Wedlocked?! (11 page)

“I can't,” she said reluctantly. “Cole and I have some paperwork to go over back in town, don't we?” She looked at him expectantly.

“Yes, we do,” he replied. “My secretary left a message on my cell phone. Those records I requested came by messenger.”

“Records?” Ryan asked.

“Phone records. Just a few more puzzle pieces that need looking into,” Cole replied smoothly. “We'll keep you posted.”

After kissing his mother's cheek, he placed his hand on the small of Annie's back. “I'll follow you into town.”

When she bade the two older people goodbye, there was a speculative expression on Lily's face. Could she somehow tell that Annie had slept with her son? A mother's intuition didn't extend
that
far, did it?

“You two run along,” Lily said, her voice lighter. “And make Cole buy you a nice dinner somewhere. You've certainly earned it. And he's on an expense account.”

W
hen Cole pushed open the door to his office and gestured for Annie to go on in, he was still pondering his mother's awkward comment. Had there been some special reason behind her suggestion that he take Annie to dinner?

He watched as she sat down and crossed her legs. She didn't look as though she was starving. Instead, her feminine curves threatened to distract him from the business at hand.

“Mr. Cassidy?” Tiffany handed him the records that had arrived by messenger and several pink phone memos. As he went into his office, he glanced through them. One was from his sister Hannah, but none appeared urgent. She probably wanted to know if he'd contacted Maria yet. Damn, with everything else that had happened, he'd forgotten all about running down his pain-in-the-butt baby sister.

Shutting the door behind him, he dropped the stack of messages by his phone and sat down next to Annie. With little success he tried to ignore her scent and the way her hair beckoned him to rub its
silken strands between his fingers. He used to love the feel of it sliding over his bare skin.

With a sigh, he spread out the records. “Maybe these will tell us something,” he said, hoping the call to the bunkhouse on the night of the murder wasn't another dead end.

“Let's hope so.” Annie skimmed down the list he handed her with her finger. It didn't take long to find the entry they wanted. “Look at this,” she said, pointing.

After he'd absorbed the information, Cole sat back in his chair and blew out a long breath. “What a coincidence,” he murmured with a touch of irony. “The call that established Lockhart's alibi just happened to be made from the parking garage of the Austin Arms Hotel, where Sophia was killed.” Maybe Annie had been right about Lockhart all along.

“Interesting,” she murmured.

Cole sifted through the possibilities. “Maybe Flynn lied about Lockhart being in his room at the bunkhouse, and Lockhart called himself to establish his alibi or someone else called Lockhart from the hotel.”

“An accomplice?” Annie asked. “Letting Lockhart know Sophia had been taken care of? That suggests premeditation. But why?”

It was Cole's turn to frown as he struggled to make sense of the new information. It put either Lockhart or someone he knew at the scene of the
crime, but what did it all mean? “You're right. If Lockhart had an accomplice, the murder had to have been planned.”

Annie's eyes widened and then she pursed her lips thoughtfully. Distracted, Cole quelled the impulse to get up and pull her into his arms. Since they'd been together at the Circle A, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Wanting her. Right in the middle of a murder investigation. If she didn't appear to be so focused on business, he might kiss her, distracting them both until they forgot why they were here.

Not a good idea, under the circumstances.

“You think Lockhart established an alibi because he
planned
to kill Sophia?” she asked, oblivious to his inner struggle. “That doesn't make any sense. If she was the woman he bragged was coming into money, why kill the golden goose?”

Absently, Cole ran his fingers up and down the lapel of his suit coat. What could have happened between Sophia and Clint? A partnership gone sour?

“What if they had something to do with Bryan's kidnapping?” he asked.

Annie nodded. “That's certainly one possibility.” Was Ryan's wife crazy and bitter enough to get mixed up in that kind of thing?

“But why would she risk going to prison for kidnapping when all she had to do was bleed Ryan for a fat settlement?” Annie asked. “I don't think she'd take that chance.”

“I suppose you're right.” There had to be a more
logical reason for her murder. “What if Sophia had promised Lockhart a share of what she got from Ryan in the divorce settlement in payment for spying?” he mused. “Perhaps she tried to cut him out of the action. Or she took up with someone else, or he got tired of waiting for the money.” He drummed his fingers on the edge of the desk. “Perhaps he didn't plan on killing her at all, but set up the alibi for some other reason.”

