Getting Lucky (A Nugget Romance Book 5) (15 page)

She laughed. “It’s kind of sick, but I think Harlee’s circulation has doubled since the murder.” She took his phone, played with it for a few minutes, and handed it back. “Here you go. It’ll chirp when an update comes in. You can change it to vibrate if you want to.”

“Thanks.”

“In other news, I hear a
Sports Illustrated
reporter is coming up to interview you. He booked a room at the Lumber Baron.”

“Word travels fast,” Lucky said, hoping that the murder and drug investigations would be yesterday’s news by the time the reporter got here. Fat chance of that.

“Exciting.” Mariah was momentarily distracted when another patron sat at the bar. Lucky looked over to see who it was, anticipating another barrage of questions, but didn’t recognize the man. “I’ve got to get back to work. Whistle if you need something.”

“Will do,” Lucky said.

He tried Jake again. Still no answer, so he decided to head over to the Lumber Baron, hoping someone there had heard something, since Maddy was married to the police chief. All he found was Brady working in the kitchen.

“Where is everyone?”

“Sam and Nate made a run to Gold Mountain to check on their renovations.” The Breyers had bought a resort near Glory Junction. “Maddy took Emma to Reno to run errands. It’s just me and Andy holding down the fort. I hear you’ve got your hands full at the cowboy camp. Did you know the victim?”

Here we go again.
“He was fixing my fences.” With 110 acres there were a lot of fences to mend. Lucky supposed he’d have to find a new fence guy.

“Sorry, man.” Brady dished a hefty slice of coffee cake onto a plate and slid it over to Lucky. “I heard you found the body. That’s gotta be tough.”

“He was still alive when I got there. A couple of other workers got to him first and were trying to stop the blood. You hear anything about the investigation?”

“Just what I read in the
Nugget Tribune
.”

“So Maddy hasn’t said anything?” Lucky asked.

“Nah. I think Rhys keeps her in the dark on police matters. Like everyone else around here, she’s prone to yammering.” Brady kneaded a big ball of dough on the wooden cutting board. “How’s Katie? I haven’t seen Tawny around much.”

“She and I were in the Bay Area for me to get some tests before the transplant.”

Brady put the dough in a big stainless steel bowl and draped it with a towel. “So you’re a match?”

“They think so. We’re just waiting for a few more results.”

“That’s great,” Brady said. “How’s Tawny doing with all of it?”

“She’s a champ. I’ve never met a woman like her in my life.” Lucky noticed that Brady was looking at him funny. “What?”

“Nothing. I just thought you were with Raylene.”

“I am,” Lucky said, although sometimes he wondered. It wasn’t intense between them, like the way it used to be. He could actually go days without thinking about her. Then again they were adults now, not love-struck teenagers. “What made you think I wasn’t?”

“The way you looked when you talked about Tawny . . . like you were crazy about her.”

“Nah, nothing like that. From what I hear, you two are an item.”

“Oh yeah? Where did you hear that?” Brady asked, but Lucky noticed he didn’t deny it.

“I’m not giving up my sources.” Lucky laughed. “Any truth to the rumor?”

“Would it bother you if it were true? Because I’m getting the feeling that it would.”

“I don’t know where you’re getting that.”
Was it that obvious?

Brady grinned. “Dude, it’s all over your face.”

“Look, she’s the mother of my child. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was protective of her and Katie.” And something more that Lucky didn’t want to face up to.

“We’re just friends, Lucky. But that doesn’t mean it won’t eventually go somewhere. Only time will tell.”

The conversation came to an abrupt halt when Maddy waltzed into the kitchen. “Hey, Lucky, what brings you here?”

“I can’t go back to my ranch until your husband and his pals finish up there. It’s left me at loose ends.”

“I’m sorry, Lucky. I heard you found the body. What an awful thing to have happened.”

“Yeah.” He blew out a breath. “So what do you hear?”

“You must know more than I do. Rhys doesn’t tell me anything. In fact, I’m going over to the police station now to demand that he come home for dinner. My husband hasn’t been home in the last twenty-four hours.”

Maddy had turned out to be a dead end, and Brady had filled his head with a lot of stuff he didn’t want to think about. The trip to the Lumber Baron could officially be called a bust.

