The Bodyguard's Return (6 page)

“At Henry’s?” she asked. “Maybe I could go with you to your fitting? I need to get a dress.”

He frowned. Although he intended to keep an eye on her and remain close, he hadn’t figured on shopping with her. She must have read his hesitation on his face. “I promise I’ll be quick,” she hurriedly said.

“All right. I’ll head over to the sheriff’s office and take care of that, then I’ll check back in here with you. Don’t leave this building without me. Don’t go to lunch, don’t take a walk, don’t poke your nose outside for any reason.”

“Aren’t you being a little drastic?”

“As I told you this morning, I’d rather err on the side of caution.”

“All right, then I guess I’ll see you back here in a little while.”

He watched until she disappeared inside the building, then he turned and headed down the sidewalk toward the Sheriff’s office. He thought she’d be safe at work with Raymond Buchannan inside with her. Lauren was crazy, but it was a devious kind of crazy. She wouldn’t want witnesses around if and when she went after Savannah.

“Joshua!” A feminine voice called to him and he turned to see an obviously pregnant Melinda Kelly hurrying down the sidewalk toward him. He and Melinda had dated a couple of times before he’d gone to New York.

“I heard you were back in town.” She gave him a quick hug. “You look wonderful.”

“So do you,” he replied with an affectionate smile. He and Melinda had shared some fun times, but there had never been that special spark between them.

“Don’t lie, I look fat.” She placed a hand on her burgeoning belly.

“That doesn’t look like fat,” he countered. “That looks like your future.”

She laughed. “This baby and my husband, Jimmy, are definitely my future.”

“Jimmy? You mean Jimmy McCarthy?”

She nodded. “We got married ten months ago.”

“He’s a good man.” Jimmy McCarthy was a year younger than Joshua, and when Joshua had left town he’d been working at Mechanic’s Mansion.

“He’s great,” she agreed, her smile reflecting a happiness Joshua had never put on her face during the time they had hung out together.

“When are you due?”

“Three more months. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment in ten minutes, so I’ve got to run. It was good seeing you again, Joshua,” she said, then with a warm smile she turned and went back in the direction she’d come.

Joshua watched her go, then resumed his walk in the direction of the sheriff’s office. He thought of Melinda. He was glad she’d found happiness. She was a nice girl and he was pleased that she’d found a future filled with love.

And what was his future? At the moment he
didn’t have a job, didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. He certainly had nobody special. He had nobody who made him happy to wake up in the morning and eager to go to bed with her at night.

Unbidden thoughts of Savannah jumped back into his head. He’d never been particularly fond of redheads, but there was something about the shade of her hair that looked warm and invited a finger to dance through the curls.

How was it possible a woman he hardly knew, a woman who talked too fast and, he suspected, had a stubborn streak a mile long had managed to get under his skin more than just a little bit? A knot formed in the pit of his stomach.

Maybe it was nothing more than he hadn’t yet found his place here in town. Like Savannah, he felt like a newcomer without much of a support system other than his family.

All thoughts of Savannah fled his mind as he entered the sheriff’s office. He recognized the deputy who sat at the desk in the main office. “Morning, Brody. Is Ramsey in?”

The young deputy nodded and gestured to the door in the back. “You can go on in.”

Joshua gave a sharp knock on the door, then opened it to see Jim Ramsey seated at his desk, a large mug of coffee in front of him.

“I figured you’d be checking in before the morning was out,” Ramsey said. “Want a cup of coffee?”

“No, thanks.” Joshua sat in the chair opposite his desk. “But I do have a request for you.”

“Before you make it, I should let you know that I checked in with the Rasley twins’ father this morning. They were the boys that shot up the storefronts about a month ago. Anyway, they were both home all night last night. Seems they’ve been grounded for the last four weeks.”

Joshua nodded, the knot in his stomach twisting just a little tighter. He’d hoped that the shooting last night would have an easy answer, and two ornery teenagers with a penchant for birdshot would have been the easy answer.

“What I’d like from you is a copy of all the reports for some specific accidents that have occurred in the last two years.” Joshua dug the list of names that Savannah had given him out of his pocket and handed it to the portly sheriff.

Ramsey took it from him, then leaned back in his chair and frowned. “Guess Savannah Clarion has been bending your ear. She’s been driving me crazy for the last couple of weeks.”

Joshua offered the sheriff a conspiratorial grin. “I’d say if anyone could bend an ear, she could.”

