Safety in Numbers
Carla Cassidy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Copyright

CARLA CASSIDY is an award-winning author who has written over fifty novels. In 1995, she won Best Silhouette Romance and in 1998 she also won a career Achievement Award for Best Innovative Series, both awarded by Romantic Times BOOKreviews.

To Rhonda, my other daughter who drives me crazy!

Prologue

He stood beneath the awning of Marsh’s Hardware Store and watched the tall, dark-haired woman as she crossed the street. A rush of adrenaline filled him as he noted the long-legged, loose-hipped walk more appropriate for a runway in Paris than for crossing a dusty street in Cotter Creek, Oklahoma.

She looked more like her mother every day. He closed his eyes for a moment, remembering the beautiful Elizabeth West. She’d been like nothing this little nowhere town had ever seen. She’d bewitched him, haunted his days and nights until he knew if he didn’t have her he’d go insane.

Narrowing his gaze he watched Elizabeth’s daughter until she disappeared through the café; doors. He drew a deep, shallow breath, fighting the surge of adrenaline that coursed through him.

It was as if fate was giving him a second chance. If he could possess Elizabeth’s daughter it would be almost like having Elizabeth. The thought sent a shiver of sweet anticipation through him.

Yes, fate was giving him another chance, and this time he wouldn’t screw it up. It had ended badly with Elizabeth. He’d lost his temper and she’d wound up dead.

He’d do things differently this time. He’d get her to want him and he’d try, he’d really, really try not to lose his temper.

Chapter 1

She felt it again, that creepy-crawly feeling at the nape of her neck, like somebody was staring at her. Meredith West sat up straighter in the booth and glanced around the café; as a chill walked up her spine.

It was the usual lunch crowd, locals seated at booths and tables sharing conversation along with the Sunny Side Up Café; fare. Nobody suspicious lurked in the corners to give her the odd feeling.

“What’s wrong?” Savannah Clarion asked.

Meredith flushed, feeling ridiculous but unable to dismiss the sense of unease that had struck her at odd times of the day and night for the past couple of weeks. “Nothing,” she replied. “I guess I’ve just been a little on edge lately.” There was no way she could explain to anyone the feeling she had of impending doom, of her life exploding out of control.

“Gee, I wonder why?” Savannah smiled wryly, the gesture causing her freckles to dance impishly across her nose. “It wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that we’ve just uncovered a huge ugly conspiracy right here in Cotter Creek, would it?”

As usual, Savannah didn’t wait for a reply, but continued, “Everyone is more than a little on edge lately. I can’t wait until those FBI agents wipe these dusty streets with the bad guys’ behinds.”

Meredith laughed and smiled at the red-haired woman across from her. How nice it was that her brother Joshua had fallen in love with Savannah, who was Meredith’s best friend.

The strange sensation that had momentarily gripped Meredith eased somewhat. She picked up a fry and dragged it through a pool of ketchup, then popped it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully.

Maybe it was all the craziness in the town that had her feeling so off center. It had only been a couple of weeks since Savannah had almost been killed after discovering that somebody was working with a corporation to buy up as much of Cotter Creek, Oklahoma, land as possible.

The MoTwin Corporation had conspired to obtain the land to create a community of luxury condominiums and town houses. With the help of Joshua, Savannah had uncovered a plot that involved the murders of half a dozen local ranchers. The investigation was being taken out of the hands of local law enforcement and the FBI was now conducting the case.

Meredith frowned. “I can’t believe they only sent two agents.”

Savannah shrugged. “I don’t care how many there are as long as they get the job done.”

Meredith smiled. “Have you seen them yet? They’re sure not going for subtlety with their suits and ties. They look as much out of place as a palm tree would look growing out of our stables.”

Savannah leaned back in the booth and eyed Meredith. “I see you’ve been cutting your hair again.”

Meredith raised a hand to her bangs and touched them self-consciously. “I just did a little trim.”

Savannah laughed. “What did you use? A buzz saw?”

“There are times I don’t find you half as amusing as you find yourself.”

Savannah laughed again, then sobered. “I don’t know why you don’t take time to go to the Curl Palace and get one of the ladies to give you a real haircut and style.”

Meredith stabbed another fry into her ketchup. “And why would I do that? I’ve got no reason to fancy myself up.”

“If you’d fancy yourself up just a little you’d have all the single men in Cotter Creek vying for your attention.”

“Half the men in town grew up thinking of me as a little sister, the other half were scared to death of my brothers. I don’t want their attention. Just because you’re madly in love with Joshua doesn’t mean it’s your job to see that I find a man. All I need right now is work.”

“Joshua has been complaining about how slow things are at Wild West Protective Services right now,” Savannah said.

Meredith nodded. “Things have definitely been slow. It’s been over a month since I’ve had an assignment.”

Wild West Protective Services was the familyowned business that provided bodyguard and protection services around the country. Meredith worked for the business along with her five brothers.

“I’m not used to so much downtime. It makes me nervous,” she said.

And maybe that was what was causing her feeling of unease, she thought. Too much downtime. Or perhaps her disquiet was because of the dreams she’d been having lately, dreams of her dead mother.

She glanced around the café; once again, then focused back on Savannah. “I’m thinking about asking Sheriff Ramsey to reopen the investigation into my mother’s murder,” she said.

Savannah stared at her in surprise. “Talk about a cold case. It’s been what…twenty years?”

“Twenty-five. I was three years old when she was murdered.” Meredith shoved her plate aside, her appetite gone. “I’ve been having dreams about her.” She frowned thoughtfully. “It’s like she can’t rest in peace until I find out who killed her.”

“After all this time I’d think the odds were pretty poor that you’d discover who was responsible.” Savannah eyed her friend worriedly. “You’re right, you have too much time on your hands at the moment.”

Meredith flashed a quick smile. “Maybe, but I am going to talk about it with Sheriff Ramsey.”

Savannah’s gaze shot over Meredith’s shoulder. “You won’t believe the hunk that just walked in the front door.”

“Does Joshua know you talk about other men like that?”

Savannah raised a copper-colored eyebrow. “Honey, I love your brother, but I know a hunk when I see one.” Her eyes widened. “And this one is coming our way.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before he appeared at the side of their booth. In her first glance, Meredith registered several things. He was a tall drink of water, topped by sandy-colored hair, with ice-blue eyes that pierced rather than gazed.

Even though he was blond and blue-eyed there was nothing of a pretty boy about him. His face was lean, all angles that combined to give him a slightly dangerous aura. A faint white scar bisected one of his eyebrows. His presence seemed to fill the room with a pulsating energy.

“Meredith West?”

She jumped in surprise at his deep, smooth voice. “Yes? I’m Meredith.”

“My name is Chase McCall. I’m a friend of your brother Dalton. He sent me over here to find you and ask if you’d be kind enough to take my mother and me to the ranch. This is my mother, Kathy.”

It was only then that Meredith realized he wasn’t alone. Next to him stood a short, white-haired woman with blue eyes and a sweet smile. “Hello, dear. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said. Despite the snowy hair on her head, there was a youthful sparkle in her eyes.

Meredith vaguely remembered Dalton mentioning something about friends coming to town, but at the time he’d mentioned it she hadn’t paid much attention.