Lucky looked at his watch. He had an hour before Katie got out of school and he could fulfill his promise to take her to Farm Supply to pick out a few appropriate outfits. Between the boy-band poster and that skirt she’d had on this morning, he could see his new role as father was gonna be a rough ride. The kid got to him, though. Cracked him up. She talked with so much passion that there was no question that she’d inherited his Latino side. The other day, she’d stood with her hands on her hips and told him, “Daddy, you have got to get a herd of baby llamas. They are the cutest things in the whole wide world.” The crazy part was that after she’d said it, he went and ordered a few llamas for the ranch. He still didn’t know what he’d do with the damn things.

Lucky decided he might as well kill the time at Tawny’s. On his way over there he thought about what Brady had said and wondered how everything had gotten so complicated. He finally got to be with Raylene, but every time he saw Tawny, the magnetic pull between them became harder to ignore. Sure, he’d been attracted to lots of women. Sexy as hell women, who threw themselves at him. But Lucky knew this was different. Tawny was different. For some dang reason he just wanted to be with her all the time.

And it wasn’t right. It made him feel like he was cheating on Raylene, even though he and Tawny had never done anything sexual. A man could lust in his heart, right? Ah hell, who was he kidding? He had to screw his head on straight. From the time he’d started liking girls, Raylene had been the one.

Even after she’d gone and married Butch, Lucky had never stopped thinking about her . . . loving her. So why all of sudden was Nugget’s former introverted, green-eyed wallflower giving him second thoughts?

T
awny, lost in her work, didn’t hear Lucky come into her studio until he cleared his throat. He stood there, 100 percent pure cowboy, leaning lazily against the doorjamb, watching her work.

Since that morning, he’d changed into a fresh pair of jeans, worn and fitted in all the right places, and a plaid shirt that showed off the breadth of his chest. He must’ve gone to his mom’s, where Tawny knew he kept a stack of spare clothes. His black hat dipped low, shading his mocha-brown eyes. And today he had on one of his rodeo belt buckles, drawing Tawny’s eyes to a place she didn’t want to go but went there anyway.

The man was sex in cowboy boots, and she had to force herself to look away to keep from blushing.

“Hey,” Lucky said, and Tawny walked across the room to turn down the music.

“Anything new on the case since I saw you last?” she asked.

“Not a damn thing. I thought I’d hang out here until Katie’s out of school.” He cocked his head at the project she was working on. “Whose boots are those?”

“Clay McCreedy’s.” She tried to focus on what she’d been doing, but Lucky was too much of a distraction.

“You ever gonna make me a pair?”

She waved her hand around the room “There are plenty of ready-made ones to choose from.”

“Nope. I want my own, like the bull riding ones you did.”

“Get on the list. I might be able to fit you in, in two years.” She reached for a wooden foot form in Clay’s size.

Lucky came up behind her and watched over her shoulder. She could feel his breath on her neck and she wanted to tell him to go away. Or stay. That was the problem. He made her so crazy she couldn’t think rationally when he was around.

“Could you please sit down? You’re making me nervous,” she said.

“Why’s that?” He grinned like an arrogant fool.

“Do you like people staring at you while you work?”

“As a matter of fact, I do.” All right, bad example if you’re a professional bull rider.

“Well, I don’t. And at this point in the process I can’t afford to make a mistake.”

He grabbed a chair, turned it backward, and straddled it. “I like your hair that way.”

Tawny had pinned it up so it wouldn’t get in her way while she worked. There was nothing special about it, but she said thanks anyway.

“You still don’t know when you can go back to your ranch?” she asked.

“When they finish collecting evidence. Whenever that is.” He shrugged.

“What did Jake say?”

“He’s not returning my calls. And that reporter is due in a couple of weeks. This is the worst possible time.”

Not the best advertising, Tawny agreed. “None of this is your fault, Lucky. The reporter will understand that. All he has to do is look at Nugget’s crime stats to know that what happened the other night is a fluke.”

“Instead, what’ll happen is he’ll make it out that I run with a rough crowd. That we’re all shoot-’em-up cowboys. Believe you me, I know how this works, and there was a time when I would’ve liked the badass image. But not when I’m trying to build a business . . . not when I have a nine-year-old daughter.”

“Have him come talk to me,” Tawny said. “I’ll tell him that you’re not like that. How you worked your way through high school, helping to support your mom. How since you found out about Katie you’ve stepped up. You really have been wonderful, Lucky.”

“You’ll talk to him for me?” He smiled at her in a way that made her toes curl. “I remember when you were too shy to talk to kids your own age, let alone a reporter.”

“It took me a while to come out of my shell. That’s what happens when you’re the ugliest girl in town.” She tried to make it sound self-deprecating, but it had been a horribly painful time for her.

