One Tough Texan

by MJ Rodgers

  Matt beat her to it. He extended his arm to bar her way.

  “Who was it?” he demanded for a third time, his voice gruff with frustration and anger. “I’m warning you, Jamie, you’re not getting past me until I know.”

  She raised her head and looked him straight in the eyes. “It was a crank call. And now let me warn you, Matt Bonner. I have a mean right, and you’re going to be feeling it on that chin of yours real soon if you don’t stand back and let me pass.”

  Matt was amazed at the strength of her angry retort, coming so soon in the aftermath of what had obviously been a shock or a fright. Ribbons of color flashed in her cheeks.

  He stayed where he was for a moment, caught between the conflicting feelings of admiration at her fast recovery, frustration at her answer and amusement at her threat.

  Then he realized she was close enough for him to smell the warm, honeyed sweetness of her hair and skin. And that was too close.

  He dropped his arm and stepped back. Jamie rushed past without a backward glance.

  Matt watched her go. A tiny, sane voice urged him to just let her leave and be done with it.

  But he wasn’t listening to it. He was listening to another voice-not so sane but far louder. He made his way to the switchboard and loomed over the operator. His name was Perry. He’d been with Matt from the opening of the show. He was a pro.

  “What was the originating number on the Jamie Bonner call?” he demanded.

  “The number didn’t appear on the monitor, Matt. It had line blocking on it.”

  “You didn’t override?”

  Perry looked at Matt with startled eyes. “We’ve got one of those cases?”

  “We’re going to treat it like one. Record every damn number and every conversation that comes in for her from now on.

  “Yes, sir,” Perry said.

  Matt whirled around and headed for his small studio office. He slammed the door behind him.

  He’d snatched up the phone and had mashed out the number before he’d even sat down.

  “It’s me, Liz.”

  “It’s nearly eleven, Matt. Why are you calling so late?”

  “I need to talk to Cade.”

  “Cade flew to Tulsa this afternoon. He’ll be gone for at least a week.”

  “What’s he doing there?”

  “A veterinary convention. Whole bunch of new methods on how to treat old diseases and save the hopeless. He’s in hog heaven. You sound angry. What’s wrong?”

  “You heard Jamie’s looking for some guy she knew when she was fifteen?”

  “Yeah. Tony something. Cade and I told her she should see you. How’s the search going?”

  “I put her on the show tonight, and she got a bad call.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Whoever was on the other end of the telephone line said something to frighten her.”

  “Who did she say it was?”

  “She said it was just a crank caller. I don’t buy it.”

  “Why would Jamie lie?”

  “How would a crank caller have known her maiden name? Liz, what do you know about Jamie’s background?”

  “Not a whole lot. Jamie’s never been much of one to talk about the past, as you know.”

  “No, I don’t know.”

  “Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting you left the ranch just about the time Cade and Jamie got hitched.”

  “Just about.”

  “One day you were talking about how great it was to be back home and the next you couldn’t move out fast enough. Sometimes you can be a puzzle, big brother.”

  “And sometimes you can stray far away from the subject, little sister. Now, come on. You must know something.”

  “About what?”

  “You and Jamie are best friends. What do you talk about when you get together?”

  “Our jobs, friends, clothes, weight, chocolate, PMS, men,

  sex—just the usual stuff on a single woman’s mind. Why?”

  “I’m trying to get a fix on things. You roomed together in college. Who were the guys she dated?”

  “I don’t remember any names. No one steady, though. She didn’t go out much. When she wasn’t working, she had her nose in a book.”

  “What do you know about her background?”

  “You mean the time before we roomed together in college?”

  “Yes.”

  “Not a whole lot. She was orphaned real young. Foster family raised her. She moved to San Antonio right after high school to get a job and go to college. That’s about it”

  “What did she tell you about the foster family?”

  “Not a blessed thing. Never even saw a picture of them.”

  “That seems odd, doesn’t it?”

  “I got the distinct impression that they weren’t her favorite folks in the world. I know she worked her way through college without any help from them or anybody. And she’s proud of it.”

  “You never met this foster family?”

  “Never saw Jamie get so much as a card from them. They didn’t even attend her and Cade’s wedding, remember?”

  “What about friends from Sweetspring?”

  “She never mentioned any.”

  “When Cade calls the house, ask him to get in touch with me.”

  “In the meantime, I’d better warn you.”

  “Warn me?”

  “Don’t go trying to run roughshod over Jamie with that infamous Matt Bonner, tough Texan routine. It won’t work.”

  Matt smiled as he remembered Jamie’s threat to sock him in the jaw if he didn’t move aside. She was pretty gutsy for a gal who had to stretch up a storm to measure five foot five.

  “The warning’s come a little late, Liz. Look, I have to know who called her. There’s more to Jamie’s desire to find this Tony Lagarrigue than just a curiosity about a fifteen-yearold heartthrob. Will you talk to her for me?”

  “Sorry, no can do. If Jamie wants you to know something, she’ll have to tell you herself. I’m not going to use my friendship with her to pass on confidences. Jamie was my anchor when that love affair with Hank ended up in heartbreak. She asked no questions, just gave me lots of support and love. I respect her right to privacy as she respects mine.”

