Almost Forever (10 page)

“I know I should apologize,” he whispered, his lips next to her ear. “I shouldn't have let that happen, but I'm not sorry.”

“Neither am I,” she answered, her voice soft and lazy. Reluctantly she straightened her legs until she was standing. His penis slid out, still half erect. It seemed he always had a hard-on when she was around. “But we shouldn't have risked making love here with Kenzie on the other side of the wall. What if she had come out?” Justin raked his fingers through his hair. This was the height of irresponsibility. Regardless of his attraction for her, she was officially still a suspect, and he was supposed to be investigating the case subjectively. He rarely acted spontaneously, and never when he was an officer of the law. Even worse, he had, in the heat of the moment, completely forgotten about the child. He pulled his jeans up and fastened them. “Now I
am
sorry.”

She pulled her robe back around her and tied the belt. She lifted her hand and pressed her fingers against his lips. “Please don't be. I could have stopped you. But I wanted it as badly as you did.”

“It won't happen again.” He leaned down and picked up his shirt.

Lori turned her face away, and by the flush staining her cheeks, he realized he had clumsily embarrassed her. He gripped her chin and turned her face toward him. “I didn't mean that the way it sounded. There's nothing I would rather do than to make love to you over and over until dawn. Let me rephrase it—I
can't
let it happen again. You're a suspect, a victim, and my client, all mixed together for now. I'm supposed to be objective and focused on finding Mark's killer. I can't get involved with you because that wouldn't help me do my job or solve your case.”

Her lips were so close he almost couldn't resist kissing her again. He sucked in a deep, steadying breath, then continued, “I don't believe you had anything to do with Mark's death. Which means I
must
find the killer so you'll be free. I want you, Lori Roberts, more than I've ever wanted anything in my life. But I can't have you if you're behind bars.”

Justin rubbed his eyes.

“You should try to get some sleep,” Lori said. “I've already ruined your night.”

He gave her a wolfish smile. “Actually, it was one of the best nights I've ever had.” He glanced down the hallway at the guest room. “I think it would be a good idea if I stay here for the next few days, just in case any more unwelcome visitors feel like dropping by. And as much as I'd prefer it to be in your bedroom, I'll be comfortable in the guest room. Close enough in case you need me.”

Lori blinked. “Um…do you think that's necessary?”

His tone was serious as he said, “I don't think you're safe here alone. I'm convinced you didn't kill Mark, but someone did, and even after all this time, they are likely desperate not to have it pinned on them. That means you could be in danger.” He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. “I can't let anything happen to you or your daughter.”

She nodded stiffly. “What should I tell Kenzie?”

“Tell her I'm going to help out at the winery or whatever you think she'll understand.”

“Okay, I'll think of something.”

“If it's okay with you, I'll set up the alarm service tomorrow.”

Again she nodded. “There's an extra pillow and blanket on the shelf in the closet. There's a new toothbrush in the drawer and a basket with soap and toothpaste. Help yourself.”

“I'll pack a bag tomorrow. I have to go into the office for a meeting, but I'll be back here before dark.” He wanted to lean over and kiss her good night, but he settled for a smile. “Good night, Lori.”

“Good night, Justin.”

He waited until she was back in her room before he walked down the hall to the spare room. He was bone tired, but still damp from his walk outdoors. Besides, he could smell Lori's fragrant scent on his skin, and he knew he'd never get to sleep unless he washed it off. Just knowing she was only about twenty steps away was going to be difficult enough. But he couldn't chance leaving her alone. Someone who had killed once would have no qualms about doing it again.

Justin meant to get up early and head back to Austin, but Lori beat him. Or maybe, given the dark circles under her eyes, she hadn't gone back to sleep at all. He'd had his own problems trying to sleep. She was just too close, and the memory of how he had felt inside her and the sexy cries she had tried to muffle was very distracting. Even a long, hot shower hadn't washed away the sweet smell of her hair or the taste of her nipples. After tossing and turning, he even considered trying a cold shower, but finally he'd fallen into a restless slumber.

The smell of bacon and eggs drew him to the kitchen. Lori had wisely changed out of that clingy silk nightgown into a pair of turquoise capris and a white peasant blouse, pulled down to reveal bare, tanned shoulders. She stood at the stove while Justin sat on a barstool, thinking it was better for both of them if he kept his distance a little.

They chatted about everything except last night. In spite of the awkwardness of their passionate encounter, it was comfortable and pleasant to sit with her in her sunny kitchen, enjoying a delicious breakfast and a second cup of coffee. It was something he definitely could get used to.

But it made him very late getting into the office. He had to stop by his house first to change into a uniform. Being late to a meeting was bad enough, but being late and not in uniform was unthinkable.

Justin tried to slip into his office with a plan to hurry down to the meeting as if he were just running behind.

Unfortunately, his luck didn't hold. Instead of being in the conference room at the end of the hall, Franklin was standing in the doorway of his office, leaning against the frame, his legs crossed at the ankles.

