Truth and Dare (11 page)

“I want to take you somewhere special tonight, Patience. It’s a surprise.”

“Cade, I’ll go wherever you want to take me.” She squeezed his hand.

They sprinted for the truck and he fished out his keys. “Get in, we have to stop at the B and B and get a couple of things. It’ll only take two minutes.” He kissed her hard and then they took off.

Soon, he’d stashed a duffel bag and a cooler in the truck and they were on their way.

“Now I’m really curious. Where are we going?”

“I promise you’ll like it.” Cade turned up the music in the truck. Tonight it was important for her to see that this was more than a casual fling for him. The words might be difficult to say, but he could show her.

He turned onto his property.

“Are we at your house?” She sounded surprised.

Cade grinned. “Not exactly.”

She chuckled. “Way to be vague.”

Instead of going up to the house he turned to the right on a small side road.

The trees opened up to a pond. The full moon was the only light along with a million stars. It was exactly the setting he wanted.

“This lake is on your property?” she asked as he helped her out of the truck.

“It’s too small to be a lake, but it’s a pretty large pond.”

She turned her head as if listening for something. “Is there a waterfall?”

Cade motioned for her to follow him over some rocks.

A minute later they were at the falls. The rocks under the falls jutted out in all different directions and a strange greenish glow lit the rocks and the water.

A gasp came from Patience as she noticed the glow. “This is beautiful, why does the water do that?”

“When I was a kid, my mom and dad told me it was fairy magic, and I believed them. Later I found out it’s from the algae in the soil around the rocks. It’s not so high an amount that it’s dangerous to humans, but it’s enough that it makes the water glow at certain times of the year.”

“I’m a scientist and I like the fairy explanation better,” she told him.

“We can leave our clothes here on this rock,” he said, stripping off his shirt.

“What?”

He turned to find her staring at him with an in credulous look on her face.

“I want to take you skinny-dipping. You know, where you get naked in the water? It’s what we do in the country.” Cade reached for the hem of her blouse and pulled it over her head.

“I know what skinny-dipping is, but someone might come by.” She stopped his hands from unbuttoning the top of her shorts. “This has to be a popular place, even if it is private property, especially for kids who want to make out.”

Cade continued his work on her shorts sliding them down her long legs. A vision in her pink bra and panties, he wanted to take her right then. His libido was in full throttle.

“It’s pretty far from town and kind of remote.” He unhooked her bra and her nipples tightened into peaks with the soft breeze. Cade couldn’t wait to taste her, but he slid down the panties. Forcing himself away from her, he pulled off his boots, socks and jeans.

“You mean to tell me you never brought a girl out here to skinny-dip before?” She followed him under the falls.

He led her to a pool where the hot spring fed water from underneath and mixed with the cool water, which made the temperature perfect no matter what time of year it was.

Cade stepped into waist deep water and reached for her. “You are the first girl I’ve ever brought here. GG always thought it best if we didn’t tell anyone about this place. She didn’t want someone, especially kids, getting hurt out here.”

“But you brought Andy?”

“Yep. But he took a blood oath, we both did. We became the Secret Keepers of the Brotherhood.”

Her throaty laugh warmed him to the core. “That sounds serious. Now I believe I can trust you with all of my secrets.”

He gave her a chivalrous bow before helping her into the pool. “Milady, the Brotherhood is known for our discretion. We consider ourselves professional secret keepers.”

Patience gave him a sweet smile.

“Am I really the only woman you’ve brought here?”

“Yes.” He nipped her ear. Cade pulled her with him as moved backward onto a small slab carved out of the rock. There were several in the pool that made excellent seats.

“I feel so special,” she said as she turned and sat on his lap.

“You are special.” He kissed her neck. They both stared out at the water sluicing down the rocks above them for a minute. He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him, but the words just wouldn’t come out.

“With the sounds of the water and crickets, I could go to sleep here.”

“That’s not really what I had in mind.” One of his hands slid across her belly and down to the folds of pink flesh below.

Patience gasped his name as she squirmed on his lap. If he never heard another sound in his life, that sound of pleasure would be enough for him.

“Babe, you are the most incredible creature I’ve ever met in my life.” He nibbled her ear. “The glow from the water makes you look like a wanton fairy princess.”

Her butt slid up and down his erection as she rocked against his fingers. It was all he could do to keep himself under control.

Patience had begun to pant and he could feel the tension in her body. Increasing the pressure on the nub he moved his fingers faster until she moaned her release as her body collapsed against him.

“Oh, I’m not done with you yet.” Cade picked her up and sat her on the rock bench while he grabbed one of the foil packets from his jeans. He’d brought several just in case. He put the sheath on his cock before sliding back into the water.

Patience had a strange look on her face.

