Before the good old days had ended, Kathlene thought. Unlike today.
Kerringston gave his greeting and handed the mike to his boss. Melton did his usual song and dance of thanking his people, telling them to do a good job, going over the stuff that had been investigated yesterday—which amounted to nearly nothing unless one was impressed with local traffic stops.
And then the sheriff finished. He didn’t look toward Kathlene. He didn’t have to.
But she knew exactly whom he spoke to next, since he did so often.
“Now, we’ve had a few more local applications for hunting licenses. Like always. Nice for the economy since the licenses aren’t cheap, plus some of the sportsmen—that’s what they consider themselves, you know—are joining the others already here who’re practicing their shooting skills and all. I’ve talked to them. They talk to me. No one’s been hurt as they do their target practice—still. And no one will be hurt.”
He stopped, looking over the heads of nearly all the deputies quietly facing him, some jabbing each other in the sides with their elbows as they nodded toward Kathlene and laughed.
“So...today’s a new day. Anyone want to ruin our meeting by objecting to our visitors?” This time, he shot a look right at Kathlene, challenging her, even as he guffawed aloud.
She said nothing. Just looked down as if there was something loose on her utility belt that she had to check.
Same as every day. Even as she felt her face flush, her insides churn.
His discussions with the sportsmen suggested they didn’t mind authority, so they couldn’t be anarchists, could they? Or was he being wooed by them so he’d leave them alone?
Melton obviously wanted her to quit and run. She knew it. And she was tempted daily. Like now. After he had humiliated her—again.
“You okay?” Tommy X whispered without looking at her. He’d already told her that his standing up and arguing in her favor would only garner more reaction from the sheriff and nearly all his minions.
“Fine,” she said. As always.
This time, though, she had something to add. For once.
“But I’m really looking forward to having lunch today with my dear old college friend,” she told Tommy X.
* * *
In the late morning gloom, Kathlene had walked briskly down the busy Cliffordsville sidewalk from the sheriff’s station toward the Clifford Café, the place she had chosen to meet Jock and Ralf. She’d called to let them know the address.
She had gotten there first and grabbed a table in a corner. Now she looked around. She knew maybe a half dozen patrons there, some waiting for their meals and others eating already. As she caught the eyes of a few, she smiled and lifted her hand in a wave of greeting. She remained in uniform since she would return to duty in a little less than an hour, so they clearly knew who, or at least what, she was.
This wasn’t usually where she spent her lunchtime, but it seemed an appropriate place for today.
The place smelled delicious, with the aroma of grilled meats and baking bread in the air. The sound of voices was mostly a low hum. She couldn’t make out what was said in any conversations, but that was fine with her.
Even so, none of the tables in this busy joint was completely immune from eavesdropping by the nosy locals who frequented it. In a way, that was a good thing. Word would get out that Kathlene had publicly dined with those friends she’d been talking about. Nothing sneaky about that. Not worth anyone spending any time puzzling over or talking about.
Unless, of course, those friends of hers were successful in outing, and taking federal custody of, some or all of the sportsmen. If word got out, that might be something worth more than some lunchtime gossip.
In any event, this wasn’t Kathlene’s usual midday meal. Her favorite lunch on days she was on duty was to grab a sandwich to go at one of the chains where she could choose everything from the bread to the meat and all other ingredients. That way, she could stuff it with all the salad makings she could want.
It was too hard to eat salads in patrol cars. And fortunately, the guy who was usually her partner, chosen especially for that role by her buddy Sheriff Frawley, could also get all the unhealthy menu items he wanted, too.
That way, Deputy Jimmy Korling didn’t gripe at her. At least no more than usual.
Today he had griped, though, since she was actually taking an hour to have lunch by herself. Well, not exactly by herself. With her old college buddy Jock and his traveling companion, Ralf.
“Can I bring you a drink to start with, Deputy Baylor?” The server had obviously read Kathlene’s name tag. She wore a dress with a short skirt covered by a dainty apron—the kind of woman, Kathlene was sure, that Sheriff Frawley expected all his female deputies to be. Not that she had anything but complete respect for this server, who also wore a name tag. Hers said she was Addie. But Addie had chosen to take on this kind of job.
