Chapter Ten
A shrill buzz filled the station seconds before the door swung wide. Cliff strode forward to greet their visitor. Iva Lynn glanced up from her computer, and her jaw went slack.
Detective James stood at least six-five and was built like a freight train. He’d called Cliff earlier to say he wanted to deliver this latest development to Ruby personally. He’d taken a special interest in her case and felt responsible for her safety. Cliff didn’t argue. The more people interested in her case, the better for her.
“You made good time.” Cliff shook the other man’s hand.
“There isn’t a minute to lose.”
After a brief introduction, he said to Iva Lynn, “I’ll call when we know more.”
She’d been assigned to remain at the station in case an update on Crowley came in while Cliff and Detective James were at the Gold Nugget.
The two men left in Cliff’s SUV. He didn’t engage the flashers on the chance Crowley or one of his hired minions was in Sweetheart.
When they were on the road, he called Sam and advised him of their ETA. Cliff had included his friend in the latest developments in order that he keep a watch on Ruby and an eye out for Crowley. After the events of last night, they could no longer count on Crowley’s aversion to crowds.
“There’s a gymkhana going on today,” Cliff informed Detective James.
“A what?”
“Fun and games for the family. Roping, team penning, pony rides, mutton busting.”
“Mutton busting?” The young detective’s laugh reverberated from deep in his chest. “I’m not going to ask what that is.” The next instant, he sobered. “You’ve gotten close to Ruby these past ten days. How’s she going to take the news?”
“Not well. She’ll panic.”
“I think so, too. We need a backup plan.”
“Been working on that.”
James sent him a curious look but didn’t press for details. “I’ll leave it to you.”
The ranch was swarming with guests and locals when they arrived. Cliff had to park a good hundred yards from the main house. Nerves, combined with the hotter than normal weather, caused both men to sweat profusely. Passing a makeshift snack bar, they drew stares from everyone.
Cliff could imagine the whispered conversations.
“Who’s that man with the sheriff?”
“He’s wearing a badge on his belt.”
“Must be official business.”
“What kind of official business?”
They bypassed the arena and headed straight to the barn. Cliff didn’t want Ruby spotting them before they had a chance to talk to her.
“Wait here,” Cliff said once he and James were inside. “I’ll bring her.”
The detective produced a handkerchief and wiped his brow. “What’s that smell?”
“Horses.”
He lifted a foot and inspected the sole of his shoe. “Am I safe?”
“Watch your step.”
“Damned if you country boys don’t live a different life.”
“Be right back.”
Cliff ignored the many familiar faces and friendly hellos. He’d spotted Ruby at the chutes, readying children and ewes for mutton busting, the final event of the day. Sam was with her. Good.
Upon seeing Cliff, she smiled happily. “Hey! Just in time. Ellie’s next.”
He came up beside her and lowered his mouth to her ear. “We need to talk. Now.”
“Cliff, I can’t. The sheep—”
“Sam will take over for you.”
“Go,” Sam said and waved to one of the other wranglers. “I’ve got this handled.”
Her glance traveled from one man to the other. When she spoke, her voice was strained. “What’s wrong?”
“Not here.” Cliff grabbed her arm and propelled her away from the chutes. “Try to act natural,” he whispered.
“You’re kidding, of course.” They broke free of the crowd, and she demanded, “What exactly’s going on?”
“Detective James is here.”
Her steps faltered. Cliff tightened his hold on her and continued walking.
It was the first time they’d touched since dinner on Monday. Five days. Cliff wished it was under different circumstances.
“Is Crowley here?” she asked.
“We don’t know.”
“Don’t know!” Her voice rose. “That’s your answer?”
“Detective James will fill you in.”
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Ruby’s demeanor changed from oppositional to compliant.
“It’s not good.”
“How you doing, Ruby?” Detective James asked when they entered the barn.
“That depends. Why are you here?”
“Have a seat.” He’d been busy while Cliff was fetching Ruby. An upside-down wooden bucket sat next to a sawhorse. “I insist.”
Ruby sat on the bucket with obvious reluctance. Detective James perched on the sawhorse. Cliff was more comfortable standing.
“Has the arraignment been postponed again?” She hugged her middle as if cold.
“No,” James said carefully. “The charges against Crowley have been dropped.”
“Dropped!” She shot to her feet. “You can’t be serious.”
“Please sit.”
“He attacked me. There were witnesses. DNA evidence.” Her hands sliced the air in front of her. “My God, he should be going to trial.”
“You’re right.”
She went toe-to-toe with James, ignoring his considerably larger size. “Crowley is a stalker. A criminal. A monster. And he’s getting off. How is it possible?”
“His attorneys uncovered an...oversight, shall we say, in the arrest process.”