He touched her cheek with his hand. “What are you thinking about?” Sitting down, he pulled her back onto his lap, facing him this time.

“You.” She held his face in her hands. “I met you a few days ago and I feel like a different person. In a good way.” She kissed him as she positioned herself on top of him.

“I already thought you were perfect,” he said.

“Pfhhwut. Not hardly.”

Cade slid his hands down her sides and over her beautiful butt. “Oh, yes. I’m very hard.”

He nuzzled her neck and kissed her.

She sighed lazily. “I can’t think when you do that.”

“Thinking is highly overrated.” He kissed her again, delighted by her admission.

Her hand went to his shoulder. Lifting her body she rode him hard and fast. When she leaned back with her hands on his thighs and her breasts in the air, he nearly lost control. Gritting his teeth he held on.

A second before he thought he couldn’t take any more of the ecstasy, her muscles contracted and her body shuddered. Cade spilled himself into her as he held her close to his chest.

Face flushed and eyes hazy with satisfaction, she really was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever met. And she was his—at least for now.

Cade’s arm tightened around her waist and she sighed with contentment. The man did things to her. Every time their bodies connected she lost a little bit more of herself to him. Tonight had been the loveliest, most romantic one of her life.

The way he looked at her when they made love, assured her he felt as deeply as she did. Tonight it was almost as if he had to show her they were meant for one another. When he’d whispered “mine” after their escapade in the pool, a delightful shiver had spread through her body. That tiny bit of possessiveness made her feel powerful.

She also liked what she could do to his body, and if she were honest, she thought of him as hers. The idea of anyone else touching him—well, she now understood why women fought over men. Cade would be worth it.

Still, it scared her that everything seemed to be moving so fast, and she had no experience with this type of relationship. Cade made it seem easy. Still, he might have feelings for her now, but how long would they last? From her friends she’d learned that often the hotter the passion in the beginning the faster it burned out.

Her eyes flashed open. The case. She’d spent so much time with Cade that she’d completely lost her focus. That was something that had never happened before.

Her instincts told her she should return to the murder site. The ring she found was several feet from the bones and shallow grave. It could have come off during a struggle and the killer hadn’t seen it. That was one logical explanation because it would have been smarter for Joseph’s killer to bury everything with him in the sandy soil. The ring was covered with years of dirt and grime and she doubted the lab would pick up any prints.

Still, she felt as if there was more. If there was a struggle where the ring had been and not where the bones were, well, she needed to do a more thorough search.

Pausing for a moment, she listened to Cade’s soft snores. Gently removing his arm, she stuffed a pillow under it. After making a stop in the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair, she slipped on a clean shirt and pair of jeans and her boots. The run-in with the snake the other day taught her to protect her feet and legs.

Grabbing her keys and purse, she headed down the hallway. She was at the stairs before she realized she should probably leave a note for Cade, but she didn’t want to risk waking him up. She needed time to work without distraction, and she wanted time to think.

Physical evidence of a struggle would give her something solid to take to the sheriff. She could give him the list of suspects and they might very well be on to solving the case.

But what happened once the case was solved? Would the bond she and Cade had formed during the past few days last beyond the county lines? Never in her life had she wanted a human being like she did Cade.

You keep telling yourself that.

The problem was the idea of saying goodbye to Cade didn’t sit well with her.

“And it’s absolutely frightening how much he makes me feel,” she muttered, turning the key and starting the engine.

The who and the why of the argument weren’t quite as important as the how at this stage of her investigation. She retraced her steps around the area where she’d run into the snake. There had been a small patch of dirt perfect for her car behind the cluster of trees where she didn’t have to worry about not having four-wheel drive.

Finding a large stick, she shook some of the low growth around the trees before stepping up to them. She didn’t want to surprise any more reptiles or small creatures that might have burrowed into the earth.

The third tree in the long row caught her attention. The tree had grown over the past twenty years, but about a foot above her head was a five-by-two-inch gash. The mark could have been made by any number of things. Though the edges had worn away with the elements, the shape was distinctive.

The butt of a rifle, which meant the killer had been backed into the tree while holding the gun. Reaching up on her tiptoes she scraped some of the bark into an evidence bag. There was little hope of finding anything after all these years, but she’d been in the business a long time and stranger things had happened.

She’d knelt down to close up the bag and put it in the case she brought. The rifle butt on the tree told her there was a possibility that this was where Joseph had been killed and his body moved to the grave site.

The sheriff’s deputy hadn’t known to leave the body where it was until she could get there. The coroner had brought the bones to Austin and that was where she discovered the victim had been shot at close range with a rifle. When she arrived the other day she suspected the man had been killed one place and moved to the spot under the oak tree.

