Truth and Dare (14 page)

“All these years that man has given me such a hard time about everything,” his grandmother said vehemently. “He was the first one to start the rumors in town about your father and he supported my opponents every time I ran for mayor. I thought he just didn’t like women. I thought I was a better woman than this, but I hope he suffers like hell.”

The other cousins, the ones who lived in Phosphor and those still in town for the festival, were outraged, accident or not. Cade calmed them down.

“Patience and the sheriff have built a strong case against Harold and with his confession, there’s no question he’ll get what he deserves,” Cade told them.

“That girl deserves a medal,” GG said. “Solved a twenty-year-old case in less than a week.”

Patience wouldn’t want any medal. Honestly she felt as though she’d stumbled through the whole thing. If Harold hadn’t made the mistake of driving out to the grave site… Her detective friend, Shannon, had told her half of what they did was sheer dumb luck of being in the right place at the right time. Patience believed her now.

Packing was next on her list. As much as she didn’t want to leave town or Cade, she needed to get back to Austin and process the evidence she’d found. Since she was an expert in this area, the sheriff and district attorney agreed that she should do any testing.

Gathering her clothes from the closet, she carefully folded everything and placed it in her suitcase.

The last week had been a wild ride and she remembered again why she enjoyed the calm confines of her lab. But would she be happy going back to that?

Yes. The unfamiliar emotions she’d experienced the last few days had shaken her to her core. Still, she’d survived and solved the case.

Admittedly, leaving Cade would tear her heart out. In some ways he already had.

Her logical side said they’d latched onto one another so intensely because they’d shared the same sort of tragedy. She had lost Jeremy, and Cade, his father. She had been out of sorts with her first time detecting, and he had been recovering from the shock of discovering his father had been murdered. It was no wonder they had reached out to each other for comfort, but that was all it was.

That’s why she needed to make the break as quickly as possible. It was the best thing for both of them.

Sighing, she stood and snapped her small suitcase closed. She had to stop by and give Andy and Celia the check for the antiques she’d bought at the festival before she returned to Austin. Downstairs she was almost glad the family had gone their separate ways so she could tell Cade goodbye.

Truthfully, she didn’t want to go through all the questions they might have about why she was leaving so abruptly. She had grown to love the Randall family the past few days, but they were a nosey bunch, in the very best sense. Besides, she would have enough to explain once she found Cade.

Never one for small towns, she’d grown to enjoy Phosphor during her short stay. With a few exceptions, the people were friendly and they certainly cared for and looked after one another. It was commendable and not something you found everywhere.

Yes, Phosphor was different from any other place she’d been—and she’d been all over the world.

A quick glance out the window revealed it was dusk and the place was already filled with fireflies. The tiny insects did look like fairies flying here and there. Instantly she recalled her night under the waterfall with Cade. That had to be one of the most intimate moments of her life, and one she would treasure long after they parted.

She sighed again. She’d never connected to anyone like she had Cade, and she wondered what it would be like to date in Austin, away from the cocoon of Phosphor. Would they have the time? Cade was preoccupied with the follow-up to his company’s merger, meanwhile, Stonegate was never short of cases. She could work morning till midnight, but was that the life she wanted?

Maybe she was just scared?

What if their magic simply didn’t last? Wouldn’t they both be worse off than if they ended it now?

Stop being silly, and grow up. It was a fling, and now it’s back to the real world
.

“Where are you going?”

Cade stared down at her suitcase.

“I told you. I have to process those samples I took from the site.” Cade frowned.

“It’s Saturday night. No one else is working. And the sheriff has his confession.”

She shrugged. “Cade, this isn’t my only case. I have to get back to my lab. Certainly it won’t hurt for the sheriff to have his evidence as soon as possible.”

“But you don’t have to do it tonight. It’s late and you shouldn’t be out on country roads in the dark.”

She rolled her eyes.

Why can’t he understand that it’s better if we just get this over with now?

Cade reached for her. “Give me one more night, please. I care for you and I’m not ready for you to go.”

She smiled at him. “It’s been so good here with you, but it’s over. What we had here wasn’t real.”

Cade bent his head and kissed her, the kind that set fire from her heart to her toes and left her breathless when he stopped.