“Like what?” Absently Annie curled a strand of hair around her finger.

Cole wondered if she had any idea how provocative the gesture was. “I doubt he would want Ryan to know he was involved with her, especially if he was Sophia's pipeline to inside information. What if Lockhart was worried that someone might see him with her at the hotel, and tell Ryan? This way, if it ever came up, Lockhart's got an alibi.”

Cole nearly groaned aloud when Annie nibbled her lip thoughtfully. “It sounds pretty far-fetched, but I'd sure love to ask him about it.”

The last thing Cole wanted was for her to be anywhere near Lockhart, especially if he was a killer. “Except that we don't know where he went after he left the Circle A,” he pointed out.

“True. I guess it's time for you to call the D.A.'s office with this information. Maybe they can find him.”

“When it comes to considering anyone besides my mother for this murder, the authorities are wear
ing blinders.” Cole didn't even try to keep the bitterness from his voice. “I'll alert them to what we found about the phone call, but I doubt they'd be willing to bother with Lockhart at this point. Even without him, we can raise a few doubts in the minds of the jury, if the case gets that far.”

“You think it might not?” Annie asked.

Cole struggled to remain practical, despite the elation that was starting to form inside him like a big bubble. The state's case, shaky to start with, was getting weaker. “Who knows how far they'll take it. We need to find more chinks in the state's armor.”

What he said made sense to Annie. While he was preparing his case for court, she would explore a few other avenues, all the while hoping she could pick up Lockhart's trail again. “I have a friend who's good at locating people,” she said as she tried to ignore her own immediate reaction to Cole's smile. “I'll give him a call, and then I'll get to work.”

“What's next?” Cole asked.

“It's time to revisit the scene of the crime. I'm going back to the hotel.” There were still a few rocks left unturned.

“What do you hope to find there?” he asked.

Annie shrugged. “Maybe someone saw who made that call from the garage. One of the maids on Sophia's floor has been out sick, but she's back
to work—I'd like to talk to her too. Oh, what are you doing?”

Cole had gotten to his feet. Now he cupped her elbows and drew her up with him. His nearness made her pulse rate shoot into the stratosphere. “I think I should go with you to the Austin Arms,” he murmured, his mouth hovering near hers.

Annie could feel herself start to melt in reaction to the intense interest in his bright gaze. Giving in to temptation, she reached up to run a finger down his cheek, fascinated by the way his pupils expanded in response. “Why is that?”

“Unlike some places, we don't have to pretend to be married to share a room.” His voice was husky. “Do you think our investigation will take more than one day?”

Annie knew when this was over he'd go back to Denver and she would be left once again to pick up the pieces of her life. So who could blame her for grabbing this opportunity? Being with Cole wouldn't interfere with the investigation. She wouldn't let it. But it would give her one more memory to savor.

Deliberately she leaned back in his embrace and moistened her lips with her tongue. “I'm sure we'll have to spend the night in Austin.” She circled her arms around his neck. His gaze was fixed on her mouth, eyes narrowed. “Investigating can be such a dirty job,” she added with a pout.

“Then I'd better tell Tiffany to make a reserva
tion.” Instead of reaching for the intercom, he lowered his head with agonizing slowness.

His lips finally settled on hers, nibbling gently. As Annie responded with helpless abandon, he changed the angle of the kiss. Clinging to him, she joined him in the wild, restless ride, the floor shifting beneath her feet as she opened her mouth and met his passion head-on. Her mind blurred and she forgot where they were, forgot to think at all.

Vaguely she heard a knock on the office door, and then abruptly it opened. Annie sprang back, dropping her arms, but not quite soon enough.

As Cole's secretary poked her head through the doorway, her bland expression never altered. “Your sister Hannah's on the phone,” she told Cole. “You didn't say to hold your calls. Shall I tell her you'll get back to her?”

Cole glanced at the phone on his desk with a frown. “There was a message from Hannah in that stack. Perhaps I'd better take the call.”

The mood was broken, and Annie had plenty of work to do. She glanced at her watch. “I'm meeting a girlfriend for dinner tonight, so I'll talk to you later.”