The gash in the tree confirmed her suspicions. Bending down she used a small scoop to gather soil samples from around the area. There was a good chance her lab assistants would find nothing, but she had to be thorough. Blood and DNA samples had a way of showing up in the oddest places. She was good at her job because she never assumed anything. She collected the data and would let the science do its job.

Standing up, she stared at the gash again. The angle looked as though the shooter held the gun and was backed into the tree. Had the shooter been shoved and the gun went off?

Patience chewed on her lip for a second. That would explain the odd angle of the shot. Scraping some more samples from around the gash she filled three more evidence bags. It was a long shot but there was a chance the hair from the shooter or DNA might still be in the bark of the tree.

Her work was her solace and today it didn’t disappoint.

More than an hour later she put away her case and tossed her gloves in the small receptacle she had in the back of her car. Hot and grimy, a shower was next on her list of things to do. Then she would have to pack up and head back to her lab. The idea of leaving Cade tugged at her gut, but it was time to slow things down. She had work to do. She also didn’t want the complication of anything like a long-term relationship.

Liar.

No. She had to do what was best for her sanity and making a clean break was the right course of action.

You’re tied up in him, and it’s going to break your heart
.

At first there might be some temporary sadness, but the feelings weren’t as deep as she thought. She would get over him soon. At least that’s what Patience told herself as she shut the trunk.

The sound of a truck barreling down the road caught her attention.

Thinking it might be Cade, she started to step out through the trees when she saw the truck was an older model and a different color.

Why would anyone be out here at this time of day? It’s not even six in the morning
.

The truck door slammed, and she stayed behind the cover of the trees, which also hid her vehicle.

When Harold, the cranky rancher, came around the hood of his truck she was glad she’d stayed where she was. The last thing she needed was to meet that guy when she had no more protection than a big stick.

For several minutes Harold stared down at the ground of the shallow grave. A tear slid along the man’s cheek, and he bent over with his hands on his thighs as if he was trying to catch his breath.

“Damn you, Joe. Damn you.” Harold straightened and kicked the dirt around the grave. “If you hadn’t pushed me that night. Haven’t had a moment’s peace in twenty years and it’s all your fault. I didn’t know the damn thing was loaded. I came out here to make you see reason. Never meant to hurt you. You—ruined everything.” His voice was rough with tears.

She had her killer
.

Whatever had happened, Patience’s gut told her it likely hadn’t been planned. The man’s face was tortured with grief, and when he sniffled and ran a hand over his eyes to wipe away the tears, she almost felt sorry for him.

Except this was the guy who had robbed Cade of his father and nearly destroyed his family. Cade had said his mother was never the same after his dad had died.

Harold kicked at the dirt again and then stared out at the rising sun.

Something rustled near her feet and she glanced down to see a large copperhead slithering across her boots. This time Patience didn’t dare move or make a sound. One, she didn’t want to alarm the snake and have it strike out at her. Two, she also didn’t want to jump through the bushes and have Harold notice her. If he did, well, he wouldn’t be happy about what she had just heard and witnessed.

She took short shallow breaths while she stared down at the creature.

Harold’s truck roared to life and she glanced up in time to see two rifles attached to a rack in the rear of his truck.

She had her killer and possibly even the weapon. Unfortunately, she had no hard evidence. The sheriff could get a judge to give him a warrant for the weapon, but only if she had more than a suspicion. She remembered Shannon’s advice about building her case, and that’s what she had to do.

Which took her back to square one. Well, not really. She knew Harold was her killer, but now she needed physical evidence. If the butt of the gun had scratches on it consistent with what she found on the tree, that would help but it was a long shot. A triangle formed in her mind. The ranchers, the water rights and Joseph. Cade had said something about them buying a bunch of cattle together and separating the herd. What if they’d also agreed to share water rights? She was brainstorming, but it fit. She wasn’t exactly sure how water rights worked. Shannon had explained that, legally, it was a cobra’s nest of property and river or lake rights. It depended if the water flowed from public water like lakes or rivers, or from underground wells.

While she might understand the logistics, her gut once again told her that this was all somehow related. Maybe Harold and some of the other ranchers felt Joseph was trying to cheat them in some way. Then there’s Cade’s uncle and the arguments they’d had just before Joseph died. Surely that was just a coincidence?

Her gut twisted into a tight knot. What if Harold wasn’t the only killer? All those ranchers had been giving her mean looks. Was it possible that Uncle Jake was covering for them? No. He didn’t seem like that kind of man.

But how much do you really know about him? Or any of the ranchers, for that matter?

Patience stood there for another few seconds waiting for the snake to move, and finally it slithered on. Breathing deep, she gathered her things. Taking a picture of the gash in the tree with her digital camera, she stored it in her pocket. She needed to see the sheriff right away and tell him about her suspicions. Loading up her car, she sped toward town.

It was up to her to prove if she could see this case through.