“You got that right,” Ramsey returned dryly. “I got to tell you, when she first started yammering at me I pulled all those reports and looked over them again, but I didn’t see anything that would make me think a conspiracy of some sort was going on.”

“Would you mind me looking at them again? If I
come up with the same conclusion that you did, then maybe I can get her off both our backs.”

“It will take me about an hour to pull the files and make copies. You want to wait?”

Joshua was never one to sit and cool his heels. “Nah, I’ll come back for them.” He stood and Ramsey did as well.

“You might tell Savannah that I haven’t closed Charlie’s file yet. I’m conducting a full investigation into his death, but I’ve got to tell you, we’re a small department and there isn’t much to go on.”

He frowned and ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair. “I know Savannah thinks I just sit at my desk and eat doughnuts, but if I thought something bad was going on in my town, I’d be on top of it.”

A few minutes later as Joshua left the office, he thought of Ramsey’s words. He had no doubt that Ramsey did the best job he could as sheriff of the small town, but Cotter Creek wasn’t New York City, or even Tulsa.

Most of the crime in Cotter Creek consisted of bored teenagers getting into mischief or cowboys revved up on too much beer and not enough sense.

As sheriff, Jim Ramsey hadn’t had to face too many complicated or heart-stopping crimes. Joshua and his family members were far more savvy when it came to real criminals and life and death situations.

In the couple of years that Joshua had worked for the family business, he’d protected the son of a senator in Washington, D.C., against a potential kid
napping plot. He’d also spent time in Florida on a job protecting an environmentalist who had received death threats.

Joshua had liked the work, but he’d never quite gotten over the feeling that he hadn’t done anything to earn his place. That was one of the reasons he’d decided to continue his education and strike out on his own.

He left the sheriff’s office and decided to stop in at the Wild West Protective Services office, which was just down the street. His brother Dalton would be manning the office, and Joshua hadn’t really had much of a chance to visit with him since he’d returned home.

Dalton, at thirty-three years old, was the second eldest of the siblings. Like all of them he had the dark hair and green eyes that marked him as a West. He was a quiet man, not easily riled, but with a definite stubborn streak. He’d taken over the daily running of the office duties when Tanner, Joshua’s eldest brother, had gotten married almost six months before.

Dalton sat behind the desk working a crossword puzzle. “Is that what you do to get paid the big bucks?” Joshua asked.

Dalton grinned and shoved the puzzle aside. “Things have been slow the last couple of days. Seems the world is sane, at least for the moment.”

“I suppose it depends on who you talk to.” Joshua plopped in one of the chairs and for the next hour
visited with his brother. They caught up on town gossip, discussed world politics and laughed about old times.

Afterward, Joshua returned to the sheriff’s office, where Ramsey had the paperwork ready for him. By that time it was almost noon. Joshua returned to the newspaper office to check in on Savannah.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” she exclaimed the moment he walked through the door. “I’m starving. How about we get some lunch, then head over to Henry’s?”

The tension that always seemed to fill him when she was around kicked in once again. “Okay. Sunny Side Up Café?”

“As if there’s any other choice in this town for lunch,” she replied with one of those quicksilver grins that warmed her features.

As they walked down the sidewalk toward the café, Joshua kept an eye on their surroundings, noting the people on the streets, looking for a particular person who didn’t belong.

It disturbed him that despite the scent of fall that rode the air he could smell Savannah’s perfume, that intoxicating fragrance that seemed to permeate his entire head.

“I finished up the column on Smokey. I think it came out great,” she said as they walked. “Thanks for helping me convince him to be interviewed.”

He cast her a rueful smile. “I have a feeling he was secretly pleased. If he hadn’t really wanted to
be interviewed, then nothing you or I could say would have made him agree.”

“Was Sheriff Ramsey cooperative when you spoke to him about getting those reports?”

He nodded. “I have them in my truck. I’ll go over them this evening and let you know what I find.”

“Why can’t we go over them together this afternoon? I’m finished with my work for the day.” She bobbed her head, red curls dancing. “Yes, I really think we should go over them together.”

They entered the Sunny Side Up Café, and Joshua led her toward a booth in the back where he slid into the side facing the front door of the restaurant and she sat across from him.

It was almost noon and the place was quickly filling with the lunch crowd. He cast a quick, assessing glance around the room, noting that most all of the faces of the diners were familiar ones.

If it wasn’t for the woman seated across from him he’d relax, but he was aware of her gaze on him as he reached for one of the two menus propped up on the side of the table.

