Ross hit him again. An uppercut square to the underside of his jaw and Miller’s eyes rolled.
“Hold it,” Kate hollered.
Ross bounced on his toes, his breaths coming fast and hard. He kept his hands up, ready to strike.
“Ross! Back!”
Kate slid sideways, into view, holding Miller’s own weapon at the man’s chest. “Hands out. Now. Don’t make me shoot you.”
He glared at her, those angry eyes still burning and Ross stepped closer.
Miller swung a look at him, then to Kate. Then the gun.
“Please, Kent,” his mother said, her voice shattered worse than the damned lamp.
And something in his eyes changed. The acceptance.
The surrender.
Ross stepped back, hands still twitching, the last of the adrenaline rush fading as relief took hold.
Kate motioned with her head. “Sit. Next to your mother. Ross, back up. And call 911.”
* * *
While Ross was busy fielding questions from the FBI, the local police, the Gaming Commission, his boss and the press, Kate went to her suite to start packing.
Whatever the hell had gone on here this week, she didn’t quite have a handle on. She knew parts of it. The parts about Mr. Miller running a cheating ring that had bilked casinos out of millions. The part about Mark Blazedon flipping a Dominion dealer after catching him doing a false shuffle during an undercover operation.
Now Mark and the dealer were dead, and Kate had been on the list as well.
And it wasn’t exactly a mystery who’d been behind it.
That’s what she currently knew. Later, she’d get the rest. From Don or her boss or Angel.
For now, her head, her back, her cheek, every bit ached and she needed out of this casino. Away from the chaos and the noise and the physical and emotional warfare it had inflicted. A dead colleague, a battered body and a broken heart.
Great week so far.
She zipped her suitcase just as someone knocked.
Damn. She strode to the door, still deciding on whether to answer or not and checked the peep.
Ross.
So much for a clean getaway. But running never accomplished anything.
Might as well face it now. Let it be done.
She swung the door open, stood there, staring at the man who’d broken her heart and saved her life.
Somehow she’d have to reconcile the two.
Later.
“Hi,” he said.
“Hi.” She waved him in. “Come in.”
“How’s the cheek? It’s starting to bruise.”
“It’s fine. Hurts a little.”
He entered the suite, spotted her zipped suitcase on the bed. “You leaving already?”
Could he be that shocked? After everything they’d been through this week?
She nodded. “I am. Now that we know who your cheat is, I don’t need to be here 24/7. And, frankly, I need to get out of here. Take a few days off. Rest.”
His bottom lip rolled halfway as he considered her words.
“Understandable. Can I drive you? You shouldn’t drive.”
“No. I’m good. I just—” she flapped her arms. “I need to go. I’m tired and…strung out.”
And confused.
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, made a shrugging motion. “So, that’s it then? Between us?”
If only it were that easy. “I’m not sure where we go from here. You thought I betrayed you and didn’t give me an opportunity to explain myself. You thought I deliberately sabotaged you. Not exactly a strong base for a relationship.”
“You’re right about that. I was an idiot. World-class. From the beginning you told me your career was important to you. At every turn you reminded me. And then you kept things from me. It looked…bad.”
“I didn’t—”
“—I was stupid. Too stupid to slow down and think it through. I got caught up. In my feelings. And that was new to me. All of it. For years, I’ve known exactly where I was going and what I had to do. Until you walked into my casino. It’s not an excuse.” He shrugged. “An explanation maybe. I was wrong. I should have trusted you.”
Yes. He should have. Unforgiving? Perhaps. But this was not a way to start a relationship. Not in her mind anyway. “That’s not all of it. You know it’s not. Ross, I don’t know how to make this work. We want different things. Your life is here. You thrive on chaos. I don’t. Right now, all I want is the quiet of my parents’ ranch. To eat my mom’s cinnamon rolls and curl up in front of a fire with a book. I don’t fit into this life. And you won’t fit into mine. I’m leaving. Before we get too deep into this and realize we can’t make it work. I’ve been there. I lost years in a high-functioning relationship that should have worked but didn’t. I won’t lose years again. I can’t do it.”
He pulled his hands from his pockets, flopped them out and stepped toward her. “Kate—”
She backed up, out of his reach, glanced at the bed and her zipped suitcase. Time to go. “Don’t.” She faced him again, looked right into his eyes, that incredible deep brown she’d remember forever. “I need to go, Ross. Give it a few days, you’ll realize we’ll both be better off.”
Chapter Fifteen
“Kid, you’re an asshole.”
Tell him something he didn’t know.
Ross glanced up from his computer, found Don striding toward the desk and his shoulders sagged. Only ten o’clock and already fatigue had set in. Now he had to deal with Don too?
“What am I an asshole about now?”
“Three days you been moping around. What the hell’s wrong with you?”
I’m an asshole.
For a man who considered himself adept at leaving relationships amicably, Ross had sure blown this one. Not only hadn’t he wanted to leave the relationship, he made sure there’d be no civility.
No wonder Kate left without even flipping him the bird. The way he’d acted, even that wasn’t worth her time.