“And I’m Savannah Clarion,” Savannah said. “Is it business or pleasure that brings you to Cotter Creek?”

Meredith wasn’t surprised by Savannah’s question. As Cotter Creek’s star newspaper reporter, she had a healthy curiosity about everyone.

“Strictly pleasure,” Kathy McCall replied, her eyes twinkling with good humor. “We decided to take a little trip together, you know mother/son bonding time, and Chase had heard so many things from Dalton about the charming Cotter Creek. So, here we are.”

A flash of impatience shot across Chase’s features. “We’ve had a long bus ride to get here and we’d really like to get settled in.”

“You came by bus?” Meredith looked at him in surprise. Neither of them had any luggage.

“Somebody thought it would be a great idea,” he said tersely.

Kathy’s smile made her look like a good-humored cherub. “It was lovely to see the scenery without worrying about Chase getting a speeding ticket or two.”

“Where’s your luggage?” Meredith asked. She’d been in the bodyguard business too long to simply trust the word of two strangers who had appeared at her booth in the local café;.

“We left it over at the office with Dalton,” Chase replied.

Meredith stood and grabbed her coat and purse from the booth. As she did she couldn’t help but notice that Chase’s gaze swept the length of her, then he glanced away, as if dismissing her as not worthy of his attention.

She’d known the man less than three minutes and already something about him made her want to grind her teeth. She fumbled with her wallet for money to pay her lunch tab.

“Don’t worry about it,” Savannah said. “I’ll get it this time. You can get it next time.”

Meredith flashed her friend a grateful smile, then straightened and looked at Chase.

“Shall we?”

As she exited the café; she was acutely conscious of the man following her. Handsome men weren’t anything new to Meredith. She’d been raised with five brothers who most women considered unusually attractive. But in that first instance of laying eyes on Chase McCall, uncharacteristic butterflies had flitted erratically in her stomach. Meredith wasn’t used to butterflies.

Kathy fell into step beside her as they walked toward the Wild West Protective Services office just down the street. “We thought we’d be staying with Dalton, but he said we’d be much more comfortable at the ranch,” she said.

Meredith thought of her brother’s one-bedroom apartment in town. “Dalton’s place is pretty small and not real welcoming to guests. The ranch is much better,” she agreed, although she wasn’t at all sure she liked the idea of sharing her home space with the tall, silent man who walked just behind them. “We’re used to company at the ranch.”

As they entered the Wild West Protective Services office, Dalton stood from the desk. “Ah good, I see you found her,” he said to Chase.

“Your description made it easy,” Chase replied, a whisper of amusement evident in his voice.

Meredith turned to look at her brother. “And just what kind of description did you tell him?”

Dalton’s cheeks reddened slightly as a sheepish grin stole over his lips. “It doesn’t matter now,” Chase replied smoothly. “We found you and that’s all that’s important.” He picked up the two suitcases by the door and looked at her expectantly. For somebody who was on vacation he didn’t look particularly eager to have a good time.

“Unfortunately I’m expecting a phone call that I need to take, otherwise I’d drive you to the ranch myself. But Meredith will get you settled in, then I’ll see you this evening at dinnertime.” Dalton smiled at her. “Take good care of them, sis.”

She smiled at Dalton, but as her gaze fell on Chase McCall, the strange feeling of disquiet swept through her once again, making her uncomfortable and, oddly, just a little bit afraid.

Chase McCall sat in the back seat of the fourdoor sedan, leaving the two women in the front to chat. As Meredith drove she talked to Kathy about the town and the unusual cold snap of weather and the family ranch.

“You’re here just in time for the Fall Festival,” she said. “There’s a parade on Saturday afternoon, then a big dance Saturday night.”

He stared out the window at the passing scenery, wishing he were anywhere else. He couldn’t think of anyone who needed a vacation more than he did, but this wasn’t a vacation and he was here under false pretenses.

He glanced up and in the rearview mirror he caught Meredith West gazing at him. As he met her gaze, she quickly looked away and he looked back out the side window.

She’d been a surprise. Dalton had talked a little about his sister. In the days that Dalton and Chase had spent together, Dalton had talked about all of his family. He’d told Chase that his sister was tough, committed to her work as a bodyguard and preferred the company of her horse to most people.

But there was a wealth of things he hadn’t mentioned about Meredith. Dalton hadn’t told him she had eyes the color of an early-summer lawn or that her legs were long and lean beneath her tight jeans. He hadn’t mentioned that her hair was dark mahogany or that her skin was flawless.

In that first moment of seeing her, a quick electric shock had sizzled through him; a shock of physical attraction he hadn’t felt for a very long time.

It reminded him just how long it had been since he’d held a woman in his arms, felt sweet satisfied sighs against the crook of his neck.

He suddenly realized the women had gone silent and Kathy had turned her head to look at him expectantly. “Did I miss something?” he asked.

Kathy looked at Meredith and smiled. “You’ll have to excuse my son. He sometimes forgets his social skills. Meredith asked you what you did for a living, dear.”

Again those green eyes flashed in the mirror. Not warm and welcoming, but rather cool and wary. “I’m a Kansas City cop.” It was the first of many lies he’d probably tell over the next couple of days.

“And is that where you met my brother? In Kansas City? she asked. The eyes disappeared from the mirror once again.

“Yeah, he was working the Milton case last year and we coordinated with him. Dalton and I struck up a friendship. We’ve stayed in touch through e-mail since then.”

“When Chase decided to take his vacation time and mentioned he was coming out here, I just insisted he bring me along,” Kathy said. “He stays so busy we rarely have quality time together.”

“Our place is just ahead,” Meredith said as she turned off the road and down a lane. Chase once again looked out the window with interest. He knew the West family was one of the largest landowners in the county.

He’d researched their entire clan before taking the assignment. Red West, the patriarch, had come from California to Cotter Creek as a young man and had begun his business, Wild West Protective Services. The business had grown along with his family.

He and his wife had six children before Elizabeth West was murdered. Since her death, Red had worked to establish Wild West Protective Services as one of the most reputable bodyguard agencies in the country.

On the surface the family looked for the most part like the American dream. But a couple of anonymous tips phoned into the FBI office said otherwise. His job was to dig beneath the surface and find any darkness that might be hidden, a darkness that might have led somebody in the West family to sell out an entire town.

“Here we are,” Meredith said as she pulled to a halt in front of a large, sprawling ranch house. It was impressive, the big house with its wraparound porch. As far as the eye could see were outbuildings and pastureland.

As they got out of the car and Chase got the suitcases out of the trunk, a tall man appeared on the front porch, a smile of welcome on his face. By the time they reached the porch another man had joined him. The short, gray-haired man had blue eyes that held a touch of wariness. “Welcome,” the tall man said and held out a hand to Chase. “I’m Red West.”

Introductions were made all the way around. The short older man was introduced as Smokey Johnson, head cook and bottle washer for the clan.

As Chase followed him through the front door, he had a feeling that Smokey Johnson was a man who might not be easily fooled. He and Kathy would have to be careful around the old man. But Chase didn’t expect any of the West family to be fooled easily.

