Where did she start? She’d only been home for two days and had already had a run-in with several people. “Yes,” she admitted. “They’re all people who had a connection to my sister.”
His eyebrow arched with interest. “Such as?”
“For one, Clint Sheridan. His fiancée, Erin Randall, for another. I share a tumultuous past with both of them, and the three of us had words tonight in the bar. Also, there’s Adam Echo Hawk’s former girlfriend. She hated my sister and might have something in for me because I’m asking questions about Adam. My impression is she’s not over her ex and wants to protect him.”
Rick glanced up with admiration in his gaze. “So, you found Patty.”
“Yes. As you know, it’s a small town, Sheriff. That reminds me. I left you a message about a guy she told me about named Mike Weaver. Did you get my voice mail?”
“Yes, and I apologize for not getting back to you. I got tied up. By the way, feel free to call me Rick.” His mouth tipped in a slow smile.
“Okay.” She sensed Brett stiffen beside her. “Anyway, by complete coincidence, I spoke to Mike Weaver tonight at Maverick’s.”
“Isn’t that the guy you were starting to tell me about before we got into the car?” Brett asked.
“Yes.” She hadn’t been able to say more than Weaver’s name before Brett had confessed his feelings to her. Feeling her cheeks warm in a blush at the remembrance, she went on. “I saw him staring at me near the entrance to Maverick’s when we first arrived and then he approached me when Brett was in the men’s room.”
“That’s why he looked familiar,” Brett said. “I saw him standing in the corner, too.”
“What did Weaver say to you tonight?” Rick asked. “He’s a known drug dealer whom we questioned with regard to your sister’s suicide. It made sense to talk to him at the time since barbiturates were found in her blood. Adam Echo Hawk had given his name to us as her drug dealer.”
“Former drug dealer,” Taylor corrected. “He told me you questioned him. But Jamie didn’t commit suicide. I know it in my heart and so does my mother. There are things that don’t add up, and I’m determined to prove she was murdered.”
There was no way she could tell him she’d received confirmation and a clue from Jamie that she had been murdered and the killer was someone who smoked. That reminded her, Mike Weaver had been smoking outside the bar.
“You’re just going to have to trust me on this,” she told Tavares.
The sheriff’s smile broadened, but she sensed it was disingenuous.
“Tell me what that drug pusher wanted with you, Taylor,” Brett said.
“You know how gossip flies in a small town. He’d heard I was home, knew I was Jamie’s sister, and he wanted me to know he hadn’t sold her any drugs in six months. He corroborated what Mama said, that Jamie had stopped using.”
“Pushers lie,” Rick stated. “You can’t believe a word that man said. Believe me.”
“I’m sure Rick’s right,” Brett agreed. “This Weaver guy didn’t threaten you, did he?”
“No, but he’s a smoker.”
Tavares glanced up from making marks in his notepad. “What’s smoking got to do with anything?”
“Oh, nothing,” she mumbled, casting a shrewd glance at Brett and receiving a knowing nod in return.
“Going back to the incident with the snake today,” Rick said, “why do you think it’s related to this? There’s probably snakes crawling all over the woods.” He looked at Brett to answer.
“You’re right,” he replied quickly. “It probably wasn’t related at all. But I’d still like you to check for fingerprints on the bag anyway. I’ll get it to you tomorrow.”
“Sure.” Rick’s gaze swung back to Taylor. “Anyone else I need to know about as I start investigating this brake tampering?”
Taylor was grateful to Brett that he hadn’t fingered Charlie Keller as a possible suspect in either the snake incident or this. “Not at the moment.”
Rick snapped his notebook shut. “Okay then. I’ll get my officers to start interviewing the potential suspects. Can I give you two a lift somewhere? Your car needs to be towed.”
Distracted with annoyance because now she didn’t have wheels, and she knew it was probably going to be a hassle to deal with the car rental agency and the insurance company, Taylor deferred to Brett.
“We were headed back to the Slash Y.”
“I don’t mind driving you out there.” Rick smiled at Taylor again.
