Big Sky

by Stacey Coverstone

  The wide, rocky entrance didn’t appear tall enough to walk through standing upright. It seemed more like a cavern entrance than a cave. Flanking it were two tall, straight pine trees, reminding her of soldiers guarding a palace. Though she thought she’d been all over the ranch as a girl, she was sure she’d never seen this cave before. Making a mental note to ask Mama or Will about it, she snapped a few pictures of the piece with her digital camera and then put it with the rest of the work. Then she closed the door behind her and went in search of Sage.

  “I’ll keep you and your family aware of the plans as we move forward,” she promised, taking down Taylor’s cell phone number. “We’ll make sure you all receive an invitation to the opening reception.”

  As Taylor left the gallery, she doubted she’d still be here for the opening. That was two weeks away. She hoped to be able to give her mother some closure regarding Jamie’s murder before then and head back home—to work and her life.

  With her stomach growling, she decided to stop at the diner and grab some breakfast. Maybe she’d see someone she knew and could ask around about Adam Echo Hawk. Deep in her soul she knew he was the key to learning the truth about Jamie’s death. She had to find him.

  As was the norm in a small-town café, all heads turned when she walked through the door and a bell tinkled over her head. Taylor searched the front counter for an empty seat. When a pair of sparkling blue eyes under a cowboy hat met her gaze, she thought her legs might give out under her. She hadn’t noticed a beat-up blue pickup truck parked outside.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  After a moment’s hesitation, Brett waved, motioning for her to join him.

  “Want some coffee?” the waitress, who looked vaguely familiar, asked Taylor after she’d dropped onto the stool next to Brett.

  “Yes, please. And some whole wheat toast.”

  The waitress stuck a pencil behind her ear. “Coming right up.”

  Brett took a swallow of his coffee and smiled, sending Taylor’s heart pattering. “Fancy meeting you here,” he drawled. “I thought you’d promised to have breakfast with your mother.”

  Caught in her lie, Taylor sidestepped the comment. “I’d forgotten I needed to see the owner of the art gallery first thing. She’s going to go ahead with Jamie’s exhibit, two weeks from now.”

  “Mmmm. That’s great.” Brett eyed the mug of coffee and plate of toast the waitress set in front of Taylor. “Is that all you’re having?”

  “I’m not much of a breakfast person.” She blew on the hot coffee and sipped, savoring the smell of chicory.

  “It’s not quite espresso, is it?” Brett said, watching her closely.

  “No, but it’ll do in a pinch.”

  He nodded and went back to the eggs and sausage that were on his plate.

  Why had she sat here? He had to be upset with her for running out on him, but was too much of a good guy to humiliate her in public by being rude. This was one of the most uncomfortable moments of her life.

  “What do you plan to do about the rental car?” he asked after chewing.

  She told him she’d worked out the details before leaving the house. Swallowing past a tight throat, she took a bite of toast. They were making small talk as if they were acquaintances that had breakfast together often—not two people who’d slow danced and made heart-pounding love last night.

  Brett leaned over and she felt his warm breath on her face when he quietly said, “I took the sack to Rick this morning. He’s going to see if he can lift any fingerprints off it.”

  “Oh. Thanks.” If the sheriff could get any fingerprints, she prayed Charlie Keller’s weren’t on there. Or Will’s. Brett asked the waitress for another cup of coffee. Taylor glanced at his profile and felt the strongest desire to tell him about Mama’s suspicions about Will, as well as her own. Brett had become a friend and confidant. But had she ruined that friendship when she walked away without an explanation this morning?

  “Rick Tavares told me he asked you out.” Brett swung on the stool to face her, and his gaze held her in an iron grip.

  She answered through a tight throat. “He did, but I turned him down.”

  “Why?”

  “Why did I turn him down?”

  “Yes.”

  Feeling flustered about the way Brett made her flustered, she stammered, “Because he’s…he’s not my type.”

  “And what is your type?”

  She heard the person behind her chuckle, obviously eavesdropping. “This isn’t the time or place for this conversation,” she said.

