Desperado: Deep in the Heart, Book 2 (6 page)

“I know what’s happening.” His gaze roved her swimsuit, then returned to her face. “You’ve scared the tar out of Mary’s mother with your irresponsible behavior—”

“Uncle Cody,” Mary interrupted. “Stormy didn’t know I was running away. She didn’t know I was coming over to the hotel.”

“Running away? What are you talking about?” He stared at her.

“I needed to get away for a while. I shouldn’t have done it, but I…need someone to talk to. You all treat me like a baby, like you are now. Stormy at least listens to me.” Mary met Stormy’s eyes gratefully.

Cody shot an eyeful of flame at Stormy, which she returned. “I don’t like men who bellow,” she enunciated clearly. “I don’t like men who have bad tempers.”

“I don’t have a bad temper!”

“You do!” Stormy pecked him with one finger on the chest. “Take a deep breath, count to ten, and be glad I don’t throw you in the pool to cool you off.”

“Listen, little lady, I’ve had plenty of people wish they could—”

“Sh. You’re making me crazy,” Stormy told him. “I can’t stand men who are full of themselves. I’m no little lady, and Mary says she’s not a little girl anymore. And I called Annie and got permission from her for Mary to spend the night with me. We’re sorry you had to get out of bed, because obviously you’re a person who needs all your rest. But go away. You’re spoiling this girls’ night out we’re having.”

His mouth flattened into a grim line. “Everything was fine until you came along.”

“Obviously not!” she shot back. “You’re lucky I’m here. So stick that under your cowboy hat, and come back when it’s had a chance to soak in.”

She put her hands back on her hips and drew herself up. Once again, his eyes swept her in an assessing glare.

“Fine. I’ll be back for Mary at eight o’clock in the morning, sharp. You’d better be ready.” He looked at both of them one more time with disgust. “No wonder she thinks all you do is have fun.” He stalked off, and Stormy’s heart sank.

“Boy, I’ve never seen anyone holler at my uncle, Stormy. You’re so brave.”

“I’m not brave.” She forced herself to take deep breaths.
I’m a coward, and I hate confrontation. And I need—no, I don’t. I’m just fine.

“Did you know his nickname is Crazy Cody?”

Stormy sank onto a chaise, her blood thundering as adrenaline dissipated throughout her. “Why?”

“They just say he is,” Mary said simply. “Nobody gets into it with Uncle Cody.” She dove underwater, swimming contentedly.

“I believe it.”
He just happened to hit all my hot buttons
, she thought unhappily. “Oh, dear,” she said out loud. Panic surged into the adrenaline edginess, making her hands shake. “I’ve gotten myself in big trouble.”

There goes one location site. And possibly two, if Annie feels I’m trouble the way Cody does
.

Then she realized she hadn’t heard a vehicle leave the parking lot. Squinting toward the hotel, she saw Cody’s truck, well outlined by the street lights. Inside, she could make out his shape in the driver’s seat.

Surely he didn’t intend to sleep in his truck! The headlights flashed on low and then off again, signaling that he was aware of her perusal. And that he was keeping an eye on her.

Chapter Four

Stormy turned and dove into the pool, and Cody knew he’d been dismissed. That was fine. She’d gotten his message loud and clear.

Of course, she’d gotten hers across pretty well, too. “Such a big mouth for such a little lady,” he murmured. Fire had darn near been shooting out of that purple hair of hers. She’d been plenty riled. And determined. The only other woman he’d ever faced with that kind of determination was Annie.

Cody tipped his hat down over his eyes. He couldn’t sit here for the next few hours and watch her running around in that teeny little swimsuit, that was for damn sure, or
he’d
be needing a dip in the pool to cool off. The silly thing had the center cut out of it, which showed her flat little belly, and it rode so high on the sides it was damn near just an excuse for a woman to parade around nude. The day he’d met her, he’d observed she was put together pretty well, but seeing her in that tight piece of material clarified his powers of concentration.

