“Sure.” She handed it over.
“Sorry, but I need to make a private call. I’ll meet you back at the snowmobiles.” Once he was back, he dialed a number he knew by heart and it was answered on the second ring. “Hey, Asa. I need you to investigate something for me. There was a possible murder in Congressman Noleen’s campaign office. Yeah, I did say possible. There’s no body or proof but something tells me someone tampered with the evidence. I’ll email you all the information I have this evening. You’ll see that it’s quite interesting.” Hearing movement through the trees, he realized Hazel was close. “I’ll talk to you later.” He clicked off and watched her make her way toward him and he handed the phone back. “Thanks.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Just a work issue I needed to take care of. Does your uncle have a computer back at the cabin that I can use?”
“Sure.”
A part of him wanted to tell her the truth that he’d asked his partner to check into the case, but that might give her hope where there wasn’t any. Although he didn’t feel one hundred percent certain she saw what she saw, the more he learned about her and the more he got to know her he didn’t think she would lie or make up a crime for attention. “Ready to head to the Jeep?”
They were on their way and the track back to the road was a lot better on a snowmobile than on foot.
As Cox had suspected, no cars had been traveling. He guessed the slippery road had been shut down which wasn’t unusual for the area. The Jeep looked odd sitting along the ghost road, with its smashed front sitting against the rock wall. They pulled over and climbed off, and Hazel made it to the Jeep first. “Guess what I found?” she yelled over the roof. “The cabin key. I forgot it in the console.”
Cox looked around the damage of the Jeep feeling a kick in his gut. He hated to see a nice-looking vehicle damaged. A rich man like Noleen probably wouldn’t feel the same twist in his gut, but a man like Cox who’d worked hard for everything he had hated seeing a waste.
He heard Hazel rummaging in the back and he met her there. “Here. I can grab the bag for you.”
“Nope. I have it.”
“Come on. I can take it.” He reached for the handle and she jerked it back, sending the lid open and her clothes falling out over the snow.
“Look what you’ve done.” She swept her frustrated gaze to him.
“What I’ve done? Are you being serious?” The old Hazel was back with a vengeance
“Yes, I’m very serious. I’m capable of carrying my own bag.” She knelt and shoved the articles of clothing back into the suitcase. He had an urge to help her but decided against it. She wanted her independence and that was fine by him.
When she stood, he bit his tongue but couldn’t help but say, “It’s okay to allow someone to help every now and again.”
“And it’s okay to be independent.”
“Let me ask, do you treat all men like this?” he snarled.
She dropped her case and turned on him, eyeing him with contention. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
But Cox wasn’t one to be pushed around by a woman who seemed to have an issue with him for no reason. “Hell, you know what I’m asking. Do you snap at every man who offers to lend a hand? I bet if a man holds the door open for you, you turn around and walk the other direction.” Maybe it was the stress of being alone with her on the mountain. He wasn’t sure but just when he saw a glimpse of a vulnerable, easy going Hazel, the wind shifted and he got the noble, stubborn Hazel again and it was getting old.
“That’s not true. I say thank you. I also hold the door open for men too. You’re putting way too much thought in the fact that I don’t need a man.”
He chuckled, seeing straight through her. “Yeah, I bet.”
He could see her hands form fists in her gloves. “You don’t know me, and I don’t care what you think. I don’t see a ring on your finger and didn’t notice a revolving door at your apartment, and the one-night-stand isn’t included. She was there for less than two hours. I don’t even know if you can call two hours in bed with someone a true one-night stand. I think one hundred twenty minutes has its own category. I guess she must have needed to get back to her street corner.”
Cox didn’t know whether to laugh or growl. “She wasn’t a prostitute. Believe it or not I don’t have trouble finding women. Problem is, I just don’t have the time. What’s your excuse? You had plenty of time for dating in between jobs.”
Yeah, even he realized he’d shot below the belt. As he started to open his mouth to apologize, he heard a bark in the distance. “Do you hear that?”
