Collision Course (14 page)

Casey
shrugged. She had no intention of telling him she’d run a search on T.J. and
come up empty. “Could be he wants some solitude to write and couldn’t get it
wherever he came from.”

“That’s
possible.” Ben took a swallow of coffee. “He told you he’s writing a book set
in in a town like Connelly. Then why hasn’t he been out walking around town,
soaking up the environment? Or talking to people, interviewing them, asking
questions. Something I think a writer would do.”

“Maybe
that’s still on his to-do list. He said he does a lot of his research online.”

“And
maybe he’s got other reasons for being here.”

“Like
what? I don’t think he’s planning to rob the bank or shoot anyone.”

“Funny
you should bring that up. Ira says the guy started showing up at the gun range
the last couple of days or so.” His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Ira
also hinted you and the guy were shooting together. Something going on there,
Casey?”

Casey
swallowed her irritation. Ira had been running his mouth as usual. She had to
work hard to keep the irritation out of her voice. “And? Why make a big deal
out of it? A lot of people use the range.”

“Strangers
coming through town? Not too often.”

“He’s a
writer who wants a quiet place to do his thing. He’s allowed to have a gun,
right? And to practice with it?”

The
sheriff stared at her, his gaze sharp as he studied her. “If he carries it
around in his car, he needs a license. And there’s no license issued in Texas
to a T.J. Buck.” He took another swallow of coffee, made a face and pushed the
mug away. “Matter of fact, there isn’t even a vehicle. The plates on his pickup
come back to some guy in Kansas.”

“So, he
what? Stole the truck?” She wished she had bourbon in the carafe instead of the
rapidly cooling coffee. She could use something stronger right now.

“No,
he’s safe there. No stolen vehicle report. I checked the VIN, tracked down the
owner and he said his son owned it. The boy sold it to some guy coming through
town. Hadn’t gotten around to registering the change of title yet because the
damn kid couldn’t remember what he did with the information.”

“Well,
then.” Casey relaxed a fraction. “So there’s no crime to worry about.”

“No
crime. Not yet, anyway.”

“Oh? And
is your interest professional or personal?”

“Professional,
with a little of the personal thrown in. We’re friends as well as fellow law
enforcement officers. At least I like to think so. I can sniff this stuff out,
and Casey?” Ben sat up straight. “I have an itchy feeling the guy’s got trouble
following him. I’d hate to see you in the middle of it.”

She
gritted her teeth. “If there is something, it’s my worry not yours. My private
life is my own, Ben.”

“Look,
Casey.” He smiled at her, leaning toward her again. “I think a lot of you. I
don’t want to see you get yourself involved with a guy who might drag you into
a mess.”

She
tightened her grip on the handle of the carafe. “Like I said, Ben, I appreciate
your concern but I can handle myself.

Ben
started to reach for her hand but she tucked it into her lap. The muscles in
his face tightened for a moment before the smile returned.

“Thanks
for thinking of me.” She stood up. “But I need to get back to work. Can I get
you anything else?”

“No,
thanks. I’m finished. At least with my meal. But I do eat more than one. How
about dinner?” When she shook her head, he persisted. “Like I keep saying, all
I have in mind is a casual meal between friends. Come on, Casey. You need some
down time. Or at least something in a different environment.”

“Thanks,
Ben, but I’m doing fine.”

His hand
closed around her wrist. “Be very careful, okay? I mean it.”

She
nodded and slipped her hand from his grip. A part of her brain noted while
Ben’s touch made her feel uncomfortable , standing next to T.J. made her entire
body thrum with desire and need. She moved quickly away from the table.

Taking
the carafe into the kitchen, she stuck it in the sink to be washed and busied
herself brewing a fresh pot. She should have known Ben would decide to go
sniffing around T.J. With the crime rate in the area close to zero, he had a
lot of time on his hands. Free hours to dig into things she didn’t think were
any of his business.

