12-Alarm Cowboys (83 page)

Heat rushed to his cheeks. Yeah, as a dumbass adolescent, he may have pulled a couple pranks. But he wasn’t a teenager anymore. “I never pranced.”

She brushed his comment aside. “Whatever.”

No, not whatever. “I was a teenager then. What’s your excuse?”

“I don’t need an excuse. It’s exactly your kind of people who judge nudists that is enough for me to want to help.”

He stiffened at the image of Lacey without clothes filling his mind. “You don’t actually walk around nude, do you?”

“What if I do? What’s it to you?” Her chin came up in challenge.

Shit. Just the thought of her parading around the resort absolutely naked had his heartbeat racing and his cock growing hard. She had filled out so nicely he could imagine what she might look like, but now he wanted to know for sure.

Footsteps approaching from the large room to the right saved him from saying something he would regret.

Kendra Lowe walked in and stopped in front of him, not seeing Lacey. “Wade said you needed to talk to me?”

“Yes, ma’am. The fire is now completely out. Later today you’ll receive a visit from an investigator. He needs to determine why the fire started. Don’t let the construction crew touch anything. They’ll probably want to know what of theirs was damaged. If they get here before the investigator, keep them on this side of the resort or tell them to come back tomorrow.”

The woman cocked her head. “Very well. I hope the investigation won’t take long. I’d rather my guests not be disturbed too much. As it is, I will have to discount their stay.”

“Hopefully it won’t, but you have to let the investigator determine the cause of the fire. I’m assuming you had insurance on the new construction?”

“Of course.”

Cole grabbed the paperwork he’d left on the side table next to the chair he’d relaxed in for those brief moments. “I’ll need you to fill out this sheet and then we’ll be on our way.”

Kendra took the paper. “Let me get a pen.” She turned and walked toward the front desk.

He followed, scanning the area behind it for Lacey, but she wasn’t there. He ignored his disappointment and focused on the owner. She took a pen from behind the counter and filled in the information needed.

The door behind him opened and he turned to see if it was Wade. He wanted to get the man’s contact information. But the couple entering the building was definitely not the resort manager. In fact, they were both naked except for flip-flops and they carried a bag and towels.

Kendra glanced up. “Can I help you?”

The young woman, no older than Lacey, had naturally red hair on her head and at the juncture of her thighs, as well as a smattering of freckles on her cheeks. “Yes, we drove up from Phoenix to try Poker Flat for the day. I know it’s way early, but we wanted to get the most for our grounds fees.” She gave an apologetic smile.

Kendra nodded. “That’s a smart idea. One moment.” The owner disappeared down the narrow hallway that must lead to the back offices.

The young woman turned her attention to him. “Are you here for the day as well?”

He swallowed, making a conscious effort to look only at her face and not at her very large nipples. He was well aware she was with her man. “No, miss. I was just about to leave.”

“Hey, are you a firefighter? Is there a fire?” The young man craned his neck to look past his girl and out the floor-to-ceiling windows of the lobby.

Cole took a tired breath. “No need to worry. The fire is out and no one was hurt. It shouldn’t interfere with your day.”

The young lady gave an exaggerated sigh. “I’m so glad. This is our first time at this particular resort. We’d heard it was beautiful and we’re so excited to spend the day checking it out.”

He nodded, trying not to smirk. Despite his need for a shower and sleep, he found it amusing that people paid to walk around nude in a public setting.

“May I help you?” Lacey’s voice came from behind the front desk, pulling his attention to her.

She focused solely on the young couple and ignored his presence. He wished he could do the same. She looked so much like his old Lacey but different. Did she still wear the scent that reminded him of clean sheets drying on an outdoor line? Did she still wear the fancy panties and bras she’d been so fond of as a teenager? His nickname for her when they were alone had been Racy Lacey.

He couldn’t help staring at her chest as she helped the guests, trying to see through the white blouse to identify any lace or polka dots.

Kendra returned. “I’m sorry about that. I had to find the insurance company’s number.”

He nodded absently as she continued to fill out the form. He tried to stay focused, but Lacey’s welcoming voice had him glancing her way again.

She smiled warmly as she handed the couple a map. “When you are ready to leave, just let any of the staff know and they will call Billy to take you back to your car. Enjoy your day.”

When the young couple turned to leave, Lacey spared him a glance. It was anything but friendly.

Maybe he was punchy from lack of sleep, but he smiled in response. She was still damn beautiful, her light-brown eyes matching the mahogany-stained beams of the lobby.

Those eyes widened before she spun on her heel and disappeared again.

He turned back to the owner of Poker Flat to find her studying him. Shit. She knew all about his past with Lacey.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you, ma’am. Mason and I are heading out now, but expect the investigator this morning.” He turned to leave, but Kendra put her hand on his arm. “Cole.”

He started at the use of his name. She’d only called him Lieutenant until now. “Yes?”

“Lacey didn’t do it. This one or the last one. You might want to chew on that.”

Before he could respond, Kendra Lowe strode back the way she’d come. Shaking his head at her message, he chalked it up to loyalty among women and headed out the door.

Jumping into the engine truck, he sat back as Mason drove them off the nudist resort. No matter what the owner believed, he had an obligation to let Detective Sean Anderson know what he knew. Lacey Winters had been accused of arson once before.

Lacey contemplated the
coffee cup in her hands. The dark-brown color reminded her of Cole’s hair when they were younger. Now his hair was cut very short. Did he do that for his role as firefighter?

Kendra poked her head around the corner. “All clear. You can go back out to the front desk. He’s gone.”

“I was just having some coffee.” She held up her cup. “Didn’t want to drink it in front of check-ins.”

“Yeah, right. Since I’m up so damn early, I’m going to the stable to see if I can coax Wade into a short ride.” Kendra paused. “Did you stay up all night working?”