She listened too. “It’s a dog barking. Coming from that direction.” She pointed further up the road.
“Why the hell would a dog be out in this weather?”
“Unless the dog is with someone.”
“Still odd in this weather.” He stepped away from the Jeep, scanning the miles of white and finally saw movement. Furry ears flopped up and down and a tongue dangled as the dog jumped along the snow, a brown furball bouncing toward Cox as if he couldn’t be happier finding a human in the storm.
“Oh my gosh. It really is a dog,” Hazel said from next to him.
Cox whistled and the dog came right to him. He looked like a Collie mix with large ears and big brown eyes. Stepping from paw to paw, he greeted them with a showing of teeth. Cox stepped forward and allowed the boy to sniff his hand before he went in to pet his head. “Hey there, fellow. What are you doing out here in this mess?”
“He has a tag. Does it have a name or address?”
Cox searched the red collar and found the information. “His name is Boxy and there’s an address.”
“I bet his human is looking for him.” Hazel joined in on petting the dog who gave a satisfying whimper. “We can’t leave him out here. We need to take him home.”
“I agree.” Cox stood up and scanned the stretch of land. “Maybe he got separated from his owner. I’ll carry him with me. Do you have the suitcase?”
She nodded. “Do you recognize the address on his tag?”
“No, but I’ll need that phone that has service and use the GPS. We’ll take the road.”
Without any argument she reached for the phone and handed it over. “I’m so glad that we have it. We’ll get you home, Boxy.”
At the mention of his name the dog lifted his ears and he cocked his head.
“I think he can understand you,” Cox smiled.
Chapter 13
“So this is it?” The small cabin with cracked windows and a ramshackle porch was more of a shack settled along the valley than a house. All the curtains were drawn over the windows and the plume of smoke coming from the chimney was the only sign of life.
“This is definitely it. The dog’s prints are still in the snow.” Cox pointed to the faint imprints along the cabin. “There are also boot prints and snow mobile tracks.” He whistled and the dog ran to the front door to scrape his paw down the wood.
“He seems happy he’s home.” Hazel was glad to see that this was the cabin Boxy belonged to. When Cox didn’t seem to hear her, she looked over at him but he was no longer next to her. He had wandered to the side of the house. “Earth to Cox.”
“What?” He brought his chin up.
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
“I’m just taking a look around.”
She gathered that the art of investigation ran through his blood, and she appreciated his carefulness, but the only unsafe thing there was the scraps of wood being held together with a few rusty nails. When Cox rejoined her, she whispered, “Find something?”
He shrugged. “I thought I saw prints in the snow made from two different shoes. And there’s a snowmobile parked in back.”
“Oh my. Two different prints and a snow mobile. We better run.” She laughed and he smirked. “Keep in mind we found a lost dog and are returning him. We’re not investigating a murderer.”
The door swung ope
n and Hazel and Cox looked up at the silver haired man with piercing blue eyes. “Ah, it’s my dog.”
“We found him.”
The man knelt to drag the dog in for a hug and a scratch behind the ear. “I’ve been looking for you, fellow.”
Boxy whimpered and slid from the man’s grip then darted inside. Hazel was now on the porch and through the open door she watched Boxy sniff frantically around the small space as if searching for something. Stacks of newspapers cluttered the tables and empty mason jars were lined up along the edge of the floor. Boxy scratched at a closed door.
“We found him a few miles from here. The dog was determined, that’s for sure,” Cox told the man once he stepped up on the porch.
“Thank you for bringing him back. He likes to run in the snow,” the man said.
“He seems happy to be home.” Hazel watched the dog now sniffing the furniture.
“You want your toy, boy?” After retrieving a red rubber bone off the table and tossing it onto the floor that seemed to satiate Boxy for the time being. “By the way, I’m Richard Starr. Do you stay very far from here?”