  Brett’s gaze searched her face for a long moment. “You’re right. Sorry.” Then he swung back to the counter and wrapped his hands around his coffee cup.

  She pushed the plate of half-eaten toast away. Her appetite was gone. “Can we talk outside?” she whispered, aware of other customers watching them.

  “Sure. I’m done anyway.” He pushed back his plate and the waitress set both Brett’s and Taylor’s bills on the counter. She reached for hers. “I’ve got them,” he said, laying enough cash on the counter to pay for both breakfasts and a tip.

  “I appreciate it, honey,” the waitress told Brett. “See you next time.”

  Once they stepped outside, Taylor opened her mouth to apologize for leaving in such a hurry this morning, but Brett cut her off, speaking first and completely switching subjects.

  “I may have some good news for you. I’ve been asking around about Adam Echo Hawk. A few people know him, but they haven’t seen him around in a couple of months. One guy inside the diner, another Crow, told me he’d spread the word that you’re looking for Adam. If Echo Hawk is innocent of any wrongdoing, hopefully he’ll come out of hiding and try to contact you.”

  Flabbergasted that Brett would still try to help her find Jamie’s killer after what she’d done this morning, she stood dumbfounded. Then she threw her arms around his chest and felt comfort in hearing the beating of his heart against her ear. When she realized his arms were not tightening around her, she backed away, feeling embarrassed.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. Have a nice day.” As he started to walk away, Taylor grabbed for his arm.

  “Wait. Don’t go yet. Can I explain why I left so quickly this morning?”

  Several people exited the diner and nodded greetings at them. He put his hand on her back and walked her to where his truck was parked so they’d have privacy. Maintaining a calm, almost Zen-like composure, he said, “There’s no need to explain, Taylor. I’m falling in love and that scares the hell out of you. You can make love to me, but you don’t want to be in love with me. I’m not interested in a one-night stand. I never have been that kind of man.”

  “But—”

  He placed his finger to her lips to shush her. “I know it happened fast. It’s the last thing I expected. But I’m speaking the God’s truth when I tell you you’ve done something to me. I can’t stop thinking about you. I want to spend every moment gazing into your eyes and touching your skin. As ridiculous as it might sound to you, I’ve been dreaming of making a life together. But I can’t make you love me. And it’s not my style to try if your heart’s not in it. That’s the good ol’ boy in me again. If we’re not meant to be, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll go on with your life and I’ll go on with mine. End of story.”

  Taylor closed her mouth, realizing her jaw had slackened. She’s the one who’d been worrying about breaking his heart when she left for L.A. After that speech, it felt like hers was cracking in two.

  “So, that’s it?” she asked, fisting her hands on her hips. “We’re over just like that, because you say so?”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders.

  Suddenly, she felt hurt mix with annoyance. “You’re giving up on us because you don’t want to ruffle any feathers?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You let your ex-wife walk out of your life and take your daughter with her because you were a good ol’ boy.”
She emphasized those last words again. “Now you’re willing to let me go. When are you going to stand up for what you want and fight for it?”

  His face twisted like she’d struck a nerve. “Would you consider moving back to Montana?” he questioned, stunning her.

  “Well…no. I can’t. I live in California. That’s where my career is. I own a condo there.”

  “Condos can be sold. Can’t you take pictures anywhere?” he challenged.

  “Certain kinds of pictures, I suppose. But I’m a celebrity photographer. I’m not ever going back to photographing weddings in little towns like Prosperity.” Her chin jutted out in defiance. “Would you move to Los Angeles?”

  “No. I’m not a city person.”

  “Okay then.”

  “Besides, ranching is in my blood. It’s all I know.”

  “There are horses and ranches in the counties outside of L.A.”

  “I like Montana and the clean air. L.A. has pollution, earthquakes, mud slides and—”

  “Okay, okay,” Taylor interjected. “I get it.”

