“Give me a minute to dress,” he called out.
He hurried to the bedroom where Kelly remained sound asleep, her face snuggled into his pillow. He put the gun back on the nightstand, donned a fresh pair of jeans and grabbed a shirt but didn’t put it on.
Then he shook Kelly’s shoulder. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty.”
“Mmm.” She barely stirred.
“Wake up,” he said again. He shook her a little harder. When she still didn’t move, he flipped on the light, appreciating the way the golden rays kissed her skin. “Wake up. You’ve got company.”
Kelly immediately straightened, her eyes wide open. “What do you mean I’ve got company?”
He wondered if she’d been playing possum and had pretended to sleep, but why? He frowned at the only reason he could reach—that she didn’t want to speak to him. How ironic that every other woman he’d dated always wanted to talk and he hadn’t. Now he needed to have a relationship conversation and in all likelihood Kelly was the one avoiding it. However, now was not the time to delve into her tactics.
He snapped his jeans. “Someone at the front door is asking for you.”
She glanced at his alarm clock. “It’s 6:30 in the morning.” Nevertheless she scrambled out of bed, not the least self-conscious about her nudity. Although he’d seen everything she’d had to offer last night, and she could offer plenty, he couldn’t help but appreciate her all over again. He liked her lean lines, her toned skin and the sparkle in her eyes.
“I should have known it was someone who wanted to talk to you,” he muttered to cover up his discontentment at his resolution never to make love to her again. “My friends know better than to show up before noon.” He neglected to mention that he’d been worried about a dangerous intruder, especially after he saw the fear flash in her eyes.
“Something must be wrong.” She yanked his shirt from his hand. “Can I borrow that? Thanks.” Then she dashed out of the bedroom. Last night she’d left her clothes by the hot tub, and with nothing to replace them in his room, he supposed she might have run off in just the sheet if he hadn’t lent her his shirt.
It startled him, pleasantly, that little Miss Fashion Plate had no compunction at all about revealing her body to him. There was no false modesty about her, yet she didn’t show off, either. She just acted quite natural, and he’d never realized that she was so comfortable in her own skin.
With a shake of his head and a slight grin, he trailed her to the front door. If she could greet their guest wearing nothing but a T-shirt, he needn’t bother with a shirt or shoes.
Kelly swung open the door. “Cara! What’s happened? Are Mom and Dad—”
“They’re fine.”
Cara stepped inside and shut the door behind her. She took in Kelly wearing his T-shirt and him in his jeans. Another woman might have exhibited a smidgen of embarrassment, but Cara didn’t even seem surprised that they’d hooked up.
“Why are you here?” Kelly asked.
Cara glared in his direction, and he suspected she didn’t want to speak in front of him, but Wade had no intention of leaving. However, he could be civil. “Coffee, anyone?”
“Thanks,” Cara said. “I take mine black.”
“Yes, please.” Kelly frowned at her friend. “Now tell me what’s so important that you had to wake me up at the crack of dawn.”
“A story came across my desk last night about Niles Deagen, Andrew’s fiancée’s ex-husband.”
“We were going to try and see him either today or tomorrow.”
“That might be difficult.”
“He’s dead?” Wade asked from the kitchen.
“No, nothing like that. He’s in financial trouble.”
Cara perched on a chair as if she was ready at any moment to leap to her feet. Kelly sat on the sofa, tucked her feet under her and frowned at her friend. “I’m not following. What does this have to do with Andrew? Or me?”
“I’m getting to that.”
“Today, please,” Kelly demanded, and Wade realized that even when she was sarcastic and demanding, she still maintained that polite and ladylike aura that he found so compelling—especially after the way she’d let loose in bed with him last night. She was all lady in the daytime and a tigress in bed—what more could a man want?
She’s not for you, he reminded himself once again.
Cara interrupted his thoughts. “Andrew defended a man named Billy Jackson, an employee of Niles Deagen’s.”
“And?”
