“Good question,” Jordyn Leigh admitted. “I remember Will taking my punch away and implying that I was tipsy. But that was impossible because it’s a public park and there’s no hard liquor allowed.”
“That didn’t stop some folks,” Russ interjected.
“Will said the same thing. But I was miffed and just got up and got another cup for myself. I poured him some, too, and we hung out the rest of the night.”
“And what happened?” Lani asked.
“It’s fuzzy after that. My next clear memory is waking up in the morning. With a monster hangover and a marriage license.”
Russ nodded and his cop face relaxed. “The sheriff and I think the punch was spiked.”
“Will thought mine was. I remember that from the reception. Before I don’t remember anything,” Jordyn Leigh said ruefully.
“Do you have any idea who might have wanted to get half the town wasted?” Lani asked.
The other woman shook her head. “But I have to say...”
“What?” Russ asked.
“I know you’ve been hired to find out what happened, and that folks are nervous, thinking someone is up to no good. I truly hope no one was seriously hurt that night, but Will and I would like to thank whoever did it. We found each other, thanks to that punch. It got us together, and he’s the love of my life. We feel very blessed.”
“Okay.” Russ nodded politely. “I appreciate your time.”
“If I can be of any further help, let me know,” she said.
“Tell Will I said hello,” Lani told her as they walked out the door.
“Absolutely. You two have a nice dinner.” Jordyn Leigh smiled and waved.
Russ handed her into the truck then walked around to the driver’s side and got in. “Just as I suspected. There’s no way she’s responsible.”
“I agree.” But something Jordyn Leigh said stuck with Lani. “Was anyone badly injured that night?”
“Not that we know of. Why?”
“Because it could just be a onetime prank. Or a case could be made that because there were no major consequences, another incident might be in the works.”
“Gage and I had the same thought,” Russ acknowledged.
“You could have said something.”
“That theory could panic folks and is better not made public,” he said.
“I see your point. What a mess.”
At least Jordyn Leigh and Will found love and got a happy ending out of that night. They got together. Lani and Russ did, too, but love had nothing to do with it, and now he acted as if nothing had happened. She didn’t know what to make of that.
If she were a man maybe she could pretend nothing of consequence took place. But she wasn’t a man and was irritated that he didn’t seem the least bit interested in her.
Still, there was no doubt in her mind that word would spread about their going out to dinner. She got more than a little satisfaction from the fact that to maintain this cover while working on his case, he would have to deal with her. Up close and personal.
Chapter Six
Russ opened the squeaky screen door at the Ace in the Hole and walked inside. He scanned the dimly lit interior for Lani as he always did, as he couldn’t seem to avoid doing. If there was a way to keep himself from looking for her, he hadn’t found it yet. But tonight he needed to talk to her. It had been a couple of days since the interview with Jordyn Leigh Clifton, and so far he hadn’t come up with anything new. He was really hoping Lani had picked up something here at her job that would give him a lead to go on.
It was Saturday night of Labor Day weekend, and the place was more crowded than normal. The upcoming holiday gave him a sense of urgency in solving this mystery. He and Gage would be vigilant for the public community picnic in the park, but they couldn’t be everywhere.
He finally spotted Lani delivering baskets of fries and burgers to a table where four cowboys were seated. She chatted with them for a few moments, laughing and smiling at whatever was said. If he didn’t miss his guess, there was some major-league flirting on both sides.
She was single; Russ had no claim on her. But that didn’t stop something dark and dangerous from coiling in his gut.
He walked through the place on his way to the bar and could tell exactly when most of the people inside knew the lawman had arrived. Conversation nearly stopped, and the noise level dropped noticeably. Everyone looked at him suspiciously. He was conscious of the change because that’s the way the guys at his precinct in Denver had looked at him after he’d ratted out a dirty cop.
The circumstances were different, but obviously word had spread in Rust Creek Falls that he was working for Sheriff Christensen and asking questions in an official capacity.
He nodded to Lani on the way by and gave each of those overexcited cowboys a look with a message every guy understood: back off. Then he walked over to the bar and took the stool on the end that was all by itself. He wasn’t sure when being a loner had started coming naturally, but that’s the way he was now.
Moments later Lani walked up, a menu in her hand. “Hi.”
He nodded. “How’s it going?”
“That depends. In the last two days, more than one person has said they heard that you and I went out to dinner.”
“But we didn’t,” he pointed out.
“I know and you know. But that’s what we told Jordyn Leigh. Apparently, the Rust Creek Falls rumor mill is firing on all cylinders.”
“Does it ever not?”
She thought for a moment. “When the power was out after the flood a couple years ago, it slowed down a lot because we didn’t have phone service—cell or landline. Other than that it always performs equal to or better than our expectations.”
“So, folks in town think we’re...”
“Dating.” Her brown eyes were wary, waiting for a reaction.
