Cowboy Undercover (17 page)

She turned to look for Jeremy. Caught in motion when the roof gave way, he hadn’t fared as well as she had and had landed farther down the pile of rubble. He lay facedown, his left arm twisted at a terrible angle. Even as she stared, he somehow got to his feet and lifted the gun with his right hand. The barrel pointed straight at her chest.

Lily realized she still clutched the backpack. She heaved it forward as hard as she could, her strength and aim sharpened by desperation. At the same moment the pack hit the top of his head, the gun exploded, deafening her. She fell onto her bottom and slid downward, grasping for something to stop her descent, finally coming to a halt when a jutting board caught her in the chest. For a second she sat there winded again, eyes closed, trying to breathe, waiting for searing pain to announce where Jeremy’s bullet had struck her. Pain didn’t come.

She opened her eyes. There was no sign of the backpack but Jeremy lay nearby, on his back, staring upward at flames licking the edges of what was left of the roof. She didn’t see his gun anywhere but she fully expected him to rally yet again.

And then she saw the blood spurting from his neck where a nail-studded board had apparently fallen from the rafters, pinning him down and puncturing his carotid artery. She scrambled toward him on stinging hands and skinned knees. The glancing impact of the backpack must have knocked him off his feet. Maybe a reflex action of his trigger finger fired the gun and maybe the bullet dislodged the rafter that subsequently fell, impaling him.

He blinked and she realized he was still alive. Half afraid the geyser of blood was really a trick of some kind, she moved even closer. Thoughts of smoke and mirrors vanished as she watched the color drain from his skin, shrinking him before her eyes. She knelt beside him. The edge of a handkerchief stuck out of his pocket and she grabbed it. Kinsey’s phone tumbled out with the cloth. Lily held the handkerchief against his neck without touching the horrid board, without hearing the fire overhead or feeling the warmth of his blood splattering against her arm. The contact of the cloth seemed to signal his dying brain that he wasn’t alone. His focus shifted to her face for the briefest of seconds, recognition dawned in his eyes and then he looked straight through her into oblivion.

“Lily!”

She jerked. The action slid her against Jeremy. Repulsed, she stood on wobbly legs as Chance and Gerard ran into the building. Both men stopped suddenly as their gazes traveled from the dead man, up to her face and then to the roof.

“Look out!” Gerard yelled.

Lily glanced upward and saw a burning board teetering over her head. Caught in some kind of limbo, she saw sparks fly across the sky. The next thing she knew, Chance was beside her. He threw her over his shoulder and scrambled down the pile before shifting her weight into his arms and handing her down to Gerard who asked if she could stand. She nodded. Chance jumped to the ground and grabbed one of her arms. Gerard took the other. It felt to Lily like she flew out of there on the wings of two guardian angels. A crash from behind announced the rest of the ceiling had tumbled into the building.

Her feet finally hit the dirt of Main Street. Chance grabbed her arms and searched her face. “Are you okay? You’re covered with blood. Where are you hurt?”

“It’s Jeremy’s blood,” she said breathlessly. “You have to find Kinsey. She’s in a nearby building. It’s on the right side of the street as you come into town, the store with a long counter running along the back wall. You have to go save her.”

“Sounds like the old mercantile,” Chance said, glancing at Gerard who was already running down the street.

Lily looked back at Chance to find him studying her hands, which she was surprised to see were torn and bleeding from abrasions and imbedded splinters. No wonder they hurt. Pain was good, though. Pain meant she’d survived despite all the odds, despite Jeremy’s pathological desire to erase her from the earth, despite her own misjudgments.

Chance kissed her wrist. “Oh, my darling, darling girl,” he whispered, and met her gaze. There were tears in his eyes. She’d never been so happy to see anyone as she was him but that wasn’t true, she’d felt this same way when she found Charlie in Maria’s car. “Where’s my child?” she asked.

“He’s with my father.”

“I’m so relieved to hear that. Jeremy insinuated he killed your family before he hit Kinsey and shooed away our horses.”

“He was playing head games with you,” Chance said.

