Little Boys Blue

by Susan Kearney

  Cody had been wonderfully helpful, the lanky ranch hand bringing the groceries, furniture and supplies she’d ordered from town into the kitchen where she stacked the smaller items in the doorless pantry. She’d put Cameron’s credit card to good use, and all afternoon, every time she thought of that kiss he’d stolen, she’d taken pleasure in running up his bill.

  Damn him! Whatever had possessed the man to kiss her? She hadn’t flirted. She hadn’t been interested. For years, Cameron Sutton had belonged to Sandra and only Sandra. He’d loved her cousin, been good to her, fathered her children. And not once had Alexa ever thought of Cameron as anything but a good man, a fine catch for Sandra. But one kiss had changed everything. One kiss had knocked her socks off and she still hadn’t recovered. Every time she thought about that kiss, her pulse raced. Every time she thought about that kiss, her blood heated. Every time she thought about that kiss, she got angry, confused and embarrassed all over again. Talk about dynamite. His kiss had been pure Fourth of July fireworks—the red-hot kind, with sparks that rocked almost every belief she’d ever had about men and women.

  Alexa didn’t believe in chemical attraction that ignited with a simple kiss. She didn’t believe in falling for a tall, dark and handsome man who so obviously needed a wife and would undoubtedly want more children. And she certainly hadn’t come out West for an affair with her nephews’ daddy. Sandra’s husband.

  Yet, kisses that marvelous didn’t happen to Alexa. She didn’t even dream about kisses that marvelous. She couldn’t figure out exactly what had happened to make her forget everything except Cameron Sutton.

  As much as she’d denied her actions, she had kissed him back. She hadn’t wanted to admit it to him, and even now she didn’t want to admit it to herself. Alexa kept telling herself she wouldn’t think about that kiss, wouldn’t think about Cameron—not as a man with eyes of pure sterling and gilded with silver light. Or with lips that had made her so aware she was a woman.

  But as the afternoon wore on and she called the general contractor, electrician and plumber while keeping an eye on the twins, she discovered that her resolution to forget that kiss was impossible.

  If she hadn’t promised Sandra to look after the twins, she’d have been tempted to leave the moment Cameron returned. But one kiss, no matter how devastating, wouldn’t make her go back on her promise to her cousin.

  Cody Barnes brought in the last sack of groceries and set them by her feet. “What should I do with the rest, ma’am?”

  When she looked at Cody, he blushed. She ignored his high color, suspecting the young man would have been more comfortable outside with the other ranch hands. He might have even taken some teasing about helping with the twins, yet he hadn’t complained. Alexa couldn’t help noticing that Cody kept looking out the front window, seemingly anxious for Julie to return from class.

  Alexa left the groceries and spied through the window the pickup truck piled high with her credit-card purchases. While she instructed the lanky hand, she caught him watching a car pull in down the road. As the blond-haired, brown-eyed Julie exited her car, Cody followed the coed’s every move. Obviously he had a crush on the children’s baby-sitter.

  Alexa kept the knowledge to herself, knowing a comment would just embarrass the young man. “Please place the grill on the patio and find someone to hook up the propane tank. For now, we can use the pool furniture inside.”

  Two hours later, Alexa looked around with weary satisfaction, grateful that Julie had returned to occupy and feed the twins so she could keep working on the house. The cheerful college student had the twins on her lap and had just finished reading them a story.

  Flynn tugged Julie’s hair. “Pretty.”

  Julie laughed and kissed the top of the little boy’s head. “All right, buster. Why are you trying to butter me up?” When she spied Alexa watching her, she gestured for her to join them on the floor. “You have to watch out with these fellas. If they give you a compliment, that means they are about to ask for something they aren’t supposed to have.”

  Jason grinned and played with Julie’s hair, too. “Is pretty.”

  Alexa settled cross-legged on the rug that Cody had spread before the uncompleted fireplace. Julie, with a loving smile, gently tugged her hair out of reach. “Can you imagine these two heartbreakers at eighteen or twenty?”

  “I’m sure every Harvard coed will be after them.”

  Julie raised a blond eyebrow. “Harvard?”

