12-Alarm Cowboys (92 page)

“Hey.” Wade’s hand on his shoulder released him from his black thoughts for a moment. “As soon as the detective finds out how the fire started, I’ll bring those horses here, so you don’t need to care for them. Good luck with this new one.”

Cole forced his jaw to work. “Thanks.”

Wade nodded and let go. “What’s the horse’s name?”

“Angel.” Rage filled his blood at the irony and he stalked away.

*

Lacey woke with
a start, her heart beating faster than a roadrunner could run. Glancing at her clock, she placed her hand on her chest. 3:48 a.m. At least her nightmares were occurring later every morning. That had to be a good sign. It had been five days since the first one. Maybe in another week she’d be able to sleep through the night.

They had changed again. Now Cole looked for her in the burning mass with no fire gear. Instead he wore his jeans, hat and no shirt like she’d seen him a couple days ago at the barn. She’d sensed he’d put on a lot of muscle, but the size of his pectoral muscles and the ripples of his abdomen had stayed with her all day, creating a readiness in her core that ached. Never would she have imagined he’d look so hard.

But watching Cole being buried in fiery rubble was taking its toll on her heart, not to mention her ability to concentrate during the day. Not seeing him yesterday didn’t help. For all she knew, he could have been trapped in a burning building somewhere.

Shaking off the fear that came with her dream, she rose and donned her robe. She wouldn’t even try to go back to sleep. She couldn’t arrive at work for another couple hours so she’d get a head start at home.

She padded into the kitchen, turned on the light and started the coffeemaker. She could take her laptop outside, but with the new security guard roaming the premises, she wasn’t willing to be seen in her jammies, even if they were Victoria’s Secret sleepwear. Besides, the low temperature was supposed to be in the high fifties and that was a bit too cold for her.

Now where had she placed her laptop last night when she’d woken? Not seeing it in her little living room, she moved back into her bedroom. The room was dark and she paused a moment to enjoy the view of the setting moon. The bright-orange slice looked as if it would cut into the main building.

Out of habit, albeit a new one, she scanned the grounds around the building. Nothing moved. It was a quiet night as it had been all week. Moving to where her lamp sat next to the bed, she paused. Was that Hunter? She stepped up to her south facing window. “Oh my gosh.”

There were three people huddled around a golf cart parked near the fork in the dirt road that entered the resort. They could very well be guests, but since Poker Flat now had a security guard, it couldn’t hurt to be safe. She picked up her phone, which she kept next to her bed.

“What is it?”

So much for pleasantries. “Hunter, this is Lacey. There are three people by a golf cart at the fork. They could be guests, but I thought I should tell you.”

“Got it. Don’t call me. I’ll let you know.”

The phone went silent. She stared at it, not sure if he’d relieved her worry or added to it. She moved her gaze back to the window and watched. The people were only silhouettes to her, but if she squinted it looked like they wore clothes. She closed her eyes and reopened them. She couldn’t be sure.

One sat in the golf cart like he would drive it away but the other two stood in front of it. If they were having an argument, that would keep them there until Hunter arrived. Lacey scanned the road toward the barn looking for him, but she couldn’t see anything yet. She could see more if she stepped out her front door, but she wasn’t that brave.

She looked back toward the cart. “Oh no.” They all climbed in and the cart headed down the road toward the bridge and the exit. She watched it until it disappeared. She couldn’t think of a single reason why three guests would be headed to the garage at this time of night. She looked toward the barn, but there was still no sign of the security guard. She had to let him know where they had gone.

She turned on the light and dialed. “Sugar.” She exited before she pressed the final number. He said not to call. Something about Hunter made her hesitant to ignore what he said. She turned the light off again and waited for her eyes to adjust. She scanned the road and couldn’t see a thing. What if Hunter was in trouble?

The buzz of her phone made her squeal. Breathless, she answered it. “Yes?”

“I’ve got the thieves. Call 9-1-1.” Again the phone went silent.

She didn’t hesitate. She called and let the dispatcher know what the emergency was. Once the woman had dispatched a deputy sheriff, Lacey exited the call. There was no way Hunter would be able to keep three men in line. Quickly, she dialed Wade’s number. It sent her straight to his voice mailbox. More nervous by the minute, she called Kendra’s phone. It also went to voice mail. Since when did those two both turn off their phones?

She wanted to call Cole, but that was crazy. She had no idea where he lived and he might even be working a fire. Just because he walked back into her life didn’t mean he would stay nor that she could depend on him. She looked out her window again. Wherever Hunter had the thieves, it wasn’t where she could see them. Then again, they couldn’t see her.

Dropping her pajama bottoms and robe, she pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt and slipped on her flip-flops. Before she lost her courage, she grabbed up her phone and opened her front door. She stopped. The sliver of moon had half set behind the main building already. Taking her gaze from the pretty sight, she scanned the road again. Confident there was no one out there, she ran for Kendra’s two-story house.

She focused on the ground the entire way, avoiding cacti and hopefully the late-night critters like rattlesnakes. When she made it to the door, she banged hard and stopped. She listened for sounds inside then banged hard again.

The door flew open and she was yanked inside the dark house.

“What are you doing?” Wade’s voice made it clear he was angry even if she couldn’t quite make out his features.

“I called, but both your phones went to voice mail. It’s the thieves.” She still panted a little and tried to catch her breath.

He grabbed her shoulders.