Kathlene hadn’t.
“Just a cup of coffee,” Kathlene said, smiling. “And a recommendation for what I should order after my friends arrive.”
As she said that, she glanced past the server’s shoulder toward the front entrance. There they were—Jock and Ralf were just entering the restaurant. As they looked around, Kathlene half stood and waved.
“Are your friends here now?” Addie asked.
“Yes. I’m sure we’ll be ready to order soon. Your suggestions?”
Addie described the specials—a turkey club sandwich, a meat-loaf platter, the soups of the day. By the time she was through, she went over them again as Jock and Ralf pulled their chairs from beneath the table and took their seats. “I’ll give you a few minutes to decide,” she said after taking their drink orders.
Kathlene noticed how the pretty brunette server’s eyes skimmed approvingly over Jock, who smiled back. Oh, yeah, the server had noticed how sexy he was. How could she help it? But that didn’t matter to Kathlene. Couldn’t matter.
So why did she want to shake the waitress and tell her to go get their drinks? Fast.
“Do you have any other recommendations?” Ralf asked. This time his T-shirt was blue with a circular logo representing the Montana flag in the middle, along with the state motto “Oro Y Plata”—gold and silver. He’d definitely done his homework before coming here, probably ordered his shirt online. His toothy grin was friendly, not suggesting at all that he was anything but what he pretended to be: a visitor who’d come here along with a friend on a road trip.
Jock, on the other hand, was also in jeans but with a snug black T-shirt on top. It hugged his ample muscles and emphasized the tightness of his hot body. He wasn’t smiling at Kathlene, though. Instead, his hazel eyes regarded her with an expression she couldn’t quite read. Curiosity? Irritation? Challenge? Maybe all of the above—but she was entitled to feel each of those emotions even more than he did.
Although she had no doubt that he believed otherwise.
She turned back to Ralf. “I don’t eat here often, but when I do I usually order one of the specials. I’ve never had a bad meal at this place, though, so just pick whatever sounds best to you.”
At least here, sitting at a table, she could order a salad. The Cobb salad at this café was one of the best she had ever tasted, so she knew that would be her selection.
The server returned. Ralf ordered the meat-loaf special, Jock the sandwich and Kathlene her salad.
Then it was time for them to put on their act, pretend for those surrounding them to be longtime friends.
But Kathlene needed to give these men a reminder. They’d apparently tried to do something without her last night. Today, to maintain cordiality in their relationship, she could understand and agree with it, but only on a limited basis. And she would first make it clear that they hadn’t gotten rid of her for this evening.
“So did you sleep well last night?” she began, aiming an enormous, friendly smile toward Jock.
His return grin was wry—an utterly sexy look on his craggy face. “Sure did. How about you?”
“Eventually, sure. But you know, I remembered something I wanted to tell you after I left and decided to go back rather than to just call you. Imagine my surprise when I saw you driving away down the road.” She kept her smile large but her voice was very low. “I knew you didn’t intend to check on that...place I’d told you about, since you’d have let me know and invited me to come along, as we agreed. Sure enough, I noticed that you’d stopped not there but farther down the road, only...” She wasn’t quite sure how to continue. Things had become murky after that, and she hadn’t really been able to observe either of these men or what they’d been up to. She’d essentially lost them in darkness, and neither had shown up in the area she expected they would.
Addie returned to their table and placed their food in front of them. “Enjoy,” she said, “and let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
Oh, there was something else Kathlene needed, all right, but the server wasn’t the one who could help her. Addie lingered a bit more than necessary, refilling their water glasses and making a point of joking a little with Jock, who responded as if he enjoyed it. As if flirting with their waitress was the best thing that had happened to him that day.
Which only annoyed Kathlene all the more.