  She stepped back and took a couple of deep, cleansing breaths. Why was she arguing with him, and urging him to fight for what he wanted? Why were they quarreling over who should move where? It was crazy! They’d only just met three days ago. He couldn’t possibly be thinking of spending his life with her. And she certainly wasn’t staying in Montana. As for falling in love again…there was no room in her life for love. There wasn’t even room for a long-term fling, especially with him. He was a good man. She didn’t want to hurt him.

  On the verge of tears, and not understanding where all this emotion was coming from, Taylor’s voice hitched when she said, “I didn’t step out here to fuss with you. I just wanted to apologize for leaving so fast this morning.”

  His head bent and the brim of his hat shaded his eyes. He stood still as stone. When he lifted his face again, he exhaled and patted her arm. “Apology accepted.” Then he turned and strode quickly to his truck, jumped in and peeled away.

  She stomped her foot on the sidewalk. “That man is driving me insane.”

  “What man?”

  She pivoted and came face to face with Rick Tavares. His gaze followed the trail of Brett’s pickup as it rattled down the street. “Lover’s quarrel?” he asked with a grin.

  With her last nerve stretched to the limit, she said, “Why did you tell him you’d asked me on a date?”

  “It came up.”

  “That sort of thing doesn’t just come up, Sheriff.”

  “Remember, it’s Rick. Why is it so hard for you to call me by my first name?” Without waiting for an answer, he asked, “Are you feeling better after your mishap last night?”

  “I’m fine, thank you.” Recalling how he’d flirted with her with Brett sitting in the back seat of his car, she suspected he enjoyed that kind of cat and mouse game. “Why did you ask me out, anyway? You knew I was just passing through town. What would be the point of getting to know me when I was going back to California soon?”

  “To be honest, I wanted to see if you were anything like your sister.”

  “My sister? What’s that mean?”

  “She and I had a date once. I thought it would be fun to compare the two of you.”

  Although she shouldn’t have been surprised, Taylor was. But that surprise swiftly turned to irritation. “You mean you slept with my sister. Right, Sheriff? I doubt there was much wining and dining.”

  “Well, if you want to get technical about it…” His words drifted away and he smiled smugly.

  Taylor had the urge to slap him, but she didn’t want to land in jail. In her opinion, he was just another pig who had used Jamie. “Was there a second date?” she asked, restraining her temper that threatened to blow like a stick of dynamite.

  “No, unfortunately there was not. She met that Indian and didn’t want anything else to do with me.” When Rick slid a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket and lit one up, Taylor’s insides began to agitate.

  “You mean Adam Echo Hawk?”

  “Of course. Who else would I mean?”

  She watched him take a couple of drags on the cigarette. It seemed his actions were moving in slow motion as a light bulb went off in her head. “Did it make you angry that she dumped you for Adam?”

  Rick’s eyes narrowed and then he laughed. “You’re getting to be quite the detective, from what I hear around town. To answer your question, no, I wasn’t angry. Like I said, it was only one date. And I have no problem meeting women.”

  “I’m sure you don’t.” Taylor turned to leave when he stopped her.

  “Tell your boyfriend we tried to lift prints from the bag that he brought in, but we got nothing. Sorry.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend, but I’ll tell him if I see him. Good day, Sheriff.” She hurried to Mama’s car. With a glance over her shoulder, she wondered if Rick Tavares should be added to her list of suspects. He’d behaved less than professional the times she’d interacted with him. He was a smoker and had freely admitted Jamie had dropped him for Adam. She sensed a volcanic temper under his cool interior. If only she could talk to Brett about this new revelation. But she doubted he wanted to see her again.

  With hours between now and when the new rental car was to be delivered to the service station, she decided to drive back to the ranch and spend some time with her mother. There hadn’t been much time for catching up. There had been a whirlwind of activity ever since she’d arrived.

  When she stepped into the kitchen, the first person she saw was Will. Mama didn’t appear to be around. What better time would there be to talk to him than now, when they were alone? Already on edge and feeling a headache forming, Taylor confronted him and went straight to the point.

