“Great.” She pulled a miniature tape recorder from her purse. “Even though I take notes, I like to make a recording as well. Is that all right with you?”
Smokey eyed the tape recorder like it was a piece of smelly trash that had somehow made its way to the table, but he nodded his head in agreement.
Savannah opened her notepad and began the interview. Initially she felt self-conscious with Joshua seated at the table, watching her with his dark green eyes.
Within minutes she forgot his presence as she talked to the cook who was not just a wounded cowboy who had no longer been able to ride the range, but a man who had stepped in for a family who was desperately in need.
She’d instinctively known the old man’s story would be a good one and as he talked about the special place he’d found for himself in the West family her heart was melting for the old rascal.
It took almost an hour to get what she needed and by that time Smokey was showing definite signs of impatience to be finished.
“Thanks, Smokey. I’ll just get these notes typed up and next Sunday morning everyone in town will be reading about you.”
He got up from the table with a grunt. “All I care about is getting you out of my kitchen so I can get to the business of making lunch.”
“You’re good at that,” Joshua said, falling into step with her as she left the kitchen. “You got him to talk about stuff I didn’t know about him.”
She smiled, a wealth of warmth sweeping through her at his compliment. “Thanks, that’s my job.”
“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” he asked.
“My first order of business is to get to the office and get this interview turned in,” she replied. “Why?”
They stepped out on the front porch. “I was thinking maybe I’d hang out with you. You know, get an idea of a day in the life of a reporter.”
She eyed him with disbelief. “You’re interested in maybe becoming a reporter?”
His gaze didn’t meet hers, but instead shifted out to the pastures. “No, but I’m just back in town after being gone for a while. You’re relatively new to town. I just thought it might be fun to hang out together.”
For just a brief second a flutter of pure feminine pleasure swept through her, but it quickly vanished beneath a dose of harsh reality.
He thought it might be fun to hang out together? This from the man who hadn’t even returned her phone calls in the first three days he’d been back in town. “That’s the biggest bunch of crap I’ve ever heard,” she said flatly.
His gaze shot to her, as if her unvarnished reply had surprised him. “There’s some women in this town who would probably be flattered if I told them I wanted to spend time with them.”
“Yeah, well I’m not some women and I know a load of crap when I hear it. Now, are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
He leaned back against the porch railing and ripped a hand through his dark hair, a frown creasing his forehead. “I’ve just been thinking about what happened last night and I think maybe it wouldn’t hurt for me to keep an eye on you until we figure out if the shooting really was an attempt to warn you off your current path.”
“So, you’re offering to what? Be my personal bodyguard?”
“In an unofficial capacity,” he replied.
She’d managed to minimize the danger of last night since she’d awakened this morning, but his offer of bodyguard services put a new spin on things.
“Are you sure that’s necessary?” she asked.
“No, I’m not sure about much of anything. But I’ve always thought it was better to be safe than sorry.”
“If we’re talking about my safety, then I like the way you think,” she said with a touch of dry humor. She wasn’t sure what made her more uncomfortable, the way her heart pounded at the thought that she might be in danger, or the beat of her heart as she thought of having Joshua at her side for the next couple of days.
“Okay then.” He gave a curt nod of his head as if satisfied with this new turn of events. “If you’ll just wait here, I’ll get my keys and things and I’ll follow you back into town.”
As he went back into the house, Savannah leaned against the porch railing and drew several breaths in an attempt to gain control of her racing heart.
He might not want to work for the family business, but obviously the family business was in his blood. She had to remember that he hadn’t offered to spend time with her because he found her witty and charming, but rather because he thought she might be in some kind of danger.
She’d risk her life to get her story, but she certainly wasn’t fool enough to risk losing her heart to a man like Joshua West.
Joshua followed behind Savannah’s car in his pickup. He wasn’t thrilled by his decision to act as bodyguard to her, but his personal moral code made it impossible for him not to. If he had brought danger to her, then he was responsible for keeping her safe.
It was ironic that he suspected it was possible that just by being seen with her he might have made her a target. It still stunned him, that a jilted lover could become a psychotic danger not just to him, but to a woman whose only mistake had been to be seen in his company.
He wasn’t sure if he was putting Savannah into more danger by continuing to be in her company, but he was concerned that the damage had already been done. If Lauren had followed him from New York and had seen him with Savannah, then she might be in danger anyway. By playing bodyguard Joshua might make things worse, or he might just be in the right place to keep danger away from Savannah.
He patted his jacket and felt the bulk of his shoulder holster and gun beneath. He hadn’t worn a gun since he’d left Cotter Creek one and a half years before. His conceal-and-carry permit was still good, and it vaguely surprised him that the weapon felt as if it belonged resting against his body.
He frowned and tightened his fingers on the steering wheel. It would be so much easier to decide on his next course of action if he knew for sure who had shot at them last night and why.
After Clay had left that morning, Joshua had gotten on his cell phone and tried to call the woman who had made his last few weeks in New York a living hell. He’d wanted to make sure she was still in New York and that she hadn’t followed him here to continue her reign of torment.