“It might have worked if it hadn’t been for Charlie and Kinsey...and you.”

“You need to see a doctor,” he said.

“I need you,” she responded. “And Charlie and a pair of tweezers and some bandages.”

“What happened to Block?”

“I’ll tell you the long story later. The short version is he did his best to kill me but caused his own death instead. I might have contributed to that conclusion.”

“That’s my girl,” he said, and raising her chin, kissed her lips.

She’d been fighting loving him for over nine months, leery of caring more than he did, of being hurt, of losing him because she gave herself to him, not just with her body, but with her heart. And all that meant was that she’d been running, yet again, but from herself this time...from the truth.

And she was done. The truth was she loved him. The truth was she needed him. He could accept those truths or not, his response couldn’t change the way she felt, the way she would always feel about him.

Chance’s and Gerard’s horses were skittish because of the increasing smoke and danced around as Chance led them down the street. Lily took her first real breath of relief as Gerard helped Kinsey walk out of the mercantile. The fact she was on her feet was amazing to Lily, and she felt tears of thankfulness sting behind her nose. Kinsey held out Lily’s coat and Chance took it, draping it around Lily’s shoulders.

Kinsey leaned close to Lily. “Thank you,” she said.

Lily produced a wry smile. “For almost getting you killed? Twice?”

“For helping me,” she said. “For sending Gerard.”

“Your baby,” Lily whispered.

Kinsey smiled and touched her stomach area. “Don’t tell Gerard, though. Not yet.”

“That’s your news to share,” Lily said as her gaze traveled down the street to the flames tearing through the old wood. In a triumph of poetic justice, Jeremy’s body burned in the inferno he’d created.

Chance called his dad who said he would err on the side of safety by topping off the tank in the water-hauling truck and driving the alternate route up to the plateau and across to the ghost town, just in case the winds shifted. He also said he would call the police and all four of them groaned as they anticipated the rash of questions to come.

There was no sign of the two horses Jeremy had released, but they did find a big roan tethered outside of town. “That’s one of our mares,” Gerard said, pausing to help Kinsey climb into the saddle.

“Block must have let the horses out of the field when he stole her,” Chance said. “I never thought to check the tack and see if any of that was missing.”

Gerard climbed onto his horse and Chance lifted Lily into the saddle and climbed behind her. There was no way she could handle reins with her injured hands but his arms provided all the stability she needed.

“I have to tell you some bad news,” Chance said as they rode along. “Elizabeth was killed yesterday.”

“I know about that. Jeremy bragged about shooting her through the forehead. But how did you know?”

“Seth Brighton called. His father had been trying to reach you since realizing the only one in the world who would shoot Elizabeth as she stood at the sink inside her own house staring out at all those dead sunflower plants was Jeremy Block. When he couldn’t get ahold of you, he asked Seth to call me. Then Gerard tried to call Kinsey but she didn’t answer.”

“Jeremy took her phone,” Lily said. “She was out cold in the mercantile.”

“I died a thousand times between hearing that Block was on a murdering rampage and the moment I found you,” Chance added.

“I know the feeling,” she said, leaning her head against his chest. “When he told me he was going after you next, it was as if he nailed spikes into my heart.”

Chance kissed the top of her head. “Just so you know, I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”

She turned to look into his dark eyes. “You’re not?”

“No. I’ll marry you if I have to.”

She frowned. “Don’t do me any favors.”

“I didn’t mean it that way—”

“Then how did you mean it? I took care of myself pretty darn good back there.”

“Sure you did. One more minute and you would have been buried under a ton of burning roof.”

“Now just a minute. You act like I go around getting into trouble just so you have to rescue me.”

“I wouldn’t put it past you.”

“There’s that ego again—”

He put a finger against her lips. “Just shut up and kiss me, will you please?”

“Oh, what the hell,” she said, and touched her lips to his.

* * * * *

Look for more books in Alice Sharpe’s

THE BROTHERS OF HASTINGS RIDGE RANCH
in 2016!