  “Sandra took out one of those prepaid tuition plans when they were born.”

  “Wow! That’s really awesome.” The phone rang, and Julie turned to her charges, who were both fighting sleep and actually sitting still for a change. “Well, you guys had better be smart enough to attend an Ivy League school. And smart boys need their sleep.”

  She gathered them up amid drowsy protests while Alexa answered the phone. “Hello.”

  “I’ll be back within half an hour,” Cam’s soft drawl purred through the phone lines.

  “How’s Keith?”

  “Fever’s down. I needed to watch him for a while before deciding whether to give him an antibiotic. But he’s fighting off the infection on his own and the little tyke’s going to be just fine.” Just then, one of the twins let out a piercing whoop. “You managing okay?”

  “We’re fine.”

  “Julie usually leaves for her dorm around eight. Ask her to stay with you until I get home. I don’t like the idea of you and the boys being alone.”

  While she appreciated his concern, she hardly thought Julie could protect her. Besides, Alexa had traveled the world, and while she didn’t carry a six-shooter in her purse or a knife in her garter, she’d managed alone for more years than she cared to admit.

  Changing the subject, Alexa twisted the phone cord around her finger. Despite her work this afternoon, she’d taken the time to change her nail polish to a soft pink. Looking good gave her courage, and she might need all the courage she could muster after Cameron realized how much of his money she’d spent.

  Suddenly a little nervous and a lot guilty, she blurted, “I may have gone a little overboard with your credit card today.”

  “It’s all right. I may not be as wealthy as your grandparents, but I’m not exactly poor. I’m a doctor, remember?”

  His voice had a caressing quality that made her distinctly uneasy, since it brought back another vivid reminder of their kiss. Electricity had sparked through her. Perhaps she should take him up on his offer to stay at the hotel in town. She wasn’t sure she trusted herself alone with him in this house.

  By the time Cam returned thirty minutes later, she’d almost made up her mind to leave, but one look at his exhausted face, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners from weariness, and she knew she’d be selfish to make him drive her into Highview at this late hour. He really looked beat.

  “Was treating Keith that difficult?”

  He shot her a wry grin. “The vet’s on vacation and one of Rafe’s mares went into labor. I kept telling him I’m an MD, not a veterinarian, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I don’t know which was worse, calming the mare who kept trying to kick me or calming my brother who kept threatening to punch me.”

  “He didn’t!”

  “He would have if I’d tried to leave. He considers the horses his children.”

  Cam spied the contemporary rugs, a mixture of jute and wool, scattered across the bare plywood subflooring. They lent a rich texture to the foyer, and he carefully wiped the mud off his shoes on the new mat she’d purchased. He visibly perked up as he entered the kitchen and surveyed the wrought-iron breakfast bar and wine rack in the corner with two comfortable leather-seat stools that slipped out of the way when not in use. Wrought-iron pot racks hung from the ceiling by double hooks holding a shiny collection of hammered copper pots with riveted brass handles.

  “I left all our old stuff in Boston. Haven’t gotten around to buying new furnishings.”

  “Julie told me.”
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br />   “You’ve done wonders.”

  Alexa walked with him into the kitchen, not quite daring to tell him what she’d ordered from the store’s catalogues to be delivered tomorrow. She took encouragement from the fact that at least he seemed to like the changes she’d made so far. “Have you eaten? Would you like something to—?”

  A loud scream from outside chilled Alexa to the bone. “Julie!”

  Cam’s gaze turned in the direction of the stairs. He was clearly torn between running upstairs to see to the safety of the boys and sprinting outside.

  “Go!” Alexa pushed him toward the door. “I’ll check the boys.”

  She grabbed a flashlight and hurried upstairs, staying close to the wall to avoid falling on the banisterless staircase that a carpenter had promised to finish tomorrow. At least the second story had drywall and was mostly finished. She hurried into the boys’ bedroom and aimed the flashlight at their beds. With relief, she saw they were still sound asleep, their chubby faces clean and cherubic-looking.

