Fool's Gold (4 page)

“Damn.” Roy brushed past Mel and went inside. He surveyed the damage with Mel just a few steps behind him.

Addie couldn’t bear to go upstairs again. She waited in the front room, looking out the open door.

“Obviously the work of vandals,” Roy announced when they came back downstairs.

“Probably some kids from Sheridan. We have a couple of teenagers around here that might be talked into going along with this shit. One of them must have mentioned the place was empty, and the others took it from there.”

“Vernie Adams,” Mel announced, shaking with indignation. “He’s a no-good little twerp. He’s banned from the store because Naomi’s caught him shoplifting three times. Not that he knows how to read, mind you. The little Neanderthal probably just looks at the pictures.”

Addie gazed at her. “You really think he might be involved in this?”

“I wouldn’t put it past him. He drag races his car up and down Main Street when he knows there’s no law around.”

“Now, just hang on.” Roy held up his hands. “We’ll talk to Vernie and a whole lot of other people. But you leave that to us.”

“It just makes me so—so—angry!” Mel’s voice exploded, tears streaming down her face. “This beautiful place in shambles. It’s not right. It’s not fair! Addie shouldn’t have to deal with this her first day in town.” She spun around to face the wall, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Addie stared at her. She didn’t think much could surprise her anymore, after the things she’d been through in her life. The vandalising of the inn had shocked the hell out of her. Yet, Melissa—the sexy, dark-haired woman she’d never expected to find—continued to surprise her.

A large, hulking figure filled the doorway. “Roy, what we got here?”

Addie glanced up at the sheriff she’d met earlier.
Ryan something
. His skin was slightly tinted, and she remembered he had a Native American name.

“Howdy, Chief Blackhorse.” Chloe smiled, an annoying smirk on her face.

Ryan stepped into the inn. “It’s Sheriff Blackfeather, ma’am.” He dragged his gaze from her and looked around, giving a low whistle.

“Well, Sheriff.” Chloe stood, hands on her hips. “Doesn’t look like you or Barney Fife here managed to do your job very well. How could you let this happen? We’ve come all this way only to discover our home is in ruins. How are we supposed to stay here? Seems to me your department ought to take some responsibility. Put us up in a nice hotel for awhile until we get this mess taken care of.”

Addie watched and could almost see him reining in his temper. What the hell was Chloe thinking?
We have to live in this town. Why alienate the sheriff, for crying out loud?
She stepped forward. “I’m not going anywhere. This place was my dream—
is
my home. It’s going to take awhile, but I’ll clean it up.” She stared at Chloe. “We don’t need a hotel.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Her friend rolled her eyes and blew a breath upwards, causing her bangs to flutter.

“Listen.” Ryan addressed himself to Addie. “Roy’s going to take some pictures. Then I’m calling in a cleaning crew to shovel out the worst of this mess. We should be able to get the trash out, at least.”

“And the bugs.” Mel shuddered.

Ryan kicked a mouldy pizza box, and insects crawled in every direction. “Christ on a crutch! That’s fucking disgusting. I’ll call Joe Knapp over in Sheridan. He’s the best exterminator I know. I’m sure he can be over here later today and spray real good, once the crap is out.”

He turned to Roy. “Photograph everything. Dust for fingerprints.”

“You got it.” Roy went to work.

Addie stepped closer to Ryan. “I appreciate this, but I really can’t afford much right now. I’ve got a cheque coming from my father’s estate, and once I get it, I’ll be fine. But at the moment—”

He raised a hand. “No problem. We’ll just do what needs to be done, and worry about settling up later. You should check on your insurance, too. There’ll be a deductible, but this should all be covered.”

“Insurance!” Addie’s mind raced.
I’d forgotten about that
. Had the policy already gone into effect?
Please let the inn be covered by insurance
. That might save her.

He touched her arm. “You have insurance, right?”

Addie laughed, waving him off. “Of course, I do. I’ll just need to call my agent.”

Whoever the hell that is
. She remembered someone insisting she needed coverage, but not much more than that.

“All right.” He looked at her one more time. “Roy, let me know when you’re finished.

I’ll round up a crew to send in here with shovels. It won’t be perfect, but hopefully by tonight it’ll be more liveable.”