“All right. Thanks.” Brett peered at the name and address printed on the side of the tow truck. “I guess that’s where the rental car is going.”
The tow truck driver stepped forward, having been eavesdropping from off to the side. “It’s going to be seventy-five dollars to tow it to my service station.”
Taylor flipped open her purse and handed him a credit card for payment.
“Be right back with a receipt,” the man said.
“Go ahead and jump in my car,” Rick said, leading them to the police vehicle. “Taylor, you can sit in front with me. If you both sit in back, it’ll look like I’m your chauffeur, or hauling you both off to jail.” He chuckled.
Although she preferred sitting next to Brett, she didn’t feel she had a choice when Rick opened the front passenger door and practically pushed her inside. A moment later the tow truck driver handed her a receipt through the open window.
“Call or come by tomorrow,” he said, “once you know what the rental agency plans to do with the car.”
She nodded. Brett emptied his lean body into the back seat and Rick pointed the squad car toward the ranch.
“You can let us out by the barn,” Brett told him once Rick had driven through the gate. “I have something to show Taylor.”
“You sure? I can take you all the way up to the house,” Rick said, directing his question to her.
“The barn is fine,” she said. Despite two near tragedies today, her heart started to beat rapidly with anticipation. What did Brett have to show her in the barn? She hoped it was only an excuse to get her alone. “Thank you for the ride home,” she told Rick before exiting the vehicle.
“You’re welcome. I’ll be in contact,” he winked. Fortunately, Brett did not see. He was already out of the squad car. “Brett, let’s shoot some pool again soon,” Rick hollered through Taylor’s open door.
He mumbled a response and slammed the back door. Like a lottery winner claiming the grand prize, he moved to Taylor’s side and slid his arm around her waist. If Brett’s overt action bothered Rick, the sheriff didn’t show it.
She wasn’t a naïve schoolgirl, thinking she’d made such a big impression that he’d be disappointed. Rick Tavares was an elected official, but it was quite obvious he was also a hound dog. No doubt he’d move on to the next woman without a backward glance, now that he realized she wasn’t interested.
Taylor waved goodbye and Rick drove back down the drive.
“What have you got to show me?” she asked Brett, glancing toward the barn.
“I just said that to get rid of the guy. I want to walk you up to the house. It’s a beautiful night, and I thought we could both use some peace and quiet.”
Her heart squeezed, and she felt like a teenager again. “You want to walk me home?”
“Yeah. That is, if you feel well enough to walk. If you don’t, I’ll carry you. You’ve had quite a day.”
“You’re one of the nicest men I’ve ever known, Brett Austin.” She gazed into his vibrant blue eyes and leaned up to kiss him. When their lips parted, she felt his warm breath caress her face. “What if I don’t want to go home tonight?” she whispered.
For a long minute, all she heard was birdsong, the breeze whistling through the pines, and the sound of horses’ tails swishing from somewhere inside the dark barn.
“What will your folks think if you’re not there in the morning?” he finally asked.
She smiled. “Last thing both of them said was for us to have
a good time tonight. I don’t think we should let them down.”
At that comment, Brett chuckled and shook his head.
“I might be home again, but I’m not a girl anymore. I can do what I want, with whom I want.” Her fingers brushed his cheek. “Tonight, I want to spend the night with you.”
With the most serious expression she’d ever seen on the man’s face, Brett whisked her off her feet and into his arms. Stifling a whoop, Taylor locked her arms around his neck and felt a rush of pure pleasure at feeling his corded muscles against her body. Each powerful stride he made past the bunkhouse and toward the foreman’s cabin coincided with a steady beat of her heart.
When he reached the cabin, he was barely breathing hard despite the long distance he’d carried her. While still holding her, he somehow got the door key out of his pocket and slipped it into the lock. With a shove of his boot, the door pushed open.
“I hope you’re not allergic to cats,” he said. Somewhere inside, a feline meowed as he carried her over the threshold.