But, maybe they were better off. She was right. They were different. Wanted different things and different lifestyles. Him on a ranch?
Not likely.
Still, when it came down to it, this soul crushing misery, this…agony…hanging on him these last few days didn’t bolster that argument. He missed her. Three days?
Felt like ten years.
“Save it, old man. Whatever you have to say, I’ve told myself a hundred times.”
“Then what are you doing sitting here, being a crabby pain in the ass? Go find her.”
“She doesn’t want me to.”
“Oh, boo-hoo. Poor baby got his ego whipped.” Don waved him off. “You’re an asshole.”
Ross rocked back in his chair and laughed. Couldn’t help it. “What do you want from me? Want me to drive up to her family’s ranch and force myself on her? That’d be a great way to meet her parents.”
“Well, it’d be a lot better than this. I mean, one thing about you, kid, you’ve never sat around while life passed you by. Go after her.”
“No. She was clear on what she wanted. And it’s not me.”
What he needed was to get back on his game. Get back to the old Ross Cooper. Gaming’s golden boy.
Nothing leveled gaming’s golden boy.
Plus, timing being what it was, he had his friends showing up the following day. Wanting a party.
Again, something that, a week ago would have cured any ailment he had.
Now? Exhausted. Too exhausted to enjoy the good life of a thirty-four year old bachelor in Vegas. Unbelievable.
How the hell did things get so twisted?
Don propped his hands on his hips. “If you’re not gonna call her, I will. You know me, always looking for wife number four.”
“That’s not happening.”
“Then get off your ass. Don’t be like me. Don’t give your life to this business. It’ll tear you up and thirty years from now you’re gonna look back on three marriages and wonder if
it was all worth it. Trust me, it’s not. I got high blood pressure that could kill me any day and an empty house to go home to. That sound like fun to you?”
Ross shook his head. “I get it, but”—he pointed to his mouth, —“read my lips. She doesn’t want to talk to me.”
Don stepped closer to the desk, dropped a folded note on it. “That’s for you. In case you want to turn back into the man I know. If not, then I don’t want to know you.”
Well, shit.
He picked up the note. “What is it?”
“The address where she is. I called in a few markers. Do yourself and the rest of us a favor and find her. Don’t be stupid.”
Don walked out and Ross swiveled his chair, faced the security monitors lining the wall. Below him, a packed casino—his responsibility—generated millions in revenue. For years, he’d hungered for it. The rush of gaming. The chaos. How many nights had he sat in his office, here and at Dominion, watching the casino floor, anticipating his nightly walk-thru. The backslapping and schmoozing.
The party.
Plenty of nights. And he’d loved it. Thrived on it.
Until Kate crashed into his world.
Now?
Empty.
His phone bleeped. “Ross?” Marcia said. “I have Bob for you.”
Bob. Probably wanting an update on anything and everything. Well, he’d get it. While Ross drove to Kate’s. For once, his job needed to come second.
He stood, snatched up Kate’s address and his car keys.
“Tell him I’ll call him back in a few minutes.”
“Okay.”
“And Marcia? I’m going out.”
“Where are you going?”
“It’s personal.”
A brief hesitation. “Personal? You’re not telling me? What am I supposed to do with that?”
Ross smiled. “Nothing, I suppose. If you need me, you can reach me on my cell. Or better yet, go home. Take the rest of the day off.”
Before she could respond, he killed the intercom connection and marched out of his office. At the doorway, he stopped, realized he’d forgotten his suit jacket and turned back. There it was, hanging in the partially open closet, still in pristine condition. He’d left the closet door open. Huh.
Well, screw it. If his current predicament were any indication, maybe he needed to lighten up. Not be so obsessive about order and control.
Yeah. That’s what he’d do.
He reached up, hooked a finger into the knot of his tie and tugged, loosening it.
He never did like the damned things. While he walked, he gave it another tug and then, unknotted it, sliding it off. What the hell.
Marcia gave him a look like Freddie Krueger had just burst in. “What are you doing?”
“Taking my tie off.”
“Why?”
“Because I think I hate them.”
“You do?”
He laughed and dumped it on her desk. “Go home, Marcia.”
“Call Bob.”
He waggled his phone. “Doing it now.”
On his way to find Kate.
* * *
Early afternoon sun washed over the roof of the barn, and Kate soaked in the warmth and fresh air of a seventy-five degree day.
This was life on the ranch.
Her brother, Josh, hauled a hay bale from the barn and dumped it just outside the door. “You gonna stand around all day or help?”
Kate rolled her eyes. She’d been busting her butt since seven and he wanted to give her flack?
Life on the ranch.
“Union mandated break,” she cracked.
Josh snorted then headed back into the barn. Most likely for another hay bale.
A second later Josh returned, dumped a second bale and looked up, his gaze shooting behind her to the driveway.
He jerked his chin. “You expecting someone?”
That made her laugh. Who would she be expecting? The whole point of being here was to get away from people.
She angled back and spotted a black Range Rover coming up the long drive. Her heart did that little whump-whump that happened every time Ross Cooper came within a quarter mile of her.