“Oh my, this is just lovely,” Kathy exclaimed as they entered the living room. “I hope we aren’t putting you out.”

“Nonsense, nothing we like better than company,” Red assured her. “Meredith, why don’t we get them settled in their rooms, then we’ll have Smokey rustle up some refreshments. It’s a long bus ride from Kansas City to here.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Kathy said.

“We’ll put Kathy in the guest room and Chase can go into Tanner’s old room,” Red said.

For the first time since they’d stepped into the house, Chase focused on Meredith. She had the face of a beauty queen, but if her hair were any indication of the local stylist’s expertise then he wouldn’t be visiting any of the town’s barbers. Although a luxurious black, her bangs fell unevenly across her forehead and the left side of the shoulder-length locks was definitely shorter than the right side.

There wasn’t an ounce of makeup on her face, that he could see, and she was dressed in a pair of jeans and an oversize man’s flannel shirt. Once again a small ball of unexpected tension twisted in his gut.

Her gaze met his and her cheeks pinkened slightly. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms,” she said.

She led Kathy to a room decorated in cheerful yellow with an adjoining bath. Chase set Kathy’s suitcase on the bed, then followed Meredith down the hall. Even though the flannel shirt struck her below the hips, it didn’t hide the sensual sway of her walk.

The bedroom she led him to was smaller than Kathy’s and had obviously been occupied by a male. The bed was a heavy mahogany covered in a navy spread. A chest of drawers stood against one wall. “Tanner? Which one is that?” he asked as he set his suitcase down.

“Tanner is my oldest brother,” she said.

“The one who married a princess.”

“That’s right. Anna.” Her chin rose a touch and she met his gaze. “Tell me, what description did my brother give of me that made me so easy to find in the café;?”

“He said to look for the gorgeous, sexy woman who looked like she’d had a close encounter with a Weed Eater.” He gazed pointedly at her uneven hair.

She raised a hand self-consciously, but before she touched her hair, she dropped her arm and narrowed her eyes, obviously not pleased as she edged toward the door.

“The bathroom is just down the hall on the left. Feel free to head to the kitchen after you get settled in.” She slid out of the room as if she couldn’t escape him fast enough.

He pulled his suitcase onto the bed and opened it. He’d improvised a bit on what Dalton had said. Dalton had called his sister neither gorgeous nor sexy.

As he hung some of his clothing in the closet, he wondered how difficult it had been for Meredith West to be raised in a house filled with men. By the look of her she certainly didn’t seem to be in touch with her femininity. Not that it mattered to him. Not that he cared.

He wasn’t here to care about anyone. He was here to do a job. It was bad enough he was here to betray a friend’s trust; the only thing that could make it worse was if he also seduced his friend’s sister.

Chapter 2

There was no way Dalton would have described her as gorgeous or sexy, although he certainly would have told Chase she looked like a woman who’d gotten too close to a Weed Eater.

Meredith thought about that all through dinner that night. Dalton had arrived at the ranch to share the meal and visit with his friends. Meredith had eaten quickly, then excused herself and retreated to the stables until bedtime.

Now, the faint gray of predawn painted the sky as she crept from her bedroom and down the hallway to the bathroom. As she showered and dressed for the day, her thoughts lingered on Chase McCall.

Gorgeous and sexy. He had to say that. Had he been making fun of her? Nobody had ever used those terms to describe her.

She didn’t like him and she wasn’t sure why. He’d been pleasant enough at dinner the night before, entertaining them with cop stories and talking about the good times he and Dalton had shared while they’d worked on the same case.

But there was an edge to him, a whisper of something slightly dangerous in his eyes, an arrogant tilt to his head. She stood in front of the mirror and brushed her shoulder-length hair, then frowned.

Maybe Savannah was right. She needed to get into the Curl Palace and get one of the ladies to trim her hair the right way.

Fighting her impulse to pick up a pair of scissors and try to straighten out the mess, she reached for her toothbrush instead. She always cut her hair when she was stressed, and there was no denying that she’d been stressed lately.

She’d go to the Curl Palace this morning, then head over to Sheriff Ramsey’s office to see if she could get her hands on the files of the investigation into her mother’s murder.

She had a feeling Ramsey wouldn’t be particularly pleased by her request. “As if we don’t have enough going on around here,” she could imagine him saying.

She finished brushing her teeth, then gave her hair a final finger comb. Her decision to get her hair professionally cut and styled had absolutely nothing to do with Chase McCall, she told herself. She would have done it whether the handsome man had come to town or not.

Leaving the bathroom, she was glad that Tanner’s bedroom door remained closed. It was early enough that she didn’t expect anyone to be up except Smokey, who would be in the kitchen working on breakfast.

Instead of heading into the kitchen, she walked to the front door and slipped outside to the porch. She moved directly to the railing and leaned against it, staring out at the land that stretched for miles all around.

This was her favorite time of day, when the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon and birds sang from the trees. Scents of hay and grass and cattle wafted on the air, as familiar to her as her own reflection in a mirror.

She loved the ranch, but there were times when she longed for the excitement of the city, the anonymity of a place where she wasn’t one of those West kids, but rather simply Meredith West.

She drew deep breaths, filling herself up with the smells of home, then turned to go back inside. She jumped, startled as she saw the old man seated in the wicker rocking chair.

“Smokey! Jeez, you scared me half to death. What are you doing out here?” Even in the dim light she could see the frown that tugged his grizzled eyebrows together in an uneven unibrow.

“That woman is in my kitchen.”

“Kathy? What’s she doing?”

“Cooking.” The word spat from him as if he found it distasteful on his tongue.

A small burst of laughter welled up inside Meredith, but she quickly swallowed it. As far as Smokey was concerned invasion of his kitchen was grounds for execution. “Think I’ll go get a cup of coffee and check things out,” she said.

Smokey merely grunted in response.

Meredith found the attractive white-haired woman in the kitchen cutting up fruit. “Ah, another early riser,” she said in greeting to Meredith.

“You’re supposed to be on vacation,” Meredith said as she poured herself a cup of coffee, then perched at the island where Kathy worked.

“There’s nothing I love more than cooking, especially for other people, but I rarely get a chance.” She smiled at Meredith. “I told Smokey that I’d take over this morning and give him a little vacation. Besides, I’m not sure he was feeling well this morning. He looked positively gray when he left the kitchen.”

“He’s just not used to somebody else taking over his duties,” Meredith replied.

Kathy smiled once again, a hint of steel in her baby blues. “Well, he’ll just have to get used to it. I intend to pull my own weight around here and at my age about the only thing I am good for is cooking.”

It was going to be an interesting couple of days, Meredith mused. At that moment Chase entered the kitchen clad in a pair of jeans and a navy knit shirt that clung to his broad shoulders and flat stomach. The sight of him filled her with an inexplicable tension.

“Good morning,” he said as he walked to the countertop where the coffeemaker sat.

“’Morning,” Meredith replied. “I hope you slept well.”

“I always do.” He carried his cup and sat on the stool next to Meredith, bringing with him the faint scent of shaving cream, minty soap and a woodsy cologne. The tension inside her coiled a little tighter. “What about you? How did you sleep?”

