She studied him for a second and he glanced at her. “Something wrong?”

“No, nothing. I’ve just never met … well, someone like you before.”

“Someone like me,” he mused. “What does that mean?”

“You’re a cowboy.”

He flashed her a smile. “What gave it away? The hat, the boots, the saddle in the back, or maybe it’s the subtle whiff of cow lingering in the air?”

“All of the above,” she said, but her voice revealed she knew he was teasing her. “Of course, in my line of work it pays to be observant.”

“And I bet you don’t miss much.”

Cowboy Secrets
Alice Sharpe

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ALICE SHARPE met her husband-to-be on a cold, foggy beach in Northern California. Their union has survived the rearing of two children, a handful of earthquakes, numerous cats and a few special dogs, the latest of which is a yellow Lab named Annie Rose. Alice and her husband now live in a small rural town in Oregon, where she devotes the majority of her time to pursuing her second love, writing. You can write to her c/o Harlequin Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279, USA. An SASE for reply is appreciated.

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This book is dedicated with love to Amalia Anina Mauro LeVelle

Contents

Cover

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Sierra Hyde yawned into her fist as she nursed a glass of white wine at a long mahogany bar. The music, the booths on the back wall and the big mirror behind the bottles all reeked of familiarity.

Her main interest, however, wasn’t the establishment, but the solitary woman sitting alone at a dark booth near the back of the room. Her name was Natalia Bonaparte, age thirty-three. Occupation: job counselor. Frequent glances at the diamond watch sparkling on her wrist suggested whomever she was waiting to meet was late, but Sierra already knew this. Her job was to catch a photo of the man who joined the woman. According to Sierra’s client, Savannah Papadakis, that man was going to be Savannah’s estranged husband.

Yeah, well, it better be him because trailing Natalia was getting tedious and it had only been two days. The woman had a pretty active after-hour party life.

“Will you have another?” the bartender asked as he ran a rag along the bar. Sierra looked down at her glass and realized she’d imbibed half the wine. “I’ll have a ginger ale this time,” she said. With any luck, her client’s husband would show up, she’d get a few photos and be on her way back to New York City within the next few minutes. She needed a good night’s sleep after the disco stakeout last night.

He left to pour her drink right as the door opened. Sierra darted a quick glance. Two young guys barely old enough to legally walk through the door held each other up as they staggered to the bar and plopped down on either side of Sierra.

“Hey, pretty lady,” one of them said. The guy’s breath reached her nose before his words reached her ears and she instinctively flinched.

The bartender showed up with the ginger ale and took orders for two beers, while Sierra declined to let her new “friends” buy her one, too. The door opened again, sending a renewed jolt of cold January air into the bar. A man about the right age sauntered in. His perfectly groomed head of white hair caught every stray beam of light as he looked from the bar to the tables, past groups of revelers, until his gaze stopped on the far corner where Sierra knew the blonde sat. He seemed to momentarily frown before crossing the room to join her. The woman greeted him by lifting one of her hands, which he kissed. Sierra witnessed all this by watching their hazy reflections in the mirror that backed the bar.

The two drunks were both leaning closer to her, making her thankful she hadn’t taken off her jacket. She had to get rid of them if she was going to get the pictures and escape this place.

“Those gals over there are giving you the eye,” she whispered to the one on her left. She nodded at a table a good distance away, where two women pushing forty sat talking over martini glasses. As far as Sierra knew, neither one was even aware the guys at the bar existed.

“Them?” the one on Sierra’s left said after turning to stare.

“Too old,” the man on her right said. “Besides, they ain’t looking at us.”

“Sure they are,” she said as she took a pair of tortoiseshell glasses out of her pocket and slipped them on her face. “They just look away whenever one of you turns around.”

“You know, dude, there’s nothing wrong with bagging a couple of cougars,” the other guy said with a speculative note in his voice.

“But we can’t abandon this little gal,” the one on the right insisted.

“Sure you can,” Sierra said. “I’m about to leave, anyway.”

He grinned and cracked his knuckles. “That case, I call dibs on the brunette.”

Both men wobbled their way toward their new targets. Heaving a sigh of relief, Sierra once again focused on the mirror’s reflection. The lighting in that booth sucked. Details were hard to see.

She turned casually on her stool, glanced at the two women, who had apparently invited the drunks to sit down with them, and looked at the blonde’s table as she activated the camera hidden in the nose bridge of the frames of her glasses. She counted out a dozen shots, then got to her feet, put a twenty on the bar and made her way to the restroom, which meant she walked right past the booth. To her relief, the candlelight on their table was adequate at close range, and she took several pictures while passing, mostly of the woman, though the point was to get them both in the frame.

After washing her hands, Sierra retraced her steps, this time angling for a better shot of her two subjects. As she snapped a photo, the man called the bartender over. She darted him a startled glance. He looked right through her and she continued walking. She’d been so sure! But that accent...

Spiro Papadakis had been in the States for over a decade, but according to his wife, his Greek accent was still pronounced. This man sounded like the Jersey shore. He looked up at her as she passed and their eyes met. He blinked and looked away. She’d seen several photographs of her target and there was something familiar about this guy despite the voice.

Well, she’d download and study the pictures later. For now, her job here was done and she walked outside. Freezing rain pelted her face as she made her way to her car. Her phone chirped but she didn’t recognize the caller ID and answered cautiously. “Yes?”

“Is this Sierra Hyde?”

“Yes,” Sierra said as a sound from behind caused her to glance over her shoulder. She’d been a PI for almost five years now and liked to think her instincts picked up anything unusual in her environment. For a heartbeat she studied the facade. The lake behind the tavern was huge and black, and sent a layer of mist swirling around the painted wooden fish over the door. There didn’t appear to be anyone else around.

She turned her attention back to her caller. “Who is this?” she asked as she traversed the crowded lot to the very back corner, where she’d parked.

“My name is Pike Hastings,” a male voice said. “I’m sort of related to your sister, Tess.”

“I know who you are,” she said as she spotted the bright red bumper sticker promoting her choice of candidate for the upcoming mayoral election. She beeped the car open and settled behind the wheel. “You’re Mona’s son.”

“That’s right. I know we’ve never met—”

“Oh, my gosh, are you calling about Tess?” Sierra interrupted as she closed the car door behind her. “Has my little sister shown up? Does her dad know? Is she okay?”

“Yes, no, hard to say. Yes, she showed up, but here at my place. One minute she says call her dad, the next she refuses to let me do it. I’m not sure how she is except for a head cold and what looks to me like a major case of the jitters.”

“You’re in Montana, right?”

“No, the family ranch is in Idaho. About Tess, like I said, something has her spooked but she insists on talking to you and me together. Can you come right away?”

“Of course,” Sierra said.

“That’s great,” he said, and there was no missing the relief in his voice. “I took the liberty of buying you a plane ticket. I’ll email it to you. The only flight I could get you on leaves at five tomorrow morning from New York, I hope that’s okay.”

Sierra suppressed a groan. There went the night’s sleep she’d been hoping for. On the other hand, Tess had been mostly out of touch since a couple of weeks before Halloween. Sierra was so relieved to hear she was alive and breathing—even if it was in Idaho—that she would have walked there if she’d had to.

“I’ll pick you up at the airport,” he added.

“That isn’t necessary,” she assured him. “I’ll rent a car.”

“I insist,” he said. “The ranch can be hard to find and the roads are kind of tricky this time of year and your phone might not work,” he told her. “We don’t exactly have the same cell coverage you’re used to. Trust me on this.”

“Okay,” she said, and added her thanks before clicking off. Almost immediately, a sound outside the window made her look up and she gasped. It took her a second to make out the squished-up features of one of the drunks from the bar.

