BIG SKY SECRETS 03: End Game (14 page)

Milt had apparently appeared out of thin air when he showed up at the Halfway House Tavern, because no one else had ever seen him, so maybe he
had
been just passing through.

And the last thing she’d ever want was to be tied to a desk as a county sheriff.

At eight o’clock, three hours after the sheriff and secretary had gone home, she sighed heavily, shut down the computer, grabbed her keys and cell phone, and headed out to her patrol car. The phone vibrated in her hand, sending her heart into overdrive as she lifted it to check the screen.

A sense of relief washed through her. “Scott. What’s up?”

“I left you a couple messages. You’re a hard lady to catch.”

“I had to finish out my shift in the office this evening, so I had the ringer off.”

His laughter was low and warm. “Why does that sound as if you were put on a time-out?”

“I was. Sort of.” She found herself smiling. “Not that I did anything wrong.”

“That’s what they all say. There’s never a guilty person on death row.”

“Or in a jail cell, for that matter.”

“Hey, Jasper and I were thinking this evening, and well, it seemed awfully quiet at home. I suggested that we run into town for pizza and he agreed—but now I’ve just picked up this hot, fresh, steaming pizza absolutely loaded with chicken, fresh parmesan and some sort of garlic-ranch sauce. And it’s just way too big.”

“You must have gone to Gino’s. They have the most incredible Chicken Ranch Pizza I’ve ever tasted. You could always save the rest for tomorrow.”

“Or we could share it. What do you think, are you hungry at all? This thing is
huge
. Maybe we could meet in the town square at one of the picnic tables?”

“Well…”

“You may be thinking no, but I’ll bet your stomach is saying
yes
.” He fell silent for a moment. “Wait—what about your dog? I suppose you do have to go home.”

He’d handed her an easy excuse.

She could head home and keep her life as uncomplicated as it had been for the past couple of years, no questions asked. But suddenly that option wasn’t appealing at all.

“Actually, the previous property owner installed a swinging pet entrance in the kitchen door. Buddy figured it out the second day.”

“So you’ll meet me?”

“Honestly, that pizza sounds like an offer too good to refuse.”

During the summer, the little park was often filled with tourists, and arts and crafts booths lined the perimeter. An assortment of musicians played for the dollars thrown in their empty guitar cases on the ground.

Now, the benches and picnic tables were all empty, and the only other people were an elderly couple walking their beagle, and a group of high school kids shooting baskets on the tennis court that also boasted a hoop.

Scott had already arrived, and was leaning against a picnic table with Jasper sitting at his feet. “You came,” he said, the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes deepening. “I was afraid you’d change your mind and leave me with all this food.”

She smiled back, her mood lifting at simply seeing him there. “Not when Gino’s pizza is involved.”

He turned and shook out a folded scarlet tablecloth, letting the breeze catch it so it drifted down on the picnic table.

She laughed. “Wow. You’re good.”

“I worked my way through college at a restaurant. Basic Life Skills 101, for a kid who grew up with paper plates and boxed mac and cheese.”

From a grocery sack he withdrew napkins and bottles of cold water, then he lifted the pizza box from one of the benches. “Still hot.”

They sat down opposite one another, each lifting a fragrant slice gooey with rich, heavy cheese.

“Did you have a good day catching bad guys?”

“Always.”

“So what made you decide on law enforcement?”

She took a second bite of pizza and closed her eyes, savoring each subtle nuance of the fresh herbs. “I wanted to go after those bad guys, not worry about them coming after me.”

“Sounds like a good reason.”

“So what about you? I know you’re on a medical leave…but I’m curious about why you came this far west and actually bought property. Seems permanent to me.”

“It is. I inherited some money years ago from my grandmother. I invested it in the stock market. Built it up, took a big hit when the market fell, worked to build it up again, and…” He gave a wry laugh. “Well, the market fell again. I finally decided to invest it in property and do what I’d always wanted to do. So here I am, in the mountains.”

Jasper had been eyeing Scott, his tail wagging. Now, he moved over to stare at Megan. She broke off a bit of crust and tossed it to him. “So…what are your plans? The place you bought isn’t big enough for an operational ranch. Are you thinking about a dude ranch? A rustic resort?”

“Maybe the latter, someday. I’ve got twenty acres, with a number of sites that have stunning views of the mountains. Perfect places for a scattering of secluded cabins, for the people who don’t want to feel like they’re in a village or crowded resort.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“I think so. It could be a nice supplemental income to go along with the writing.”

“Cool. So what do you write?”

“I’ve done a lot of articles for magazines over the years. Now, I’ve also started back to work on a suspense novel that’s been on the back burner for a while.”

“
Really
cool.” She thought for a moment. “So that’s why you don’t get to town much.”

“Nope. I’m pretty much a hermit, most of the time.” He gave a self-deprecating laugh. “I’m safer there, anyway. When I do go to town I somehow end up bringing home another animal or two—sort of like your friend with the animal shelter, only my residents never move on.”

He really was a fascinating man, despite everything.

He’d been a cop, so he ought to know better…yet, like Prince Charming in some fairy tale, he’d already insisted on coming to her rescue twice—from the mayor’s sharp remarks and Lane, the aggressive man at the tavern.

She didn’t want or need rescuing. That was
her
job, as a county deputy. Yet that charming twinkle in his eyes did the funniest things to her heart.

But charming twinkles aside, she’d long since accepted that God didn’t have marital bliss on His agenda for her life, because she’d been down this road before and it always led to dead ends well before any talk of happily-ever-afters.