“Not anymore. And for the record, you were never ugly. Obviously, I sure as hell didn’t think so,” he said, clearly referencing the night they’d had sex.

Your girlfriend, Raylene, sure thought so
. But she kept that to herself. They’d been kids, and Tawny needed to let it go. “You were drunk and despondent over the love of your life, Raylene.”

“Still, you must’ve turned me on. It’s not like I would’ve done it with the first available woman.”

“I think your memory’s foggy. Because that’s exactly what you did.”

“Nope,” he said. “There was something there. I’d be lying if I said I could remember what it was, but I know it was something.”

“You’re delusional.” Tawny waved him off. “You didn’t even recognize me when you got back.”

“I didn’t recognize you at first because you went by a different name and you’d grown up so much. But I did eventually. And, Tawny, you’re just wrong about that night. There was something about you then and there’s something about you now.”

He looked at his watch and muttered, “Shit, I’ve gotta get Katie,” and walked out the door.

 

Lucky was ready to collapse. Who knew a nine-year-old had so much stamina? Katie tore through Farm Supply trying on everything in her size, especially the stuff with lots of rhinestones and bright colors. He had himself a little rodeo queen in the making.

“What about this?” Katie came out of the dressing room wearing one of those half T-shirts that didn’t cover her belly button.

Lucky leaned against one of the clothing racks and shook his head. “I don’t think your mama’s gonna go for it.”

“She will,” Katie pleaded.

“I’m not too thrilled with it, to tell you the truth.” If a few months ago someone had told Lucky he’d be involved in picking out a nine-year-old girl’s wardrobe, he would’ve died laughing. His own wardrobe was pretty sorry—just lots of jeans, Western shirts, and boots. Not even a suit in his closet. “It’s a mite on the short side, Katie girl.”

“This is what all the girls at my school wear.” She pouted.

“I don’t doubt that. But not my girl. Try on those jeans.” He pointed to the red pair in her pile with sparkles on the pockets. She’d thought they were “awesome” on the hangar.

She slipped back into the dressing room and Lucky found a chair. Looked like he’d be here for a while.

“Hey, Lucky.”

Lucky turned to find Clay McCreedy and his youngest son, Cody, pawing through a shelf of white Wrangler jeans. “Stocking up on 4-H uniforms?”

“Yup. At the rate Cody’s sprouting up, these won’t last either.” Clay pushed Cody toward a dressing room and handed him a few pairs to try on.

Katie came out of her room, took one look at Cody, and turned the same color as her red pants.
Oh boy, here it starts
, Lucky told himself.

“Hi, Katie,” Cody said.

Katie stammered something Lucky couldn’t make out.

“Now that is a nice-looking pair of jeans,” Lucky told his daughter, hoping to save her from the awkwardness she clearly felt. Only it seemed to make matters worse, because Katie disappeared back into the dressing room and shut the door. “You getting those?”

“I think so,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Clay chuckled. “How you doing, Katie? This old bull rider taking you shopping?”

“I’m good,” she said, and Lucky wondered if she would ever come out of the dressing room again.

“I’m glad I saw you here,” Clay said to Lucky. “Been meaning to come over to your place after I heard what happened. Although from what I’ve gathered, Rhys and his boys have your place locked up until they’re finished with their investigation. Damn shame. I didn’t know the guy but I am real sorry. I presume it’s holding you up.”

“Yep,” Lucky said. “It’s a real mess.”

“I’m sorry about that too. And this isn’t about to make you any happier, but there’ve been a number of cattle thefts in the area. I’ve got at least a hundred head missing. I found a cut fence, and tire tracks from a stock trailer and an ATV. They rode in at night, rounded up what they could get, and are probably in another state by now. With the price of beef being what it is, I’m out a lot of money.”

“Any idea who’s doing it?”

“None. I called the California Department of Food and Agriculture. But they only have one investigator and he’s jammed up. Apparently this is going on all over the state. Next, I’m going to Rhys. Be aware, though. Even though you don’t have beef cattle, these yahoos probably don’t know the difference. Or worse, they do, and they know your breeding stock is worth a small fortune.”

Great, Lucky thought. Just what he needed. Drug runners, cattle rustlers, and murderers.

“I appreciate the heads-up,” he told Clay.

Cody came out of the dressing room.

“You found one that works?” Clay asked him, and Cody shoved a pair of pants at Clay, who took them to the cash register. Why couldn’t girls be that easy?

“Hey, kid, the coast is clear,” Lucky called into Katie’s dressing room.