It was a simple question, but something about the look in his eyes made her feel like he was prying into intimate territory. “I always sleep well, too,” she replied.

He took a sip of his coffee, then looked at her curiously. “Dalton mentioned last night that we’ve come to town at a time when things are pretty unsettled,” he said.

“Very unsettled,” she agreed, relaxing a bit as the subject changed.

“Tell me about it.”

“It’s complicated, but a couple of weeks ago we discovered that a corporation called MoTwin has been buying up property in the area.”

“That doesn’t sound unusual. Corporations seem to be buying up property everywhere in the United States,” Kathy observed.

“Yes, but in this case, the land they were buying was from ranchers who had died, ranchers who had been murdered.”

“Oh, my,” Kathy exclaimed, then picked up her knife to continue cutting up a kiwi.

“The deaths were made to look like accidents, so it took a while for anyone to realize what was going on,” Meredith continued. “The latest death was a real estate agent who had written up the property contracts on the land in question. She was murdered. A couple of FBI agents are here now working the case. We know somebody in town has to be behind the scheme, somebody local has orchestrated the deaths and that’s who we want.”

“This MoTwin, what do you know about it?” Chase asked.

“Not much.” Meredith took a sip of her coffee, then continued, “The address on all the paperwork is nothing more than an empty storefront location in Boston. Two men are listed as partners, Joe Black and Harold Willington, but as far as I know nobody has been able to find them or dig up any information on them. We know that the land was apparently being bought up for a community of luxury condos and town houses.”

She took another sip of her coffee and fought off a chill at the thought that it could be a friend or a neighbor who was responsible for the deaths in the area.

“Hopefully the FBI will find out who here in town is responsible and they’ll lock them up and throw away the key,” she exclaimed. “In any case, it shouldn’t interfere with your visit here. By the way, how long are you intending on staying?”

Chase’s gaze was lazy and his blue eyes sparked with humor. “Trying to get rid of us already?”

“Of course not,” she replied hurriedly. “I was just curious.” Curious as to how long she’d have to put up with the strange feeling he evoked inside her.

“We aren’t sure,” Chase replied. “I have quite a bit of vacation time built up so we’re kind of openended at the moment.”

Kathy glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’d better get back to work if I’m going to have breakfast ready at a reasonable time. Why don’t you two shoo and let me do my thing.”

Meredith drained her coffee cup, placed it in the dishwasher, then started out of the kitchen. “Where are you headed?” Chase asked.

“To the stables,” she replied. “I usually go out there every morning and most evenings to say hello to the horses.”

“Mind if I tag along?”

Yes, I do. You make me nervous and I don’t know why. She didn’t say that, but instead shook her head. She grabbed a jacket from a hook next to the back door, and once she stepped off the porch, Chase fell in beside her.

“Dalton told me you’re quite a horseback rider,” he said as they crossed the thick, browning lawn toward the stables.

At five-ten there were few men who dwarfed Meredith, but Chase did. He made her feel small and oddly vulnerable. “Do you ride?” she asked.

“Motorcycles, not horses.”

“Then you don’t know what you’re missing,” she replied, her steps long and brisk. They walked for a few minutes in silence.

“Quite a spread you have here,” he said. “Did this MoTwin Corporation contact you all about selling out? You said the deaths that occurred were made to look like accidents. Anything odd happen to your father?”

She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him with narrowed eyes. “For somebody just visiting the area you have a lot of questions.”

“I’m a cop. Curiosity comes natural to me.”

She gazed at him for a long moment, taking in the handsome chiseled features, the spark of the early-morning sun on his hair and the guileless blue of his eyes. “Then to answer your question, no. Nobody has contacted my father about selling because they probably know that won’t ever happen. And no, nothing strange or suspicious has happened to my father.

“One thing all those dead ranchers had in common was either no children or family to take over their ranches, or kin that weren’t interested in ranching. My father has five sons and me. Killing him wouldn’t get anyone any closer to owning this place.”

He frowned thoughtfully. “But, I would think if this corporation planned a community of condos and town houses, they’d want this land.” He cast a gaze around. “It looks pretty prime to me.”

“I don’t know what the intentions of MoTwin were where our land was concerned. I can’t begin to guess what was in those men’s heads.”

They reached the stables and walked inside, where the horses in the various stalls greeted their presence with snickers and soft whinnies.

As she walked toward where her horse, Spooky, was stalled, she paused at each of the other stalls to pet a nose or scratch an ear. She tried to ignore Chase’s nearness, but it was darned near impossible.

The man seemed to fill the stable interior with an unsettling presence that even the horses felt. They sidestepped and pawed the ground with an unusual restlessness, as if catching the scent of a predator in the air.

“Tell me about your other brothers,” he said as she greeted her black mare with a soft whisper. “Your father mentioned they’d all be here for dinner tonight. I’d like to know a little about them before then. Dalton has mentioned them in the past, but never went into specific details.”

“Tanner’s the oldest. He’s thirty-five and as you know married to Anna. Zack is thirty-one and married to Kate. He’s running for Sheriff. Clay is thirty and just married Libby, who also has a little girl named Gracie. Then there’s Joshua. He’s the baby at twenty-five and he’s dating my best friend, Savannah. You met her yesterday at the café;.”

He nodded, his eyes dark and enigmatic. “Do you all still work for the family business?”

“We did, but things are changing. Tanner was actively running things before he met and married Anna. They’re now building a house and he’s involved in that and not working so much right now. As I mentioned, Zack wants to be sheriff and it looks like he’s going to get his wish. The man who’s working as sheriff right now has plans to retire.”

She scratched Spooky behind the ears, finding it much easier to focus on the horse’s loving, brown eyes than Chase’s cold blue ones.

“Joshua still works for the business and so do I, but for the last couple of months things have been rather slow.” She gave the horse a final pat on the neck. “We should probably head back to the house for breakfast.”

“So, what do you do in your spare time?” he asked as they made their way to the house.

“I occasionally do some volunteer work, but most of the time I keep busy around here. Running a ranch the size of ours requires lots of work.”

“Dalton mentioned to me last night that you don’t date. Why not?”

She stopped walking and held his gaze. “First of all, my brothers don’t know everything that goes on in my life. Just because they don’t know what I’m doing doesn’t mean I’m not doing it. And secondly, it’s really none of your business.”

She didn’t wait for his reply, but instead hurried toward the house, needing some space from the man, his endless questions and the hot lick of desire just looking at him stirred inside her.

It was just after ten when Chase sat in the passenger seat of Meredith’s car. She’d mentioned at breakfast that she was heading into town to run some errands and he’d asked if he could hitch a ride with her. He could tell the idea didn’t thrill her, but she was too polite to tell him no.

He’d told her that while she ran her errands or whatever, he’d hang out at the Wild West Protective Services office with Dalton.

He’d known most of the information she’d told him in the stables before he’d even asked the questions, but he’d hoped she’d give him something that would either exonerate or condemn somebody guilty.

The Wests might never have made the FBI radar if it hadn’t been for a couple of anonymous tips that had come in pointing a finger at the family. He had no idea if the tips were valid or not. It was his and Kathy’s assignment to find out.

