They entered the Sunny Side Up Café, and Joshua led her toward a booth in the back where he slid into the side facing the front door of the restaurant and she sat across from him.
It was almost noon and the place was quickly filling with the lunch crowd. He cast a quick, assessing glance around the room, noting that most all of the faces of the diners were familiar ones.
If it wasn’t for the woman seated across from him he’d relax, but he was aware of her gaze on him as he reached for one of the two menus propped up on the side of the table.
“This place always smells yummy, doesn’t it?” she said once they were settled. “Scottsdale has a hundred fine restaurants, but none of them smell as good as this café.”
“I missed the food here almost as much as I missed Smokey’s cooking,” he replied.
“Don’t you want to take your jacket off?” she asked. “It’s pretty warm in here.”
“I need to keep it on.” He moved one side of the jacket aside so she could see the shoulder holster and gun beneath.
Her pretty eyes widened. “Is that really necessary?”
“I don’t intend to get shot at again without having the potential to return fire if needed.” He let the jacket fall back into place and stared down at the menu.
His thoughts filled with the woman he’d left behind in New York, a woman who had developed a fatal attraction for him. He’d seen what she was capable of, knew the bitter hatred that now burned in her heart for him.
If she’d followed him here to Cotter Creek and if she had gotten it into her head that Savannah meant anything to him, then Savannah was at risk. He touched his jacket and felt the reassuring bulk of the gun.
Was the gun necessary? What he feared was that it might be the only thing that stood between Savannah and danger, and he hoped if it came to that he’d be able to use the gun on a woman he’d slept with in order to save a woman he wasn’t even sure he liked.
Chapter 6
It was during lunch that Savannah saw flashes of the charm Winnie and Meredith had told her Joshua possessed.
They swapped stories, her telling him a little about her life in Scottsdale and him telling her about New York City.
The conversation was light and easy, but something about him intrigued Savannah like no man had intrigued her in a very long time.
When they’d finished lunch they went directly to Henry’s, where Joshua disappeared into a back room to be fitted for his tux and she surfed the racks looking for a perfect dress to wear to the wedding.
She found a buttercup-yellow dress with classic lines and bought it off the rack. She’d done enough shopping to know what style looked best on her and what size to buy. By that time Joshua was finished with his fitting.
“Why don’t we go to my place to go over the reports?” she said as they left Henry’s.
“What’s wrong with the newspaper office?”
“Mr. Buchannan doesn’t exactly support my investigative efforts. I’ve got a little office at Winnie’s. We can work there.” His face radiated reluctance. “What’s the matter Joshua, afraid I’ll jump your bones if we’re alone?”
He looked at her in surprise. “Why would I think that?”
“I’m sure a guy who looks like you is accustomed to women wanting to jump your bones, but I promise you I’ll restrain any impulses in that direction.”
He obviously recognized that she was teasing him, trying to keep things light between them. “And what makes you think I’d want you to restrain yourself?” he countered with a slow, sexy grin.
A rush of heat swept through her and she decided she liked him better when he was taciturn. That smile of his could definitely be dangerous for it made her think all kinds of inappropriate thoughts.
“Give me a break,” she retorted, sorry she’d started the stupid conversation in the first place. “Shall we ride together to Winnie’s or do you just want to follow me?”
“I’ll follow you.”
Minutes later as she drove toward Winnie’s house, her thoughts filled with Joshua West. She couldn’t seem to get a handle on him.
He’d been a pleasant lunch companion and yet there was a darkness that clung to him, a darkness that pulled her closer with a desire to understand.
She had the feeling he’d agreed to investigate the deaths of the area more in an effort to get her off his back than because he believed anything suspicious was going on in the town.
He’d definitely surprised her with his offer to act as personal bodyguard until they knew what was going on.
It gave her investigation more substance, as had the shooting the night before. She was eager to go over those reports.
She’d requested them from Sheriff Ramsey a little over a week ago but he’d put her off, telling her he didn’t have the manpower for somebody to stand around and make copies all day long. Funny that he’d managed to get it done for a West.
But the thought of going through those reports wasn’t what prompted the tingle that danced across her skin or the wave of heat that warmed her insides like a jigger of whiskey swallowed in one gulp. Those particular physical sensations came strictly from the thought of spending more time with Joshua.
For just a moment she’d flirted with him with her comment about restraining herself from jumping his bones. But he’d flirted back, and from that point on she’d had difficulty concentrating on anything except the memory of that sexy grin that had curved his lips.
By nature she’d never been a flirt, but something about Joshua made her wish she were adept at a little harmless feminine flirtation. She could get used to that smile of his.
She pulled into Winnie’s driveway and parked, aware of Joshua’s pickup pulling in behind her. Stay focused on the business, she commanded herself.
His darkly lashed green eyes or his handsome chiseled features couldn’t distract her. She couldn’t allow herself to dwell on the sexy curve of his mouth or that lingering vision of him shirtless. She knew to indulge in any of these kinds of thoughts where Joshua West was concerned was to invite in certain heartache. And she was a champion at guarding her heart.
