Cowboy of Interest

The cowboy’s sand-colored eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “There are no murderers here,” he said. “You’ve come to the wrong place.”

Of course he would say that, she thought. He was probably a good friend of Nick’s. “Are you asking me to leave?”

He shrugged broad shoulders. “It’s not my place to ask you to go. I don’t own the ranch.” He turned on the heels of his boots and headed away from the car.

Adrienne narrowed her eyes and tried to discern which of the men in the distance was Nick. She hadn’t really gotten a good look at him the night before. She’d just had a quick vision of blue eyes and slightly shaggy dark brown hair.

It was only when she saw the man who’d come to talk to her take off on horseback and approach another man on horseback that she assumed the second man was Nick Coleman.

The two spoke for a moment and then the second man began toward her. His hat was black, his shoulders broad and he rode a huge black horse that would have characterized him as a villain in any respectable Western.

She gripped her hands tightly together in her lap as he drew close enough that she could see the faint darkness of a black eye where she had hit him the night before.

Good.

She’d managed to mark him with her rage, with her grief.

He pulled his horse to a halt right outside her window, forcing her to lean out and look up at a handsome face with cold blue eyes and a mouth set in a grim line. He was an imposing figure.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“Protecting all the other young, vulnerable women in town by keeping an eye on you,” she replied, pleased that her voice rang with steely determination.

“I did not kill your sister,” he said slowly and distinctly, as if speaking to a crazy person.

“I believe you did, and I’m here to make sure that you don’t get away with it.”

He sighed and pulled his hat off his head. His thick dark brown hair glistened in the sunshine, and he raked his hand through it as if she was a flake of dandruff he could easily dislodge with a sweep of his fingers.

“Look, I’m grieving over Wendy, too. I want her killer to be found, but I’m not him. Maybe instead of playing judge and jury, you and I need to sit down and talk and compare notes.”

He placed his hat back on his head. “If you’re looking for the truth in Wendy’s murder, then meet me at the café at noon and we can have a civilized conversation. If you’re looking for an innocent scapegoat, then you can follow me to the ends of the earth and we’ll never know who took Wendy’s life.”

A headache pounded at her temples as she considered his words. At least he’d offered to meet her in a public place where her personal safety would be ensured.

“Okay,” she finally said against her better judgment. “I’ll meet you at the café at noon.”

He nodded, flicked the reins and then took off galloping back to the pasture. She watched him go and realized she’d just agreed to meet a murderer for lunch.

Chapter 2

Nick walked into the Bitterroot Café at ten to twelve and was greeted by owner Daisy Martin, who stood behind the cash register. Normally, when he came here for lunch with fellow ranch hands, they all sat at the counter. In recent months, he had often sat in Wendy’s section, but today, he headed for one of the few empty yellow vinyl booths.

He found one toward the back and slid into the side facing the door then placed his hat next to him. He had no idea if Adrienne Bailey would show up or not, despite the fact that she’d said she’d be here.

There was no way to second-guess the actions of a crazy woman, and she’d definitely been crazy last night. He raised a hand to touch his eye, wincing not because it hurt, but because she’d managed to sucker punch him.

He had no idea if he could change Adrienne’s mind about him, if he could convince her that the real killer was still out there somewhere, for now flying under the radar. He had no idea if she’d even listen to a word he had to say.

Jenna Lankford approached his booth, wearing the yellow T-shirt that identified her as a waitress. Jenna was an attractive woman about Nick’s age, and before Wendy, she had always been one of his go-to waitresses because of her warmth and sense of humor.

“If it isn’t one of my favorite cowboys,” she said with a bright smile. She eyed him intently. “At least it’s not as bad as I imagined when I heard the news.”

“What’s not as bad?” Nick asked.

“Your face. Rumor is that you got into a bar fight last night and a woman made mincemeat of your handsome mug.”

“As you can see, the rumors are vastly exaggerated,” Nick replied with a wry grin. “She did manage to hit me once in the eye, but the damage is minimal. In fact, I’m meeting her for lunch. She’s Wendy Bailey’s sister, Adrienne.”

