The Cowgirl in Question

by B. J Daniels

  “Did you?”

  “Hmm? Oh, I landed it all right. J.T. thought it was a state record. He’d run to get something to weigh it. Cash was yelling at Dad that we were going to have bass for dinner.”

  She was watching him, recognized his wry expression and knew. “You let it go.”

  His smile broadened as he looked over at her. “Yeah. I never heard the end of it.” Their eyes met, making her heart compress. Cassidy could feel the heat, almost see the sparks flying back and forth between them.

  Rourke glanced away and took a drink of his beer.

  Since the day he’d come back, he had talked to her about nothing but Forrest’s murder. Tonight he wasn’t that embittered man who’d come out of prison seeking vengeance. Nor was he the wild boy. He was someone in between, someone who made her feel warm and safe and alive sitting next to him. She wished this night would never end.

  They finished their beers in a companionable silence, but she was never more aware of a man as she was Rourke. As he shifted to point out one thing or another, their thighs would brush and heat would spread through her. Her flesh felt on fire. She hugged herself, suddenly wondering if she’d made a mistake coming out here with him.

  She wanted him to kiss her. No, not just kiss her. She wanted him to make love to her. To hell with tomorrow. She would have given anything to lie in Rourke’s arms tonight.

  Her heart pounded a little harder at just the thought of waking up tomorrow in his arms. Uh-huh. And having him tell you that last night was a mistake? And it would be a mistake. She knew that. Not that it made it any easier to push the fantasy away and rise to her feet. “I should get some sleep.”

  He rose with her. “Cassidy, I’m sorry I got you involved in this.”

  She shook her head. “I was already involved and I volunteered to help you.”

  “With a little arm-twisting,” he said.

  “I can take a lot of arm-twisting if I don’t want to do something,” she said and turned to go inside but he caught her hand—and just as quickly let go of it.

  “Thanks,” he said, and nodded as if that was all he wanted to say. Or do. But his gaze went to her lips. Her pulse quickened and she knew all she had to do was lean a little toward him, her face lifted to his and he would kiss her.

  “CASSIDY.” He hadn’t even realized he’d said her name. Nor that he’d moved to her. He looked into her face and wondered how he could not have noticed her eleven years ago. She was so appealing, from her understated beauty and warm brown eyes to her golden mane of hair that tumbled around her shoulders and the soft cadence of her voice.

  But it was the tenderness he saw in her eyes, the shyness that tugged at his cynical heart and made him feel weak in the knees around her.

  There was something about her that made it easy to talk to her, easy to be around her. There was an intelligence and a determination that exemplified why she had done so well with the Longhorn Café. Not to mention, a kindness, a goodness that seemed to radiate from her face.

  He admired the hell out of her.

  But what he was feeling now went beyond admiration.

  She was frowning at him, her head cocked a little to one side, her eyes bright as sunlight.

  Kissing her right then was as natural as breathing. And yet he hesitated. He didn’t want to mess this up, and he feared kissing her might ruin something good. He liked her, felt they were becoming friends. He didn’t want to lose that.

  But he only hesitated a moment. His desire to kiss her overpowered everything. Throwing caution to the wind, he leaned toward her.

  She didn’t pull back. Her eyes widened, her lips parted. He dropped his mouth to hers. A soft, gentle brush of a kiss.

  She seemed to hold her breath, eyes wide. Then she giggled. “Sorry,” she said.

  He shook his head, pulling back to smile at her.

  “I’m a little—” she hiccuped “—nervous.”

  His smile broadened. She had the hiccups? “Can I get you a glass of water?”

  She nodded and hiccuped again, her face reddening. “Oh, I am so embarrassed,” he heard her say under her breath, which only made him smile more as he went into the kitchen and got her a glass of water.

  “Here,” he said, when he came back out.

  She took the water and gulped it down, holding her head back. “I get the hiccups when I’m…nervous.”

  “I’m sorry I make you nervous.”

