Heart of Rockies 03 - More Than a Feeling Read online

  “Holy shit.” Bryce’s head tipped back with disbelief. “She wouldn’t have done it on purpose. Those things just happen.”

  “I know. I lost my head. Wasn’t thinking straight.” Truth was, it was easier for him to get mad, to blame her. For a while it curbed the pain, the empty feeling left behind by loss. “A few days later, I told her I was sorry, but things went south from there. She never looked at me the same. And good ol’ Jace was waiting in the wings.” Damn, the power of words. Those words he’d said to her had broken something in both of them. That was on him. He’d made a mistake that’d ruined his marriage, and he had to own it.

  “That’s why you’re leaving,” Bryce said slowly, as if putting the pieces together.

  If anyone had earned the right to call him out on that, it was Bryce. But the words still stabbed at him. Did he even have a right to grieve? How could he grieve something he’d never had? “I need a new start.” A new place. New memories. A new focus.

  “We’ll miss you around here,” Bryce said, but at least he didn’t try to talk him out of it again. “Don’t know who the hell is gonna keep an eye on the place with you gone.” He said it like a joke, but there was some truth to it. Sawyer has consulted for him on the security system for the ranch. He’d evaluated all their risk protocols.

  Speaking of…

  “Hey, what d’you know about Ruby James?”

  “Not…much,” Bryce said slowly, as though thrown off by the fast change of subject.

  But Sawyer had to plow ahead. Best to start his mission now or he wouldn’t have time to complete it before he left. “Doesn’t that concern you?”

  Bryce waved him off. “Nah. Mom trusts her.”

  He gave his cousin a stern look. “She trusts everyone.”

  “She’s got good intuition.”

  Yeah. Intuition never solved any crimes. Facts. Evidence. Those were the only sure bets. This whole thing with Ruby was simply highlighting a larger issue at the Walker Mountain Ranch. You couldn’t just let some random person come and work for you. No wonder things had been disappearing. Last week about three hundred dollars had gone missing from the office. Then there was a diamond bracelet Avery couldn’t seem to find. Bryce had chalked it up to them misplacing things, but Sawyer wasn’t so sure. “Has Avery found her bracelet?” he asked nonchalantly.

  “No. She thought she left it in the kitchen, but we’ve looked everywhere.”

  In the kitchen, huh? He didn’t say it. “What about the cash?”

  His cousin shook his head in frustration. “I can’t figure out what I did with it. I swear it was in the bank bag, but…”

  It had disappeared, too.

  “You think someone took it?” he asked, hoping to plant the idea in Bryce’s head. Because it was pretty obvious to him that someone had been stealing from his cousin.

  “The thought’s crossed my mind,” he admitted, albeit grudgingly. Bryce, like Aunt Elsie, tended to see only the best in people.

  Lucky for both of them, Sawyer had learned not to. “Let me look into it,” he offered, not that he’d let Bryce turn him down.

  “What’d you have in mind?”

  “Well…” He had to tread carefully here. The Walker Mountain Ranch was known for unyielding loyalty to its employees. “What if it was an employee? Then it’ll happen again.” It would keep happening. And eventually three hundred dollars here and a bracelet there would add up.

  His cousin shot him a skeptical frown, as if that was outside the realm of possibility. “You really think it’s an employee?”

  “I think it could be.” There were plenty to choose from. This spring they’d hired three new guides, though they weren’t full-time yet. Then there were the seasonal maintenance workers who’d just started back a month ago. And Ruby. “Did Ruby ever fill out an application?”

  “It’s not Ruby,” Bryce said, shaking his head. “She’s not the type.”

  Maybe not, but someone around here had to be open to all possibilities. “Most criminals don’t seem like the type,” he said.

  Bryce laughed. “You’re one suspicious SOB, you know that?”

  “It’s a hazard of the job,” Sawyer reminded him. “Look. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. I’ll look around, ask some questions. No one’ll even know.” Especially the people he planned to investigate. All that would require is some good one-on-one time with them. He stood to leave. “I’ll keep you posted. Let me know the report on Thomas when you hear.”

