A Most Shocking Revelation

by Kristi Gold

  “Here you go, hon. Enjoy.”

  She didn’t give the woman any time to respond before she started toward the kitchen, Gavin following closely behind her. When she was safely behind the counter, she finally faced him. No matter how many times she’d seen him dressed in his sheriff’s getup—cowboy hat, boots and jeans—he still took her breath.

  “Manny needed me,” she said after slipping the order pad into her apron.

  He leaned over and gave her a dark, steamy look. “I needed you, too.”

  And she could say the same thing to him. “I know, but this couldn’t be helped. Half the town’s got a fever.”

  His smile arrived slowly. “I’ve got one, too. In fact, I’m burning up right now.”

  Val forced her gaze away from him and leveled it on the faded Formica counter. “Take two aspirin and go to bed, then.”

  “Not unless you’re in bed with me.”

  She frowned. “Mind lowering your voice? Someone’s going to hear you.”

  “Are you going to get off soon?”

  He’d definitely walked right into that one, and she certainly wouldn’t miss the chance for a premium comeback. “I would say that’s entirely up to you, Sheriff.”

  He leaned a little closer. “One more comment like that, and I’m taking you back in the storeroom and having my way with you right here.”

  She shivered as if she was outside in the cold, not near the warmth of the kitchen at her back. “Give me a few minutes and you can take me home and have your way with me.”

  He pushed off the counter and his expression went serious. “Unfortunately I’m going to be tied up until ten.”

  Valerie checked the red clock on the wall. Now nearing 7:00 p.m., she would have to wait to have his attention for another three hours. “Tied up doing what?”

  “I’ve got to do some surveillance at a crime scene.”

  “What about dinner?” What about their plans? she wanted to say. How selfish of her to think such a thing, but she couldn’t help it. Right now she wanted to stomp her foot and whine like a petulant four-year-old.

  “I can grab some coffee to tide me over,” he said. “Right now food’s the last thing on my mind.”

  From the heat in Gavin’s dark eyes, Valerie knew what was on his mind. It was on hers, too. “I can come with you and keep you company.”

  “That means sitting in a vehicle basically staring at a house for a few hours. It’s going to be cold.”

  “We can keep each other warm.”

  “Yeah, and that might keep me from doing my job.”

  “I’ll behave myself.”

  He ran a slow finger down her forearm, now resting on the counter. “I’m not sure I will.”

  “I’ll try not to distract you.”

  “That’s not possible. But I guess I’ll take my chances, as long as you can leave now.”

  Valerie untied and took off her apron, then tossed it under the counter. “I’m going, Manny,” she called. “My ride’s here.”

  Manny stuck his head through the opening of the kitchen. “Who’s going to help clean up?”

  She hurried to the coat tree and grabbed her jacket. “Hal can help you.”

  “Then I’ll be here until midnight and…”

  Valerie was out the exit before her boss could finish his protest and hurried inside the SUV. Once they were settled in, Gavin looked around, then leaned over and gave her a lingering kiss. He pulled back, but in a moment of weakness, Valerie grabbed his neck and tugged him back to her mouth. She wanted just a little more before he had to go back to being the sheriff. And later tonight she wanted all of him.

  “Damn,” Gavin said as he started the engine. “You’re determined to make this little trip hard on me, aren’t you?”

  She smiled. “I don’t know. Am I?”

  He pulled out of the parking space and headed toward the outskirts of town. “Yeah, real hard.”

  “I’ll try to be a good girl for the next few hours.”

  He reached over the console and took her hand to lay it on his thigh. “You better, otherwise I might have to drop you off at the house so I can do my job.”

  As he turned onto the road leading out of town, Valerie asked, “Exactly where are we going?”

  “It’s not too far from my place, relatively speaking.”

  That could mean miles, considering the expanse of land that sometimes divided Royal’s rural homes. “Is it a ranch?”

