“I know it was hard on him, but he was so good to us. Rory was fifteen when it happened and could have acted out like a lot of teens do, but he didn’t. I mean, yeah, he and Boone butted heads occasionally, well, they still do, but there were never any actual problems. I guess we just all banded together to get through it.”
While she’d already condoned Rory’s actions where Zandra’s rapist was concerned, she felt they were more justified now. Zandra had only been twenty when the sexual assault occurred. She’d lost a decade of her life, her twenties at that, a time that should have been among the happiest, because of that man. Her throat thick, Zoë wasn’t the least bit upset the man was dead. He’d taken almost ten years from Zandra, seven from Rory—yes, she knew Rory was responsible for his actions, but he wouldn’t have done what he had if Parsons hadn’t raped Zandra in the first place—and could have torn a loving family apart. Hoping there was a special place in hell reserved for Tom Parsons, she inwardly vowed to do all she could to draw Zandra further out of her shell. She hadn’t needed Ethan to tell her Zandra had isolated herself after the assault. She could plainly see it.
“Okay,” she announced brightly, hoping to cut through the dour mood that had descended on them, “you’re done.”
“So are you,” Zandra returned.
The pair cautiously got their feet so as to not smudge the polish. Zoë inspected Zandra’s face, looking for signs that relating the death of her parents hadn’t taxed her too much. She seemed fine and Zoë’s amazement at Zandra’s strength intensified. She’d been through so much and yet was still a loving, compassionate, and helpful woman. Zoë brushed a lock of hair behind Zandra’s ear before smiling.
“Okay, makeup time. How much do you normally wear when you go out?”
“Not much.”
“Well, how about I do some nice smoky shadows on you to really bring out those gorgeous eyes? They’re already so big, so let’s just accentuate them that much more.”
“Sounds good to me.” Zandra sat down before the vanity and then sighed. “Cole is seeing Faye, isn’t he? I saw them together at the diner again.”
“I think so,” she admitted. “It sounded like it when Ethan asked him about tonight. He didn’t say they were dating but he asked to bring her along.”
“Figures,” Zandra said in a defeated tone.
After securing Zandra’s hair in a ponytail to keep it off her face, Zoë shrugged. “Hey, maybe they’re just friends, and, if not, he’s not the only single man in town, you know.”
“True.”
There was little interest in her tone. Zandra had her heart set on Cole. As Zoë applied primer to Zandra’s face, she tried to test the waters. “What about the Carson brothers? I haven’t met them yet, but Ethan says they’re all younger than he is.”
“They are, and they’re all nice-looking, especially Zeke. But, well, they’re just not—”
“Your type?”
“No, they’re not.”
Apparently only Cole was. Damn it, why did he have to have a girlfriend? Reminding herself she didn’t know for a fact he and Faye were a couple, even though she had to admit he made it sound like they were, she tried to stay positive for Zandra’s sake.
“Is there some kind of secret government facility around here?” she questioned, trying to keep humour from her voice.
“Why?” Zandra asked, seemingly shocked with Zoë’s question.
As she began applying foundation to Zandra’s face, she chuckled. “Oh, I was just wondering if someone tampered with the town’s water. How the hell do so many good-looking men live in such a small town?”
Zandra laughed. “You noticed that too, huh?”
“How could I not? Wow. Seriously, Ethan, your brothers, Cole, the Carsons, that’s a lot.” She refrained from mentioning Myles but he, too, was incredibly handsome.
“Wait until you meet Chase.” Zoë crinkled her brow, not having heard his name before. Zandra flapped a hand in front of her face. “He’s smoking hot, seriously. And a lawyer.”
“Really? Huh, maybe I should’ve shopped around a bit.”
Zandra laughed at her obviously joking statement. “He’s taken anyway, but you got a good one. Ethan’s a great catch.”
“I suppose, but I haven’t caught him.”
“What do you mean?”
“That we’re just having fun. It’s great, but it’s not going to go anywhere, and that’s fine.” As she dotted concealer on Zandra’s face, she caught the raise of her friend’s brow. “What?”
“Oh, nothing. You say it’s just fun, but you light up like a bulb when you talk about him.”