  “She’s going to have to tell me what’s going on, if she expects me to help her.”

  “Why do you have to know, Matt?”

  “What do you mean why? I’m trying to do a job here.”

  “Jamie just wants you to find this guy. She isn’t looking for your approval of her reasons.”

  “But I’m looking for the lowlife who called her at the studio tonight,” Matt said, adroitly changing the direction of the conversation. “Whoever it was frightened Jamie.”

  “Jamie doesn’t frighten easily. 1 doubt a phone call could do it. You must have read it wrong.”

  “I know what I saw.”

  “I doubt most folks ever see the real Jamie. That pretty face and petite size of hers is mighty misleading. She’s been taking care of herself for a long time. Whoever it was on the other end of that telephone call, I’ll bet she can handle ‘em.”

  “And what if you lose that bet, Liz? What if she’s in trouble and afraid to say?”

  “You’re getting pretty riled up over a crank call. This doesn’t sound like the cool, dispassionate Matt I know.”

  No, Matt supposed it didn’t But he was never himself when he was around Jamie.

  He took a deep breath and quietly exhaled. He should have known he couldn’t handle her case with his normal detached composure. Not that this was something he could ever admit to his sister.

  “I’m trying to do my job, Liz. And my instincts tell me Jamie’s keeping something back that could be damn important.”

  “Matt—”

  “Liz, I don’t like clients who won’t be forthright with me. If I can’t pry the truth out of her, I’m going to have to cut her loose.”

  “You don’t mean that! Jamie’s kin. She’s counting on you. You
’re not going to let her down, are you?”

  No, he wasn’t. But he knew when to hang tough in an argument to get what he wanted.

  “Unless Jamie tells me what she knows, I’m going to have no choice. An investigator is only as good as the information he gets. Remember, I’m trying to help here.”

  Liz sighed in his ear. “Oh, all right I’ll give her a call and see what I can do.”

  “Ask her to come by the studio tomorrow night at eightthirty so we can talk. We’ll do another segment on her and her Tony.”

  “You want to see if this creep calls her again, don’t you?”

  “You’re not a bad private investigator for an accountant, Liz.”

  “Yeah, well, you’ve become the proverbial bull in a china shop when it comes to women, Matt. Jamie is a sweetie. She’ll do most anything for someone who treats her kindly. For heaven’s sake, be nice to her.”

  “Since when haven’t I been nice to Jamie?”

  “You’ve never been much on sweet-talking the ladies, but around Jamie you’re so brittle I swear I can hear your bones crack.”

  Matt didn’t realize it had been so obvious.

  “And don’t go jumping to any more conclusions about that telephone call until you give Jamie a chance to tell you about it,” Liz continued. “I still think you’re overreacting.”

  Matt didn’t argue. He’d accomplished what he wanted to. He thanked his sister and hung up the phone.

  He wished he could believe what Liz had said about that call being something Jamie could handle.

  But Liz hadn’t seen Jamie’s face afterward. Matt had. And every ounce of his experience and instinct told him something was mighty wrong.

  Chapter Three

  “I’m just asking for the truth,” Matt said, as he paced around the tiny office at the studio. There was only one chair. He had offered it to Jamie but she had insisted on standing.

  His last comment planted her feet firmly on the carpet, arms across her chest. He was surprised to see her assume this fighting stance. Not a whole lot of folks squared off against him so readily.

  He was beginning to understand what Liz had meant about the deceptiveness of that pretty face and petite packaging.

  “Now let’s get something straight here, Matt Bonner. I didn’t lie to you. It was a crank call.”

  Despite her combative stance, her voice had remained cool. Matt liked seeing that control in her, just as he liked seeing the fight. Wimpy women had never held any appeal for him.

  “I never said you lied,” Matt equivocated. “But I think you’ll agree that the expression ‘crank caller’ implies someone who doesn’t know you. That caller knew you. He or she asked for you by your maiden name.”

  “So?”

  She wasn’t giving an inch. Trying to bully Jamie definitely didn’t work. Matt remembered his sister’s admonition about Jamie doing anything for someone who was nice to her. He tried to put a gentler touch to his tone.

  “Did Liz explain to you why I’m concerned?”

  Jamie said nothing for a moment, but Matt thought he sensed a lessening of the tension in those lovely straight shoulders.

  “Liz said you care a lot about doing your job right. She seemed to think that you cared a lot about doing right by me.”

  Jamie stopped to smile. “She also told me you still consider me family like she and Cade do, and that’s why you’re so worried. She was doing a good job of convincing me until she mentioned that last part.”

  Matt watched the gleam of amusement enter her eyes. He always liked the fact that laughter never seemed far away from Jamie, no matter what other emotion might claim her at the moment. Of course, Jamie would be far away from that laughter if she knew how accurate Liz had been in that last statement.

  “So even though you didn’t believe what Liz said about my motives, you still decided to show up tonight?”

  Jamie unfolded her arms and leaned her back against the wall. “Oh, you must know how hard it is to say no to Liz. I’d face a dozen mean, ol’ bulls rather than disappoint her.”