Katie came out in another pair of glittery jeans. “That was so embarrassing.”

He pulled her in for a hug and kissed the top of her head. “Nah, you were both trying on clothes. No big deal.”

“Dad, that was Cody McCreedy!”

“He some big heartthrob over there at Nugget Elementary?”

“He’s like the most popular boy in middle school. Him and Sam Shepard.” Lucky knew that was Rhys’s kid brother.

“Yeah, well, he’s too old for you.”

“He would never like me anyway,” Katie said.

“He seemed to like you just fine. Knew your name and said hello.”

“That’s because you’re famous.”

“Katie, he didn’t give me the time of day. Just said hello to you.”

“Probably because he feels sorry for me because I have leukemia.”

And that right there folded Lucky’s heart in half. “Honey, that just means he cares about you. But this leukemia thing, we’re gonna kick its ass. Now don’t go telling your mother I used a bad word.”

She giggled. “I won’t. Can I get these?”

He looked the jeans over to make sure they passed the non-hoochie-mama test. “Yep. Add ’em to the stack.”

Finally they left, with four pairs of pants, too many tops for Lucky to count, and a jacket that Katie couldn’t live without. Tawny would accuse Lucky of spoiling her. Too freaking bad. He was her father and could spoil her if he wanted to.

“What do you say we grab a couple of burgers over at the Bun Boy?” He hoisted Katie into the cab of his truck and quickly felt her head. He’d seen Tawny do it so many times that it had become routine.

Katie, used to being fussed over, said, “I don’t feel sick today.”

“Good. Then let’s get those burgers. Put your new jacket on, okay?” He didn’t have to ask her twice. She bit the tags off and shrugged into the down fuchsia jacket faster than he could get to the square.

After supper he took Katie home and sat in the driveway, trying Jake for the umpteenth time.

Tawny tapped on his window. “You’re not coming in?”

Usually she was trying to get rid of him. He unrolled his window and gaped at her a little longer than would be considered respectable. She’d taken her hair down and had changed into a dress. “You going somewhere?”

“No. Harlee is coming over later to take a picture of me for my website. The one on there is ancient. Katie wants to show me her new clothes. I didn’t know if you wanted in on that.”

“What’s the deal with Cody McCreedy?”

She laughed. “Katie told me he was at the feed store. All the girls have crushes on him.”

“She’s too young to be having crushes.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll tell her that.”

He grinned. “You making fun of me?”

“A little. Don’t you remember all the girls who had crushes on you at that age?”

“No. Did you?” he prodded.

“I’m not telling.” She started to walk away, then called over her shoulder, “You coming?”

Although sorely tempted, liking this flirtatious side of her, he said, “I’ve got to find out what’s going on at my place.” Especially after what Clay had told him. He didn’t think anyone would be brazen enough to steal livestock right under the cops’ noses. But he didn’t like being away for an extended period of time. “No one from the Nugget Police Department is calling me back.”

“Then what can you do?”

“Go over to the station and demand answers.” Even though Jake had told him not to.

His phone rang. Lucky looked at the display. “It’s Jake,” he said, and answered. “Finally!”

“We’re done,” Jake said. “You can go home.”

“Hey, I talked to Raylene . . .” Lucky couldn’t say more because Tawny was listening in.

“Yeah?”

Ah, screw you, Jake
. “What’s going on with that?” Lucky was losing his patience.

“I’m not at liberty to say. I’ve got to go, Lucky.”

Jake hung up and Lucky hit his phone against the dashboard.

“What happened?” Tawny asked.

“He says they’re done and I can go home.”

“What was that about Raylene?”

“Nothing. She wanted to know if the police wanted to talk to her . . . in case she has to leave town or something.”

“Do they want to talk to her?”

“I don’t know. Jake had to go.” But he sure the hell planned to talk to Raylene before the night was over. She was another one not returning his calls.

 

Jake had had it up to here with Ray Rosser. After three hours of interrogation, the arrogant SOB Rosser had finally lawyered up. Some bigwig defense attorney was on his way. Another night of work. Another night he wouldn’t spend with Cecilia.

In the last couple of months, he’d looked forward to sharing Cecilia’s bed like he did his next breath. The woman had put him under her spell; he was so crazy about her. She, on the other hand, approached their relationship with the caution of a fox. Aloof and restrained. Not that she wasn’t always warm and willing. Cecilia was an extremely sensual woman. But as far as committing herself heart and soul to him, she was still testing the waters. He supposed he too should be circumspect, given how many times he’d lost at love.