“This place always smells yummy, doesn’t it?” she said once they were settled. “Scottsdale has a hundred fine restaurants, but none of them smell as good as this café.”

“I missed the food here almost as much as I missed Smokey’s cooking,” he replied.

“Don’t you want to take your jacket off?” she asked. “It’s pretty warm in here.”

“I need to keep it on.” He moved one side of the jacket aside so she could see the shoulder holster and gun beneath.

Her pretty eyes widened. “Is that really necessary?”

“I don’t intend to get shot at again without having the potential to return fire if needed.” He let the jacket fall back into place and stared down at the menu.

His thoughts filled with the woman he’d left behind in New York, a woman who had developed a fatal attraction for him. He’d seen what she was capable of, knew the bitter hatred that now burned in her heart for him.

If she’d followed him here to Cotter Creek and if she had gotten it into her head that Savannah meant anything to him, then Savannah was at risk. He touched his jacket and felt the reassuring bulk of the gun.

Was the gun necessary? What he feared was that it might be the only thing that stood between Savannah and danger, and he hoped if it came to that he’d be able to use the gun on a woman he’d slept with in order to save a woman he wasn’t even sure he liked.

I
t was during lunch that Savannah saw flashes of the charm Winnie and Meredith had told her Joshua possessed.

They swapped stories, her telling him a little about her life in Scottsdale and him telling her about New York City.

The conversation was light and easy, but something about him intrigued Savannah like no man had intrigued her in a very long time.

When they’d finished lunch they went directly to Henry’s, where Joshua disappeared into a back room to be fitted for his tux and she surfed the racks looking for a perfect dress to wear to the wedding.

She found a buttercup-yellow dress with classic
lines and bought it off the rack. She’d done enough shopping to know what style looked best on her and what size to buy. By that time Joshua was finished with his fitting.

“Why don’t we go to my place to go over the reports?” she said as they left Henry’s.

“What’s wrong with the newspaper office?”

“Mr. Buchannan doesn’t exactly support my investigative efforts. I’ve got a little office at Winnie’s. We can work there.” His face radiated reluctance. “What’s the matter Joshua, afraid I’ll jump your bones if we’re alone?”

He looked at her in surprise. “Why would I think that?”

“I’m sure a guy who looks like you is accustomed to women wanting to jump your bones, but I promise you I’ll restrain any impulses in that direction.”

He obviously recognized that she was teasing him, trying to keep things light between them. “And what makes you think I’d want you to restrain yourself?” he countered with a slow, sexy grin.

A rush of heat swept through her and she decided she liked him better when he was taciturn. That smile of his could definitely be dangerous for it made her think all kinds of inappropriate thoughts.

“Give me a break,” she retorted, sorry she’d started the stupid conversation in the first place. “Shall we ride together to Winnie’s or do you just want to follow me?”

“I’ll follow you.”

Minutes later as she drove toward Winnie’s house, her thoughts filled with Joshua West. She couldn’t seem to get a handle on him.

He’d been a pleasant lunch companion and yet there was a darkness that clung to him, a darkness that pulled her closer with a desire to understand.

She had the feeling he’d agreed to investigate the deaths of the area more in an effort to get her off his back than because he believed anything suspicious was going on in the town.

He’d definitely surprised her with his offer to act as personal bodyguard until they knew what was going on.

It gave her investigation more substance, as had the shooting the night before. She was eager to go over those reports.

She’d requested them from Sheriff Ramsey a little over a week ago but he’d put her off, telling her he didn’t have the manpower for somebody to stand around and make copies all day long. Funny that he’d managed to get it done for a West.

But the thought of going through those reports wasn’t what prompted the tingle that danced across her skin or the wave of heat that warmed her insides like a jigger of whiskey swallowed in one gulp. Those particular physical sensations came strictly from the thought of spending more time with Joshua.

For just a moment she’d flirted with him with her comment about restraining herself from jumping his bones. But he’d flirted back, and from that point on
she’d had difficulty concentrating on anything except the memory of that sexy grin that had curved his lips.

By nature she’d never been a flirt, but something about Joshua made her wish she were adept at a little harmless feminine flirtation. She could get used to that smile of his.

She pulled into Winnie’s driveway and parked, aware of Joshua’s pickup pulling in behind her.
Stay focused on the business,
she commanded herself.