Chapter Twenty-Three
It was a heart-stopping moment for Taylor when Brett laid her on his bed and slowly began to undress her. First, he eased one boot from her foot and then the other, followed by his warm hands caressing the lower part of her legs as he peeled her socks off.
With the unhurried manner of a man with all the time in the world, he moved to her side, breathing heavily. Moonlight streamed through the window, filling the room with enough light for her to see the expression of cautious care radiating from his face.
A muscle quivered in his jaw as his nimble fingers unbuttoned her blouse and he gently slid the sleeves down her arms, so as not to hurt her. Then he touched her face, smoothing the hair from her cheek. Her breathing slowed when his finger made a trail to the pulse-beating hollow of her throat. When his touch slid over her collarbone and down her arm, an electric shudder vibrated through her.
With his hand at her waist, and his eyes never wavering from her gaze, he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans. Taylor lifted her hips as he tugged the Levis down her legs and tossed them on the floor.
Every cell in her body screamed with need as Brett’s scorching gaze raked over her for several long moments. Lying in her bra and panties, she started to shiver with the heat of longing.
Crawling off the bed, Brett stood ramrod straight and removed his own clothes. Desire coursed through her veins as her gaze drank in his hard, bronzed, muscular torso.
The bed creaked when he returned to it. With his body pressed beside hers, his fingers deftly unhooked the front closure of her bra. Hunger for his touch rippled beneath her skin. A moan slid from her throat when his lips trailed hot against her breasts that felt near bursting with a fiery need for his mouth and hands. Flicking and teasing, his tongue snaked down her belly and his fingers lightly probed the waistband of her panties. Barely able to maintain her composure, Taylor shimmied out of them and flipped them off the bed with her foot.
A low chuckle rumbled from Brett’s belly. When he leaned over her face, she saw a caring and tenderness that went beyond infatuation and pure physical need. She closed her eyes and he rained kisses over each of her eyelids and onto the tip of her nose. When his tongue moved over her bottom lip in a gesture so exquisitely sensual, it was made all the more erotic because of his gentleness. Trembling with a primal yearning to become united, Taylor opened her eyes and whispered, “Kiss me.”
Finally, Brett answered her plea by claiming her lips with greedy passion, as if he’d lost the battle with his more restrained emotions. His warm tongue searched her mouth, and she responded with the twining of her tongue with his—wanting him, desiring him with every molecule in her body. A groan tore from his throat, husky and deep, when she gripped his corded back muscles and pulled him onto her.
“You’re so beautiful,” he moaned, burying his face in her neck.
The heady fire radiated from her center, spreading outward. As Brett’s kisses became more demanding, Taylor felt every inch of his warmth, not knowing where her skin ended and his began. Her heartbeat hammered in her ears. Her accelerated pulses exploded in her wrist and neck. Thankfully, at the very moment she thought she could no longer stand the intense aching of her loins, he lowered himself into her.
Waves of ecstasy washed over her as they moved together and she felt his pleasure mix with hers. They clung to each other that way for a long time. And then, breathless, they broke apart. He regarded her for a long moment, his eyes bright and full of contentment. Then he rolled off, put his arm around her and held her close to his chest. Listening to the steady thuds of his heart, she felt the peace and satisfaction flow between them as her eyes drifted shut and darkness enveloped her.
****
Dawn peeked through the flimsy curtained window to awaken Taylor. Stretching and yawning, she turned her head to find an empty pillow beside her. At the same instant, she heard the pulse of the shower in the next room. She lay still listening to birdsong tickling the morning quiet outside the window.
Contentment filled her. Her way of life in Los Angeles didn’t allow the nature she’d grown up with and loved to fill her like this. Hills and canyons that had once been farms and fruit groves had become cluttered by strip malls, celebrity homes and expensive subdivisions. Highways were battlefields. Pollution blocked the stars from the sky. And the only wild animals that roamed the streets of L.A. were human. Far too often sleep in her condo was spoilt by road noise and loud neighbors.