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Addie told him sincerely.

“Call me Ryan.” He smiled.

The corners of his eyes crinkled, and she realised how nice he looked. She’d never been too friendly with cops, but this one seemed okay. Addie nodded at him.

“See you later, Ryan.” Chloe said loudly.

“You can call me Sheriff,” Ryan muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for Addie and Mel to hear. He winked at them and walked out.

Addie grinned as she watched him go. For the first time since she’d arrived, she actually felt better. It might have been the offer of help or the reminder of her insurance policy. She couldn’t shake the feeling it had something to do with the woman standing next to her. Mel’s emotion had touched her deeply. It was entirely out of the blue, and way more feeling than Chloe seemed to have for the situation.

“I’m going to run home and change,” Mel told her. “I should check in with Naomi at the bookstore, but I’ll be back to help clean up.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Addie insisted.

“I know I don’t have to.” Mel squeezed her arm. “I want to.”

“Well, thanks.” She wanted to say more, but Mel had already turned and gone.

“Snippy little bitch.” Chloe lit another cigarette as they watched Mel drive off. “This is all her fault.”

“How could it be? She was just supposed to hold the keys, not mount a round-the-clock guard on the place.” Addie rubbed her hands over her upper arms. “She’s being really nice.”

Chloe cupped Addie’s chin and pulled her face close for a kiss. “I’ll show you nice, once we’re finally alone in this dump. I can’t wait to get my hands on you.” She caressed one of Addie’s breasts through her T-shirt.

Sex was the last thing on Addie’s mind.
Or is it?
An image of Mel floated through her head, and she blinked. Maybe sex with the increasingly annoying Chloe wasn’t what she wanted. Melissa Danes, now
she
was another story.

Roy finished with the front room and moved on to the kitchen. Unsure where to start, Addie grabbed a trash bag and began shoving things into it. The task seemed overwhelming, but she forced herself not to think that way and kept working. Chloe was nowhere to be found, which was almost a blessing. The last time Addie had seen her, she’d had her feet propped up on the front porch railing, chain smoking and bitching.

Addie heard traffic in front of the house but tried to ignore it. If she stopped to look every time someone drove by, she’d never get anything done.

“Addie, you in here?” Mel’s voice rang out.

“In the dining room,” she called back and wiped beads of sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand.

“Hey!” Mel walked in with a group of people behind her. “Addie Murphy, this is Rance Benning, Jeremy Lovell and Bo Lawson from the Back Breaker Ranch.”

A tall, dark-haired cowboy removed the trash bag from Addie’s hand and said, “How do, ma’am.”

She raised her eyebrows, unsure what to say. More people filed in.

“This is Nate Gills and Rio Adega.” Mel leaned in to her. “They’re Ryan’s partners.

Cute, huh?” Louder, she added, “This is my boss, Naomi Rivers, and her girlfriend, Courtney Cross. Naomi closed the store early to come and help.”

Addie looked from the handsome man with short hair to the equally handsome one with long, flowing tresses.
Ryan’s partners?
Cattle Valley was definitely going to be interesting. The two women smiled at her, one blonde, one red-headed, and Addie had no idea which was which. But they seemed friendly, and they were
here
. That meant a lot—at least, she thought it did. She turned to Mel and whispered, “Why are all these people here?”

Mel smiled. “This is Cattle Valley. This is what we do. Don’t question it, just step aside, and let us get to work.”

“I’m not going to step aside. Where did that guy go with my trash bag?”

The short-haired man stepped up behind her. “He’s already filled it and is working on another one. I’m Nate, by the way, in case you missed it in that flurry of introductions. When all this is said and done, I’d love to help you redecorate this place. Now that Tia and her Jamaican voodoo dolls are gone, this house has real potential.”

Addie managed an uncertain grin. “I think so, too. Thanks, Nate.”

His eyes twinkled, and he moved next to his partner.
Rio
, Addie recalled. Nate seemed to be giving instructions more than working, and Rio appeared to be giving him crap about it. The look in their eyes when they gazed at one another was one of the most incredible things she’d ever seen. Addie could already tell they had something special, no matter how much they teased each other.

She wandered to the front room and saw at least six more people working in there. The place looked vastly improved, and Addie felt a surge of joy in her heart. “This is so nice of all of you,” she said to no one in particular.