His darkly lashed green eyes or his handsome chiseled features couldn’t distract her. She couldn’t allow herself to dwell on the sexy curve of his mouth or that lingering vision of him shirtless. She knew to indulge in any of these kinds of thoughts where Joshua West was concerned was to invite in certain heartache. And she was a champion at guarding her heart.

Together they went into the attractive two-story house where Winnie had lived with her late husband for forty years. Winnie greeted them in the living room, where she was seated in her favorite chair with her quilting frame in front of her.

She stood and smiled at Joshua, obviously delighted to see him. “Joshua West,” she exclaimed and walked over to give him a hug.

“If it isn’t the most beautiful lady in Cotter Creek,” he said as he released her.

Winnie slapped his chest playfully and giggled with uncharacteristic girlish delight. “Of all you West
boys, you were always the one most full of charmer beans. I’m glad to see New York City didn’t change that.”

“I’ve got to admit, it’s good to be home,” he said.

“I’ll bet your family is glad to have you back. I know your daddy worried about you all the time while you were gone.”

A slight frown creased his brow. “He had nothing to worry about. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

“Well, of course you are,” Winnie agreed.

“We’ve got some work to do,” Savannah explained to Winnie. “I thought we could work in the office upstairs, if that’s all right with you.”

“That upstairs is your home, honey. You don’t have to get my permission to have a man up there,” Winnie said. “In fact, I’d say it’s high time. It’s not right, a nice girl like you not having any male callers.”

A warmth of embarrassment swept into Savannah’s cheeks. Without glancing toward Joshua, she started for the staircase. “Let’s get to work,” she said briskly.

The upstairs of Winnie’s house consisted of three bedrooms and a bath. When Savannah had moved in one of the bedrooms had been empty and it was that room she had set up as a home office.

The desk was actually an old square table that Winnie had stored in her basement. Savannah’s laptop sat on top, along with a silver frame contain
ing a photo of her parents and a crystal bowl holding a couple of candy bars.

“It’s not much, but at least we’ll have room to spread out those reports,” she said and motioned him to one of the two straight-back chairs that were at the table. She moved her laptop and the other items off the table and to the floor next to her.

He eased down into one of the chairs and gazed at her with a raised dark eyebrow. “Cotter Creek is full of lonely cowboys. You’ve been in town several months and I’m the first man you’ve had here? Why is that?”

She sat across from him and returned his gaze. “Let’s face it, Joshua. I’m not the prettiest crayon in the box. My mother told me it was important that I compensate for that fact by being well-groomed, sweet-natured and a good listener. I got the good grooming part down, but I’m not particularly sweet-natured. I talk too much, I’m abrasive, aggressive and I think I scare the hell out of most of the lonely cowboys in this town.”

Amusement lit his eyes and he grinned that lazy smile. “You don’t scare me a bit.”

Oh, but he scared her. He scared her with his bedroom eyes and the deep languid tone of his voice when he was teasing. He scared her because he made her wish she were something other than what she was.

“Let’s get to work,” she exclaimed, irritated with him but even more irritated with herself.

For the next three hours they pored over the
reports, looking for anything that might support her theory that the deaths ruled as accidents weren’t what they appeared to be.

Tension made her shoulders ache and a faint headache pounded just behind her eyes. She knew that Joshua’s assessment would determine whether she was written off as a nut or taken seriously.

He said little as he read each of the reports carefully, occasionally reaching for a pen and underlining a sentence. She had to bite her bottom lip to keep from asking him what he was underlining, what was he thinking? She had a feeling the more questions she asked, the less likely he would be to see things her way.

Already she sensed he was not a man who was easily pushed, and she knew if he made up his mind that she was wasting his time, then she’d get no other opportunity to sway him differently.

The scents of dinner wafted up the stairs when Joshua finally set the last report aside and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

“I don’t know,” he said slowly. “You’re right, there are some small red flags, but nothing that absolutely jumps out and screams foul.”

A wave of disappointment swept over her. “So, you think I’m just a nut.” She reached down beside her chair and grabbed one of her candy bars. She offered it to him, but when he declined she ripped the paper off with a vengeance and took a bite.

He grinned. “Yeah, I think you’re probably a nut,
but I also think there’s enough questions that I’d like to dig into these accidents a little further.”

She flashed him a smile of relief, hoping she didn’t have gooey chocolate decorating her teeth. “For real?”

“Don’t get too excited,” he warned her as he stood. “I’m still not convinced that there’s anything here.” He glanced at his watch, then back at her. “What are your plans for the rest of the evening?”

