"Let's go to my house. I want to hear what Holmes had to say."
"First I have to drop something off at Tilly's. Then I have to straighten things at Brianna's and pack my suitcase."
"I'll meet you at Brianna's house."
* * *
Tim Holmes shoved his plate aside and guzzled the last of his beer. He'd been intent on watching Chance and Kat until they left Bertie's. "Didn't take long for the sonovabitch to get some tail."
"To each his own." Sheriff Holmes checked his watch, crumpled a napkin, seemed disinterested in his son's crude observation.
"Yeah, well, I could teach that whore a thing or two."
"You just stay out of it, and mind your own business for a change."
"She's not minding hers. The bitch." His eyes burned with rage.
"You need to stay under the radar, especially now. She's getting suspicious."
"Can't you run her out of town?"
"I've got no grounds."
"Trump something up. I want her gone." He bunched his fists.
"If you hadn't been such a dumb ass and got involved with her sister, she wouldn't be sniffing around right now."
Tim pounded his fist on the table.
"Hey, calm down. You don't have anything to worry about. That case is sealed tight."
Laughter erupted from the area of the pool tables, diverting Tim's attention, but he was persistently flexing his fists.
"Did you hear me, Tim?"
He glowered at his father. "Yeah, I heard you, but I still want her out of here. I might have to put a scare in her, just like before."
Sheriff Holmes leaned in, intent on capturing Tim's attention. "You listen to me, you little shit, and listen good. I'm done digging you out of your messes."
Sue Ann came toward them, and the sheriff sat back. She laid a bill next to his coffee cup. "Want anything else?"
With a wide-mouthed grin Tim's attitude swung around. "No thanks, sweetheart, unless you're serving up a little something of yourself."
The sheriff slapped a twenty on the table. "Keep the change."
Sue Ann snatched up the money and winked at Tim before sashaying to the cash register.
Tim ditched the smile and said to his father, "If you won't help me, I'll do it myself. That bitch won't want to stay here after I'm through with her."
The sheriff sat forward again to make his point. "You do something foolish, and this time you won't answer to your father. You'll answer to the law."
Tim tensed his jaw until it throbbed, then scooted from the booth and stormed outside.
CHAPTER 27
When Kat arrived at Brianna's house, Chance's truck was already parked out front. Without waiting for him to get out of his vehicle, she strode inside and began the task of cleaning up the mess. She was picking up pieces of the ceramic cup when he appeared in the doorway. She kept working.
He walked over, grabbed both arms, and lifted her to a standing position. Tears filled her eyes. "We'll get to the bottom of this, Kat. I promise you."
Her first instinct was to pull away, but then she melted into his arms. "It's not just that. I know it's stupid of me, but when I got here, I wanted to take Tiger into my arms and feel the warmth of her furry little body."
He chuckled. She made a move, but he locked her tight. "I'm not laughing at you. I think it's sweet the way you, a tough, independent woman, are mellowed by a little kitten. You said you didn't even like animals."
"I never said that. Well, maybe I did. I just haven't had any experience with them. Now I know they're a comfort."
"That kitten came to you at a good time, when you needed someone or something to hold on to. But now you have me."
She strained against him enough to break away and gathered up the afghan. He took hold of the opposite end. She folded it toward him, and he caught her in an embrace.
"You're not giving up, are you?" Though she was resisting him, she wanted him to say no.
"You might as well stop fighting it." He brushed his lips over her cheek and alongside her mouth.
A tingling shivered through her. She swallowed hard to stop the onslaught of feelings, but his cologne captured her senses. Her lips met his, resulting in a long, ardent kiss while he slid his hands below her waist and hugged her closer. Her heart ticked wildly.
She shoved her hands in his chest and stumbled backward. "You're dangerous, Chance Eliason." He advanced toward her, a heated look in his eyes, but she extended her arm to him. "It's not going to happen."
"Why not? Your need is as great as mine. I can feel it. You're fighting it, Kat."
"I can't afford to let it go that far." She hurried into the bedroom to sort through the tangle of clothes and bedcovers.
He stood by vigilant, watching her, his hands slung into his pant pockets. He was dressed up in gray slacks and a peach-striped shirt that only magnified his good looks.
She caught herself wondering what his luxurious mop of hair would feel like sliding through her fingers, revealing her deepest desires. The yearning needed to be satisfied, and a part of her wished he would fling the clothes from the bed and make love to her. But one glance in his cautious, perceptive eyes reminded her Chance Eliason was an honorable, sensitive man. He would never force the issue of sex even if he wanted it.
After her clothes were packed and she'd folded the bedding, he took her suitcases outside, and she followed along. "I'll have to come back," she said.
"I'll help you with the rest of it, but not today." He hoisted the suitcases in the back of the truck. "You need to fill me in on your morning with Holmes, and then you need to get some rest."
His telling her what she needed irked her a little, but he was right. She did need a breather from closing up Brianna's house, but not from thinking about her death.
