Clowns and Cowboys (A Miranda and Parker Mystery Book 3) (2 page)

Still she cleared her throat to draw his attention. “Got a minute?”

He turned his gaze toward her, fixed her with those wonderful, sexy eyes. “I always have time for you, my love.” His voice was low and throaty and laced with that wealthy, sophisticated southern accent that was unique to him.

Enough to make any woman drool.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

His expression grew serious. “Of course.”

She took a seat in one of the cushy pale blue guest chairs and tapped a pen on her notepad. How was she going to say this?

Carefully, she decided.

“I, uh, just got a call from a friend.”

His brow wrinkled and he suppressed a wince. Facial movements still hurt. “A friend?”

“Someone I knew a bunch of years ago. We used to work together.” No need to tell him any more than that. Still she could see the curiosity on his face. She’d always told him she had no friends before she came to Atlanta. That was basically true.

“What did your friend want?”

She shifted her weight in her chair. “There’s been a murder. The local cops think it was natural causes.”

“And it wasn’t?”

“My friend thinks somebody killed this guy.”

Parker sat back in his chair. “I see.”

“And so, we’ve got another case.” She gave him a pert grin.

Parker put a finger against the lip that was no longer swollen and studied his wife. Her dark hair was full and wild as usual, and he couldn’t keep from imagining the feel of it in his hands.

It had been too long since he had been able to make love to her.

She had on a lightweight tweed ensemble in one of the dark shades she preferred, with form-fitting slacks and a belted jacket that hugged her narrow waist. He eyed her lean, fit body, now almost fully recovered from injuries she’d suffered several months ago. Desire grew inside him as he watched her cross her legs this way and that.

Her anxiety, whatever its cause, amused him. She wasn’t the anxious type. He knew her. Even better now. When he looked at Miranda Steele he saw even more of what he’d always seen in her. Unstoppable strength, raw determination, amazing courage. She’d saved his life with those qualities.

It pleased him that she wore his mother’s sapphire-and-diamond ring along with its match. Her wedding ring. Though she refused to wear it on assignments for fear of losing it. It pleased him, too, that she worried about losing it.

And this past week, after his own injuries, she’d been taking care of him, mothering him, showing more of a domestic side than he knew she possessed.

He wanted her now, just as he had at so many other impractical times. He loved her with all his being. But he also saw she put her pen behind her ear and twist her rings around her finger. A gesture that told him she was hiding something. It wasn’t difficult to deduce what it was.

“What’s your friend’s name?” he said as if making idle conversation.

Miranda pursed her lips back and forth and looked down at her hands. She stopped twisting her rings and pulled her pen from behind her ear. Why had she thought for even a minute she could keep this from Parker? He’d seen right through her.

“Sam,” she told him.

“Sam is short for Samantha, I presume?” There was so much snide irony in his tone, the air was instantly thick with it.

Miranda rolled her eyes. “Okay, smartie. It’s a guy.”

His brows rose. “Oh, really?”

What an actor. He’d known that as soon as she mentioned him. She caved. “His name’s Sam Keegan. Like I said, we worked together back in Phoenix some years ago. He wants my help. There’s been a murder.”

Idly Parker opened a folder on his desk, scanned its contents. “Has he been arrested?” Another snide remark, since she’d just told him the police thought the guy died from natural causes.

“No…the vic was Sam’s best friend. His name was...” She consulted her notes. “Tupper Magnuson. He was a clown.”

Eyes still on the folder Parker frowned. “Not a very respectful way to speak of the dead.”

“No. A real clown. You know, white face, floppy shoes? Sam’s in the circus now.”

He closed the file and looked up at her. “Interesting. Where?”

“Texas. East side of Dallas.” Not her favorite place in the world, but that didn’t matter. She waved her notepad. “I’ve got to go help him, Parker. He’s an old pal.”

Parker leaned back in his chair and rocked a bit, his sexy gray eyes narrowing into analytical mode. “Why did he call you?”

She let out a scoff. “He saw me on TV when we were in Vegas.”

“Did he?”

Was that so hard to believe? “Maybe he thinks I’m a damn good detective.”

“I know you’re a damn good detective. But are you sure that’s what he really wants?”