“When Niles was arrested for racketeering, Billy Jackson turned state’s evidence against his boss. Billy ended up dead in a Dallas Dumpster last week.”
“And?”
“The bullet from the autopsy turned out to be a 9 mm.”
“The same caliber that killed my brother.”
“I know it’s a leap because 9 mm guns are so common, but if you could get the sheriff to compare the bullets, it might prove to be the same shooter.”
“Good thinking.” Wade handed Cara a mug of coffee.
“Thanks.”
Kelly smiled her thanks and accepted her mug. “Since Mustang Valley doesn’t have a forensics lab, the bullet that killed Andrew could be sent to Dallas for their lab to make the comparison.”
“Do we know what the D.A. has on Niles?” Wade asked.
“I asked. He’s not talking. There’s nothing in the public records. And the D.A. just put a huge down payment on a piece of property he can’t afford.”
“You think he took a payoff?” Wade asked.
Cara sipped her coffee and spoke to Kelly as if Wade wasn’t there. “You should keep him. Any man who makes coffee like this…yum.”
Kelly sputtered. “Cara!”
Wade settled his hip against the far end of the sofa, amused by the byplay. He enjoyed the blush rising up Kelly’s neck and then her bold I-can’t-believe-you-said-that-in-front-of-him stare at Cara.
“It’s about time you went after what you wanted,” Cara continued, not the least intimidated by Kelly’s scowl.
“So what kind of financial trouble is Niles in?” Wade asked to get Kelly off the hook.
“Right now, it’s just rumors. Talk about money and sex arouses everyone’s interest.”
Apparently, Cara wasn’t done teasing Kelly. But Kelly had her own way of coping. She looked at her watch and spoke sweetly. “Don’t you have to be at work by seven?”
“Where does the time go?” Cara slugged down a big gulp of caffeine, stood and handed Kelly her empty mug. “Hell, I’m late, but that doesn’t mean I don’t realize that you want me out of here.”
Kelly stood and hugged her friend. “Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.”
Like the busy reporter she was, she hurried out the door, but then she looked over her shoulder and winked at Wade. “You notice she didn’t thank me for my advice.”
“I’M CALLING DADDY,” Kelly told Wade and picked up the phone. She gave him a chance to protest, but when he didn’t, she dialed, repeated the information Cara had given her and asked her father to make the request to the sheriff to compare the bullets that had killed Andrew and his former client Billy Jackson.
The request served several purposes. One, it would free them to track down Johnny Dixon in Fort Worth and Niles Deagen in Dallas. Two, it might take the heat off of Wade and Kelly. Whoever had tried to run them off the road just might believe they’d given up on their investigation and leave them alone. Besides, if Kelly made an outright appeal to the sheriff, she might as well take out an ad in the Mustang Gazette to announce their suspicions. Three, the sheriff was a lot more likely to heed a request from one of the town’s leading citizens than his just-graduated-college daughter.
Next she tried phoning Johnny’s room at the hotel Lindsey had written down for her. No answer. She also tried his apartment. Again, no answer. But for all she knew he was sleeping in. Yawning, she stretched and the T-shirt rose up her thigh several inches. Wade pretended not to notice, but he looked away with s
uch studied disinterest that she knew better.
As she headed to the guest room for some clothes and to use the shower, she wondered how long she could keep avoiding the conversation he’d wanted last night. She couldn’t always pretend to be sleeping or distract him with flirtation. Sooner or later he’d find a way to pin her down and talk, but she figured the longer she could put him off a serious discussion with his telling her how unsuitable they were for one another, the more time she had to work on changing his mind, especially since the more time she spent with him, the more she liked him, as a friend—not just a lover.
Sure they’d been great together in bed, but that wasn’t enough. Kelly had always longed for love, for a soul mate, for someone to share her life with, and she believed Wade might just be that man if he’d only give them a real chance.
