Evidence of Trust (14 page)

Joel had entered the barn and Casey gave a dismissive wave toward the office. “I’ll be right there.”

When he turned back to her, Britt set her camera bag outside the stall before pulling the saddle from Paelo’s back.

“Anything worth shooting up there?”

Really?
She shoved the saddle into his arms, eyebrows raised as she jerked her own pointed glance toward the open office door Joel had just passed through. He would read so much more into that specifically worded question than Casey could imagine.

His answering shrug said he knew and didn’t care.

Bet he’d care if he knew what they’d found.

He held out his hand for the bridle and she passed it over. To get rid of the disturbing image of the bighorn sheep, she told Casey, “We saw a cougar.”

His brown eyes went wide. “No way.”

“Yes.”

“Oh, man, tell me you got some of that.”

She nodded. “Wait until you see the pictures. It was awesome.”

Joel appeared in the doorway. His frowning head shake wiped her grin away, and she quickly grabbed a brush. “But I can finish telling you this later. Joel’s waiting.”

“All right. And hey, Jayne and Gina are at the bar, come join us when you’re done.” He left her saddle in the tack room, then swung the door closed as he entered the office. The latch didn’t catch all the way and she easily heard his brusque, “What can I do for you, Morgan?”

“For starters, someone needs to make sure Brittany starts listening to my instructions.”

“I vote you,” Casey quipped.

Her hand froze mid-stroke against Paelo’s ebony hide.

“This isn’t a game,” Joel snapped. “Poachers aside, we’re damn lucky that cougar didn’t attack. She seems to make a habit of going off by herself, and it’s not safe right now.”

She quietly latched the stall and moved closer to the door as Casey spoke again.

“I’ll remind her, but as you’ve figured out, she’s got a mind of her own. Was that it?”

“Not quite.” Irritation colored the ranger’s voice. “How’d you know about that meadow up there?”

“The one above camp? Britt and I found it one summer when we went for a hike. Four years ago, I think.”

“Who else knows about it?”

“I have no idea. I wouldn’t think many do other than the rangers, and the chopper pilots. That area of the park has limited public access and it's not marked on the hiker's map. I’ve taken my wife up there a time or two, but other than that we don’t advertize it or take guests up there.”

“Let’s keep it that way.”

“Sure.”

After a pause, she heard Joel ask, “And you haven’t been up there in the past week?”

The question was casual, but she knew Casey would connect the dots pretty quick. “If I had, Mark wouldn’t have sent Britt and Mitch, would he?”

“You got a time card or something I can verify?”

Silence, a rustling of paper, and then a loud bang that made her jump.

“Let me tell you, Morgan, I grew up here and I resent your implication that I’m involved in something that’s destroying part of our national park. My home. I thought you were just trying to scare me with your little threat the other night, but suddenly I realize you’re serious.”

“Of course I’m serious. It’s my job.”

“No, it’s
mine
,” Casey ground out. “I applied for an opening in the park just before you came. Ryan told me the job was mine, but then you showed up and suddenly the position is filled and they don’t have money in the budget for a full time ranger
and
a hot shot investigator.”

“I’m only here temporarily.”

“Believe me, you wouldn’t find anyone happier than me if you caught the bastard tomorrow and left the next day.”

“Good to know.”

The lowered intensity of Joel’s voice appeared to signal an end to their mutual hostility. Britt realized how intently she was eavesdropping and returned to the stall to finish taking care of her horse.

During the next ten minutes, occasional laughter interrupted the low drone of male voices from the office. Just like that and they’re friends? Wow, talk about a slap in the face. Her jaw clenched tight as she stepped into the aisle, swung the door closed and rammed the bolt home.

The scrape of a chair reached her ears, then the office door swung open on Casey’s invitation for Joel to join them for a drink.

She stooped for her camera bag as he replied, “I can stay for one beer.”

Her heart thudded and a tingle surged through her nerve ends. Damn it. Where the hell was the line when she needed it?

“All done?” Casey asked as he flipped off the office light.

“Yes. But I’m pretty tired, so I think I’m going to pass on the bar tonight. Tell the girls I’ll see them tomorrow.”

“Aw, come on, it’s still early.”

She shook her head with an apologetic smile as they stepped outside. While he locked up, she removed the SD card from her camera and extended it to Joel without meeting his gaze. “Here. I’ll stop by the station to pick this up tomorrow.”

Casey gave him a light slap on the back as he walked past. “I'll see you over there.”

She tracked his progress with a narrowed gaze, then shifted her attention back to Joel, who hadn’t taken the card yet. The overhead light cast his face in shadow. Dark stubble on his jaw added to the effect, making it hard to gauge his mood as he stood next to where Nobel waited patiently at the hitching rail.

She waggled her hand impatiently. “You want the pictures or not?”

He finally reached for the little card and his fingers brushed hers, supercharging the tingle of anticipation lingering throughout her body.

Pulling her hand away, she funneled her frustration into her words. “I don’t appreciate you telling Casey to babysit me.”

“You heard that.”

“Of course I heard that. I heard you the first time up at camp, so what’s the point of saying something to him?”

“Because, while you hear what I say, you don’t seem to listen very well.” He slipped the media card into the front pocket of his faded jeans. “I highly suggest you
listen
to this: either you follow my rules, or I’ll revoke Highland’s riding access.”

After what she’d seen, she had no intentions of camping alone until the guy was caught, but his threat caught her off guard. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me.”

“That’s blackmail.”

His gaze held steady on hers. “Whatever it takes.”

“Why do you even care? It’s not like we’re friends.” Oh, God, why couldn’t she just keep her mouth shut?

