Hard Ride to Dry Gulch

by Joanna Wayne

  Travis forced his gaze away from the mystery woman and back to Joni and Travis. He wouldn’t spoil the wedding, but before the night was over he’d have a little chat with the seductive maid of honor. Before he was through, he’d discover if she was as innocent as he’d first believed, or if the demons who’d filled her eyes with anguish had actually driven her to the dark side of life.

  If the latter was the case, he’d make damn sure she stayed away from his niece, even if it meant telling Leif the truth about his new wife’s best friend.

  The reception might have a lot more spectacular fireworks than originally planned. Travis was already itching for the first dance.

  Chapter Two

  So far, so good, Faith decided as she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. She had to hold it together and not let her emotions careen out of control. Any tears shed tonight should be ones of joy.

  Unfortunately, she’d forgotten what joy felt like. Cornell had been missing for ten months now and she seemed no closer to finding him. Her nerves were ragged, her emotions so unsteady that the slightest incident could set off the waterworks.

  Had it been anyone else who’d asked her to be maid of honor in her wedding, Faith could easily have said no. But she couldn’t refuse Joni, especially after the way Joni had stood by her when Cornell first went missing.

  Joni was still concerned, but as the weeks had turned into months, she—like Faith’s other friends—had moved on with their lives. Faith understood, though she could never move on until Cornell was home again and safe.

  As for the cops’ theory that Cornell had left home by choice, she was convinced it was pure bunk. Sure, she could buy that Cornell had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. He was extremely vulnerable to peer influence.

  And she wasn’t so naive as to believe it was impossible that he might have experimented with drugs. A lot of kids had by age eighteen. But never in a million years would Cornell have left home and shut her out of his life—not of his own free will.

  Wherever he was tonight, he was being held against his will or—

  Here she went again, working herself into an anxiety-fueled meltdown.

  This was Joni’s big night. Surely Faith could hold herself together for a couple hours.

  Her glance settled on Leif Dalton. A boyish grin split his lips, and his dark eyes danced in anticipation. A sexy, loving cowboy waiting for his beautiful bride. Joni was a very lucky woman—if it lasted.

  For Faith, marriage had been one of life’s major disappointments, enough so that she had no intention of ever tying the knot again.

  She switched her concentration to Leif’s brother and best man. Tall. Thick, dark hair that fell playfully over his forehead. Hard bodied. Ruggedly handsome.

  And familiar.

  She struggled to figure out where she’d seen him before as she took her place on the other side of Leif’s daughter. Faith had missed the rehearsal celebration last night and arrived at the ranch only minutes before the ceremony tonight.

  But she’d definitely seen him somewhere.

  The tempo of the music changed and a second later the bridal march filled the air. Sounds of shuffling feet and whispered oohs and aahs filled the air as the guests rose to their feet for their first sight of Joni in her white satin-and-lace gown.

  Adorable twin girls, their curly red hair topped with pink bows, skipped and danced down the aisle in front of Joni, scattering rose petals. Lila and Lacy, Leif’s three-year-old half nieces, whom Joni bragged about continuously. Faith wouldn’t be surprised if Leif and Joni didn’t start a family of their own within the year.

  Faith stole another quick glance at the best man. Her heart pounded.

  All of a sudden she knew exactly where she’d seen him before. In a Dallas strip club. He was the sexy cop who’d come to her rescue a few months back. The cop whose orders she’d disobeyed when she’d cleared out before he could ask too many questions.

  He wouldn’t be nearly as easy to dodge tonight.

  Talk about spoiling a wedding. One word from the groom’s brother about where he’d met the slutty maid of honor and Joni would figure out exactly why Faith had turned down every Saturday-night invitation to meet her and Leif for dinner.

  Joni would worry about Faith’s safety. Worse, if she couldn’t persuade Faith to give up her visits to the criminal underbelly of Dallas, she’d insist on getting involved. No way could Faith drag Joni into that.

  Steady, girl. Don’t panic.

  There was a good chance the hunky, nosy cop wouldn’t connect her to the woman he’d met in a strip club months ago. For one thing, she had on tons less makeup. For another, she wasn’t braless. She was just Joni’s maid of honor.

  Besides, he’d originally figured her for just another woman on the make, or perhaps even one of the off-duty strippers. No reason for him to have given her another thought.

  Play this cool, leave at the first opportunity, and the cop would never guess they’d ever met.

  * * *

  “SURELY YOU’RE NOT thinking of sneaking out without a dance with the best man?”

  The husky male voice startled Faith. Poor timing. She’d already stepped out of the tent and was about to start down the path to the parked cars.

  Except for a brief conversation when Leif had introduced them after the ceremony, she’d managed to avoid Travis all evening.

  She flashed what she hoped was an innocent-looking smile. “I’m not sneaking anywhere. I’ve said my goodbyes to the happy couple.”

  “It’s still early. The party is in full swing.”

  “Yes, but it’s a long drive back to Dallas.”

