The starter gun went off and Levi flew off the line. Jazz watched in awe as he easily navigated every obstacle and crossed the finish line. No one had to tell her he’d won and was safe. It was clearly obvious. Levi was one step closer to his second chance.
And Jazz?
She was one step closer to possible elimination.
* * * *
The good news was Jazz didn’t hate Griffin anymore. The bad news was nothing was going to change in the near future. Tony and Gordon, who seemed connected at the hip these days, had walked up to Griffin eating breakfast at the diner and told him that it was Sandy who had been voted out.
If Griffin’s cock and balls had been voting things might have been much different. As it was, blue was going to be the color of the day. Again.
He shouldn’t be unhappy that she was still in the game. This was what she wanted. Her dream was on the line from what she’d told him. Winning meant a lot to her and he wasn’t about to start rooting against her. He truly wanted her to be happy.
But what had seemed so clear a week ago was looking much different now. Just seven days ago his biggest problem had been a loss of quiet and privacy. Now his best deputy had quit, his town was overrun with loud, rude looky-loos, and his nuts were in a knot all because of a pretty blonde with a great smile.
“Buy me breakfast?”
That smile was standing right in front of him and his heart lurched in his chest.
Fuck.
“Sure.” Griffin nodded and she slid into the booth opposite him looking beautiful this morning. Not appearing to be wearing a shred of makeup, she still managed to look pretty with her big blue eyes and dimpled cheeks.
“I saw Tony on the way in.” Studying the menu, she didn’t meet his gaze. “He asked to talk to Sandy. Does that mean what I think it means?”
Sandy had come in dead last in the obstacle course the day before but hadn’t seemed to mind in the least. She’d joined Danny at the local watering hole where the two of them had drowned their sorrows with beer and whisky right along with a late arriving Wayne. All three of them had done poorly in the challenge and they all knew they were on the chopping block.
“It does. Tony and Gordon just told me. How is Sandy this morning? Adam said she, Danny, and Wayne closed down the bar last night.”
“Surprisingly alert. She met up with me as I was walking here this morning. Said she was hungry.”
“I doubt she’ll be shocked or anything,” Griffin assured her. “She had to see this coming.”
“I’m not sure about that. She was really cheery when I saw her. Happy, like she didn’t have a care in the world. She was like that on the day of the competition too. Said she wasn’t worried.”
“Maybe she’s decided she doesn’t want to compete anymore. She–”
Whatever he’d been about to say was drowned out by yelling coming from right outside the diner. Tony, Gordon, and Sandy were standing on the sidewalk right in front of the big window in full view of the diners and half the town screaming at one another. Sandy waved her arms, wildly gesticulating, while Tony and Gordon’s faces turned purple. Whatever was being said, it was clear that Sandy was not taking the news well.
“Uh oh,” Jazz intoned. “This is bad. Very bad.”
It took her a minute to realize she was talking to no one and Griffin was up and out of the booth. He hit the door moving fast and stepped between Sandy and the producers, pushing them further apart. She couldn’t hear exactly what he was saying but she could hear the deep commanding tones he used whenever he was in full-control mode. It worked like a charm and voices quieted although Sandy didn’t look any happier. Jazz thought the young woman would look sad but if anything she looked angry. Clearly she’d never believed she was going to be voted off.
Whatever Griffin was saying seemed to penetrate the emotions and the three of them headed down the sidewalk walking briskly. Griffin re-entered the diner and scowled at the crowd that had gathered around the window.
“Sit the hell down,” he barked. “There’s nothing to see.”
He was still mumbling under his breath when he sat back down. “People have plumb lost their damn minds in this town.”
“And it’s all our fault,” she added with a grin, trying to get him to smile.
He rolled his eyes and smiled as the waitress filled his coffee cup and took their orders. Pancakes for her, and bacon and eggs for him.
“It’s not all your fault,” he finally conceded when they were alone again.
“But most of it is.”