“Probably the same as they are for most nights. Winnie and I will probably play a couple of games of rummy, then I’ll work a little bit on a couple of stories for the paper.”

“Until we have a handle on why we got shot at, I’d prefer you not go out anywhere alone.”

“Okay,” she agreed. Although she didn’t like curtailing her freedom, she also didn’t intend to be stupid enough not to heed his warning.

Together they walked down the stairs. Winnie had apparently abandoned her sewing for dinner preparations and the scents emanating from the kitchen were heavenly.

“You want to stay for dinner?” she asked. “Winnie always makes plenty.”

He shook his head. “Thanks, but I need to get back to the ranch. What time are you planning on going into the office tomorrow?” he asked as they stepped out on the front porch.

“Actually, I hadn’t planned on going in until the afternoon. Mrs. Miller is having a breakfast for her
garden party in the morning and I’m supposed to attend and write up the affair. Garden parties, funerals, weddings, whenever there’s a social affair, I’m the reporter on record.”

“And you’re satisfied with that?” he asked.

“Of course not,” she replied honestly. “But, it’s enough for now. My real goal is to get Buchannan to sell me the paper when he decides to retire.”

He smiled. “You think he’ll really sell?”

She shrugged, acutely aware of his nearness on the small porch. “He says he might be interested in retiring by next spring and we might be able to work out a deal.”

“Then you intend to still be in town next spring?” He moved a step closer to her, so close she could smell his scent, feel the heat of his body.

“Don’t listen to the rumors you hear about me trying to make some kind of a name for myself here then going to a bigger city, a bigger newspaper. I could have stayed in Scottsdale and gotten a job there, but that wasn’t what I wanted.” She was rambling again, nervous by his nearness, disturbed by it.

“And what do you want?” he asked in a low voice.

You
. The word jumped into her mind. Just for a minute. No, just for a night. A long night of crazy lovemaking, of total abandonment. God, what was wrong with her?

“I guess I want what everyone wants,” she said quickly. “Happiness and a sense of purpose. Good
health and friends I can count on.” She sounded lame. “What about you? What do you want, Joshua?”

“At the moment I can just think of one thing I want.” He stared at her mouth for a long moment, then leaned in and captured it with his.

He didn’t know why in the hell he’d decided to kiss her, other than the fact that she had looked so damned kissable. Her lips were soft and yielding and her mouth tasted of just a hint of chocolate.

She leaned into him, her full breasts pressing against his chest and the contact shot a fierce wave of heat through him. What he wanted was to wrap his arms around her and pull her tight against him. What he wanted was to take her clothes off and see if the rest of her tasted as sweet as her mouth.

He broke the kiss and stepped back from her, irritated by his own actions.

“I didn’t mean to do that.” He glared at her, finding her personally responsible for his own lapse in judgement.

She returned his gaze coolly. “Don’t worry, it will be our little secret. I won’t tell anyone you kissed the plain conspiracy theorist who has been driving everyone crazy with questions.” She released a sigh. “So what happens now, and I’m not talking about after a kiss. What happens in our investigation? What’s our next step?”

He wanted to say something to take the sting out
of her words. He wanted to tell her she wasn’t plain at all, but he had a feeling saying anything like that would only complicate the whole situation. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow. What time is your breakfast thing?” All he wanted was to get away from her with her sexy smell and kissable lips.

“Nine.”

“Then I’ll pick you up around eight-thirty.” With these final words he turned and left the porch.

Minutes later as he headed back to the family ranch, he wondered again why he’d kissed her. Maybe it was because he’d spent the last several hours cooped up in a small room with her.

He’d been intensely aware of her physical presence, the scent of her, the soft sighs that occasionally escaped her while reading those reports. More than once he’d watched her run a finger across her lower lip when she was concentrating, a gesture he found both enticing and irritating.

He had no idea how she could really consider herself plain. Plain was boring and there was nothing remotely boring about the way that Savannah Clarion looked.

Okay, so he’d made a mistake and kissed her. No harm. No foul. He just needed to make sure he didn’t do it again. The last thing he wanted to do was repeat the mistakes of his past. He didn’t want her to mistake a single, stupid kiss for something more.

He shoved thoughts of the kiss aside and instead thought about the reports he’d read throughout the
afternoon. He didn’t know if Savannah was really onto something or if somehow she’d managed to suck him into her delusion.