“Hey, baby, you’re voting for the wrong guy,” he said with a wide sweep of his arm toward the back of her car. “Jakes is a loser. Vote Yardley!”

She smiled and nodded and hit the door lock. No way was she rolling down the window. She started the car and hoped she didn’t back over one of his feet.

“Hey, come on back inside!” he squawked and reeled away. Did that comment about the mayoral candidates for New York City mean he had to drive all the way back to the city tonight? She sincerely hoped the bartender confiscated his keys and called him a cab.

Jumpy now, her mind racing with everything she had to do in the next seven hours, she drove out of the parking lot and headed home. A glance in the rearview mirror reassured her no one followed.

It crossed her mind that she didn’t know why it had even occurred to her to check.

* * *

PIKE HASTINGS WAS glad the predicted winter storm hadn’t materialized...yet. He arrived at the airport in Boise a half hour before Sierra’s flight was due to land and made the loop, keeping an eye out for a woman who fit her description. He’d never met her, had never even seen a picture of her. She shared only a mother with Tess, and Tess had warned him that while she had inherited her mother’s genes, Sierra had not. She’d told him only to look for a tall woman with red hair and an attitude.

As descriptions went, it wasn’t a lot to go on, but he figured they’d find each other without too much trouble. He eventually parked in the loading zone in front of the airline on which he’d booked her flight and got out of the SUV. Within minutes, a woman headed out of the building pulling a carry-on, impatience written all over her face.

But what a face. One in a million women could claim skin like hers: creamy, glowing, perfect. Large green eyes the color of spring ivy might look frustrated right now, but there was nothing wrong with their shape, just as her lips formed a lovely curve and her auburn hair fell in a glistening sheet to frame her jaw. She wore a black suede jacket and matching riding boots, skintight black jeans and a white shirt. A brilliant solitaire diamond glistened at her throat and a large leather handbag that could double as a saddlebag hung over one shoulder.

A large man with a mustache walked behind her. He wore a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, but Pike could see that he was staring at Sierra’s seductive shape just as intently as Pike had. The man seemed to become aware of Pike’s gaze and he put his hand up to his eyes and veered away as though embarrassed to be caught staring. Pike could have assured him just about any man would have ogled a bit.

“Sierra Hyde?” Pike said, stepping forward. She turned as though just becoming aware of him, pocketed her phone and maintained eye contact as Pike approached. He tried to see himself through her eyes and wondered what conclusions she might be making about him. He could only hope they were as flattering as the ones he’d drawn about her.

“You must be Pike,” she said, holding out her hand and shaking his with a firm, no-nonsense grip. “My phone works,” she added.

“Wait until we get out in the middle of nowhere,” he said with a smile.

“No doubt. Funny how dependent we get on our gadgets.”

Tess had said her sister was a private eye and he bet she was good at what she did. She didn’t look as though she’d tolerate being anything but good.

“Let me help you with that,” he said, reaching for her suitcase. “Please, go ahead and take a seat.”

She seemed almost reluctant to let him help, but did as he asked. He deposited the suitcase in the back of the SUV as she climbed into the passenger seat. “Did you have a nice flight?” he asked as he pulled away from the curb. She had turned to look back at the terminal and took a second to look forward again. Was there something back there? He glanced into his rearview mirror and saw nothing but a sea of cars. “Is everything okay?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, avoiding eye contact. “And my flight was fine. How is Tess?”

“Pretty miserable,” he said.

“Has she told you anything?”

“No. But I was referring to her head cold as well as her emotional state.”

“She hasn’t even said where she went after she left home all of a sudden?”

“Not a thing. I only heard from her once in all that time and that was right before Christmas. She texted me but never responded when I texted her back.”

“That’s about the same thing that happened to me, too,” Sierra said. “But I’m surprised she tuned you out. I know you’ve done your best to visit her every few months and get along with her dad. She even came out to your ranch once or twice, right?”

“Yes. And I’ve flown to LA. She’s a nice kid who seemed to get lost in the shuffle.”

Sierra nodded, the assessing look back in her eyes. “Frankly, I’m surprised she wants me to come at all. She’s been angry with me for years.”

“I wouldn’t take it personally. She’s just kind of confused. And I, for one, am very glad you’re here,” he added. “I can tell she’s scared of something, but she insists she wants to talk to both of us. I was hoping you two had made some inroads with each other.”

“I wanted her to come stay in New York with me after our mom died,” Sierra said, “but Doug was her legal guardian and he insisted she stay with him in LA. There wasn’t much I could do about it. I think Tess thought I didn’t want her. And I don’t know... I was about eighteen at the time and she was what, six or seven? I’d seen little of her since before she started kindergarten. I tried to stay in touch but after her dad hooked up with that woman—” She paused and cast him a quick look. “Sorry, I forgot for a second that Mona is your mother.”

“I’m under no illusions when it comes to my mother,” he assured her. “She left about five minutes after I was born and never looked back. Don’t worry about offending me.”

“Well, in that case, let’s just say Mona got caught up in what was left of Doug’s Hollywood glamour. She didn’t want Tess around, or me, either, for that matter. Unfortunately, Doug is about as perceptive as a cantaloupe. Tess was problematic and he dealt with it by ignoring her. Those two people are hopeless as parents, but I’m still surprised that they didn’t do more to find her when she walked out in October.”

“Mom said that Tess stormed off in that car Doug bought her. She was eighteen, legally an adult. I think it was easier for both Mom and Doug to throw up their hands. And you have to remember this was right after Mona caught good old Doug fooling around at his restaurant and kicked him out. When Tess left the next day I think Mona said good riddance to both of them.” He shook his head. “People, right? Give me a horse any day.”

She studied him for a second and he glanced at her. “Something wrong?”

“No, nothing. I’ve just never met...well, someone like you before.”

“Someone like me,” he mused. “What does that mean?”

“You’re a cowboy.”

He flashed her a smile. “What gave it away? The hat, the boots, the saddle in the back? Or maybe it’s the subtle whiff of cow lingering in the air?”

“All of the above,” she said, but her voice revealed she knew he was teasing her. “Of course, in my line of work it pays to be observant.”

“And I bet you don’t miss much.”

“I’m not sure if I do or not. Exactly how far into the middle of nowhere is your ranch located?” she added as they left the Boise city limits.

“About two hours north of here.” He was aware of her disappointment upon hearing that. “Listen, there’s not all that much to see between here and there,” he added. “Why don’t you close your eyes for a while so you’ll be fresh when we get there?”

“I couldn’t do that,” she said.

“Why not?”

She shrugged lovely shoulders. The gesture seemed out of character for her, like a tiny little beachhead of uncertainty. “It would seem, I don’t know, too familiar, I guess.”

“Don’t worry. If you snore I won’t tell a soul.”

“I do not snore,” she said.

He smiled at her. “Go ahead. Close your eyes. I’ll turn on the radio so I can’t hear any little snorts or grunts—”

“I don’t snort or grunt, either,” she said, but this time she laughed. “Okay, I’ll try to get a little sleep. My eyes feel like sandpaper. Wake me up before we’re actually there, okay? I’d like to orient myself.”

“Sure thing.” He fiddled with the FM station until he found easy listening music that shouldn’t keep her awake, but realized almost instantly it would take a brass marching band to accomplish that. One second she was sitting kind of stiffly in her seat, tilted cautiously toward the window, and the next her head had rolled forward until her chin touched her collarbone. She didn’t look all that comfortable, but he resisted the urge to shift her. Something told him she was not the kind of woman to touch, even innocently, while she slept.

* * *

SIERRA OPENED DOOR after door along a darkened hallway. Each held the very same man, a guy of about fifty with a shiny bald head. “Have you seen Tess?” she asked each in turn and they all responded negatively in Greek. There was only one door left and she put her hand on the knob. At that moment the earth shook and she tumbled out of her dream and into an SUV.

