The Cowgirl in Question Part 9

The cafe was packed, obviously with some who were hoping Rourke McCall was going to come in and threaten her again, only this time with a shotgun. What they didn't know was that Rourke's hold on her didn't require a gun.

Rourke didn't show up at all.

But Blaze did. Good old Blaze. She came in and sat at the counter.

"What can I get you?" Ca.s.sidy asked, dropping a menu in front of her cousin.

"Just coffee," Blaze said, eyeing her intently. "Are you wearing makeup? makeup?"

Ca.s.sidy didn't reply as she put a cup of black coffee in front of Blaze and left.

Blaze didn't even finish her coffee, Ca.s.sidy noticed when she came back by and found her cousin gone. Nor did Blaze leave a tip. Predictable.

As she glanced out the window, she saw Rourke pull up in front of the Antelope Development Corporation and get out. Jealousy raised its ugly head, making her sick to her stomach. This was how she used to feel when she'd see Rourke with Blaze. She turned away as he entered ADC, the door closing behind him. She wouldn't go through this again.

"Is everything all right?" Ellie asked.

"Fine," Ca.s.sidy lied.

The bell dinged over the door and she looked up to see the owner of the Mello Dee Lounge and Supper Club come through the door. Les Thurman brushed a lock of gray hair back from his forehead and headed straight for the counter and her.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully. "Place is busy this morning."

"Good morning." Ca.s.sidy could feel him seeing through the makeup and her own cheerful greeting.

"You all right?" he asked. He had a fatherly way about him and had always been kind to her, especially when it came to anything to do with Rourke McCall. Everyone in town must have known how she felt about Rourke-except Rourke. Les had been behind the bar that night at the Mello Dee and no doubt overheard the guys at the bar giving her a hard time about Rourke before the fight broke out.

Now Les glanced toward the front window and Rourke's pickup parked in front of Blaze's office. "If you're dead set on a McCall, consider Cash. He's good and solid. He could make you happy."

She felt herself blush. "The only thing I'm dead set on is getting you some breakfast."

"Sorry. None of my business. I'll take the special," Les said, and picked up a copy of the newspaper lying on the counter. "Keep your nose out of other people's business, Thurman," he mumbled loud enough for her to hear.

She laughed as she hurried off to put in his order.

BLAZE LOOKED UP from behind her desk, unable to hide her surprise at finding Rourke McCall standing in her office doorway. She glanced to the street in time to see Easton drive away. Had Rourke purposely waited until Easton left the office, until he was sure she was alone? Blaze would bet money on it, she thought as she waited for Rourke to make his move.

"What exactly does Antelope Development Corporation develop?" he asked, coming into the office and closing the door.

She leaned back in her chair and watched him walk around the office. He picked up several pieces of paper from the edge of Easton's desk, glanced at them, then dropped them.

Although his movements didn't seem threatening, she felt a sudden stab of concern. The receptionist must not be at her desk. Otherwise, she would have announced Rourke. That meant Blaze was alone with him and no one knew he was here. Including Easton.

She realized Rourke was waiting for an answer. She smiled, trying to hide the fact that she felt suddenly uneasy. Any sign of weakness could be seen as guilt, she reminded herself.

"Land development."

"Coal-bed methane gas leases," he countered.

She nodded, hearing the distaste in his voice. "Antelope Flats is growing," she said, sounding too perky, as if trying too hard. She could see that he'd noticed. "Methane gas is the future of this town."

"That's too bad," he said.

She smiled up at him as if to make it clear that she didn't care about all this business stuff. She'd worn a robin-egg-blue dress that clung to her curves today.

Easton's eyes had practically popped out of his head when he saw her. She'd flirted with him a little, just to make him feel better.

But it had been hard to hide her delight when he told her he had to go into Sheridan to meet with some coal-mining executives. She could tell he hated to leave her alone in the office. Too bad he hadn't seen Rourke come in.

"So what brings you out this early in the morning?" she asked. She hadn't been sure she would see him again after the way he'd acted yesterday evening. He hadn't called her apartment later last night. Nor had he stopped by. She'd started doubting her control over him. She should have known he couldn't stay away from her.

