It's Your Love (Wyoming Kisses 2)

by Charlene Bright

  “I had a snack. It wasn’t very appetizing,” he admitted.

  She smirked. “I’ve done that. If you don’t mind me nosing around your kitchen, I can cook something for us.” Us. The word made his heart jump, and he told himself to calm down. Food for two didn’t mean anything. “I’m no chef, but I can get further than boiling water.” Was she teasing him? He wasn’t sure he dared to hope.

  But he told her, “Help yourself. I’ll come with.” He stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, and followed her to the fridge. She opened the freezer and scowled. “That’s pretty barren, Ryder.”

  “Well, I have a big freezer out in the garage. I bring things in from time to time but usually just go out and get anything I dare to try and cook. Mostly steaks.”

  She closed the door and opened the cooler, ducking her head inside. She came out with eggplant he’d forgotten he had, tomatoes, garlic, and a block of parmesan cheese. “That’s a start,” she muttered. Then, she went to the pantry and pulled out sugar, flour, dried pasta, and a bunch of spices.

  Ryder frowned. “Eggplant parmesan?” he asked. She nodded. “That’s a lot of work, and it takes forever, right?”

  “You’d be surprised how fast I can throw together dishes I eat all the time. I’ve found a few tricks to help me speed up the process.” She set everything on the counter and told him, “I need a saucepan, a boiler, a cookie sheet, and a bowl that’s microwave safe.” He raised an eyebrow but didn’t argue as he set about giving her what she asked for.

  He watched as she put the tomatoes in the bowl with a little water in the bottom and covered it loosely with plastic wrap, then put the bowl in the microwave for two minutes. “Stewed tomatoes,” she announced proudly.

  He held his hands up in surrender. “You win. Very…innovative.” He had no idea how long that would take on the stove, but he let her do her thing, sitting down at the table to watch. She was so graceful and sure in her movements that it made him think back to high school and studying Greek mythology. She was like a muse, beautiful and soft and gentle with enough power to destroy the universe if she wanted to. She’d certainly blown his to pieces.

  So this was how it would be. Amanda would ignore what had nearly happened this morning, and they’d reset the clock to before the episode. And there would be no more opportunity to think beyond friendship. It was like blowing out the flame of a candle that had started to flicker as the wick ran out. Neither of them was going to let it die on its own. They were going to cut it off right here and now.

  It was probably for the best, Ryder thought. So why did he feel like someone was slicing open his chest and squeezing his heart until it no longer beat?

  Chapter 16 - The Life of the Fire

  Ryder stood back and watched Derek Paulson as he crouched and poked at the ground with a gloved hand, shifting around ashes and dirt and leaves. The remnants of the storm had cleared, and after a week, it was business as usual. Almost.

  He’d seen Amanda for the first time in three days this morning, when she came to pick up the check so she could take it to a bank in Cheyenne and have it cashed. The money would be put directly into the Five Forks Department of Fire and Rescue account to fund the investigation of the wildfire.

  Electricity had come back to Five Forks three days ago, and Ryder had reluctantly returned Amanda to her car and the bed and breakfast. He’d had a lousy night and a worse morning until Paulson, the investigator from Cheyenne, had arrived two days ago. The check from Barrow, Marten, and Biggs found its way to his desk yesterday, and this morning, he’d come out here with Paulson to take a closer look under the tarps in Forks Forest. This could be a long and grueling process, since there were several acres to cover, but Paulson seemed to have a sense about these things and told him he could probably narrow down the origination point to a small area.

  “Have you ever seen the movie Backdraft?” Paulson asked.

  Ryder frowned. He wasn’t a big movie buff, but he vaguely remembered seeing it as a kid and being scared to death. Then again, maybe that was part of what motivated him to join the fire department in the first place. “It’s been a few years.” That was an understatement.