  She swallowed the rest of the water, then they both waited to see if the water did the trick.

  She laughed in relief and he laughed with her, but as their laughter died, the atmosphere between them seemed to change as if the molecules themselves had become charged with electricity.

  “I should…” She made a motion toward her bedroom.

  He looked at her and smiled. He wasn’t going to mess this up. No way. “Good night.”

  She nodded, seeming disappointed. Not half as much as he was. But the more he was around Cassidy, the more he liked her. The more he was determined not to hurt her.

  As the door closed, he stood on the steps and silently cursed himself. So much for his pledge not to get too close to her. He couldn’t believe he’d kissed her. If she hadn’t gotten the hiccups…

  He smiled to himself remembering. He liked Cassidy. She seemed to bring out something good and strong in him, something he liked.

  He let out a long breath and stared up at the moon. It felt as if he’d never seen it before, as if his life really was beginning all over again. How about that?

  He went onto the porch and sprawled on the cot, the moonlight filtering in through the screens. For the first time in a long while, he felt at peace.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next morning Rourke woke to the sound of a vehicle coming up the road. He rose, surprised how well he’d slept last night.

  Cassidy’s bedroom door was closed as he padded to the back porch. He suspected it would be Cash coming out to check on Cassidy.

  But as the vehicle drew closer, he saw that it wasn’t the sheriff’s patrol car but one of the green Suburbans from Antelope Development Corporation. Easton? He’d been expecting a visit from him. The Suburban pulled up, morning sun glaring off the windshield. The door opened.

  He groaned as Blaze stepped out. What did she want?

  “You’re a hard man to find,” Blaze said, coming to a halt at the bottom of the steps. She looked up at him as if waiting for an invitation.

  “What can I do for you, Blaze?” he asked, leaning against the railing, not inviting her inside.

  She seemed to take in his rumpled T-shirt and jeans, his bare feet.

  “I have something important I wanted to tell you,” she said. “About the night Forrest was killed.” She looked pointedly at the door to the cabin. “Well?”

  He knew it was probably just a ruse. “Okay.” He motioned her in, leaving the door open as he walked back into the cabin to the kitchen where he started a pot of coffee.

  When he turned, she was right behind him. He swore under his breath, angry with himself for the shot of desire that bulleted through him at just the familiar scent of her perfume. It brought back a wave of sexual memories that reminded him how long it had been.

  With Blaze it would be so easy. Hadn’t he promised himself that the next time he got a chance, he’d sleep with her? Well, this wasn’t that chance given that Cassidy was in the next room. But the idea definitely had its appeal.

  He’d noticed the last couple of days that his libido was starting to resurface. He didn’t trust himself with Cassidy. Maybe if he took Blaze up on her offer, it would make it easier to be around Cassidy.

  He took a breath. “There was something you wanted to tell me?”

  “A cup of coffee would be nice.”

  “It’s brewing.”

  She stepped closer. “It’s been a long time,” she whispered. “I never forgot you, Rourke.” And then her mouth was on his.

  He closed his eyes, lost in the kiss, in the
familiar. But then he opened his eyes and saw Blaze and pulled back.

  She blinked in surprise. “What?”

  He shook his head. He could no more explain it than speak at the moment. Blaze was a sexy woman and the offer was clear, but he wasn’t interested even if Cassidy hadn’t been in the next room. It surprised him more than it did even her.

  He looked past Blaze and saw Cassidy and knew she’d witnessed the kiss. Damn. She was wearing his robe. She met his eyes for only an instant, then hurried into the bathroom, closing the door silently behind her.

  Blaze hadn’t seen Cassidy or heard her pad quietly to the bathroom. “Come on, stop playing hard to get. You know you want me.”

  “Sorry, Blaze, but I don’t want you.”

  She glared at him with a mixture of anger and contempt in her eyes. “This is a one-time offer, Rourke.”

  Surprisingly he was glad to hear that. He heard the shower come on. Blaze didn’t seem to notice. “What is it you wanted to tell me about Forrest’s murder?”