She’d known she was going to have trouble, but she didn’t think he’d take this angle. “What are you saying? You think he made the case up? Why would he do that?”

“Any number of reasons. How long has it been since you saw him?”

“About ten years.”

“And have you heard from him at all during the intervening time?”

She shook her head.

He nodded as if he’d won an argument. “Have you done a background check on him?”

“A background check?” she sputtered as she shot to her feet.

“It’s not unusual to run one on a potential client you barely know.”

She tromped to the window and stuffed her hands under her arms. She hated to admit it, but Parker had a point. She did hardly know Sam any more, no matter how sharp her memory of him was.

He was a wild guy when they’d worked together. A real risk-taker. And a drifter like she’d been. Sounded like he still was. This could be…some kind of ruse. Hell, if his friend was murdered, he might be the killer and he might just want her to find a way to get him off when the police figured it out. No, that wasn’t Sam.

Still, a background check might not be a bad idea.

Calmer now, she turned around to face her husband. “Okay. I’ll run him. And if he checks out, I’ll go to Texas.”

Now it was Parker’s turn to jump to his feet, though there was a grimace of pain on his handsome face as well as a good splash of shock. She saw him almost grab his side. Those bruised ribs of his were a bitch.

“You? As in alone?”

“Of course.” She waved her notebook at him. “You can’t go. You’re still convalescing. I’ll take some vacation time. Do it on my own time. Pro bono, if I have to.” Sam probably couldn’t afford a third of their hefty fee.

Parker let out a dark, wry laugh. “This venture is a partnership, Miranda.”

“Right, like our marriage. We take care of each other, watch each other’s back. And if one of us isn’t up to a job, the other fills in and takes up the slack.” She stepped to him, about to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

Before she could, he grabbed her arms and held her in a firm grip. “We’re Parker and Steele Consulting. Either we both go or neither of us does.” His eyes flashed cold.

She’d seen him angry plenty of times, but she’d never seen quite that hard steel look in them before. She met his gaze and wrestled with the anger rupturing inside her.

Now she had to choose between helping Sam and risking Parker getting reinjured? What did he think he was doing? Why was he making this so hard? Or didn’t he think she could handle a case by herself? That thought infuriated her even more.

She considered having it out with him right here in his office during business hours. But that would only make it worse. And waste time. Instead, she decided to make a deal.

She pulled out of his grip. “Okay, Parker. If you want to put your health at risk, I can’t stop you. So how about this? We go, but if I think you’re overdoing it, you have to go back to the hotel and rest.”

He drew in a slow breath, his expression softening. “And if I refuse to go?”

With a smug grin, she shrugged. “You can’t refuse. It’s my turn to be in charge.”

His eyes almost twinkled as a corner of his lip turned up just a bit. “We’ll see.” He settled back into his chair, pretending not to feel any pain.

He played with the folder again, picked up a pen, put it back down. He’d almost succeeded in making her scream with frustration when at last he nodded slowly. “Very well, Miranda. We’ll both go to Dallas.”

She let out a breath. “You won’t be sorry. Sam’s a good guy.”

“I’m sure he’s a fine, upstanding citizen.” He turned back to face the computer screen. “And since you’re in charge, you can book the reservations.”

That made her blink. “Oh, really?”

Now he gave her a full smile. A smile dripping with quiet victory. “After you get me the results of that background check.”

It took the rest of the afternoon to get the background results, and when Sam’s record came out clean, Miranda had to work with Gen to book the hotel and plane tickets.

What a joy that was.

Parker’s daughter had softened a lot toward her after everything they’d all been through, but working with Gen was still about as much fun as pouring acid over your own head.

And Parker wasn’t impressed at all with Sam’s background.

It was a lot like hers had been when she first met Parker. Bouncing around from job to job, a night in jail here and there after a bar fight. Like her, he was the antsy, restless type. He’d joined Under the Big Top, Inc. three years ago, and the travels of his new employer now satisfied his wanderlust, she supposed, so there’d been a semblance of stability since then.

But a deal was a deal, so they went home, had some dinner, and Parker reluctantly packed a suitcase before they headed off to the airport.

