by Tina Leonard
He was dynamite in bed, and she’d fibbed like mad, telling him he wasn’t sexy in his costume. Protecting herself, putting up barriers that, thankfully, she’d let down just in time. Her body sang with delirious joy at the amazing things he’d done to her.
The thought of Ty leaving for BUD/S was terrifying in a way—but she’d sold him the notion that they would go their separate ways, no strings attached.
“And I’m sticking to that story, because it’s the only one I’ve got.” Jade slipped out the back so no one would notice where she’d been for the hour she’d been gone. The haunting was still in full swing, though the kiddies were looking a trifle spent. Parents began strolling with their tired children toward the massive parking lot manned by BC volunteers. She returned to the ice-cream stand, picking up her duties smoothly from Frog, who’d been doing a creditable job of twirling cotton candy. “Thanks for working my shift. Head off and have some fun, Frog.”
He grinned at her. “I saw Ty go by a while ago, and he’s missing half his mustache again. It’s about time someone gave that cocky dude something to do with his mouth besides run it.”
“I can’t imagine what you mean.” Jade handed a couple of mugs of hot cocoa to a young couple who looked exhausted by their small fry’s evening out. But they smiled at her as they left, mentioning how much fun they’d had at the haunted house, and a funny arrow of longing hit Jade as she watched them walk away, pushing their stroller, enjoying their cocoa and the togetherness with their family.
She was never going to have that. To have a family she would need a man, and the only man she’d ever loved was Zorro, er, Ty Spurlock. All that business about them going their separate ways was just big talk to get him loosened up enough to say yes to her seduction of him.
“Well, I suppose I’ll go see if I can hunt up a pair of lips to snack on. All this sweet stuff has made me hungry,” Frog said, winking. “Your smile is a little crooked, Raggedy Ann, but I guess that won’t come as a surprise, since you disappeared into the bunkhouse with Ty.”
“Mind your own business, Frog.” She tried to scowl at him, but he was so pleased that he thought he’d guessed her secret. She was too happy to frown, anyway; her heart was singing one minute, diving into uncertainty the next.
Frog ambled off, and her mother leaned over and whispered, “Daisy knows you and Ty disappeared together somewhere. She hung out here for a good half hour to see when you’d return.”
“For all she knows, I was on parking-lot duty.” Jade didn’t care what the woman thought—Ty was never going to be Daisy’s. Jade had caught him first, and she was going to keep him for the few days he had left in BC. Daisy could go jump in the creek.
“I tried to tell her you were helping with other stands,” Betty said, “but she seems to have radar where Ty is concerned.”
“Tough.” Smiling, Jade helped her mother close down the stand, packing away the food and the condiments and serving utensils to take back to the ice-cream shop in town.
All was going well until an ostentatiously large Hummer limo pulled into the Haunted H grounds. Robert Donovan got out, and the limo slipped off, leaving him surveying the running tots and happy visitors with a frown. Standing about six-four, Robert was a man who struck fear into the hearts of many. He had black hair threaded with gray, massive shoulders, and boots that seemed too large to be real.
“Don’t look now, but the destroyer of light and happiness has arrived,” Jade told her mother.
There were still about two hundred guests at the park, lingering because of the romantic stars and pretty strung lights, and probably because they were having a grand time at a fun family event that had been closed for years.
“He’s only here to make trouble,” Betty said. “You can count on that.”
“I suppose I’ll take him a cup of hot cocoa, since we haven’t emptied the pot out yet. Maybe the sweetness will keep him from his mission of mischief.” It was the only possibly reason he could be here. The man had done everything he could to block the Haunted H from reopening, and so had his daughter. Which was kind of strange, since Daisy had been working the carnival tonight. Jade frowned as she walked toward Robert with the cocoa.
She was beaten to him by Suz Hawthorne. “Come to spoil our success, Robert?” Suz demanded. Her petite frame was a good foot and some shorter than the man she’d accosted. But Suz was fearless. Jade hurried to her friend’s side.
