“Is everyone all right?” Hays asked. “We got worried when Ginger came back to the stable without her rider.”
“Ginger’s back at the stable?” Summer gave a relieved laugh. “Thank goodness. I was dreading having to tell you we lost her.”
“Oh, yeah,” Jonah said, grinning. “Ginger knows when and where dinner is being served, and she’s not one to miss a meal.”
Hays’s expression stayed dark with concern. “How’d she get away from you? She didn’t buck you, did she?”
Summer shook her head and explained about the unseen hornet’s nest. “I’m afraid Cody has a few stings. Probably Ginger, too. That’s why she freaked and ran away. I’m so sorry.”
Jonah scoffed. “This is Texas. Snakes and hornets and scorpions and the like are part of the package. Just glad you’re both safe.” He aimed a finger toward Nolan. “A baking soda paste and some antihistamine should get you and Cody fixed up.”
Hays squinted one eye as he appraised Cody. “The ole boy looks pretty tired. He’s had a long day. Why don’t you ride back to the party with one of us, Summer?”
While he understood the wisdom of sparing Cody the extra weight, Nolan knew a moment of disappointment as Summer dismounted. Crazy...because he’d just been ruing the sweet torture of Summer’s fanny against his groin and the scent of her hair as it teased his cheek.
Nolan followed the ATVs back to the stable and helped Jonah cool Cody down and tend the horse’s stings. Ginger had been stung a few times as well, but the mare was contentedly munching fresh hay in her stall and barely noticed the ministrations of her keepers.
Hays and Summer left Nolan and Jonah to finish up in the stable and headed to the house to wash up before dinner.
Soon the scent of wood smoke reached Nolan, followed by the clang of a bell. Nolan grinned, hearing the low metallic ring. He remembered being called to supper as a kid by the ringing of an antique bell at the main house. “Josephine still uses that old dinner bell, huh?”
Jonah chuckled. “Occasionally.” He paused and smacked his lips. “I’m a bit like one of Pavlov’s dogs with that thing. My mouth waters when I hear it.”
Laughing, Nolan slapped his cousin on the back. “Let’s go eat then.”
As they strolled back to the main house, Jonah nudged Nolan with his elbow. “So you and Summer, huh? Who’d have thought all those years ago that you’d end up together?”
Nolan cut a scowl to his cousin. “We’re not a couple. Why would you say that? Can’t a guy have a female friend without everyone assuming they’re an item?”
Jonah smirked. “Wow. Did I poke a rattlesnake or what?”
“We’re not a couple,” Nolan repeated.
“Mm-hmm,” Jonah hummed, but his tone said he was unconvinced.
“We’re not. And I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t say anything like that around Summer.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Nolan stopped in his tracks and braced his arms akimbo as he faced Jonah with a frown. “Why do you think we’re a couple? What...why—”
Jonah shook his head and laughed. “You can’t even talk about her without getting flustered. You’re a case, Nolan.” He leaned closer and pitched his voice low. “I have eyes. I see the way you two act with each other. And that cozy ride together on Cody...?” He gave Nolan a knowing look. “What else happened out on the ride today?”
“Nothing.” Nolan turned to stalk toward the house, then stopped again and faced Jonah. “We kissed, okay? That’s all. But it shouldn’t have happened. We’re friends. Period. That’s all we can be. It just complicates things that I let it get out of hand this afternoon.” He jabbed his fingers through his hair. “I don’t want to lose her friendship, and I’m afraid that if we get involved I could hurt her somehow without meaning to. It’s not...” He huffed his aggravation. “I screwed up, Jonah, and I have to get things back on track. So don’t...” He sighed. “Just be cool about it, okay?”
His cousin gave him a long steady gaze then nodded. “Sure, man. Whatever you say. But for the record, I think you two would be great together. Seems kinda like fate, ya know?”
Trouble was, Nolan did know. If his own life was in better order, maybe he’d consider a different sort of relationship with Summer. But he couldn’t drag Summer into the chaos his life was now. His career with the FBI was unknown. Hell, his entire future was unknown. If criminal charges were brought against him...