Read on for a sneak preview of
LUCKY SHOT
,

the third book in
THE MONTANA HAMILTONS
by
New York Times
bestselling author
B.J. Daniels

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Intrigue story.

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Lucky Shot

by B.J. Daniels

M
AX
MADE
A
few calls to see what kind of interest there was in the photos of Senator Buckmaster Hamilton with his first wife, the back-from-the-dead Sarah Johnson Hamilton. There was always skepticism with something this big. But not one of the people he called told him to get lost.

“Where can you be reached?” they each asked in turn. “I’ll have to get back to you... Is there any chance of getting an exclusive if these photographs...?” The questions came.

Not one to count his chickens before they hatched, Max still couldn’t help feeling as if the money was already in his pocket. He could already taste the huge steak he planned to have as soon as he got Kat Hamilton to verify that the photos he’d taken were of her long-lost mother.

Then it was just a matter of waiting for the calls to start coming in and the bidding to begin. All he had to do was wait around until four for Kat.

He’d parked his pickup down the street, so he could watch the art gallery and see who came and went. A little after four, he spotted Kat Hamilton. She looked just as she had in her photo on her website. He watched her climb out of a newer model SUV, pull a large folder from the back and head across the street toward the gallery.

As he got out of his pickup, he admitted that he was flying by the seat of his pants. He wasn’t sure how he was going to play this. He just hoped that the Max Malone charm didn’t let him down. Passing a shop window, he caught his reflection and stopped to brush back his too-long hair. He really needed a haircut, and a shave wouldn’t hurt either, he thought as he rubbed a palm along his bristled jaw.

Well, too late for any of that. He straightened his shirt, sniffed to make sure he didn’t reek—after all, he’d spent the night sleeping under the stars in the back of his truck. He smelled like the great outdoors, and from what he could tell, Kat Hamilton might appreciate that. Most of her photographs he’d seen were taken in the great outdoors.

Still, he knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Kat Hamilton wasn’t just a rich, probably spoiled artist. She was a rich, probably spoiled artist whose daddy was running for president and whose birth mother was possibly unstable. He had no idea what it was going to take to get what he wanted from the unapproachable Kat Hamilton.

When he pushed into the gallery, the bell over the door chimed softly and both women turned in his direction. The gallery owner looked happy to see him. Kat? Not so much. He saw her take in his attire from his Western shirt to his worn jeans and boots. He’d left his straw cowboy hat in the truck, but his camera bag was slung over one shoulder.

“This is the man I was just telling you about,” the shop owner said.

Kat’s gray eyes seemed to bore into him as he sauntered toward her. Mistrust and something colder made her gaze appear hard as granite. She was dressed in an oversize sweater and loose jeans, that approach-at-your-own-risk look welded on her face.

“Max Malone,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m a huge fan of your work, but I’m sure you hear that all the time.”

Her handshake was firm enough. Her steely gaze never warmed, just as it never left his. “Thank you.” Her voice had an edge to it, a warning.
Tread carefully
.

“I was especially taken with your rain photo,” he said, moving in that direction, hoping she would take the hint and follow.

“You should show him your latest ones you brought in today,” the gallery owner said.

Kat didn’t jump at that.

“Would you mind if I took a photo of this? I want to show it to my wife. This would be perfect for her office.”

“That would be fine,” Kat said, clearly not invested in his company. He was reminded that she came from a wealthy family. She didn’t need to make money from her photographs.

He snapped the shot of her rain photo and then walked back to where he’d left her standing. Every line of her body language said she’d had enough of him. He felt as if he was chipping away at solid ice. Charm wasn’t going to get what he wanted. He hoped he wouldn’t be forced to buy one of her photographs. The prices were a little steep, and he doubted cash would warm her up.

He was tempted, though, to buy the one she’d taken of the pouring rain. There was something about the shot... “I hate to even show you the photo I took,” he said, stopping next to her to show her a scenery shot he’d taken on his camera while he’d been waiting for her to show up at the gallery.

She gave the photo a cursory glance and started to turn away when he flipped to the one he believed to be of her mother.

Kat Hamilton froze. Her gaze leaped from the camera to him. She took a step back, her gray eyes sparking with anger.