Pike Hastings looked at her. “Sorry. I tried to rouse you when we hit Falls Bluff, but you were out like a light. I figured nobody could sleep through the cattle guard. It can be a little rough if you’re not used to it, though.”

She turned to look behind her, but there wasn’t much to see. In fact, there wasn’t a whole lot to see no matter which way she looked. Just mountains, fences, trees, a long line of power poles straight ahead and an endless stretch of rolling pastures. For a woman used to towering skyscrapers and hordes of people, it was disconcerting to see so much...nothing.

“Is this it?” she said. “Is this your ranch?”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “It all looks very...peaceful.”

“It can be,” he agreed.

She studied him again. He’d taken off the cowboy hat when he got behind the wheel, so she could see his profile clearly and there was nothing about it anyone could fault. The occasional flash of his dark blue eyes as he addressed her was pretty darn galvanizing as well, as was the clarity of his expression. He did not look like the kind of guy who lied or cheated or bamboozled, and she should know—she’d met her fair share of all of the above.

Of course, that could just mean he was really good at dissembling, but she kind of doubted it. Wearing jeans and a leather jacket, he looked decidedly casual and yet also as though he could fit in almost anywhere. This was a trait she valued as a detective. It was fine to stand out when you needed or wanted to, but you also had to be something of a chameleon to get the job done.

The drive down the more-or-less straight road seemed to stretch on forever. Here and there crossroads led toward the mountains and she caught glimpses of buildings, perhaps houses. “Is this all Hastings land?”

“It is.”

“Do you live in one of those buildings they have in old Westerns?”

“What kind of building do you mean?” he asked with a sidelong glance.

“You know, a bunkhouse.”

“No, I live in a barn,” he said.

“In a barn!” She sounded incredulous and he smiled.

“Yeah, a barn.”

“With animals and everything?”

“Yeah,” he said, with another quick glance. “This your first ranch?”

“You can tell?”

“I just guessed.” He drove up a hill and suddenly the view changed as a small valley spread below them. Bisected by a shimmering gray river, the acreage on the peninsula that the U-shaped bend in the river created looked stark and icy and terribly remote. A big, old, wood house sat in a protected alcove. Surrounded with covered decks, the house appeared well cared for. What looked like work buildings sat off at a distance. Pale winter light glinted off the frosty shore of the river.

“My father’s place,” Pike said.

“Is this where Tess is?”

“That’s right. She’s afraid to be alone.”

Sierra gestured at the half-dozen vehicles gathered in the back. “All family,” Pike said. “And I’ll be damned, Frankie must be here. That’s his truck. Haven’t heard from him in a couple of weeks, which in and of itself isn’t unusual. Of course, him being here probably means he’s brought some kind of trouble.”

“Frankie is one of your brothers?”

“The youngest. Gerard is the oldest, then Chance and me and Frankie.”

“It’s hard to watch someone you love struggle with life, isn’t it?”

Pike didn’t answer right away and then finally he allowed himself a sigh. “I guess that’s one way to put it. Of course, he wouldn’t think of himself like that. He’s just a little more...creative...than your usual cowboy. And lord knows he doesn’t back down for anyone.” He shook his head and added, “I shouldn’t be talking about him.”

She looked past his long lashes and the intensity of his gaze, peering deep into him. “I didn’t mean to prod,” she said after a moment. “Tess is my only relative and I rarely see her. Apparently I’m rusty when it comes to concepts like family loyalty.”

“I don’t know. You dropped everything and flew here with very little warning,” he said. “Sounds to me like you know exactly what loyalty is about.”

“This might be my last chance to make it all up to Tess,” she said quietly with a quick sweep of her eyes. “Ever since she disappeared, I’ve been thinking I should have tried harder.”

“Well, you’re here now,” Pike said. “And that’s what counts.”

As they pulled in beside the other vehicles, the back door opened. Another tall man, who looked enough like Pike to identify him as one of the brothers, waved from the opening and strode across the yard to meet them, joined by three dogs. One looked like the Lab her father had had for years, and the other two looked like border collies. Sierra didn’t consider herself to be much of an animal person, though she could enjoy the simple adoration that shone in a dog’s eyes. And you had to admire their perpetual good moods.

One of the dogs jumped on her as she got out of the vehicle, planting muddy paws eight inches above her waist, and she winced as her dry cleaner’s disapproving face popped into her head.

“Get down,” Pike admonished. He produced a clean cloth from one of his pockets and held it in front of her, staring at the mud, obviously flummoxed by how to help her without invading her privacy as the smear was right across her breast area. She took the cloth from him and wiped off as much as she could.

“Sorry,” he said.

“No problem.” It had been stupid to wear suede. She’d just figured there’d be more concrete and less dirt.

“Silly dog,” the approaching man said as he rubbed the mutt’s ears with his left hand and offered Tess his right. “You must be Sierra. I’m Gerard. We’re real glad to have you here. I know Pike has been worried about your sister.”

“I think everyone has,” Sierra said. “Where is she?”

“Upstairs, finally getting some sleep,” he said.

Pike hit the side of the blue truck. “When did Frankie arrive?”

“Dad said he sailed in about forty-five minutes ago. He’s been waiting for you to get back. He wants to talk to everyone at once.”

“Just like my sister wants a family confab,” Sierra said. “Must be something in the air around here.”

“Is everything okay with Frankie?” Pike asked as he opened the tail of the SUV and took out Sierra’s suitcase.

“I’m not sure,” Gerard said. “Let’s go find out.”

Chapter Two

They entered the house as the family almost always did, through the mudroom into the huge kitchen that, as usual, smelled of wonderful food. Roast chicken today, Pike thought, the aroma as welcoming as a holiday hug. From there, they walked into the dining room, and then on to the entryway, where the front door was framed by glass panels. Double doors opened from the entry into the den or office, called different things by different family members but well accepted as the spot where most family discussions took place.

Today a fire burned in the rock fireplace in an effort to stave off the cold air pressing against the windows. For Pike, the chatter of those gathered was like any other sound on this ranch—from the running water of the river to the wind in the tree boughs, the thunder of horse hooves against the summer earth or the faraway braying of cattle. They were the sounds of his past and future, his home.

What did Sierra think of all this? Probably found it confusing as hell. He could picture her in a SoHo loft or a Park Avenue condo, but he couldn’t quite fit her into this ranch. He knew there were few things more confusing than meeting a roomful of people who knew each other very well and of whom you knew practically nothing. He also got the feeling that Sierra wasn’t the shy type and would cope just fine.

But Sierra pulled on his arm. “Whatever Frankie wants to tell you has nothing to do with me,” she said. “I want to see Tess.”

“I’ll take you to her room,” Pike said.

“But your brother is waiting.”

“He’ll make it a while longer. Let’s go see if Tess is awake.” He took her muddy jacket and laid it across a chair while quietly perusing the trim white blouse with an almost men’s-wear starkness that gave way to some kind of sheer material around the hem. The shirt fit Sierra like a glove and revealed she was much curvier than he’d first thought.

He motioned for her to go ahead of him up the broad staircase leading from the foyer. “The room at the end,” he said, directing her to the bedroom in which he’d spent his childhood. They found the door ajar, but the room was dark because the shades had been pulled. It was also warm and steamy. The hum of a humidifier in the corner explained that. The congested sound of Tess’s breathing drew Sierra to cross to her sister’s bed and stand looking over her slumbering body.

Pike watched her for a minute or two until he felt a hand on his arm. He turned to find Gerard’s soon-to-be wife, Kinsey, standing beside him. She jerked her head toward the hallway and he held up a finger. A second later, he touched Sierra’s shoulder. She looked beyond him to Kinsey and followed them out into the hall.

