Finding Amy (3 page)

Amy
stared at the tiny flakes falling outside. When she turned to face Carson, she found him watching her. Clearing her throat, she clasped her hands together and rested them on the table. “Are you new in Cody or just visiting?”

Carson smiled. “I’m in town on business.”

“Oh. What type of business?”

Carson s
at back against the seat, placing one arm on the back of the booth cushion. “I own a quarter horse ranch in East Texas and I’m always searching for new stock.”

“That sounds interesting. I’m not familiar with horses except to get on and ride. What
’s a quarter horse used for?”

Carson set his cup down and
leaned forward, moving his arms to the table. “Ranching mostly. Now and then you’ll get one that is a good candidate for racing. But they are few and far between.”

The waitre
ss brought their food and set the warm plates on the table. “Can I get you anything else?”

Carson looked across at Amy and she shook her head. “I believe we
’re good. Thank you,” he dismissed the waitress.

“How long have you been in Cody?” h
e asked before popping a fork full of omelet into his mouth.

The flutter of butterflies started a riot in her stomach.
Heat surged through her veins and into her neck and face. She prayed her face didn’t turn red again but knew it had. Her foot tapped softly under the table. She hadn’t anticipated that question. Placing her fork on the plate, Amy rested her elbows on the table and pressed her fingers into a steeple. “What makes you think I’m not from here?”

“You have a southern accent.”

Amy smiled. She should have thought of that. “I’ve been here for eight months. I’m not sure how I’m going to fare with this weather though. How long will you be in town?”

****

He might look at some other rancher’s stock while he’s here. That is, if he has time. His mission is to locate the women and child, high tail it back to Texas and get them into protective custody. Jamie would have to be convinced that her testimony against her estranged husband is essential to his conviction. He hadn’t had any trouble in the past convincing a witness to testify, hopefully he wouldn’t this time either.

“I can’t be sure.
If I can find what I’m looking for, it could be as soon as tomorrow. If not it might be a couple of weeks. What part of the south do you come from?”

Amy grinned
. She had a wonderful smile that traveled all the way up to her eyes. The light over the table made her auburn hair glisten. But her lips drew him in like a tornado. They were made for kissing and he wanted to crawl across the table and taste them. Carson shuffled in his seat, trying to adjust his tight Wranglers to accommodate his growing manhood. What in the hell is wrong with me? He sipped his coffee and tried to decide if the twinkle in her green eyes came from the overhead light or just a natural spark.

“I
grew up in Texas, and traveled around until I found Wyoming. I love it here in Cody,” Amy stated. “The people are wonderful. You can’t beat the scenery and the living is slow and easy, so I stayed and plan to plant roots.”

“
Are you guys done? I’ll take the dishes away if you are.”

Amy
shoved her half-empty plate to the edge of the table. “I’m finished.”

Carson shook his head and sipped his coffee. “What do you do when you’re not working at Cowboy Bills?”

Amy placed her napkin on the table. “I go to school.”

“Oh really?
What are you studying?”

“I
had been working on my masters in nursing when I decided to travel. Well, that and an unfaithful boyfriend who qualified as a borderline stalker.” Why was she telling him all this? What happened to being anonymous? She took a sip of water.

Carson
noticed the slight twitch in her left eye and trembling hands when she picked up the glass. He wondered which part had she lied about. She had been in hiding for eight months and had kept her secret from everyone. He hoped he didn’t have to deal with a jealous ex-boyfriend on top of getting two women and a child back to Texas.

“I can’t get my degree from the local
junior college but I can take a few courses toward that degree. Someday I’ll go back and finish,” Amy said, drawing his attention back to the present. “Tell me about your ranch. What else are quarter horses used for besides riding and ranching?”

Carson finished his omelet and poured a generous amount of
maple syrup on his pancakes. “We train them for ranchers, rodeo cowboys, barrel racing and general pleasure. Right now we have in the neighborhood of a two hundred head. I’m looking for breeder stock with good lines. Do you have family in Texas?”

Amy gasped and her face paled
. “My . . .my parents are there with my younger sister.”

“You
only have one sister?”

Amy twisted her paper napkin into tiny beads.
Her hands shook. Carson set his fork down and smiled at her. His eight years of training needed to kick in so his questions didn’t sound like an interrogation.

“I do have another sis
ter,” Amy said, leaving out any further explanation.

“
Does she live in Texas?”

The
waitress stepped up to the table, giving Amy an excuse to avoid his question. “You folks need anything else?”

After
Amy replied with a shake of her head, he said, “Just our bill.”

With the
bill paid, they left the restaurant to walk back to the bar.

The wind blew snowflakes wildly in all directions. The temperature had dropped
, causing the snow to form into icy slush everywhere people had walked. Amy stepped lightly to keep from losing her footing and slipped the coat’s hood over her head. Carson put his arm around her and pulled her close.

“My apartment is right around the corner. There’s no need for you to walk me home.”

“I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I didn’t.” Carson didn’t want their time together to end. He could talk to her all night. He needed to tell her the truth, but maybe not tonight. “What do you do for fun?”

Amy laughed
. “Fun. What’s that?”

“You know, when you’re not working. What do you do for entertainment?”

Amy shrugged her shoulders and wrapped her arms around her mid-section to ward off the cold. “I like to drive around Yellowstone. The lake is beautiful. Sometimes I drive up to Hebgen Lake in Montana and over to the dam. I love to see the wild animals running free and that lake is so clear and calm, it looks like glass.”

