “If I tell you, you can’t tell her. No, forget it.”
His arm shot out faster than he could think and he grabbed Sean’s shoulder. “Tell me. I promise to keep it to myself.”
Sean stared him in the face and finally nodded. “Okay, the fire was started by a small campfire made outside with scraps the construction workers had thrown from the building, paper, plywood pieces, coffee cups, even candy wrappers. It’s a wonder I didn’t find a graham cracker box and marshmallow bag.”
Guess he hadn’t been that far off when he’d wondered that night if the guests would make s’mores. “So what does a campfire have to do with Lacey? I can honestly tell you she was never into camping.”
“Someone had to build that little fire and then leave it burning unattended. It traveled through the construction debris outside and then into the building, following the path of combustibles. It took a while because it’s new construction and once the fire made it to the building it hit fresh wood. As the fire burned, it melted a total of four five-gallon gas containers that were scattered about the place for the generator. All I have for identification purposes is Lacey Winters’ sweater and a Tequila bottle, which I’m hoping has fingerprints.”
“But these kids from the college, another staff person or even a guest could have started that campfire and not left anything behind.” Cole didn’t like the panic rising in his throat and made sure his voice didn’t reveal it.
“True. Kendra and Wade have solid alibies, with each other, but since Kendra didn’t have an unreasonable insurance amount on the new construction, she had nothing to gain and a lot to lose. Fires are not good for business. I will be talking to Billy, Rachel, Selma, Adriana and Lacey again today. Then I’ll see what I can flesh out of those already taken into custody.”