  “Will do,” Bryce said, then looked up suddenly. “Speaking of Thomas…think you could hike up to the waterfall and get the gear we left behind this morning? After he fell Shooter and I dropped everything. I’d go but I’ve got to finish this injury report for insurance.”

  “Sure.” Sawyer glanced at the clock on the wall. Just after four-thirty. It was only a mile and a half to the lake. That should give him plenty of time before dinner.

  Bryce stood and came around the desk. “The gear is on the south side of the pond.” He walked Sawyer to the door. “We left at least three packs behind. You might need help to lug it all back.”

  “Help, huh?” He almost grinned. He needed someone to join him on an hour-long hike to the waterfall.

  And he knew just the girl.

  Chapter Five

  Nothing soothed the tension in Ruby like the rich scent of chocolate buttercream frosting. She inhaled the buttery cocoa and leaned closer to the cupcake so she could pipe the frosting in a floral design.

  “I’m willing to bet those kids have never seen such a work of art,” Elsie commented, coming to stand by her.

  Smiling, Ruby piled the frosting as high as she could without the whole thing toppling over. “It’s my favorite cupcake. Triple chocolate.” She straightened and reached for the dark chocolate flakes she’d grated earlier.

  “Well, it’s soon to be their favorite, too,” Elsie said, going back to the pot of Bolognese sauce that simmered on the stove. “As long as they eat a good dinner, that is.”

  “I’m sure they will.” Warmth bubbled up, making her feel as excited as a kid herself. Talk about the perfect evening. Right now the kids were all getting settled into their rooms, freshening up, then resting until dinner. But then there’d be gourmet pasta, chocolate cupcakes for dessert, and a campfire complete with s’mores and songs. It would be the perfect evening, a way for them to forget Thomas’s injury and have some fun.

  Satisfied with the cupcakes, she turned to Elsie. “Can I do anything else to help with din—”

  The back door opened and cut her off.

  “Hey.” Sawyer sauntered in, this time in a crisp navy-blue uniform that fit snug around his broad shoulders.

  Ruby’s heart dove straight into her molten stomach. What was he doing here?

  “Sawyer!” Elsie rushed over to hug him. “That pantry’s a miracle, I’ll tell you what. You’re so talented.”

  He seemed to brush aside the compliment with a shrug. “It was the least I could do, seeing as how that no-good son of yours won’t let me pay rent.”

  “Rent! Don’t be ridiculous. You’re family, dear. You can’t pay rent,” Elsie gushed, and Ruby was grateful he had a distraction. Maybe he’d leave her alone.

  “How about a triple chocolate cupcake?” the older woman tempted. “Ruby just finished frosting them.”

  “I do love Ruby’s cupcakes,” Sawyer said. The compliment had a formal ring to it. He could’ve been offering it to a complete stranger, but the words still stirred something in her heart. Her face heated again. She turned back to the counter so he wouldn’t notice.

  “Did you hear that, Ruby?” Elsie asked from behind her. “Sawyer paid you a compliment.” Not responding was rude, and if there was one thing Elsie Walker didn’t tolerate, it was rudeness.

  “Thank you, Sawyer,” she murmured, her throat thick with fear. Why had he come back? For the past year he’d hardly been in the kitchen at all, and now in one day, she’d seen him twice.

  “You’re
welcome,” he replied through a mouthful of cupcake. “Oh, and by the way, I’m sorry I scared you this morning.”

  “What?” Elsie broke in. “How on earth did he scare you?”

  Knowing there was no way out of it, Ruby turned around, but she didn’t dare look at Sawyer. “I wasn’t expecting to see anyone when I got here.” She shot him a quick glare but found it difficult to look directly into that beautiful, calming blue for too long. “That’s all.” She narrowed her eyes in a plea for him to agree. That was all. Don’t bring up the rolling pin incident. Please. Then Elsie would wonder why she’d attacked him.