A man could easily get caught up in those eyes, and Russ was trying his damnedest not to. But this temporary assignment required him to talk to her and word on the street was that they were going out, meaning he was interested. Just because he wasn’t happy about that, it didn’t make the conclusion wrong.
He studied her. “You don’t look upset. Why is that?”
“We don’t have to be covert about talking to each other. We can share information, and everyone will just think you’re courting me.”
“Do I look like the kind of guy who courts?” But he couldn’t help smiling. She came out with some of the darnedest things, and it was getting harder to overlook the way her sunshine lit up the darkest corners of his soul.
“Call it what you want,” she said. “Courting. Flirting. Set your cap for. Woo. Cozy up to. Date. I’m your ticket to not being an outsider. If people think you’ve got the hots for me, they’ll let down their guard with you.”
There was no thinking about it. He definitely had the hots for her. He’d proved that in a jail cell because he couldn’t seem to help himself. And he hadn’t been able to forget about her since. But she was right.
“Okay, then,” he said. “Let’s do something that will set the town rumor mill on fire.”
Russ settled his hands on her hips and moved her between his legs. Those big brown eyes went wide with surprise, and her mouth formed an O. He just didn’t have the reserves of willpower to keep himself from kissing her, just a soft touch of his lips to hers. It was barely contact, but set him on fire just the same.
“Well, color me fuchsia,” she said against his mouth. There was a hitch in her breathing. “One picture is worth a thousand gossip-filled phone calls.”
“Roger that.” His own breathing was more unsteady than he would have liked. And he hoped the four guys who’d flirted with her were watching. “But you’re working. I don’t want to get you fired and lose a potential i
nformation stream.”
“Right.” With what looked an awful lot like real reluctance, she moved away and used the menu still in her hand to fan herself. “Speaking of that, have you found out anything?”
There was no one close enough to them to overhear, what with the noise level on a busy night. He didn’t think a short exchange was a problem now that everyone thought they had a good reason for chatting.
“I was hoping you had something,” he said.
“No. Does that mean you don’t, either?”
He linked his fingers with hers and set their joined hands on his thigh. Just to maintain their cover, of course. “I’ve talked to the couple who got married that day and hosted the reception, their family and friends. I interviewed Bob and Ellie Traub, parents of the groom, who mixed up the punch. Just fruit juice and mixers and a little sparkling wine, that’s all. They gave me no reason to think they’re not telling the truth about the harmless ingredients used in making it.”
“So we’re back to square one?”
“Looks that way. Unless you overheard something here.”
“Nothing.” Her eyes turned darker and more troubled. “I can’t think of anyone who would do something like this.”
Her hand was starting to feel too natural in his, too good. He removed his fingers from hers and folded his arms over his chest. “My list of suspects hasn’t changed.”
She searched his face and came to a conclusion that made her mouth thin to a grim line. “And I’m on it.”
The betrayal in her voice made him feel as if he’d kicked a kitten. He didn’t like the feeling, and it brought out his defensive streak.
“Look at it from my point of view,” he said. “I still don’t know why you deliberately stole my keys to the jail cell and kept me locked up. Are you an accomplice? Working with someone else to keep the law busy? If I’d been out there where I should have been, maybe I’d have seen something, and whoever did this would be off the streets.”
“We’ll never know,” she said, as the sparkle in her eyes flickered and went dark. “You have no reason to believe me, but I didn’t do anything to the punch and I have no idea who did. For what it’s worth, I do understand why you’re skeptical about me.”
“Generous of you.” Russ hated that doubt about anyone he met was his go-to emotion now. It might be an asset for law enforcement but not the rest of his life. He’d never regretted it more than he did right this second. “But here’s the thing that keeps tripping me up. Detective work is logical, and with you things just don’t add up. It’s that simple. If you want to come clean, that could change my mind.”
She caught her bottom lip between her teeth then shook her head. “You have no idea how much I wish I could, but I made a promise. I have to honor that.”
So she did have an ulterior motive, and it was about someone else. Under normal circumstances her loyalty might have impressed him, but nothing about this was ordinary. Someone had endangered people in this town, and he’d been hired to find out who. He had a promise to honor, too. From where he was sitting this looked an awful lot like a stalemate.
“I’ll take that menu now,” he said. “And could I get a beer?”
“Coming right up.” It obviously wasn’t easy, but she gave him a flirty smile.
Russ realized that she was pretty good at pretending. Although there was no denying the sparks between them. But he had to be skeptical of her motives and the sparks between them that refused to go away.
Lani returned and put a cocktail napkin on the scarred bar then set a bottle of beer on it. She smiled brightly, but the expression didn’t match her words. “I really don’t understand how you can use me in this investigation and still believe that I might be responsible for doing that to my friends and neighbors. My family was there, too.”
Before he could tell her she had a point, she walked away. But that saying about keeping your friends close and your enemies closer kept running through his mind. Still, there was a part of him that didn’t buy Lani Dalton as an enemy. He trusted Gage Christensen, and the man had urged Russ to use her as a reliable source.
