The Last Goodnight

by Kat Martin

  A tired sigh escaped. Even if Ellie were interested in a no-strings sexual relationship, Kade couldn’t afford the time. There was too much going on. Too much at stake. The storm damage was costly and needed to be repaired. And there was still a shooter out there. Until Frank Keller was arrested, people could get hurt.

  Add to that, he had hired Ellie for a reason, and it wasn’t to warm his bed. Heather’s killer was out there somewhere, and Eleanor Bowman was his best chance of finding him.

  Still, he’d dream about her tonight. And wish things could be different.

  * * *

  While Kade worked with his men to repair the storm damage and move the cattle back into more open pastures, Ellie drove toward town on the pretext of buying supplies. She hadn’t seen Jonas since they’d had lunch, but she had done more digging into his past.

  Turned out Jonas had an alibi for the night Heather Logan disappeared. According to Fran Tilman, he’d gone off for a few days with the girl he’d been seeing, a college student name Cissy Winters. The affair had been going on for several months before Jenny Murray found out. According to Fran, it was the final straw in the destruction of his marriage.

  The sheriff might have known, but it wasn’t in the police report. Either way, unless something new turned up, Jonas was off her list.

  From the start, she had been looking into the ranch hands, the men closest to Kade, men who also had access to his wife. So far, she’d found nothing suspicious. The Diamond Bar hands all appeared to be trustworthy, hard-working men. As she came to know them, she could better judge whether one of them would have gone behind Kade’s back with Heather. At this point, Ellie didn’t think so.

  She turned the rented Jeep Cherokee onto the paved road and continued toward Coffee Springs, though she didn’t plan to stop in town. Kade had said Heather’s two best friends were women who’d gone to college with her. They were married now, but still living near Vail. Both of them had agreed to talk to her.

  Ellie was glad for the chance to escape the ranch. She’d been attracted to Kade Logan since the moment she’d first seen him, an attraction that had grown stronger every day. She admired the way he ran the ranch and the way he handled his men.

  He was also tall, solidly muscled, and the most ruggedly handsome, sexiest man she had ever met. Her stomach contracted just thinking about the kiss they had shared in his study last night. She wouldn’t easily forget the feel of his mouth moving hotly over hers, his lips so much softer than they appeared. When his big hands cupped her breasts, every bone and muscle in her body had turned as soft as melted wax.

  She wanted more of him, wanted him to kiss her again, touch her all over, wanted to touch him. She wanted Kade to make love to her.

  But what would happen if he did? Kade wasn’t looking for a relationship. On the other hand, neither was she. And as he had said, with both of them being such strong, self-reliant people, maybe it could work. At least for the time she would be staying at the ranch.

  Setting out beneath a bright morning sun and the crystal shimmer of snow along the edges of the road, Ellie drove the Jeep to the turnoff near Coffee Springs and headed southeast on Highway 131 into the Vail valley. Her first appointment was with Gretchen Kneedler, blond and pretty from her Facebook photos, though it looked as though Gretchen had put on a few pounds since her college days.

  After a pleasantly warm welcome, they sat drinking coffee at the kitchen table.

  “So what was she like?” Ellie asked.

  “Heather was the most popular girl in school,” Gretchen said. “Every man on campus wanted her. Women wanted to be with her because she was such a guy magnet. She could have just about any man she wanted, but during those early years, she always felt she belonged to Kade.”

  Ellie took a sip of coffee, which Gretchen had brewed from bold, freshly ground beans. “From what I understand, she cheated on him more than once.”

  Gretchen wrapped her fingers around her coffee mug as if she needed the warmth. Her friend was dead. And talking about murder was always chilling.

  “Heather needed constant attention,” Gretchen said. “Kade was busy working the ranch. She really didn’t start cheating until after they’d been married a while. To tell you the truth, it wasn’t entirely her fault.”

  Exactly what Kade had said.

  “Do you have any idea who she might have been seeing when she disappeared?”