  “So why drive it? The guest rooms in the newlyweds’ ranch bungalow aren’t fully finished yet, but I’m sure R.J. can put you up for the night. From what I’ve seen of his house, there are plenty of spare bedrooms.”

  “So I’ve heard. Joni invited me to stay over,” Faith admitted. “But I really need to get home tonight.”

  The band returned from their break. A guitar strummed. The lead female singer in the country-and-western band that had kept the portable dance floor occupied all night belted out the first words to an old Patsy Cline hit.

  Travis fitted a hand to the small of Faith’s back. “One dance before you call it a night?”

  Her brain issued a warning, but the music, the night and even the tiny lights that twinkled above them like stars overpowered her caution. Besides, Travis showed no sign of recognizing her. What could one dance hurt?

  They walked back to the dance floor together. His arms slid around her, pulling her close as their bodies began to sway to the haunting ballad. His cheek brushed hers. An unfamiliar heat shimmered deep inside her. She dissolved into the sensual sensations for mere seconds before her brain kicked in again.

  She hadn’t felt a man’s arms around her for years. No wonder her body had reacted to the contact.

  She pulled away, putting an inch of space between her breasts and his chest and points lower. The warmth didn’t fully dissipate, but her breathing came easier.

  By the time they finished the dance, she was almost fully in control. “I really do have to go now,” she said, leading the way as they left the dance floor.

  “If you must.”

  “I must. And really, there’s no reason for you to walk me to my car.”

  “A promise is a promise.”

  The man was persistent. If the cops handling Cornell’s missing-person case had been half as determined, they likely would have located him by now.

  “No reason for you to leave the reception,” she said. “I’m sure I can find my way to my car on my own.”

  “But what kind of gentleman would I be if I let you?”

  “A sensible one.”

  “Not my strong
suit.”

  “I got here late and had to park in the pasture across the road. You’ll get those gorgeous boots of yours dirty,” she said.

  “I’ll risk it.”

  Further protests would sound ungrateful or just plain pigheaded. Besides, it would be a lot darker once they left the twinkling lights. Her car could be difficult to locate among all the other vehicles. Travis might just come in handy.

  Reaching into the petite jeweled evening bag that swung from her shoulder, she took out the keys to her aging Honda and started walking. Their shoulders brushed. A zing of awareness shot through her.

  Disgusted with herself for letting Travis affect her, she picked up her pace. Bad call. Maneuvering the grass and uneven ground in her six-inch stilettos proved to be a dangerous balancing act.

  The second time she almost tripped, she was forced to accept the arm Travis offered for support. A traitorous flutter appeared in her stomach.

  It had to be just her nerves, or the fact that Travis was several cuts above the perverts she’d been spending her time with. Not every night the way she had in the beginning, but every weekend.

  A breeze stirred. Faith looked up and was struck by the brilliance of the stars now that they’d left the artificial illumination.

  “Amazing, aren’t they?” Travis said, apparently noticing her fascination with the heavens.

  “Yes. Hard to believe those are the same stars that appear over Dallas. They look so much closer here.”

  “Nothing like getting out in the wide-open spaces to appreciate the splendor of nature,” Travis agreed.

  “Do you spend much time out here?”

  “At the Dry Gulch? No way.”

  “I guess that will change now that Leif will be living out here.”

  “It won’t change anytime soon.”

  “Because of your relationship with your father?”

  “You got it. And you apparently know a lot more about me, Faith Ashburn, than I do about you.”

  “Joni told me a bit about why you and Leif have issues with R.J. But Leif changed his mind about his father. Perhaps you will, too.”

  “Sure, and Texas might vote to outlaw beef.”

  “Stranger things have happened.”

  “Not in my lifetime,” Travis countered. “But it was a beautiful wedding.”

  “I’ve never seen Joni so radiant.”

  “Have you and Joni been friends long?”

  “Eight years. We met in a psychology class at Oklahoma University. We clicked immediately and became fast friends even though I was divorced and had a young son.”

  They made small talk until she spotted her car and unlocked it with her remote device. The lights blinked. “That’s my Honda,” she said, grateful for an excuse to end the conversation before he started asking personal questions again.

  She let go of Travis’s arm and hurried toward her car.

  Travis kept pace, then stepped in front of her at the last minute, blocking the driver’s side door. “You know, Faith, you look a lot better without all that makeup you were wearing the first time we met.”

  Her mouth grew dry, her chest tight. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve never seen you before tonight.”

  “Actually, we met a few months ago. You’re not the kind of woman a man could forget.”

  Faith wondered at what point during the night he’d figured that out. She shrugged. “Sorry. You must have me confused with someone else.”

  “Not a chance.” He propped his left hand against the car roof and leaned in closer. “Let me refresh your memory. The Passion Pit. Four months ago. You were cruising the bar when one of your admirers got out of hand.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Cruising the bar?”

  “Don’t go all naive on me, Faith. A lady doesn’t just drop into the Passion Pit unescorted because she’s thirsty. You were wearing a black dress that left little to the imagination and a pair of nosebleed heels that screamed to be noticed. We talked. I asked you to wait so that I could see you safely home. You didn’t.”