“An oversight?” Daggers flew from her eyes.
“Procedure wasn’t followed appropriately. A step was skipped during booking, the fault of a rookie.”
“This is bullshit!” she yelled.
Cliff completely agreed. It wasn’t fair that the same laws designed to protect the innocent sometimes allowed the guilty to go free. All he and Detective James could do now was protect Ruby.
“There’s more,” Detective James said.
Cliff braced himself for Ruby’s reaction. It could go either way. Tears or rage.
She sank onto the bucket. “I don’t think I can take more.”
“Crowley went to the casino last evening looking for you.”
She gasped.
“When you weren’t there, he accosted your manager, Ernesto Alverez. Roughed him up a little.”
“Oh, no!” She began to cry. “Is he all right?”
“Shaken, but otherwise unharmed.”
“I hope to God he filed charges against Crowley.”
“He did,” James said. “But as Mr. Alverez wasn’t hurt, the charges are only misdemeanors.”
Ruby wiped her nose with her sleeve and expelled a shaky breath.
Cliff moved closer. He’d give anything to hold her in his arms.
“It gets worse,” James said.
“How?”
“Ernesto may have mentioned your sister, Scarlett.”
“He did!”
“He’s not sure.” James cleared his throat. “He was pretty rattled, and Crowley’s intimidating.”
Ruby visibly trembled. “Crowley knows I’m in Sweetheart.”
The hell with it, Cliff thought and squeezed her arm. “He doesn’t necessarily know. Ernesto thinks he said something like, why don’t you ask her sister and leave me alone. He swears he didn’t say you were in Sweetheart.”
“He might as well have.”
“It’s going to be all right, Ruby.”
She glared up at him. “Will you quit saying that!”
“If Crowley or his men come here, all they’re going to find is Scarlett. Not Ruby. You just have to keep playing the part.”
Her facade began to crumble. “I’m afraid.”
“I know you are, honey.” The endearment just slipped out.
Ruby didn’t appear to notice. Detective James did, and he studied Cliff long and hard.
Cliff maintained his cool. Perhaps the Vegas police detective had learned about his previous misconduct. Perhaps not. He’d get no confirmation from Cliff.
“I think I should go to my dad’s in North Dakota.” Her voice was soft and thready.
“You could,” James agreed. “But Crowley will look for you there, if he hasn’t already. The odds are better if you stay here.”
“The guy is crazy,” she insisted. “And he’s after me. When is this going to stop?”
“I wish I had an answer for you.”
“Right.” Her agitation increased. “He’s going to have to attack me again. And this time, there can’t be some rookie screwing up the arrest.”
“What you need to do is file a restraining order against him,” Cliff said.
“There’s already an order of protection in place.”
“In Clark County. It wouldn’t hurt to have one in Washoe, as well. That way, I can arrest him if he comes near you, and there’ll be no loophole for his attorneys to exploit.”
“How do I do that?”
“Iva Lynn will help you with the paperwork, and I’ll drive you to the courthouse.
James nodded. “That’s a good idea.”
Having a plan of action seemed to calm Ruby. “What about my job?” She didn’t specify which one.
“You may want to take off the next couple of days,” Cliff said.
“I thought you told me it would appear suspicious if Scarlett wasn’t working.”
“It’ll be different this time.”
“How?” She looked small and vulnerable sitting on the bucket.
Cliff went down on one knee in front of her. “Because you’ll be staying with me...24/7.”
“In the trailer?”
“My place. I have better locks and a security system.”
“Oh.”
“You can sleep in the guest room.”
She turned to Detective James. “What do you think?”
He shrugged. “Short of hiring a round-the-clock security team, the sheriff is the next best thing.”
“It’s settled,” Cliff rose and gathered Ruby’s hand. “We should leave before the gymkhana breaks up.”
“What about my things? And Sarge?” Ruby stopped short. “I should let Sam know.”
“We’ll tell him together. Detective James can wait here.”
Cliff felt the other man’s eyes boring a hole in the back of his head as he and Ruby exited the barn. He couldn’t care less. Let James think whatever he wanted.
Up until three hours ago, Cliff would have claimed his feelings for Ruby were no more than attraction and affection. But when he’d heard about Crowley’s altercation with the casino manager, he’d had an instant and powerful urge to protect her with his life and rip Crowley’s head off if it came to that.
Not the reaction of someone who was merely fond of another person.
Compelling as they were, however, he had to put his emotions aside. He wasn’t about to let any personal involvement hinder his abilities to perform his duty.
Not a second time.
They stopped at the trailer so Ruby could grab a few necessities. She definitely didn’t think Cliff was overreacting when he insisted on entering the trailer first, allowing her inside only when the coast was clear. Sarge went with her, watching patiently as she packed her small suitcase.
