by Kristi Gold
“Bite me.”
Gavin crooked a finger at her, and instead of standing her ground stiff as a board, as she normally did, Val actually moved closer to him. “Name the time and the place and where you’d like that love bite,” he said. “And I’ll be glad to see to it.”
She straightened his collar and patted his chest. “One of these days I’m going to take you up on these questionable offers. Then what are you going to do?”
He toyed with the gold loop in her ear. “Well, since we’re in a public place, maybe I should wait to tell you my plans until we’re alone. They’re kind of detailed.”
Valerie’s eyes went wide, and Gavin saw it, that flash of desire, of heat, even though she covered it quickly by pointing to the rear of the room. “Sit down and I’ll bring you the coffee. If you behave, I’ll try not to spill it in your lap.” She sent him an overly sweet smile. “Will you be dining alone?”
“I won’t be dining at all. Just having a break with friends.”
No longer smiling, she propped both hands on her hips. “I live to serve you.”
He studied her for a long moment. “Are you mad at me?”
“Let’s just say I’m not too happy that you took it upon yourself to ask Manny to give me some time off.”
Damn Manny’s big mouth. “I thought you could use it. You’re wearing yourself out in this place.”
She worked her way behind the counter and turned her back to him. “I intend to use the time to find a place to live.”
He got the message—loud and clear—and tuned it out. “We can talk about it when I pick you up this afternoon. I’m going to have a seat now.”
Without waiting for her response, Gavin took the booth in the rear of the restaurant, away from the windows, the place where he and the other Cattleman’s Club members often convened when they weren’t meeting at the club itself.
He sat where he could see Valerie, although she still had her back to him, shoving a filter into one coffeepot with a vengeance. She was definitely mad at him, but he wasn’t too concerned. Come tonight, he’d try to convince her that he only had her best interest at heart. Maybe he’d give her a peace offering—and he knew just the thing, since she probably wouldn’t accept the other offer he had in mind. That involved using their mouths for something other than exchanging barbs.
The door buzzed and Logan Voss strode in. Valerie gave him a smile and inquired about his day, and that ticked Gavin off. Not that he thought Logan had any designs on the waitress. He was too in love with his soon-to-be wife to give any other woman a second look.
“Sorry I’m late,” Logan said as he slid into the booth opposite Gavin. “Had to get fitted for my tuxedo.”
“Won’t be long now,” Gavin said. “Are you sure you’re ready?”
Logan frowned. “I couldn’t be more ready if the wedding happened tomorrow.”
Gavin glanced over his friend’s shoulder. “Where’s Jake? I saw him standing on the sidewalk a minute ago.”
Logan chuckled. “I think he’s still kissing babies. Someone needs to tell him the campaign’s over and since he won, that’s not necessary.”
“Where are the rest of the guys?” Gavin asked. Only three of the five others currently assisting him in solving Malcolm Durmorr’s murder were accounted for.
“Mark’s got a self-defense class,” Logan said. “He’s been booked solid since the announcement that Jonathan Devlin was murdered. Now with Malcolm dead, people are getting nervous, especially the women in town.”
“A killer on the loose can do that.” Something Gavin had discovered during his tenure as a homicide detective with the Dallas PD. Ironically he’d left that job behind for a quieter life. Now that quiet life involved not one but two murders. “Tom and Rose still honeymooning?”
“Yeah. They’ll be back next week. Connor’s working on rebuilding the barn that Durmorr burned down.”
Before Durmorr had kidnapped Tom’s pregnant wife, the sorry bastard. Luckily Rose was safe now, and Gavin was grateful for that even if Durmorr had escaped shortly thereafter, only to end up on the wrong side of a gun. “I’ll call Connor and Mark later and catch them up on the investigation.”
“We can also talk after the wedding.”
Gavin let go a cynical laugh. “Good idea, Voss. I’m sure that will thrill Melissa.”
“Just a brief meeting.” Logan patted his chest and grinned. “I don’t want to put off the wedding night any longer than necessary.”