  “You definitely have me confused with someone else.”

  “Not unless you have an identical twin. I asked Joni. She assured me you don’t.”

  And Faith was a terrible liar. That left truth or some version of it as her only feasible choice if she wanted to get the detective off her back.

  “You’re right.” She cast her eyes downward, to the tips of Travis’s cowboy boots. “I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I was in that disgusting place once. A detective came to my rescue when a rowdy drunk got out of hand. That must have been you.”

  “Yep. Apparently, I am easy to forget. So why the denials?” Travis asked. “As far as I know, you didn’t break any laws that night.”

  “I absolutely didn’t. Not that night or any other. I’d just rather Joni not know I did something so stupid.”

  “Not only stupid, but dangerous,” Travis corrected. “Why were you there?”

  “I was writing an article for a magazine on the increase of gentlemen’s clubs in the Dallas area. I decided I should at least visit one of them for firsthand research.”

  “Dressed like that?”

  “I thought I’d be less conspicuous that way.”

  “There was no way you’d ever go unnoticed, looking the way you did that night. Those red shoes alone were enough to guarantee you’d get hit on.”

  So he’d noticed more than that she’d needed help. At least she’d had an effect on him. Not that she cared.

  “I’d love to read that article,” Travis said. “Which magazine was that in?”

  “It doesn’t matter. It was a busy month and they decided not to run the story, after all.”

  “So all that work for nothing.”

  “That’s freelance,” she quipped. Even to her ears the attempt at nonchalance fell flat. She was too nervous. And she’d never written a magazine article in her life. The closest she’d come was a letter to the editor they had actually printed in the newspaper.

  “I thought Joni said you worked in the personnel department of a department-store chain.”

  “Benefits manager, but I occasionally freelance.”

  “You’re a lousy liar.”

  And always had been. She was going to have to come nearer to the truth if she expected Travis to buy her story.

  “Okay, I wasn’t there to write an article. A good friend of mine was worried about her daughter. She’d heard a rumor that she was dancing at the Passion Pit. I offered to go there and find out for certain.”

  “Just helping out a friend.”

  “Yes. Look, Travis, I know your cop instincts are running wild. But this time they’re way off base. I went to a strip club one night. I wasn’t looking for a job or trying to pick up tricks. I’m thirty-five years old, for heaven’s sake. Way too old to peddle flesh even if I was interested. End of conversation.”

  “Not quite. If I ever find out that you’ve exposed my niece to drugs, alcohol or any other sordid behaviors, I’ll tell Joni everything and see that you never come around Effie again.”

  Travis Dalton was not only arrogant, but overbearing. That would have turned her off in a second, except that he was being that way to protect his niece. That was the kind of dogmatism she’d craved from the cops investigating Cornell’s disappearance.

  The temptation to tell him the truth flared inside her. It passed just as quickly. There was no reason to think he’d be any different than the other officers she’d talked to.

  No. She’d made her decision. She had to go higher than the cops if she was to find Cornell. She’d done that. Now she was just waiting to hear back from a man she knew only as Georgio.

  “You don’t have to worry about Effie,” Faith assured him. “I would never corrupt a ch
ild.”

  “Good.” He opened the door.

  She slid past him and climbed behind the wheel. “Good night, Travis.”

  “One last thing.”

  She looked up just as he leaned forward. Their faces were mere inches apart. The musky scent of soap, aftershave and sheer manliness attacked her senses, and a riotous surge of attraction made her go weak.

  His hand touched her shoulder. “If you ever need to ask me about your friend’s problems—if you ever need to talk about anything at all—call me.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a business card and pressed it into her hand.

  His voice had lost its threatening edge. His tone was compelling. “I’ll do what I can to help, Faith. You can trust me.”

  Finally, he closed her door. She jerked the car into Reverse, backed from the parking space and then sped away. Her insides were shaking. Tears of frustration burned the back of her eyelids.

  Trust him. She’d love nothing more than to believe that. Desperation urged her to turn back. Put Travis Dalton to the test. Avoid getting involved with Georgio, a man whose power frightened her and whose dark and forbidden world made her sick to her stomach.

  But she’d tried working with the cops first, lost months doing things their way, wasted precious time not knowing if Cornell was sick, in pain, held captive or even...

  No. Cornell was alive. She’d find him. She was on the right track now. Trusting Travis would accomplish nothing except to drag Joni into this nightmare.

  Far better if she never saw Travis Dalton again, never gave him another chance to mess with her mind or her resolve.

  * * *

  TRAVIS TOOK A few steps, escaping the cloud of dust Faith left behind in her haste to get away from him. He was one of the best interrogators in the whole homicide department. He could recognize a liar as easily as some people could recognize a guy was bald or a woman was wearing a wig.

  And that was with a good liar. Faith Ashburn wasn’t. But he still couldn’t buy that she was a hooker or an addict looking for a way to feed her demon. So what had she been doing at the Passion Pit that night and what really haunted those captivating deep brown eyes?