After a hasty introduction, Kinsey brought them up to speed on Tess. “I imagine you’re disappointed to fly all the way here and find your sister asleep. Dad insisted we call the doctor this morning. Of course, the doctor said you can’t really treat a head cold except with steam and acetaminophen and stuff like that. By the time I got back upstairs to start the humidifier for Tess, she’d fallen asleep and didn’t even open her eyes as I set things up. She really needs this rest. I could hear her pacing in the guest room half the night.”

“I’m not disappointed,” Sierra insisted. “What guest room are we talking about?”

“The one at our house,” Kinsey said. “Pike and Tess came for dinner last night and Tess wanted to lie down. When she dozed off, I told Pike I’d look after her and he should go home. Unfortunately, she didn’t stay asleep long.”

“I see,” Sierra said. “And you live close by?”

“About a half mile up the river.”

“Come downstairs with us and hear what Frankie has to say,” Pike suggested.

“No, I’d rather stay here in case Tess wakes up. I have some emails to write, anyway.”

“I’ll get your suitcase,” Pike said.

“Thanks.”

“She has a very interesting face,” Kinsey said as they walked down the hall. “Good bones, great eyes.”

He knew her comment referenced the fact that Kinsey had spent most of her life painting portraits. Since moving to the ranch, she’d developed an interest in still life and scenery as well, and the house she shared with Gerard was filled with her work. She was a small woman with light brown hair and an easy, engaging smile. Come June, she’d marry Gerard.

“She’s gorgeous,” he agreed. “She doesn’t look anything like Tess, though, which I expected but still came as a surprise.”

“She doesn’t act like Tess, either,” Kinsey said.

“Well, she’s twelve years older and they haven’t lived together for even longer than that. Besides, remember, Tess’s latest female role model was my mother.”

Kinsey rolled her eyes. She hadn’t met Mona, but Gerard had obviously filled her in. All four brothers had different mothers. In fact, Grace, his dad’s wife of less than a year, was actually number seven, or lucky number seven as the patriarch of the family fondly called her.

“Do you know what Frankie wants?” Pike asked as they started down the stairs.

“No, but I get the feeling your father does.”

She continued into the den while Pike dodged out to the kitchen where they’d left Sierra’s suitcase. He lifted it easily and ran up the stairs.

He found Sierra sitting on an upholstered chair in the darkened room, one long leg folded up under her, head resting on her fist. Their hands touched as he gave her the suitcase and she smiled up at him as she murmured her thanks.

He left without uttering a word, but he didn’t want to. Instead, he kind of wanted to stand in the doorway and keep watch. He’d spent his entire life around men until the last year or so. He’d always considered himself a man’s man, happiest out on cattle drives, sleeping under the stars.

However, even though Tess had brought tension into his life, he also found her company refreshing. And now Sierra was here and he’d known her all of three hours, but there was something about her, too. Something competent and self-assured, qualities he responded to in anyone and that were downright sexy in a beautiful woman. He knew his link to her was flimsy at best and she’d be gone in a day or two, but he could already feel that he would miss her. For a few moments, while walking down the stairs, Pike wondered if anybody kept her warm at night.

Frankie sat on the fireplace hearth, but as soon as Pike finally entered the room, he sprang to his feet. It was obvious he was excited and Pike took a deep breath, hoping it was for some positive reason and not because he was about to go to jail for something.

Like all the Pike men, Frankie was tall, but his build was a little more wiry than the others and his hair was lighter, especially in the summer. Now, in the midst of winter, it had darkened to Pike’s color, but he wore it longer. He also tended to dress a little more GQ than anyone else, and today wore dark gray slacks and a light gray shirt that mirrored his eyes.

“Dad has an announcement to make,” Frankie said, but Harry Hastings shook his head.

“This is your show, boy. You’re the driving force behind it all.”

Frankie made eye contact with everyone gathered around him. “I wanted to reveal all this after calving season and before summer work piles up on us, but the producers are anxious to do a little preliminary work. Besides, there’s never a time where everything gets quiet and boring around here, especially not lately, right?”

He paused to grin and glance at each of them in turn. Pike had to agree it had been a hectic few months.

“What producers? What are you talking about?” Chance asked from his seat beside Lily. Charlie, her five-year-old son, was still at kindergarten, but Chance gripped Lily’s hand in his and it appeared he wasn’t letting go. Good for him. When your soul mate comes along, what else can you do but grab on to her and hold tight?

Frankie took a deep breath. “As you guys all know, November is the one hundredth anniversary of the incident at the hanging tree.”

He was referring to the bank robbery of the ghost town, or what was left of it now, and the subsequent capture and execution of three of the four thieves. They had paid for their crimes with their lives by dangling from the end of ropes strung up to the big oak tree out on the plateau. The fourth robber had disappeared along with the spoils and had never been identified or caught.

“About a year ago, I met this guy in Pocatello,” Frankie continued. “I mentioned the ghost town on our land and the robbery. He’d actually read a diary written by someone who used to live in Falls Ridge, as the town was called back then. He confessed he’d had a life-long fascination with the events that had the killed the town almost overnight.

“Anyway, it turns out he makes documentaries and he wants to do one about Falls Ridge and the bank robbery and the tree and all that. He says there’s been some discussion about the mystery guy who got away, so they’d cover that aspect, as well. Originally, they were going to come on out and start filming in late April, but their backers want winter shots and interviews with all of us so the release can be timed to coincide with the anniversary of the events.”

His announcement was met with studied silence. “Dad?” Gerard said at last. “This sounds like a good idea to you?”

Pike watched as his father stood up and walked over to Frankie. It crossed Pike’s mind that his father probably couldn’t have cared less about hosting a bunch of television people and raking up the past. It probably didn’t seem like a good idea at all to him, but on the other hand, when was the last time anyone saw Frankie get interested in anything but making trouble? Consorting with legitimate filmmakers was a far cry from his usual scenarios. Assuming they were legit, of course.

“I don’t think it will have much impact on most of us,” his dad now said. “I researched the company—it’s won a couple of awards and is respected within the industry. They showed us a tape of a show they did on a nesting pair of bald eagles—looked like high-quality work and they’re bonded and have the right licenses. They’ve got network backing... Anyway, unless someone can point out some reason to walk away from this that I haven’t seen, I say we get Frankie to give them a call.”

“I agree,” Pike said, throwing in his hat. Not for a minute did he think having movie types around wouldn’t get in the way of ranch life and schedules, but so what? “Let’s shake things up a little,” he added when he glanced at Chance and Lily. After what they’d gone through back in October, he knew the last thing in the world they would want is any kind of stress, but Chance rallied and threw in his agreement.

Lily, however, had a question. “Did you tell them part of the ghost town burned down last year?”

“Yeah,” Frankie said. “It’s not a problem. Before the real filming takes place, I’ll take some machinery up there and move stuff around. Frankly, what happened there adds to the drama of the place.”

At this Gerard stood up. “What do you mean ‘what happened there’?”

“Not about your wife and daughter, Gerard. That will get mentioned because it’s part of the history of the place now, but no one wants to dwell on a personal tragedy like that.”

“And what about what happened to Lily up there, and Kinsey?” Chance asked.

Lily shifted in her seat. “Jeremy died there, Frankie, and Jeremy was Charlie’s father. Do we have to muck up all that again?”

“Listen,” Frankie said as things began to slide south. The ambience of a moment ago had begun to sour. “What happened here in the last year is part of this family’s story, but it’s not part of the bank robbery. Our experiences have to be acknowledged but they don’t have to be the focus. No one wants that.”