“You missed the meeting,” Franklin said as he lifted his coffee cup to his lips.

“I thought it was at nine.” Justin felt like a schoolboy caught sneaking in after the bell rang.

“It was. But we canceled it since your case was the subject and you weren't there to give your report.”

“Sorry. There was an emergency out at Crystal Springs last night, and I didn't get away from there until about two hours ago.”

“Let's talk about it.” Franklin pushed away from the doorjamb and headed into his office, leaving Justin no choice but to follow.

He set his laptop bag on the floor and sat down on the chair in front of the lieutenant's desk.

“Where are you on the investigation?” Franklin put on a pair of reading glasses and opened a file on his desktop screen.

“I've sent you reports every night.” Justin pulled the legal tablet out of his laptop case. He quickly flipped through the pages until he arrived at his notes from the interview with Terri.

“I see you've met with the neighbor, Jerry Winston, and the old fiancée, Terri Waters. And how did your interview with Mrs. Roberts go?”

“She had nothing to do with it. There's an insurance policy, but she hasn't collected it. And her attorney has the will ready to go to probate.”

“Tell me more about Mrs. Roberts,” Franklin demanded.

“She was married to Mark for almost twelve years. They had one child, an eight-year-old girl named Mackenzie. Since Mr. Roberts wasn't officially dead, she decided to roll up her sleeves to keep the winery running.”

Franklin paged through the reports. “I thought you said the neighbor wanted to buy it.”

“But she didn't have the authority to sell.”

Franklin read down a few pages. “What about the trust fund? Where's the money?”

“We don't know.”

The lieutenant scowled over the wire frames of his glasses at Justin. “How about the staff? What did they have to say?”

“I haven't had a chance to talk to them yet.”

“And the woman he was suspected to have run away with?”

Justin forced himself not to shift nervously. “I haven't found her yet.”

“How about the man she paid ten thousand dollars to right after the murder?”

“Uh…I…” Justin flipped through his notes. He didn't remember anything about that. “Where did you see that?”

Franklin took off his glasses and dropped them on his desk. “I happened to stumble across it when I downloaded her financial records.”

“I hadn't—”

“Yes, I know.” Franklin leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingertips together. “Sometimes there are cases that aren't quite right. I think you've somehow gotten too close to Mrs. Roberts, and it's time you stepped away.”

Justin tried not to react. He could feel his jaw clench, but he tried not to show any emotions. “It's only been a week. I'm sure there will be a handful of suspects at the wake on Saturday. And today I was going to—”

Franklin raised his hand to cut Justin off in midsentence. “Has she had any friends in the last eight years? Boyfriends? Girlfriends? Has she been pregnant? Did she run around on him before he went missing?”

“No, but he cheated on her at least once.”

“Where's the 4-1-1 on that? Was she pissed…pissed enough to kill him?”

Justin didn't comment. Even though he didn't have the answers to most of those questions, he was still convinced she was innocent. But he knew there was nothing in the reports that would support that conclusion.

“You're better than this, Justin.” Franklin shook his head in disgust. “Where's the down-and-dirty stuff? I've never seen you let a suspect get inside your head like she has.”

Justin was speechless. He knew his denial would be weak and his boss would see right through it.

“Tyler!” Franklin called toward the door.

As if he had been waiting in the corridor, Tyler Reed, another Ranger, stepped into the doorway. He was carrying his laptop like he was ready to hit the ground running.

“Come on in and have a seat,” Franklin told him.

Tyler sat down next to Justin and opened his laptop. “Shoot.”

“You know the cold case I was telling you about? I'm putting you on it. Justin is going to send you all his reports and fill you in on anything else that might be important. I'd like to get this off our books and move on to the cases my boss is bugging me about. Okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Tyler said. He slid Justin a curious sideways look.

Justin lifted his chin and tried not to respond. He'd never had a case taken away from him or had his investigative techniques questioned. He had nothing against Tyler. The younger guy was intelligent and ambitious. He'd been with the Rangers for less than a year, but already he was building a reputation for quick, honest arrests.

Franklin looked back and forth from one man to the other. “I expect full cooperation from both of you. That'll be all for now.”

Justin knew it was a signal that the meeting was over, but he wasn't quite finished. “Tyler, can you meet me in my office in fifteen minutes?” It was stated as a question, but Justin's steady look told Tyler it was anything but. Tyler must have known better than to make an issue of it, so he stood and headed out of the office. “And please shut the door,” Justin called after him.

He waited until the handle clicked shut before he turned back to Franklin. “What was that all about?”

“You're in too deep on this one,” Franklin stated. “I don't know what's going on between you and the widow, and I don't want to know, but you've lost your edge. Normally, you'd be dogging the trail and have the case half solved by now.”

Justin raked his fingers through his golden-blond hair. “And I'll solve this one too.”

“No, you won't, because you're going to take a week or two off. How long has it been since you had a vacation?”