  “The last time we talked, she told me she had met someone, but she didn’t say who it was. I know she met him while she was here on a ski trip. She and Anna Marshall and I skied together a few times every winter. That winter I was making plans to get married. I was so busy planning the wedding, we drifted apart for a while. She didn’t tell me the guy’s name, but she might have told Anna. You think that’s who killed her?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to find out.” Ellie finished the last of her coffee and rose from the table. “Thanks, Gretchen. I really appreciate your help.”

  The women walked together to the door. “Nobody deserves to die the way she did,” Gretchen said. “I hope you find the rat bastard who killed her.”

  “Me too.”

  From Gretchen’s, Ellie drove to an address near Avon and turned onto a winding road that led to a gray, wood-frame house trimmed in dark green. A petite woman, at least part Asian, opened the front door.

  “You must be Ellie Bowman.” Anna Marshall smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.” She stepped back to invite Ellie into her neat, modestly decorated two-story home.

  “Why don’t we sit in the living room?” Anna suggested. “There’s a nice view and still enough snow that it’s very pretty outside.”

  “That sounds great.”

  Anna had glossy black hair cut in a bob that framed her face, very smooth skin, and dark eyes. “Would you care for something to drink?” she asked.

  “I had coffee at Gretchen’s, so I’m fine.”

  They sat down on a gray tweed sofa and chatted for a while. Anna had two children, both at school and not due home for a while.

  “So let’s talk about Heather,” Ellie said after Anna had begun to relax. “She was one of your best friends, right?”

  “That’s right. Heather and Gretchen and I met the first week of college. Something just clicked between the three of us, and we stayed friends over the years.” Anna reminisced about their days as students, then the early years of their lives after graduation.

  With a little gentle prodding, she confirmed what Gretchen had said, that Heather had slept with a number of different men. Yet the picture the two women painted of the lonely woman Heather had been gave Ellie a different perspective.

  “She and Kade were completely ill-suited,” Anna said. “Heather was beautiful, but she was very insecure and very needy. Kade needed someone he could depend on.”

  “Apparently, she met someone new around the time she disappeared. Did Heather ever mention him?”

  “We talked about guys whenever we got together. We’d been best friends since college. Some things don’t change.”

  “So you knew she was seeing someone.”

  “I knew she’d been seeing the same guy for a while, but I’m pretty sure their affair had ended. I know she’d recently met someone while she was skiing with us in Vail. I don’t know if they ever hooked up.”

  Same thing Gretchen had said. “Did she mention his name?”

  “No. I just remember her talking about him one day after we’d been on the slopes. I know she was excited about seeing him again, though.”

  “What about the other guy, the one she’d been involved with before?”

  Anna looked down at the hands resting in her lap. “It was a long time ago. I don’t want to get him in trouble.”

  “You wouldn’t have agreed to see me if you didn’t want to find Heather’s killer. I give you my word I won’t tell anyone unless I find out he had something to do with her death.”

  “You can’t tell Kade,” Anna said, looking up at her. />
  “I won’t tell Kade unless I have no other choice. I promise.”

  “She had an affair with Glen Carver.”

  The sheriff? Ellie’s pulse took a leap.

  “Glen wasn’t sheriff eight years ago, just an Eagle County deputy. I don’t know how serious it was between them, or exactly when it ended, but I know Heather was involved with him for at least a couple of months.”

  Ellie had sensed something off about Carver. Now she knew what it was.

  “You think it was her idea to end it, or his?”

  “It was always Heather’s idea. She was married to Kade. I don’t think she ever planned to leave him.”

  “She must have been surprised when he filed for divorce.”

  “Part of her was devastated. In her own way she loved him. Another part seemed wildly relieved.”

  “Maybe she felt a sense of freedom she’d never had before.”

  Anna nodded. “Yes, I think that was it.”

  They talked a while longer, then Ellie rose, and Anna walked her to the door. “Thank you for your honesty,” Ellie said.

  “About Glen Carver . . . Glen’s a nice guy. What I told you could damage his career.”