  Paulson picked up some ruined underbrush with a twig and held it to his nose, sniffing. “Robert DeNiro’s looking at a job—arson—and he tells whatever Baldwin brother it was that fire has a mind of its own, that it’s alive, and you can never really control it.” He gazed up at Ryder, who felt like he was talking to a maniac. “He’s right, you know.” He stood and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a Ziplock bag and dropping the piece of brush he held inside before sealing it. He stuck a red flag labeled “1” in the ground and used a black marker to write “1” on the bag.

  Then, he continued, “Did you know there are eight elements that determine if something is alive or not? And fire has seven of those eight elements. The only thing that science can’t prove is a nervous system that controls it.” He turned and took a few steps deeper into the woods. Ryder followed him carefully, not wanting to mess up any potential evidence. “Personally, I think they’re going to figure that out someday, and fire will be deemed a living organic species.”

  He bent again, picked up some sort of scrap that used to be white, and held it high in the air. He repeated the labeling process, collecting a few more samples from the spot, and Ryder watched, still silent and intrigued at how he worked. Of course, he was also a little worried that the guy would turn into some raging pyromaniac and start setting things on fire.

  “I need to take a sample of an undamaged tree,” he said suddenly.

  Ryder nodded. “Let’s go around.” He led the way out of the burned woods and stomped through the foot and a half of snow until they came to a section of trees that hadn’t been touched by the fire. He noticed that the twig, too, had become part of the evidence, and he tilted his head in curiosity as Paulson looked around.

  “How many different species of tree do you have here?”

  Ryder wasn’t sure exactly. “This particular forest is mainly birch with a couple of types of ash, a few different cottonwoods. But there are a few hackberry and oaks mixed in. Why?”

  He reached into the bag on his shoulder and pulled out the baggie with the twig. “So, this is most likely what?”

  Ryder pointed to the group of ashes to his left. “These are ashes.” He pointed ahead. “Cottonwood there. Most of the rest are birch.” Paulson said nothing but went about taking samples from a number of trees, now tying strings around them with plastic numbered tags to keep them appropriately marked.

  When he finished, he brushed his hands on his jeans and said, “We’ll test the different species for a match.” He started back out of the woods and in the direction of the truck.

  Ryder followed him, exasperated. “Did you find something important?”

  “Maybe.” He didn’t say anything else till they were back in the truck, and Ryder was ready to scream when he finally explained, “I took samples from what looked like the point of origin. Or at least, as close to it as I can get. That piece of cloth and the brush smell to me like accelerant, and considering how dry the trees seem, I doubt it would have been difficult enough to light the kindling to need lighter fluid or anything like that. I’m guessing the cloth was part of a torch that was intended to burn away with the fire. It definitely looks intentional, and I’m not finding a dead campfire anywhere.”

  Ryder didn’t know whether to cheer that he’d been right or be livid that Fillmore Investment and that snide, pimply Brandt had the nerve to do something like this. If his fire department hadn’t been so efficient and dedicated, that fire could have destroyed every ranch around Five Forks, an entire forest full of living things, and even threatened the town itself, since a few straggling trees stretched out to where the buildings began.

  “Don’t get all worked up now,” Paulson warned. “We still have a long way to go to prove anything. Forensics tests are going to take a while, especially since this isn
’t technically our jurisdiction. They’ll put it on a back burner, and I’ll have to push it through.”

  “If it helps, we’ve got a big chuck of money donated to the investigation, and I can funnel some of that over for the assistance,” Ryder offered.

  Paulson laughed. “Well, money talks, but then, you know that, and that’s the whole reason we’re looking at this, right?”

  “I’ll be sure to get the money over.” He drove into town and pulled into the fire station, showing Paulson to one of the empty offices where he could hook up and work. Then, he went to his office and frowned at an envelope on top of a new stack of mail. The return address made him see red, and he had half a mind to burn the damn thing without even opening it.

  But as he stared at it, his morbid curiosity got the best of him, and he opened it. Fillmore Investments better be offering an apology of some kind for Brandt’s behavior, if nothing else.

