“Ross, did you ever think I might not be right for this job?”
Her question caught him off guard and he stared at her for long moments. “Why do you say that?”
Bending her head, she stared at the worn leather on the saddle horn. “I’ve had two years of assisting the D.A. in Dona Ana County, but that doesn’t make me all that experienced. And besides, I think what you really need is a private investigator.”
His fingers tightened around hers. “And I think because of what happened back there between us, you’re running scared.”
Of course she was running scared. Ross’s track record with breaking hearts would be enough to send any normal woman scampering for safer ground.
“It’s not exactly ethical for a lawyer to be…kissing her client,” she said with disgust.
He chuckled. “It felt just fine to me.”
Groaning, she lifted her troubled eyes to his. “I can’t joke about this, Ross. I—”
Suddenly his hand was cupping her cheek, his expression turned solemn. “I’m not joking, Isabella. I need your help.”
The touch of his fingers set her heart to pounding and she wondered if he could feel the rapid pulse in the side of her neck, feel the heat that was scorching her cheeks and spreading downward to her breasts. It had been a mistake to kiss him back there at the edge of the meadow, she told herself. Now every time she looked at him, she would think of those moments and remember all the ways he’d made her feel like a woman.
She drew in a deep breath and let it out. “You could hire someone else to help you. The best.”
The corners of his lips lifted. “I’ve hired you. And Neal says you’re the best.”
“Neal is too kind to say anything else.”
His fingers smoothed over her cheek, then into her hair. “The first day you came to the ranch, you insisted you could help me,” he said in a soft, luring voice. “I expect you to hold to your word.”
Closing her eyes, she told herself he was right. To back down from her promise would make her lose all legitimacy as a lawyer not only in Ross’s view, but with the whole Ketchum family.
She opened her eyes and straightened her shoulders. “All right. I’ll stay on a few more days,” she finally agreed. “But what just happened back there between us…can’t happen again.”
A grin that could only be described as tempting suddenly curled the corners of his lips. “Whatever you say, Bella. You’re calling the shots.”
Dropping her hand, he nudged his horse on down the trail. Behind him, Isabella wondered why she didn’t feel relieved.
Chapter Seven
For the next two days Isabella threw herself into the job of gathering as much information about the T Bar K employees as she could without being openly invasive about it. To accomplish this, she lingered around the work pens, the cattle barns and the horse stalls, catching bits of conversation here and there and simply observing their daily work routine.
Today the men were all working close by, so Ross had invited her to lunch with him and the hands at the bunkhouse. The outing had given her an even closer look at the men, who in Ross’s way of putting it, rode for the T Bar K brand.
So far she’d not gleaned any suspicious activity by any of the cowboys. For the most part they were quiet, polite and hard-working. Only three—Steve, Tim and Jamie—had caught her attention. Mainly because they were the youngest of the lot and appeared to be cocky and a tad on the shiftless side. But she hadn’t sensed any hostility toward Ross from any of them.
If she was making any headway into solving the case of Jess’s shooting, she didn’t know it yet. What was becoming evident to Isabella were her growing feelings toward Ross.
True to his promise, he’d left the boundaries of their relationship up to her. Other than a few casual touches of her arm and hand, he’d not attempted to kiss her or embrace her in any way. The fact that he’d stuck to his word both impressed and surprised Isabella. But on the other hand, she had to admit to herself that she was a bit disappointed that he hadn’t tried something with her.
That day at the meadow, she would have sworn she’d felt a real need in his kiss and the touch of his hands. But she’d obviously been wrong about that. Even his desire for her must have waned, or else it had never been as hot as she’d first imagined and his behavior only proved how easy it was for a woman to misjudge a man.
Still, she couldn’t deny it was a joy to have his company, and she had come to look forward to the evenings when his work was through and he would join her in the kitchen for the evening meal.
But that didn’t mean she was falling in love with the man, she mentally argued, as she stood beneath the spray of the shower. It only meant that he’d become a close friend and there was nothing wrong with that. Except that it wasn’t right to want to touch, kiss and make love to a friend.
With that degrading thought, she stepped from the shower and hurriedly blotted the water from her dripping hair with a thick towel.
Outside the sliding glass doors in her bedroom, sundown was painting the mesa with vivid hues of purples, pinks and magentas. Ross was probably in the house by now or perhaps he was already in the kitchen visiting with Marina while he waited for Isabella to join him. After a long day of physical work, he was always hungry. The last thing she wanted to do was hold up his meal.
She was jerking a pink-flowered peasant blouse over her head when a knock sounded on her bedroom door.
“Just a moment,” she called as she snatched a pair of blue jeans from the bed.
Once she’d tugged them over her hips and pulled up the zipper, she scampered over to the door and pulled it open.
To her surprise, a grim-faced Ross was standing on the other side.