“What success?” Robert looked at both women, his eyes eagle-stern, his hawklike nose somehow expressing his disdain. “This isn’t a success. There are so many code violations here the Haunted Heap won’t be open long.” He smirked. “Be a good girl and go get your big sister. I have something I want to tell Mackenzie.”
Suz drew herself up. “My sister and I are partners and co-owners. You can say whatever needs to be said to me, or not say it at all.”
“My words can come just as easily in the form of a legal complaint.”
Suz shrugged. “It’s your money. I’m not interrupting Mackenzie’s big night just so you can spout off. You can see we’re a huge success and you’re just ticked as ticked can be.”
Ty’s hand suddenly braced Jade at her back, his other hand supporting Suz at her shoulders. “You bugging my best girls, Donovan?”
Robert frowned. “What the hell business is it of yours?”
“Just as much as it is yours. As far as I can see, unless you’ve bought a ticket, you’re trespassing.” Ty jerked his head toward the Hummer limo idling a discreet distance away in the outbound lane. “Overcompensate much?”
Robert’s eyes flamed. A slight gasp escaped Jade, and Ty’s hand moved from her back to her shoulder, supporting her as he was Suz.
“You tell your sister,” Robert said to Suz, “that this dump is closed. There’ll be no more of this once I file a cease-and-desist motion. According to the petition drive, a great many BC residents don’t want this grubby little flea market bringing crime and vagrants to our quiet town, and I believe the law will be on my side.” He looked triumphant.
“The only people who signed that petition against us were people you threatened with some kind of financial wipeout. Like Mssr. Unmatchmaker,” Jade said. “Anyway, most all of BC is here. Including your daughter.”
Robert frowned, his massive forehead looking as if divots had suddenly been furrowed in the granite. He opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden scream from someone in the crowd cut him off.
“Call an ambulance!” a voice cried.
“Is there a doctor here?” someone else yelled.
Suz, Jade and Ty ran toward the people surrounding Betty’s ice-cream stand. The older woman looked terrified.
“He was fine a minute ago!” Betty exclaimed, pointing to a man lying on the ground. “He bought cocoa!”
Jade looked at the cocoa in her hands, which she’d never given Robert, and glanced down at the prone figure. People were bent over him, trying to give him assistance and checking his pulse.
“He’s dead,” Sheriff Dennis said, kneeling at the man’s side.
“It was the cocoa!” someone in the crowd whispered.
They all gazed at the ice-cream-and-sweets stand, and at Betty, who appeared confused and frightened.
“It was not the cocoa,” Jade called loudly, raising the cup. “This is cocoa I poured myself from right here, at our family’s stand. Our own home recipe, I might add. I was taking Mr. Donovan a cup,” she said, glancing at Robert. “There’s nothing wrong with the cocoa.”
People gazed at her, suspicious and nervous that they might have consumed something poisonous from the little stand. Jade raised the cup again, and with about a hundred pairs of eyes on her, drank every bit of it.
Silence fell, eerie compared to the laughter and joy that had marked the evening all night long. Even the children were still and silent, c
onfused by what was happening.
“It’s clear to see,” Robert Donovan began, “that this repeat performance, just like so many years ago—”
“Oh, for crying out loud, Donovan.” Sheriff Dennis rose from his abandoned attempts at CPR. He placed his jacket over the victim’s face out of respect. “Don’t start that crap, with this poor soul not gone from this life a full five minutes.” He barked at his deputy to get the coroner on the double.
People still eyed Jade, convinced that any second she’d fall to the ground dead.
Then, to her everlasting thankfulness, Ty’s voice split the tension. “Betty, pour me a big-ass mug of that cocoa, would you?”