Acid bit his gut as he crossed the ranch yard. His lawyer had to find a way to clear him of the false allegations against him. Somehow.
When they reached the backyard behind the main house, a roaring bonfire blazed, surrounded by a semicircle of folding lawn chairs. He searched the cluster of milling family for Summer and found her seated in one of the lawn chairs next to Forrest’s fiancée, Rae Lemmon. Summer was holding a baby and smiling at the child with heart-stopping affection in her eyes. Nolan’s breath caught. Summer was destined to be a great mother. He couldn’t imagine her life being complete without her own baby to cuddle and nurture.
Which made his own obscure future all the more bleak. Even if he wanted to defy common sense or practicality and explore the fiery attraction he felt for Summer, he couldn’t give her the life she deserved. Once the charges against him were settled, he was either going back to the murky, unpredictable life of an undercover FBI agent or...he was going to jail.
Summer looked up then, as if she sensed his gaze, and her smile shifted to an exaggerated frown. She hitched her head, signaling him to come over.
“What’s with the surly face, Bullfrog?” she asked as he approached.
“Was it surly? Sorry. Just...thinking.”
“Well, whatever you were thinking about...stop. This is a party, and you’re scaring the children.”
He looked around and spread his hands. “What children?”
“Well, Connor here for starters.” Summer held up the cherubic little boy.
“Have you met my son, Nolan?” Rae asked.
Nolan bent at the waist and took the baby’s chubby hand in his. “Nice to meet you, Connor.”
Connor pulled his hand away and started crying.
“What did I do?” he asked.
Rae took Connor from Summer and shook her head. “Nothing. He’s shy, colicky and teething. He’s been a bit of a grump all evening. Forrest is the only one who can calm him down some days.”
“My ears are burning. What did I do?” Forrest asked, appearing beside Rae with a glass of iced tea for each of the women.
“Worked some kind of voodoo with the baby, apparently,” Nolan said.
Once he’d passed the drinks to Rae and Summer, Forrest took Connor into his arms, and the baby immediately quieted.
“Amazing!” Summer cooed. “Forrest, you have the magic touch.”
“Join us, Nolan,” Rae said, pointing to the chair beside Summer. “Summer and I were just discussing the fact that she’s been hired to find Patrice Eccleston’s killer.”
Forrest’s head swiveled toward Rae. “Oh, really?” He took the chair on the opposite side of his fiancée, focusing his gaze on Summer. He stretched out his injured leg in front of him and furrowed his brow. “Hired by whom?”
“Patrice’s family,” Summer said. “And I have no intention of stepping on any toes at the police department. In fact, I’d like to work in conjunction with you, if possible. I’ll share what I learn, and I hope you could steer me in the right direction.”
Forrest faced Connor again and tipped his head. “What do you think, pal? Should we let them into the clubhouse?”
Connor cooed and giggled, producing a spit bubble that popped on his lip.
Nodding, Forrest said, “Right. I agree.” Then to Summer, “How can I help?”
* * *
Summer wiped condensation off her tea glass and searched for the best place to
start questioning Forrest. “I just got the case, and we’re still gathering information at this point. We’ve talked to her friends and roommates. Although I got a copy of the reports the police and coroner were able to share with the family, we still need to pin down specifics. Especially about the coroner’s report.”
“We?” Forrest asked.
She cut a glance to Nolan, then back to Forrest. “Nolan’s sharing his FBI expertise to help me with the case.”
Forrest and Rae exchanged a look. “I see.”
She tried to dismiss the feeling that Rae and Forrest had just had an entire intimate conversation with that look. A conversation filled with conjecture about her and Nolan’s partnership.
“So the coroner’s report? Maybe we should start there? When Atticus brought me the case, he said the coroner’s report revealed Patrice had been manually strangled. Bruising on the neck and her crushed larynx established this. Suffocation was her official cause of death, but there were also signs she’d struggled with her attacker. Bruises on her arms and legs. Broken fingernails.”
Forrest nodded. “That’s right.”
“Dallas and Avery mentioned something about Army buttons. What can you tell us about that?”