Justin wanted to dispute it, but he couldn't honestly remember the last time he'd taken time off.

“Exactly. You need to rest and recharge. This case has kicked your ass, and I think it's because you're just exhausted. Everyone needs a break.”

“But I don't want—”

“It's an order. Go stay at your grandmother's and sleep until noon, then pig out on her fried chicken and corn on the cob.” Franklin tried to soften the blow. He'd been invited to enough dinners at Grammy's to know what he was talking about.

Justin sat there for a moment longer, then stood. “Yes, sir. I'm not sure I remember how to let it all go, but I'll try.”

“Good. Don't take this as a punishment. Look at it as an opportunity to come back refreshed.” Franklin stood. “I'll give you a call next week to see how it's going.”

Justin nodded and left the room. Under normal circumstances, he would have fought for his right to keep the case. But Franklin had just beaten him to the punch. He had intended to come into the office today and take himself off anyway.

He knew it was a conflict of interest to continue the investigation at the same time that he was defending Lori. He had taken an oath to faithfully execute the duties of the office, and while he hadn't actually done anything that violated that oath, he felt like it would be best for both the Rangers and Lori if he were to choose a side. It had been a tough decision, because his duties as a Ranger had always come first and foremost.

However, his feelings for Lori were powerful and very real. He couldn't just walk away. Justin had learned to trust his gut, and it was telling him she was worth fighting for. Thinking of Lori brought a rush of guilt. Last night had been spontaneous, wild, and totally hot. It had also been one of the most irresponsible things he'd ever done in his life. If there was one thing Justin prided himself on, it was his self-control. It had kept him from trying drugs in high school or partying all night in college. It wasn't that he hadn't wanted to do those things. It was just that he'd had plans for his life that didn't include failing grades or an arrest.

Justin was barely seated behind his desk when Tyler knocked on the wall outside the open door.

“Come on in,” Justin called.

Tyler seemed hesitant.

Justin smiled and held out his hand. “Hey, no hard feelings. Franklin made the right decision. I'm sure you'll do a great job with the case.”

“I didn't ask for it,” Tyler said as he returned Justin's handshake.

“I'm sure you didn't. Franklin has a sixth sense about these things, and I probably wasn't moving things along as quickly as I should have.” He slid his legal pad across the desk. “Here are my notes. They expound on the reports that I've already forwarded to your email.”

Tyler flipped through the legal pad and asked a few clarifying questions. Justin went over everything he'd discovered and all the people he'd planned to interview, leaving out, of course, anything to do with Lori other than what was pertinent to the case.

“I'm sure you'll hit the ground running.” Justin leaned back in his chair.

“I've got some connections, so I'll poke around quietly about this Lori Roberts woman. If she has any skeletons in her closet, I'll find them. She probably had something to do with his death.”

Justin just shrugged. He wanted Tyler to make his own assumptions.

“So, what are you going to be working on?”

“I was ordered to take a vacation. I can't remember the last time I had two days in a row off the job.”

Tyler seemed startled. Everyone knew Justin's reputation as a pit bull. “Is it okay if I call you if I have a question?”

“No problem. I'll probably just be riding my horses or working on fences. Or maybe I'll even find a beach, and I'm not talking about Galveston. You can text me, just so I'll know how it's going. I want to see how it turns out.”

“Sure. I'll do that.”

Justin stood and picked up his hat from the corner of his desk. “Well, I'm officially off duty. Good luck. I hope you catch your man.”

“Or woman,” Tyler added.

“Right.”

The two men walked out the door together and Justin closed it behind them. They split up, with Tyler heading back to his office and Justin taking the stairs down to the parking lot. As soon as he got on the road, he dialed Lori's cellphone. He needed to warn her and, on a purely personal level, he wanted to hear her voice.

“Hi,” she answered. “Were you late to your meeting?”

“They canceled it. Are you busy?”

“Just doing some bookkeeping. I could use a break. This is the part of the business I like the least.”

“I've got some news.” He paused for a moment as he exited the highway. “I'm off the case…officially.”

There was a long moment of silence. Her voice was wary as she asked, “Does that mean I won't see you again?”

“No,” he hurried to assure her. “I'm on my way home to pack some clothes. I'm still planning on staying to protect you and Mackenzie, unless you'd rather I didn't.”

He heard her sigh of relief. “That's great. I mean, the alarm guy called and can't get out here until Monday, so I'm glad you're going to be here.”

“We'll talk more about it later. I've got to drop my horses off at my grandmother's, and then I'll be on my way to your place.”

“We're making pizzas tonight—Mackenzie's choice. I hope that's okay with you.”

“I'm always up for pizza.”

“I'll set an extra place. I might still be in the restaurant when you get here. But I've taken your advice and locked the house, so stop by here first.”

“Good. Oh, and Lori…don't mention to anyone that I'm staying there, okay?”

Her answer was hesitant. “Okay.”

“I'll explain everything. I promise. Just trust me.”