Her P.I. Protector

by Jennifer Morey

  “What are you working on?” Cal asked. “Besides my sister?”

  Cal would tease him in front of her. He noticed Skylar look at him.

  Cal worked in a satellite office in Chesterville, West Virginia, and they hadn’t had time to catch up on their work lives. Cal and Jaslene had just arrived in Texas for a visit with Cal’s family today. Cal had invited Julien to join him and his wife. They picked him up after landing at the airport. Julien had joined them to save time. Cal couldn’t stay long.

  “A missing person case. A fourteen-year-old boy didn’t come home from school three days ago. No leads. His grandmother hired DAI because she feels the police aren’t doing enough.”

  “Maybe he ditched class and something happened,” Cal said.

  “That’s what I thought. His parents said it wouldn’t be the first time he’d ditched. He’s a troubled teen, been arrested for robbery, and was suspended from school last year.”

  “What’s his family like?” Skylar asked.

  Julien welcomed the excuse to look into her beautiful eyes again. “Not very stable. The mother doesn’t work and the stepfather works when he isn’t fired from job to job. His grandmother said his stepfather drinks a lot of beer. She’s tried to get her grandson to live with her, but the parents refused.”

  “That’s so sad,” she said. “Why hasn’t the state taken the boy away from them?”

  “No evidence of abuse or neglect.”

  A housekeeper had let someone in the front door. Julien turned with Cal and Skylar to see the sheriff approach. He and his team had been gone for about four hours. The sheriff took out a cell phone and showed them a photo of a simple trash bag sitting beside a hole in the ground—where Skylar had seen the man digging.

  “Garbage? That’s not what I saw,” Skylar said.

  “It’s what was buried there,” the sheriff said.

  “I saw something wrapped in an elongated piece of black plastic, or a tarp, not a trash bag,” Skylar insisted, sounding upset.

  Julien reached over and put his hand on her shoulder, an impulse that made him too aware of how much he wanted to protect her. And how attracted to her he was.

  “We searched for other evidence and found none. No casings, no blood, no murder weapon of any kind.”

  Sheriff McKenzie’s tone implied he didn’t believe Skylar.

  “Someone shot at me!” she insisted.

  “I didn’t find any proof of that. We looked.”

  Skylar folded her arms in offense.

  “He could have picked up the casings and buried the trash bag to cover his tracks,” Julien said.

  “That may be, but without proof, there’s not a whole lot I can do at this point.” The sheriff turned back to Skylar. “I’m not saying no one shot at you, miss.”

  He was just saying he couldn’t do anything. But Julien could.

  “Thanks for checking,” Julien said. He glanced at Cal, who nodded.

  The sheriff headed for the door.

  “Wait a minute.” Skylar followed him. “So that’s it? Someone shoots at me and because there is no evidence, case closed? Are you serious?”

  Julien came to stand before her. “I’ll take it from here, Skylar.” She sure was a feisty one.

  She stared at him as though uncomprehending. He could hear her thinking, How the heck can he take it from here?

  “Sorry I couldn’t do more.” The sheriff touched the brim of his hat in farewell, but gave Skylar a dubious look before he turned.

  Cal walked into the entryway.

  Julien watched Skylar pivot from the departing sheriff and look at her brother expectantly. She must know he was a good detective, he thought, and was waiting for him to tell her what he was going to do.

  “We’ll find the shooter,” Julien said, bringing Skylar’s head toward him.

  “We will, Skylar,” Cal reassured her. “Nobody messes with my little sister and gets away with it.”

  “I thought you had to get back to West Virginia,” Skylar said.

  “Yes, a case just came through. We need to fly back tonight.”

  She seemed disappointed but apparently understood. “All right.” Next, she slid a tentative glance to Julien.

  “You’ll be in good hands with Julien. He wouldn’t be working for DAI if he wasn’t one of the best,” Cal told her. “And I’d give the case to someone else if I didn’t have the utmost confidence in him.”

  Nothing like a little pressure.

  After a moment, Skylar shook her head and, with a sigh, wiped a few strands of hair off her forehead. “All right. I’m going to go check on Bogie and then go home for the rest of the day.”

  It was well into the afternoon now. Skylar hugged her brother.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Cal said as she withdrew.

  Skylar turned to Julien and, after her eyes roamed his face, she extended her hand.

  He took it for a semi shake. Not too tight, not too soft. His defenses went up over the way she looked at him. Take it nice and slow, he told himself. No time for romance until he solved her mystery.

  “I wish we could have met under difference circumstances,” he said.

  She smiled slightly. “Yes, but I have to say I am glad we did meet.”

  He handed her his card, which had his office and mobile numbers.

  Skylar took it. “Hang on.” She hurried from the room, returning seconds later with her own business card that she must keep in her father’s office. Or maybe she used it on occasion to run the ranch.

  “Thanks. Call me if you notice anything odd.”

  “I will.” With that she turned and headed for the front entrance. Julien enjoyed looking at how her jeans snugly fit her butt and the way each cheek rose and fell with her strides.

  When he could no longer see her, he turned to Cal. His friend had noticed the observation and looked amused.