“
“We’re over at—”
“Actually, we’re about three miles west. Quite a drive.”
Hazel almost gave herself whiplash looking over at Cox. What had gotten into him?
“That is a drive,” Richard said. “Again, thank you for bringing Boxy back. Maybe next time you two can come in for a drink.”
“Maybe next time.”
“You two wouldn’t know anything about that wrecked Jeep on the road, would you?” Richard leaned against the doorframe.
“How did you know about the Jeep?” Cox asked.
The man chuckled. “Not much happens on Pitchfork without neighbors knowing. I was out at sunrise investigating the roads and saw the Jeep in the ditch. Doesn’t look like she’ll be running any time soon.”
Boxy came to the door and whimpered, shifting from paw to paw. His ears were tucked in close to his head.
“It was nice meeting you, Boxy.” Hazel gave him a scratch on the head.
“I bet he’s hungry,” Richard said. “I should dish him up some grub.”
“We’ll get out of your hair.” Cox’s hand was now on Hazel’s back and she could feel the warmth of his touch through the thick layers of her clothing.
“Hey.” Richard caught them before they stepped off the porch. “I didn’t get your names.”
“I’m Hazel and this is Cox.”
His smile expanded. “Nice to meet you Hazel and Cox. I hope to see you again.” He closed the door.
“What’s wrong, Cox?” she asked once they were back at the snowmobiles pulling on their gear.
“I don’t know. I just don’t like to answer a stranger’s questions.” He pushed on his goggles, and she did the same.
“I can appreciate your prudence, but unless he sent his dog out into the snow to find two unsuspecting humans to bring back to his cabin, I’d say we’re safe. He seemed nice.”
“He seems nice?”
Seeing his peeved expression, she sighed. “It’s your job to be prudent, but not everyone is a criminal. Let’s get back to the cabin before the snow comes again.”
They made it back just as the snow started again.
“I’ll get a fire started.” Cox was already at the fireplace stacking wood by the time Hazel had her boots off.
“While you do that, I’m grabbing hot coffee. I’ll grab us both some.” By the time she came back with steaming cups, Cox had a blaze going and the chill was gone from the room. She placed his cup on the table and sat down on the couch with hers, wrapping her hands around the ceramic to warm her fingers.
She kept her eyes on Cox as he stood, took his coffee and sat on the edge of the table. His frown and rugged jaw made her curious. “What are you thinking?”
“It’s probably nothing.”
“Obviously it’s something.”
He set his untouched cup on the table. “I’ve seen Richard Starr before.”
“You have?”
“I just can’t figure out where.” He stood and used a poker to fix the wood in the fireplace. The muscles in his back flexed with each movement and for a second she forgot what they had been discussing.
“He had some interesting tattoos. I didn’t want to stare too hard, but the one on his forearm was quite scary. On a side note, I did happen to see the tattoo you have on your back. What’s the story behind it?”
After he placed the poker back in the stand, he took a seat on the couch. “Every man in my unit got the Seal Trident—an eagle, a pistol, a Navy anchor, and a trident.” A sadness crawled over his features and she felt a twinge of unfamiliarity in her stomach. A thought took her hostage, so unexpected that the coffee went down the wrong pipe. After she coughed air back into her lungs, she set the cup onto the table and wrestled with what she knew. She liked Cox—more than just like but she was attracted to him. They’d been through quite a lot over such a short time and he’d shown kindness to her, something she wouldn’t have anticipated.
She placed her hands in her lap and glanced over at him through the veil of her lashes, seeing beyond his scowl. Her heart beat so fast it took her breath. “That must have been very hard losing men.” Would he speak to her? Or would he close himself off? She hoped he was comfortable enough to open up to her.
He eased back into the chair, rubbing his forehead as if to ease the tension in his muscles. “Some had wives. A couple had kids. For a long time, I felt guilty that I survived and they didn’t.”
“Mathew Brooks said you’re a hero. He also said you’re a guy to have on your side.”