Jenna’s smile faltered, and her blue eyes glistened overly bright. “That poor woman. She must be in such pain. I can’t believe what happened to Wendy. She was one of the most popular waitresses here and made coming to work such fun.” She paused for a moment and then continued, “So you want something to drink while you wait for your guest?”

“I’ll take a root beer,” he replied. What he probably needed was a good stiff drink before interacting with Adrienne again. Unfortunately, the café didn’t serve booze. Besides, he needed to have his wits about him.

“Coming right up.”

He watched Jenna as she walked away from the table, her blond hair caught up in a ponytail that swung side to side with each step she took.

She was also one of the more popular waitresses for plenty of people in town, not only pretty but also friendly and open. As far as Nick knew, she didn’t date much and lived on a small ranch just outside town that had been left to her when her parents had died in a car accident a year before.

Thoughts of Jenna immediately left his mind when the front door opened and Adrienne walked in. She hesitated just inside the door, gazing around the café. Her lips pressed together tightly and her eyes narrowed when she spied him.

Even though Nick’s nerves tightened up and he knew this meeting would probably be unpleasant at best, he couldn’t help but notice that Adrienne was a very attractive woman.

Her reddish-brown hair was in a tidy knot at the nape of her neck, emphasizing her delicate features. Her blue-and-white blouse made her blue-green eyes appear bluer than they had the night before.

He rose as she reached the booth and slid into the seat across from him with an upthrust of her chin.

“Just so that you know, I’m not afraid of you, Nick Coleman,” she said firmly.

Nick lowered himself back down to sit. “There’s no reason for you to be afraid of me. We’re both on the same side.”

Once again her eyes narrowed, and he noted her thick, long eyelashes. Adrienne was definitely a looker. She picked up the menu, and he noticed that her fingers trembled, belying her announcement that she wasn’t afraid or at least nervous about being in his company.

“Why don’t we order first, and then you can tell me exactly how and why you killed my sister,” she said.

So much for being on the same side, Nick thought drily. He didn’t need to look at a menu. The food at the café hadn’t changed much in the past almost fifteen years that he’d been eating here.

Not wanting to stare at her and make her even more uncomfortable, he gazed around the café and wondered who, like Adrienne, believed he’d murdered Wendy.

Certainly, he knew he was a person of interest in the case. He and Wendy had spent far too much time together for him not to be on a list of potential suspects.

It was only when he heard Adrienne’s menu hit the table that he once again looked at her. “Ready to order?” he asked.

She gave him a curt nod, as if she begrudged him even asking her the simple question.

He motioned to Jenna, who had just finished serving another table. Jenna gazed at Adrienne and then at Nick with amusement. “She’s a little thing to have managed that colorful shiner you’re sporting.”

Adrienne’s cheeks immediately turned pink. “I’ve already apologized to him,” she said. It was obvious to Nick that she wasn’t sorry at all.

“Good, then the two of you should have a nice lunch together,” Jenna said brightly. “Now, what can I get for you?”

Adrienne ordered a house salad and iced tea, and Nick ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries. Once Jenna left to fill their orders, an uncomfortable silence settled in and grew to painful proportions.

“I didn’t kill Wendy.” Nick finally broke the tense silence.

“She talked about you in every text and phone call I received from her. You were the only man she talked about. You were her lover and something went wrong between the two of you and you killed her,” Adrienne said with finality.

Nick stared at her in disbelief. “Do you write fiction for a living?”

“Actually, I work as a publicist for authors, but that has nothing to do with what I think happened between you and Wendy.”

“You’ve definitely come up with a story that has nothing to do with reality.” Nick stopped talking as Jenna returned with their food.

After Jenna left the booth once again, he continued, “Let me tell you my story, the reality of my relationship with Wendy.”

Adrienne jabbed at a piece of carrot, and the force she used made Nick wonder if she were imagining stabbing the fork in his already wounded eye. It didn’t matter. Nick intended to tell the truth, and she could either believe him or not.

