by Becky McGraw
She walked into the room and saw her clothing strewn all over. Some of it was ripped to shreds, mostly her lingerie. She ran into the bathroom and got a big garbage bag out of the linen closet then started stuffing things into the bag without looking at them. If she looked, she would lose it. Bowie was a fresh start for her, and she wouldn't be needing suits and heels to ride horses, or lingerie to impress Luke. He loved her clothed or naked, and she didn't have to worry about enticing a response from him that was for sure.
When she filled one bag, she went and got another out of the closet and repeated the process, until her floor was cleared. She went into her walk-in closet and re-hung the clothes on the floor that weren't ripped, reorganized her shoes, then saw her safe at the back of the closet was open. She swallowed hard, not wanting to look inside.
Her mother's jewelry was in there. The only thing she had left of her. And her rodeo queen crown, and the little stuffed bear that Luke had won for her at the State Fair in Dallas on their second date. Her original paperwork for Bellamy & Barton was in there too, along with her investment information and a couple of large cashier's checks for commissions she'd earned, she hadn't had a chance to deposit yet.
Feeling like she had lead in her feet, Cassie took a couple of steps to stand in front of the safe. She stooped down, then sat on the floor in front of it and opened the door fully. She felt along the top shelf, and sighed when she found her crown. It wasn't worth a lot to anyone else, but to her it meant the world. It represented her youth and her roots and was a wonderful memory that could never be replaced.
She reached to the back of the shelf and found the bear, and it was in good shape too. After a quick hug to her chest, she put it back inside and went to the second shelf to find her mother's jewelry. Her heart stopped when she found the shelf was clean, and a loud wailing sob erupted from her and tears started rolling down her cheeks.
Sticking her head farther inside, she looked around each shelf carefully, but still didn't find it. All the paperwork she had in there was gone too, as were the checks. She sat back on her haunches and tried to calm her unsteady breathing. She didn't hear Cole when he came into the closet, but she felt his hand on her shoulder.
"You alright, darlin'. What's the matter?"
"H-he took my mama's jewelry...and my papers," she said in a broken whisper.
"Do you know if he had them with him when they arrested him?"
She hiccupped then said, "N-no I don't know anything. Detective Roberts didn't mention it."
"It had to be with him, if you think about it. Luke caught him here, and he didn't make it to the car. Either that or it's somewhere in this mess."
She looked up at him with hope surging through her, and she sucked up her tears. "You're right."
Cassie pushed up to her feet, and hugged him. His arms stayed loose around her for a second, then he hugged her back. "Don't cry, darlin', we'll find it."
"You call that detective guy and I'll look around the living room," he said and then started out of the closet.
"It's a woman," Cassie said to his back.
He stopped and looked back over his shoulder at her. "What?"
"The detective is a woman," she gave him a watery chuckle. Funny that he automatically assumed it was a man.
Cole shook his head and then walked out through the bedroom door. Cassie thought about the pretty detective, and wondered if maybe she should introduce her to Cole. She seemed like his type...and they were both in law enforcement. Maybe they'd hit it off. Cole was too wrapped up in his career, he needed something else in his life...or someone. He was always worried about everyone else, he needed to worry about himself more.
But first things first, she needed to call the detective and find out if that snake James had her mother's jewelry. Cassie walked back into the living room and fished her cell phone out of her purse. She saw Cole on his hands and knees searching through the rubble. Luke was laying quietly on the couch and she saw that his color had gotten a little better, which relieved her. Grabbing the white card Sabrina Roberts had given her, she dialed her cell number.
Detective Roberts told her James had some paperwork belonging to her on him when they arrested him, but Cassie's mother's wedding rings, the pearls her father had given her mother on their fifth anniversary, and the antique brooch that had been passed down from mother to daughter in their family for a hundred years, was not among his possessions.
Fresh tears welled up in her eyes, as she thanked Sabrina Roberts then hung up the phone. She sucked in a deep breath trying to calm herself. Cole looked up at her from the floor. "They don't have it?"
"He had the paperwork, but the jewelry wasn't on him."
"Then it has to be here...maybe you should go check out in the yard," Cole suggested.
"Good idea..." Cassie said and walked out into her yard, then carefully worked her way around the perimeter of the yard in the extreme heat, searching inch by inch inward, until she reached the middle. She searched the rock and cactus garden, around the steps, on the front porch, and didn't find a thing.
Standing in the shade of the porch, Cassie thought about the path that James had taken when he'd run from the house, and decided to follow it to where Luke had tackled. Walking slowly, she scanned the sandy brown earth on both sides of the sidewalk.
Against the colorless earth, and muted bushes, rich purple velvet snagged her gaze when she neared a prickly bush by where Luke had tackled James. It had to be the Crown Royal bag she'd always stored the pieces in, she thought. She just hoped they were still in there, and it wasn't just the bag.