“You asked me about my family earlier,” she said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had existed between them since they’d gotten into the car. “Tell me about yours.”

As always, when Chase thought of what little family he’d had, a knot of tension twisted in his chest. He reached up and touched the slightly raised scar that slashed through his eyebrow, then dropped his hand.

“There’s not much to tell. It’s just my mother and me. My father died a couple of years ago. He was a miserable man who gambled away his money, then drank and got mean.”

It was a partial truth. His mother had died when he was five and his violent, drunken father had raised him until Chase turned sixteen and left home. Whenever Chase thought of his family he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. God save him from people who professed to love him.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “But your mother seems very nice.”

He grinned. “Kat…Mom is a jewel. She left my father when I was ten and we have a great relationship.” This was the cover story they’d concocted, a blend of half lies and half truths. Kathy was a jewel, not as a mother but as a partner.

“She stepped into dangerous territory this morning.”

Chase looked at her curiously. “What do you mean?”

“She took over Smokey’s kitchen.”

“That’s bad?”

She smiled and in the genuine warmth of the gesture she was so stunning that the blood in Chase’s veins heated. “That’s grounds for a firing squad. Smokey has always been fiercely territorial about his kitchen.”

“What’s his story? He’s not part of the family, right?” Although Chase had no idea what financial benefit Smokey Johnson might get from conspiring with MoTwin, he knew that not all motives revolved around money.

“He’s family. He might as well have been born a West,” Meredith replied. “He worked as the ranch manager for years, then took a nasty spill from a horse and crushed his leg. He was still healing from that when my mother was murdered.”

“That must have been tough on everyone.” He watched the play of emotions that crossed her features, a flash of pain, a twist of anger, then finally the smooth transition into a weary acceptance. She’d be an easy mark at cards. She didn’t have much of a poker face.

“From what I understand, my father was devastated. He and my mother had one of those loves that you only read about in novels. They were best friends and soul mates and Dad crawled deep into his grief. Smokey stepped in to help with all of us kids and he never left. He’s a combination of a drill sergeant and a beloved uncle.”

She pulled into a parking space in front of the Wild West Protective Services office. She shut off the car engine and unbuckled her seat belt. “Why don’t I meet you back here around noon and we’ll head back to the ranch.”

“Why don’t we meet back here at noon and I’ll buy us lunch at the café;?”

She looked at him in surprise. “Why would you want to do that?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” he countered. “It’s not every day I get the opportunity to buy lunch for a pretty lady.” He watched her, fascinated by the pink blush that swept into her cheeks.

“I guess it would be all right to have lunch before we head back,” she replied.

They got out of her car and she murmured goodbye, then headed across the street. “What are you doing, Chase,” he muttered to himself as he watched her walk away.

Once again, she was dressed in an old flannel shirt and a pair of worn jeans. She intrigued him. She acted and dressed like a woman who didn’t much care about a man’s attention, and yet the blush that had colored her cheeks had spoken otherwise.

She was unlike any woman he’d ever been around before. Most of the women he dated were girly girls, high-maintenance savvy singles who cared even less about a committed relationship than he did. Meredith West blushed like a woman who wasn’t accustomed to compliments or attention.

He watched until she disappeared into a storefront, then he turned and went into the Wild West Protective Services office.

“I don’t care how difficult the client is,” Dalton said into the phone receiver as he raised a hand in greeting to Chase. “You do what you have to do to make this right. You know how to do your job, just do it and try not to make people angry.” He hung up the phone with a groan. “I think sometimes it’s easier to have a boss than to be one.”

Chase sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk and grinned at his friend. “As one who has a boss instead of being one, I’d argue the fact with you.”

Dalton laughed and leaned forward in his chair. “How about one night you and I make plans to shoot some pool and drink a few beers?”

“Sounds good to me,” Chase agreed. Maybe knocking back a few brews would get thoughts of Meredith West out of his head.

The two men visited for a few minutes, then Dalton got another phone call and Chase left the office to wander the sidewalks and see what kind of vibes he picked up.

Being around Dalton was almost as difficult as being with Meredith. The deception of his friend didn’t sit well. But Chase had a job to do and work had always been the one thing he could depend on, the only thing he clung to.

Cotter Creek was a pleasant little town with sidewalks and shade trees running the length of Main Street. Benches every twenty feet or so welcomed people to sit a spell.

An old man sat on the bench outside the barbershop, his weatherworn face showing no emotion as Chase sat on the opposite end of the bench.

“Nice day,” Chase said.

“Seen better,” the old man replied.

“My name’s Chase, I’m here in town visiting the West family.”

“Too many strangers popping up here in Cotter Creek for my comfort and I’m Sam Rhenquist.”

Chase leaned back against the bench. “Nice town.”

“Used to be. Lately everybody’s been looking cross-eyed at each other, wondering who might be guilty of some things that have happened around here.” Rhenquist eyed him with a touch of suspicion and clamped his mouth closed, as if irritated that he’d said too much.

For the next few minutes Chase tried some small talk, but the old man was having nothing to do with it. Finally Chase rose, said goodbye and headed down the sidewalk with no particular destination in mind.

He knew the best place to pick up information would be the café; or wherever Dalton intended to take him for the night of beer and pool. People talked when they ate, and people really talked when they drank. No telling what little tidbit he’d be able to pick up that might help the investigation.

Eventually he wanted to touch base with Bill Wallace and Roger Tompkins, the two agents who were actively working the case here in town. He wanted to know who they had in their radar and what they might have discovered in the brief time they’d been in town.

It didn’t take him long to walk the length of the businesses on Main Street, then he crossed the street and headed back the way he’d come on the opposite side of the street. As he walked, his mind whirled.

He’d already learned two important things since arriving in town. The first was that Meredith West was sharp and he’d have to be more subtle with his questions than he’d been when they’d gone to the stables that morning.

The second was that for some crazy reason he was intensely attracted to the tall, dark-haired woman. If he allowed that attraction to get out of hand, he’d risk complicating his job here.

He’d share a simple lunch with her, then head out to the ranch and hope that Kathy had managed to glean some sort of helpful information about the rest of the West family.

He made it back to Meredith’s car and leaned against the driver’s side to wait for Meredith to return from whatever she was doing. It was damned inconvenient not to have a car at his disposal.

It had been Kathy’s idea to ride the bus into town. She’d thought being at the mercy of the West family for transportation would afford them more time to chat with the various members of the clan.

He should have put his foot down and told her it was a dumb idea, but he found it difficult to argue with Kathy about anything. Those twinkling blue eyes and sweet smile of hers hid a stubborn streak that always surprised him.

He straightened as he saw Meredith in the distance coming toward him. As she drew closer, he realized she looked different…softer…more feminine. It took him a minute to realize it was her hair.

Where before it had hung without rhyme, without reason in various lengths, it now feathered around her face, emphasizing the classic beauty of her features. She carried with her a large file folder bound with several rubber bands.

“Wow,” he said when she was close enough to hear him.

Her cheeks reddened slightly and she reached up to self-consciously touch a strand of her hair. “It’s just a haircut,” she said with a touch of belligerence.

“No, it’s more than that. It’s a total transformation,” he replied.