  She shook her head and he figured it would be a cold day in hell before he ever found out.

  “Unless you were lying about having something you wanted to tell me,” he added.

  She bristled at that. “Yvonne Ames.” She practically spit the words at him. “She’s the woman who was meeting Forrest the night he was murdered.”

  He couldn’t have been more surprised. “How do you know that?”

  “She told me. In so many words. She came by to see me because she thought I’d be seeing you.” Blaze glared at him. “She was afraid you were going to find out. She asked me if you’d said anything about her since you’d been back. She said she sent you letters and cookies at prison. I knew she was lying.”

  Yvonne had never been overly bright. Going to Blaze was one of her dumber moves. She was lucky Blaze hadn’t strangled her on the spot. Blaze had to be beside herself at even the thought that Forrest was seeing her and Yvonne Ames. It definitely put Blaze in a category she didn’t want to be.

  “What’s so funny?” she demanded.

  He shook his head. The shower stopped. “It must have ticked you off royally to find out Forrest was running around with you and Yvonne.”

  “I didn’t see a ring on my finger,” she snapped. “I could date anyone I wanted.”

  “Seems Forrest felt the same way.”

  She whipped around angrily and he thought she was going to stomp out right then. Instead her expression softened. “Rourke, don’t do this.” She pressed her palms against his T-shirt and gave him the come-hither look that used to draw him to her like a bear to honey. Now or never, her look said.

  Never, he thought, surprising the hell out of him.

  “I know you’re angry with me,” she purred. “But if you could just forgive me, you and I could—”

  “Blaze, that’s not it. I’m not angry. I’m just not…interested.”

  She reared back as if he’d slapped her.

  Just then, Cassidy came out of the bathroom, wearing his robe, her hair wet and clinging to her flushed skin.

  Blaze turned and let out a curse before swinging back around to face him, her face hardening to stone. “You just made the biggest mistake of your life.” Then she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

  Cassidy was also giving him a look. “You have lipstick on your cheek,” she said, and walked down the hall to the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

  BLAZE DROVE like a demon back into Antelope Flats. Rourke didn’t know who he was dealing with. She’d show him. He would rue this day, so help her, God.

  She pushed open the door to ADC ignoring the receptionist’s cheery “good morning,” and stormed into the office, dropping her purse and keys onto her desk before turning, surprised to see Easton at his desk.

  He looked so good this morning she almost poured her heart out to him. “Something wrong?” he asked.

  Everything was wrong. Nothing was going the way she’d planned it. And worst of all, Cassidy was with Rourke. She felt tears flood her eyes and realized what was killing her. She didn’t care about Rourke, she never had. She just didn’t want Cassidy to have him. And she wanted Easton to be so jealous that he’d break down and finally ask her to marry him.

  As she stared at Easton, she realized what a fool she’d been. “Oh, Easton.” She threw herself into his lap.

  He caught her, obviously surprised by her outburst. “Let me guess. Rourke.”

  “This isn’t about Rourke. It never was. You’re the only man I love.” She wiped her eyes and he reached into his pocket for his handkerchief. He handed it to her. It was true, she realized with a start. She loved him.

  Easton laughed. “Blaze, you really are something. Love? You might want to marry me. Or at least think you do right now.”

  She blinked. “I’m serious. The past few days have made me realize just what you mean to me.”

  His eyes narrowed and he stood, forcing her off his lap. He walked around the end of his desk, putting distance between them. “What’s going on with Rourke?”

  “Nothing!”

  “So that’s it.”

  “No, I don’t care about Rourke. He didn’t even come back the same man I knew.”

  “What a surprise after eleven years in prison.”

  Blaze stared at him. Easton had never been this snide to her, never this cold. A chasm of fear opened up inside her. “East, I never wanted Rourke. I just wanted to make you jealous, make you realize that you couldn’t live without me.”

  He let out a startled laugh. “Did I just hear the truth come out of your mouth? This is a first.”