When they reached her building,
Carson’s lips tingled, both from the cold and the itch to kiss her. Fear held him back, afraid he would scare her. Amy leaned over and pressed her cold lips to his cheek. Just the encouragement he needed. Carson reached for her hands, guided them inside his jacket and around to his back. Her cold flesh pressed against his back, sending shivers up his spine. He pulled her close until only their clothes separated them. Wrapping his arms around her tiny waist, she lifted her head and he crushed her too him, devouring her lips. Her soft lips tasted of the honey she’d spread on her biscuit earlier. They quickly warmed under his tutelage to a soaring heat; as hot as a branding iron. A soft moan escaped from her, making Carson want to explore more. She returned his kiss with total abandonment, shattering his calm with her passionate hunger. He had to force himself to pull away. When he looked into her beautiful face, her moist lips begged for more. Just one kiss and she’d spiked his temperature to a dangerous level. Amy released her hold on his waist and Carson stepped back, tipped his hat and bid her goodnight.

Carson stopped before she reached the entrance.
“Will you meet me at Starbucks in the morning? I need to talk to you about something.”

Amy smiled. “
It’s already morning. Can’t you tell me now?”

Carson stepped back up on the sidewalk. “
If I told you now, I wouldn’t have an excuse to see you again. Besides, it would take too long and you need to get some sleep.” He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “Meet me. Please.”

Amy nodded. Carson
leaned over, kissed her cheek and turned toward the bar where he left his truck.

****

Amy’s lips tingled when she climbed the stairs to her apartment. Her head felt like it floated above her and didn’t connect to the body. Guess that’s what if feels like to be light headed, she thought. Her labored breathing must have come from the cold weather. When she reached her apartment, she leaned her forehead against the door to steady the nerves and try to clear her head of the man. The door squeaked open. Startled, Amy stepped back dug in her purse for mace. She pressed a palm on the door, held the can out in front and shoved the door open. In her haste to leave this evening, had she forgotten to close and lock the door? She didn’t think so. Reaching around the corner, she flipped the switch and light filled the room. An eerie chill ran the length of her spine and a scream rose in her throat. Amy covered her mouth with her hand. Someone had ransacked her apartment.

Chapter 3

A light appeared in the third floor window and
Carson turned toward the bar, confident of her safety for the evening. Why had he kissed her? He hadn’t planned for that. When she looked up at him and moistened her lips with her tongue, he couldn’t resist. Her body had trembled against his and he had to force himself away or he would’ve taken her in his arms and succumbed to the craving she triggered in him. These new emotions were confusing and causing his thoughts to wander. He’d never been affected like this before. Mixing pleasure with business would be difficult to avoid. He had to remember the main objective.

Slipping his key
card into the lock of his room, Carson turned the light on and carefully placed his Stetson upside down on the dresser. The red light flashed on the phone beside the bed. The only two people who knew how to get in touch with him would have called his cell phone. Picking up the receiver, he dialed zero.

“Front desk,
” a woman answered.

“Do you have a message for me?”

“Yes. It’s from Mr. Rex Garrett. He would appreciate a return call as soon as possible. The number—,”

“I have the number, thanks. What
time did he call?” Carson glanced at the clock next to the phone. Three in the morning. He pulled his cell phone out of his jacket pocket. There were two messages from Rex. Carson had turned his phone off when he’d gone to the bar. It must be something important if his brother felt it necessary to leave three messages.

“The call came in at ten-twenty.”

Carson thanked the clerk and hung up. He punched in the number, put his cell on the speaker, and laid it on the dresser. While he waited for an answer he stripped off his shirt, shed his boots and slid his Wrangler’s to the floor. He pitched his clothes over the chair next to his bed. When Rex didn’t answer, Carson hung up and crawled under the covers. Rex would call again if he had an emergency. Right now, all Carson wanted to do is sleep.

****

Amy rushed down stairs to the lobby and coward in a corner. If the circumstances were different, she would contact the police. Glancing down at the cell phone in her shaking hand, she weighed her options. If she called the police, they would ask a lot of questions she didn’t want to answer. Amy stepped out of the shadow and peeped around the corner at the front door. Whoever broke into her apartment could still be out there, watching her. If she called the police, it might put Jamie and Trish in danger. She might have to reveal their location. Her heart pounded in her ears. What should she do? Standing with her back pressed against the wall, Amy dialed the only person in Cody she could trust and then retreated back into a dark corner of the lobby to wait.

At this time of the m
orning, the empty lobby gave Amy chills. Every time a car passed, lights reflected through the glass in the front door and made eerie images on the walls, causing her to jump and send her imagination soaring.

Amy
glanced around the corner when she heard a diesel motor. Stan’s red Dodge Ram pulled up to the curb and Bess stepped down. Amy rushed out of the lobby and threw herself into the older woman’s arms. Her voice shaking and close to tears, she blurted out, “I didn’t go inside after I turned the light on. I don’t have anything that anyone would want. Just that used television I bought at the pawn shop and it’s not worth much. Why would someone break into my apartment?”

“
Have you called the police?” Stan pulled out his cell phone. “I’ll place the call so you can file a report.”

“No!” Amy yelled and reached for phone. “I don’t want the police involved.”

Stan and Bess, startled by her outburst, stared at Amy.

Amy withdrew her hand and cleared her throat. “Reports can be traced. I can’t take a chance on being found.”

Stan’s brow drew together and Bess wrapped her arm around Amy’s shoulder. He put the cell away, drew his gun from a coat pocket, entered the front door and climbed the stairs.