* * *
Zeke soared off the porch and accompanied Chance's truck the last ten feet until it came to a halt in front of the house. Chance got out and ruffled Zeke's coat. Kat watched them from her vehicle, parked alongside the truck.
Chance grasped Zeke's collar and started to yank him toward the garage with the intention of putting him inside. Whimpering, Zeke resisted and jerked in the direction of the SUV.
Kat exited her car. "Wait, Chance. Don't lock him away. Let me see if I can get used to him."
"Are you sure?"
"No, but I'll try."
"You don't have to. He's a big boy. He can handle the garage for now."
"No, please, let him go."
Chance wasn't so sure. There was a huge difference between a quiet, cuddly kitten and a husky, lick-you-all-over, in-your-face dog.
He edged toward her, still holding on to a fishtailing Zeke. With one quick jerk of his neck, Zeke freed himself and bounded, tongue lolling, toward Kat. She let out a squeal, and woman and dog collided in a mixture of hands and fur. The lunch sack went flying.
Chance charged into the fray and tugged Zeke back by the collar. Kat's eyes were larger than Chance had ever seen them. She looked petrified, but she didn't seek safety in her car or on the porch. "I'm sorry about that," he said.
Kat brushed off her shirt and jeans. "It's okay. He's just overly friendly."
Chance tossed her his keys. "Go on in."
She picked up the sack and crept closer. Allowing a two-foot distance between herself and the dog, she fully extended her arm and tapped his head. He wiggled and yipped.
Chance gradually released his grip and let Zeke go. Zeke ran circles around Kat and leaped in the air once or twice. Her body stiffened, and her face was graced with a teeth-gritting smile, but she stayed glued to the spot.
"Zeke, let's go." Chance slapped his thigh, and Zeke left Kat's side, barreled onto the porch, and waited expectantly at the door.
Chance draped an arm over Kat's shoulder. "I'm proud of you."
"It's your house and your dog. I can't expect you to change your habits for me."
"I don't care. I'm still proud of you, lady. I know how hard that was for you
."
On the way up the porch steps, he glanced toward the burros where Rusty was leaning against a fence post, watching them. When he snubbed out a cigarette and disappeared into the barn, Chance thought it odd Rusty simply walked away without a wave or a tip of his hat. Chance shrugged it off and unlocked the door.
Zeke charged into the kitchen and nosed his food dish. He lapped up water.
"I guess I'm old news," Kat said. "That was easier than I thought."
"All he needed was an introduction," Chance replied. "Why don't you sit down, and I'll put on some coffee, or tea if you prefer."
"Coffee is fine."
"I'll make sandwiches and give our hamburgers to Zeke. After the journey they've been on, I don't think they're worth eating now. They're undoubtedly cold, too."
He wiped off the goop and slapped the patties into Zeke's dish. In two seconds they were gone. Zeke thumped his tail on the kitchen floor, expecting another treat. "You big porker. Dinner's later." Chance called him to the door and shooed him outside.
"He can stay," Kat said.
"I'll let him in later. Right now he needs to run off some of that puppy energy."
After the coffee was brewed and poured, he served up veggie sandwiches, including avocado, and settled at the table with Kat. "Finally. Now we can talk about your encounter with Holmes. If I hadn't had the appointment in Benton, I would have gone with you. I wish you'd waited."
"It was as bad as you predicted. Perhaps worse."
"Did he give you a bad time?"
"He was bristly and obstinate. Guess it runs in the family."
"He's not going to look into this, is he?"
"You gave me fair warning," she said, "but I couldn't believe it. He said he couldn't investigate the break-in because we'd already tampered with the evidence. That was it. And after I questioned him about his son's whereabouts on that night, he was completely closed to my theory about Brianna's death."
Chance shook his head.
"What?"
"How in the world did you become a successful realtor with such impeccable people skills?"
"Don't be so sarcastic. He was downright hostile. You should have been there."
"Of course he was hostile. You made a fatal mistake."
"Which was?"
"You should have left Tim out of the discussion. The minute you insinuated he might have been involved, you lost the sheriff's ear. Parents always defend their children."
"I wouldn't know." Her expression turned sulky, and she rose from her chair.
He'd touched a nerve. "Come here." He grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. "I didn't mean to insult your intelligence. It's not easy to get through to a defensive cop, especially one who has an ass for a son. Do you want me to speak to him, see if I can soften him to your theory?"
"No." Her face hadn't lost its pout, but she let him kiss her cheek. "It still bothers me, Chance. Brianna could have been murdered. No, not could have." Thinking about the freshly dug hole, she said, "I know she was murdered. It's a feeling that won't go away."
He ran his hand down her arm and clasped fingers with her. "I found out something interesting from the pastor today when I stopped to pick up the petition. He said he saw what he thought might be car lights on that old dirt road across from Brianna's house."
"When was that?"
"He wasn't sure what night it was, but sometime this week. He said he often drives by to check on you."
"Why's he checking on me?"
"To see if you're still there, is what he said. He was concerned about you."
"Yeah, right. He's just anxious to see me gone."
"Why do you think that?"