  “I should warn you that she’s stubborn and loud.”

  “Okay.” Stubborn was all right as long as it wasn’t malicious.

  “She’s accustomed to running everything on her own,” Cal continued.

  “Okay.” Might be a good complement to the hours he worked.

  “She was raised by my dad. I didn’t listen to his preaching as much as she did.”

  Julien had to pause at that one. “She doesn’t seem greedy. Is she?”

  “I wouldn’t say ‘greedy,’ but the bottom line is important to her.”

  That didn’t sound too harmful. Besides, he didn’t even know her yet. He only knew she was a knockout and he was very attracted to that. He’d take his time getting to know her.

  “No man has ever lasted with her,” Cal went on.

  “Does she have any redeeming qualities in your mind?” Julien had to ask.

  Cal chuckled. “Everything I said except her thirst for a high bottom line.” He paused, as though thinking. “That and her love of nature and animals. And she does stand up to Dad. He doesn’t dare tell her how to run the ranch anymore. He works too much to do it himself and Dad can’t boss her around like he could his other ranch managers.”

  Julien felt a spark of excitement over the prospect of engaging a woman like that. A love of nature and animals spoke of a softer side. He liked independent women, too. Independence meant she’d be more likely to tolerate a man with a career like his, where the hours ran long and unpredictable.

  With his thoughts rambling way too far into the future, Julien checked himself. He’d help her stay safe from the gunman and try to uncover what she’d seen him doing first. Anything personal had to wait. His usual resolve on that point wavered, though. He felt doubt and began to worry he might not be able to resist his attraction to Skylar.

  Chapter 2

  Skylar had gotten an early start after taking yesterday off—well, sort of. Being chased by a madma
n and then dealing with the sheriff hadn’t exactly been a day off. She’d needed the down time after that, but it hadn’t alleviated her tension. She’d taken a ranch hand with her on her ride around the perimeter, looking behind her every so often, half expecting to see the gunman coming after her. Tired and hungry—she’d skipped lunch and now it was going on three—she contemplated going home to grab a sandwich and take a bath with candles and bubbles.

  She walked toward her truck and then she saw Julien waiting there. He smiled a little, almost a grin, and her lips turned up involuntarily. She came to a stop before him.

  “I thought I’d come by and check on you,” he said.

  “Do I need checking?”

  “I need it. To see for myself that you’re all right.”

  Did he care because she was Cal’s little sister or for another reason?

  “I also wanted to let you know I made arrangements to speak with Wes McKann and thought you might want to go with me.”

  “You had to make arrangements?”

  “I wasn’t able to catch him at home when I stopped by last evening. He was reluctant to meet with me when I phoned him early this morning. I had to tell him eventually I’d find probable cause and allow the police to get a warrant. He told me to come by this afternoon.”

  “‘Probable cause’?” That got her attention.

  “His wife went missing a few days ago. After I left here, I did some digging. There are three missing person cases in this county. One is my missing boy. The other is McCann’s wife, Charlotte. And the third is the wife of a lawyer. Haven’t talked to him yet.”

  “All missing? Isn’t that a lot?”

  Julien shrugged and looked out across the ranch land, squinting his eyes slightly. “Concentrated in this area?” He met her eyes again. “Maybe. Two women in the same county has me very suspicious. The missing teen being related doesn’t seem possible.”

  He thought the two women could be linked? “What do you know about the lawyer?”

  “Nothing yet.” He checked his watch. “Can you take a break for an hour or so?”

  “I’m finished for the day.” She walked with him toward a dark blue BMW X5. He drove a nice vehicle. Not a pickup like many men did, but a sophisticated SUV.

  At the BMW, she was startled when he reached past her and opened the passenger door for her.

  Turning her head, she saw his smiling eyes and felt a tingle chase through her. “I can’t remember the last time a man opened a door for me.” She hoped the faint breathlessness in her voice wasn’t obvious.

  “You must not date much.”

  She smiled back at him. She didn’t date very much.

  Getting into the BMW, she watched Julien walk around to the other side, admiring his graceful but sturdy gait and the sway of his powerful shoulders.

  He got in, started the SUV and they were on their way. She was aware of him sitting only a few feet from her, and wondered if Julien was as aware of her, too.

  “So, do you?” he asked.

  “Do I what?”

  “Date much.”

  Leave it to a P.I. to turn an uncomfortable situation into an opportunity to learn something about a woman, she thought, but said, “In my experience, most men don’t like a woman in charge.” And she would do the same with him. How would he respond to her statement? She always liked to find out early on. Then she didn’t have to waste time going on a date with a man she knew wouldn’t be compatible.

  “In my experience, most women don’t like a man who isn’t around much.”

  Huh. She hadn’t heard that one before. “My work is important to me, too.”

  He turned his head to glance at her and she thought she saw surprise in his eyes.

  “Do we have something in common?” she asked.

  “A rarity for sure.”

  For him? she wondered.

  He parked in front of Wes McCann’s two-story Colonial and they walked to the front door, which opened before they got there. Skylar felt awkward about accompanying Julien here, but he had insisted to ensure her safety.