“I met Wendy here at the café when she got a job as a waitress. I’m not sure why, but she attached herself to me like a pesky little sister.”

He paused a moment to swallow against the lump that rose in the back of his throat as he thought of the vibrant, happy young woman who had been his friend and now was gone forever.

“She didn’t know anyone in town, and for some reason she decided I needed a friend as badly as she did. We spent a lot of time together, but there was absolutely nothing romantic between us. To me, she was just a kid, and she even tried to matchmake for me, insisting I needed a good woman in my life.”

A new wave of sorrow swept through Nick.

Adrienne stared at him. Her fork, sporting a small piece of lettuce, halted halfway between her plate and her mouth. “In every text, in every email I got from Wendy when she arrived here in town, you were the only person she ever talked about.”

“You already said that, but that doesn’t make me her lover, and it definitely doesn’t make me the man who murdered her,” Nick countered. He picked up a French fry and then dropped it back to his plate, his appetite gone.

“She was like the little sister I never had. I knew she probably wouldn’t be in town for long. She told me her plan was to eventually visit all fifty states and work all different kinds of jobs. When she disappeared, like everyone else, I just figured she’d gotten a wild hair and had moved on. I was devastated when we found her body.”

“On the ranch where you work,” Adrienne replied flatly. She placed the piece of lettuce into her mouth and chewed it with the expression of somebody tasting something nasty. She swallowed and then leaned forward slightly. “You had means and the opportunity to kill her and hide her body.”

“You’re missing one important factor. Aside from the fact that I didn’t do it, what would have been my motive? Why on earth would I want to kill Wendy?”

“I don’t know, but that’s what I intend to find out. Maybe it was a lover’s quarrel that got out of hand. Maybe you have a bad temper and lost it with her.”

Nick sighed and thought of all the things Wendy had told him about her older sister. Stubborn and rigid, Wendy had said about Adrienne. Controlling and a right fighter, Wendy had added and explained that she’d needed to get some distance from Adrienne to figure out who she was away from her sister’s firm thumb.

He knew that this little meeting had done nothing to change Adrienne’s belief that he’d killed her sister. Adrienne had made up her mind and nothing was going to change it.

“Have you spoken to Chief Bowie yet?” he asked.

“Not yet. I stopped at the station earlier this morning, but he was out on a call. I expect to meet with him sometime this afternoon,” she replied.

That would probably only make things worse, Nick thought. He knew he was high on the list of suspects, although they had no evidence tying him to the crime and wouldn’t find any because he was innocent.

“The investigation into Wendy’s murder has just barely begun,” he said. “It would be nice if you had an open mind.”

Her shoulders shot back defensively. “I do have an open mind, but I can’t ignore my gut instinct, and all of that instinct is pointing directly to you. I don’t know you, but I do know that I don’t trust you.”

“Then, maybe the answer to that is that you get to know me,” he replied evenly. “Look, you’ve already made it clear that you believe I’m guilty and that you intend to keep an eye on me so that no other woman gets hurt or maybe you think I’ll somehow give you the evidence you need for me to be arrested. Why not work with me to find the real killer?”

She stared at him as if he’d grown a steer horn in the middle of his forehead. “Why not leave any investigation to the police instead of working with you?” she countered.

“Because Chief Bowie doesn’t just have Wendy’s murder to occupy his time and attention. I don’t know if you heard, but there were six skeletons found in the same area as Wendy’s body. There’s no question that he’ll do the best that he can on Wendy’s case, but he’s got a lot on his plate right now.”

In some place in the back of his mind, Nick knew he was probably crazy to even entertain some sort of partnership with Adrienne. But as he gazed into her lovely eyes and saw the hint of vulnerability that softened her lips, more than anything he wanted her to believe in his innocence.

Dammit, he was innocent.

“I’d be crazy to even consider working with you,” she said slowly. “But I’ve been more than a little crazy since Chief Bowie contacted me about Wendy’s death.”

Nick reached up and touched his eye. “You were definitely a little crazy last night.”