Kelly plunged under the hot water, recalling how she’d gotten to him last night in the hot tub. He most certainly hadn’t intended to make love to her, but she’d won that battle of wills, and she hoped, now that he knew how good they could be together, that his attitude toward her would soften enough to let him acknowledge his feelings. He had to have them. She certainly did. She couldn’t have made love to him if she hadn’t believed they had a shot at a future together, and she refused to believe Wade could make love with that kind of raw sensuality, yet still maintain that level of concern over her well-being and satisfaction without having genuine emotions toward her.
He just needed a lot of coaxing. Fine. She could do that. Her father had once told her she was a natural-born flirt. In recent years she might have curtailed those tendencies, but Wade seemed to appreciate her efforts.
What if she was wrong about Wade? Suppose he couldn’t return the love and the friendship she offered? Life would go on.
Would she be disappointed? Of course. She might be devastated.
It might take a long time to move on and get over this wonderful feeling inside that told her they were so right together. She loved the way he took her ideas seriously. He never patronized her. He was steady and loyal and brave.
She wanted to continue to get to know him better, much better. And whether sharing a drive or a meal or a moonlight kiss, she always enjoyed his company. If he didn’t feel likewise, she had the support of her family and her friends and an inner strength that demanded she take this emotional risk or regret that she’d failed to follow her heart. Her powerful feelings toward Wade were simply too strong to leave unexplored. Now that she’d gotten to know him, now that they’d made love and she knew how terrific he could be, she couldn’t walk away and pretend he meant nothing more to her than a one-night stand.
She didn’t do one-nighters. She wasn’t interested in a fling. She never allowed herself to make love to a man unless she believed he had long-term potential. The fact that she’d been wrong twice before, in two other relationships, didn’t deter her. The right man would come along someday—that he might turn out to be Wade excited her and propelled her to take a few calculated risks.
After showering, she towel-dried her hair, pulled it back into a ponytail, leaving a few locks to curl around her face, and applied makeup. She donned a sleeveless clingy tank top, a short flirty skirt, comfy sandals and for a touch of professionalism, she grabbed a suit jacket and packed an overnight bag in case they wound up staying in Forth Worth or Dallas.
When she returned to the living room, Wade wore jeans and a denim shirt. He was talking on the phone, something about his inventory and a bar fight, and he mentioned Rudy, the kid who worked for one of his employees and who’d broken that windowpane in town.
Wade hung up the phone. “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Apparently Rudy has something to tell me. He’s outside.”
The kid was sitting on Wade’s front stoop, throwing pebbles at the trash can. He stood up, shoved his hands in his pockets and mumbled, “Dad found out about the damage to that broken window and told me to come see you. Thanks.”
“Apology accepted,” Wade said.
As gratitude went, Rudy had spoken most grudgingly but Wade let that slide. He didn’t rub the kid’s nose in his mistake and she liked him for it.
“I might have some information for you,” Rudy said. “But I’m not sure if it’s important.”
“Why don’t you just tell us and let us decide?” Wade suggested.
“Dad said I’m not to bother you—but you did ask.”
“That’s right, I did. I can pay for information,” Wade told him, reaching for his wallet in his back pocket.
“I was hanging out at the mayor’s campaign headquarters, waiting for the flyers to come back from the printer so I could deliver them.”
“Yes?” Wade prodded.
“Mayor Daniels was talking to Sheriff Wilson about a land deal, and when they said that the Wests were almost ready to make some money, I listened real hard. Because Debbie and Andrew were engaged, I thought you’d be interested.”
“I am. The Wests are selling their ranch, and Andrew was handling the lawyering for them, that’s common knowledge.”
Rudy’s face was puzzled. “Is it common knowledge that the mayor and the sheriff are eager for the contract to go through?”
“I have no idea why they would care, except that the West family needs that money.” Wade pulled out a five-dollar bill. “Is that all?”
“Except for when they saw me, they stopped talking.” Rudy shrugged. “I got the feeling I wasn’t supposed to have heard what I heard.”