Her stomach clenched brutally at Zandra’s words. If that was true, had other people seen it? Had Boone, and that’s why he was behaving as he was, trying to ascertain her motives when it came to Ethan? Had Ethan seen it? Feeling sick, she shrugged, her shoulders feeling oddly stiff.
“He’s a great guy, but I’m not looking for anything long term.”
What a lie! Oh, how she wished she could be in a relationship with Ethan. He was exactly what she wanted in a partner, but she couldn’t fill that role for him. Her heart heavy, she reached for the setting powder, still determined to make Zandra an absolute knockout for their night out.
40
Entering the gym with Rory, Boone spotted Myles heading their way, obviously about to leave the building. After returning the greeting of the gym’s owner, Jim, he looked at Rory.
“Go on in and get started. I need to talk to Myles about something.”
Rory’s expression related his confusion at Boone’s announcement. While not reacting to Myles with the same veracity as Zandra, neither he nor Rory cared much for the man, considering his treatment of Rory. Boone had tried to understand Myles’s viewpoint at first, but several conversations with Myles to plead Rory’s case had had zero effect, and Boone’s patience had run out. Sure, it was normal for cops to be suspicious of ex-cons, to expect them to fall back into old patterns and re-offend, but Rory wasn’t a career criminal. He’d made a mistake, an understandable one according to most people. Boone thought his role as a fellow RCMP officer would help persuade Myles that Rory was as honourable as Boone and Ethan insisted he was, but nothing could sway Myles’s opinion.
Trying not to react to the harsh look Myles flung at Rory when they passed one another, Boone lifted his chin to the man when he drew closer to him.
“Myles, I was wondering if I could have a word with you.”
“It’s not about Rory, is it?” Myles asked impatiently.
“No, it isn’t. Actually, I want your opinion on something.”
Myles’s stiff posture instantly softened. “Sure, what’s it about?”
Boone cocked his head to the doors. “Do you mind talking outside? It’s a private matter.”
He’d piqued Myles’s interest, evidenced by the raise of the man’s brow, and he led him outside and then a short distance from the front doors. Rory would undoubtedly question what he needed to discuss with the corporal, but he figured he’d lie and say he had yet another go at trying to change Myles’s opinion, or that he’d warned Myles to back off. Considering how upsetting the situation was to Zandra, he figured that might be the best lie to use and then cursed himself for lying to his brother. Apparently Ethan wasn’t the only one acting out of character because of Zoë.
Assured they wouldn’t be overheard, he spread his feet apart in order to minimize his height, allowing him to be eye-level with Myles. It was his usual way of conversing with others, well, at least when he wanted them to feel comfortable. When interrogating suspects, he’d always employed his towering height as an intimidation tactic. It worked well.
“You’ve met Zoë Pennell, right? Ethan’s new cook?”
“Oh, she’s a little more than just his cook,” Myles returned with a wry smile. At Boone’s stony expression, Myles’s smile faltered. “Hey, I didn’t mean anything offensive by that, really. They seem really happy together.”
> “I need you to agree to keep what I’m about to tell you to yourself.”
After receiving Myles’s promise he’d guard the secret, Boone related what he’d found out about Zoë, watching Myles’s expression morph into one of disbelief, then one of grave concern. Figuring Myles, being a cop, would see the same dangers he did, he felt justified by Myles’s reaction, one Ethan should have had as well.
“Your expression tells me you think this is as big an issue as I do.”
“Damn right,” Myles concurred, nodding his head. “Let me guess, Ethan doesn’t.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“You think she’s a con artist.”
“I do.”
“Certainly sounds about right,” Myles agreed and then sighed deeply. “What do you want to do about it? She hasn’t done anything wrong yet. And, honestly, I don’t want to butt heads with Ethan over this. I’m guessing you don’t either, considering you’re talking to me about it, and not him.”
“I tried talking to him. He thinks she’s running from something.”
“And didn’t go to the police?”
“Exactly. With no criminal record, well, at least under the identities I know she’s used, she doesn’t appear to be running from the cops. And, really, if she was, I hardly think she’d target an ex-cop, especially not one who’s friends with cops.”