Her cheeks grew pink, only making her prettier. “That wasn’t me. I mean, that was completely out of character for me. I don’t believe in vigilante justice. I believe in rules and following the law. Before last night, I’d never hit another person in my entire life.” She narrowed her gaze, as if blaming him for the way she’d acted.

Nick once again picked up a fry and popped it into his mouth. The ball was now in her court. She could either work with him or against him, but he wasn’t going to waste any more of his time or energy trying to talk her into anything.

For the next few minutes, another awkward silence fell, and they each focused on their lunch. He felt the surreptitious glances she threw in his direction, but he kept his gaze on his plate. He had a feeling she was weighing her options.

One thing the conversation had done for Nick was make him decide that he was going to actively try to find Wendy’s killer, with or without Adrienne.

What he’d said about Chief Bowie was true. The man had a lot on his plate right now and a small force to deal with everything. Dillon was a good man, a good investigator, and he had good men on the police force, but Nick wanted his own name cleared sooner rather than later.

She finished her salad before he’d finished his burger. She shoved her dish aside, grabbed her purse and clutched it to her chest in a defensive manner.

“Okay,” she said.

He raised an eyebrow, unsure what exactly she was okaying.

“Okay, I’ll work with you,” she said. “Although I feel like I’m making a deal with the devil.”

Nick frowned. “Trust me, the devil is still out there somewhere. Why don’t we plan on meeting here first thing in the morning and we can figure out where we’ll go from there.”

She slid out of the booth. “Nine o’clock?”

“Sounds good,” he replied.

With a curt nod of her head, she turned and walked away. Nick watched her go, unable to help but notice that she had a nice butt. In fact, she had a slim but slamming body.

His frown deepened. There was no question that he was perversely physically attracted to Adrienne Bailey as he hadn’t been attracted to a woman in a very long time. She was definitely a hot little number.

But she didn’t like him. She believed he’d killed her sister, and he knew she’d do whatever possible to prove that fact. It made him wonder who, of the two of them, had really just made an agreement with the devil.

* * *

Adrienne had just gotten into her car to leave the café when her cell phone rang. She opened her purse to retrieve her phone, which was nestled next to the Colt .380 Mustang pistol that she had carried with her for the past nine years, since she was twenty-one and living on the wrong side of town with fourteen-year-old Wendy. It had been shot only on the firing range, and she kept her conceal-and-carry permit up-to-date.

The phone call was from Chief Dillon Bowie, who told her he was in his office and available to speak to her anytime.

She backed out of the parking space in front of the café and thought about the meeting she’d just had with Nick. She hadn’t expected him to be so handsome. During her fight with him the night before, she’d been too out of her mind to really look at him.

She’d definitely gotten a good look at him today, and what she’d seen had attracted her. She’d also been surprised by the fact that he appeared to be about her age, not Wendy’s age. Her belief that he and Wendy had been lovers wavered slightly. Wendy had never been into older men.

The sun drifting in through the window had glinted on his dark brown hair. His eyes were the dark blue of approaching storm clouds, and his features were lean and sharply defined.

Of course, women had found Ted Bundy to be quite attractive, she reminded herself. Murderers came in all shapes and sizes, including handsome cowboys who talked a smooth game.

She’d work with Nick Coleman for now. It was a matter of keeping your friends close and your enemies even closer. Besides, it wasn’t as if she intended to allow Nick to get her alone in the dark, and she had her gun and wouldn’t hesitate to use it if necessary for her own protection.

She arrived at the police station and was led to a private office where Chief Dillon Bowie greeted her and led her to the chair across from his desk.

“I’m so sorry to meet you under these difficult circumstances,” he said.

Chief Bowie was a handsome man with dark neatly cut hair and soft gray eyes. He looked tired, as if he hadn’t slept for days. There was a file folder on his desk, and Adrienne knew it held everything that had been done since the discovery of her sister’s body.

She repressed a shudder as she thought of the crime scene photos the folder probably held.

“Daisy, the owner of the diner where your sister worked, made an initial identification due to the fact that the woman discovered was wearing the diner T-shirt that all the waitresses wear. I’m afraid that the decomposition was such that it was impossible to identify her by facial features, although the body had long black hair.”