“Shall we head for Austin tomorrow?” he asked.

How she wished they didn't have to wait, but she couldn't cancel on Lydia. They'd gone through the police academy together and still met for lunch or dinner every couple of months.

“Tomorrow would be fine,” she said, hoping he couldn't guess at her thoughts.

Cole's glance slid to her mouth, his eyes dark, and she realized she wasn't the only one anticipating their trip. She wished Tiffany would leave so he could kiss her again, but apparently his assistant was waiting to be dismissed.

Cole reached for the phone. “Okay,” he said absently. His mind was clearly on his sister.

Wait until tomorrow, Annie promised him silently as she picked up her bag from the floor. Only when she walked out the door did she make eye contact with his secretary, whose lips quirked into a contrite smile.

“Sorry for the interruption,” she whispered.

Annie was tempted to reply that Tiffany couldn't be half as sorry as Annie herself was. “No problem,” she said as she kept walking.

After she left and Tiffany closed the door to Cole's office behind her, he gave in to an impulse. There was a call he wanted to make as soon as he talked to Hannah. He picked up the receiver, admitting to Hannah he hadn't yet bothered to contact Maria.

“I'm not ready to bury the hatchet yet,” Hannah told him, “or I'd go call her myself.”

Cole scribbled a note on his pad. “I'm going to be out of town for a day or so,” he replied. “I'll go to Leather Bucket when I get back.”

“Does it have to do with Mom's case?” she asked.

“Not entirely.” As soon as the words were out, he wished he could recall them. “I'm going to Austin with Annie Jones,” he admitted, making the situation even worse.

“Didn't you just get back from that guest ranch with her?” Hannah asked.

“That's right.”

There was a silence. He doubted Hannah would remember that he'd once been seeing someone named Annie.

“Are you attracted to this woman?” Hannah asked.

Over the years, Cole had confided in his sister on more than one occasion, so her question didn't surprise him.

“You know I wouldn't jeopardize the investigation,” he felt compelled to say.

Hannah wasn't the kind of person to pry. “I know that,” she replied. “Have a good trip, and don't forget to get in touch with Maria.”

“I won't.” He'd barely ended the conversation and hung up the receiver when Tiffany put through a call from his mother.

He figured she was trying to determine whether he'd acted on her less-than-subtle suggestion that he take Annie to dinner. “I'm on my own this evening,” he volunteered to save her the trouble of trying to worm the information out of him. “Annie had
plans, so I'll probably grab a sandwich and do some paperwork. Better yet, why don't you drive into town, and I'll take you out?” They needed to spend time together, to rediscover the easy affection they'd shared before Lily dropped her bombshell about his father.

“Why don't you quit work for the day and come out to the ranch instead?” she countered. “Rosita's fixing a beef roast. I was in the kitchen a little while ago and it smells wonderful. We'd have time for a visit before Ryan gets home for dinner, and then we can all eat together.”

She, too, must want to get past the awkwardness between them. If he couldn't be with Annie this evening, he could at least mend a few fences while he was enjoying a good meal.

“I'll leave now,” Cole said. “See you soon.”

 

When Annie got back to her own office, she checked her fax machine, listened to her phone messages and went through her mail. It was mostly bills, along with a couple of credit card offers, several ads and a catalog for surveillance equipment. She flipped through the pages in a pathetic attempt to keep her thoughts from straying in dangerous directions, but to little avail.

At least this time around she knew Cole would be leaving. It might be too late to spare her heart, but she had no one but herself to blame for making the same mistake twice. She'd known going in that
they had no future together, but her attraction toward him had been too strong to resist.

She was staring at a page of tiny video cameras, trying unsuccessfully to concentrate, when the front door to her office opened.

“Annie Jones?” asked a deliveryman carrying a vase of flowers.

She gaped at the breathtaking arrangement of white roses, their partially unfurled petals edged with pink, and managed to bob her head. A couple of times grateful clients had sent flowers, but nothing like these.

“Where would you like them?” He glanced at her desk, covered with folders and papers, then did a slow perusal of the rest of her cluttered office.

“Give them to me.” With trembling hands she set the vase on a manila folder while he took a clipboard from under his arm and extended it.

“Sign here, please.”

Annie dashed off her signature and then she reached for her purse. “Just a moment.”