“Unless she’s running from something she doesn’t think the police can help her with.”
“Like what?” Boone challenged.
Myles shrugged. “Lots of things. You said she lived in Toronto until recently. You and I both know policing is way different in huge cities like that. They’re understaffed and overworked. Issues don’t get addressed as well, victims fall through cracks, and there aren’t enough officers to address problems that we can here in a small town. It’s possible she dealt with an abusive ex, maybe one who broke a restraining order, or was threatening her some other way, and felt she wasn’t getting any help from the police. It happens.”
Sure it did, but Boone knew that wasn’t what was going on with Zoë. He cocked his head. “Does she strike you as an abused woman?”
“That was an insensitive comment,” Myles remarked, with a deeply furrowed brow. “What does an abused woman look like, Boone?”
“Please,” he scoffed. “You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t. No offense, but considering you work in witness protection, you should know people process things in all different ways. Victims hardly wear signs proclaiming them as such.”
“I don’t need a lecture in sensitivity,” he snapped. “For your information, most of the cases I work concern criminals flipping on bigger criminals and requiring protection for doing so. It’s called witness protection, not victim protection.” He sighed. “Look, back to the actual issue here, I’m sure Zoë is setting Ethan up for something. You yourself said she sounds like a con artist.”
“Or a victim.”
Remembering why he normally avoided Myles, not having the patience to deal with the man’s irritating habit of arguing every point he made, he shook his head. “Are you going to help me keep an eye on her? And an ear to the ground here in town? I’m leaving in a few days again and I’m not sure when I’ll be back. I really don’t want to leave without something in place, some way of looking out for Ethan.”
Myles nodded. “I’ll definitely keep an eye on her, as much as I can that is, without raising suspicion.”
Relieved Myles agreed with him, Boone nodded. “Great. Thank you, I really appreciate it.”
He certainly did. Having to return to work on Monday, he was relieved Myles was on board where Zoë was concerned. Thinking he might take tonight’s festivities at The Goose as an opportunity to possibly talk some sense into Ethan, he ended his conversation with Myles and then headed back into the gym. A workout would help expel some of the nervous energy that had been weighing him down ever since he’d uncovered Zoë’s synthetic identities. She was up to something, he could feel it in his bones, and he’d be damned if he’d allow her to hurt his best friend.
41
Laughing as Skip spun her, Zoë was having a blast with the large group of people Ethan had invited to The Scruffy Goose. Currently on the dancefloor with Skip and several others from the group, she shook her stuff, making sure Ethan saw it, returning his broad smile before turning back to Skip. He was quite the dancer for an older man and clearly loved it. She wished Ethan was with them but had learned the last time they were at the bar that he would only slow dance. Not that it was a problem though, the few slow dances she’d shared with him had been quite invigorating.
Tonight had been so much fun, she thought gathering this group together should be a weekly event. Murray and Jeff had made an appearance again and, as Ethan had informed her would be the case, Murray was on his best behaviour tonight. She’d met Arden Yovenko, who helped her dad run the feed store in town, the Carson brothers, Shane, Zeke, and Kit, each one absolutely adorable, and Dr. Faye Hughes. A few moments observation and a quick chat with Faye soon yielded the information that Faye and Cole were only friends, bonding over both being doctors, even if his patients weren’t human. Zoë could easily see how they could bond over that though, and, with Faye being new in town, it made sense Cole had tried to ease the rough transition for her. He really was a great guy, and she’d caught the numerous shy glances he’d unleashed on Zandra, matched by the ones Zandra threw his way. They were so cute, and Zoë believed she’d seen the beginning of a relationship between the pair.
Currently, Murray danced with Arden and the pair looked like they were enjoying one another’s company. Kit and Shane were up dancing too, in a group that included Faye, Cole, and Zandra. She wished Cole and Zandra were actually dancing with one another but supposed, given how shy they both were, that dancing as closely as they currently were was a step in the right direction. There didn’t seem to be any sparks between Faye and either Carson brother, and Zoë figured it was unreasonable to expect all those present to couple up. There was still plenty of desire in the air, as another glance at Ethan revealed. He watched her every move. It was an enticing sight minimized somewhat by the less than friendly look upon Boone’s face, as he sat beside Ethan. Unsure exactly what Boone’s issue was with her, she could only think he was being protective of Ethan and couldn’t fault him. The relationship between her and Ethan had developed rapidly, much more so than any she’d ever experienced, and Boone was wary of her. It was to be expected.