  “And that’s what I represent to you? A dozen mean, ol’ bulls?”

  The amusement danced through her eyes. “Naw, just one mean, old bull. But a mighty big one.”

  He could go on looking at her forever when she smiled at him like that. No woman had ever made him feel like this with just a smile.

  Damn. Matt recognized that their conversation had begun to take on a friendly give-and-take quality that he had purposely avoided on all previous occasions. He reminded himself this was not the time to allow his guard to drop.

  In the past he had solved the problem by avoiding her. Since he’d taken on her case, that was no longer an option.

  Friendly was not going to do. Neither was gruff. He had to be polite and professional when he talked to Jamie, like he was with all his other clients. Nothing less. Nothing more.

  He leaned against the edge of the small studio desk, his hands at his sides. He concentrated on putting that formal but civil quality into his expression and his tone.

  “So who was the call from?”

  Jamie gave a small shrug and uncrossed her arms. “I don’t know. He or she didn’t give a name.”

  “You want to tell me what was said?”

  “I was told Tony didn’t want to see me and didn’t appreciate my putting his name and picture on TV.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Something about the fact that the caller was in a position to affect my future health and welfare. And that I was placing them in jeopardy.”

  Matt felt his anger surging. His fingers curled beneath the rim of the desktop. He concentrated real hard on keeping his voice emotionless and even. It wasn’t easy. But he’d just promised himself he was going to remain in control with her. And damn it, he was going to.

  “And the implication of this threat was that you would be doing so by continuing to look for Tony Lagarrigue?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

  “Because it was a crank call.”

  “Was it? I think you suspect who this caller is. I just don’t think you want to accept it.”

  “No, Matt. It wasn’t Tony.”

  “Why would anyone else go to this kind of trouble to warn you off?”

  Her eyes met his levelly. “Why would Tony?”

  “You haven’t seen him in fifteen years, Jamie. A body can change a lot during that amount of time. You have no idea who he might have become.”

  “A person’s character doesn’t change that dramatically. Look, let’s forget the call, okay? It means nothing.”

  “It turned you as white as the wall.”

  “I admit I was initially shocked. I wasn’t prepared to hear something like…that. I expected-I thought-the caller was Tony.”

  “Did the voice sound familiar?”

  “Not…exactly.”

  “Translate ‘not exactly’ for me.”

  “Just for a second there at the beginning I thought it was Tony I was talking to. I think it was because the person called me Jamie Lee. Not a whole lot of folks outside of Sweetspring refer to me by my first and middle name.”

  “Maybe it would be better if you didn’t go on tonight.”

  “Why? Matt, you’re not taking some half-wit’s vague threat seriously, are you?”

  “This half-wit knows your name.”

  “So would anyone who knew me before I married your brother.”

  “You telling me you left a trail of brokenhearted half-wits behind you?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Any lover at all?”

  “No.”

  “There was no one before Cade?”

  “Matt, this is getting kind of personal.”

  “Threats do have a tendency to do that. You leave an unhappy sweetheart back in Sweetspring or here in San Antonio before you got together with Cade?”

  “No.”

  “Did you date anyone
steady before you met Cade?”

  “No.”

  Matt wondered if she was answering these questions a bit too briskly. He’d managed an even tone up to now. He took a deep breath and reminded himself to maintain it. He chose his next words real careful like.

  “You and Cade didn’t get married until you were twenty-five. Most women would have acquired a bit of a romantic past by then.”

  “I was too busy working and getting through school to do more than date casually.”

  “Did the guys you did go out with get upset with that decision?”

  “Why should they? The guys in college just wanted to party. Once they knew I wasn’t into that, they went on to someone else.”

  Matt had a hard time believing a man who had seen Jamie would “go on to someone else.” A real hard time. Since the moment he met her, there had been no one else.

  A perfunctory knock sounded on the door before it swung open and Randy’s curly red mop shot inside. “Show starts in two minutes. We’re going to need you and Ms. Bonner on the set.”

  Matt looked over at Jamie. He was encouraged to see there was no fear on her face or in those lovely deep blue eyes.

  He’d rather goad this guy into contacting her again, so he could trace the call, rather than leave him out there and have to worry about what else he might try. Yes, for his own peace of mind, he’d prefer she went on.

  “It’s your call,” he said.

  “I’m ready,” she said, leaning away from the wall.

  Matt placed an extra emphasis of urgency in his voice when he asked viewers to call in to help find Tony. He even added that he was certain Tony would want to see Jamie after all these years. He said these things purposely so that he could goad the guy who had called her into calling back.

  After Jamie’s short spot, Matt introduced a thirty-five-yearold man who was looking for his twin sister. They’d been separated at the age of five when they went to different foster homes.

  As Matt read the story off the prompter, he thought of Jamie and the foster home in which she’d been raised. Had she been separated from a brother or sister when her folks died? And if so, had she ever tried to find them?

  Liz said Jamie hadn’t been too forthcoming about her early life. Matt knew that folks who didn’t talk about things generally had something to hide. What was Jamie hiding?