Cassie walked quickly to the bush and dropped to her knees then carefully stuck her hand under the bush and untangled the gold cord from needles on several branches. When she finally got it free, Cassie pulled the drawstring cord and held her breath as she looked inside.
Cassie wanted to wail with relief. All three pieces were in the bag, and it looked like they weren't harmed. Hugging them to her chest, Cassie walked back to the house. Once she got inside, she shrieked, "I found them!" then went over to show Cole.
He smiled at her, whooped loudly, then picked her up and spun her around in a circle. "That's great sweetheart!" he said then kissed her cheek.
Luke sat up just then and looked at them with angry eyes over the back of the sofa. "Get your damned hands off of my woman, Cole," his pained voice was low and fierce.
Cole set her back down on the floor and dropped his arm around her shoulders. "Well, looks like you must be feeling better." Cassie saw Cole give Luke a smug grin. "Too bad...I was really enjoying Cassie's company."
Luke growled and started to get up off the sofa. Cassie pulled away from Cole and ran over to push him back down. "Lay down, Luke! You're not in any shape to be up."
Picking up the second bottle of water from the table, Cassie uncapped it and shoved it in his hands. "Drink this--all of it," she told him forcefully and removed the rags from his throat and chest to refresh them in the bowl of ice water then put them back in place.
"Now you stay down there...I'm going to fix the bed for you."
"He stays here," Luke pointed at Cole who gave him an arrogant grin.
"Luke, drink your damned water." Cassie said then stomped to her bedroom.
"Damned jealous fool," she cursed under her breath as she yanked off the gold and blue comforter that was half off the bed anyway, then removed the sheets and pillow cases, tossing them across the room into the hamper, before she went to the linen closet in the bathroom and pulled down more. Cassie was laid across the bed with her butt stuck in the air, while she fought to tuck in a corner of the new sheet when Luke staggered to the door and leaned against the doorframe.
"Now that's what I'm talking about..." he tried to give her a sexy grin, but it came out looking more like a grimace.
Bouncing off the bed, she strode over to him and put a finger in his chest. "I told you to stay on the couch!" she yelled at him and gave him a poke.
"Didn't want to
...missed you," he said slurring, a good sign the pain medication she'd given him a while ago was working.
"You big stubborn jackass..." Cassie grabbed Luke's arm to lead him over to the bed, then pushed him down to sit on the edge. She bent over and pulled off his boots and socks then stood. After fluffing the pillow behind him, she shoved his shoulder to try and make him lay down. Instead of laying down though, Luke grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over him onto the bed pinning her with a thigh, before his mouth came down over hers in a heated kiss.
She squirmed trying to get free, but he wasn't letting her up, and after a second, she didn't want to get up. His drugging kiss had her reaching for him and deepening it, putting her tongue inside his mouth to entice his out to play. He groaned and moved his hand up to cup her breast and she rotated her hips against his thigh trying to put out the fire that had started in her core. Cole's voice at the door brought her out of the trance that Luke had put her under.
"Lord have mercy, I swear you two are like rabbits...even with him gut shot he can't keep his hands to himself."
Cassie slid out from under Luke and off the side of the bed. "Luke!"
"Don't Luke, me darlin' you wanted it as much as I did."
"That's beside the point--you're hurt you big oaf!"
He brought his hand down over his crotch, where he was very visibly aroused. "I"m hurtin' but not where I got shot..."
Cassie clenched her fists and grumbled, then strode over to the bed and the the covers over him, then leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, moving back before he could grab her again. "Sleep!" she demanded then backed away from the bed.
"Not unless you're in here with me," he told her and patted the other side of the bed.
"Well then you just stay in here and stare at the ceiling, because I've got things to do, and Cole is helping me."
His face became a thundercloud and he said in a low growl, "I'll help you," he told her and flung back the covers. She ran over there again and threw the covers back over him.
Grating the words out between her teeth she threatened, "If you put one toe on that floor, I'm going to hog-tie you to that bed, Luke Matthews. I love you dammit, but you are a pain in my ass."
"Promises, promises darlin'. That ain't the first time I've heard that threat, and you've yet to carry it through," he slurred then grinned at her.
Emotion clogged her throat and her lips trembled, "Please stay in bed. My house is torn up and I've got to fix it. I can't stand to see it looking this way," she pleaded.
His smile dropped and he pulled her to his chest and hugged her. "I'm sorry, darlin'. I'll stay put and let you get it cleaned up. Don't be upset, I can't take it..."
She lifted up and looked into his whiskey-brown eyes, then placed a tender kiss on his lips. "Thanks, darlin'."