Gratitude hit Jade square in her heart. She watched her mother’s hands shake as she poured and handed a cup to Ty. He raised it to Robert. “Bottoms up,” he said, and finished it off, smacking his lips. “Best cocoa I ever had, just the way it’s always been, Mrs. Harper. Ever since I was a boy, I looked forward to coming home on cold days to your house. I always knew there’d be a pot of hot cocoa and chocolate-chip cookies waiting in your kitchen. Did I ever thank you for that?”
Betty finally smiled, timidly but thankfully. Jade felt something bloom inside her, something that had been there a long time as just a tiny seed, but now blossomed into feelings much more deep. She smiled at Ty, who winked at her.
He turned to the sheriff. “Why don’t you get Donovan to donate his vehicle for a couple of hours to haul this unfortunate soul over to the medical examiner’s place?”
“I’ll do no such thing!” Robert looked as if he might strip a gear, relaxing only a little when he saw his daughter, Daisy, standing at the edge of the crowd. “Honey, you need to come away from this place. It’s dangerous.”
“Nobody’s going anywhere,” Sheriff Dennis said. “My deputies will see to that. Until the M.E. arrives and gives us a preliminary guess as to how this individual died, everybody’s staying right here. My deputies will see that you’re comfortable as can be. Bridesmaids Creek is known for its hospitality. I’d say the appropriate medical personnel will be here any second, so relax, folks.”
Betty began unpacking her stand, setting everything back up so that people could have something to eat and to feed their kids.
“I’d better help Mom.” Jade looked up at Ty. “Thanks for everything.”
He smiled at her. “I wouldn’t miss tweaking Robert Donovan for the world. You know that.”
“I heard that.” Daisy frowned, suddenly appearing at his side. “You’re just under Jade’s spell, Ty Spurlock. My dad’s trying to help BC, while the Harpers and the Hawthornes are trying to destroy it.”
“You didn’t look like anybody was hurting you tonight, Daisy,” Jade said. “Who gave you the assignment of painting faces, anyway?”
“No one.” Daisy sniffed. “I just wanted to participate.”
“Why? You’re too much like your father to want us to succeed. Was the goal to frighten off our customers?” Jade was too mad to be polite.
“We don’t have to frighten off your customers. You do such a good job of killing them off.” Daisy huffed, then went to stand beside her father.
“Pay no attention to her.” Ty put his arm around Jade. “Let’s figure out a way to keep these folks occupied with happy thoughts.”
Jade went with Ty as he rounded up the guys, determined to put the best face possible on the Haunted H. But even she knew that after what had just happened, it would be almost impossible to dispel the rumor that something was very, very wrong in Bridesmaids Creek.
Chapter Six
Ty walked across to the bunkhouse, dead tired and ready to tuck in for the night. After the events of the evening, he couldn’t help worrying that he was leaving his little town when it needed him most. The Donovans were definitely up to no good, and they had a pretty firm grip on BC. Jade and Suz and Mackenzie were tough, ready to face up to the Donovans, and they had a lot of community support. But there were still people who would fall in with the Donovans simply because money bought power—and silence.
Jade walked inside the bunkhouse behind him, following him to his room. “Thanks for sticking up for Mom. And our business.”
He hadn’t done much. Ty looked at Jade, tossed his hat on the dresser, tugged off his belt. “I didn’t do anything anybody else wouldn’t have done.”
“You kept the Donovans from completely decimating our business.”
“Maybe. For tonight.” He shook his head. “I’ve got a bad feeling the haunted house may be damaged for good. All that hard work the Hawthornes, you and your family, the town and my guys put in trying to build BC into something better.” Fury boiled inside him. “The Donovans just don’t give up.”
She walked over to him, caressed his cheek. “Ty, there’s only so much you can do. We’ll be fine here in BC.”
He wished he knew that was true. Jade stood too close, clouding his senses. Ty relaxed into her palm, allowing himself to take the comfort she offered. He was angry for her sake, too. He’d seen the distress on Betty’s face—and there was Jade, immediately stepping up to defend her mother. These two women gave constantly of themselves to BC—but they were like tiny acorns standing up to a giant, mighty oak for space. Robert Donovan was too ruthless, and the Harpers very fragile and defenseless.