Harry Hastings clapped Frankie on the shoulder as he looked at each person in turn. “The production people will be here in a couple of days. They want to scope things out. How about we go that far and if issues arise, we reassess things. I personally think Frankie is right. This show will not be about our recent tragedies.”

They all agreed that sounded reasonable. Everyone obviously liked the idea of an escape hatch, a back door, so to speak.

“Gary Dodge, he’s the documentary guy I told you about, is interested in Kinsey doing some artist renditions of how the town looked and how an angry posse might have appeared.”

“I’ve done a little commercial work,” Kinsey said. “This sounds exciting to me.”

“And Dad has agreed the crew can stay in this house with him and Grace.”

“We have room at our house, too,” Kinsey said as Gerard put an arm around her. They looked at each other and exchanged silly grins, then Kinsey spoke again. “Since everyone is here, it might be a good time to tell you that we’re getting married a lot sooner than we originally planned.”

“But I thought you wanted a late spring wedding,” Frankie said.

“We did. But since our baby is due in June—”

She didn’t get any further than that. It seemed to Pike that everyone in the room started speaking at once. Half of them were on their feet, slapping Gerard on the back or hugging Kinsey.

Pike took a vacant chair. The house vibrated with the winds of change, from the two women upstairs to all the news and excitement downstairs. He didn’t usually dislike change, but he had to admit that today there was a chill inside him that he couldn’t explain. He thought of the way Sierra had turned at the airport to look behind them as they drove away and the chill deepened. As if paralleling her unease, he turned now to face the door and found Sierra standing in the opening. She gestured at him and he immediately went to join her.

“Finished emailing?” he asked.

“Finished before I started. My phone doesn’t work, just as you predicted, and I don’t know the password for your Wi-Fi.”

“The password is ridgeranch, all lower case, one word,” he said. “I know, it’s not terribly original. How long have you been standing there?”

“Most of the time,” she said. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

“So, you heard Frankie’s plan?”

“I did. It sounds pretty exciting.”

He narrowed his eyes as he gazed down at her face. She was only half a head shorter than he; a tall, shapely woman who he suddenly realized had not come down here out of curiosity or boredom. “What’s wrong?” he said quickly.

“Tess’s breathing is really loud. I’m worried about her.”

“Head colds aren’t any fun,” he said.

“I tried to wake her and she was limp and didn’t even open her eyes. Kinsey said she hadn’t given her any medications, right?”

“Beyond acetaminophen, no.”

“She spent the night at their house,” Sierra said, a new element of fear in her voice.

“Yes, but—”

Kinsey walked into the foyer followed, closely by Grace. Though a generation apart, both women were small of stature, dainty and pretty in their own way, which made sense because they were related. In a twist of fate, mother and daughter had been reunited. Sierra towered over them. “Is Tess all right?” Kinsey asked.

“I don’t know,” Sierra said. “She seems so out of it. Did you talk to her this morning?”

“Of course. Like I said, she had a restless night. I drove her over here late this morning because Pike had left early to get to the airport. She didn’t have a lot to say, but she was awake and coherent.”

“What are you thinking?” Grace asked.

“I don’t know for sure,” Sierra said. “She was alone while you were on the phone, right?”

“Yes. By the time I found the humidifier and got upstairs, it had been about thirty minutes,” Kinsey said. “She was sound asleep and then you guys arrived.”

“If she took something it must have been within that thirty-minute window. But where would she find something to take?”

“I’m pretty sure she didn’t bring anything with her from LA,” Pike volunteered. “She was traveling light and didn’t have any money. She didn’t even have the car Doug gave her. God knows how she got here. She wasn’t saying.”

“Who would know if she found something at this house?”

“I would,” Grace said.

“We’d appreciate it if you could look,” Pike said.

“Of course I’ll look. We’ll all look. Come on.”

They hurried up the stairs. “We’ll start with the bathrooms,” Grace said. As the three women started their search of drawers and cabinets, Pike went into his old bedroom and opened the drapes. He sat down beside Tess and picked up her limp hand.

He’d had a college roommate years before who partied himself into a stupor every single weekend, and that was the last time Pike had seen someone so oblivious. He shook Tess’s fragile shoulders and called her name. Her eyes opened briefly, she sort of smiled and faded back away. He searched the garbage can and the night table for some indication of what she might have taken.

And then he picked up the phone and called the doctor. By the time Sierra, Kinsey and Grace arrived with ashen faces and a brown prescription bottle, he had already lifted Tess into his arms and was exiting the room.

“An ambulance is on its way,” he told them. “I’m going to meet it on the road to cut down travel time. What did you find?”

“Some of your father’s sedatives are missing,” Grace said with a concerned face. “I don’t think very many, but I don’t know for sure.”

“We’re not taking any chances,” Pike said. “She’s going to get her stomach pumped.”

“I’m coming with you,” Tess said. He nodded once and they all descended the stairs in a hurry, Tess stopping to accept the blanket and pillow Kinsey pushed into her arms. A moment later, in Kinsey’s car now since Pike’s still had a saddle in the back, they tore up the hill and down the long, long roadway, Tess prone in the backseat, her head on Sierra’s lap, the blanket tucked around her still body.

* * *

THEY MET THE ambulance in a pull-off. The EMTs were at the door with a gurney within seconds, hooking up Tess to bags and drips, calling her name. Sierra stood off to the side with Pike, both of them trying to stay out of the way. Pike handed over the prescription bottle and soon after the ambulance took off with sirens wailing while Pike and Sierra climbed back in Kinsey’s car and followed behind.

“Where are they taking her?” Sierra asked.

“The urgent care center in Falls Bluff. The doctor will meet us there.”

“Why would she do this?” Sierra asked as tears burned her eyes. She didn’t know if they were tears of anger or hurt. “She asked me to come, so why would she choose now to drug herself? Is it to punish me?”

“Don’t borrow trouble,” Pike said, sparing a hand to cover her arm. In the rush to leave the house, she’d forgotten to put her jacket back on and now, with the warmth of his touch, she realized how cold she’d become. “Tess did know you were coming, true, but she also knew it would take most of three hours to get to the ranch from the airport. Kinsey said she heard Tess pacing all night. Maybe she just wanted to get some sleep. If her motives were any more than that, wouldn’t she have emptied the bottle?”

Sierra stared at him for a few heartbeats. “I guess so,” she admitted. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers. It was difficult to believe that it had been less than twenty-four hours before when she followed Natalia Bonaparte out of New York to that bar and waited for her companion to show up.

A sudden thought popped into Sierra’s head, a flash of intuition, perhaps. Was it possible the man last night had been Spiro Papadakis, after all? What if he’d recognized Sierra that first time she walked past their table? Hadn’t she detected a glimmer of recognition on his face when their gazes met? Perhaps he’d been spying on his wife spying on him! He could have seen Sierra and his wife meet somewhere. Could it be that he’d learned to hide his accent and sound like he was fresh from the Atlantic City boardwalk at least for a second or two? Had he, in fact, fooled her?

As a non sequitur went, this one was a doozy, but it often happened that way: get your mind flooded with one problem and an insight into another problem floats in to announce itself.

Her laptop was in her carry-on. As soon as they got back to the ranch, she could download the photos onto the computer and then email the images to Savannah. All she’d told Savannah last night was that she wasn’t sure if it was Spiro or not and to be prepared for photographs. She’d also asked about accents but hadn’t gotten a response yet.

“You’ve gotten kind of quiet over there,” Pike said as they finally left the riverside road and drew close to a small town proclaiming itself Falls Bluff. Icy rain slithered down the windshield as Pike drove to the urgent care center. The town hardly looked big enough to support such a thing, but that’s probably the exact kind of community that needed an emergency facility the most.

“I was thinking,” she said. “Not just about Tess, but about a case.”