He’s here.
She’d heard from him once since she’d left the hotel. He’d left a message letting her know that he wouldn’t bug her, that he’d give her space, but was around if she wanted to talk.
She’d talk to him all damn day. It wouldn’t change anything between them.
Except, here he was, motoring down her daddy’s driveway.
He parked next to Josh’s pickup near the house and slid out of the Rover. If he’d seen her as he pulled in, he didn’t acknowledge it so she took a second and simply watched, gave herself an opportunity to get her emotions in check for whatever brought him here. He opened the back door of his SUV, probably to get his suit jacket—God forbid he should go anywhere without that jacket. But he hesitated a few seconds. Just stood there staring inside the car before shutting the door.
Wait one second…the impeccably dressed Ross Cooper ditching his suit jacket?
He turned toward the house, staring up at its two stories and the wrap-around porch complete with rocking chairs. The green shutters and window flower boxes bursting with color.
Welcome to ranch life, Ross Cooper.
“Who’s the suit?” Josh asked. “Fed?”
“No.”
With that, she stuffed her work gloves into the back pocket of her jeans and headed over before Ross rang the doorbell and found himself in the kitchen with her mother stuffing him full of cinnamon rolls.
A sight, Kate imagined, she wouldn’t mind all that much.
He’d never go for it.
Just as she got to the fence, he looked over and even at this distance, their eyes locked.
Nothing had changed in the few days since she’d seen him. He still got her all hot-and-bothered.
Damned broken heart.
He walked toward her, meeting her in the middle of drive, smack in front of the house.
“Hi.” Lame, but what else could she say?
He simply stared at her, his gaze shooting over her dirty black T-shirt from a concert fifteen years ago and her torn jeans. Adding to the look was the dirt scraped down her thighs. And who the hell knew what would be mixed in with her ponytail. But hey, this was a ranch, not a day spa. She tapped one muddy boot and his eyes followed the movement, then traveled up again. Dumbfounded.
She couldn’t help that. He’d known her as a pulled together businesswoman, in suits and high heels. The woman in front of him was far from that. Still, part of her held on to a whisper of hope that he was here to…to…she didn’t know. But he was here and it was a start.
“This is a surprise,” she said. “Everything okay?”
Josh let out a stream of curses and they both looked over to find him chasing down a calf that had apparently gotten away from him. “You need a hand?” Kate called.
“Hell no. I got it.”
Kate snorted. Ross just stared and that whisper of hope dwindled. He brought his eyes back to her. “You look different.”
“I know.” She plucked at her shirt. “This is the other side of Kate. Dirt and all.”
He lifted his hand, brought it toward her cheek, but stopped. “You…uh…got something on your cheek.”
The one without the bruise his whale had left on her.
She rubbed at the spot for no other reason than to do something. Anything to break this weird tension between them. “So, you were in the neighborhood or what?”
He cracked off one of those Ross Cooper smiles and a dozen tiny explosions filled her chest. “I put myself in the neighborhood.”
“Why?”
“I missed you.”
He missed her. These past days, she’d thought of him constantly, fighting the need to call him. To talk. All that time, trying to convince herself she just needed to be away from him so she could think.
She stepped closer, wrapped her
hands around her biceps for someplace to put them. “You could have called me.”
“I tried that. You didn’t call me back.”
“I’m sorry. I wanted to…” She held her hands out, waved them, gesturing to her surroundings. “I don’t know. I thought coming here would remind me of what I wanted.”
“I see. How’s that been working out?”
She rolled her eyes. “Not so great. Pretty miserable, in fact.”
“Have you been getting sleep? You look better.”
“Some.” When I’m not thinking about you. “I heard from Angel. They caught our hooked-nose friend. Mr. Miller, apparently concerned about life in a maximum security prison, took his lawyer’s advice and gave everyone up. They also found Mr. Hooked Nose’s DNA on the sheet of paper he left for me.”
“Good. That’s good.”
“Miller had a network in three states. So far, the only murders have been Dale and Mark.” Kate shrugged. “I don’t know how to feel about that. Relieved that there weren’t any others, or mad that it happened at all.”
“All of the above probably applies.”
Ross glanced at the house, scanning the length of it, then his gaze traveled to the barn and finally to Josh still arguing with the calf. The corner of his mouth quirked and that bit of hope bloomed again. “It’s nice here. All the open space and quiet. Aside from the swearing, that is.”
“The swearing happens a lot.”
“Kate?”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry. About all of it. My ego, not trusting you. Everything. I’ve had three long days to stew on it. I hate this. My great life? It isn’t so great. That time with you? That was great.”
He nudged in closer, his body inches away and that feeling, that enormous presence wrapped around her. I want him.
Could they make this work?
“Ross—”
“I was too goddamn busy trying to do my job to see what I had right in front of me.”
That could be said about both of them. A week ago, they were both career people, wanting to make their mark. No matter what.
“Ross, I made mistakes too. There’s not much either of us can do about that now.”
“Can we try again? Start over?”
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