“My duty is not only to protect the animals in the park, but people as well.”

So, she was nothing but duty. Great. At least
he
had no trouble locating the stupid little imaginary line. She swallowed past the lump forming in her throat and tried to come up with a reply to show she didn’t give a damn how he categorized her.

Something shifted in his eyes. Light seemed to collect in the gold flecks around his irises. They softened—no,
heated
.

He took a step closer. “You really want to know why we can’t be friends, Brittany?”

She wanted to say no, but her voice wouldn’t work. Wanted to back up, but her feet wouldn’t move. His voice had lowered to a sensual, mesmerizing pitch that held her rooted to the spot while he closed the remaining distance between them.

“You are frustrating as all hell and drive me nuts.”

Nothing like the truth to break the spell. Now she could move. Except when she took a step backward, the hitching rail brought her up short. Next thing she knew, Joel had braced a hand on either side of her, caging her in the circle of his arms.

“You don’t like me. Fine, I get it.”

“Do you?” he asked softly. “Really?”

She thought she did—until he leaned in as if he was going to kiss her.

“Yes,” she said quickly, wishing her voice hadn’t come out so breathless. As if she wanted his mouth on hers. She raised her hands between them, but hesitated to press her palms against the soft cotton covering his muscled chest. “The feeling’s mutual, by the way. And I don’t want to be friends anymore, anyway.”

The barest hint of a smile curved his lips. “Good.”

Then he brought his hands to her face, threaded his fingers in her hair, and tilted her head for a full-on, passion-infused kiss that scrambled her brain and left her aching for all of him. Confusion was incinerated by desire and any thought of resisting went up in smoke.

She wound her arms around his neck, reveling in the hot glide of his tongue against hers. He lowered one arm to slip beneath her unzipped jacket and drew her tight against the hard length of his body. Even with the layers of clothing between them, his heat warmed her to the core. He smelled like the mountains, and tasted better than her favorite chocolate dessert. Yes, kissing him was definitely better than dessert.

Their labored breath sounded extraordinarily loud in the quiet night, joined only by the soft nicker of a horse directly to her left.
Nobel.
Joel pulled back just enough to lean his forehead against hers, one hand still cupping the back of her neck. She opened her eyes to see his were still closed.

“Maybe that wasn’t such a good idea,” he whispered.

For a moment, they simply breathed. Quick, shallow breaths barely filled her oxygen-starved lungs. Her inhale matched his exhale, moving their bodies together as one as she contemplated his statement. His grip tightened on her neck and he dipped down for one last, too-brief taste. This time, when he pulled away, she lost the heat of his entire body.

All he said before he swung into the saddle was, “Tell Fuller I changed my mind.”

Britt raised a hand to her throbbing lips as he rode off into the night.

Good God that man could kiss. He made her forget everything except what she felt at the exact moment his mouth was on hers.

Unfortunately, he was right—it hadn’t been a good idea at all. Because like each of his kisses, all it did was leave her wanting another.

She took a couple deep breaths, willing her pulse to return to normal. Two steps toward the parking lot, she remembered her camera. When she turned around to search for the bag, she saw the glow of a cigarette in the dark, near the side of the barn.

Her stride faltered. Her heart lodged in her throat. A picture of the dead, bloody sheep flashed in her head. “W-who’s there?”

The cigarette arched through the air to land on the ground. A booted foot distinguished the glowing ember before Kelly Stevens stepped into the meager light cast from the bulb outside the barn door behind her. Her apprehension did not ease at the sight of his tall form.

“What are you doing here?”

He bent to snag the strap of her camera bag from the ground. “Saw you ride in earlier, that’s all.”

Meaning he’d been standing there the whole time. Listening. Watching.

When she realized he’d seen Joel kiss her, her stomach flipped over, until she reminded herself she owed him no explanation.

Lifting her chin, she forced herself to step forward to take the bag from his outstretched hand. Then she walked backward as she said, “I’d suggest you pick up your garbage, you know Mark doesn’t allow smoking by the barns.”

She waited only long enough to see him pick up his cigarette butt, then swung around and didn’t slow her stride until she reached her truck. Kelly Stevens seriously gave her the creeps.

Chapter 17

Joel sat in his office and tried not to watch the clock. Tried not to look up every time he heard the outer door open. It was a Sunday, for crissakes. He should have taken the day off, not spent the whole day sitting at the station, waiting for her to show up.

Thinking about that kiss.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea
was the frickin’ understatement of his life.

The taste and feel of Brittany in his arms had kept him up half the night. He’d finally fallen asleep about three, only to wake up from the most vivid dream, aching and hard as if he were still a teenager anticipating losing his virginity.

Now he sat there imagining he could smell the faint scent of apples while he snooped through the photos on her SD card. He needed to get her out of his head, not study pictures that had absolutely nothing to do with his case. With effort, he turned his attention to the investigation files in front of him.

Based on the time cards and schedules, there had been no rangers in the area of Highlands’ camp anytime during the past week. He debated reassigning a couple patrols to cover the area, hoping at some point any one of them would catch a lucky break that would help his case. Studying the topographical map of the entire park and the surrounding national forests hanging behind his desk, he sighed while running a hand through his hair.

There was a lot of land and not nearly enough men to cover it all. As Casey had pointed out, the budget didn’t allow for extra rangers, and the ones they had were already pulling double duty. As he assessed how to rearrange the patrols, Casey’s other comment echoed in his head, about rangers and chopper pilots probably being the few people who might know about the alpine meadow. He didn’t want to consider the killer could be a fellow ranger, but it wouldn’t be the first time.