  “Unless he’s somehow connected to the murder—”

  “He’s a sheriff. He wouldn’t kill anyone.”

  Ellie just nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.” But passion made people do crazy things. Sheriff Glen Carver had just become her number one suspect.

  Unfortunately, there was no way she could discuss it with Kade.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THE WEATHER IMPROVED, RETURNING TO THE BRISK, CLEAR DAYS OF fall. Kade strode toward the barn, his mind on the work that needed to be done. Earlier that morning, he had phoned Glen Carver and told him about Frank Keller. Said he believed that Keller, a disgruntled former employee, was the man responsible for the shootings on the ranch.

  Kade told Carver that Keller could also be responsible for an explosion at the Red Hawk Mine, which operated on Diamond Bar land.

  “You think your dead cattle, your dog, and the incident at the mine are connected?” Carver asked.

  “Yeah, that’s what I think.”

  “The mine’s in Summit County. I’ll call Gil Worthington, the county sheriff. Bring him up to speed on Keller and see what information he might be able to share on the mine explosion.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’ll get back to you,” Carver had said.

  Kade was replaying the conversation in his head when he looked across the yard to see Wyatt bent over the saddle, riding his horse like hellfire across the pasture toward the house. Kade’s senses went on alert, and he rushed to intercept him.

  “What is it? What’s happened?”

  Wyatt reined his horse to a sliding halt. “The bastard shot Alejandro. We were working in the east pasture. They’re bringing him here in the back of Slate’s pickup.”

  Kade clenched his hand into a fist, the leather glove biting into his palm. “You call for a chopper?” There was a clinic in Eagle, but anyone with a serious injury was airlifted to the hospital in Vail.

  Wyatt nodded. “They’re on the way. The pasture is close to the house, so they’re coming directly here. I tried your cell, but the call dropped and I couldn’t get through.”

  Fury warred with fear for Alejandro, a man Kade liked and respected. “How bad is it?”

  “He was back-shot. Entered through his shoulder and came out through his chest, but we were there when it happened, and we got the bleeding stopped right away.”

  “What about the shooter?” Kade asked.

  “Turtle and Roy went after him. Last call I got, they hadn’t found him.”

  Kade clamped down on the rage burning through him. He wanted Keller, but taking care of his men came first. Kade made another call to the sheriff, told him Alejandro Ramirez, one of his ranch hands, had been shot and that he was being airlifted to the hospital in Vail.

  “I’ll need to talk to Ramirez,” Carver said. “I’ll check in with the hospital, speak to him as him as soon as he’s stable.”

  “You need to find this guy, Sheriff. Before he kills someone.”

  “I’ll find him. As soon as I have the information I need, I’ll put out a statewide BOLO.”

  “I’ll let you know if I find out anything else,” Kade said.

  “This is police business, Kade. You need to stay out of it.”

  Fat chance of that. “I have to get going. Keep me posted, Glen.” Kade hung up the phone.

  Now that he’d notified law enforcement, he needed to be sure his men were protected, which meant he needed to set up security patrols. Then he was going after Frank Keller. He could track a man as easily as he could a cougar or a bear. He’d find Keller and deal with him—one way or another.

  The thought had barely formed when he spotted Slate’s white Ford F-250 barreling toward them down the dirt road, flinging muddy slush where the snow had melted. It was October, not yet winter. With any luck, the snow would be gone and not return until next month.

  Kade strode over as the pickup braked to a stop. Shoulder to shoulder, Slate and Kade walked to the back of the truck. A bedroll had been spread open, and Alejandro lay on top, his eyes closed, his swarthy face washed out to the color of glass. Riley rode next to him, the cast on his leg sticking out in front of him.

  Kade reached down and took hold of Alejandro’s limp, dark hand. “Chopper’s on the way. You hang in there, you hear? You’re gonna be okay.”

  Alejandro’s black eyes cracked open. “Did they catch the chin-gadero who shot me?”

  “If they don’t, I will.”