Wade handed the kid the money. “Thanks.”
“Was that important?” Rudy asked, his eyes curious as he tucked the money into his front pocket.
“I don’t know. We’re working on a puzzle, and you just brought us another piece. Until we have more, we can’t put the clues together, so we need you to keep listening.”
“Okay.”
“And, Rudy…”
“Yeah?”
“Keep a low profile. That means don’t get caught listening.”
“Sure.” Rudy strode away whistling and Wade watched him go, a lopsided grin on his face.
Kelly kept her voice down so the kid wouldn’t hear him. “If you want to give him money, why don’t you give him a real job, like mowing your grass or washing dishes?”
“He’s not ready for hard labor.”
Kelly shrugged. “It’s your money.”
“You don’t understand.”
“So explain it to me.”
“On your side of town it’s acceptable for kids to take a low-level, low-paying job to earn gas money. Rudy’s never going to have a car. His family is too poor.”
“But a steady job would earn him the money to—”
“He doesn’t see it that way. He thinks working for me in the saloon would be selling out. He’s afraid if he takes a job washing dishes then he’ll end up like his father.”
Kelly realized that Rudy reminded Wade of himself. He could have been that kid. He understood him. Coming from her upper-middle-class world with its work-hard-and-you’ll-succeed ethics, she had difficulty following the logic of his statement. Or maybe it wasn’t logic so much as a different attitude toward life. Could the way she and Wade looked at the world prevent their relationship from deepening?
With her optimistic nature, she expected good things to happen, and they usually did. Wade came from a background rooted in poverty, and it affected the way he dealt with the police: suspiciously. The way he looked at life: as one giant roll of the dice. The way he dealt with her: sending mixed signals.
She had no idea what to do about it. Her parents came from similar backgrounds. They had attended the same schools, socialized with the same crowd, attended the same church.
Kelly came from a two-parent upper-middle-class household. Wade had never known his mother, and his father hadn’t been there for him. She understood that how she’d grown up had helped shape her into the person she was today. Maybe that’s why she admired Wade. He’d had a rough life and he’d ma
de his own way. Successfully.
He wore his self-confidence as comfortably as his broken-in jeans. Yet he didn’t come off as someone with something to prove, either. She’d really liked the way she could be herself with him, too. And after last night, she thought they could have a future together—if he’d just give them a chance.
THE FORT WORTH area was congested compared to Mustang Valley. Traffic was stop-and-go, and Wade drove. During the drive, Kelly had received two phone calls. The first had been from her father to check on her as well as to tell her that the sheriff had agreed to send the bullet that had killed Andrew to Dallas for analysis to be compared to the one that killed his client Billy Jackson. The second call had come from a worried Lindsey, who’d told them that Johnny Dixon had never shown up for his appointment as a legal clerk.
Kelly put her phone back in her purse. “Lindsey didn’t think he would miss his appointment unless something bad happened.”
“I have to agree, especially since he had to borrow gas money to drive here.” Wade turned right, drove past the hotel’s valet parking and backed into a parking spot.
Kelly speared him with a curious glance. “Expecting to make a fast getaway?”
“Just being careful.”
She didn’t say more, but she opened the glove compartment, took out her gun and placed it inside her purse. Then she flipped the visor down and checked her makeup in the mirror. He was beginning to think of her makeup and clothing as battle armor. She subtly changed her looks depending on who they would meet, and he was just as sure she’d done that to him last night, too.
She’d certainly never looked more appealing than she had in that hot tub with the moonlight glistening off her wet skin. She’d set the bait and he’d walked right into her trap. Except, he didn’t feel trapped, but fascinated, intrigued and eager to see just what she’d do next.
Only, this time he planned to be ready for her. This time he’d find the willpower to resist. Not just for Andrew’s sake—but his own. Wade had to suppress his growing feelings for her with a savage ruthlessness before he got in too deep and drowned. Now that he knew how potent she could be, he would build up his resistance to her.
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