The bell sounded and in walked Jacob Thorne, newly elected mayor. He greeted Valerie, then made his way to the table and slid in beside Logan. “Sorry it took so long. I had some business to attend to.”
Gavin grinned. “Still politickin’, Jake?”
“Just trying to alleviate a woman’s concern about the murders,” he said. “So let’s get on with it. Chrissie’s waiting lunch on me.”
Logan and Gavin exchanged a glance before Logan said, “I like a good nooner now and again.”
Jake leaned back in his seat. “No kidding. Nothing better than a little afternoon delight with the wife.”
Gavin wished they would quit talking about their active sex lives when his was nonexistent. “Okay, then let’s get on with it so you guys can get it on with your ladies. I have some information on Malcolm’s murder.”
All jesting went by the wayside as both Jake and Logan leaned forward, giving their full attention to Gavin. “The preliminary findings show that Durmorr was shot five times,” he began. “He took four in the upper torso, including one in the heart, and one in the groin.”
Logan and Jake shifted in their seats simultaneously. A dead-aim shot to the jewels gave most men cause to twitch, even though Gavin had seen it before. If the guy hadn’t been dead by then, that would’ve been enough to kill him. “The bullets were .38-caliber. The one in the heart probably did him in. But the one below his belt leads me to believe this was real personal.”
“No gun recovered yet?” Logan asked.
“Nope,” Gavin said. “Chief Vincente sent out some of the city boys to assist my deputies with scouring the murder scene, but so far nothing. They did find some other interesting evidence on his body. He had several long blond hairs on his jacket.”
“Probably from the struggle,” Logan said. “Add that to the groin injury and that makes me think a woman killed him.”
“I agree with that,” Jake added. “And since Durmorr confessed to Rose that he murdered Devlin, my guess is that the killer had something to do with that, too. I can think of one blonde who would be a prime suspect.”
So could Gavin, and he’d seen her not more than a few minutes ago. “Gretchen’s definitely at the top of my list. But there’s something else. The hairs are from two different people. I’m wondering if this was some kind of love triangle gone bad and that it doesn’t have a thing to do with Devlin’s murder or the presumed hunt for that damn treasure.”
Logan shook his head. “Two women? I know Malcolm always considered himself the ladies’ man, but it’s hard to believe he had one woman, much less two after him.”
“Gretchen and Durmorr definitely had something going on between the sheets,” Jake said. “Chrissie and I saw them together back in June. We both thought they looked pretty cozy.”
A match made in hell, Gavin decided. “She supposedly has an alibi, although I’m going to check that out thoroughly. I imagine she paid off the pizza delivery man to cover for her.” He couldn’t imagine Gretchen eating pizza.
“Have you talked to Travis Whelan about this?” Jake asked.
Gavin had spoken to the D.A. and former Cattleman’s Club member two days ago, and it hadn’t been encouraging. “Yeah. He said we’ve got to have more to warrant a court order for her DNA. Not likely she’ll voluntarily hand it over.”
“Gretchen doesn’t like people telling her what to do, that’s for sure,” Jake said. “She’ll lawyer up right away. You’ll definitely need more to go on to make an arrest.”
“I plan to keep
looking until I find it.” And Gavin would, until he had this case solved. “I’d put her under surveillance, but I’m spread pretty thin right now with so many people out sick. Wayne’s agreed to help out with some of the city’s officers, but he can’t cover 24-7. Either of you want to help out a few hours if I decide we need it?”
“The wedding’s still a week away,” Logan said. “I could do a couple of hours here and there in the next few days, and after the wedding if necessary. We’re not going on a honeymoon right now since Melissa’s still settling in at the job.”
“I can take a shift,” Jake added. “As long as it’s during the day.”
Logan grinned. “And interrupt your nooners?”
“Hey, I perform just as well at night,” Jake said.
Time to turn the subject back to the investigation, Gavin decided. “Okay. I’ll let you both know if we need some help. I’ll talk to Mark and Connor about that, too.”