His words sent a shaft of pain through her.

The body. My sister.

She felt as if she were having an out-of-body experience, and for a moment was so light-headed she thought she might be sick or pass out.

“Are you all right, Ms. Bailey?”

She sat up straighter and nodded. “I’m okay, and please make it Adrienne.”

“Now that you’re here, I’ll order DNA testing to be done so that there’s no question that the woman is your sister. In the meantime...” He reached into his top desk drawer and retrieved a brown envelope. He opened it and poured out the contents. “These were on the body when she was found.”

A watch with a brown band decorated with happy faces slid out of the envelope, along with a gold necklace with an angel charm holding a tiny opal—Wendy’s birthstone. The sight of the items punched Adrienne in her stomach and stole away any doubt she might have had.

“Those belonged to my sister,” she said. She had been with Wendy when she’d bought the watch, and the necklace had been a gift from Adrienne to Wendy when Wendy had turned twenty-one.

“There’s no question that these are Wendy’s.” She fought against her hot tears. There had really been no question in her mind when Chief Bowie had initially called her to tell her that the young woman found murdered and buried was probably Wendy.

Chief Bowie pulled out a notepad and pen. “I need to ask you some questions. Are you okay to do that now?” She nodded, and he continued, “When was the last time you spoke to Wendy?”

For the next half an hour, he asked her questions about Wendy and about their communications while she’d been in Bitterroot.

“Do you have any suspects in mind?” she asked.

“At this point, every man in town is a potential suspect,” Chief Bowie replied. “We’ve only just started the investigation.”

“What about Nick Coleman?” Even saying his name out loud knotted a ball of tension in the pit of her stomach.

Chief Bowie grimaced. “All of the ranch hands at the Holiday Ranch are persons of interest because Wendy’s body was found on the property. But I have to tell you, I’ve known those cowboys for years and I find it hard to see any one of them as a killer.”

“But Nick seemed to be particularly close to Wendy,” she said.

He nodded. “I’m aware of the relationship between your sister and Nick. Unfortunately, we can’t be sure exactly when Wendy was murdered. All we know for sure is that she was last seen out on the Holiday Ranch on a Friday night and then didn’t show up for her morning shift at the diner the following Monday.”

“But if she was found in her diner shirt, then she must have been killed that Friday night,” Adrienne said.

“That’s the potential assumption we’re working from,” Chief Bowie agreed.

“So as far as you know, Nick was the last person to see her alive,” Adrienne said flatly.

“Not necessarily. It appears as if your sister packed her things and made a decision to leave town at some point during that Friday night. She might have left the Holiday Ranch and been carjacked or picked up a dangerous hitchhiker on her way out of town.”

“Then, why bury her body on the Holiday Ranch?”

Chief Bowie sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I don’t have the answers yet.” His eyes narrowed to steel-colored slits. “But I’ll get them eventually. I’ve put out bulletins for every law-enforcement entity in a four-state area to be on the lookout for her car. I don’t even have a crime scene to examine for evidence. This is not going to be an easy open-and-shut case. It’s going to take some time.”

“I understand. I intend to stay in town until you have all the answers,” Adrienne replied. “I’m staying at the Bitterroot Motel in room 105.”

Chief Bowie leaned forward. “I’ll warn you, you might be here a long time.”

“I’ll be here as long as it takes. I noticed there was crime scene tape on the motel unit where Wendy was staying.”

“We did a cursory search of the room, but it was obvious it was not the place of her murder. I planned on pulling down the tape today and releasing the room.”

“Do you mind if I’m there when you do that? I’d like to see the room.” Adrienne wasn’t sure why, but she wanted to see the last place her sister had been before her murder.

“That’s fine with me.” He stood. “If you have time, we can head over there right now.”

“I have nothing but time,” she replied, and also stood. “I’ll follow you to the motel.”

Before they left, a female officer swabbed the inside of Adrienne’s mouth for the DNA test that would positively confirm Wendy’s identity, but to Adrienne it was a moot point. She already knew that it was Wendy.