“Doesn’t get any more real than that, Patience. Do you think when we get back to Austin that this is going to be over? I care about you. Let’s find out if we could have a future together.”

Patience stepped back. “It’s all too fast, Cade. I need time and so do you. I’m glad we were both here for one another, but we knew going in this was temporary.”

“No, I didn’t know that.” His eyes narrowed. “Stay tonight and let me show you what we have.”

Patience placed a hand against his heart. “We’re two people who came together at a difficult time and survived it. Like I said, Cade, what you’re feeling isn’t real.”

“The hell it isn’t,” Cade said. “I may not have been in a lot of relationships, but I know this is different. Trust me, Patience.”

Deep in her soul she wondered if his words were true. “You might be right, but I’m not ready for whatever this is. I don’t do this.” She waved a hand toward him. “I don’t do relationships. Any kind. Someone always gets hurt in the end.”

“Patience, you’ve helped me to see that there’s so much more when you can forgive yourself and others. I thought I’d helped you do the same. Are you saying you don’t have feelings for me?”

Frustrated, Patience walked away from him. “Of course I do. You’re right. What we have is different, but I can’t know that for sure unless you give me the time to figure it out. You’re pushing so hard, Cade, and as much I want to go with you on whatever ride this is, for my own sanity I have to step back.”

Cade faced her. “You can step back as much as you want, I’m not going anywhere.”

Patience released a long breath and gathered her thoughts. “I can see why you’ve been so successful in your business enterprises. Like I said before—”

He held up a hand.

“Yes. Okay. For the record we only met two weeks ago, and I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind since. I’m a man who’s found the love of his life and he’s worried she’ll try to slip away.”

“You can’t love me. That’s something that grows as you get to know someone. Maybe lust, Cade, but what you feel isn’t love.”

He smiled at her. “And you’re basing this on your experience with past relationships? Maybe you don’t love me, but I most certainly love you.”

“That’s what’s scaring me. I just need—”

Her words were cut off with a kiss, one that seared her soul. Her eyes closed at the initial contact but she opened them to find him watching her as he kissed her. There was so much passion and love in those beautiful eyes of his.

This man loved her.

When he lifted his head, he smiled. “You almost said you needed me.”

“You make me feel so— I don’t know what I’m saying.”

“That’s it. I make you
feel.
You’ve spent so long closing yourself off to everyone around you that you’ve forgotten what it’s like to feel. You’re right. Love is something that grows. I—”

“Cade—”

He put his fingers to her lips. “For now, it’s the last night of the festival, come and play with me. I dare you. Give me this one night, and then I’ll give you the space you think you need.” He kissed her again and this time when their bodies touched she knew she had lost the argument.

“Fine,” she whispered against his lips. “But I leave first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Got it.” He smiled.

“With one condition.”

He leaned back from her. “What?”

She tugged him toward the stairs.

“Oh.” He followed her. “That’s one condition I don’t mind at all.”

“This is so much fun.” She stuck her right hand out to show off her fake ring. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve been on a Ferris wheel. I had to be ten, at the most.”

“It’s been a while for me, too.” Cade kissed the top of her head. He struggled to believe she wanted to make a clean break.

Cade was worried, he’d never felt like this about a woman. He knew she was skittish and that commitment wasn’t something that came easy for her. Hell, attachments period were difficult for her.

He was also certain that had a great deal to do with her brother’s disappearance. She was afraid to care too much for someone. That was something he understood. Finding out the truth about his father had changed his life, and he wished he could return the favor. More than once this evening he’d thought about hiring the SIA to find out what had happened to her brother, but he knew her well enough to understand she’d feel betrayed if he went behind her back. The issue with her brother was something she had to come to terms with on her own.

They made another revolution to the top of the Ferris wheel. He wondered if this was the right time, but decided to hell with it. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the fairy necklace he’d bought for her the other night. “I want to give you something, so you’ll remember our time together,” he whispered.

She tilted her face up toward him. “Cade, I have my bear and my fancy ring, and trust me I’m never going to forget.”

He held out the necklace. “I won’t forget, either, but I saw this and it reminded me of you.” He pushed up her hair and placed it around her neck.

She picked up the tiny fairy and smiled. “It’s beautiful. I love it. But you didn’t have to do this.”

“I want you to take a little piece of Phosphor and me home with you.”