  “Not anymore. A few houses have been built around it, but at one time it was all by itself. It backs up to the Windcroft land. You’ve probably heard a lot of talk about that place lately. Supposedly there’s some gold buried there, although no one’s ever found it.”

  “I’ve met Nita Windcroft.” Valerie struggled to keep her tone even in light of the discovery. “She’s married to Connor Thorne, right?”

  “Yeah, and Connor’s going to relieve me tonight.”

  Valerie found that very interesting. “Why Connor and not one of your deputies?”

  “I’m understaffed at the moment,” he said without further explanation, although Valerie suspected it had something to do with the semisecret society.

  “The house we’ll be watching belonged to Jonathan Devlin,” he continued. “But it used to belong to Royal’s notorious female outlaw, Jess Golden.”

  Valerie tried not to look too stunned, even though Gavin had inadvertently revealed another possible piece to the missing puzzle. Little did he know, he was assisting her in finding the answers she’d been seeking. And he was totally unaware he was doing exactly what she’d hoped he would do—lead her to the former home of her great-great-grandmother.

  Considering what Gavin had seen in his lifetime, not much disturbed him anymore. But the historic house at the end of the pitted road had given him a bad feeling since the first time he’d seen it, even before its owner had been murdered. Of course, Jonathan Devlin hadn’t met his death in the house itself, although that’s where the process had begun. He’d been finished off in the hospital, with a final lethal dose of potassium chloride that would have gone undetected had it not been for his relatives’ suspicions, spurred by a note Devlin had left with his will—a note that claimed he might be a target and nothing more. Now Durmorr, Devlin’s killer, was dead, and Durmorr’s murderer was still on the loose. And Gavin’s gut told him that killer was Gretchen Halifax. Now if only he could prove it.

  As he pulled into the drive and parked in the rear, Gavin noticed that Val seemed uncomfortable, too. “It looks more intimidating in the dark than it really is,” he told her. “Wait here while I take a look around.”

  Gavin had his flashlight in hand and the door open, ready to exit, when Val laid her palm on his arm. “Can I go with you?” she asked, sounding apprehensive.

  He considered the request for a moment, then decided he’d rather have her at his side instead of waiting alone in the SUV. “Sure. Just stay close to me.”

  “That won’t be a problem at all,” she said. “This place makes me nervous.”

  When they reached the end of the drive, Gavin lifted the yellow crime-scene tape, allowing Val to move beneath it before he took her elbow to guide her. He aimed his flashlight at the ground, looking for any signs of footprints belonging to an intruder. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, but they could have been covered up by the recent snowfall.

  Gavin shone the beam along the house, searching for any obvious signs of finger or palm prints. After putting on a pair of latex gloves, he checked each window, finding one that rose with little effort. “The latch isn’t holding on this one,” he said. “Anyone with any kind of strength at all can get it open.” Tomorrow he’d call someone to repair it. Of course, he doubted secure windows would stop anyone who had a mind to get in, namely Gretchen. No use making it easier on her, though.

  “Who would want to get in there?” Valerie asked from behind him.

  “My guess is whoever killed Malcolm Durmorr. They’re looking for something in this
house.”

  “What would that be?”

  Gavin faced Valerie, keeping the flashlight aimed on the ground. “Since the investigation is ongoing, I’m not at liberty to say anything more. Some of the details of Durmorr’s murder haven’t been released to the public.”

  “I understand,” she said. “Secrecy is part of the job.”

  “Yeah, it is.” Although he couldn’t see Val that well, he could tell that she was cold by the way she was huddled against the wall. “Let’s go back to the truck and get you warm before you come down with pneumonia.”

  “I’m not a wimp.”

  He chuckled at her obstinate tone. “Believe me, I know that. But I’m about to freeze in my boots, so let’s go.”

  Wrapping his arm around her waist, he held her close as he investigated the rest of the area with his flashlight. Back at the vehicle, he opened the door and gave her a quick kiss before helping her inside. He started the ignition to provide some heat until Connor could relieve him, but right now he could use a different kind of relief. All day long he’d thought about making love with Val, and having her there wasn’t helping matters any, even though he wouldn’t want her at home alone.