Together they went into the attractive two-story house where Winnie had lived with her late husband for forty years. Winnie greeted them in the living room, where she was seated in her favorite chair with her quilting frame in front of her.
She stood and smiled at Joshua, obviously delighted to see him. “Joshua West,” she exclaimed and walked over to give him a hug.
“If it isn’t the most beautiful lady in Cotter Creek,” he said as he released her.
Winnie slapped his chest playfully and giggled with uncharacteristic girlish delight. “Of all you West boys, you were always the one most full of charmer beans. I’m glad to see New York City didn’t change that.”
“I’ve got to admit, it’s good to be home,” he said.
“I’ll bet your family is glad to have you back. I know your daddy worried about you all the time while you were gone.”
A slight frown creased his brow. “He had nothing to worry about. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“Well, of course you are,” Winnie agreed.
“We’ve got some work to do,” Savannah explained to Winnie. “I thought we could work in the office upstairs, if that’s all right with you.”
“That upstairs is your home, honey. You don’t have to get my permission to have a man up there,” Winnie said. “In fact, I’d say it’s high time. It’s not right, a nice girl like you not having any male callers.”
A warmth of embarrassment swept into Savannah’s cheeks. Without glancing toward Joshua, she started for the staircase. “Let’s get to work,” she said briskly.
The upstairs of Winnie’s house consisted of three bedrooms and a bath. When Savannah had moved in one of the bedrooms had been empty and it was that room she had set up as a home office.
The desk was actually an old square table that Winnie had stored in her basement. Savannah’s laptop sat
on top, along with a silver frame containing a photo of her parents and a crystal bowl holding a couple of candy bars.
“It’s not much, but at least we’ll have room to spread out those reports,” she said and motioned him to one of the two straight-back chairs that were at the table. She moved her laptop and the other items off the table and to the floor next to her.
He eased down into one of the chairs and gazed at her with a raised dark eyebrow. “Cotter Creek is full of lonely cowboys. You’ve been in town several months and I’m the first man you’ve had here? Why is that?”
She sat across from him and returned his gaze. “Let’s face it, Joshua. I’m not the prettiest crayon in the box. My mother told me it was important that I compensate for that fact by being well-groomed, sweet-natured and a good listener. I got the good grooming part down, but I’m not particularly sweet-natured. I talk too much, I’m abrasive, aggressive and I think I scare the hell out of most of the lonely cowboys in this town.”
Amusement lit his eyes and he grinned that lazy smile. “You don’t scare me a bit.”
Oh, but he scared her. He scared her with his bedroom eyes and the deep languid tone of his voice when he was teasing. He scared her because he made her wish she were something other than what she was.
“Let’s get to work,” she exclaimed, irritated with him but even more irritated with herself.
For the next three hours they pored over the reports, looking for anything that might support her theory that the deaths ruled as accidents weren’t what they appeared to be.
Tension made her shoulders ache and a faint headache pounded just behind her eyes. She knew that Joshua’s assessment would determine whether she was written off as a nut or taken seriously.
He said little as he read each of the reports carefully, occasionally reaching for a pen and underlining a sentence. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from asking him what he was underlining, what was he thinking? She had a feeling the more questions she asked, the less likely he would be to see things her way.
Already she sensed he was not a man who was easily pushed, and she knew if he made up his mind that she was wasting his time, then she’d get no other opportunity to sway him differently.
The scents of dinner wafted up the stairs when Joshua finally set the last report aside and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.
“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “You’re right, there are some small red flags, but nothing that absolutely jumps out and screams foul.”
A wave of disappointment swept over her. “So, you think I’m just a nut.” She reached down beside her chair and grabbed one of her candy bars. She offered it to him, but when he declined she ripped the paper off with a vengeance and took a bite.
He grinned. “Yeah, I think you’re probably a nut, but I also think there’s enough questions that I’d like to dig into these accidents a little further.”
She flashed him a smile of relief, hoping she didn’t have gooey chocolate decorating her teeth. “For real?”
“Don’t get too excited,” he warned her as he stood. “I’m still not convinced that there’s anything here.” He glanced at his watch, then back at her. “What are your plans for the rest of the evening?”
“Probably the same as they are for most nights. Winnie and I will probably play a couple of games of rummy, then I’ll work a little bit on a couple of stories for the paper.”
“Until we have a handle on why we got shot at, I’d prefer you not go out anywhere alone.”
“Okay,” she agreed. Although she didn’t like curtailing her freedom, she also didn’t intend to be stupid enough not to heed his warning.
Together they walked down the stairs. Winnie had apparently abandoned her sewing for dinner preparations and the scents emanating from the kitchen were heavenly.
“You want to stay for dinner?” she asked. “Winnie always makes plenty.”
He shook his head. “Thanks, but I need to get back to the ranch. What time are you planning on going into the office tomorrow?” he asked as they stepped out on the front porch.
“Actually, I hadn’t planned on going in until the afternoon. Mrs. Miller is having a breakfast for her garden party in the morning and I’m supposed to attend and write up the affair. Garden parties, funerals, weddings, whenever there’s a social affair, I’m the reporter on record.”