  She lowered herself into the chair he’d vacated feeling suddenly too weak to stand. She dropped her head, crying in front of him, no longer worrying about what it would do to her makeup. “You have to believe me. I love you.”

  “Really, Blaze? What if I had no money?”

  She looked up at him in surprise.

  “What if I lost everything? What if we had to live the rest of our lives in that dinky apartment of yours? Would you still love me then, Blaze?”

  She was trying to imagine why he would lose everything.

  “That’s what I thought.” He strode to the door, his face hard with anger. “I can see the answer in your face. Don’t even try to deny it.”

  “No,” she said, stumbling out of the chair. “I…would love you. I would. I do. Easton, please.”

  But it was too late. He stormed out, slamming the door, leaving her alone. She dropped back into the chair and buried her face in her hands.

  Why would Easton lose everything? It must have something to do with Rourke. That would explain why Easton had been acting strangely lately. He and Rourke had been best friends. Was it possible Easton really did have something to do with Forrest’s murder?

  She felt strangely protective of Easton as she forced the sobs to recede, dried her eyes and picked up her purse. She would help Easton any way she could.

  ROURKE WAS UNUSUALLY QUIET on the drive into town. Cassidy suspected it was because he was regretting having turned down Blaze.

  “I’m sorry I complicated things for you this morning at the cabin,” she said, glancing over at him.

  “I assume you heard everything.”

  “Not everything,” she said, trying to sound indignant. “I’ve already told you. I could care less about you and Blaze. That was all in the past.” She could feel his eyes on her. Did he suspect she let the shower run while she listened with her ear to the door and then took a speedy shower? “Blaze is obviously still interested in you. I’m surprised you don’t take her up on her…offers.”

  Rourke laughed. “Me, too. Did you hear what she told me?”

  Cassidy couldn’t remember if she was supposed to be in the shower during that discussion. “What was that?”

  He eyed her suspiciously. “That she believes Yvonne Ames was meeting Forrest the night he was murdered.”

  Cassidy widened her eyes at him.

 
; He smiled and shook his head. “I thought maybe you and I could stop by and talk to Yvonne. She might be more likely to talk to a woman about it than me.” He glanced over at her again. “What do you say?”

  “I need to get changed and go to work.” What she needed to do was distance herself from Rourke. It was just a matter of time before Blaze got to him and he gave in to her. Cassidy had to remember that.

  “Sure.” He sounded disappointed that she wasn’t coming with him.

  True to his word, Cash had seen that a large sheet of plywood had been placed where the window had been in her bedroom. The house looked fine. Rourke offered to check the outside while she changed.

  She thought about the kiss last night at the cabin. Hurriedly brushed it from her thoughts as she heard Rourke come back into the house. Blaze would do whatever it took to get back at him.

  “Mind if I use your phone to call Yvonne?” he called.

  “Help yourself.” She heard him dial.

  “No answer. What do you say to a change of plans?” She could hear him just outside the bedroom door. She didn’t trust her voice. “I was thinking we could go for a horseback ride this morning. I can get Martha to make us a brunch basket.”

  She opened the bedroom door and looked at him. Was he serious? Hadn’t she just said she had to go to work? “I own a business, Rourke—”

  “I know. I was just hoping you could take off the morning so we could ride up Wild Horse Gulch. The back way,” he said.

  She stared at him. “You think the killer went by horseback?”

  “It crossed my mind after what Cecil told you,” he said. “Four landowners have the property in that area, my family, Blaze’s father, the Forest Service and Mason VanHorn. I didn’t see anyone else on the road that night or any other car parked at the end of the road.”

  “Cecil is in jail,” she said. “You still want to keep investigating?”

  “I want to spend the day with you and I know this spot that is perfect for a picnic. Say you’ll come with me.”

  She thought about him and Blaze and what she’d witnessed this morning and warned herself not to get involved with Rourke McCall. He wasn’t over Blaze. No matter what he said. “I really need to get to work.”