  “Who owns the place now that Jonathan Devlin’s dead?” Val asked after a time.

  Gavin shifted in his seat to find her staring at the house. “The rest of the Devlin relatives. They can’t settle the estate until we have this whole thing cleared up.”

  She glanced his way before turning her attention straight ahead again. “Does Connor Thorne live very far away?”

  “Actually the Windcroft place is a couple of miles up the road. The boundary begins right beyond a small lake at the back of this property. The Devlins bought this place when it went up for auction, not long after Jess Golden skipped town and her mother moved away. The Windcrofts didn’t like having a Devlin living that close to them.”

  “Why not?”

  Gavin explained what he knew about the events that had taken place over a hundred years before, the accusations of cheating during a poker game when Richard Windcroft lost half of his land to Nicholas Devlin and then Devlin’s murder not long after that being blamed on Windcroft.

  “The feud had died down until Durmorr stirred it up again through a series of accidents at the Windcrofts’,” he continued. “But we figure he was trying to cover what he was really doing.”

  “What was that?”

  He decided it wouldn’t hurt to tell her that much since the conjecture had made its way around town. “He was looking for the presumed buried treasure, the gold bars Jess Golden stole from Edgar Halifax, who was the mayor at the time.”

  That definitely got her attention, Gavin noticed. “Halifax?” she asked.

  “Yeah, one of Gretchen’s distant relatives. Anyway, when the map that supposedly indicates the exact location was found after Jonathan Devlin’s death, the trouble started on the Windcroft land. A lot of holes dug around the place, accidents, that sort of thing. But it’s a big area, so as far as we know, he didn’t find it, and we doubt he was working alone.”

  “And that means his partner in crime is probably the person who murdered him,” she added for him.

  “Could be.”

  When Valerie shivered and wrapped her arms tighter around her, Gavin reached into the backseat, retrieved a green plaid blanket and offered it to her. “Cover up with this. You’ll be warmer, and I might be cooler.”

  She pulled the blanket up her chest. “Cooler?”

  “Yeah. Your uniform’s been distracting me since we’ve been in here. I don’t understand why Manny doesn’t let his help wear pants this time of year.”

  “He wants to keep the tradition going, unfortunately.” Val leaned back against the passenger door and tucked the blanket beneath her thighs. “Any suspects in Durmorr’s murder?”

  He faked a scolding look. “Now, sweetheart, you know I can’t tell you that.”

  She smiled. “There’s nothing I can do to make you talk?”

  “Oh, you can make me talk all right.” He reached over and removed the band securing her ponytail, allowing her golden hair to fall to her shoulders. “But not about the case.”

  “Then what do you want to talk about while we’re waiting?”

  He draped his right arm around her shoulder, lifted the blanket and laid his left palm on her stocking-covered knee. “Maybe I don’t want to talk at all.”

  She wagged a finger at him. “You’re supposed to be keeping watch, remember?”

  “I’d rather be watching you.” And he would, the way he’d watched her last night before the damned interruption. The way he’d watched her this morning almost at his own peril.

  “How long before the relief arrives?” she asked.

  He slid his palm beneath her hem. “Not long at all, except these panty hose create a big problem.”

  She released a laugh, then a gasp when he curled his fingertips on the inside of her thigh. “I meant when is Connor supposed to be here to relieve you?”

  Not soon enough, as far as Gavin was concerned. “In about an hour.”

  “And you really want him to happen upon us being naughty?”

  Reluctantly he pulled his hand from beneath her skirt, deciding to save that until later. Still, he couldn’t resist giving her a kiss. A quick, innocent kiss. But innocent wouldn’t adequately describe what happened when he laid his lips against hers and she opened to him. Kissing Valerie was about as close to paradise as anything he’d ever experienced. Right now he would give up his duty to touch her, throw away all restraint to be inside her. The force of his need for her came out in a shudder that ran the length of him.