“The thieves? Where?”

“Hunter has them. He has three. I called 9-1-1 but I don’t know where he is and it could take them a half hour to get here. What if they overpower him?”

“Shit. Okay. Do you know where he caught them?”

“It was somewhere between the fork and the road up the other side of the canyon.” Her heart slowed to a more normal rate. All these after-dark activities plus her nightmares had her overreacting, she was sure.

“Let me get dressed and I’ll drop you off at your casita on my way to find Hunter.” Wade let go of her and strode away in the dark.

It hadn’t even occurred to her he might sleep naked. Duh. At least it was too dark to see. The last thing she wanted to be looking at was her boss’s fiancé’s parts no matter how hot he was because Kendra would
not
be happy.

Within minutes Wade was back in a t-shirt, jeans and boots. “Let’s go.”

As he drove her to her home, she quickly relayed what little Hunter said. When they reached her door, Wade put his hand on her arm. “You did good, Lacey. Now go inside, lock your door, and don’t leave until you hear from me, okay?”

She nodded then jumped out and let herself in. Quickly, she turned and locked the door. She hadn’t even thought to lock it while she ran to Kendra’s. That wasn’t very smart. She scanned the main area of her home. Luckily, nothing was amiss and she breathed a relieved sigh. She dropped her phone on the table and strolled into her bedroom to switch her flip-flops for her bunny slippers.

Returning to the kitchen, she pulled a cup out of the cupboard to pour herself some coffee.

She stepped toward the coffeemaker and froze at the napkin sitting next to it. A message was written in blue ink, the pen, one of her own, lay next to it.

IT WAS YOU.

She dropped the cup and it shattered on the tile floor. Backing up, she clasped both hands over her heart. Oh gosh, oh gosh. She shivered even as her body began to sweat. The thieves knew she’d seen them! Did one get away? Was Hunter hurt?

She had to tell Wade, Kendra, the sheriff’s department, everyone right away. Darn.

Cole, I wish you were here.

‡

A
t the sound
of his phone vibrating, Cole glanced at the clock. Shit, it was only five in the morning. It was his last day off before going back on shift and he’d been up half the night with Angel. He checked the number and quickly answered. “Yeah.”

“There’s been another break-in at the nudist resort and things are getting dicey.” Sean’s voice was loud against the quiet morning. “You want to meet me over there?”

His gut tensed as he sat up. “Sure.”

“Good. I’m heading over in about fifteen.”

“Got it.” Cole wished like hell he’d asked Lacey for her number. Was she okay? He could call the main number. She usually answered that, unless she was hurt. The thought had him jumping out of bed. What the fuck did “dicey” mean?

Anxious to see if Lacey was okay with his own eyes, he was dressed and in his truck in three minutes. He sped out of the driveway, hoping no police were on Carefree Highway and that his grandparents could figure out the note he left about Angel. He’d call as soon as he found out if Lacey was okay.

Ahead of him the sky was a pale pink, the sunrise still an hour away. Was Lacey even awake? Probably. She’d always been an early riser. He should have asked Sean what had happened, but he didn’t want to push him. He should tell the detective his real relationship with Lacey.

At the nondescript dirt road with no sign, he turned off Carefree Highway, gripping the wheel tighter. If someone had been hurt, Sean would have said something. He would have said there was an accident or a shooting or—“Fuck.”

Red and blue flashes of light peppered the desert landscape.

He pressed the gas pedal harder, sending up a cloud of dust to rival a haboob. He didn’t care. His gut twisted with worry and the only way to relieve it was to see Lacey. Finally reaching the sign for Poker Flat, he fishtailed as he took the left too fast.

At the three-walled garage, Cole turned in and parked. No other car was there, which meant Sean hadn’t arrived yet. Shit. Cole stepped out into the cool air and walked to the sheriff department car parked at the wooden boundary. No one was in it.

Looking across the ravine, he could see the lobby area was lit up. What had happened?

The sound of a vehicle coming down the road had him turning. Sean pulled into the garage in his unmarked car. Cole strode toward him, not willing to wait another minute.

As Sean exited his vehicle, Cole entered the covered area. “Is anyone hurt?”

Sean raised a brow. “Good morning to you too.”

Cole took a deep breath. “Sorry. You said it had become dicey. Is someone hurt?”

Sean shook his head. “Not yet.”

The momentary relief Cole experienced disappeared like a frightened gecko. “What do you mean?”

“Walk with me and I’ll explain. The owner is coming to pick us up. We might as well meet her at the barrier.”

He nodded, swallowing the curse he’d been about to utter.

As Sean explained what happened, Cole’s fear mingled with frustration until he couldn’t keep quiet. “Someone was in her home?”

“Yes. Not for long though. I’m hoping I can find out who it was from the other three when I interrogate them.”

Cole fisted his hands. “What about police protection? Will the sheriff’s office provide that?”

“I doubt it.” Sean pointed to a tan golf cart crossing the bridge over the stream. “Here she comes. The sheriff’s office doesn’t want to deal with this resort at all. Why do you think I was assigned to investigate the fire? They certainly aren’t going to see the note as a threat.”

“Not a threat?” His voice rose substantially and the detective looked at him shrewdly.

“I asked you to come as a professional courtesy and with the hope you might discover more from the staff. The firefighter is always the hero. But if you can’t keep your cool, you’re welcome to leave.”