But what bothered her was the feeling that he hadn't come here to try to get her into bed. And that wasn't like the Rourke McCall she'd known. She feared she didn't know this one at all and that could be her downfall.

How would she know what was going on with him and Ca.s.sidy? With him and Forrest's murder? The more she thought about it, the more worried she was that Easton was somehow involved. He'd been acting...scared, and that wasn't like him. What else could it be but Rourke getting out of prison?

That's why she needed to be on the inside of things with Rourke, and there was only one way to get there. Was he going to make her seduce him? Just as she'd done when she was fifteen?

She had more experience now, she thought, and there was no doubt that he'd noticed the dress. But it worried her, Ca.s.sidy wearing makeup. Everyone knew what it meant when a woman started wearing makeup. She was after some man.

"I need your help," Rourke said, surprising her by settling down in the chair on the other side of her desk.

Her help? Now they were getting somewhere. She turned up the wattage on her smile. "Just name it." help? Now they were getting somewhere. She turned up the wattage on her smile. "Just name it."

Rourke would have had to have been dead not to hear the offer in her tone. Blaze definitely a.s.sumed they would take up where they'd left off eleven years ago. He'd always enjoyed Blaze. What man wouldn't? Especially when she turned on the seduction, and right now she had it cranked all the way up.

The blue dress hid nothing, making it clear that Blaze's body had only improved with age.

"I'm going to reconstruct the night Forrest was murdered," he told her.

She blinked. It obviously wasn't what she'd hoped for. He almost laughed at her strained expression.

"What?"

"I'm going to reenact that night."

All the color went out of her face. "You aren't serious."

He nodded and leaned back in the chair, meeting her gaze. "All the main players will be there, except Forrest, of course."

"That's the craziest thing I've ever-Rourke, why relive that awful night? I mean it's been eleven years. It isn't like you can uncover any evidence that might have been overlooked."

He shrugged. "You never know."

She took a breath and let it out slowly, making him think Blaze might have reasons of her own for not wanting to return to that night. Hadn't Ca.s.sidy insinuated that Blaze might be hiding something?

It irritated him that Ca.s.sidy had him second-guessing himself again. Blaze had nothing to gain by setting him up for murder. Did she?

He pushed himself up out of the chair. "So I'll see you at the Mello Dee Sat.u.r.day night. Come by a little before midnight." He saw Blaze struggling to come up with a good reason she couldn't be there as he started to leave. "Oh yeah, and wear what you wore that night."

"What? You think I still have the same clothes I did eleven years ago?"

He turned to smile at her. "Then just wear something like that outfit you had on that night," he suggested.

"Those clothes have gone completely out of style."

He laughed. "I've missed you, Blaze."

She seemed to like that. "I can't believe Ca.s.sidy Ca.s.sidy has agreed to this." has agreed to this."

"It was her idea," he ad-libbed, and noticed the change in Blaze. She wasn't happy to hear this.

"Ca.s.sidy? Rourke, you aren't taking her her advice, are you?" Blaze let out a pitying laugh. "My cousin would do anything to hurt me. You realize she only got you sent to prison to separate the two of us, don't you?" advice, are you?" Blaze let out a pitying laugh. "My cousin would do anything to hurt me. You realize she only got you sent to prison to separate the two of us, don't you?"

He stared at Blaze, realizing just how blind he'd been when it came to her. Ca.s.sidy was right. He'd been a patsy and maybe in more ways than one.

"Cash has agreed to stand in for Forrest Sat.u.r.day night," he said, antic.i.p.ating Blaze's reaction and relis.h.i.+ng in it.

"Cash?"

"Is that a problem?" Rourke asked innocently.

"No, it's just that..." She licked her lipsticked lips. "I suppose you heard about me and Cash?"

He smiled. "If I listened to rumors, Blaze, I'd think you'd slept with every eligible male in town." With that, he turned and walked out the door, closing it firmly behind him.

BLAZE SAT STARING after him, then picked up the first thing she could grab off her desk and hurled it across the room. The stapler hit the wall and clattered to the floor, leaving a gouge in the paneling.

"b.a.s.t.a.r.d," she swore as she watched Rourke walk past his old pickup and cross the street, headed for the Longhorn Cafe-and Ca.s.sidy.