Logan turned and raised his hand. “Could you bring us some coffee now, Valerie? And bring me a piece of Manny’s coconut pie, okay?”
“Sure thing, Mr. Voss,” Valerie called, a sunny smile on her face. Gavin wished he could earn that kind of smile from her, and someday he would, even if it was the only thing she ever gave him.
“You know, I’m convinced Gretchen did this,” Jake said. “But then, I’m probably biased because I saw a really nasty side of her during the campaign.”
Logan patted him on the back. “But you came out the victor in spite of that accusation about your campaign defacing her family’s historical display. And so far Gretchen hasn’t put a hit out on you for crushing her in the election, has she?”
“Not yet,” Jake said. “But anything’s possible….”
Gavin turned his attention to Valerie, who was pouring coffee and slicing pie. He liked watching her in action. He’d like to watch her in action under different circumstances. Tonight, when he had her alone again, he planned to kiss her soundly, provided she let him do that. Maybe if he played his cards right, she might be willing to play along. It was sure worth a try.
“Are you still with us, Sheriff?”
Gavin snapped out of his waitress-watching to realize Jake had been speaking to him. “Yeah, I’m still here.”
“But your mind’s on that cute little blonde behind the counter,” Logan said, followed by a laugh.
That cute little blonde was heading in their direction, two cups of coffee balanced in one hand, a piece of pie in the other. “Here you go, gentlemen,” she said as she slid the fare in front of Jake and Logan.
“Can I get my coffee now, Val?” Gavin asked when she didn’t offer him a cup.
“I don’t know, can you?” she asked.
“May I have it, darlin’?” He topped off the comment with a wink.
She tried her best to look put out, but Gavin noted a smile trying to creep in. Score a point for the sheriff. “I suppose so,” she said. “But you’ll have to wait until the fresh pot finishes brewing.”
“Some things are worth the wait.”
Without responding, Val spun around and walked away.
“When are you going to give up, O’Neal?” Logan asked.
“That one’s never going to come around, I don’t care how hard you work on her.”
“Believe it or not, she’s living with me.” Gavin waited for their shock to subside before he added, “At least for the time being.”
Logan eyed him suspiciously. “How did you manage that?”
“She was staying in Harvey Joe Raleigh’s rental. She had a run-in with him last night over the sorry conditions. She didn’t have a place to go, so I offered my guest room.”
“And she agreed—” Jake snapped his fingers “—just like that?”
Gavin could leave it at that or he could tell the truth. The truth might work best in case Val should decide to tell the accurate version. “Actually she went after Harvey Joe with a mop and he threatened assault charges. So I told her she could either come home with me or she could go to jail.”
Logan barked out a laugh. “That’s great, O’Neal. If you can’t charm her, then hold her captive in your house. Good plan, even if it does border on coercion.”
“I look at it as a little gentle persuasion.” Gavin intended to try a lot of that in the next few days, before she left.
Logan regarded Jake. “I give him until the end of the weekend.”
“End of tomorrow,” Jake said.
Logan held out his hand. “It’s a bet.”
Gavin knew exactly where this was heading but he chose to play ignorant. “What’s this bet all about and what does it have to do with me?”
“You know damn well what we’re talking about, O’Neal,” Jake said. “We’re betting you have her in your bed real soon.”
If only he had their confidence. Gavin wasn’t sure he’d even get to first base anytime soon. “If you say so.”
“We know so,” Logan said before studying Gavin for a long moment, his expression suddenly serious. “Out of curiosity, what do you know about her, Gavin?”
Enough to know that he liked her a helluva lot. “Not much because she’s fairly guarded. But I figure she’ll eventually open up.” When Gavin noticed Logan and Jake exchanging another look, the light suddenly came on. “You’re not thinking she’s involved in Durmorr’s murder, are you?”
“She is blond,” Jake said. “And since she attacked Harvey Joe, she might be capable of murder.”