  Sawyer shot her a small smirk full of understanding. When their eyes connected, it turned into a full-fledged tempting grin. Except she couldn’t be tempted. Not by a cop. Not by anyone. She couldn’t risk her secret.

  Before he could say anything else, Ruby turned back to the cupcakes and started to stack them on the tiered cake plate.

  “So what are you up to this evening, Sawyer?” Elsie asked as she clanged a spoon around the pot on the stove.

  “Actually I’m going for a hike,” he said, and why did it feel like he was still staring at her?

  “Bryce asked me to run up to the waterfall and get the gear they left behind this morning.”

  Footsteps got louder behind her. Sawyer leaned into the counter and looked her over.

  “Don’t think I can get it all myself, so I thought I’d stop in and see if you could come with me.”

  “Now there’s an idea!” Elsie chirped.

  Ruby squeezed her eyes shut. Damn. Damn, damn, damn. “I can’t,” she answered without looking at him.

  “Of course you can,” Elsie insisted. “You never get out, and Sawyer needs help.”

  Somehow she doubted that. The man was built like a lightweight boxing champion. Surely he could handle a couple of backpacks.

  “Yeah. I need help.” Sawyer’s smile grew like he knew he’d just trapped her.

  The heat from her face traveled south. She looked around frantically. “But…I…don’t have any hiking boots or anything.”

  “You can borrow mine!” Elsie retrieved a pair from the cabinet near the back door and handed them to her. “They might be a tad big for your petite feet, but they should work just fine.”

  Her lips stiffened into a plastic smile. Who the hell kept hiking boots in their kitchen?

  “You’ll absolutely love hiking, Ruby,” the woman went on. “It’s the best way to see the mountains. There’s nothing like it.”

  Ruby stared at the boots in her hand. She’d been there only a year and for half that time, the ground had been covered with snow. She could like to hike, or at least it seemed like something she might enjoy. Possibly. The solitude, the quietness. But not with Officer Hawkins trailing behind her, asking her questions, digging into her past.

  “You know, I actually have a lot to finish up here.” She tried to hand back the boots. “I still haven’t mixed the dough for tomorrow’s cinnamon raisin bread.”

  “Nonsense.” Elsie chuckled, shoving the boots back at her. “My goodness, dear. Don’t be such a workaholic.” She tsked. “I’ll take care of everything. You need to get out and enjoy the day. You’ve been skittish since I came in. The fresh air’ll do you some good.”

  Sawyer raised one of those dark eyebrows at her. She could hear the silent skittish, huh?

  But she refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to her. So instead of panicking and running out the door like the stove was on fire, she simply shrugged. “I guess I’ll go. Might be nice to take a break. Thanks, Elsie,” she said, lugging the boots over to a chair. She slipped off her clogs and laced up the boots; then she stood and posted her hands on her hips, glaring at Sawyer. “Ready?”

  “I have to go change,” he said with obvious amusement. “Be back in a few.”

  Can’t wait. While he was gone, she’d have to devise a strategy for how to put him in his place. If she wanted to get Sawyer off her back, she’d have to toughen up.

  Meek and mild obviously wasn’t going to work.

  * * *

  He was late. Sawyer trotted out of his guest cabin and hiked down the hill toward the lodge. Okay, maybe he’d gotten carried away…taking a shower, combing his hair, putting on extra deodorant. If he wanted to get to know Ruby—to know about her—he’d have to make a good impression. That was the only reason he’d actually bothered to shower.

  Yeah. Keep telling yourself that. Cleaning himself up had nothing to do with that fact that his mind kept drifting back to Ruby during his shift, back to the way that red wavy hair of hers draped her narrow shoulders, back to the shy smile that plumped her full cheeks. Wasn’t like there’d been much else to focus on while he’d gone on patrol. It’d been a slow day, besides giving Thomas a lift to the hospital. Not even one parking ticket.

  So in the absence of anything else to focus on, he’d thought about Ruby. For some reason she was temptation wrapped in an apron. He knew she had something to hide. That was obvious, but she also didn’t seem calculated or manipulative the way Kaylee had been. There was this underlying vulnerability to Ruby that he found hard to resist.