“It was a rotten thing that happened to you.” Yet another handsome, dark-haired man smiled at her. “I’m Matt Jeffries, the physical therapist at the clinic. I had an hour between appointments and thought I’d lend a hand.”

“That’s so kind.” She was amazed at the support she was getting from people she didn’t even know.
A guy with an hour between appointments came to help me out?
Astounding. No other word seemed to fit.

[ * * ]

Addie strolled through the cleaned and polished rooms of her inn. The furniture was still ruined, but what was left sparkled and shone. The cowboys had dragged all the mattresses out to a truck, and someone had hauled them off. She’d seen a couple of people bring a different mattress in, along with an armload of linens, to make her room usable. After Mel and two other women finished in the owner’s suite, Addie walked in and found the bed made up with fresh sheets and a pretty blue comforter she knew hadn’t been there before.

There were even two fluffy pillows, a pleasant sight given how tired she suddenly was.

“That was good pizza.” Chloe followed her, a bottle of beer in her hand.

“Where’d you get that?” Addie sat on the edge of the mattress.

Chloe shrugged. “Whoever brought the pizza brought beer, too. There’s a bunch of other food in the fridge. No idea where it came from.”

Addie tried to remember whom she’d seen carrying bags. Mel.
Of course
. When the cleaning had been complete, the group had moved out to the porch so the exterminator could do his thing. He’d sprayed thoroughly and promised Addie he’d return, twice a week, until they were sure the problem was under control.

While they were outside, Ryan had returned with an armful of pizza boxes and drinks.

Addie was so grateful he’d fed everyone. It was exactly what she’d have done if she’d been able. Somehow, she’d figure a way to repay the people of Cattle Valley. Once she got the inn open, and money was regular. She smiled at the pleasant thought.

“They brought chocolate chip cookies, too.” Chloe munched into one, and crumbs sprinkled to the floor.

“Hey! They just cleaned in here.” Addie grabbed the cookie from her hand and scooped up the crumbs. “Go eat in the kitchen, please. Use a napkin or a plate or something.”

“Look who’s Miss Snotty Pants tonight.” Chloe snatched her cookie back and stomped off in the direction of the kitchen.

Addie sighed. She peeled out of her clothes and headed for the bathroom. She hadn’t entirely unpacked, but her suitcases were open, and she easily found what she needed. Soap, shampoo and a towel would do it for tonight. She wanted to get cleaned up and go to bed.

She stepped into the shower-tub combo and drew the plastic curtain. There was good pressure, and the water felt nice and warm. Tonight, she was thankful for small favours. She was standing with her face upturned to the spray when something moved behind her.

Terrified, Addie spun around and saw a naked Chloe climb into the shower. “What are you doing?”

“Just what I promised. Remember what I said about getting you alone?”

“Chloe, I—” Addie’s protest was cut off with a kiss. The tongue that stabbed into her mouth tasted like beer and chocolate, not entirely unpleasant flavours. She tried to pull away, but two hands clutched her firmly, kneading her breasts and running over her slick, wet skin.

“No arguments,” Chloe murmured, their mouths still touching. “I’m going to make love to you.
Need
to make love to you.”

Addie squirmed as a hand groped her crotch, working its way between her legs.

Fingers parted her lips and worked upwards, spearing her pussy.
Okay, maybe
. She wasn’t that interested, but it was suddenly too late to turn back. Leaning against the tile wall, Addie spread her legs to allow better access.

Chloe took advantage. Her fingers melded into the shape of a cone, she fucked in and out aggressively. She lowered her lips to Addie’s breast and suckled one wet, wrinkled nub.

“That’s my girl.” Her teeth grazed the nipple. “You like it rough. You like to be fucked hard and fast.”

Addie groaned, a tingle forming in her lower region. Chloe always told her that she liked it hard and fast.
That’s what Chloe likes.
It didn’t feel bad, just intense. It would definitely get her off very quickly. She bucked her hips so the thrusting hand would hit her clit.

Chloe switched nipples, drawing the second one deep into her mouth. She sucked it firmly, with heavy pressure.

The feeling became uncomfortable, and Addie grimaced. “Ouch!”