  Quickly, Alexa checked the entire upstairs for intruders. Cam’s room had only a rolled-up sleeping bag in one corner and open suitcase in the other. The other rooms were empty. She found nothing unusual except a kitten she suspected the boys had sneaked into the house. Picking up the lost animal in one hand, keeping the flashlight in the other, she returned downstairs to find Cam carrying Julie into the house.

  Julie clutched Cam with fingers tight with tension. Her wide brown eyes brimmed with tears that she tried to blink away. Cam gently set her on the rug.

  Alexa set down the kitten and hurried over, her mind teaming with questions. “What happened?”

  Julie sniffed and stared at Cameron. “I was using the Porta Potti. When I came out, someone grabbed me from behind. I jabbed my elbow into him, and he threw me down.”

  “Did you see him?” Alexa asked as Cameron checked Julie’s pupils with a penlight.

  “I was so scared I just panicked. I think I screamed and fell, then everything went black. I opened my eyes…to find Cameron carrying me in here.”

  Alexa’s neck prickled. “Did your attacker say anything?”

  Julie shook her head and winced. “No.”

  “There isn’t any blood.” Cameron ran his fingers over Julie’s head. “Does this hurt?”

  “A little. I must have banged it when he threw me down.”

  Two near disasters in one day was just too much of a coincidence for Alexa. One look at the worry in Cam’s eyes told her he was thinking the same thing. If someone had deliberately let the bull loose and that same someone had then attacked Julie, what could be his motive?

  Robbery, rape, murder? Nothing made sense. And what could be the reason for attacking two different women? At a new thought, the hair on Alexa’s neck prickled.

  In the darkness, could the attacker have mistaken Julie for Alexa?

  Chapter Four

  Cameron called Noel Demory, Highview’s sheriff, that night, and together they decided that his visit and investigation could wait until morning. Julie’s friend, Leo Harley, had driven out to the ranch and taken her back to her dorm. Alexa had settled onto an air mattress in the guest room, and the rest of the night had passed peacefully.

  The morning started at seven with a tempest of activity. Plumbers busily replaced the crushed water pipe. A loader filled in the dangerous ditch. The electrician actually thought he could hook up the wires to the circuit box and they might have electricity before dark. And despite the drywall shortage, a forklift unloaded pallets in the driveway, and carpenters busily tacked more drywall to the walls, covering the framing. Assistants followed behind with spackling tape and compound.

  Alexa talked quietly to the workers, and the general contractor assured her the final window would be installed that afternoon. Cameron could have kissed her for putting his life back in order. But he wouldn’t. Their one kiss had been too explosive. Playing with dynamite wasn’t his style. Right now, he and the twins needed stability, and Alexa would no doubt leave in the same manner she’d arrived, with little forethought and no warning.

  Sheriff Noel Demory arrived at eight sharp. At five-foot-eight and 130 pounds, he made up in common sense what he lacked in bulk and stature. He’d helped Chase and Laura with a problem a while back and Cam thought he could help here too. Although the sheriff wasn’t too ambitious and kept a low profile around town, he had a knack for preventing trouble before it started.

  Despite her scare the night before, Julie, reliable as ever, had shown up on schedule, taking over her chores with the twins, insisting she’d rather work than have too much time on her hands to think. Alexa remained quiet, sipping the coffee Cody had brought over from the Senator’s kitchen where his mother worked. The twins, incorrigible as ever, raced trucks through the living area.

  As Cameron ushered the sheriff inside, Alexa and Julie each grabbed a twin and handed them over to Cody, who took them onto the back deck by the pool that was filling with water and out of hearing range. Cameron noted how the boy blushed whenever he neared either woman and wondered if the poor kid would ever overcome his painful shyness.

  Not that he blamed the kid for feeling flustered. Julie oozed cowgirl sexuality in a stretchy T-shirt that bared her midriff and navel over low riding jeans. And Alexa’s classy emerald blouse and cream slacks, belted at the waist, showed off her flawless figure. He restrained a smile when he noticed once again that she’d painted her nails a soft pearl color that matched a choker at her graceful neck.

  The adults settled onto the pool furniture Alexa had purchased yesterday. First, Cameron recounted Alexa’s encounter with the bull. Then the sheriff listened to Julie’s story, taking notes and asking many of the same questions Alexa had last night.