  Wes McCann was a ruggedly handsome man if a woman could get past his bristly nature. He was slightly taller than Julien’s six-two, with jet-black hair that peeked out from under his black cowboy hat, and piercing blue eyes that held no welcome.

  “What’s she doing here?” Wes demanded.

  “She’s part of the reason I’m here.”

  “Nice to see you, Mr. McCann.” Skylar stepped into the home ahead of Julien as Wes moved to let them pass.

  “What does my wife’s disappearance have to do with her?” Wes asked Julien.

  Skylar stood next to him in the wide, wood-floored foyer.

  “Would you mind telling me when you last saw your wife?” Julien asked.

  “I already told the sheriff everything I know.”

  “Wasn’t it one of your wife’s friends who actually reported her missing?”

  That question fell on Wes abrasively and his eyes hardened in warning. “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you report her missing?”

  “Charlotte frequently goes on trips without telling me. She usually goes to her parents’ house in Maine. That’s why I wasn’t concerned. I didn’t know she wasn’t there until after her friend reported her missing. Apparently this friend called and discovered she wasn’t there.”

  He sounded believable. But Skylar couldn’t be sure he wasn’t the same man she saw digging a hole. She told the sheriff he had been too far away to describe reliably.

  “How was your marriage, Mr. McCann?” Julien asked.

  Skylar remained quiet, letting the professional do all the questioning, even though she wondered the same. She was with Julien to be safe, not solve a case.

  Wes looked from Julien to Skylar and then back at Julien. “Why are you asking me questions about my wife?” He nodded his head at Skylar. “What does she have to do with her disappearance?” Then he looked right at her with those unnerving eyes. “Do you know what happened to her?”

  “No.”

  “She saw someone digging a hole next to your property line yesterday,” Julien said.

  Wes’s eyes softened but shrewdness took over as he turned once again to Skylar. “Oh, I get it. The sheriff came by and told me about that. You think I tried to bury my wife there.” He chuckled, but not in a humorous way. “You both can go now. If you need to ask me more questions, you’re going to have to have me arrested.” He went to the door and opened it.

  “We mean no disrespect, Mr. McCann,” Skylar said. “Do you know who may have dug a hole and put a bag of trash in it?”

  “No, I don’t,” he replied curtly, extending his hand palm-up in an invitation for them to leave.

  Skylar moved to stand in front of him. “A man shot at me when I saw him digging.”

  “It wasn’t me,” Wes insisted.

  “You own a gun, don’t you?” she asked, ignoring his arrogant tone.

  “I own several,” he shot back, as though she should know better.

  But that was not why she had asked.

  “What kind?” Julien asked.

  “I don’t have to answer any of these questions.”

  “Where were you yesterday morning?” Skylar asked.

  “Working my ranch.”

  “Can anyone confirm that?” Julien asked.

  “I prefer to work alone. Now, if you don’t mind?” Wes ground out the last words, clearly reaching his limit of patience.

  Julien placed his hand on Skylar’s lower back. “Let’s go.”

  She passed the glowering Mr. McCann and walked with Julien to his SUV, where he once again opened the door for her. She got in and looked toward the house, seeing Wes staring at them from the open entry. She continued to watch him stare as Julien drove away, facing forward only when she
could no longer see Wes.

  “He’s an angry man,” she said.

  “Yeah. Defensive.”

  Because he was guilty? “He said Charlotte frequently left without telling him.”

  “Not a sign of a happy marriage.”

  “Maybe she left him for good this time. Maybe she doesn’t want to be found,” Skylar said. “A man like that would scare away most women. Living with one would be infinitely worse.”

  “Maybe she left and he found her,” Julien said. “I checked for credit card activity and didn’t find any.”

  She knew what he meant. Maybe Wes had found her and killed her.

  Skylar rubbed her arms as goose bumps spread across her skin.

  * * *

  After Julien dropped her off at home, Skylar finally could take a long, hot, candle-lit bath. She added a nice glass of Pinot Grigio to the time. Putting the glass on the windowsill beside the tub, she stepped into the lavender-scented water, the bath bomb still fizzing at the bottom. Sinking into the water, she sighed and leaned her head back against a folded towel.

  The sound of the television she’d left on downstairs kept her company along with the ever-lingering thoughts of Julien. When he’d dropped her off, he’d walked her to her door. At first, she assumed he did so as a romantic gesture, but then she’d seen him looking around for any signs of something amiss. She also recalled he’d done that all the way to her house, looking in his rearview mirror, at side roads and people they passed. The drop of disappointment in her stomach had surprised her.

  What had she expected? For him to kiss her? She didn’t even know him. All she knew about him was that he was Cal’s close friend from the past and that he’d had similar experiences with women as she’d had with men.

  That, and he was gorgeous.

  So, she was physically attracted to him. She didn’t know enough to jump into anything yet. She had to stop jumping into relationships.

  Reaching over to pick up her glass of wine, the sound of something breaking downstairs stopped her.

  What was that? A glass? She had not left anything on the counters in the kitchen. A window? Alarm sent chills up her spine.