Forrest lifted a shoulder. “That’s puzzling. On the surface it would indicate a link to the Mummy Killer, Horace Corgan. But on his deathbed, when he confessed his crimes, he vehemently denied responsibility for killing Patrice.”
“Right. That’s what Dallas told us.” Nolan rubbed his jaw. “So are you working on the belief that Corgan had an accomplice? That Patrice was killed by a copycat killer? That the buttons were planted to throw the cops off the culprit’s trail?”
“Any of those are possible,” Forrest said, using a burp cloth to wipe drool from Connor’s mouth, “and they all deserve consideration.”
“Let me throw another bone into the pit for you to gnaw on.” Rae cringed. “Oh, that sounded grisly, especially in light of the investigation. Sorry. I just mean I’ve been thinking recently about another fact worthy of exploring.”
Summer shifted in her chair to face Rae. “What’s that?”
The pretty brunette sighed and said, “One of the lawyers at my firm, Lukas, Jolley and Fitzsimmons—” she looked directly at Summer when she paused to name the firm “—had a brief affair with Patrice.”
Adrenaline spiked in Summer’s blood, and she sat straighter in her chair. “What? Are you sure?”
“Well, that’s the rumor. And it comes from a reliable source at my office. She told me about it when I complained to her that Kenneth—that’s the lawyer’s name, Kenneth Dawson—was creeping me out with all the attention he was paying me. He made no secret of the fact he had a thing for me, despite my reminding him I knew he was married.”
Summer noticed that Forrest had tensed, his jaw tightening and a darkly threatening look filling his eyes.
Rae continued, “He’d find ways to cop a feel, or I’d find him staring at me at meetings and he’d give me a smarmy wink. Once, he tried to corner me in the copy room to chat.”
“Ugh,” Summer said with a shudder of disgust. She cast a side glance to Nolan, knowing he had to be thinking about the accusations made against him.
“Anyway,” Rae said, fanning a mosquito away from her face, “his affair with Patrice was pretty well-known around town, at least in some circles. Although I never saw them together myself, I heard people say that things between Kenneth and Patrice lasted two or three weeks. They were seen having dinner at that place right outside town...” Brow furrowed in question, she glanced to Forrest as if asking for help.
“La Cantina,” he supplied.
“Right, La Cantina—great fajitas, by the way—and then they were seen riding in his car together about three days later.”
“Wouldn’t his wife have found out about the affair if he was so public about it?” Nolan asked.
“And Patrice’s father?” Summer asked, a slow burn of irritation biting her stomach. “He swore she wasn’t involved with anyone. Hadn’t been involved with anyone...” She raked fingers through her hair, frustration gnawing her.
“I don’t know if her father knew, but her brother did,” Forrest said, the baby in his arms now close to asleep. “I understand that Ian confronted Kenneth in front of the law firm when Kenneth was leaving work. It got ugly, but Ian left before the cops were called.”
Rae pulled a face and nodded. “Saw it. Ug. Ly.”
Summer growled, then with drama said, “Oh, my kingdom for a client that would be forthcoming and honest when questioned.”
Nolan chuckled and gave the base of her neck a quick, deep rub with his fingers. She savored the brief massage, not realizing how tense she’d become until he dug his thumb pad into her taut muscles.
Itching to take notes on what she was hearing, she glanced around her and scowled. “Shoot, I left my purse and notepad in the house.” She shoved out of her chair and grabbed a napkin off the picnic table. Glancing to Nolan, Forrest and Rae, she asked, “Anyone have a pen?”
Nolan rose from his chair, gifting her with a charming half grin. “I’ll get your notebook and purse. Hang on.”
Forrest turned to follow him. “I’ll go, too. I think this little guy has finally wound down.”
“Thanks, honey,” Rae said, beaming at Forrest and handing him Connor’s blanket and burp cloth to take inside with him. They shared a lingering look and blissful smile before Forrest headed into the house.
Summer allowed Rae to bask in her happiness bubble for a moment before returning the conversation to the grim topic of Patrice’s murder. “So do you think this Kenneth fellow, the lawyer at your office, could have latent violent tendencies? Do you think he could have a connection to Patrice’s death?”