This time he smiled widely. “Yeah, most of it is.” He sipped his coffee and eyed her over the rim. “What are you doing today?”
Jazz shrugged. She hadn’t thought far into the future considering it could have been her given the old heave-ho this morning. She probably needed to study her handbook but wasn’t really looking forward to that.
“What did you have in mind?”
“Tony and Gordon are going to be busy shooting Sandy’s exit today. I thought you and I could drive over to Corville and question Casey’s old boyfriend, Buddy. What do you say?”
“I say yes. When do we leave?” she asked eagerly. If she couldn’t have Griffin, then maybe she could help solve the cold case.
“After breakfast,” he laughed. “And I have to make a stop along the way—I hope that’s okay.”
“Sure it is. Where are we stopping?”
“My parents’ house. My dad needs a hand fixing a few shingles on the roof. It shouldn’t take long. A few nails and we’ll be on our way. I would do it before I picked you up but their place is on the way. It would save us an hour.”
Not willing to admit she was dying to meet his family, she smiled in agreement. “Then it only makes sense. We’ll stop off there first.”
“Thanks for being so flexible.”
Jazz dumped some sugar into her coffee. “That’s me. Flexible. Does Buddy know we’re coming, by the way?”
“No, and I’d like to keep it that way. I’ve talked to the sheriff over there, Logan Wright. He’s the one who told me where Buddy was working and hanging out these days. He knows we’re coming into his jurisdiction and he agrees that it’s best if we surprise Buddy.”
“Lucky guy,” Jazz joked.
“If he was lucky he never would have gotten into this situation to begin with. No, I’d say Buddy Meltreeger is one unlucky son of a bitch. And until we find Casey’s killer, this cloud of suspicion is going to hang over him for the rest of his life.”
“Then let’s go find out who did it.”
Winning the competition was becoming less and less important with each passing moment. Higher priority was bringing Casey’s murderer to justice. Spending more time with Griffin wouldn’t be all bad either.
Especially if they were naked.
Chapter Thirteen
Griffin snagged his keys from the top of his desk, hurrying to meet Jazz at his truck. He was anxious to talk to Buddy and see if they could learn anything new from him. Perhaps he’d known Casey had been seeing another guy.
“Boss, you’re going to want to see this.” Adam was holding up a magazine in the air. Griffin sighed with frustration. Adam was a good deputy but he seemed to think that Griffin was interested in the same things. He didn’t give a shit about the latest royal gossip or what Brangelina was doing these days.
“I’m on my way out, Adam. Can it wait?” Griffin tucked his sunglasses in his shirt pocket and moved toward the door.
“I don’t think so. There’s an article in this magazine about you and Jazz. Well, really about the entire town and the show. I think you better take a look.”
“What?” Griffin roared, snatching the glossy pages from Adam’s fingers. A quick perusal of the photos and contents, and Griffin’s worst fears were realized. Someone was giving this rag information about the show and the contestants. The real stars of the article appeared to be himself and Jazz though. There was a large color photo of them standing close together wi
th a lurid headline about him, her, and a pair of handcuffs.
White-hot anger burned inside of him and his fingers crumpled the papers before tossing them into the trash. It was where shit like that belonged. He dug his wallet out of his back pocket and shoved some cash into Adam’s hand.
“Go buy every fucking copy you can find.”
His deputy looked down at the money and then up at Griffin. “Um, boss, will it really make any difference? Those magazines are all over the country and probably online too. Buying them up in town isn’t going to matter.”
“Just fucking do it.”
Adam scuttled out the front door of the station shaking his head. Griffin knew he was being unreasonable but he didn’t know how to handle the overwhelming fury coupled with the total inability to control the situation. He was helpless to do a fucking thing about it, and could only sit back and watch this nightmare unfold.
Griffin retrieved the wadded up tabloid from the trash. He was going to take great pleasure in shoving it up Otis McClintock’s ass. Maybe Tony’s too.
Everything Griffin had predicted was coming true.