“I’m sorry,” he said innocently, even though he felt a surge of pleasure to see some emotion in her face. “Is something wrong?”

“Who are you?” she demanded. “You’re one of those reporters who have been camped outside the ranch like vultures for weeks.”

That pretty well covered it, while at the same time confirming what he already knew. The photo was of Sarah Hamilton.

“I guess I don’t have to ask you if the woman in the photo is your mother,” he said as he put his camera away.

“Do you want me to call the police?” the shop owner asked as she stood wringing her hands.

“No, this man is leaving,” Kat said, glaring poison darts at him. She looked shaken. Clearly, he’d caught her flat-footed with the photo.

“For what it’s worth, I really do like your photos.” With that he left. She hurled insults after him. Not that he didn’t deserve them.

He was just doing his job. He doubted Kat Hamilton had ever had a real job. But even though he could and would defend his to the death, he was always sorry when innocent people got hurt.

It was debatable how innocent Sarah Hamilton was at this point, though. Unfortunately, her daughters would pay the price for her notoriety.

* * *

M
AX
HAD
PLANNED
to drive back to Big Timber. But as he crossed Main Street, he realized that he was starving. His productiveness had left him ready to call it a day. Stopping at a hotel with a restaurant on the lower level, he decided he’d stay in Bozeman for the night. He was about to leave his camera bag and laptop in his pickup, but changed his mind.

He knew he was being paranoid, but just the thought of someone breaking into his pickup, and stealing them and the photos on them, made him take the equipment with him. Earlier at Big Timber Java, he’d put the photos on a thumb drive and stuck it in his pocket. Still, he didn’t want to take any chances.

He’d just sat down in the restaurant after getting a room, when the calls began coming in. He let them go to voice mail. He’d go through them in his room later. If he seemed too anxious it would make him look as if he didn’t have the goods. He’d just ordered the restaurant’s largest T-bone steak with the trimmings when he saw a pretty brunette sitting alone at a table perusing a menu.

She looked around as if a little lost. They made eye contact. She smiled, then put down her menu and got up to walk over to him. “I know this is going to sound forward...” She bit her lower lip as if screwing up her courage. “I hate eating alone and I’ve had this amazing day.” She stopped. “I’m sorry. I’m sure you’d prefer—”

“Have a seat. I’ve had a pretty amazing day myself.”

All her nervousness seemed to evaporate. “Thank you. I’ve never done anything like that before. I’m not sure what came over me,” she said as she took a seat across from him. “It’s just that I noticed you were alone and I’m alone...”

The woman looked to be a few years younger than his thirty-five years. After the day he’d had, he was glad to have company to celebrate with him.

“Max Malone,” he said, holding out his hand.

“Tammy Jones.” Seeing what was going on, the waitress set up cutlery at the table and took her order.

Tammy explained that she was a retail buyer for a local department store. She was in town visiting from Seattle. “I’m only in town tonight. I normally don’t invite myself to a stranger’s table. But I’m tired of eating alone and today I got a great raise. I feel as if I just won the lottery.”

He told her he was on vacation and just passing through town. He’d found when he told anyone that he was a reporter, it made them clam up, too nervous that they might end up in one of his articles.

“I saw your camera bag. So what all do you shoot?” she asked, leaning toward him with interest.

“Mostly scenic photos,” he said. “It’s just a hobby.” He didn’t want to talk about his job. Not tonight. He didn’t want to jinx it.

Their meals came, and they talked about movies, books, food they loved and hated. It was pleasant, so he didn’t mind having an after-dinner drink with her at the bar. She had a sweet, innocent face, which was strange because she reminded him a little of Kat Hamilton, sans the gray eyes. He kept thinking of those fog-veiled eyes. Kat was a woman who kept secrets bottled up, he thought.

“Am I losing you?” Tammy Jones asked, touching his hand.

“No.” He gave her his best smile.

“You seemed a million miles away for a minute there.”