  A check for two hundred thousand dollars stared him in the face, and now Ryder was livid. Were they really going to try to buy off his silence? He started to tear it in half, but a note slipped out of the envelope, and he figured he should at least read it before making a foolish decision. That was a lot of money, and he could use it to help out a few folks.

  Dear Chief Sieverson,

  Enclosed find a check that will assist your ranchers in repairing their land and properties after suffering damage from the wildfire, which we were so sorry to hear occurred recently. These funds come without expectations or obligation, as an offering of kindness and understanding that you and your fellow citizens of Five Forks find certain sentimental value in your homes.

  We at Fillmore Investments still hope to obtain the land, of course, as it would be a lucrative venture for all parties involved. In the meantime, however, please accept this gift and our best wishes for all of your friends, family, and community, as well as yourself.

  Sincerely,

  Richard Fillmore, CEO

  Ryder laughed. If this was meant to placate him and stop the arson investigation, Fillmore was going to get a rude awakening. He would hold on to the check because it would be a small deposit on the settlement these jackasses would want to offer once he had proof they’d set that fire. But he wasn’t going to cash it. And he certainly wasn’t going to call Paulson and his dogs off the scent.

  Unable to help himself, he dialed Amanda’s number. She might find her client’s actions a bit suspicious and certainly laughable, and since a few chuckles were about all they would ever share, Ryder tried to jump on every opportunity to make her laugh. But she didn’t answer. Either she was driving and didn’t have a hands-free device or she was with a banker. He’d have to tell her in person. That was better anyway. He’d get to see her smile.

  The fact that he would think about something like that bothered Ryder immensely. He knew he was hung up on her, in a way that he’d never intended to get hung up on any woman. And it was starting to eat away at him. If he let himself, he could fall in love with her, and he knew it was essential to avoid that. He told himself that she was right—love was overrated and always ended in tragedy.

  Deep down, though, he questioned the idea of spending the rest of his life alone. He’d never really pictured himself with a family, but it would be nice to have someone he cared about share a home with him. And if kids came along, he’d figure out how to be a father like every other man who was thrown into that situation. No one was born with experience raising children, and the vast majority of them turned out to be valuable members of society.

  He scrubbed a hand down his face. This train of thought was getting him nowhere. Every time he imagined it, Amanda was the mother of his kids, and since that was never going to happen, he needed to erase the pictures forming in his mind. His stomach growled, and he realized it was past lunchtime. He’d collect Sully and take him to lunch. Conversation with someone who wasn’t involved with the investigation and hadn’t spent any time with Amanda would help clear his head.

  At least, he hoped so. Otherwise, he was screwed for life.

  Chapter 17 - Hot on the Trail

  Amanda actually felt relieved as she passed the “Welcome to Five Forks” sign. Cheyenne was a big city, but it wasn’t like Richmond, and she didn’t like driving in it. She felt more comfortable here, in a small town, than she had been in the closest thing to an urban area for hundreds of miles. It was almost amusing, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to laugh.

  Her stomach was growling, and it was past the lunch Fanny served at the bed and breakfast, so she stopped at the diner. There were a couple of other places to eat in town, she’d discovered, but one was a fancy Italian restaurant, and the others didn’t have a huge selection. Burgers or sandwiches. With the frigid air outside still biting at her, she wanted something hot in her stomach, and a sandwich wasn’t going to cut it.

  She stepped inside and waved at Marla, the young waitress she’d grown to like. She started to find a seat, but as she glanced around, her eyes stopped on the booth in the corner toward the front of the diner. Ryder sat across from the young man she’d first spoken to at the fire station, picking at his plate and looking miserable. She wondered why the long face and hoped that he hadn’t gotten bad news of some kind. He’d been excited this morning about finally getting to start working with the investigator from Cheyenne. Had that been postponed again?

  She decided to walk over and say hi, see if she could figure out what was going on. She stepped up next to the table, and the young man grinned at her. For some reason, Ryder didn’t even look up. “Good afternoon,” she said.