In spite of his respect for Gage, he held tight to his skepticism. Russ had a sneaking suspicion that his doubts about Lani were all that stood between him and breaking his promise not to let another woman make a fool of him.
* * *
“Thanks for inviting me to dinner.” Russ was sitting in the backyard at Gage Christensen’s ranch house, not far from the heart of town.
“No problem,” the sheriff answered. “Consider this a celebration for getting through the long Labor Day weekend without a repeat of the crisis on the Fourth of July.”
“Definitely something to drink to.” They clinked the long necks of their beer bottles.
Russ was enjoying this and the mild September air at the same time he was missing the friendly atmosphere of the Ace in the Hole. Or maybe the feeling was more about going three days without seeing the pretty brown-eyed brunette who worked there. But the last time he’d talked to her, she’d been pretty ticked off at him. Hell, he couldn’t blame her. If someone accused him of getting the whole town drunk, he’d be mad, too.
The sun had just slipped past the mountains, and the yard was bathed in shade. On the patio, four Adirondack chairs with thick cushions formed a conversation area with a round table in the center. Gage had ribs and chicken in the smoker and his wife, Lissa, had set out appetizers: cheese, crackers, toasted French bread and some creamy vegetable dip.
“Eat up, Russ.” After arranging everything on the table to her satisfaction, Lissa sat down beside him. She was a beautiful blue-eyed redhead, outgoing and friendly.
Russ put down his beer and took one of the small plates she’d set out. “If my appetite is spoiled, I’m blaming you.”
“I’ll send you home with leftovers if you can’t eat dinner.”
“You do know I’m staying at Strickland’s Boarding House and there are no room refrigerators?”
“Then you’ll just have to clean your plate. We thought it was time to have you over for a home-cooked meal. Right, Gage?”
“Right.” The sheriff pointed to his wife and mouthed, it was her idea. Then he put the lid back on the smoker and joined them. “Lissa was worried about you being a lonely bachelor.”
“Worried is a little strong.” She picked up her glass of white wine and sipped. “But you uprooted your life to try to figure out who committed a crime here in our town. The least we can do is make you feel at home just a little.”
Russ almost wished the couple had just let him be. Not that he didn’t appreciate the gesture. They were friendly and entertaining, and the smells coming from that smoker made his mouth water. But from the second Lissa had opened the door and settled him out here on the patio, a feeling of dissatisfaction bordering on emptiness spread through him. Feminine touches were everywhere, from flowers and pictures to pillows and a hanging rack in the kitchen for pots and pans. This place felt like wedded-bliss central, and he envied these two people. If anything, being here made him feel more like a lonely bachelor than bunking at the boardinghouse. It was like being on the outside looking in.
“Speaking of feeling at home...” He looked at Lissa. “How do you like living in Rust Creek Falls after living in the city?”
“It’s different,” she said.
Following the flood that nearly destroyed Rust Creek Falls, she’d come here representing an organization called Bootstraps. Her mission was to help people rebuild their lives after losing homes and businesses. While she’d worked with Gage coordinating relief efforts, the two had fallen in love.
Russ had gone to Denver and understood how different a small town and big city were. None of his reasons for coming back to Montana were positive. That made him wonder about Lissa’s response.
“Define different,” h
e said.
“It’s a slower pace. A lot less stress. People know your business.” She sipped her wine, a thoughtful look on her face. “But I saw firsthand how everyone pulled together and helped each other. I love this place, where a person can count on their neighbors when the chips are down.” She smiled and held out her hand to her husband, who was sitting beside her. When he took it and squeezed her fingers she said, “Plus, then I fell in love with this man. That sealed the deal for me because he wouldn’t live anywhere else. And I couldn’t live without him.”
An image popped into Russ’s mind of Lani, lying in his arms with her hair a mess and her dress all wrinkled. But she still managed to look more beautiful than any woman he’d ever met. That night, locked in the jail cell, she’d said almost the same thing about this town.
Russ looked at his friend. “What do you love about this place, Gage?”
“I have the best of all possible worlds.” The sheriff, a muscular guy with brown hair and eyes, shifted in his chair. “There’s this little piece of land that’s mine. I have a few cattle and horses. And I really like being the sheriff of Rust Creek Falls. Helping folks and making sure everything in town runs like a well-oiled machine is satisfying in a way that I can’t even put into words.”
“Balance,” Russ said.
“Exactly. And when something isn’t in balance it bothers me.” He sipped from his bottle of beer. “That’s why I really want to know how and why so many people who are normally solid and steady ended up acting so out of their heads at that wedding. It’s my responsibility to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Our job,” Russ said.
“Is there anything new on the investigation?” Lissa asked.
“Not yet. Everyone I talked to claims to have seen nothing. Although even if they had, most of them were in no condition to remember anything useful.”
“There’s at least one person who remembers an awful lot of details,” Lissa commented.
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