The
internal radar that had tuned into T.J. the first day he walked into the Half
’n Half, now vibrated with full intensity. If the law wasn’t after him, her gut
told her the people on his trail were much, much worse. Tonight at dinner,
she’d have to find a way to tell him her suspicions without spooking him. And
if she was lucky, get him to open up to her a little.

Her mind
fell into old patterns, thinking of ways to protect him without being obvious.
Creating scenarios. Figuring angles. She also worried what would happen if his
trouble found him here. It might spill over onto the people in the restaurant
or her parents. Her stomach tightened and the beginning of a headache crept up
her skull.

If she
could get her brain to work, she’d find a way to tell T.J. it might be time for
him to move on. He might not give her a hard time. Maybe even leave rather than
call additional attention to himself.

Of
course, she’d need a good reason to throw him out. Instead of thinking of one,
her mind turned toward dinner and the unexpected feeling of anticipation. She
had to keep reminding herself they were only talking about one meal. Nothing
more. She’d ignore the accelerated pulse throbbing throughout her body. She was
through with men, right?

Yeah,
right.

*****

Trey
wondered if, at thirty-five, it was still possible to be nervous on a date.
Especially for a man who wasn’t a novice with women.

It’s
not a date, damn it.

But it
sure felt like one.

He liked
her suggestion for dinner. The restaurant had a comfortable, casual ambience,
with its beamed ceiling and Texas theme décor. Trey thought the crowd large for
a weeknight, but Casey explained the place drew people from all over the
county. When he took his first taste of the steak, he understood why. He’d
eaten in top restaurants all over the world, and this one didn’t take a back
seat to any of them.

So. He
had ambience, good food and a woman he couldn’t stop thinking about. Despite
his conflict as to whether he should have asked her out or not, he’d looked
forward to an enjoyable evening.

Even if
the woman sitting across the table tempted him too much. The scent she wore
teased at his nose. Not even the mouthwatering aroma of steak grilling and side
dishes cooking could compete with it. The embroidered tee and white jeans clung
to her figure as if tailor-made for her. The soft fabric accentuating her
breasts made his palms itch and his hands eager to reach out and cup them. She
wore her hair loose tonight, a soft, silken waterfall framing her face and
dipping in waves below her shoulder. He itched to run his fingers through it.

His cock
seemed to have a mind of its own where she was concerned, despite his
situation. Right now it rammed against his fly trying to get out. He couldn’t
believe how much he wanted her.

Swell.

But
something was off with Casey tonight and he couldn’t figure out what. An air of
discomfort had seemed to hover around her from the moment he picked her up.
He’d tried engaging her in conversation, but her responses were abrupt. She
seemed edgy. Tense.

Maybe
she regretted accepting his invitation. Maybe he should have gone with his
original instincts. He didn’t need to start a situation he’d never be able to
finish. Yet he couldn’t make himself shut off his feelings for her. His little
head was telling his big head to take a hike. He’d thought she’d returned a
little of what he was feeling. Yet by the time they reached dessert, he thought
about writing the whole evening off as a mistake.

“Maybe
this wasn’t such a good idea,” he said, fiddling with his coffee cup. “For some
reason I’m making you uncomfortable tonight and I’m sorry if that’s true. You
don’t seem to be enjoying yourself much.”

She
swallowed a bite of her chocolate cake, put her fork down and gave him a very
direct look.

“T.J., I
need to ask you some questions, which you in no way are obligated to answer.
But I need to ask them anyway.”

“Questions?”
What the hell?
“What kind of questions?”

She
hesitated then blurted out, “Like why you’re here. The real reason.”

Every
muscle in his body tensed. “I told you what I’m doing here. Writing a book.”

“You
said the story takes place in a town like Connelly, but you don’t seem to be doing
much research,” she pointed out. “How come? Don’t writers usually wander around
a town they use as a setting? Talk to people? As questions?”

“Maybe I
haven’t gotten to it yet.” Trey wondered what had brought this on. Up until
today, she’d seemed to accept his story at face value but he should have
figured someone would be curious about him sitting there day after day.