“She’s been fairly mysterious,” Logan added. “Maybe she’s a fortune hunter. The woman caught on the surveillance tape stealing the map that’s supposed to lead to Jess Golden’s treasure was blond with a ponytail. That could have been her.”
No way would Gavin ever believe that Val could be involved in anything so heinous. “You’re both on the wrong track.”
“Maybe you should get a handwriting sample from her and see if it matches the note of apology the culprit left,” Jake offered.
Gavin had no intention of doing any such thing. “Val’s not the type to shoot anyone over some presumed hidden gold that might or might not really exist.”
“If you say so.” Logan checked his watch. “And unless we have something else to discuss, I’ve got to go. More wedding stuff.”
“Speaking of the wedding,” Gavin said, “mind if I bring a guest with me?”
Logan hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “I take it you mean Valerie.”
“Yeah, if she’ll agree to go.”
“Not a problem,” Logan said.
Jake came to his feet. “Good luck with Valerie, Sheriff. It’s about time you settled down like the rest of us.”
This time shock kept Gavin from speaking for a moment. “I didn’t say anything about—” Before he could issue a rebuttal, both Logan and Jake had already tossed a few bills on the table and headed out the door.
Settling down hadn’t even entered Gavin’s mind to this point. With the demands of his career, he’d never considered that to be a good idea. But when his gaze came to rest on Valerie Raines as she punched the cash register, wisps of golden hair framing her face, her thin eyebrows drawn down in concentration, looking both serious and sexy, he wondered if maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea. After he got this murder investigation out of the way, chances were he could go back to patrolling a normally peaceful county. Maybe it was time to consider the possibilities. Maybe it was time to find out if Valerie just might be the one to consider. Provided she was still speaking to him tonight.
Three
Valerie had barely changed out of her clothes before Gavin was knocking at the bedroom door. Fortunately Manny had taken pity on her and let her leave the diner early, although she wondered if he’d been persuaded by the sheriff. A very persuasive sheriff.
“Val, are you in there?”
“Just a minute,” she called as she pulled the bulky black sweatshirt over her head. When she opened the door, she wasn’t quite prepared for the impact of seeing Gavin leaning against
the opposite wall, dressed in a white T-shirt covered by a red flannel shirt, his starched jeans replaced by a ragtag pair that had been through the wringer several times.
He straightened and slid his hands into his pockets. “Care to take a little trip with me?”
“That depends on where we’re going.” Although right now she’d probably accompany him anywhere he’d like to take her, even though she still wasn’t happy about his intrusion. She’d told him that again on the way home from the diner, and his response had been no response at all. He’d just grinned, as he was doing now.
When he pushed off the wall, Valerie’s heart took a little leap into her throat. “I have something I want to show you.”
That sounded very interesting. “What would that be?”
“It’s a surprise. You like surprises, don’t you, Val?”
Not always. Admittedly this time she was curious. “Okay. You have my attention. Where is this surprise?”
“Outside.”
Valerie barely managed to keep up with his long stride as he walked through the great room and out the front door. He turned to his left and strode past the landscaped hedges and up the paved drive to a freestanding garage. He fished a few keys from his pocket and removed several locks securing a heavy chain wrapped around the latch. Once he had that removed, he raised the door, revealing a large object draped in beige canvas, presumably a car.
“What is this?” she asked when he started to pull back the cover.
“You’ll see in a minute.”
And she did, starting with the taillights before a bright red spoiler came into view. By the time he had the car completely exposed, Valerie could only stare in wonder until she recovered her voice. “Oh my gosh, it’s a GTO. What year?”
Gavin dropped the canvas and stood at the hood, looking very proud. “A ’69 model.”
Valerie walked to where Gavin was standing and asked, “Can I see underneath the hood?”
He looked genuinely perplexed. “Yeah. Sure.”
He lifted the hood and secured it with the pins for Valerie to peer inside. “Wow. A four-fifty V-8. I bet it can fly.”