  Julie’s answers remained consistent. Alexa looked thoughtful. The sheriff frowned at both women. “Have either of you dumped any boyfriends recently?”

  Alexa and Julie both shook their heads.

  “Maybe Cameron has an old girlfriend, someone jealous?” the sheriff asked.

  Cameron set the record straight. “There was no one special before Sandra.”

  Julie sighed. “It was a man who attacked me.”

  “What makes you think so?” Alexa asked.

  “The arm that grabbed me seemed…hard. Muscular. It was just an impression, nothing I can put my finger on.”

  The sheriff took notes. “Do you remember his scent?”

  “Like aftershave?” Julie shook her head. “I’m sorry, I was just scared. It was so dark.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Alexa squeezed Julie’s hand. The sheriff turned to Cameron. “You fired anyone lately?”

  “My cook, Ray Potter, quit yesterday.”

  Julie snapped her fingers. “In all the excitement, I forgot to tell you that my friend Leo would be happy to have the job. I told him to stop by this afternoon. Hope that’s okay.”

  “I’ll be happy to talk to him,” Cameron said. He’d have the Senator look into Leo’s background. With what had gone on around here, he wouldn’t take any unnecessary chances. In fact, he might have his father run checks on all the new people.

  “Let’s look at the spot where Julie was attacked,” the sheriff suggested.

  Cameron had had another portable-toilet unit installed off the pool deck. “I did as you asked and roped off the area. No one’s been there since last night.”

  “Good.”

  From her expression, Julie didn’t relish the idea of returning to the crime scene. She walked outside, staying close to the sheriff. “What do you hope to find?”

  “I’ll dust the Porta Potti for fingerprints.”

  “Every construction worker on this site has likely been in there,” Cam muttered.

  “I’ll look for footprints, or anything the attacker might have dropped.”

  Cam suspected nothing would prove conclusive. Julie’s attacker could have dropped his driver’s license on the spot where she fell and claimed he did so during the workday.


  Alexa walked next to Cameron, but she kept her distance so that her hand couldn’t possibly brush his. She looked so poised and put together this morning, acting as if their kiss had never happened. If only he could forget it.

  Outside, the house hummed with construction activity. The hot-tub decking was finished and water trickled into it from a hose that must have been run from the main line. The sheriff took Julie’s elbow and Cam reached over to guide Alexa around a mud puddle. Beneath his fingers, her muscles tensed, but she didn’t pull away.

  They rounded the corner, walking around an assortment of construction vehicles and supplies, and almost rammed into the sheriff and Julie, who’d halted at the sight of a forklift operator lowering a dripping-wet Porta Potti back to the ground.

  The forklift operator saw them, shut off the engine and jumped down. “She’s all pumped out and good as new. I hosed her down, too.”

  The sheriff frowned. “Didn’t you see the rope around it?”

  “Sure did.” The forklift operator scratched his head. “I figured it was full and needed pumping, but she’s ready to go now.”

  “You figured that out—all by yourself?” the sheriff asked, his voice tinged with disgust.

  The worker’s face lit in a proud smile. “Yes, sir.”

  Stunned, Cam resorted to muttering. “Amazing. Simply amazing. The one man on the construction site who is efficient, who needn’t be told what to do, just destroyed any evidence the sheriff might have found.”

  Alexa patted Cam’s arm. “It’s unlikely the sheriff would have found anything.”

  “What about fingerprints inside?” Julie asked, looking unhappy that there would be no clues to solving her attacker’s identity.

  The operator’s face fell as he realized he’d made a mistake. “I used cleaning chemicals on the inside, too, Doc.” He turned to the sheriff. “I’m sorry.”

  Not as sorry as Cameron. Damn. He’d been hoping for the impossible—a nice easy solution to the questions that nagged him. He wanted to believe that the incident with the bull had simply been a careless ranch hand forgetting to bar the paddock. He wanted a reliable ranch hand to come forward and admit that he’d accidently bumped into Julie in the dark, that her scream had scared the man into running away.