  “Will, I need to talk to you about Mama.”

  “Sure, honey.” He was buttering a bagel that had popped out of the toaster. “What’s on your mind?”

  She blurted, “Are you having an affair with Mama’s nurse? Or some other woman?” With her arms crossed over her chest and her teeth grinding together, she felt like a bulldog ready to snap if provoked. Will dropped the knife he was using to butter the bagel with. It made a loud clang on the granite counter.

  “An affair? Taylor, you know me better than that.”

  “Do I? Maybe you’re not the man I think you are.”

  His brows drew together. “What does that mean?”

  “Just answer my question, Will. Are you having an affair with Chelsea Hamilton?”

  He did not skip a beat in answering. “No. Nor am I fooling around with any other woman. I love your mother with all my heart, Taylor. I’ve never once cheated on her in our entire marriage, which is more than I can say about that tomcat daddy of yours.”

  Her stomach twisted like a fork had been stuck in her gut. Was Will insinuating Daddy had been unfaithful to Mama?

  “Dammit.” He pounded the granite with his fist. “I’m sorry to have blurted it out that way.” He wrenched his lips into a grimace. “I swore I’d never let you girls know about your father’s indiscretions. Your mama made me promise never to tell a soul. I sincerely apologize, honey. It just slipped out.”

  It wasn’t altogether a shock, considering how her parents had fought so much through their marriage. Still, her daddy had been everything to her—bigger than life. He’d been nearly perfect in her eyes. This would take a moment to digest.

  Will stepped in closer. “What’s this about? Where did you get the foolhardy notion that I’m messing around with another woman?”

  “It’s what Mama believes,” she said, still reeling from the news of her father. “She says she saw you and Chelsea whispering together. There are other things, like you going out all the time and not telling her where you’ve been.”

  Will sighed. “Here’s what happened. Nancy did see Chelsea and me whispering. She had gone into the powder room. I pulled Chelsea aside to ask her if she’d caught Nancy drinking, and I hadn’t wanted your mother to overhear.
Nancy burst out of the powder room, saw us huddled together and got the wrong impression. She stormed away, hobbling and whacking at the walls with that cane of hers. Next thing I know she’d gone and fired Chelsea before I could straighten out everything.”

  Taylor rolled her eyes. “If this is the truth, why haven’t you straightened things out yet?”

  “Your mother won’t speak to me or let me in her room.”

  Letting out an exasperated sigh of relief, Taylor said, “Why didn’t you ask me for help? I could have talked to her and explained.”

  “I didn’t want to burden you with our troubles. Your mama and I hit a rough patch right after Jamie died. As you know, that’s when she started drinking and then she nearly killed herself in that fall. It’s been a tough time for both of us. But we’ll survive.” He smiled a sad smile that broke Taylor’s heart. One thing continued to nag at her.

  “Tell me why the secrecy, Will. Mama thinks you’re hiding love letters. She doesn’t understand why you’ve been locking your office and the desk drawers, and neither do I.”

  Before he could answer, a cry from upstairs punctured the air and then a moan filtered down.

  “Mama!”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Make him leave!” Nancy, naked as a jaybird, cried out when Will followed Taylor into the master bathroom. She had fallen in the tub, but there wasn’t any blood floating in the water and she appeared not to have broken any bones.

  “Hush, Mama. I need his help lifting you.”

  “Okay, but then he’s out of here!”

  “All right, all right,” Will grumbled, shoving his hands under her armpits and raising her out of the water without Taylor’s assistance.

  “Wow. I didn’t know you still had that kind of strength in you,” Taylor said, impressed. She wrapped a large towel around her mother’s body and helped her to sit on the toilet seat. “Are you hurt? How did this happen?”

  “I’ve got a knot on my elbow, but I’ll survive. I had no one to help me. I tried to get out on my own.”

  Will’s face was as white as flour and creased with anxiety. “If you hadn’t fired Chelsea, you would have had help. Or you should have called for me. I would have come running.”