  And yet he had to resist. Because he was leaving. And for the next month, he’d be investigating her. Giving in to temptation would be one big conflict of interest…

  At the edge of the ranch’s expansive back patio, he stopped.

  Ruby was reclined in one of the lounge chairs, her head tipped back, sunglasses on. He edged into the shadow of an evergreen tree, taking the opportunity to study her. Daaamn, she looked like an Irish goddess. She’d shed the thermal shirt she’d had on earlier and was lying out in a tight green tank top, the sun making her hair and skin glow…

  What was that nonsense about resisting temptation again?

  Her head turned in his direction.

  “You ready?” he called impatiently so she wouldn’t catch him checking her out. He might have a hard time focusing on anything besides her body, but she didn’t need to know that.

  Ruby scrambled to her feet and tipped her shades back on her head. “Of course I’m ready.” She marched down the steps to meet him. “I’ve been ready for twenty minutes.”

  “That’s a slight exaggeration.” It couldn’t have taken him more than eighteen to get showered and everything…

  “So where are we going?” the woman asked in that rigid new tone she’d adopted. It was a complete turnaround from this morning’s mumbling and squeaking. Feisty. Kind of a welcome change. It’d be easier to keep her on the suspect list if he didn’t feel sorry for her.

  He slipped in front of her, brushing her shoulder along the way. “Up to the falls. Trailhead’s not too far. We can walk.” The waterfall hike was one of the best-kept secrets at the ranch. All the employees and good friends of the Walkers knew about it, but none of them publicized the small glimpse of environmental perfection.

  It left him awestruck every time he saw it, a mountain creek cascading down the side of the cragged slope, splashing and gurgling into a deep spring, clear as the glacial waters in Alaska. It was their place, not a place they wanted to invite just anyone. If word got out, there’s no way they’d be able to keep it quiet. They’d have tourists driving up there in droves. It was a gorgeous hike, but more than that, it’d take them a good half hour to get up there, which should give him plenty of time for a proper interrogation.

  “How far is it?” Ruby demanded, eyes narrowed into annoyance again.

  “A couple miles round trip.” He slanted his head and gazed at her. “Why? Have you changed your mind?”

  “Nope.” She smiled, but her lips were stiff and tight. “Lead the way.” She hoisted a small backpack off the ground.

  “What’s in there?” he asked, not wanting to turn away from her. He could look at the woman all day. But not touch. No. Touching.

  “Elsie insisted on packing us some food,” she answered, all cold and formal, like she was talking to a used-car salesman.

&nbs
p; “Perfect.” He tried a friendly smile. Judging from the way she was icing him out, one little push was all she needed to stomp away, get in her car, and drive home. “We can hang out and have a snack at the falls, then.” That’d give him a good extra half hour to pry the woman open. “Shouldn’t be a difficult hike.” He stepped off and led Ruby down the narrow path that curved past the pool and hot tubs, then through a small aspen grove. Her footsteps were steady behind him, but she said nothing.

  They passed the stables, then hoofed it up to the modest trailhead he’d helped Bryce build last fall. The whole way Ruby trudged behind him, silent and tense.

  Guilt made his skin prickle. He didn’t want her to be afraid of him. He only wanted to learn her story. He had to learn her story for Bryce’s sake. And maybe for his own, too. Because after her panic attack that morning, he couldn’t get that vacant look in her eyes out of his head. Why had she automatically assumed he was there to hurt her? He almost didn’t want to know the answer.

  Where the path wound into the woods, he paused to wait for her. “So how’d you get into baking?” he asked, because he had to start somewhere.

  “I got a job at the ranch,” she muttered, keeping a good distance between them.

  Knowing she wouldn’t allow him to walk by her side, he started up the trail, crossing from the sun into patches of shade cast down by the pine trees. He let a few seconds of silence pass before trying again. “What’d you do before the ranch?”