Ruby took comfort in the dog’s normal and unconcerned behavior. No one had been in the trailer while she was at the ranch.
They didn’t stay long and spoke very little on the ride to Cliff’s place, her mind racing as she assimilated the events of the past hour.
Crowley was deranged. What other reason could there be for him accosting her boss? Did he think he was untouchable? That the law didn’t apply to him?
Poor Ernesto. He was an excellent manager but not exactly a tough guy and probably scared out of his mind. Did he hate her? Hold her responsible? She’d talk to him if she could. When she could. After admitting she’d phoned Ernesto the other day, Cliff had nixed contact with him until more was known. More what, she wasn’t sure.
Ruby sighed. She might as well forget going home. While she’d recently been considering changes in her life, she’d wanted them to be her choice and on her terms. Not something she was forced into doing out of fear.
“You okay?” Cliff asked.
She sent him a look.
“Okay, dumb question.”
Another mile of scenery passed before she said, “I’m sorry about this.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I’m inconveniencing you.”
He reached across the console for her hand.
She let him hold it. Now wasn’t the time to debate right and wrong. She needed comfort.
“All you wanted was to date Scarlett. Not babysit me. And don’t tell me it’s your duty, blah, blah, blah.”
“Okay, I won’t. Because it isn’t.” He took his eyes off the road long enough to send her a penetrating gaze. “I’m doing this, I’m with you, because I want to be.”
She didn’t answer him, letting her thoughts settle around the comment like a warm cloak. Later, when Crowley wasn’t a threat, she’d ponder what Cliff had said and the meaning behind it.
His house wasn’t what she expected. Then again, she really hadn’t known what to expect.
Were she to drive by it, she would have pictured a family with young children living there. Two stories, a peaked tile roof, wide front porch, spacious yard with thick, ankle deep grass, a doghouse, swing set and a basketball hoop affixed above the garage door.
“Very nice,” she said, her face pressed to the SUV window.
“Technically, the house belongs to my parents. If I win the election this fall, I’ll buy it from them.”
“You grew up here?”
“I did.” He pressed a button on the sun visor, and the garage door opened.
They pulled in beside a black Mustang convertible. Ruby liked cars and knew a little about them. This one was an older model and beautifully restored.
“I’m impressed,” she said as she climbed out of the SUV. “Let me guess, this was yours when you were a teenager.”
“Not a teenager.” He came around the vehicle and unlocked the house door. “I bought it about ten years ago. A present to myself when I graduated college.” He stopped, hand on the doorknob. “One day I’ll take you for a ride.”
Crowley’s unspoken name hung in the air between them. With the charges dropped, one day loomed far into the future.
“I’d like that,” Ruby said, surprised at the emotion clogging her throat. She really would like to take a ride with Cliff in his Mustang convertible. “You’d have to put the top down.”
“Is there any other way?”
They shared a smile. Ruby was far from relaxed, though she was less stressed. Cliff had that effect on her, made her feel safe and protected. It wasn’t just the uniform and the gun and the special training he’d received. He cared about her.
The inside of his home was as comfortable as the outside. Cozy, functional furniture. Colorful throw rugs on the floors. Knickknacks on the shelves.
Sarge made a sweep of the place. Satisfied no danger lurked, he retired to his bed in a nook by the fireplace.
“You hungry?” Cliff asked.
“I can’t ask you to feed me, too.”
“Don’t worry about it. My cousin and aunt are always pawning off leftovers on me. There’s a casserole in the fridge and half a loaf of French bread on the counter.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Make a salad?” he suggested.
“Point me in the right direction.”
Actually, Cliff left her on her own in the kitchen while he took care of some necessities around the house. When he returned twenty minutes later, she’d set the table, had the bread warming in the oven and the casserole heating in the microwave.
“Hope you don’t mind,” she said, chopping greens on a cutting board. “I sort of made myself at home.”
His stare held hers for several heartbeats. “I don’t mind at all.”
Ruby felt her cheeks flush. “Should be ready in another five minutes.”
“You want something to drink?”
He’d changed at some point, from his uniform into cargo shorts and a T-shirt. He looked...great.
“Water’s fine.” Two simple words, yet her tongue tripped over them.
Cliff mistook the reason. “Crowley has you on edge.”
“Yeah, he does.” Him and someone else.
During dinner Ruby tried to ignore the subtle sparks passing between them. Cliff didn’t appear aware of them. That, or he wasn’t bothered. She insisted on washing the dishes when they were done.
“I’ll take Sarge outside,” he said.
“Do you mind waiting? It’s such a nice night. I’m a little nervous about being alone.”
“All right.”