Ty stepped away from Jade. “The sheriff said it appears the visitor died of a plain old garden-variety heart attack. So this time we have a conclusive cause of death, unlike the first time.” The first death would never be solved, and people had long memories. He supposed that was why he felt so strongly about doing what he could to raise BC from the ground, because he knew what Donovan had done to his adopted father with rumors and scandalmongering.
And now it might be happening again. “I’m running out of ideas to stop Donovan.”
Jade plopped down on his bed. “Look. You’ve got to think about packing that locker over there,” she said, pointing to where he’d been gathering up everything he needed for training. “You need to think only of your future, and getting into the SEALs. We’re going to be fine here, Ty. I promise. We’re a pretty resilient group. You know that.”
“Yeah.” He took a long look at Jade, tried not stare at her face, drink her in. She was so optimistic, so spunky. He’d hate to see all that ironed out of her by Donovan. It had happened to his father. Gradually, even resilience could be worn down by continued pounding, like rock worn away by the relentless sea.
Then again, Ty had his own team in place. The thought wasn’t exactly heartening, but it was something. “Where are the three musketeers?”
Jade smiled at him, melting his heart. “They’re about to rumble with Daisy’s gang. I think Frog said they were going to duel—”
“What?” Ty stared at Jade. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He crammed his hat back on, grabbed his belt, thrusting it though his belt loops as he hurried to the front door.
She followed him. “I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d do this.”
“Do what?” He peered out the window, seeing that the last people had packed up their stands and deserted the Haunted H for the night. Hardly anybody was left on the ranch, and a full moon shone overhead—a perfect night for a full-on squabble between rival factions. “What am I doing?”
“Rushing off to play peacemaker.” Jade dragged him from the window. “They’re big boys. They can handle themselves. That’s why you brought them here, right? To handle things?”
“I’m not sure why I brought them here anymore.” Ty realized Jade was bent on keeping him away from the fight. “What’s really going on?”
“What do you mean?”
She gave him such an innocent look that Ty belatedly realized she’d been sent to waylay him with a little faux seduction. He grinned. She was so charming and darling, thinking she had him right where she wanted him.
Well, if she was going to go to the trouble to seduce him, he might as well show up for her efforts. He pulled her into his arms. “It doesn’t matter what the tres knuckleheads are up to. I’d rather find out what you’re up to.” He kissed her, taking his time with her mouth, enjoying sinking into her soft lips over and over.
The best part was how hungrily Jade kissed him back. Ty’s head swam, and momentarily he lost his place in his own plan. “Hey,” he said, pulling back to gaze into her eyes.
“Yes?” Those eyes had nothing but sweet shyness in them, and Ty wanted to surrender completely to her.
“You’re supposed to be keeping me busy.”
“I’m doing my best, cowboy.”
That she was. All kinds of attraction was steamrolling him. It was killing him not to let his desire for Jade completely entice him into her scheme.
Her hands roamed across his back, and Ty’s heart rate kicked into high gear. Whatever she was hiding, it was something she wanted to keep hidden for sure. She kissed along his jaw, made her way back to his mouth. Ty closed his eyes, hoped he wouldn’t black out from denying himself the pleasure of Jade’s temptress act.
“Okay, little lady.” He set her away from him. “I’m giving you an A for effort. I’m not the kind of schmo who falls for a few kisses.” He pushed his shirt back into his jeans, since it had worked loose thanks to Jade’s clever little hands.
“Yes, you are. You’re exactly the kind who falls for a few kisses.”
This was dangerous ground. “Yeah, well, not anymore. Take me to this rumble you’re trying to keep me from.”
“No.”
“I’ll find it myself.”
She blocked the door with her curvaceous body, flattened like a protective shield to keep him from leaving. “You won’t.”