Not exactly. Her nightmare had come back with a vengeance and made her afraid to go back to sleep. She shrugged. “I admit I didn’t get a lot of sleep, but I wasn’t working.”

Kendra gave her a knowing look, probably assuming she’d been thinking about Cole, which in a tangental way she had been.

“Well, stay awake until I get back, okay? You’re in charge.”

She nodded. “Okay. Have fun.”

Kendra left the doorway only to poke her head around it again. “I almost forgot. Price Construction will probably show up soon. Cole said they aren’t allowed on the stable ridge until the fire investigator arrives which will be later today. I’ll have Wade block the stable road with the wagon so they come directly here. Let them know what happened.”

“Got it. And if we have more day guests, they can wait to use that part of the resort until later.”

Kendra nodded in agreement then disappeared again, this time for good.

Lacey topped off her coffee and moved to the reception area. She was a wimp for hiding in the back, but she didn’t know how to react around Cole. He was the same person but so different physically. He must have added at least fifty pounds of pure muscle since high school.

She set her coffee down and powered-on the computer. In the light of the lobby, she’d been made aware of exactly how big Cole had become. He had to be at least a foot taller than her now and the navy-blue fire department t-shirt fit him like a second skin, showing a broad, mounded chest, narrowed waist and biceps that stretched the short sleeves to their limits. The firefighter pants he wore hid his legs, which just had her imagination running wild. Then he’d had to go and smile at her, his warm green eyes twinkling as if he knew it would make her melt inside.

Shaking her head, she tried to dispel her thoughts of Cole. She sat and reviewed emails from the website asking for information. She always liked to do those first in the hopes of turning them into reservations. She completed three before her mind reverted back to Cole like a quail to her nest. Cole Hatcher’s opinion was like a steel trap. Once set, it never changed. Yes, he was charming and courteous and had a good heart, but if she was a
persona non grata
then there was no reason to hope he’d changed his opinion about her over the years. Stubborn cowboy.

She took a sip of her cooling coffee. Cole would probably never set foot on Poker Flat again, so there was no reason for her to worry about him anymore. If anything, seeing him again had helped. In her heart, she’d kept that little flame of love alive all these years, but there was no hope there. She’d been a silly school girl. Now she was a grown woman. She would find a nice man to marry someday. One who would listen to reason and stand by his woman
no matter what
.

That’s what she wanted. Loyalty and unending faith. Two qualities she’d not had with Cole.

Feeling a bit more balanced since seeing her ex, she answered a few more emails and then stepped to the back to warm her coffee. When she returned, the front door opened and two men walked in.

Keith, the owner of Price Construction, stalked forward with a scowl, his bald head reflecting the lobby’s recessed ceiling lights. Behind him was John Lockhart, one of the men who worked for Mr. Price. Reflexively, she brushed down her skirt. John was attractive in a rugged way. They’d been flirting a bit when she’d taken Selma’s treats out to the site, a job she’d volunteered for after meeting him. Maybe she should ask him out to help her forget about Cole.

“What the hell is going on?” Keith punctuated his question with a meaty fist to the counter. “There’s a wagon blocking the road up to the site.”

“Good morning, Mr. Price. I’m afraid we’ve had to halt construction for a while.”

“Halt construction? I’m on a deadline thanks to that tight contract Kendra negotiated and it looked from the ledge top that there’s been some kind of damage done. I’ll need time to fix that. I can’t afford to ‘wait a while’.”

Lacey kept her smile. Her mom always said a person could attract more bees with honey than vinegar, even if it wasn’t honey the bees were after. “Oh, I’m sure Kendra will renegotiate.” She winked. “I’m even guessing it will be more to your benefit.” She glanced at John, who was smiling at her. At least her heart didn’t race when he looked at her.

Mr. Price slapped his hand on the counter to gain her attention. “Out with it, girl. What are you trying to say?”

“I’m saying there was a fire at the construction site last night.”

“What?” Mr. Price looked stunned.

John put his hand on the counter as if he wanted to touch her. “Are you okay? Was anyone hurt?”

“I’m fine, thank you for asking.” She smiled at him before turning her attention back to Mr. Price. “No one was hurt but there were four explosions and all the new construction is burnt. Even the old barn boards Kendra had shipped in. So my guess is you will have to start all over again, which will mean more money, right?”

Mr. Price finally relaxed. “Yes, it will. And this time, I’ll negotiate a better timeline.”

“So why can’t we get to the construction site?” John frowned. “Is there anything dangerous there?”

He really did have a great jaw and his wavy blond hair was attractive in a relaxed way. “I don’t think there’s anything dangerous, but I haven’t been there since last night. The firefighters said no one could go to the site until the investigator came to look it all over.”

Mr. Price groaned. “This could take forever. I’m going to pull my men to another job. Tell Kendra to call me when she wants to renegotiate and have us start again. If she needs someone to clean up after the investigation is over, I’ve got a crew for that too.”

“Really?” She raised her brows then winked at John.

The older man shifted his weight. “Well, yeah. We have to clean up our sites when we’re done, so I use that crew to do odd clean up jobs. Can’t hurt to bring in some more money. Not a ton of building going on out this way.”

She nodded. Phoenix and more populated areas had recovered from the housing slump, but the smaller towns were still struggling. “I’ll be sure to give Kendra the message.”

Mr. Price nodded then headed for the exit. John reached out. “I look forward to coming back to work on the project.”

She smiled and shook his hand. “I hope it won’t be long.”

He gave her hand an extra squeeze then followed his boss out. Lacey watched his stride, which was so different from a cowboy’s. Maybe she should keep her sights on men who weren’t cowboys. Her luck with them hadn’t been so great.

*