It was a half-truth. Okay, a quarter truth. She was worried Crowley might show up. Mostly she just wanted to prolong her time with Cliff.
Though still warm outside, a mild breeze made their short stroll around the backyard pleasant.
“What an awesome tree house,” she exclaimed. “You and your dad build it?”
“We did. I was nine.”
“Don’t tell me, you fell out of it and broke your arm.”
“No, but my dad did.”
“You’re joking.”
He laughed. “In three places.”
They were quiet for a bit while Sarge patrolled the entire fence line. Cliff’s next question surprised her.
“Why are you and Scarlett so different? Isn’t that strange for identical twins?”
“I suppose. It probably started at a young age. Our mom wasn’t one of those parents who dresses their children alike. She encouraged our individually. We grew up with different friends and different interests and different styles. More like typical sisters than twins. Then, our parents divorced.”
“What happened?”
“Between them? I suppose they grew apart. No indiscretions, no secret gambling problems. They did fight a lot.”
“Between you and Scarlett,” Cliff clarified.
“Ah.”
By silent consent, they sat on the porch swing rather than return inside. Sarge stood next to Ruby with his head on her leg while she absently stroked his large, furry ears.
“Scarlett took the divorce badly and blamed Dad. Not for the problems he and Mom had but for not staying and working through them.”
“And you didn’t?”
Ruby and Cliff were sitting close enough that their thighs brushed. Only two layers of material separated them, his shorts and her jeans. The realization sent a jolt of awareness coursing through her. Concentrating became difficult.
“Of course I wanted my parents to stay married. Doesn’t every child? But I was old enough to understand they were miserable and making everyone else miserable. Better to end the marriage and maybe find someone else. Scarlett didn’t see it that way. She cut Dad out of her life. Fortunately, they reconciled a few years later. Still, things have never been the same with them. Or us.”
“She felt betrayed.”
“You’re right.” Ruby swiveled to face him. “That’s pretty astute for someone whose parents are still together.”
“I watched the same thing happen to my nieces when Maeve and their dad divorced. Erin especially suffered.”
“That’s a shame.” Ruby thought the divorce might explain some of the girl’s coolness toward her.
Cliff pushed with his feet to start the swing gently swaying. “Tell me about the men who have gone down in the annals of history as your boyfriends.”
She smiled at his use of her earlier phrase. “Not much to tell.”
“You’ve never married?”
“Nope.”
“Close?”
“Mmm...a little close. We went together off and on for a couple of years. Probably why I’m so hard on Scarlett and Demitri. I can’t help thinking if it’s meant to be, the relationship would be easier. Less drama.”
“You’re a romantic,” Cliff said.
“Me? Hardly. They just have too many obstacles.”
“Yeah.” He shifted away from her.
Was he thinking of them? They certainly had obstacles facing them. Or of Talia?
She needed to stay focused where Cliff was concerned. Wild attraction aside, they couldn’t take their relationship one step further. If only for the reasons she’d just stated.
“We should probably head inside.” He scanned the horizon where a fiery sun had begun to dip below the pine-covered mountaintops. “You’ve had a long day.”
It had been a long day. And draining. What with the gymkhana and then the visit from Detective James, she should be exhausted. Only she wasn’t. Sitting next to Cliff, feeling the warmth of his leg pressed to hers, had energized her.
She stood, not about to give him any insight into what was going through her head. “I could use a shower.”
His eyes widened slightly at her remark. The next instant, the look was gone. “There are fresh towels in the hall bath.”
Having said she could use a shower, Ruby was left with no choice but to take one. She tried not to think of Cliff thinking of her as she stepped under the warm spray. Staying at his house, with him, was an exercise in restraint. She shouldn’t have agreed.
But, then, she’d be alone in the trailer and a sitting duck if Crowley showed up.
Wrapped in a terrycloth robe she’d found hanging on a hook behind the door, she emerged from the bathroom, letting residual steam escape into the hall as she did.
A softly uttered, “Wow,” stopped her.
Cliff stood not ten feet away, his hand poised above the alarm panel, his gaze riveted on her and hunger flaring in his eyes.
Suddenly self-conscious, Ruby lifted a hand to her damp hair.
He waited, frozen in place, as if daring her to scurry across the hall to the security of the guest room. She took a tentative step...
...toward him.
“Cliff.”
He reached her in three long strides. The next instant, she was in his arms, her back arched and his mouth dangerously close. So close, she could taste his breath and hear the beat of his pounding heart.
“There are a hundred reasons we shouldn’t do this.” He threaded his fingers into her hair and tilted her head to the absolute perfect angle for kissing.
“And a hundred reasons we should,” she whispered, closing her eyes as his lips claimed hers.