Ignoring Jock, she turned to Ralf after Addie had left. “I admire the way you discovered that old, abandoned house down the road, but I wasn’t sure what you were up to.” Once again, she kept her voice muted even as she all but batted her eyelashes at him so anyone observing them would think she was having a grand old time flirting with her buddy’s friend. “Just looking for a closer venue to use as headquarters for the investigation we’ll be conducting at the ranch?”
Ralf’s features seemed to grow even darker. He glanced at the man who was evidently his commanding officer.
“You could say that.” Jock’s smile was rigid now, his voice low but sharp. “And we will include you when it makes sense. But it didn’t last night during our preliminary recon.” He paused, and his hazel eyes grew icy. “You have no business following us. For all you know, there could have been some major danger there and we might not have known you were around to help protect you.”
That again. He seemed determined to keep her out of danger, out of trouble. The idea should have warmed her, but instead it made her chill. Had they made no progress at all after her demonstration that she could protect herself, at least in hand-to-hand combat?
But this wasn’t the place to encourage a major argument with Jock Larabey. Not with so many people around who might overhear them, especially if they raised their voices.
“I get it,” she said as neutrally as she could. “But look, I really need to be able to trust you both. At least tell me what you’re going to do, where you’re going to go.” She hesitated. “And it frustrated me last night when I lost track of you. I didn’t see you anywhere near the ranch when I got there. I only saw a...well, it looked like a wolf. It seemed to be stalking the outside of the compound. Were you around? Did you see it—and me—too?”
There was no immediate response from either man. They glanced at each other, though, as if their silence spoke volumes between them.
What was going on?
“Those guys purport to be hunters,” she went on when they still said nothing. “I had the sense that the wolf had some purpose to be there. Isn’t that silly? But I’d have hated to see one of them shoot the animal. There is no license for killing wolves this early in the year, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if they used the poor thing for target practice, anyway.”
She’d been watching their expressions as she talked. Once again Jock’s look appeared to say lots that she couldn’t read. But he finally spoke. “You’re right, Kathlene,” he said, amazing her—only she wasn’t sure what she was right about. “There’s something we’ll show you and explain after lunch. Will you have a few minutes?”
Not really, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. She’d just have to face the wrath of her partner, Jimmy, after calling him to tell him she’d be late.
And dealing with his anger wouldn’t be pleasant.
But she had a feeling it would be worth it...to learn whatever Jock Larabey was now willing to tell her.
Chapter 5
She had seen him. Just as he had suspected.
And she might wind up seeing him again as their investigation progressed.
Therefore, Jock figured it was already time to nip any suspicions she might have in the bud.
Not that she was likely to assume that the canine she saw was anything but a genuine wolf or dog or whatever.
He took a sip of water from the glass in front of him. He’d already told Ralf his opinion by his glance.
Jock hadn’t been a member of the military and Alpha Force for very long so far, but Ralf had enlisted in the army years ago. He was an astute soldier and a smart aide to a shifting Alpha Force member—him.
Ralf knew by Jock’s glance what he was saying. Jock felt certain of it.
It was time, after lunch, to go introduce Kathlene to Click.
* * *
She had insisted on driving her own vehicle since she had to return to duty soon.
Jock sent Ralf back with the car they had driven here as part of their cover—a nice but slightly beat-up black sedan that was owned by Uncle Sam, but with plates registered to Mr. Jock Larabey of Seattle, Washington.
He rode in the passenger’s seat of Kathlene’s SUV. She’d indicated that her partner was in current possession of her sheriff’s department cruiser.
They had been relatively silent on the drive from town, with Ralf staying right behind them. Jock had insisted on paying for their lunch, and she’d thanked him. He didn’t need to tell her it was part of his government expense account.
He wondered what she was thinking as they drove along the lane that would take them to the driveway to the Clifford Cabins—that also, eventually, would pass by the area that was the object of their investigation.
But they weren’t going that far. Not this afternoon.
“So tell me what made you decide to move to Cliffordsville for your law-enforcement career,” he finally said. It was similar to what they’d talked about yesterday, noncontroversial—although she had grown quiet when he had asked about her early background.