  Alejandro managed a nod, and his eyes slid closed. A whop whop whop signaled the arrival of the life-flight helicopter. It also told the household staff that something was going on. Maria rushed out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron as she raced toward him.

  “What’s happened?” The pickup tailgate was down, and she could see Riley sitting in the back.

  “It’s Alejandro. He’s been shot.”

  Maria made a high-pitched sound in her throat, turned, and ran toward the truck. Kade knew the girl had feelings for the handsome Latino. There was no way to mistake the blush in her cheeks whenever he was near. Alejandro hadn’t seemed to notice. Which Kade figured was better all around.

  Maria climbed into the truck bed, picked up Alejandro’s hand, and pressed it against her cheek. “You’ll be all right, Alejandro. Señor Kade will make sure, and I will pray to the Blessed Virgin. You’ll see.”

  Alejandro’s eyes opened, and a faint smile touched his lips. “So pretty . . . and so . . . sweet . . .” His features went slack as he drifted into unconsciousness.

  A sound of pain slipped from Maria’s throat, and Kade sighed. Alejandro was a ladies’ man. Half the women in the county had warmed his bed, and the other half wanted to. Until today, Alejandro had been careful to keep his distance from Maria, a young woman he liked and respected. Who knew what would happen now that the girl had openly revealed her affections?

  Kade thought of Ellie and the hot kiss in his study. Whatever happened, he was in no position to throw stones.

  Maria held onto Alejandro’s hand as the chopper set down in the widest part of the yard, the doors slid open, and a pair of EMTs jumped out carrying a stretcher. Kade watched the men at work, grateful they had arrived so quickly.

  He turned at the sound of a car engine pulling up the drive. The motor went off, and Ellie got out of her rented Jeep Cherokee and hurried toward him.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “Alejandro’s been shot.”

  “Oh my God, is he going to be all right?”

  “We’ll find out once we get to the hospital. Get Maria, and let’s go.”

  Ellie’s gaze went to the black-haired woman standing in the yard, tears streaming down her face. Ellie walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Kade’s driving us to the hospital.”

/>   “I’m going with you?” Maria looked at her with big, wet, hopeful eyes. “What . . . what about supper?”

  “The guys can make do for one night,” Kade said as he joined them. “In the meantime, I need to set up security patrols around the ranch. You think Delaney can handle that?”

  “Nighthawk has a team that specializes in protection of just about any kind. They’re the best or Conn wouldn’t be using them. I’ll call him, tell him what’s going on and what you need.”

  Kade nodded. “Wait here, and I’ll get my truck.”

  * * *

  The Vail Hospital was a well-staffed medical facility in the Vail valley, a four-story brick and stucco building on West Meadow Drive. Ellie waited while Kade talked to the receptionist, telling her they were there for Alejandro Ramirez. The woman behind the counter sent them up to the surgical floor, where a nurse guided them down the hall to a room in which several other worried families waited impatiently for news of their loved ones.

  Seated on a pale blue vinyl sofa, Maria clung to Ellie’s hand, barely holding it together.

  “Alejandro . . . he’s such a good man.”

  “He’s going to be all right,” Ellie said. “You just need to keep telling yourself that.”

  “I’m praying for him. I pray you’re right and he’ll be okay.”

  But the hours slipped past, and the only news of Alejandro’s condition came from a nurse who told them he was still in surgery.

  Finally, a weary-looking doctor in wrinkled green scrubs walked through the door, and Kade, Ellie, and Maria all rose to meet him.

  “I’m Doctor Sawyer,” he said. Average height, thick gray hair, deep lines around tired eyes. “You’re Alejandro Ramirez’s family?”

  “As much family as he has around here,” Kade said.

  The doctor nodded. “He’s out of surgery, recovering in the ICU. The bullet that entered his body took out a portion of his lung.”

  Maria stifled a sob, and Ellie squeezed her hand.

  “The fast action of the men who were with him prevented him from losing too much blood. We repaired the torn tendons and muscles, but the lung was the most serious injury.”