“It’s not a big deal,” she replied, obviously not wanting him to make it a big deal. “You ready for lunch?”

He nodded. “What have you got there?”

“Just some paperwork I want to read.” She opened the car door, set the papers on the seat, then locked the doors and gestured toward the café;. “Shall we?”

The Sunny Side Up Café; was in full swing serving a surprisingly large lunch crowd. They found an empty booth toward the back and settled in, but not before Meredith was greeted by half a dozen people.

She’d been attractive before, but with the new hairstyle Chase was having trouble keeping his gaze from her. “Is the food good here?” he asked as he opened a menu and forced himself to look at it. But it couldn’t hold his attention the way she did.

“Excellent,” she replied. She looked ill at ease, her gaze darting around the room then back at her menu.

“Is everything all right?”

Her bright green eyes met his gaze in surprise. “Yes, everything is fine.” Once again she made a quick sweep of the room with her gaze.

“So, tell me about your work,” Chase said after the waitress had departed with their orders. “It must be fascinating to be a bodyguard.”

“It has its moments,” she replied, then frowned. “Although lately there haven’t been as many moments as I’d like.”

“What do you mean?”

She picked up her napkin and placed it in her lap. “Business has been slow. None of us are working as much as we like.”

The conversation halted momentarily as the waitress appeared to serve their drinks. “You mentioned that before. What’s made things slow down?” Chase asked when they were once again alone.

“Who knows? I’ve talked about it some with Tanner, my oldest brother, and even he isn’t sure what’s caused the slow down. I guess people not needing bodyguard services doesn’t necessarily translate to lower crime rates in the city. You must stay very busy.”

Chase grinned ruefully. “Definitely. In the war on crime, the bad guys still seem to have the upper hand.”

Her gaze held his for a long moment. “Speaking of crime, did Dalton tell you that our mother was murdered years ago?”

She had the kind of eyes that could swallow a man whole and make him forget his surroundings. At the moment they radiated a soft vulnerability, a wistful need he immediately wanted to fulfill, no matter what it entailed.

It was he who broke the eye contact, disconcerted by his own reaction. “Yeah, Dalton told me about it.”

“Those papers I left in the car are copies of the reports concerning her murder. It was never solved and lately I’ve been thinking about it, about her a lot.”

There was an unspoken question in her gaze as he looked at her once again. “I thought maybe by looking at the files I might see something that was missed in the initial investigation. I’m not telling my father or my brothers that I’m looking into Mom’s death. I don’t want to upset anyone.” She paused a moment, then continued, “How long have you been a homicide cop?”

He suddenly knew what she wanted from him. “You want me to take a look at those files?”

She flashed him a grateful smile. “Would you mind? Maybe you’ll see something important, something that I’m not trained to look for.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” He’d take a look at the files. It was the least he could do.

A few minutes later, the waitress delivered their food and Chase’s mind worked to process his thoughts and impressions. And the one thing that kept coming back into his mind was the fact that business was slow at Wild West Protective Services.

Somebody in Cotter Creek had worked with the men at MoTwin to identify the weak in town, the ranchers without family, the men who could easily be killed and their deaths look like accidents. Money had certainly changed hands…a lot of money. Had Meredith or one of her brothers panicked about the financial status of Wild West Protective Services and made a deal with the devil?

Yes, he’d look at the file concerning her mother’s murder and hope that in the end he didn’t take another family member away from her.

Chapter 3

Dinner was chaotic. It always was when the entire West family broke bread together. Meredith let the conversation swirl around her, grateful that for the moment nobody was focused on her.

She’d had enough attention when each of her brothers had arrived at the ranch. They’d teased her unmercifully about her new haircut until her father had insisted they stop picking on her.

Red West had gazed at her for a long moment, a softness in his eyes. “You look exactly like your mother did when I fell in love with her,” he’d said, then hugged her. “She would have been so proud of you.”

His words had merely renewed her desire to get to the bottom of the crime that had stolen her mother. She and Chase had agreed to go over the file that evening, after her family had left and her father went to bed.

She cast a surreptitious glance across the table at Chase, who was in the middle of a conversation with Zack. There was no denying the fact that she was attracted to the Kansas City cop.

It had been over a year since Meredith had enjoyed any kind of relationship with a man. At that time she’d been working in Florida and had fallen into a relationship with a local man. It had lasted over two months, until her job in Florida had ended.

Todd Green had been a terrific guy and she’d hoped when it was time for her to return to Oklahoma that he’d beg her not to go, that he’d tell her he couldn’t live without her.

But he hadn’t. Instead he’d told her he’d had a lot of fun with her, but when he finally decided to settle down for a long-term committed relationship it would be with somebody softer, somebody less capable…a real woman who needed him.

She’d been devastated. Not so much because she’d been head over heels in love with Todd, but rather because his hurtful words had pierced through to a well of doubt and insecurities she’d secretly harbored.

How could she know what it meant to be a real woman when there had been no woman in her life? She’d learned martial arts and self-defense like her brothers. She’d been taught how to shoot a gun and how to assess a situation for danger. But nobody had taught her how to be a real woman.

Since Todd there had been nobody else. Until Chase McCall with his piercing blue eyes that for some reason made her feel oddly lacking whenever he gazed at her.

The talk at the table turned to the Fall Festival dance in three days. “The whole town shows up for the dance,” Tanner said. “Except Meredith, she always heads home before the band starts to play.”

“We’ve all decided she must have two left feet,” Zack added with a teasing grin. His wife, Kate, elbowed him in his side.

Despite the teasing, there was no denying the sense of unity at the table, the fierce loyalty and love they all felt for each other was on display, no matter who the guests of the house might be at the time.

Chase gazed at Meredith from across the table. “Surely this time you’ll stay. If fact, I insist you save me a dance or two just to prove to your brothers that you don’t have two left feet.”

The idea of being held in his arms even for the length of a song caused a stir of warmth to seep through her blood. She wanted to protest, to tell him that she never went to the local dances, but try as she might, the protest refused to rise to her lips and she found herself nodding her assent.

Chase and his mother had only been in town for three days, but each day had increased the annoying tension in Meredith. She’d tried to keep her distance from him, but it was difficult in the confines of the house.

After dinner there was another hour of small talk, then everyone began to leave. “Meredith, will you walk me to my car?” Dalton asked.

She looked at him in surprise. “All right,” she replied. Together brother and sister left the house and stepped outside into the chilly night air. Darkness had fallen and the only light was the faint glow of the moon drifting down from the cloudless sky.

“I assume you wanted to talk to me alone?” Meredith said as they crossed the expanse of yard to where Dalton had parked his car.

“I’ve got a favor to ask you,” Dalton replied. “About the dance on Saturday night. Even though you said you’d be there at the dinner table, I thought you might sneak out early. I know dances aren’t your thing, but could you hang around and entertain Chase and his mother for me?”

Meredith had already decided to skip the evening festivities despite the fact that she’d said she would save a dance or two for Chase. Her experiences at the occasional town dances had never been pleasant ones.

“Why do I have to babysit your guests?” she asked, a touch of irritation deepening her tone.

Dalton grinned, leaned over and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Because you’re the best sister in the whole world and I have a date with Melanie Brooks for the dance.”