“I’d just heard that Clifford County was looking for new deputies here,” she said, glancing toward him.
Lord, was she gorgeous, even decked out in that uniform with her hair pulled back. Or maybe having her face barely adorned like that added to how beautiful she was, with nothing artificial making her look like anything but herself. Oh, she did wear some lip gloss. Maybe she had a little makeup on, too.
But mostly, she looked like one lovely lady. One lovely, hot, enticing lady.
“Did they hire you right away?”
She nodded. “But that was Sheriff Chrissoula. Before our current sheriff, Melton Frawley, took over after Chrissoula retired six months ago.”
“And was that around when the anarchist group started to move in?”
She again shot him a glance. “How did you know? Or did you just guess? Yes, it’s my belief that Sheriff Frawley may have rolled out the welcome mat. Or even if he didn’t, he also didn’t tell the group to get lost.”
“Do you think he’s one of them?”
She shrugged her shoulders that still somehow managed to look slim and sexy despite her uniform. “I hope not, but I can’t say for sure. Now—” she turned her car onto the driveway toward the cabins “—what is it you want to show me here?”
“You’ll see. I think it’ll explain a lot to you, at least about last night.”
She parked, and Ralf pulled in beside her. The parking lot had a few more cars in it now, but no other people were visible around the row of rustic cabins surrounding the parking area.
Kathlene didn’t wait for Jock to open the door for her, but he hadn’t really expected her to. She clearly didn’t want to rely on anyone behaving in a gentlemanly manner.
And somehow her independence only added to her attractiveness to him. To a point. Ignoring politeness was fine.
Ignoring danger was not.
She began walking along the paved path toward the cabin where Ralf and he were staying. “No,” Jock called. “This way.” He gestured toward the cabin next door. “Got the key, Ralf?”
“Sure do.”
His aide moved to the front of the group, holding the key card in his hand.
“You’ve rented this cabin, too?” Kathlene looked confused.
Why did he want to kiss that puzzled frown away...?
“I’d like you to meet Click,” Jock said, and nodded to Ralf.
Ralf pushed the door open and was nearly bowled over as Click leaped out, eagerly wagging his tail and greeting one of the humans who was his closest friend.
“You brought a dog?” Kathlene asked. She shook her head, then smiled. “The dog I saw last night? He’s not a wolf, then? He’s a pet?”
Instead of waiting for his answers, she dashed off toward where Click and Ralf were now roughhousing.
She obviously liked canines.
Couldn’t he find anything to dislike about this woman—except for her carelessness in the face of danger?
He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.
* * *
At first all Kathlene wanted to do was hug the obviously excited dog. He looked familiar—moderate sized, with shining, light brown eyes, pert ears and lots of tawny fur that looked almost silvery in the light. He clearly loved people, since he bounded from Ralf to her and back again in this cabin that looked nearly identical inside to the one where the men were staying. Click basked in the attention they both gave him and snugged his head against her for multiple pats.
“He’s so sweet!” she exclaimed, kneeling with one hand on the floor to keep her balance as the dog pushed at her for attention and made snuffling noises. She loved dogs. Meant to adopt a rescue someday when her work schedule was less crazy and more predictable. If it ever was. “Is Click yours, Ralf? Or Jock’s?”
Why did the men exchange glances about that? It was an easy question.
Wasn’t it? And if not...
“He’s mine,” Jock said, and he joined the excited doggy love fest, too.
But the hesitation before he knelt and roughhoused with Click had reminded Kathlene of all the mystery surrounding this dog. Why hadn’t they mentioned they had brought a pet along?
She asked them. “I can understand your wanting to have a dog with you. Is Click a trained search dog?” Or was there some other reason he’d been brought here—then hidden?
And why hide him from her?
“That’s right.” Jock stepped back. “He’s trained to do other things, too, like sniff out particular subjects we need to find and follow.”
“Is that why he was wandering around the ranch compound last night?”
Of course it had been Click. And yet there was something about the shape of his head, the length of his legs, the fullness of his coat, that didn’t look exactly the way Kathlene remembered. But she’d been stressed then. Her recollections might not be entirely accurate. Plus, she hadn’t been that close to the dog.