She kissed him then, to a chorus of wolf whistles and “Get a room,” from the fairgoers below.

Her phone rang interrupting their bliss.

She checked the number, and then put the phone to her ear. “Mar, what’s up. Yep, I sent you the report. Oh, my phone doesn’t have the best service here. I didn’t see his calls on my voice mail. What? When?” Patience glanced at her watch. “I need two hours to get to my apartment and then another hour to pack and get to the airport. Where was it in Italy? Ah, yes. I know it well. I didn’t realize that’s where he was. Yeah, I’ll meet you at the airport.”

They’d reached the bottom of the ride and the door swung open so they could get out. “Cade, I’ve got to go now. I’m sorry.”

“Go where, Italy?”

She nodded. “I can’t tell you the details, though believe me I want to, but the case involves my dad and a dig he’s working on. I’ve got to get there as fast as possible.”

She was leaving him, but she needed help, and he had a way to do that.

“Call your friend back and tell her to cancel the flights. Let her know you’ll meet her at hangar eleven.”

“Cade, I don’t have time—”

“I’m sending you on my private jet. It’s not the company’s. It’s mine. My pilot is always on standby.”

They’d left the fairgrounds and reached his truck. He helped her in.

“That’s too much. I can’t let you do this.”

“Patience, you just solved my father’s murder. Helped me know how much he loved me. There’s no price on that. Besides, if you take commercial flights, that’s going to cost you more time. My plane stops for twenty minutes in Atlanta, and you’ll be on your way.”

“Cade, this is crazy.”

“Patience, call your friend. Better yet, dial the number and give me the phone. I’ll do that while you finish packing. Then I’ll take you to the airport.”

They arrived at the B and B.

“I have my car. I can’t just leave it here.”

“I’ll have Logan drive it back to Austin. We drove down together. So it’s no big deal.” He held up a hand. “Please, let me take care of you. You’ve been taking care of me the past few days. I want to do these things for you.”

She stared at him for a moment then reached into her purse. “I hope Logan will fit in my SUV.” She handed him the keys.

Cade jumped out and opened her door. He followed her upstairs and threw his stuff in a bag, too. He’d check in at work on Monday, make sure everything was going okay, before he came back to Phosphor.

“He’s a friend. Uh, yes, that kind of friend,” Patience told her colleague, using her cell again.

Cade bet her colleague would have all kinds of questions once they boarded the plane.

They were at Patience’s condo in an hour and a half, and while she repacked he checked out her place. It was stark and everything was the same neutral color from the walls, to the furniture and floors. But she did have some art on the wall, which spoke volumes about the woman he’d come to love.

There were playful folk art paintings next to modern masters.

“I’m ready.” She came out of the bedroom in a gray striped suit with her beautiful hair in a tight bun. Still, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.

“Oh, wait.” She pulled out the case where she carried the evidence bags. Picking up her phone, she dialed a number.

“Scott, yeah, sorry to call so late. Listen, I’m sending you a priority. It’s evidence for a case and I want it handled the way I would do it. Do you understand me?” Her voice had a slight edge. This was the straightforward woman he’d met that first day. “The courier will have it to you in the morning and I’ll email specifics tonight. Got it?”

Thirty minutes later, they pulled up to the hangar. Her colleague was already there with a man.

Patience introduced them as Mar and Jackson. They were married and Mar owned Stonegate. There was something in Jackson’s eyes that told Cade the man had seen more than any person should, but he was glad he’d be there to protect Patience.

“We’ll pay you back for the cost of the plane,” Mar promised.

“No, you won’t.” His arm slid around Patience’s waist. “I’m doing this for her.”

“Uh, I think we should probably board,” Jackson ushered his wife to the plane.

“You really are amazing.” Patience hugged Cade hard.

He bent down to kiss her and his gut tightened with the knowledge that this would be the last time he saw her for a while. Part of him wanted to follow her on the plane, but he knew that wasn’t possible. She needed time and he had his own business to look after.

“I’ll call you. I don’t really know specifics. I have no idea how long I’ll be gone.” She hugged his neck and then pulled away. “I’ve got to go.”

“Patience?”

She stopped on the first step of the stairs leading up to the plane. “Yeah?”

“I’ll be here when you get back.”

He enjoyed the small smile on her lips.