He had never been so struck by the urge to toss a woman over his shoulder and carry her off to a hidden canyon. “Damn female,” he cursed. And Mary looked up to her. Trouble was brewing, and he could only hope Stormy would finish conducting her business and head out. Otherwise, he had the feeling he might be suffering a lot of sleepless nights like this one.

Strong, hard banging on the side of his truck shot Cody upright in his seat. His hat fell into his lap. Stormy peered in at him. Their eyes locked, hers lit with saucy laughter, then she sauntered off.

“You’re falling asleep on the job, Cowboy!” she called over her shoulder.

He gulped a deep breath to ease the hammering in his chest. “Damn female,” he muttered, hearing Mary giggle as she approached the truck.

“Are you all right, Uncle Cody?”

“Never been better. You ready to go home?” he asked hopefully.

“You said eight o’clock, and I’m staying till then. Good night.” She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which he scowled at, though he didn’t mean it. His niece was in big trouble, and she was with Trouble, and this whole mission he was on was a big pain in the ass. He watched Mary scamper off, then glanced at the dashboard clock.
Four o’clock in the morning.

It was turning out to be the longest night of his life.

In the end, his revenge was too obvious. Gleefully, Cody banged on Stormy’s hotel room door.

“Room Service!” he hollered.

Rustling on the other side of the door told him that there were two sleepyheads inside.

“We didn’t order room service,” Mary called.

“Open up, Mary. It’s Cody.”

She did a second later. He happily observed Stormy still partially asleep and looking somewhat disoriented in the queen-size bed. Setting down the tray he was carrying, completely without mercy, he jerked the bedspread off her.

He was proud of his restraint. He’d really wanted to jerk
all
the covers away to see what was underneath.

She sat up with a yelp, snatching the sheets to her chin. “What are you doing?”

Her gray eyes demanded an answer. He grinned at her disheveled appearance and decided to give her one. “Bringing you ladies a picker-upper. Got orange juice, some toast, and for the lady who doesn’t eat red meat, a vegetable omelet.”

“Thanks, Uncle Cody. I’m hungry.”

Mary sat down and took one of the plates for herself. He was glad to see she was decently attired in a big sleepshirt that said “Life’s a beach”. But at least she was covered. He’d wondered what Stormy had that was appropriate for a young girl to wear to bed. The first thing that had come to mind was nothing, but that had been a scalding thought, one that conjured up visions of Stormy’s perky little butt and bosom with no covering on them. He’d dismissed that thought as fast as he could, deciding that even a woman as outlandish as her would bring something to wear to bed in a strange city.

“Nice of you to loan my niece a T-shirt,” he told Stormy, “even if I’m not sure I like what it says.” Her easy Los Angeles personality and that beach attitude wasn’t something he wanted rubbing off on his niece.

Stormy shrugged and reached for a glass of orange juice. “It isn’t mine. She brought it with her when she came.”

Cody’s heart shrank two sizes. He felt a pain in his chest, as if he’d been working too long baling hay and had pulled a muscle. “You packed a sleepshirt, Mary?” he demanded.

“Yes, Uncle Cody.” She gestured toward a bag in the corner. He recognized her school backpack, which bulged with clothes.

“You really were running away!”

Both women looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“Did you not take her seriously, Cody?” Stormy gestured at him to turn around so she could get out of bed. “I sure didn’t think she was taking a midnight stroll for nothing.”

He turned to stare at Mary, not seeing Stormy as she fled from his view. “Why?” Pain spread through him that he hadn’t felt since his brother had died. This child he adored, this flesh and blood of his brother’s, was unhappy and Cody had no way of dealing with it.

She shook her head at him. “I tried to make you understand.”

Rapid knocking at the door startled both of them. Cody pulled it open, never taking his eyes off Mary’s slightly guilty, distressed expression.

“Mary!” Annie hurried into the room, enveloping her daughter in a fierce hug. “What on earth were you thinking of?” She started crying even as she held her daughter.