Unfortunately Lauren hadn’t answered the call. That didn’t necessarily mean she had left New York City. She might be at work, and, although he knew she’d been a paralegal, he didn’t know what law firm she worked for. He’d have to try to call again that evening.
Until he could confirm that it hadn’t been her that had shot at them last night, he intended to make sure Savannah stayed safe. She shouldn’t have to pay the price for his bad judgment, for his botched relationship with a nut.
He thought he’d been clear in his intentions with Lauren. He’d thought she’d understood that he was just having a good time. He’d thought she was doing the same, but she’d taken their brief relationship to heart, had manufactured it into something that had nothing to do with reality.
Then she’d gone crazy and made a scene and now he wondered just what she might be capable of. Following him here to Cotter Creek and shooting at him or at Savannah, who she might assume was his new romantic interest?
He shoved thoughts of the beautiful Lauren Edwards out of his head and tromped on the gas as he realized Savannah drove almost as fast as she talked.
When they reached the newspaper office she pulled into a parking space in front of the building and he parked next to her car.
He got out and met her on the sidewalk, where the glass from the broken window had been swept up. A new window had been installed in the storefront of the office, although it lacked the lettering that announced the place as the Cotter Creek Chronicle.
“While you type up your interview and do your reporter thing, I’ve got a couple of things to take care of here in town,” he said. “I’m headed to Ramsey’s office to see if I can get copies of those a
ccident reports, then I have a fitting for my tux for Clay and Libby’s wedding.”
“At Henry’s?” she asked. “Maybe I could go with you to your fitting? I need to get a dress.”
He frowned. Although he intended to keep an eye on her and remain close, he hadn’t figured on shopping with her. She must have read his hesitation on his face. “I promise I’ll be quick,” she hurriedly said.
“All right. I’ll head over to the sheriff’s office and take care of that, then I’ll check back in here with you. Don’t leave this building without me. Don’t go to lunch, don’t take a walk, don’t poke your nose outside for any reason.”
“Aren’t you being a little drastic?”
“As I told you this morning, I’d rather err on the side of caution.”
“All right, then I guess I’ll see you back here in a little while.”
He watched until she disappeared inside the building, then he turned and headed down the sidewalk toward the Sheriff’s office. He thought she’d be safe at work with Raymond Buchannan inside with her. Lauren was crazy, but it was a devious kind of crazy. She wouldn’t want witnesses around if and when she went after Savannah.
“Joshua!” A feminine voice called to him and he turned to see an obviously pregnant Melinda Kelly hurrying down the sidewalk toward him. He and Melinda had dated a couple of times before he’d gone to New York.
“I heard you were back in town.” She gave him a quick hug. “You look wonderful.”
“So do you,” he replied with an affectionate smile. He and Melinda had shared some fun times, but there had never been that special spark between them.
“Don’t lie, I look fat.” She placed a hand on her burgeoning belly.
“That doesn’t look like fat,” he countered. “That looks like your future.”
She laughed. “This baby and my husband, Jimmy, are definitely my future.”
“Jimmy? You mean Jimmy McCarthy?”
She nodded. “We got married ten months ago.”
“He’s a good man.” Jimmy McCarthy was a year younger than Joshua, and when Joshua had left town he’d been working at Mechanic’s Mansion.
“He’s great,” she agreed, her smile reflecting a happiness Joshua had never put on her face during the time they had hung out together.
“When are you due?”
“Three more months. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment in ten minutes, so I’ve got to run. It was good seeing you again, Joshua,” she said, then with a warm smile she turned and went back in the direction she’d come.
Joshua watched her go, then resumed his walk in the direction of the sheriff’s office. He thought of Melinda. He was glad she’d found happiness. She was a nice girl and he was pleased that she’d found a future filled with love.
And what was his future? At the moment he didn’t have a job, didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. He certainly had nobody special. He had nobody who made him happy to wake up in the morning and eager to go to bed with her at night.
Unbidden thoughts of Savannah jumped back into his head. He’d never been particularly fond of redheads, but there was something about the shade of her hair that looked warm and invited a finger to dance through the curls.
How was it possible a woman he hardly knew, a woman who talked too fast and, he suspected, had a stubborn streak a mile long had managed to get under his skin more than just a little bit? A knot formed in the pit of his stomach.
Maybe it was nothing more than he hadn’t yet found his place here in town. Like Savannah, he felt like a newcomer without much of a support system other than his family.
All thoughts of Savannah fled his mind as he entered the sheriff’s office. He recognized the deputy who sat at the desk in the main office. “Morning, Brody. Is Ramsey in?”
The young deputy nodded and gestured to the door in the back. “You can go on in.”
Joshua gave a sharp knock on the door, then opened it to see Jim Ramsey seated at his desk, a large mug of coffee in front of him.
“I figured you’d be checking in before the morning was out,” Ramsey said. “Want a cup of coffee?”