* * * *
Griffin stomped out of the station, his expression like black thunderclouds. Jazz watched him yank open the driver’s side door and slide in next to her, slamming it shut with a growl. Whatever he was pissed about had happened in the fifteen minutes since she’d last seen him. He’d been fine when he walked out of the diner.
He tossed a crumpled up magazine on the seat between them and fired up the engine, throwing the truck into gear. She reached for the ball of paper, smoothing it out so she could see if this was the source of his fury. One look and she knew that it was. A picture of the two of them was front and center along with a suggestive headline. A week ago she would have given her right arm for publicity like this.
Today all she could feel was ashamed of her industry. Griffin Sawyer was a private man and this had to be sheer torture for him.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
He slammed on the brakes and she had to brace herself on the dashboard, the seatbelt snapping her back in her seat. Luckily they were on the open road, the town a half a mile behind them.
“Did you do this?” he asked incredulously, his cheeks red with anger. “You sold me out for…what, Jazz? Some fame? A part in some movie?”
“No!” she exclaimed, placing her hand on his thigh, squeezing the hard muscles. “No! I didn’t do it. I swear. I was only saying that I’m sorry it happened to you, that’s all. Honest, Griffin.”
She felt his tense muscles relax under her palm and he scraped his arm across his grim features. This was one unhappy man and Jazz didn’t have a clue how to make things better.
His head fell back on the seat and she heard him exhale slowly as if trying to control his emotions. “I’m sorry I blew up like that. I know you wouldn’t do this to me.”
“Did you think I had?” It hurt to ask the question but she had to know.
Griffin shook his head before sitting up and putting the truck back in gear. “No, it never occurred to me until you said you were sorry. Then I flew off the handle.”
The truck picked up speed and Griffin looked calmer although still upset. “Do you know who leaked this stuff?”
His lips were tight and he didn’t answer for a long moment. “I assume it was Tony and Gordon. For publicity.”
“I don’t think it was Tony.” Jazz shook her head as she paged through the story and pictures. “I heard him talking to Caitlin – my roommate – once about the editor of this particular journalistic tome. Tony can’t stand him. I don’t see that he would give someone he hates an exclusive.”
“Then who?” A muscle was working in Griffin’s jaw.
“A contestant? Maybe someone from the town? Could have been someone in the crew as well. Is it important? It’s done and out there. There’s nothing you can do about it.”
Griffin was shaking his head. “No one from town would have those kinds of contacts. At least I don’t think they do. And it’s not over and done with. I could sue.”
“On what grounds? You’re on a television show. That makes you a public figure. You can’t sue them for invasion of privacy.”
“I could sue them for libel. They’re making it sound like we’re involved,” he said grimly.
“Griffin.” Jazz used a gentle tone, not wanting to rouse his ire further. “They didn’t make anything up. There is this…thing that’s between us. You can see it in this picture. It’s what Tony and Gordon were talking about.” She paused, not sure what words to use. “It shows.”
Griffin rubbed his temples with his left hand, letting his right hand rest on the wheel. “Shit, I know. But goddammit, I never wanted to be a public figure. It’s out of hand, Jazz, and I can’t stop it.”
That was what this was really about. He’d lost control and an alpha control freak like Griffin wouldn’t like this one little bit.
“You’re right, you can’t,” she agreed, using her best no nonsense tone. “All you can do is ignore it and go about your business.”
He grunted and shifted in his seat. “Easy for you to say. This has probably happened to you before. Hell, you’re probably glad it happened. This helps you, doesn’t it?”
He didn’t sound accusing. He sounded more exhausted than anything.
“I’ve never been in a tabloid before. And yes, this could help me. But I still wish it hadn’t happened. I don’t want to get something at your expense. I’m not that selfish.”
“I wasn’t saying that you were, but this is a good thing for you, right? Honestly, I’m not trying to be a jerk. I’m sincerely asking because I’d like to think that something good is coming from this fiasco.”