“Mom. Don’t cry.” Mary pulled away, unable to face her mother’s angst. “I don’t know.”

“You’d better have something to say to me other than ‘I don’t know’!”

Mary shrugged. “I’m just…I’m just not always happy.”

Cody handed Annie a tissue. “You know you’re grounded,” Annie said, “at least a week for crossing the highway.”

“Yes, Mother.” Mary’s eyelashes swept down.

Stormy came out of the bathroom, fully dressed now. Cody had been so preoccupied with his niece that he hadn’t glimpsed what the lunatic woman wore to bed.
Damn.

“You’re looking grizzly this morning, Cody.” Annie rubbed a hand over his beard stubble. “Chasing a teenager wore you out worse than chasing cattle?”

“Hell, yeah. And these two think they’re owls, staying up all night. But they weren’t soaring this morning.” He jerked his head toward the tray. “I brought you breakfast for babysi—uh—for your troubles last night, Stormy.”

Mary shot him a dark look. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “I’m trying to change my thinking, ladybug.”

Annie looked at Stormy, directness in her gaze. “I should thank you for taking care of Mary last night. And I do.”

Stormy didn’t know what to say. She merely met Annie’s gaze.

“However, I can’t help wondering if you aren’t part of the problem.”

“How do you figure that?” Stormy was outraged.

“Maybe not you exactly, but your presence in Desperado. It’s putting thoughts in my daughter’s head that weren’t there before.”

“Mom—”

Annie ignored Mary.

“Oh, sure, shoot the messenger.” Stormy stuffed some things into the flowered carpetbag. “Sorry. I’m not buying that. You can try to put the blame on me, and ignore the problems that are obviously surfacing in your family.” She gave Annie a sympathetic look. “Or you can sit down and take the time to really listen to each other.” Sighing, she went to hug Mary. “I’ve got to go. I have an appointment. Don’t do that again. You scared us all to death.”

With a malevolent glare Cody’s way, she sailed past him. “You
do
need a shave, Cowboy.”

Then she was gone.

Annie’s mouth opened. “My. She is energetic, isn’t she?”

A whirlwind. “Yep,” he replied stonily. “Let’s get out of here.” He could smell perfume that was distinctly Stormy, and her hair had been pulled into a sophisticated crown of curls, which made him think of elegant old-movie stars. Heck, he’d had no idea a woman could get dressed that fast. Surely there was more of a process involved to looking that damn good.

Since when did Stormy Nixon look damn good to me?

“Cody, are you all right?”

Annie peered at him. Mary held a piece of toast between her fingers, which had gotten halfway to her mouth but hadn’t made it as she stared at him curiously.

“You look kind of…confused, Uncle Cody. Hornswoggled.”

He
felt
hornswoggled. Annie was right. Stormy’s presence in Desperado was putting thoughts in at least one head—
his
.

In the Stagecoach Inn lobby, Mayor Curvy Watkins of Desperado and Mayor Tate “Wrong-Way” Higgins of Shiloh had squared off in a shouting match. Trouble stood firmly in the middle, trying to settle the two men. Cody sighed to himself and went over to see what the hubbub was about. Annie and Mary followed.

“You got no business bringing your sneaky-snake self into Desperado and trying to run off with a guest this city is paying room and board to impress, Tate!” Curvy’s face was red with exertion. “Go find your own damn movie scout!”

“Wait, please—” Stormy began.

Neither man batted an eye her way.

“She agreed to meet me this morning,” Tate said, his stance aggressive. “Can I help it if she can’t find what she needs in this two-bit smuggling town?”

“Hold on, please!” Stormy stepped in between the two arguing men. “I have talked to people in Desperado, and now I have an appointment to talk to people about land in Shiloh. But I must have a location for this movie by tomorrow—no later. Or I will have to move to some of our other choices for the shoot.” Seeing that she had the attention of everyone in the room, which had filled considerably due to the ruckus, Stormy took a deep breath. “Now. If you will excuse me—”