“Oh Ross, I’m sorry I’m late,” she began as she swiped her wet hair away from her face. “I was working on my notes and time slipped up on me. If you’d rather start without me, please do. I’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
She had to be the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, Ross thought, with her hair wet, her face cleaned of makeup and her bare toes sticking from under the hem of her jeans. If he saw this woman every day for the rest of his life, it wouldn’t be enough to suit him. But she wouldn’t be here for the rest of his life, he quickly reminded himself. Once this thing with Jess’s shooting was over, she’d be gone. And then what? Could he forgot what it was like to have her here in the house, eating across the table from him, sharing a cup of coffee with him on the back porch as the sun slipped below the mesa?
Hell, even if he could forget all that, he could never cleanse his mind of the way it felt to have her in his arms, the taste of her lips, the soft touch of her hands against him.
“I’m not here to hurry you,” he said. “I have something to tell you.”
And it couldn’t wait for five minutes? she wondered. Uneasy now, she stepped back and motioned for him to enter the room.
Once he was standing in the middle of the bedroom, she asked without preamble, “What’s happened?”
He let out a long breath and she could see from his tight features that he wasn’t pleased about something.
“I just got off the telephone. The sheriff’s department wants to talk to me in the morning.”
Isabella’s heart sank like dead weight. “What did you tell them?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “That I’d be there, of course.”
Nodding, she eased down on the side of the bed. “You’re right. You don’t want to appear reluctant, as though you’re afraid to talk to them.” Her gray eyes studied his face. “You aren’t, are you?”
He grimaced. “Afraid? Hell. The last time I can ever remember being afraid, I was three years old and I thought my daddy was going to whip me for letting his stallion out of the stall.”
“Did he?” she asked curiously.
She watched him thrust a hand through his hair as he walked over to the sliding glass doors and peer out at the rugged land that belonged to him and his si
blings.
“No,” he answered. “But I couldn’t ride my horse for a week. That was much worse than any whipping and he knew it. Dad was sly. No doubt about it.”
Isabella noticed he appeared to be in a pensive mood and she wondered if the call from the sheriff’s department had made him that way or if something else was occupying his mind.
“Was your father ever mean?”
He chuckled as though she’d asked a question that would be impossible to answer fully. “Not to us kids or Mom. But he could be damn mean if you riled him. And I’m not talking about just giving someone a cussing. Tucker was handy with his fists and he wasn’t squeamish about using them.”
“People tell me that you’re like him. Are you handy with your fists?”
Chuckling, he turned to look at her. “According to Victoria I bloodied a number of noses when I was in high school. But that was a long time ago. I’m not nearly so physical now.”
Isabella very nearly laughed. She’d never seen a more physical man than Ross. And she wondered if that was part of her infatuation with him. Maybe she couldn’t get his kisses out of her mind because he was so potently male, so big and strong and tough compared to the men she’d known in the past.
Who was she kidding? she wondered wryly. It wasn’t just Ross’s virility that had been keeping Isabella awake at night. She was taken with everything about him. His wit and charm, the hard work and devotion he gave to this ranch, the affection and care he gave to the horses and cattle, the obvious love he had for his family. Even the gentle way he treated Marina touched a spot in her heart.
Rising to her feet, she walked over to where he stood by the glass doors. “I’m glad to hear you say that, Ross. It would be more difficult to prove your innocence if I had to defend a constant string of fistfights.”
As Ross looked down at her, he realized he very much wanted to kiss the faint smile on her lips. But he wouldn’t. He didn’t want to crowd her. Not when he had hopes that she would eventually reach out to him.
And then what, Ross? he asked himself. Isabella wasn’t the sort of woman he was accustomed to having in his bed. He had the feeling she’d probably not had more than a handful of lovers. And she didn’t want a bed partner; she wanted a husband. Jumping into that role just wasn’t in Ross’s cards. He needed to remember that instead of thinking of all the wild and wicked ways he’d like to make love to her.
“What do you think the law will be asking me tomorrow? I’ve already told them all that I know.”
Isabella reached up and curled her fingers over his forearm. But whether her action was to reassure him or herself, she wasn’t sure. Either way, touching him felt just as good as she remembered.
“It’s impossible to guess. But we’ll deal with the questions. Just make sure you look at me before you answer anything.”
His brows arched. “You’re going with me?”
Isabella’s features wrinkled with disbelief. “Of course. What do you think I’m doing here anyway?”
Making a fool of him, he thought. If he wasn’t careful, his heart was going to get all tangled up with his head. He’d start wanting to make her stay here on the T Bar K permanently, even though he had enough sense to know that wild horses couldn’t keep her from returning to the Jicarilla.
Trying not to dwell on what that was going to do to him, he said, “You’re my attorney. But…won’t it make me look guilty to have a lawyer accompany me to the sheriff’s office?”
“No. It will just show them that you aren’t about to let them bulldoze over you.”
Her blustery confidence caused his lips to twist with amusement. “You think you can prevent them from doing that—bulldozing over me?”
A firm resolution settled over her features. “I’m going to make sure they don’t. So don’t worry.”
She was trying to reassure him, to make him feel better, and somehow that felt just as nice to Ross as if she’d risen on her tiptoes and kissed his lips.
Hell, he silently muttered, he was getting so soppy it was downright sickening. Is that what happened to a man when a woman got hold of him? Turned him as soft as putty?