  At her words, his eyes shot up to her face, and the light playing in his eyes astounded her. Amanda forced herself to keep breathing, his gaze piercing right through her. The sad puppy look was gone, replaced with something that looked a lot more like joy. She couldn’t be the reason for his mood swings. Could she?

  “Amanda.” He smiled and glanced at the young man. “I think you’ve met Sully before.”

  She held out her hand, and Sully took it. “Briefly. It’s nice to make it official, Sully.”

  He nodded. “Likewise.”

  She turned back to Ryder, still curious. “I’m sorry I missed your call earlier. I don’t want to interrupt your meal, but if you want, I can stop by your office to discuss things after lunch.”

  Sully shook his head and scooted over. “I don’t mind. We’re just shooting the bull over here, pardon my language. You care if she sits with us, Chief?”

  Amanda almost frowned at how enthusiastically he nodded. “Come on, have a seat. You won’t believe what I got in the mail today.”

  That was an interesting start to a conversation. Amanda hesitated, feeling a bit awkward at joining the boys’ lunch, but she slipped into the booth beside Sully and put her briefcase on the floor beside her so it wouldn’t make for a tight fit in the seat. “And what would that be?” she asked, curious now that she’d taken the invitation.

  He told her about the check and showed her the note, which he’d put in his pocket. She read it and laughed. “I admit, when I talked to Mr. Brandt, I told him they needed to do something as a sign of good faith. I suggested paying out the amount of the claims from the fire. I didn’t think he’d get it done, and I certainly didn’t expect him to send a check that size.”

  “It must be your charm and charisma,” he teased.

  She made a face at him, but he just smiled back and winked at her. Amanda blushed, wishing this was more than just friendly banter and then angry at herself for it. Dreaming of an alternate universe in which she would truly be happy with a man like Ryder in a place like Five Forks was driving her mad, and she had to stop the progression of her thoughts. She’d already gone from fantasizing about a night of glorious sex to the possibility of falling in love and building something more permanent together. That was already past the point of no return, and she had to backtrack before she went so far she couldn’t find her way back to the crossroads where she’d strayed.


  “I’m not sure about that. So, what are you going to do?” she asked, turning the conversation back to a topic of mutual interest that didn’t involve personal desires.

  Ryder glanced at Sully, and Amanda backed down. She hadn’t thought about the fact that he might not want to discuss the investigation with anyone else. Such was the hazard of stepping into a lunch already in progress, especially when you were so highly focused on one individual you forgot the other existed.

  But he seemed to make a decision and told her, “Paulson thinks he has evidence of someone purposely setting the fire. He’s got to get forensics people to work their magic, and I promised him a paycheck to their department in exchange for speeding up the process, so hopefully, we’ll know soon.”

  Amanda didn’t like the sound of that. She didn’t know if Ryder or anyone else in this town had other enemies, but the more she thought about it, the more this whole thing smelled rotten. “If it helps, I have the funds to deposit so you can take care of the cost immediately.”

  “Well, how about that?” Sully said with a smile. “She’s got things taken care of before you can even ask. If I ever need a lawyer for anything, ma’am, I’m hiring you.”

  Amanda laughed, and Ryder gave him a scathing look. “You couldn’t afford her, pal. Besides, she’s above the kind of legal assistance the likes of you and me would need.”

  That struck Amanda hard, like a punch to the gut. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  Ryder gaped at her and must have realized how that sounded. At least it meant he hadn’t intended to offend her. “I just meant you have bigger clients with more money and larger problems.” He shook his head, blushing. “I didn’t mean to make it sound like you were snobby, even if that’s how it came out.”

  She relaxed, wishing she wasn’t so easily wounded by his words. Other people had accused her of being haughty, and she let it roll off her back. Insults never affected her. But with Ryder, each one was personal and felt like another arrow stuck in a vital organ. She was waiting for the one that would hit her in the heart, but then, that had already happened, as far as she was concerned.