“Does that case have anything to do with why you looked over your shoulder this morning at the airport?” he asked.

She turned to face him as he pulled into a parking spot. “I’m not sure if it does or not,” she said, then opened her door. She couldn’t believe how her knees wobbled when she stood or the way her heart suddenly raced.

What if she lost her little sister before ever really finding her, or ever really helping her? The thought was intolerable.

Pike shrugged off his jacket and slipped it over her shoulders as she stepped onto the sidewalk. His arm around her suggested he saw or sensed this sudden bolt of numbing fear, and she welcomed his support as they hurried inside.

Chapter Three

Pike leaned against a wall, hands clasping his hat against his chest, legs crossed at the ankles, waiting for Sierra to arrange medical coverage for her sister. No one knew if Tess had insurance, so Sierra had said she would pay the bill with a credit card. Of course, they could call Tess’s father and ask him, but Sierra was reluctant to do that until after they spoke to Tess, and right now that was impossible.

Eventually, Sierra joined him in the waiting room and they sat down beside each other. Pike leafed through a magazine. Sierra just stared toward the door leading to the treatment rooms.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dr. Stewart showed up and greeted Pike like the longtime family friend he was, then sat down. Pike introduced Sierra and explained the relationships. There were so many confusing this-person-married-that-person and divorced-a-year-later explanations that some men might have been baffled, but Mason Stewart was one of Henry Hastings’s oldest friends and he knew all about Harry’s seven wives.

“She’s doing well,” he said. “After we got everything out of her stomach, we administered activated charcoal and a cathartic to cleanse the rest of her system.”

“Is she conscious?” Sierra asked with a tremble in her voice.

“Yes. Talking is tricky for a while because we numbed her throat, but I expect her to recover as expected. Give her a few minutes and you can speak to her. I have to warn you, she seems very agitated.”

“She’s been that way for the past day or two, ever since she got here,” Pike said.

“Do you know why?”

“Not yet. That’s why Sierra came to Idaho. We need to talk to her. Something has her spooked.”

“Doctor, I have to ask this,” Sierra said softly. “Is there any indication that Tess purposely overdosed?”

“She knew you were coming, right?” he asked.

“Yes. My arrival was imminent.”

“Let me just say this. Blood tests and stomach contents show she didn’t take a whole lot of the sedative, but she hasn’t eaten much of anything, it seems, for quite a while, and she is a slightly built girl. Two of those pills will knock Harry out for twelve hours, let alone a kid weighing less than half his weight. If you’re worried about suicide, you should get someone to talk to her, but she insists it’s just a case of being desperate to get some sleep, and I’m tending to believe her. I’d like to keep her for a few hours but we’re not equipped or staffed to have her all night. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but Grace actually worked here as a nurse a few years back.”

“Pike’s stepmother?” Sierra asked.

“Yes. I feel good sending her home knowing Grace can help look after her. I’m going to call her and bring her up to speed. Give the kid a couple of days to recover from all this, okay? Keep things as mellow as you can.”

“Absolutely,” Pike said and wondered how on earth they would accomplish that feat.

Dr. Stewart stood and they rose, too. “She wants to see you both. Normally I’d suggest she rest, but I don’t think she’ll be able to relax until she shares whatever has her upset, so you might as well get it over with. We’ll let you know when she’s ready.”

Once again they sat. If Pike had known Sierra longer, he would have tried to comfort her. It seemed almost natural that he should take her hand or put an arm around her. Instead, he decided to distract her with a question. “Tell me about your last case.”

“What?” she said as though she’d been thinking of way different things than work. “My case?”

“The one you had to leave to come here.”

She shrugged. “I have a client who is separated from her husband. She wants a divorce. She’s the one with the money. She signed a prenup that gives him a good hunk of cash if the marriage dissolves unless she can prove he cheated on her.”

“And you were employed to gather evidence.”

“Yes. So, she got wind he was seeing a woman out of town. I followed that woman to Jersey to a seedy bar. When a man who looked like my client’s husband joined the woman, I snapped pictures, but then I decided he was the wrong guy. Now I’m wondering if I made too quick a judgment.”

“Why?”

“Gut feeling, I guess.”

“Is that why you seem worried about it?”

“I suppose. It’s weird, really. There’s no reason to second-guess myself, I just do sometimes, and when that happens it invariably proves I noticed something, you know, like subliminally.”

“Did you contact your client already?”

“Emailed her, yes. She doesn’t like to talk on the phone. She always emails me unless we meet face-to-face, which only happened once. I’ll have to look at the pictures again when we get back to your place.”

He looked into her green eyes, eyes as clear as ocean-washed bottle glass. What he saw were things he admired in a human being: passion about their life and convictions, truthfulness and the desire to help. “Do you like your job, Sierra?” he asked.

“Most of the time. How about you?”

He smiled. “Most of the time.”

The nurse announced they could go see Tess. Sierra didn’t need any more encouragement. She walked briskly down the hall, still wearing Pike’s jacket, which, while way too big for her, looked sexy as hell on her lithe body. Her legs in the jeans and boots were shapely, tantalizing, and just to prove how long this day was getting, he found himself wishing the two of them were on an island somewhere, on a beach, lots of bare skin and warm sunshine...

“She’s in here,” a nurse said and the fantasy died a timely death.

Tess was an elfin-like girl with huge violet eyes and sun-streaked short blond hair. She could be very friendly and sweet or she could be testy and secretive, but the last two days were the only time Pike had seen her scared and he hated it.

Sierra immediately leaned over Tess and hugged her, then smoothed her hair away from her face. Tess looked pale and wasted and about ten years old instead of eighteen. Pike took her hand and squeezed it.

“I’m sorry I messed up,” Tess said. Her voice was even more hoarse than it had been and her nose was red.

“Don’t worry about it,” Sierra and Pike said in unison.

“I take Dad’s pills sometimes, but they must be different.”

Pike bit back recrimination. They could talk about being stupid on another day.

Sierra lowered her voice. “Tess, sweetheart, what’s going on?” she asked gently. “What’s the matter?”

Pike scooted a chair close so she could sit down. He stood on the other side of the bed.

Tess’s eyes filled with tears and she shook her head.

“Start with where you went when you left your dad and Mona’s place,” Pike suggested.

“Danny,” she said.

“Danny? You mean you ran off with that guy you met last summer?” Sierra asked.

Tess nodded.

There was a look on Sierra’s face and a tone to the way she’d said “Danny” that rang a few alarm bells in Pike’s head. “Who’s Danny?” he asked.

More tears rolled down Tess’s wan cheeks and she sobbed into her hands. Sierra offered the tissue box and met Pike’s gaze, but she didn’t say anything. They waited until Tess calmed down. By now she was sitting up as she was apparently unable to handle the tears and congestion in a prone condition. Her breathing was raspy.

“My—my boyfriend.”

“They met at the beach,” Sierra explained. “He’s a lot older than she is and—”

“He’s dead,” Tess mumbled.

Sierra sucked in her breath. Pike leaned forward. “How did he die?”

“Someone—someone shot him.” She buried her face in her hands and cried so hard her whole body shook. Pike hadn’t expended much energy in his life being unsure of himself, but he had to admit that in the face of all this grief he wasn’t certain where to start.

“Who shot him?” he asked at last.

Tess shook her head.

“Drug dealers?” Sierra asked. “Tess, was he dealing again?”

“I didn’t know he was doing that anymore,” Tess mumbled. “After I found out, he promised he’d quit because it scared me. And then we were in the car that Dad bought me, you know, the blue one? We were going to go for a hamburger. He said he had to talk to a friend and he parked outside a yellow house. He took the keys and left me in the car. I waited and waited but he didn’t come back out, so I went up to the porch. I heard someone yell from inside and then the door opened and Danny was standing there. He looked straight into my eyes. And then...and then I heard a shot and Danny just collapsed like someone let all the air out of him. I knew he was dead before he hit the floor. A man was standing behind him with a gun in his hand. I—I ran away. I didn’t have the car keys, so I just ran and ran.”

