“A dark pickup, no doubt,” Casey said.
“Got my money on it.” Miah sank into the rocker, tilting his head back and sighing his exasperation. “Man, this pisses me off. Got a whole bunkhouse full of spooked hands now, thinking we’ve got a poacher or a thief or a pervert on the loose.”
“Well, you might.”
“What about the security cameras?” Abilene asked.
“Dad’s checking them now, and there’s deputies on the way, to get Denny and Jason’s statements, and cruisers headed downtown, to look for the truck. I’m not holding my breath, though.”
Casey swore softly.
“Maybe it’s personal,” Abilene said. “Somebody who has a beef with one of your employees, maybe?”
“Personally, I bet it’s a burglar. A bold one. If this asshole’s spying on any of the girls, or stalking somebody, why would they be taking pictures of the stables?”
Abilene nodded, feeling a little calmed by that. Burglary was impersonal, at least.
Miah thumped the arms of the rocker with his fists, looking like a man who’d be too keyed up to sleep tonight. “I’m gonna go see if my dad’s found anything on the security tapes.”
Casey watched him go, looking agitated, then stood himself. “I’ll be back. I want to see what the tapes might have to show.”
She nodded. “I’ll probably get ready for bed.” Mercy was already out cold.
“Yeah, you might as well. I think we can safely let our guards down, if only for the night.”
She hesitated, unsure if she needed to tell Casey he was welcome to join her, or if it was implied by now. She imagined it was the latter—the condoms he’d bought at the drugstore with her weren’t exactly subtle, as signals went.
“You can, um . . . you can join me, if you want,” she said. “When you’re done down here.”
He nodded once, gaze skimming her body in a thoughtless, restless way. “I will. Right after I make sure Miah gets a stiff drink.”
“Good idea.” She held Mercy to her chest and stood. “See you if I’m not asleep.”
Casey stepped close, rested a hand on the baby’s back, and leaned in to kiss Abilene. On the lips, not the cheek. She watched him disappear down the hall with a broad grin overtaking those same lips, and the smell of him lingering about her.
Mine, she thought, with a bolt of ferocity she’d forgotten she could feel for anyone other than Mercy. That man was too many things—reliable and mysterious and goofy and a little dangerous; cute one minute, then handsome, then so sexy it made her pulse spike. Loyal and wild, and just a touch sketchy.
A hundred mismatched things, she thought.
And mine. If only in my dreams.
Chapter 17
Upstairs, Abilene laid the dozing baby in her crib, changed into her pajama bottoms and a tee, and settled under the covers, waiting. Perhaps twenty minutes later she heard steps, then water running in the bathroom. She’d left the door ajar, and Casey slipped inside. Finding her awake, his expression changed from pensive to soft in a breath. He smiled faintly and came to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Anything?” she asked.
“Not a lot. It was the same guy Miah chased, though. He recognized his build and his jacket, from the tape. At least that narrows it down to one confirmed white male creeper, and not a whole team of them. After last year’s casino drama, this town needs another criminal conspiracy like it needs a drought.”
“You get a drink into Miah?”
He shook his head. “He went out to talk with the deputies and his workers.”
“Should we be worried? For tonight, I mean?”
“I don’t think so. Guy’s a coward, and those shots were probably designed to scare Jason off, not to actually hit him.”
“That’s something, I suppose.”
“I’m with Miah—a burglar seems like the most obvious explanation.”
“And not a very good burglar,” Abilene wagered. “He’s been caught twice now.”
“Say the word and we’ll get you and Mercy out of here.”
She considered it. “To where?”