She wanted to decline, she so didn’t want to do this, and yet Dalton had never asked her for anything. She also knew he’d spent the past month working up his nerve to ask pretty Melanie out on a date. “All right. I said I’d go, so I’ll go and make nice to your friend and his mother.”

“You’re the best.”

“That’s what you guys always tell me when you’ve managed to talk me into doing something I don’t want to do.”

Dalton laughed and got into his car. She watched as he drove down the lane, his headlights eventually swallowed up by the darkness of the night.

She wrapped her arms around herself and remained standing in place for a long moment. She frowned as she thought about the dance and rubbed her hands along the soft flannel of her shirt.

She didn’t even have anything to wear. Her closet was filled with jeans and shirts, and the only dress she owned was the bridesmaid dress she’d worn to Clay and Libby’s wedding. It was floor length and far too fussy for a town dance.

Maybe she’d talk to Libby tomorrow about borrowing a dress for the night. The two women were about the same size, and Libby had a closet full of clothes she’d brought with her when she’d moved from California to make a life with Clay.

A night breeze blew a burst of chilly air through the nearby trees. Dying leaves swished against one another and a chill that had nothing to do with the night air swept up her spine. Once again she felt that creepy feeling, like somebody was watching her, like she wasn’t quite alone in the night.

She told herself she was being foolish, but turned on her heels and hurried back into the house. She went into the kitchen to see if there was anything she could help Smokey with, but Kathy stood at the sink next to him chatting as she dried the dishes he washed. Smokey wore a long-suffering expression, as if her chatter was about to drive him insane.

Meredith’s father, Red, was in the living room seated in his favorite chair and Chase was nowhere to be found. She sat on the sofa and smiled at her dad.

“I love family meals,” he said. “I love having the family all together.”

“It was nice,” she agreed. As usual when speaking to her father she made her voice louder than usual. Although Red refused to admit any problem, all of his kids knew he was growing deaf. “It won’t be long before the family gets bigger. Anna is pregnant and I have a feeling if Kate has her way she won’t be far behind her.”

Red’s eyes took on a faraway cast. “Grandchildren are a blessing. I just wish—” He broke off and smiled at Meredith. “Well, you know what I wish.”

She nodded. He wished Meredith’s mother were here to share it all with him. He wished his wife were by his side in the autumn of their lives. Meredith thought of the file that was in the top drawer of her dresser in her bedroom.

She couldn’t give her mother back to her father, but maybe after all these years she could finally give him some closure. She could give him the name of Elizabeth’s murderer.

Minutes later Kathy and Smokey came out of the kitchen and the four of them visited for another half hour or so. Chase came into the living room from his bedroom just about the same time Red decided to retire for the night.

By ten o’clock everyone had gone to his or her room except Chase and Meredith. “Is now a good time to go through that file?” he asked her.

“It’s a perfect time. I’ll just go get it.” As she left the living room, she drew deep breaths, wondering what it was about Chase McCall’s presence that made her feel as if she never got quite enough oxygen.

She retrieved the file from the dresser drawer, then returned to the living room. “Why don’t we go into the kitchen where we can spread it out on the table?” she suggested.

He nodded and together they went into the kitchen and sat at the round oak table. Meredith placed her hand on the top of the file, for a moment feeling as if she were about to open Pandora’s box.

Inside the folder was the last evidence of a life interrupted, the pieces of an investigation that had yielded no results, leaving a man and six children to wonder who had committed such outrage and left behind such devastation.

“You sure you want to do this?” Chase’s voice was soft, but his gaze was sharp and penetrating, as if he were attempting to look directly into her soul.

“No, I’m not at all sure I want to do this,” she replied honestly. “But, I feel like I have to.” She looked at the folder beneath her hand. “I feel like she wants me to do this, she needs me to do this.” She laughed and looked at him once again. “I know it sounds crazy.”

“No, it doesn’t,” he replied. “I know all about needing answers, but you realize it’s possible we won’t get the answers you want from that file.”

“I know. I’m just looking for a lead, something that was perhaps overlooked when the initial investigation took place.”

He pulled the folder from beneath her hand and opened it. He quickly withdrew three photographs and flipped them face down on the table just out of her reach. “There’s no reason for you to see those,” he said. There was a toughness in his tone that forbade her to argue with him.

She didn’t want to argue. She didn’t want to see crime-scene photos of her mother’s broken body. She had a faint memory of her mother’s smiling face, and she wanted nothing to displace her single visual memory of the woman who had given her life.

For the next hour they pored over the papers and while she read lab reports and crime-scene analyses she tried not to notice the evocative scent of Chase, the heat of his body so close to hers.

It had been a very long time since she’d been so intensely aware of a man and aware of her own desire for a man. She held no illusions about her desirability as a woman. She’d always been a bodyguard first, a woman second, more in touch with her abilities to exist in a man’s world than in her own femininity.

But as she sat next to Chase, she wished she knew more about womanly wiles, about how to flirt and how to let a man know she was interested in him.

She instantly chided herself. She knew nothing about Chase McCall, about what kind of man he was, what was important to him. She knew nothing about him except the fact that one glance of his eyes and everything tightened inside her, one brush of his hand against hers and the defenses she kept wrapped around herself threatened to shatter.

With a sigh of irritation at her own wayward thoughts, she consciously focused on the paper in her hand.

“Was it your mother’s usual habit to go grocery shopping on a Friday night?” Chase asked.

“I don’t know. Unfortunately, I don’t know a lot about my mother.”

His eyes held curiosity. “You never asked your father or any of your brothers about her?”

She leaned back in the chair and frowned thoughtfully. “Over the years I’d asked some simple questions. I wanted to know what kind of woman she was, what she liked and didn’t like. But I never asked anything that might stir up Dad’s grief all over again.”

Chase nodded. “I’d be interested to know if your mother was a creature of habit or if the shopping trip that night was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.”

“Maybe I should write down some of the questions.” She got up from the table and went to the desk in the corner of the kitchen to get pen and paper. “Tanner would be the one for me to talk to. He was ten when Mom died and he still has a lot of memories of her.”

It was a relief to have just that momentary distance from him, from his pleasant scent that seemed to fill her head. When she returned to the table, she noticed that the photos he’d placed on the side had been moved, letting her know that while she’d hunted for paper and pen, he’d looked at those photos.

He leaned back in the chair and frowned thoughtfully. “The investigation looks tight. The officials did everything that should have been done,” he said. “Unfortunately they didn’t have a lot to go on. There were no witnesses and not much evidence to examine. But it looks like they spoke to your mother’s friends and acquaintances to see if there was anyone giving her problems or somebody she’d made angry.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t look like they missed anything.”

Meredith sighed in frustration. She’d hoped he’d find something, anything that might provide a lead to the killer.

She stared toward the window where the black of night reflected her image back to her. “I think she was killed by somebody who knew her, somebody here in town. For a week after she was buried, a bouquet of daisies was placed on her grave. Daisies were my mother’s favorite flowers and nobody from the family was responsible for putting them there. A bouquet of daisies is still put on her grave every year on the anniversary of her death.”