As a new song started, Skip grabbed her hand to pull her to his side. The others lined up in a row and she realized they were about to line-dance. Never having done it, she watched Skip’s moves carefully and was soon mimicking them. Her confidence grew, and she looked down the line to see Cole, beside Zandra, performing each move just a little faster than everyone else did. Glancing at Ethan yet again, she received another great smile from him. While having more fun than she thought she would, she couldn’t wait to return to the ranch with him, knowing that, despite all the dancing she did, she’d have plenty of energy left for her sexy cowboy.
42
“Seriously?”
Turning his head at the perturbed tone Boone had used, Ethan regarded his friend warily. “What?”
“You can’t keep your eyes off her. I thought you were going to slow things down with her, until you can find out who she really is, and what she’s up to.”
Boone’s now-judgmental tone wasn’t lost on him. Affixing his friend with a firm look, he shrugged. “She isn’t up to anything, I already told you that. She’s hiding, I just don’t know from what, and I don’t want to argue about this.” Boone rolled his eyes, and Ethan had had enough. “You need to knock that shit off,” he informed him. “You’re going on like she’s some kind of criminal. She isn’t, and you know she isn’t. Now, back off.”
When Boone averted his eyes, Ethan looked to the bar. No one was lined up there and he thought it was a good time to grab another round. Before he could stand, Bo
one nudged him to get his attention and then pointed. Ethan followed Boone’s outstretched hand to see Skip and Zoë headed for the mechanical bull, followed by the small group who’d all been dancing.
“We gotta get closer to watch this,” Boone enthused.
Ethan was in complete agreement. Skip sure as shit wasn’t going to ride the bull which meant Zoë was and, yes, that was something he needed to see. The pair headed over to join the others around the bull and the inflated floor and short walls surrounding it. Joe, the owner of the bar and bull operator, appeared to be giving Zoë pointers but, judging by the look upon her face, she was eager to get going. Ethan’s heart skipped a beat. She was fearless, and he loved it. A thought occurring to him, he rushed around the barrier to approach her as Joe left the enclosure. Smiling, he removed his hat and held it out to her.
“I reckon you should have this on when you ride.”
“Reckon,” she repeated and then snort-giggled. “You sound like such a hick sometimes.” When he raised a brow, she smiled sweetly. “But a freaking hot one,” she added.
He couldn’t help but chuckle at her comment although it cut off abruptly when she slid his hat on. With her mass of springy curls, the hat fit her, way better than he’d imagined it would, and her fiery hair stood out so prominently against the black. Oh yeah, he had to buy her a hat, and definitely a black one. He’d never seen a sexier sight. Not eager to get an erection in front of all those present, he kissed her cheek for luck and then returned to his vantage point beside Boone.
Zoë didn’t look the least bit nervous sitting atop the bull, not that it surprised him. Even as he, and most of the guys in town, had taken some hard falls off the machine, he did admit alcohol had been a factor in some of the worse falls. Arden was sensational on the bull, putting all the men to shame, and he reasoned she’d probably ride next, now that they’d gotten Joe to run it. The bull started moving slowly and Zoë easily moved with it. Watching her closely, he saw she had a good grip on the handhold, and saw the flex of her thigh muscles. She was well rooted on the machine, and hadn’t made the first error most riders did, that of thinking their handhold only would keep them seated. It picked up speed, and he knew it was about to rear. He winced a little, hoping she wouldn’t be unseated so early, but she easily adapted when the bull did rear, straightening her back, leaning forward a bit, angling her hips down, and using her free arm for balance. She was doing great, but the machine would only increase in both speed and erratic movements.
Done a Runner (Wanted Men of Bison Bluffs Book 1) Page 15