He hadn't even suggested that the two of them get together later, that they take up where they'd left off. d.a.m.n him. Worse, he was going over to see Ca.s.sidy.

Blaze couldn't believe this. Rourke should have been falling all over her.

She had to do something. Something drastic.

Easton drove up just then, got out of the Suburban, glared at Rourke's old pickup and then headed into the office. Wasn't he supposed to be at a meeting with coal-mining executives? Or had he just told her that's where he was going so he could double back and catch her with Rourke?

Only he hadn't caught her with Rourke. Easton had just missed him. d.a.m.n. She scrambled to come up with a way to salvage something from Rourke's visit. Easton had been in a foul mood earlier, had canceled their date last night, and seeing Rourke's truck outside didn't seem to improve his disposition.

She told herself she was getting to him. But she had to up the stakes.

She would pretend she'd left Rourke in her bed this morning and he'd stopped by to...to give her her apartment keys, she thought, hurriedly digging them out of her purse and dropping them on the edge of her desk. Let Easton think she'd spent the night with Rourke. What the h.e.l.l. Easton wouldn't know the difference.

She pulled out the small makeup bag she kept in her desk drawer and opened her compact. The look in her eyes startled her. She looked scared and upset. That wouldn't do at all. Not if she hoped to convince Easton that everything was great between her and Rourke, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d. They were all b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.

She heard Easton come in and stop at the receptionist's desk to pick up his phone messages. He would be coming into the office any moment.

Hurriedly she powdered her nose. Pretend you spent a heavenly night in Rourke's arms, she ordered herself. Her gaze softened a little at just the thought.

The door to the office opened and, still powdering her nose, she looked up at Easton and wondered how he was going to take the news about Rourke's plan. Not well, she thought, and realized she was scared, too.

"I'M GOING WITH YOU," Dusty said, her tone brooking no argument.

Asa looked up at his daughter as she came down the wide staircase toward the door where he stood. She looked so much like her mother that for a moment he was dumbstruck by her understated beauty-and her mule-headed determination.

"You're going to town to talk to Rourke, aren't you." she said. "As you promised. promised."

"And pick up a load of grain," he said, his real reason for going into town. "Wouldn't you rather stay here? J.T. was talking about riding up into the Bighorns today on horseback."

She smiled and shook her head as if he couldn't fool her. She was so so much like her mother. "You can buy me lunch in town. Cash told me that Rourke is staying at the lake cabin." much like her mother. "You can buy me lunch in town. Cash told me that Rourke is staying at the lake cabin."

Asa nodded, not surprised by either the news that Rourke was staying at the cabin or that Dusty had wheedled the information out of Cash. "So what makes you think we can even find your brother?"

"It's a small town," she said, and headed for the door.

Asa could see that there was no getting out of this. The alternative was having her go back to refusing to talk to him, which in retrospect might not be so bad.

He followed her out to the truck, not surprised when she started to get in the driver's side. He was touched that Dusty tried to protect him, especially since his heart attack, but he was still the head of this family, dammit.

"I'll drive," he said, stepping past her. He could see she wanted to put up an argument, but he slid in behind the wheel and slammed the door before she could.

She chattered on the way into town about ranch business, the latest news about neighbors and old friends, the upcoming rodeo. He only half listened. He had other things on his mind. Like the phone call last night. He'd convinced himself that it had been a wrong number. h.e.l.l, he'd been half-asleep. It wasn't anything to worry about. Nothing at all.

"ROURKE JUST STOPPED BY to drop off my apartment keys," Blaze said, the moment Easton walked into the office. "You aren't going to believe what he's planning to do Sat.u.r.day night."

"Nice to see you too, Blaze," Easton said, closing the door firmly behind him. He'd gotten little sleep last night, tossing and turning, the night filled with horrible nightmares. He'd awakened in a cold sweat. And now he didn't give a d.a.m.n what Rourke was planning for Sat.u.r.day night. In fact, he didn't want to hear the man's name.

"He's restaging the murder."

Easton turned to look at her, her words chilling him to the bone. The woman was powdering her nose. Primping. And he didn't need to wonder for whom.

"What the h.e.l.l did you do to cause this?" he demanded. Her cheeks were flushed and it wasn't from blush. She was enjoying this, he thought, wanting to strangle her.