###

The flight was non-stop, a little over two hours. Plus they lost an hour with the time change, so they landed in Dallas Fort Worth International just before 11 PM.

Miranda had tried to catch some shuteye on the plane, but it hadn’t worked out. Her mind had been too consumed with how to keep Parker from overdoing it and how to keep him from finding out…well, that didn’t really matter now. Did it?

As they stepped off the ramp and into the boarding area, Miranda thought Parker looked weary. They’d get a good night’s sleep at the hotel and get started on the investigation in the morning, she decided.

About to tell him the plan, she took a step toward the exit—and stopped dead in her tracks.

Her gaze swept over the form leaning casually against the short wall separating the waiting area from the corridor.

Thick blond waves under a mocha colored Stetson. Rugged blue work shirt, rolled up at the sleeves. Worn jeans tight enough to reveal equally rugged muscles. Cowboy boots and a pair of teasing, forest green eyes. He looked good. Aged a bit, but so had she.

Those eyes drank her in, one lip turned up in the smile of a genuine flirt. “Hey, babe,” he crooned in that familiar southwestern accent.

Miranda didn’t know what to think. She’d left him a text message saying when they were coming and the flight number but she hadn’t expected him to be here.

She sauntered over to him. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t ole Yosemite Sam.”

“If it isn’t ole Kick-Ass Steele.” Before she could stop him, he took her in his arms, spun her around, and planted a kiss on her lips that took her breath.

Mostly because it was so unexpected.

“Put me down before I have to kick
your
ass,” she laughed.

“Yes, ma’am.” He did so, took off his cowboy hat and made a low bow as he tucked the Stetson under his arm.

He might have recently joined the circus, but he’d always been a performer.

Miranda glanced back at Parker.

He stood quietly observing in investigator mode, a look of strained amusement on his face. He was trying to seem pleasant and unperturbed, but she could tell he wasn’t happy at all with this greeting.

She pretended to straighten her hair. “Uh, Sam. This is Wade Parker. He’s my partner.”

“Partner?” Sam said in his lazy drawl.

“We consult together. We’ll both be working your case.” They’d made a deal not to tell clients they were a married couple and she didn’t intend to change that now. She was an investigator in her own right and didn’t need to ride on Parker’s coattails.

“I didn’t realize I was getting a two-for-one deal.” Sam chuckled.

“He’s also my boss. Owns the agency where I work.”

“I’m impressed.” Sam stretched out a hand. “Glad to meet you, Mr. Parker.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Parker said in a rich, aristocratic southeastern tone that perfectly hid his sarcasm from anyone but Miranda’s ears. “I hope we’ll be able to bring you some resolution very soon.”

Yeah, the sooner the better as far as Parker was concerned, she thought as she watched the men eye each other like two bulls at a rodeo sizing up the competition.

“Well,” Sam grinned. “I’m your ride. Had to park in the back forty, so it’ll be a ways.”

Parker shot her a quick
didn’t-you-book-a-rental-car?
look.

She shrugged in reply. “Can’t turn down the local hospitality, can we?”

“Of course not.” Parker forced another smile for Sam. “Then we’d better get going.”

Back forty was right.

Before they got outside they had to plod through what seemed like acres of shiny corridors filled with ads, signs welcoming them to the Lone Star State, and souvenir shops flaunting embossed leather boots and western ties and cattle figurines. Then they had to take a shuttle to the far parking lot.

By the time they reached Sam’s vehicle, which turned out to be a beat-up, cherry red pickup truck with a rusty grill, Miranda was worried about Parker’s condition. But she thought it would only make things worse if she said anything in front of their new client.

After Sam put the luggage in the back of the bed, the three of them piled into the front seat with Miranda in the middle.

Sam took off and they bumped along TX-161, enduring the pickup’s poor shocks. The brightly lit, steel-and-glass city loomed ahead of them, while miles of prairie stretched into the night on either side.

Along with decent shocks, the truck lacked an A/C so they had to ride with the windows down. The country air blowing through her hair brought back memories. As Miranda recalled, Texas was a lot like Atlanta. Only bigger, flatter, hotter, and more permeated with the scent of cow.