“No, thanks.” Joshua sat in the chair opposite his desk. “But I do have a request for you.”
“Before you make it, I should let you know that I checked in with the Rasley twins’ father this morning. They were the boys that shot up the storefronts about a month ago. Anyway, they were both home all night last night. Seems they’ve been grounded for the last four weeks.”
Joshua nodded, the knot in his stomach twisting just a little tighter. He’d hoped that the shooting last night would have an easy answer, and two ornery teenagers with a penchant for birdshot would have been the easy answer.
“What I’d like from you is a copy of all the reports for some specific accidents that have occurred in the last two years.” Joshua dug the list of names that Savannah had given him out of his pocket and handed it to the portly sheriff.
Ramsey took it from him, then leaned back in his chair and frowned. “Guess Savannah Clarion has been bending your ear. She’s been driving me crazy for the last couple of weeks.”
Joshua offered the sheriff a conspiratorial grin. “I’d say if anyone could bend an ear, she could.”
“You got that right,” Ramsey returned dryly. “I got to tell you, when she first started yammering at me I pulled all those reports and looked over them again, but I didn’t see anything that would make me think a conspiracy of some sort was going on.”
“Would you mind me looking at them again? If I come up with the same conclusion that you did, then maybe I can get her off both our backs.”
“It will take me about an hour to pull the files and make copies. You want to wait?”
Joshua was never one to sit and cool his heels. “Nah, I’ll come back for them.” He stood and Ramsey did as well.
“You might tell Savannah that I haven’t closed Charlie’s file yet. I’m conducting a full investigation into his death, but I’ve got to tell you, we’re a small department and there isn’t much to go on.”
He frowned and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “I know Savannah thinks I just sit at my desk and eat doughnuts, but if I thought something bad was going on in my town, I’d be on top of it.”
A few minutes later as Joshua left the office, he thought of Ramsey’s words. He had no doubt that Ramsey did the best job he could as sheriff of the small town, but Cotter Creek wasn’t New York City, or even Tulsa.
Most of the crime in Cotter Creek consisted of bored teenagers getting into mischief or cowboys revved up on too much beer and not enough sense.
As sheriff, Jim Ramsey hadn’t had to face too many complicated or heart-stopping crimes. Joshua and his family members were far more savvy when it came to real criminals and life and death situations.
In the couple of years that Joshua had worked for the family business, he’d protected the son of a senator in Washington, D.C., against a potential kidnapping plot. He’d also spent time in Florida on a job protecting an environmentalist who had received death threats.
Joshua had liked the work, but he’d never quite gotten over the feeling that he hadn’t done anything to earn his place. That was one of the reasons he’d decided to continue his education and strike out on his own.
He left the sheriff’s office and decided to stop in at the Wild West Protective Services office, which was just down the street. His brother Dalton would be manning the office, and Joshua hadn’t really had much of a chance to visit with him since he’d returned home.
Dalton, at thirty-three years old, was the second eldest of the siblings. Like all of them he had the dark hair and green eyes that marked him as a West. He was a quiet man, not easily riled, but with a definite stubborn streak. He’d taken over the daily running of the office duties when Tanner, Joshua’s eldest brother, had gotten married almost six months before.
Dalton sat behind the desk working a crossword puzzle. “Is that what you do to get pai
d the big bucks?” Joshua asked.
Dalton grinned and shoved the puzzle aside. “Things have been slow the last couple of days. Seems the world is sane, at least for the moment.”
“I suppose it depends on who you talk to.” Joshua plopped in one of the chairs and for the next hour visited with his brother. They caught up on town gossip, discussed world politics and laughed about old times.
Afterward, Joshua returned to the sheriff’s office, where Ramsey had the paperwork ready for him. By that time it was almost noon. Joshua returned to the newspaper office to check in on Savannah.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” she exclaimed the moment he walked through the door. “I’m starving. How about we get some lunch, then head over to Henry’s?”
The tension that always seemed to fill him when she was around kicked in once again. “Okay. Sunny Side Up Café?”
“As if there’s any other choice in this town for lunch,” she replied with one of those quicksilver grins that warmed her features.
As they walked down the sidewalk toward the café, Joshua kept an eye on their surroundings, noting the people on the streets, looking for a particular person who didn’t belong.
It disturbed him that despite the scent of fall that rode the air he could smell Savannah’s perfume, that intoxicating fragrance that seemed to permeate his entire head.
“I finished up the column on Smokey. I think it came out great,” she said as they walked. “Thanks for helping me convince him to be interviewed.”
He cast her a rueful smile. “I have a feeling he was secretly pleased. If he hadn’t really wanted to be interviewed, then nothing you or I could say would have made him agree.”
“Was Sheriff Ramsey cooperative when you spoke to him about getting those reports?”
He nodded. “I have them in my truck. I’ll go over them this evening and let you know what I find.”
“Why can’t we go over them together this afternoon? I’m finished with my work for the day.” She bobbed her head, red curls dancing. “Yes, I really think we should go over them together.”
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