Rae screwed her face into a frown. “He’s a lowlife, cheating spouse, but violent tendencies? I don’t know.” She rose from her lawn chair and took a paper plate from the stack on the nearby picnic table. She loaded the plate with raw veggies, corn chips and two kinds of dip before she returned to her seat. “I told you about his fling with Patrice because I figured no one else had mentioned it, and I knew it could be relevant. An affair gone wrong could be motive for murder. Right?”
“Hmm. Right.”
Rae held her plate out to Summer. “Try this taco dip. It’s divine!”
Summer sampled the appetizer Rae offered and hummed her enjoyment. “Oh, that is yummy!” Then with her mouth full, “Have the police interviewed Kenneth?”
Rae nibbled a chip, nodding. “I would think so, considering his connection to Patrice. I told Forrest what I’d heard at the office about the affair the same day they found the body. But Kenneth is slick. His specialty is skirting all around the legal limits of the law and finding loopholes for his clients to slither through. I wouldn’t put it past him to have found a way to avoid answering any real substantive questions related to Patrice’s death.” She popped another corn chip with dip in her mouth, adding, “It’s embarrassing to say he’s part of our firm, but his father-in-law is the Fitzsimmons in Lukas, Jolley and Fitzsimmons, so his job is pretty secure.”
Summer helped herself to a strip of bell pepper and mused aloud, “Also gives him another reason to not want his affairs discovered. His father-in-law might not take kindly to learning about his extracurricular activities.”
Rae aimed a carrot stick at Summer. “True that. If you’re thinking of interviewing Kenneth, you’ll have to wait. He’s out of town on business until Monday.” With a loud crunch, she bit the end off the carrot stick. “Now—” she glanced behind her as if checking to see that they wouldn’t be overheard “—tell me about Nolan. Clearly you two have something going on.”
Summer inhaled crumbs from the corn chip she’d just munched and coughed indelicately. “What?” she rasped.
Rae gave her a knowing look. “The touches, the subtle gl
ances, the positive reek of pheromones surrounding you two.”
Summer grabbed her tea and drank greedily before meeting Rae’s gaze. “It’s that obvious?”
“To someone who has recently fallen in love herself and watched other loved ones do likewise.” Rae nodded toward the bonfire, where Jonah had his arm around a tall, beautiful blonde—his fiancée, Maggie, Summer presumed. “Yes. It is obvious.”
Summer’s face burned, and she pressed a hand to her cheek. “Oh.”
Rae scowled. “You don’t look happy. Was your relationship supposed to stay secret? ’Cause I have to say, Summer—” her mouth curved in a grin “—if it was, you need to learn better control of your facial expressions.”
Summer stared at the condensation rolling down the side of her glass. “The thing is... Nolan is fighting it.” When Rae lifted a skeptical eyebrow, Summer felt compelled to defend him. “He’s going through a difficult issue professionally, and starting a romance at this point wouldn’t be—” She fumbled then tried again. “He’s just wary of mixing business and pleasure.”
Pleasure had Summer flashing back to their kisses by the creek and the sweet pleasure of Nolan’s body pressed against hers as they rode Cody back to the ranch. The warm sting in her cheeks flashed hotter, and her breath caught.
Rae didn’t miss the telltale signs. “From the look of things, you disagree? Maybe you’ve already pushed the boundaries with him?”
Summer drank another gulp of cold tea and tried to calm her flustered heartbeat. “I... I want what’s best for Nolan. I respect his wishes and the reason for his choice.”
“But...?” Rae angled her head, obviously knowing Summer was holding back.
Summer sighed heavily. “Oh, Rae, I’m as surprised as anyone how my feelings for him have shifted. He’s so sexy and so kind and so...” She huffed. “Good grief, I spend most of my time around him wanting to rip his clothes off him and do him where he stands.”
Rae laughed and reached for Summer’s hand. Squeezing her friend’s fingers, she said, “So do it! PDAs make it all the more exciting.”
Colton 911--Deadly Texas Reunion Page 14