“Hero?” he scoffed. “The men and women who’ve died in the line of fire are the true heroes. I’m just a man who loves his country and is willing to stand beside others and fight for what we believe in.”
“I think you’re being modest. I know Brooks and he wouldn’t have recommended you to help in this situation unless he knew for sure you could be trusted.”
“Your uncle won the lottery when he hired Brooks to head up his security. The man is a good guy.”
“I’ve gotten to know him over the last few years and I really like him. I think he dislikes Lucifer even more than I do.” She wagged her brows.
“What is up with that guy anyway? Is he normally that uptight or was it just my charm that brought out that side of him?”
“Trust me, he always looks like he’s been sucking on a lemon. Uncle Brent says Lucifer is a loyal employee, but I think he’s a snake in the grass. Since I moved into the house I feel like he’s always watching me like the behavior police.”
“Outside of the fact that your uncle’s house having plenty of room, why move there? I take you as someone who likes her autonomy and privacy. Although the house is a mansion, I’d see that it could easily cramp your style.”
“Better than the apartment building where you still live. The super gave me the creeps and getting something fixed was like pulling teeth.”
“I can’t complain. I’m not home enough to be bothered by the irritating humming sound that the refrigerator makes.”
She twirled a strand of hair around her knuckle and sighed. “Maybe we got off on the wrong foot. Just maybe I’ve been a little rude at times.”
His brows arched. “Is this a roundabout apology?”
“Don’t look so surprised. I do know the definition of humility.”
“Could be that I’ve been wrong too. You’re not as high maintenance as I first thought.”
“And I do remember you calling me a spoiled brat.” She cleared her throat.
“That is still the truth.”
“What? Is that so? Well, let me tell you—”
He pressed his finger against her lips, stopping what certainly would have taken them back to square one. “Look, I know you’re trying very hard to mend the history between us so why don’t you allow me to explain. You and I both know we’re from two different worlds
and we have far different opinions. You might be spoiled but you’re also strong, smart and kind. Does that help?”
She nodded because she still couldn’t speak. His finger prevented any words. When he lowered his hand their gazes held and for a moment she thought they might kiss…
Until he stretched his leg and she saw him flinch.
“Your leg is hurting?”
“Damn muscles,” he grumbled.
“I bet you didn’t know I was a massage therapist once upon a time.”
One corner of his mouth lifted, softening the brooding in his eyes. “Why am I not surprised?”
“How about I offer my services? I’ve been told I have magical hands.”
Several expressions flashed over his face. “As good as that sounds, I can handle the pain.”
“I know you’re a tough guy, but this is my way of apologizing. If it hadn’t been for me, you wouldn’t be here at the cabin and wouldn’t have been caught in the snow which has caused you pain. Remember what you told me? It’s okay to accept help sometimes.”
“Well, if you feel like you want to work these old bones and muscles, I’ll be happy to be your client. I haven’t had a woman’s hands on me in a long time. Then can I use the computer to do some work? It’ll take me five minutes.”
She lifted a brow. “Really? You mean the man deemed a god by the screaming sex goddess hasn’t taken care of that little problem?” Once the words were out, she realized they dripped of jealousy. Not how she meant them. Why would she care if he had one, or fifty or more women in and out of his apartment? It was none of her business.
“First, she wasn’t deeming me a god.” He swiped a hand down his cheek. “Considering you keep mentioning that particular night I’m starting to get the feeling that you’re curious.”
She lowered her eyes for a second and when she looked back up he was grinning. “Don’t let your ego be your imagination. I’m not at all curious. I just find it easy to use the situation as a comparison to your other astonishing acts.”
“Now come on, sweetheart. Just when we’re starting to break the ice why bring out the invisible Zamboni to resurface it? Is there any way to move forward? Can’t you find it in yourself to forgive me for whatever I’ve done?”
Tormented by the Lawman (Mountain Force Book 3) Page 12