“Has that been investigated?” He leaned forward, as if she’d captured his attention. His blond hair gleamed in the artificial light and she wondered if it was as soft as it looked.

She nodded. “Clyde Walker was the sheriff at the time of her death and he tried to solve the mystery of the daisies. According to Tanner what he discovered was that an FTD order was placed and paid for in cash from Oklahoma City directing the flowers be placed on the grave for that week. The florist here had no idea who had ordered them. Sheriff Ramsey has tried to get to the bottom of the yearly bouquets, but he hasn’t learned anything new.”

“I agree with you, I think she was killed by somebody she knew, by somebody she trusted.”

“Why do you think that?” Meredith asked.

“The evidence, such as it is, supports it. I’m assuming that stretch of road between here and town is dark and probably not well traveled.”

“That’s right.”

“There was no evidence in those reports that your mother had any kind of car trouble that night, yet she pulled over to the side of the road and got out of her car to meet her murderer. That’s not consistent with a stranger kill. And there’s something else…” He frowned, his gaze assessing, as if gauging how strong she was, how much she could hear.

She raised her chin and held his gaze. “Tell me. What else?”

He rubbed a hand across his lower jaw where she could see the faint stubble of a five-o’clock shadow. “According to the crime-scene report, there was evidence of a struggle and yet from the photo I saw that was taken when your mother was found, her clothing was almost artfully arranged in place. If I had to guess, whoever killed your mother had some sort of feelings for her.”

He leaned forward and gathered the papers together and shoved them back into the folder, then looked at her once again. “Is it possible your mother was seeing somebody?”

“You mean like an affair? Absolutely not,” she said forcefully. “Everyone who knew my parents talk about how devoted they were to each other. All of the women who knew my mother said she adored my father.”

She didn’t even want to think that the fairy-tale love her parents had shared wasn’t true, that her mother had wandered outside her marriage vows. “Mom was a budding actress in Hollywood when she met Dad. She was just beginning to enjoy success and attention. She left her career behind to move here with him and have a family.”

He tapped a finger on the file. “I don’t see how I can help you on this,” he said. “It looks like everything was done at the time to try to find the murderer. It’s a cold case with no new evidence to explore.”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” she replied. “I really appreciate your thoughts on this.”

“No problem.” He grinned, a slow, sexy gesture that caused her breath to momentarily catch in her chest. “Now, tell me, why don’t you go to the town dances?”

She got up from the table. Now that he’d done what she’d wanted him to do in looking through the files, she felt the need to escape. The kitchen felt too small, his very presence far too big.

He rose from the table and moved to stand within inches of her. His clean, masculine scent once again infused her head, making her half-dizzy. “I thought all women loved dances,” he said, his breath warm on her face.

“I went to a few but I got tired of standing around waiting for somebody to ask me to dance.” Step back, her mind commanded, but it was as if her legs had gone numb.

“I find that hard to believe,” he said, his gaze focused on her mouth. She fought the impulse to lick her lips, afraid he might see it as an open invitation, even more afraid she would mean it as an invitation.

“It’s true,” she said, the words seeming to come from far away. “I don’t know if the men in this town are more afraid of my brothers or because I carry a gun.”

He touched her then, a mere brush of her hair away from her face. As his fingertips skimmed the side of her cheek, a coil of heat unfurled in the pit of her stomach.

“I’ve met all your brothers and I don’t find them scary at all. And I carry a gun, too, so that definitely doesn’t bother me. But, let me tell you what does bother me.” His eyes were no longer cold and assessing, but rather warm and inviting. “It bothers me that since the moment I laid eyes on you I’ve wondered what your mouth would feel like under mine.”

Her breath caught painfully tight in her throat. “Do you intend to keep on wondering or do you intend to find out?” Her heart crashed inside her chest.

How had they gotten from talking about a murder to contemplating a kiss? She didn’t know and she didn’t care. All she wanted at the moment was for him to kiss her…hard and deeply.

“I definitely intend to find out,” he said as he wrapped her in his strong arms and pulled her tight against him. His mouth took hers, his lips possessing, demanding.

She opened her mouth to him, wanting the touch of his tongue against hers, the shattering heat of full possession. She raised her arms around his neck and placed her fingers where the bottom of his thick, silky hair met his shirt collar. Soft. The blond hair was definitely soft.

The kiss seemed to last forever, but it wasn’t long enough for her. It was he who finally broke the kiss and stepped back from her, his eyes gleaming with wicked intensity.

“If you dance even half as well as you kiss, then we should have a great time on Saturday night.” He walked over to the table and picked up the file folder. “Sweet dreams, Meredith,” he said, then left the kitchen.

She stared after him, wondering if she’d ever breathe normally again. Meredith had spent most of her life competing with her brothers, but at this moment she was intensely grateful that she was a woman.

He’d seen the cars come and go at the West ranch from his hiding place in the stand of trees. The entire family had gathered. But he wasn’t interested in any of the others…just her…just Elizabeth.

No, not Elizabeth, he told himself. Elizabeth was gone. Dead. But Meredith was wonderfully alive and having her would be like having Elizabeth.

It had only been in the last month or so that he’d realized that Meredith was the spitting image of the woman he’d loved, the woman he’d been obsessed with.

Before the last month, Meredith had been out of town a lot and he’d rarely run into her. Then one day he’d seen her walking on the sidewalk downtown, and he’d been electrified by the sight. It was as if Elizabeth walked again, breathed again.

He’d been unable to get Meredith out of his mind. She was so beautiful. He could almost feel the silk of her dark hair between his fingers. He wanted to drown in the green depths of her eyes. Just looking at her made it hard to breathe. She possessed his every thought.

He had to have her. His need soared through him, filling him with both a euphoric high and an edge of apprehension. He had to have her. He would have her, but this time he’d do things differently. This time he’d try not to kill her.

Chapter 4

The scents of popcorn, cotton candy and autumn rode the air as Chase got out of Red West’s car. It had already been a full day with pie-eating, cattlejudging and jelly-tasting contests.

A carnival had taken up residency in the parking lot in front of the community center. Multicolored lights flickered on the Ferris wheel as the delighted screams of the riders competed with the raucous laughter coming from the Tilt-A-Whirl.

Soon the carnival would shut down and the night would belong to the adults of Cotter Creek. “It’s a beautiful night,” Kathy said as she and Smokey, Red and Chase walked toward the community building where the dance would be taking place.

It was a perfect autumn night. A full moon hung in a cloudless sky and it was unusually warm for early October.

“Mark my words, there will be mischief tonight,” Smokey said gruffly as he looked up in the sky. “Add full-moon madness with a live band and liquor and there’s sure to be trouble.”

Maybe a little prefull-moon madness was what Chase had suffered two nights ago when he’d kissed Meredith. He hadn’t begun the night with any intention of kissing her, but at the time of the kiss, he’d felt as if he needed to kiss her.

Even now, just the thought of the taste of her soft lips beneath his had the effect of heating his blood. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it one bit. That kiss had shaken him up far more than he liked to admit.

Since the night of the kiss, he’d tried to keep his distance from Meredith, both mental and physical. Red had taken him into town each morning, and he’d caught a ride back to the ranch with Dalton in the evenings.

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