“Yes, that’s right,” Jock said. “He’s got some other skills we’re working on, too. He’s not fully trained, so we weren’t sure at first about bringing him, and when we decided to we just figured we’d keep him hidden, at least initially, until we decided how best to use him.”
Kathlene supposed that made sense—but she wasn’t fully convinced.
And yet why would they lie to her about that?
She stood, leaned down and stroked the soft fur around Click’s shoulders as she looked straight into Jock’s eyes.
The guy looked the picture of innocence, as if all he had told her was the absolute truth, even if it sounded somewhat contrived.
He clearly wasn’t going to give her any explanation of why he might be prevaricating.
“You look like a good friend of Click’s, too,” Kathlene said to Ralf. “Are either of you skilled trainers, or does someone else do that?”
“A little of both,” Ralf said. “I like to work with canines, tell them what to do, that kind of thing.” He gave a big grin that he aimed at Jock, whose return smile looked almost nasty.
What was the gist of their unspoken conversation?
They obviously weren’t going to tell her, any more than they’d explained Alpha Force or included her in their planning.
“Can we take him for a walk now?” she asked the men.
Another hesitation before Jock said, “Sure. There aren’t likely to be a lot of people around now, in the middle of the day when they’re off doing whatever they’re here to do.”
Which again didn’t make sense to Kathlene. They apparently didn’t want Click to be seen by many people. When did they walk him, then?
After dark, at least. That was the one obvious time. Early morning, before many people were up and about? That still wouldn’t allow Click to relieve himself in the middle of the day as well as other times, which might be hard on the poor dog.
She knew she wasn’t going to get answers now, so she didn’t bother asking.
“Great,” she said. “I’ll bet you’re glad to go for a walk now, aren’t you, Click?”
Hearing his name, the dog looked up at her expectantly. Did he understand the word walk? Probably. She had the sense that, as playful as he was, he was also a smart pooch.
“So are we all going?” Kathlene said after Ralf brought over Click’s leash.
“Just you, me and Click,” Jock said. Ralf just nodded, not appearing particularly unhappy about being left out.
It bothered Kathlene, though. She’d be more or less alone with the man who was driving her a bit nuts. His sexiness didn’t let her state of mind settle down in his presence. His secretiveness drove her nuts in other ways.
Well, she couldn’t—wouldn’t—do anything about the former. The latter she could get around. She could be sweet or professional or just darned pushy.
But one way or another she would find out what these men had planned to do to start their investigation.
* * *
“Here we go, boy.” Jock spoke to Click as he attached his leash inside the cabin. “You ready to join us?” he asked Kathlene.
“Definitely.” She smiled, although it faded quickly. “I can only stay here for another few minutes, though. I need to get back on duty.”
“We’ll make it short, then.” Jock gave a gentle tug on the leash and let Click lead them out of the cabin.
Jock was glad to have an opportunity to walk Click. Mostly, it was Ralf who figured out the best times to go out with the dog, when they were least likely to be seen.
On the other hand, he and his aide had talked often about potential timing for Jock to be the one to walk his cover dog. People seeing them together was generally a good thing. They would know there were two entities, Jock and the dog. They wouldn’t think Jock even slightly resembled the pet he had brought here. Or that he was, sometimes, a canine himself.
Not that most regular humans would even imagine the possibility.
And of those that might...well, there weren’t any people they needed to demonstrate anything to here, in this motel area.
Maybe not anywhere in this town. At least not yet.
Except for Kathlene.
He was both glad and sorry for the opportunity to take a walk with her. The best thing for his cover would be for them to stay as alone as possible here.
But that would be worst for his sense of self-control. He wanted this woman. He knew it, and being in her presence only kept his desires at the forefront of his thoughts.
As well as his physical reactions—which were uncomfortable at times, but definitely stimulating.
She was a bundle of contradictions, and that attracted him. A lot.
Maybe because he, too, wasn’t all that he appeared to be.