Here in Montana, the breeze tumbled through the trees and fish jumped out of the creek. Horses whinnied, sleep came easy after a hard day’s work, and the gifts of nature lightened one’s spirit. For the first time in months, Taylor had slept through the night, and she felt more refreshed than ever. But had welcome slumber and sweet dreams come as a result of being home again, or because Brett’s arms had been wrapped around her all night?
She turned on her side and propped on one elbow and gazed around the cabin. It was pretty much what she’d expected a bachelor’s digs to look like—except, cleaner, which was a pleasant surprise. As her gaze roamed from the kitchen to the bookcase near the door, the framed photo of a teenage girl stared back at her. Who was she? She had the same twinkling blue eyes as Brett. And the same dimple in her chin.
She heard him whistling in the shower. Recalling their night together brought a smile to her face, distracting her a moment from the picture.
Her mind played the night over and over like a video. As a lover, he was all she’d hoped for and more. Incredible was the best way she could describe their lovemaking. It was the first time in two years she’d slept with a man and stayed with him all night. Last time had been with someone she’d thought she could trust, but it hadn’t worked out. There’d been no one since.
What about Brett? He’d told her he’d never invited a woman here before. But surely he’d had a girlfriend or two since his divorce. She shifted to the other elbow and wondered about his life. Was he satisfied driving a beat-up pickup truck and living in a little cabin owned by someone else? At thirty-eight, did he want more from life? Did he desire something besides running another man’s ranch? Was being the owner of his own ranch, or having a woman to call his own important to him? Or was he comfortable with his lot in life?
Why hadn’t he settled down with a woman yet? Was he afraid of making another mistake, or of getting hurt again? She could understand if that was the case. God knew she had those same concerns. Still, he was a man in his prime. His physical prowess last night was evidence of that, she recalled with a sly grin.
Surely Brett wanted a woman he could come home to after a long day’s work. Someone he could talk to and laugh with, and maybe slow dance with every now and then. A woman to share moonlit walks under the stars with, and keep his bed warm at night. Whoever the future lady might be, there would be no disappointments in the bedroom. Brett Austin was a world-class expert when it came to loving a woman. But he was also sweet and sensitive, a combination very har
d to find these days.
“Meow.” A gray cat with an open face leaped onto the bed and waved his tail in her face, shaking her from her musings.
“Hello. Who are you, little fella?” Taylor asked. The cat came close to her face and purred his response. Seemed he liked being scratched under the chin and having his ears rubbed. “Who is that girl in the picture?” she rhetorically asked, glancing back at the photo across the room. “If you could talk, would you tell me?”
When the shower stopped pulsating and she heard movement inside the bathroom, Taylor swiftly scooted to a sitting position against the headboard and drew the cotton sheet up to cover her breasts. It was silly, since Brett had gazed at every inch of her last night like he’d been reading a map. But here in the daylight, she felt suddenly shy and vulnerable.
Without a moment to spare, the bathroom door opened and he stepped out wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, causing her to swallow a gasp.
“Good mornin’, sunshine,” he greeted, flashing a brilliant smile and then bending and kissing her full on the lips. Seemed he didn’t mind that she hadn’t brushed her teeth yet.
“Morning.” Looking like a Greek god with damp hair and beads of water still glistening on his broad chest, it was difficult not to stare. What a delight it would be to wake up to this vision of manliness every morning!
He sat on the edge of the bed and reached to stroke her cheek. “How did you sleep, darlin’?”
“Peacefully. I guess I was really tired after everything that happened yesterday—and last night.”
“I expect you were.” His slow smile hinted he caught a double meaning, although she hadn’t intended it that way. “I slept like a baby myself. Having you in my arms all night was a comfort. More than I imagined.”
“For me, too.” She meant it, but realizing what that kind of comfort could lead to scared her.
He put his hands at her shoulders and kissed her again—tenderly—and she felt her bones melt like candle wax.
When they parted and she caught her breath, she asked, “Who is the girl in the picture on the bookcase?” His head swung that way.
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