“And you’re satisfied with that?” he asked.
“Of course not,” she replied honestly. “But, it’s enough for now. My real goal is to get Buchannan to sell me the paper when he decides to retire.”
He smiled. “You think he’ll really sell?”
She shrugged, acutely aware of his nearness on the small porch. “He says he might be interested in retiring by next spring and we might be able to work out a deal.”
“Then you intend to still be in town next spring?” He moved a step closer to her, so close she could smell his scent, feel the heat of his body.
“Don’t listen to the rumors you hear about me trying to make some kind of a name for myself here then going to a bigger city, a bigger newspaper. I could have stayed in Scottsdale and gotten a job there, but that wasn’t what I wanted.” She was rambling again, nervous by his nearness, disturbed by it.
“And what do you want?” he asked in a low voice.
You. The word jumped into her mind. Just for a minute. No, just for a night. A long night of crazy lovemaking, of total abandonment. God, what was wrong with her?
“I guess I want what everyone wants,” she said quickly. “Happiness and a sense of purpose. Good health and friends I can count on.” She sounded lame. “What about you? What do you want, Joshua?”
“At the moment I can just think of one thing I want.” He stared at her mouth for a long moment, then leaned in and captured it with his.
He didn’t know why in the hell he’d decided to kiss her, other than the fact that she had looked so damned kissable. Her lips were soft and yielding and her mouth tasted of just a hint of chocolate.
She leaned into him, her full breasts pressing against his chest and the contact shot a fierce wave of heat through him. What he wanted was to wrap his arms around her and pull her tight against him. What he wanted was to take her clothes off and see if the rest of her tasted as sweet as her mouth.
He broke the kiss and stepped back from her, irritated by his own actions.
“I didn’t mean to do that.” He glared at her, finding her personally responsible for his own lapse in judgement.
She returned his gaze coolly. “Don’t worry, it will be our little secret. I won’t tell anyone you kissed the plain conspiracy theorist who has been driving everyone crazy with questions.” She released a sigh. “So what happens now, and I’m not talking about after a kiss. What happens in our investigation? What’s our next step?”
He wanted to say something to take the sting out of her words. He wanted to tell her she wasn’t plain at all, but he had a feeling saying anything like that would only complicate the whole situation. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. What time is your breakfast thing?” All he wanted was to get away from her with her sexy smell and kissable lips.
“Nine.”
“Then I’ll pick you up around eight-thirty.” With these final words he turned and left the porch.
Minutes later as he headed back to the family ranch, he wondered again why he’d kissed her. Maybe it was because he’d spent the last several hours cooped up in a small room with her.
He’d been intensely aware of her physical presence, the scent of her, the soft sighs that occasionally escaped her while reading those reports. More than once he’d watched her run a finger across her lower lip when she was concentrating, a gesture he found both enticing and irritating.
He had no idea how she could really consider herself plain. Plain was boring and there was nothing remotely boring about the way that Savannah Clarion looked.
Okay, so he’d made a mistake and kissed her. No harm. No foul. He just needed t
o make sure he didn’t do it again. The last thing he wanted to do was repeat the mistakes of his past. He didn’t want her to mistake a single, stupid kiss for something more.
He shoved thoughts of the kiss aside and instead thought about the reports he’d read throughout the afternoon. He didn’t know if Savannah was really onto something or if somehow she’d managed to suck him into her delusion.
He remembered Clay mentioning that Zack and Kate had done some investigating when Kate’s father had been murdered and decided to swing by the Sampson ranch on his way home.
As he pulled up in front of the ranch house he saw his brother and Kate seated on the front porch swing. Zack stood up as Joshua got out of his truck.
“Well, well, look what the wind blew in,” he said.
“Hi, Zack, Kate.” He smiled at his pretty sister-in-law. “You two got a few minutes?”
“Sure, come on in,” Kate said. “I was just about to fix us some coffee.”
Together the three of them went inside and to the kitchen, where Zack and Joshua sat at the table and Kate made the coffee.
“So, when are you coming back to work for the agency?” Zack asked the minute they got settled in the chairs.
Joshua frowned, tamping down an edge of irritation. “Why does everyone keep asking me that? Why does everyone just assume that’s what I’m going to do?”
Zack leaned back in his chair and eyed his brother in surprise. “I never understood why you wanted to do anything else. You might have been a good stockbroker, but you were a terrific bodyguard.”
Joshua waved his hand as if to physically dismiss the compliment. That’s what family did, told you that you were good no matter what the truth was. “Actually, what I wanted to talk to you about was the investigation you did when Gray was killed.”
Kate carried coffee to the table and set a cup in front of each of the men, then slid into a chair next to Zack. “What do you want to know?” she asked.
She was a pretty woman, with long reddish-brown hair. The red shades of her hair reminded him of Savannah and that damned kiss they had shared. He shoved the memory of that brief but hot kiss aside to focus on the questions he wanted to ask.
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