The last part had come out all in one breath while her voice got more and more ragged until, at the end, they almost had to guess what she was saying. After a few seconds of stunned silence, she added, “The man who killed Danny looked right at me.”

“Who was he?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“What did the police say?” Sierra asked. “Why didn’t someone call Pike or me?”

“I didn’t go to the police.”

“Oh, Tess.”

“All I wanted to do was blow LA. I didn’t know where else to go so I came here. But what if he finds me? He has the car so he knows my name, he could find out about me, he could come here and kill...and kill me.”

“We have to call the Los Angeles police and your father—”

“No, please, no,” Tess begged.

She was shaking so hard by now and crying so pitifully that the nurse showed up at the curtain. “Is everything okay in here?” she asked.

“Maybe some water and another box of tissues,” Sierra said, putting an arm around Tess. The nurse hurried away and once again Pike and Sierra exchanged bewildered looks. He could imagine what she was thinking because he was thinking it, too. Tess was in trouble and it was up to the two of them to make it go away.

“You’ll be safe at the ranch,” he assured Tess as she sipped the glass of water the nurse delivered. “We’ve had our share of trouble and we know how to take care of ourselves and our own. You’ll be safe. One of us will be near you all the time.”

This seemed to calm her, and eventually she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

“May I speak with you outside the room?” Sierra whispered to him. They walked down the hall a few paces, then stopped. Sierra looked exhausted and he felt for her.

“I understand where you’re coming from,” she said in a very soft voice. “I want to make it all go away for her, too. But we can’t hide an eyewitness to a murder. She’s going to have to grow up real fast starting very soon, because she’s right about the murderer knowing who she is. Who’s to say he won’t come gunning for her next? And you and I have both lived enough to know that safety is an illusion.”

“She needed something to hold on to,” Pike said. “It was all I could think to offer.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But I know what you mean. You’re right.”

“We need to inform Doug, too. Tess is going to need her dad’s support in the months to come. I get the feeling Doug is a path-of-least-resistance type of guy.”

“He’ll listen to me,” Pike said, and he knew it was the truth. He’d bent over backward to be decent to the guy, both for Tess’s sake and, truth be told, for his mother’s.

“And I need to talk to the police and find out what’s going on,” she added. “Trouble is, I don’t know if any of this can be adequately accomplished over the phone.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“I’m not sure yet. We’ll have a chance to talk to Tess when we drive back to your ranch. We have to make her see she has an obligation to Danny and society and to herself, too.”

He nodded and tried to look positive about their chances, but Pike realized he might actually know Tess better than Sierra did. He’d be stunned if she agreed to return to LA without a fight.

* * *

“NO WAY,” TESS SAID. A few hours had passed and she sounded more like herself, though obviously close to the end of her rope from the stress of the past several days. Her nose was still red and her eyes watery.

“Be reasonable,” Sierra said gently and reiterated her conviction that they needed to inform Doug and the police in person.

“I won’t go,” Tess said. “Pike said I’m safe here, and I believe him.”

“You have to talk to the police,” Sierra said for about the fifth time. “They’ll have questions only you can answer.”

“I’ll tell you everything I know. You talk to them.”

“And leave you here alone?”

“I won’t be alone, I’ll have Pike. And while you’re in LA, you can see my dad and tell him what happened. If he cares. He probably doesn’t. Oh, and you can go to Mona’s house and get my things.”

Sierra had to admit she was a little startled by Tess’s refusal to budge. She herself lived in a world of cooperation with law enforcement. She could hardly imagine Tess shirking this basic responsibility. On the other hand, Sierra had seen a man shot dead once, too, and it had shaken her down to her bone marrow. She tried again. “Your dad won’t listen to a word I say so there’s no point in my talking to him. And Mona is not going to let me rifle through her house looking for your stuff.”

“Then Pike should go.”

“But if you aren’t going to explain things to the police, I have to. Even then, they’ll probably have someone in Idaho come debrief you or even send one of their own investigators. And that’s a best-case scenario. When they catch the murderer you’ll have to testify at his trial. If you don’t, they could issue a warrant and make you return.”

“I’ll do whatever they want as long as I don’t have to go back to LA. And if one of you has to talk to Mona and Dad and the other one has to talk to the cops, then both of you go.”

By now they were coming over the hill into the main house’s yard. The house was well lit, shining like a Christmas-card picture with the clear skies overhead full of twinkling stars. In a way, Sierra hadn’t really believed such quaintness still existed.

Grace met them at the back door, fussing and nervous, and for a second, Sierra thought it had to do with them bringing Tess back to this house, but she soon realized she was mistaken.

“It’s those television people,” she said. “Frankie said they wouldn’t come until the weekend but then they got wind a storm is expected and they decided to drive here straight away.” She waved an irritated hand and turned her attention to Tess. “Oh, you poor thing. Come with me. We’re going to get you all comfy in the downstairs room. I already moved the humidifier close to your bed. I’m going to spend the night with you. It’ll be like a slumber party! But don’t you worry, Frankie and your Uncle Harry will be on alert. Pike called and gave us a heads-up. You’re safe here with us.”

“I’ll stay with her—” Sierra began, but Tess had already allowed Grace to put an arm around her and lead her down a short hall. Sierra gazed up at Pike, who smiled at her.

“Feel like you’ve fallen down a rabbit hole?”

“Kind of,” she admitted. “I can’t believe how stubborn Tess is being.”

“She’s had quite a day, you know.”

She shook her head, a reluctant smile playing with her mouth. “Are you always so kind?”

“Not always, no.”

“She’s settling in,” Grace said a second later when she returned. “She asked if she could stay here with us while you and Pike take a short trip to LA to ‘fix things.’”

“I would never ask such a thing of you,” Sierra said, horrified.

“Don’t be silly. Tess is Pike’s sister so she’s one of ours. There are more than enough of us to keep an eye on her and I mean that in every sense. You have to remember, she’s visited here before, stayed in this house, cared for the horses. She feels at home here in a way, don’t you think, Pike?”

“No doubt,” he said.

“Exactly. And remember, last summer you took her all around, to see the ghost town and the old gold mine and the hanging tree and the lake up in the mountains? That gives her a sense of place and nothing makes a frightened person more comfortable than a sense of place.”

“I wouldn’t argue with you,” Pike said diplomatically.

“You know what family means to me, Pike. Everything. Go do what you have to do. I’ll try getting her used to the idea she’s going to have to return to California.” She looked closely at Sierra and shook her head. “You look almost as tuckered out as your sister does.”

“I’d be happy to sleep in Tess’s room,” Sierra said.

Grace shook her head sadly. “It’s too small for three of us and Dr. Stewart asked that I stay with her through the next couple of nights.”

“Then another room?”

Grace was the soul of hospitality and Sierra could see it pained her to have to shake her head. “I’m so sorry. The television people will be here until about midnight and they’re taking all our extra rooms. I don’t know why they couldn’t wait to get here until morning like ordinary people. Pike, I didn’t offer your place for lodging, so you have room there for Sierra. Now you get her home and tucked in before she falls over.”

Sierra opened her mouth to protest, but what was the point? Grace was doing what the doctor ordered and the truth was she was so tired that her ability to process any more information seemed doubtful.

“I believe Gerard put Sierra’s suitcase in your SUV so it’s ready to go,” Grace added, directing her comment to Pike. “He said to leave Kinsey’s car here and he’d pick it up later. And Sierra, I spot-cleaned your jacket. It’s hanging in the closet—Pike, get it for her, will you? I don’t know what to say about your boots,” she added.