"I guess I forgot to tell you he stopped by after the town meeting, after you'd left, and I confronted him about his secret visits with Brianna." Kat gave Chance a rundown of her conversation with the pastor and how he'd become fixated on Brianna until his wife found out.
"There were rumors going around, but nobody knew the details. I certainly didn't."
"I just hope he's not fixating on me now."
"He better not be."
"He was awfully worried I'd stir things up again and tell folks everything I knew. He said nothing sexual happened, but the way he acted, he was probably lying to protect himself. If he lied about that, maybe he's lying about what he saw on that old road."
"What would be the point?"
"I don't know. But the thought of that weird little man hovering near Brianna's house . . ." She slumped against Chance.
"Maybe this will cheer you up," he said. "I had a confrontation with Nate Wheeler in Benton."
"Did that go as well as my confrontation did?"
"About," he said. "I prodded him about the break-in and fished around about his involvement with Brianna, whether he'd read her stories. That sort of thing."
"Did he admit anything?"
"No, and he won't in this lifetime. He was pretty irate when I left."
"We'll never know, will we, Chance?" she whispered.
He'd never sensed her feeling so defeated. He pushed her to her feet. "Let's go for a ride."
"I'm not sure I want to get in the car again."
"Not a car ride," he said. "As soon as I change into my jeans, I'm taking you horseback riding."
* * *
Of all the hair-brained ideas, Kat thought, as Chance hoisted her into the saddle of a mare named Hazel. Kat wasn't in the mood for riding a horse, but at least she'd ridden before with one of her male friends, and the horse's barrel between her legs was familiar to her.
Chance mounted a palomino named Jericho. They set off across the pasture at a moderate clip with Zeke barking and keeping pace.
The land on the ranch was flat, leading away from the house, but pine trees dotted the half that sloped upward. They skirted the perimeter. In the pine-scented air, through filtered sunlight, they wound in and around trees.
On their way back to the house, they grazed the back side of Brianna's property. They reigned in the horses at the fence line. Panting, Zeke sat, then edged his forepaws down.
"You were right," Kat said. "This is exactly what I needed."
Chance nodded at Zeke. "That should wear him out. I don't think he'll be bothering you tonight."
When Kat peered at Brianna's house, Zeke's rambunctious nature was the least of her worries. "Do you see that, Chance? It looks like the grass has been tramped down around the house leading to the bedroom window."
He tugged Jericho's reins and positioned the horse sideways to the fence. "Sure looks like it."
"Someone's been watching me." A queasy feeling edged into her and displaced the peacefulness of the ride.
"That's why I want you with me," he said. "It's not safe here. Come on. Let's go back."
They galloped across the pasture with Zeke bounding after them. As soon as they neared the barn, Zeke charged to a water bucket and began gulping as fast as he could.
Rusty met them and helped Kat dismount from the horse. "Looks like you been riding your whole life. I was watching you."
"I've ridden a few times." She moved out of the horse's way and let Rusty take over. She started walking away but was still within earshot.
Chance shifted Jericho's reins to Rusty. "Take care of him, would you?"
"Sure, boss. And, hey, that's a fine woman you got there."
After they'd entered the house, Chance apologized for Rusty's bluntness.
"He thinks I'm your woman." She threw back a laugh. "He's living in a different century."
"I don't know." Chance wound an arm around her waist and squeezed her to his side. "I think he's got the right idea. I Tarzan, you Jane."
She peeled away. "How could I be anything to you? I don't even know you." And she meant it. She'd bared her soul to him, revealed her past as easily as if she'd been on a therapist's couch. "I know nothing about you, other than you have a daughter and a mysterious past."
"Kat, come here." He reached for her hand, but she avoided
his touch. "All right then." He left her sitting in the living room and returned with a large stack of papers, which he dumped in her lap.
"What is this?" Though she already had her suspicions.
"A novel I've been working on. I'm sure you saw it when you snuck into my study the time you used my bathroom."
"I didn't read anything."
"But you saw it."
"Well, yes. So you want me to read it now?"
"If you read it, you'll know all about my past, because it's loosely based on my life."
She held it out to him. "I don't want to infringe on your privacy."
"I want you to know everything, and I think this is the best way."
"Can't you just tell me?"
"I could," he said, "but you'll get more details from the read, and it will give you time to think things through about me and whether or not you'll let me pursue you. If after you read this and you say no, I'll back off. You can ask any questions you want, and I'll tell you as much as I'm allowed."
"Why are you being so forthcoming now? You hardly know me to entrust me with this."
"I want you to trust me if we're ever going to proceed with this relationship."
She eyed him guardedly. "I didn't know we had a relationship."
He planted a soft kiss on her lips. "You can't deny the chemistry between us. That's a start, as far as I'm concerned."
* * *
After dinner Kat announced she planned to retreat to the guest room and get started on the manuscript. "I may not come out of the room again. I might just read until I fall asleep."
Chance followed her with her suitcases. The phone rang, and when he came back to her room, she was rummaging for the nightgown she'd packed. He told her he had to go into town for a short while.
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