  For his own sanity, he halted the kiss and tipped his forehead against her temple. “I want you so bad that I can’t even think straight.”

  “I know what you mean. I haven’t been thinking straight for the past few days.”

  He lifted his head and kissed her cheek. “I did remember to buy condoms.”

  Valerie gave him a self-conscious smile. “Actually I did, too. I walked to the little market down from the diner on my break. I went into the bathroom to gather my courage and then I realized I could actually get them from this machine hanging on the wall for a dollar. But I didn’t have any quarters.”

  Gavin laughed. “Those multicolored specialty kinds?”

  “Yes. I think they might actually glow in the dark.”

  “I bought standard-issue. Want to see them? They’re in the backseat in a bag.”

  She toyed with his collar. “Something tells me we might not want to inspect condoms right now.”

  He slipped his hand below the blanket again and rested his arm beneath her breasts. “What else are we going to do for the next hour?”

  “Are you suggesting we—”

  “Make love right here? As much as I’d like to do that, it’s not a good idea because we’re in the company vehicle.”

  “But if we were in your car, that would—”

  “Be kind of difficult but manageable.”

  She frowned. “You speak from experience, I take it.”

  “Not in that car. My dad wouldn’t let me drive it when I actually went parking. But I did have a couple of nice trucks with a rear seat when I was in high school.”

  She tensed right before she lowered her eyes. “I see.”

  Gavin felt like a real jerk dredging up details that should be avoided. “Hey, that was a long time ago. Like I’ve said before, I don’t believe in rehashing ancient history.”

  “It’s not about your teenage antics, Gavin. It just reminded me of how differently we both grew up. I didn’t own my first car until I was in college. Upper crust versus lower class.”

  He lifted her chin and turned her face toward his. “You have more class than most women I know. And how you lived in the past doesn’t have any influence on how I see you as a person now.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I know so.”

  Gavin tried to convince her th
e only way he knew how, by kissing her again. He tried to keep it gentle, keep it light. Again Old Man Chemistry came bearing down on them both, encouraging them to hold each other tighter. He fondled her breasts through her uniform because his hands were still cold. She slid her hands up and down his chest, then over his stomach. When her palm came to rest on his thigh, that nearly sent him completely over the edge. At first he thought it might be inadvertent, but he soon realized she knew exactly what she was doing when she ran her fingertip along the ridge beneath his jeans.

  He clasped her wrist and brought her palm to his lips for a kiss. “I’m not going to be able to last when I get you home if you keep going.”

  She collapsed against the seat and blew out a long breath. “I wish going home wasn’t going to take so long.”

  Gavin decided it might not have to be that long. After snatching his cell phone from the holder attached to the dash, he dialed Connor’s number, barely giving him the opportunity to say hello before he made his request. “I’m at Devlin’s house and I know it’s a lot to ask, but I need to get home a little earlier than I’d planned.”

  “Problems?” Thorne asked.

  Yeah, a big one. He was on the verge of forgetting why he couldn’t make love to Valerie right where she sat. “Just something I need to take care of. Not much going on here, so if you want to just drive by in a few minutes, maybe check out Gretchen’s house, too, then you can go back to your wife.”

  “I can do that. I’ll be there in about five minutes.”

  “Great. I owe you one.”

  When he hung up, Gavin turned to find Valerie looking at him with confusion in her expression. “Gretchen?” she said.

  Damn. He hadn’t meant to give that away. “She’s reported a prowler a couple of times. She doesn’t live too far from here.” He hated to lie to Val, but this was a necessary lie.

  “Are you going to wait until Connor shows up?” she asked.

  No way, because Thorne might expect him to get out of the SUV. That might require a lot of explaining considering his current state. “He’ll be here in a few minutes.”

  Gavin spun the tires in his haste as he backed out of the driveway. Turning onto the street, he saw approaching headlights and recognized the Windcroft logo on the side of the truck that passed, indicating relief had finally arrived—as least when it came to the job. The other kind was still foremost on his mind.