“I’ll brush them, they’ll be fine,” Sierra assured her.

“I hope so. Gerard told me what happened. I don’t know what got into that dog. Give me a minute and I’ll put soup in a thermos so Pike won’t have to cook.”

They left a few minutes later, laden with soup and freshly baked bread. Sierra had finally given Pike back his jacket, and hers, while clean as a whistle and way better fitting, wasn’t as comfortable as his had been.

“What exactly did Grace mean when she said that thing about family meaning everything?” Sierra asked as they walked to Pike’s vehicle.

“Don’t most people feel that way?”

“Yes, but there was another quality in her voice.”

“Grace is actually Kinsey’s mother as well as her mother-in-law. Kinsey was raised by her grandmother after her grandmother killed her father.”

Sierra stopped walking. “Wait, are you saying Grace’s mother killed Grace’s husband?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Of course, it didn’t go down so cut and dried. She was eventually exonerated but it tore the family apart for over two decades.”

Sierra continued walking, and when they reached the SUV she sank into the passenger seat with a sigh. “I’m so tired I could sleep standing up,” she commented, and as the headlights swept the dark road ahead, she closed her eyes and didn’t open them again until the vehicle slowed down.

Pike pulled up in front of a red barn. Illuminated pillars stood on either side of a large double door. As she watched, a plump yellow dog nosed its way through a dog flap, yawning and stretching and wagging its tail. The dog moved to Pike’s side of the car and when he opened the door, he spoke to her.

“Hey, Daisy,” he said, and ran his hand along the dog’s head. “Did we wake you up?”

“This is the barn you live in?” Sierra asked as she got out of the car, wary lest this dog jump on her, too. But Daisy seemed to only have eyes for Pike and attached herself to his side as he retrieved Sierra’s suitcase and unlocked the door.

“Yep. Come inside. It’s freezing out here. Those film people are right, we’re going to have snow by the weekend.”

He switched on lights and she found herself in a huge open space with rafters high above the floor. A wall covered with all sorts of shelves housed books and all sorts of other things, including a small painting of Pike wearing glasses, sitting on a hay bale, his expression inscrutable.

“Kinsey’s work,” Pike said. “If you sit down for too long, she draws or paints you.”

“She’s good.”

“Yeah. And before you think I’m the kind of guy who goes around framing pictures of himself for display, Kinsey gave me that for Christmas and placed it right where it sits.”

“Aw, shucks,” she said in a passable Texas accent. “It never crossed my mind you were that kind of guy.”

There were a few open doors off the long wall and Sierra saw part of an office through one doorway and the edge of a bed through another. The kitchen was at the south end of the barn, the living area set up in the middle. The second floor was open and accessible by a broad wooden stairway. A wood-burning fireplace was currently unlit while a fuzzy dog bed occupied one cozy corner.

Daisy had retreated to her cushion, her gaze fastened to Pike but darting to Sierra now and again as though keeping track of the competition. “Your dog can’t take her eyes off you,” Sierra said.

“She’s practicing for motherhood, I guess.”

“She’s going to have puppies?” When Pike nodded, she added, “When?”

“A couple of weeks. The vet said it’s her first litter.”

“You don’t know if she had puppies before?”

“No. I’ve only had her three months. Found her Halloween night. She’d been hit by a car and was out on the road. Thankfully, she wasn’t too badly hurt, but no one claimed her and now she’s mine.”

“She’s a yellow Lab, right?”

“Mostly. There might be something else in there, too, who knows. Have a seat. It’s kind of late to start a fire in the fireplace but I’ll turn up the heat and put the soup on the stove.”

“Let me help you,” she said, knowing that if she sat on the comfortable-looking sofa she probably wouldn’t get up until morning.

“Sure.”

In the end, she sat at the counter and drank a glass of wine he poured her while he heated minestrone soup and toasted slices of bread. She liked watching him move around the kitchen. She’d noticed how fit and handsome he was the minute she saw him—it was just impossible to miss. And now, when the hard day had honed some of his edges while softening others, she admitted to herself he was a very hot guy.

“Are you dating anyone?” she asked.

He spooned steaming soup into a bowl and set it in front of her. “Not currently. Why? Would you like to sign up?”

“I’m kind of over long-distance dating,” she said.

“I take it you aren’t...involved with anyone?”

“Nope. My last boyfriend moved to France when his company transferred him. We tried to keep it together, but it didn’t work. How about you? Any cowgirl’s heart go pitter-patter when she sees you?”

“Well, there’s a kid about Tess’s age at the feed store who has had a crush on me for about five years.”

“Do you like her?”

“Patty? She’s a nice girl, but she’s a kid. I like women.”

“Tall women?” she asked, then took a sip of the soup while keeping her gaze on him. Grace was a good cook.

“Yeah,” he said as he sat across from her with a bowl of his own. He pushed the basket of bread her way and added, “I’m partial to redheads with green eyes.”

“That describes me,” she said with feigned surprise.

He looked at her as though just noticing her appearance. If she hadn’t seen him checking her out a half-dozen times that day, she might have fallen for it. Another grin and he laughed.

“Well,” Sierra said, “besides the distance issue, we have another problem. How are we going to handle Tess?” The spoon was halfway to her lips when a large black shape landed on the counter near her elbow. She threw up her hands and the spoon went flying.

“Sinbad, get down,” Pike demanded and Sierra finally realized the shape belonged to a svelte black cat with yellow eyes. The cat meowed and jumped to the floor, where it proceeded to walk away as though offended.

“How many animals do you have?” she asked.

“Just these two, who hang around inside the barn. Of course, there are a lot of others outside. This is a ranch, remember?” His gaze dropped to her bosom. “And you have soup all over your blouse.

Sierra looked down at her shirt and winced. The dry cleaner’s image appeared again.

Pike replaced her spoon with a fresh one and they finished the soup with idle chatter until Pike sighed. “Looks like you and I are going to LA.”

She nodded. The thought of more travel wasn’t exactly comforting right at that moment.

“Let’s get it over with, okay? I can arrange plane tickets for tomorrow.”

“Okay. Make the flight late enough that I can talk to Tess in the morning and get details about everything she saw and heard.”

“Yeah. I have some ranch work I need to finish up, as well. I’ll see if I can get an evening flight. You have to feel like a dead man walking. Let me show you to your room.”

Sierra nodded. The promise of lying down was the only thing still keeping her on her feet. He toted her suitcase for her, depositing it on top of a dresser in a small room bright with white paint and pine walls. “There’s a bathroom behind that door in the corner. This house is wireless. I know you had business you wanted to take care of. The password is PIKESPLACE, one word, all caps.”

“You seriously need to work on creating secure passwords,” she said with a smile. “However, work can wait until tomorrow, too,” she said, but kind of knew she’d get started on it before she fell asleep.

“This can’t wait,” Pike said and stepped close to her. Staring down into her eyes, he touched her cheek, tilted her chin up, leaned down and kissed her. His lips were vibrant and fabulous and the kiss way more impactful than she would have guessed. It took all her willpower not to pull him back when he moved a few inches away.

“Been wanting to do that since the first moment I saw you,” he said, his voice as warm as a caress.

“Me, too,” she admitted.

He kissed her briefly again. “Good night, Sierra. Sleep well.”

Sierra stripped down to her underwear and hurried under the blankets. The barn was chilly. She’d retrieved her laptop, turned it on and waited for it to boot. The bed was soft and comfortable and the pillow felt like a little cloud. The memory of Pike’s tender and unexpected kiss spread contented tendrils throughout her body. Consciousness lasted about ten more seconds before she fell asleep in the glow of the computer screen.

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