It would be so easy to set all logic aside and fall for Scott anyway. To take that risk just one more time. He seemed to be everything she’d ever imagined about the kind of man she’d like to meet, and more. Intelligent. Witty. Honorable. A strong protector with a good and loving heart, if his growing menagerie was any clue. She hadn’t even known him that long, yet just the brush of his hand against hers made her heart start doing crazy little flip-flops in her chest…as if there were some innate, chemical reaction going on.

But even if he’d been a cop, there was no guarantee that she wouldn’t face another painful heartbreak if she risked her emotions once again, and that had happened one too many times already. The giddy, silly feelings dancing around her heart, urging her to take the chance, were as fickle as the Montana sun in January.

Solid relationships were tough for someone in law enforcement. Long, late hours, the stress and the fears, the issues of trust…and it wasn’t just her. Maybe Hal enjoyed a solid marriage, but hadn’t all of the other deputies been through a divorce at least once?

No matter what her foolish heart wanted, she would be leaving Scott Anders alone.

“Hey, there,” he said, studying her with concern. “Something wrong?”

Jerked back into the present, she felt a blush warm the back of her neck.
Nothing, as long as I always play it safe.
“Sorry—just thinking.” She pinned on a bright smile. “I really appreciate your invitation. This is perfect, after a long day. Great pizza, a beautiful spot outdoors.”

“Don’t forget the good company.”

Despite her every intention, she still couldn’t resist the chance to flirt…just a little. What could be the harm? “That’s right,” she said with a laugh. “Jasper is a
great
dog.”

He gave her a pained look. “Wait a minute.
He
didn’t bring you pizza.”

“Nope. But he’s awfully sweet, anyway.” From the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Hal striding across the lawn. “Oh-oh.”

Scott followed the direction of her gaze. “What—are you playing hooky?”

“I…was supposed to talk you into something.” She studied him over the slice of pizza in her hand. “Not that I expected it would happen.”

“What—a confession?” He drawled, his intent gaze fixed on hers.

“Howdy,” Hal called out. “Have you two had a good visit?”

Megan looked between the two men. “Not…yet.”

Hal clapped Scott on the shoulder. “I suppose she told you how short-staffed we are?”

A corner of Scott’s mouth twitched. “At length, actually.”

Megan stiffened. “That isn’t exactly true.”

Turning to Hal, Scott ignored her. “I just hope your department is back up to full staffing soon, so your officers don’t need to take any unnecessary risks.”

She bristled. “I don’t take chances that could jeopardize an investigation, Anders.”

“What about your personal safety?”

Hal frowned as he glanced between them, not quite picking up on the undertones. “Have you ever thought of working part-time while you’re up in this area, Anders?”

“Nope.”

“Not even law enforcement—if you had the chance?”

“Make that a
definite
no.”

“You’re sure?”

“Right now my gun arm wouldn’t pass muster. But I’ve left all of that behind in any case. For good.”

“Want to work for just a few months?”

“I’m not your man.”

Hal gave him a good-ole-boy clap on his back. “I’ll tell you what. Give us just a single month. See how you like it.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m just not interested.” Scott shrugged. “Anyway, I think working here would play havoc with my current medical leave.”

“We’re talking consultant time. A few days a week…without any twelve-hour shifts of patrol time behind the wheel.”

Scott fell silent at that, and Hal quickly pressed his point. “All we’d need is a month or so. We’ve got three men out, and we could use a good investigator. Just help us with this murder case. Keep your own time card, your own hours.”

At that, Scott laughed. “You must’ve talked to my old boss.”

Hal grinned in return. “I did hear about your fourteen-plus-hour days when you were on a tough case back home, but that’s not what I’m after here. We need any help we can get. But to bring in someone with your expertise, we’d be even more grateful.”

Scott sighed. “Well…”

“Short-term. Change your mind, and you can quit. No hard feelings.”

“I’ll agree to a strict consultant basis, for assisting with the current murder investigation.” Scott leveled a look at Megan. “And also as backup if needed—so your officers will be safer.”

Megan stared at him, horrified, as the implications grew clear. He was planning on watching over her. Getting in the way of what she needed to do, out of some misguided chivalrous code. “I think that’s a bad idea. We just need someone to take over twelve-hour shifts that aren’t being covered right now.”

Hal chuckled. “Actually, I think this is just about perfect. Anders, I’ll talk to the county supervisors first thing tomorrow about the pay, and how we can handle the personnel details. With luck, we can have you on board in no time.”

At the sharp rap on the door frame leading to the deputy’s shared office area, Megan looked up, thankful for the interruption after working on the computer all morning. “Heading out for your lunch break, Betty?”

The gray-haired woman shook her head as she handed over a pink phone message slip. “We just got a call. Arnold Lane never showed up last night at the ranch. He was driving the ranch semi, and the owner is really concerned. I tried calling the sheriff but he isn’t answering his cell.”

“Have you talked to the highway patrol?”

“I just called them. No accident reports have come in on any semis within the last twenty-four hours. No traffic stops on a truck with that license plate, either.”

“So maybe the man was too tired to drive all the way back, and just took a nap somewhere. Or he checked into a motel.”

“The owner of the ranch doesn’t think so. Lane has made the same trip dozens of times and is always back before dark. The ranch hands told him that a deputy was out there yesterday asking questions about Lane, and now he’s concerned.” She pulled a face. “And that’s putting it mildly. This is one unpleasant man.”