“I admitted it could help me, but I’m still not happy about it. I know this sucks for you.”
She put every ounce of sincerity she could into her voice and he must have heard it. His entire body seemed to relax and the corners of his mouth quirked up.
“I hope you get the role of your dreams from this, Jazz. I really do.”
She believed him, but suddenly she was having a great deal of trouble even picturing that part of her dream. Hollywood seemed very far away at the moment. Just a fuzzy image in the back of her mind.
She’d heard you could get lost in La La Land and start thinking it was real. Now that she had some distance, she could see that nothing she’d been doing in Los Angeles had been all that real or important. What she was doing now might be the most important thing she’d ever done in her entire life.
“We’ll see. Now tell me more about your family.” Jazz wanted to change the subject. “Will I meet your parents today?”
“You will. As for what I could tell you, I don’t know. You can ask them anything you want when we get there although I doubt you’ll get a word in. Mom will be talking your ear off wanting to know about Hollywood and if you’ve met Channing Tatum.”
Laughter bubbled from Jazz’s lips. “Never met him but he is hot. Is he your mother’s favorite?”
“She’s seen that Magic Mike movie a hundred times,” Griffin groaned. “It’s embarrassing as hell. My sisters come over and they crowd around the TV.”
“I think I’m going to like your family. They sound fun.”
“You have a strange idea of fun, Hollywood.”
“Probably, and I like it when you call me that, by the way.”
“Call you what?” Griffin turned down a dirt road lined with trees and slowed way down due to the ruts in the road.
“Hollywood. You’d think it would sound condescending, but when you say it, not so much.”
Pulling up in front of a ranch style home with white siding and pink and red flowers in the yard, Griffin put the truck in park and twisted around so he was facing her.
“I need to watch my mouth. I don’t want to say that in front of other people, but I can’t seem to help myself.”
“That’s because I’m sugar sweet,” she said, tongue firmly in
cheek.
Griffin chuckled and pulled on the door handle, letting the hot summer breeze into the truck.
“You can’t even act sugar sweet which is just fine by me. I think that kind of a woman would be boring.”
“And I’m not boring?” Jazz let him open her truck door and help her down. An older version of Griffin was coming out of the garage waving and smiling. He could only be Griffin’s dad.
“Far from it.” He captured her fingers with his own and a tingle shot up her arm and to further places south. “Come meet my folks.”
It felt very intimate but somehow right to be here with him meeting his mom and dad. But then so far everything felt right with this man. It was going to be a long twelve weeks if she lasted until the end of the show. Slowly but surely she was falling for him. Lord knew she admired him too. She’d never in a million years thought she’d meet anyone remotely like him. Hadn’t even thought they really existed if she were honest.
But he was all too real.
* * * *
Griffin’s parents were everything Jazz could have hoped for and more. Liam Sawyer had slapped Griffin on the back, shook Jazz’s hand, and then promptly put his son to work on the roof. The mother, Linda Sawyer, had salt and pepper hair but was still quite attractive. It was easy to see where Griffin got his devastating good looks. If he looked half as good as his father when he was in his sixties…holy Toledo. The family should have all become actors or models with their strong bone structure and easy smiles.
Jazz and Linda were sitting on the front porch drinking lemonade and chatting while Liam shouted directions from the ground up to Griffin on the roof. From the increasing brevity of Griffin’s answers, it sounded like he was getting tired of being bossed around. Apparently Liam was well aware of it because after the last order, he’d given Jazz and Linda a wink and a grin.
“How long will you be in Hope Lake?” Linda asked, offering another cookie. Jazz was always watching her weight but they were the best damn oatmeal cookies she’d ever tasted. She simply couldn’t resist.
“Another eleven weeks if I make it to the end of the show. Even if I get voted off I might hang around. The producers want everyone to stick fairly close to this general area. We’re all in the finale show.”
Cowboy Famous: Book 4 (Cowboy Justice Association) Page 11