“Nope.” Just at the gallery across the street where he’d seen a light on in the back. Was Kat Hamilton still over there? She’d brought in new photos, if that large flat portfolio she’d been carrying was any indication. He wished now that he’d asked to see them before he’d gotten thrown out.

“I know it’s awful, but I’m not ready to call it a night.” She met his gaze with a shy one. “A drink in my room?”

How could he say no? They took the stairs to her room on the second floor.

What could one more drink hurt? With a feeling of euphoria as warm as summer sunshine, he reminded himself of the photos he would be selling tomorrow.

When he woke the next morning, he was lying in the alley behind the hotel. While he still had his wallet, his camera and laptop were gone.

* * *

A
S
HE
STUMBLED
through the stupor of whatever he’d been drugged with, Max tried to figure out who’d set him up. He knew why he’d been so stupid as to fall for it. He’d wanted someone to celebrate with last night. As much as he loved his job, he got lonely.

Now, though, he just wanted his camera and laptop and the photos on them back. Maybe Tammy Jones—if that had even been her real name—had just planned to pawn them for money. But he suspected that wasn’t the case once he checked his wallet and found he had almost a hundred in cash that she hadn’t bothered with.

His head cleared a little more after a large coffee at a drive-through. He put in a call to the department store where Tammy Jones said she worked as a buyer, hoping he was wrong. He was told no one by that name worked for the company, not in Bozeman, not in Seattle.

He groaned as he disconnected. Whoever the woman had been last night, she had only one agenda. She was after the photos.

But how did she even know about them? He’d made a lot of calls yesterday and quite a few people were aware that he had the shots. All the people he’d called, though, he’d worked with before and trusted them. That left... No way was that woman from the restaurant hired by the senator to steal the photos. If the future president had known about the photos he would have tried to buy them if not strong-arm him, Max was sure.

That left Kat Hamilton.

He drove back downtown. It was early enough that the gallery wasn’t open yet, but the light was still on in the back. He parked on Main Street and walked down the alley. The rear entrance in the deserted alley had an old door and an even older lock. One little slip of his credit card, and he was inside, thankful for his misspent youth.

The first thing he saw was a sleeping bag in one corner of the back area with a battery-operated lamp next to it and a book lying facedown on the floor. The woman clearly didn’t appreciate the spines of books.

He found Kat wearing a pair of oversize jeans and a different baggy sweater. Clearly, this must be the attire she preferred. But he thought about bottled up secrets. Was she hiding under all those clothes? She stood next to a counter in the framing room of the gallery, her back to him, lost in her work. “I want my camera and laptop back.”

At the sound of his voice, she spun around, gray eyes wide as if startled but not necessarily surprised. If he’d had any doubt who’d set him up, he didn’t any longer. She’d known she’d be seeing him again.

“I beg your pardon?” she asked haughtily.

He enunciated each word as he stepped toward her. “The woman you hired to steal my camera and laptop? Tell her I want them back along with the photos of your mother and—”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He laughed. “Did anyone ever mention that you’re a terrible liar?”

She bristled and looked offended. “I don’t lie. Nor do I like being accused of something I didn’t do.”

“Save it,” he said before she could deny it again. “I show you a photograph of your mother, and hours later my camera and laptop are stolen and you have no idea what I’m talking about?”

Kat shrugged. “Maybe you should be more careful about who you hang out with.” She turned her back to him as she resumed what she’d been doing. Or at least pretended to.

“Look. Someone is going to get a photo of your mother sooner or later. Why go to so much trouble?”

She turned to face him. “Exactly. If not you, then someone else will get her photo. Do you think I really care that you took a photo of my mother with plans to sell it to some sleazy rag? I didn’t and I still don’t. I’ve lived in a fishbowl my whole life. I’ve had people like you in my face with cameras since my father first ran for office. It comes with the territory. My mother is just another casualty.”

He took off his hat and scratched the back of his neck as he considered whether or not she was lying. He’d been bluffing earlier. “I’m not buying it. I saw your expression when you recognized your mother in the photograph.”

She sighed. “Think what you like.”

“Let’s talk about another woman, the one you set me up with last night.”