Turning back toward the door, she saw Cole standing there shaking his head, a quirky little smile on his face. She didn't acknowledge him, just brushed past him in the doorway and walked into the living room to start sorting piles.
Three hours later, she and Cole had made a dent in the cleanup, and Cassie was on her hands and knees with peroxide trying to get the small blood stain out of the carpet. Cole had left in the truck to go and pick them up something to eat. When the doorbell rang, she got up, and wiped her hands on a towel to go answer it.
She opened to door to find Sabrina Roberts on her doorstep, and smiled at her, then stood back to let her enter. "Come in..."
"I was in the area and decided to come by and bring you the papers we recovered when we arrested James Barton," she said and stepped inside removing her mirrored sunglasses then pushing them up on her head. Sabrina's hair was down today, and swung in shiny brown waves at her shoulders. Cassie saw her eyes move around the room and then surprise flickered on her face. "Looks like you've been busy...the photos I saw of how it looked before were pretty bad."
"Yeah it was awful. I wish I could have made that weasel clean up the mess, but I'd rather he be in jail," Cassie told her then walked toward the kitchen, "Would you like something to drink? It's damned hot out today. Bottled water, tea?"
"Water would be great, thanks," Sabrina told her standing near the kitchen door.
Cassie turned back toward her with a bottle of water for each of them. The detective looked a little wilted from the heat, the black pants she had on weren't really perfect attire for Arizona weather. The light blue sleeveless shell she'd paired them with was stuck to her breasts. At least the woman had taken off the black blazer that must've gone with the pants to cover the very lethal looking gun attached to a thick belt at her waist.
Handing Sabrina one of the cold dewy bottles, Cassie uncapped her own and took a long drink, then asked, "So what's the latest with James anyway? Did he agree to the plea deal yet?"
"The D.A. and my captain are still working it out. The D.A. wants to go to trial, because it's so cut and dry. He's a barracuda on white collar cases...hates to settle them if he thinks he can win and get the maximum sentence."
Cassie groaned, it would be her luck that the case would be assigned to someone like that. "Can I talk to him? I really need this over and done with so I can get moved," she said with a frustrated sigh.
"You're moving?"
"Yeah, back to Bowie, Texas...my hometown."
"So, what's in Bowie? I thought your real estate business was doing pretty well here?"
Cassie grinned at her then said, "Luke's in Bowie...and I'm going to start a horse breeding operation on my daddy's cattle ranch.'
"Oh, god that sounds like heaven," the other woman told her and sighed dreamily.
"You like horses?" Cassie was always up to talk about horses with a fellow lover.
"Love 'em. My dad had a few on our farm growing up and I rode every day. When I moved to the city after I graduated, I missed them terribly. I've been thinking about leasing one at a barn on the north side." Sabrina tilted her head to the side and then asked, "So how's Luke doing anyway? He out of the hospital yet?"
"Yeah, and he's ornery as a bear. It's all I can do to keep him in bed." Cassie's face flushed as the double meaning of her words sunk in and she chuckled. "Well, that wouldn't be a problem if he was feeling better..."
Sabrina chuckled too, "I imagine not."
"Let's go sit down and cool off," Cassie invited and walked toward the sofa. Before they got there though, the front door opened and Cole walked inside with three white bags in his hand and a liter of drink under his arm like a football.
"Oh, hey! I thought you got lost!" Cassie laughed and went over to relieve him of his bags. She walked over to the sofa table to set them down then turned back to see him still standing in the doorway with his mouth open, while he stared at Sabrina Roberts like she was Thanksgiving dinner.
Cassie smiled and then introduced them, "Cole this is Detective Roberts. She brought by the papers that James stole from my safe. Sabrina this is Luke's best friend Cole Jackson, Sheriff of Bowie, Texas."
Sabrina licked her lips, then found her voice and said, "Wow, they sure do grow them tall in Texas...it's nice to meet you Sheriff." Cassie heard the part the detective had left out of her sentence, and good looking. Sabrina didn't need to voice it, because it was there on her face in her somewhat dazed and dreamy expression.
"Cole..." he corrected still acting like he was struck dumb by the sight of the pretty detective.
"Well, I'm going to bring Luke his lunch and check on him...I'll be back in a few minutes," Cassie told them, but neither seemed to hear her. She tamped down the giggle that bubbled up in her chest and grabbed a sack off the table, and headed for the bedroom.
Luke was snoring when she went inside. He looked so damned adorable, she thought, all snuggled up to a pillow on his good side. The scrub shirt was pulled up on his injured side and the sight of blood on the bandage made worry run through her. He'd been moving around too much, she knew it! She flew over to the bed and put the bag down on the night stand, then went to lift the white tape holdin
g the gauze down.