No! Isabella didn’t have a hold on him. And he wasn’t going to let her get one, either. Everyone had always said he had Tucker’s iron will. Ross figured now was a good time to put it to use.
Touching a fingertip to the end of her nose, he said, “It’s going to take a lot more than Sheriff Perez to worry me. So brush the tangles from your hair and then we’ll go eat before Marina starts yelling at us.”
The next morning Isabella dressed carefully in a pale-green suit with a straight skirt and fitted jacket. After winding her hair into a glossy chignon at the back of her head, she finished the outfit with a single strand of pearls around her neck and pearl studs in her earlobes.
After dabbing perfume on her wrists and neck, she left the bedroom and walked to the front of the house where she’d planned to meet Ross. When she reached the living room, she discovered he was already there waiting for her.
Ross took one look at her and whistled softly. “Wow! Is that a diversionary tactic?” he asked as he gestured toward her skirt and jacket. “If it is, I have no doubt it will work.”
In spite of her fluttery nerves, she couldn’t help but smile at him. To have him insinuate that she was an attractive woman went a long way to heal the damage Brett had caused to her ego.
“It’s nothing that drastic. I simply want everyone at the sheriff’s office to understand your attorney isn’t a hay-seed.”
He curved a hand around her elbow and guided her out the door. “I seriously doubt that notion will enter their heads, Bella.”
On the twenty-five-minute drive to the sheriff’s office in Aztec, Isabella advised Ross as to what and what not to say. And, above all, he was not to lose his temper. No matter how annoyed he became.
But once they were seated in a conference room with Sheriff Perez, Under-Sheriff Hastings and Deputy Redwing, that counsel seemed to fly out the window.
The second the introductions between Isabella and the three lawmen were concluded, Ross glared at his brother-in-law.
“Jess, what in hell is going on here? I’ve been—”
The remainder of Ross’s words halted as Isabella quickly laid a calming hand on his arm.
“Ross, please let me handle this,” she pleaded under her breath.
His lips snapped shut. Tense moments passed as he stared at her. Then finally he seemed to decide she was there to do the talking for him and it would be better for both of them if he allowed her to do her job.
Releasing a long breath, Ross settled back in his chair and gestured for her to take over.
“Thank you,” she silently mouthed to him, then turned her attention to the three lawmen who appeared to be closely watching the interplay between Ross and Isabella.
“Gentlemen,” she began in a brisk voice. “As I understand it, my client has already given you a statement. And since he signed it without the advice of legal council, I seriously doubt it would hold up in a court of law—”
Ross jerked upright. He wanted to let Isabella do her job. But she obviously didn’t understand the way the cow ate the corn. He wasn’t a man who beat around the bush. He was a straightforward type of guy. Just as Tucker had been. There wasn’t any danger of him being caught in a lie. Didn’t she know that about him by now?
“Damn it, Bella, I’m not worried about signing anything. All of that stuff is the truth and that’s all these guys want anyway.”
Her gray eyes turned on him and their dark stare warned him to be silent. Totally silent.
Snapping his mouth shut once again, Ross folded his arms against his chest and tried to slow his breathing.
“Look,” she said to the three lawmen, “if you’re going to charge Ross with attempted murder, then do it. But don’t keep harassing him like this.”
“Bella!”
She ignored Ross’s outburst and continued, “I’m well aware of what li
ttle evidence you have. And as a former prosecutor, I can tell you right now it isn’t enough to go to trial, much less garner a conviction.”
A dimple appeared in Jess’s cheek as he glanced at Sheriff Perez, a tall man in his mid-forties with a leather-tough face and a black Stetson pulled low on his forehead.
“Maybe you should tell them what they’re doing here,” Jess suggested.
Nodding, the sheriff cleared his throat. “Ms. Corrales, I appreciate what you’re saying, and though I can’t exactly speak for the D.A.’s office, I’m fairly certain they have no plans to arrest Ross. Unless, of course, some other evidence against him surfaces.”
“That isn’t going to happen,” Ross muttered.
Relief poured over Isabella and though she wanted to turn and throw her arms around Ross’s neck, she had to conduct herself in a professional manner.
“Then what is this meeting about?” she wanted to know.
The sheriff gestured toward Jess. “Since he’s your brother-in-law, I’ll let you be the one to tell him.”
Ross turned a skeptical eye on the three men. “Tell me what?”
“That we’ve received more information from the crime lab in Albuquerque,” Jess stated.
Isabella watched Ross’s eyes widen and realized he was just as surprised as she was about this new development. And what did it mean, she wondered. Did they have evidence against someone else in the family?
Her heart beating fearfully, she glanced at him, then over to the trio of lawmen.
“You’re talking about the John Doe case now?” Ross asked.
Jess nodded, Sheriff Perez took a seat at the table, and Deputy Redwing continued to study Ross with a keen eye.
Jess said, “The remains found on the ranch have now been identified and Sheriff Perez wanted to talk to you about this person.”
Grabbed by this news, Ross scooted to the edge of his chair. “Talk to me? Why? Who was this man?”
The under-sheriff motioned for Deputy Redwing to read aloud the information from a sheet of paper lying in front of him.
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