Casey
took a sip of water. “I think we’ve gotten to be friends, T.J., so I need to
let you know you’ve piqued the sheriff’s curiosity.”

“Yeah?”
A sour taste bubbled up into his mouth. “How come? Not enough crime to keep him
busy?”

“Trey.”
She reached across the table and put her slim fingers on his hand. “He’s
checking up on you, the same way he would for any stranger who hung around here
for a while. Someone, you know, who seemed, well, suspicious.”

Trey
wanted to bang his fist on the table. “Oh, so now I’m suspicious?”

Her
fingers tightened on him, as if she could feel the anger building inside him.
“No. At least not to me or most of the people who come in here. He is the
sheriff and he’s protective of his territory. However, it’s not like he has a
lot to do. The county’s pretty tame, so he spent some time checking you out.”
She frowned. “The problem is, as far as he can figure you don’t even exist.
There’s no trace of you anywhere. He thought of having you arrested for auto
theft when he couldn’t find paper on your truck, but he traced the VIN. When he
called the guy you bought it from, he discovered they just hadn’t filed the
change of title yet.”

Shit!
Hell, damn and shit.

“He
called the guy? What the fuck, Casey?” He shook off her touch. “I haven’t done
anything wrong. All I do is come into the Half ’n Half and mind my own
business.”

“I think
he got curious because he expected as a writer you’d be out scouting the area,
talking to people, maybe even taking pictures. Besides, strangers seldom stay
here for more than a day or two. There’s nothing here to hold their interest.”

Trey did
his best to keep his tone of voice even but his pulse had kicked up to
double-time. “I just thought your town was a nice place to hang out for a
while. But if it bothers people—you, the sheriff—maybe it’s time for me to move
on. Besides, I have a feeling he had more interest in protecting you than the
county.”

He
couldn’t identify the expression that crossed her face, but in a moment it
disappeared.

“Sheriff
Russell doesn’t need to waste his time worrying about me.”

“You
must be pretty close with him, working as a volunteer deputy.” Trey wanted to
take back the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. He sounded like a
petulant child. Casey owed him nothing, certainly not details of her personal
life.

“T.J.”
She grabbed his hand again. “I knew the minute you walked into the Half ’n Half
you were on the run from something. Trust me. After ten years with the feds and
the military, you develop a sixth sense about these kinds of things. Often it
can mean the difference between life and death.”

He tried
to shake her off again but she clung to his wrist, refusing to let go.

“Listen
to me, damn it. You can trust me. If you’re in trouble, maybe I can help you.”

In his
haste to find a hiding place, he hadn’t figured on finding someone who could
maybe help him. He’d thought holing up in a little town would be the best thing,
forgetting the fact that after a few days, people might question his presence.
He’d wanted just to blend in but apparently the expectation was unreal.

The
connection he’d felt with Casey the first day they met remained. She’d said he
could trust her. Could he? Jesus, he wanted to. He hadn’t realized just how
much until right now. Anyway, if the sheriff had him under a microscope, he had
only two choices. He could pack up and leave, find someplace else to hide. Or
he could let Casey in on his secret and hope she could help him stay under the
radar for a while longer.

Before
he could change his mind, he nodded. “All right. You say I can trust you. If I
can’t, I’m dead, so I hope you mean what you say.”

Her face
paled a little but fire snapped in her eyes. “I never say anything I don’t
mean. I wouldn’t have survived in either of my previous lives if people
couldn’t believe in me. But if you have doubts, let’s forget about the whole
thing. I’ll try to keep Ben Russell from hassling you but be aware you’re under
a microscope.”

“You
misunderstood me. I’m saying okay, I’m going to answer your questions, although
I’m not sure you’ll be happy once you hear what I have to say. You might decide
to toss me out of the Half ’n Half.”

“Okay.
Go ahead. I’m waiting.”

“Not here.”
He raised hand and motioned to the waiter to bring the check. “Someplace
private. If I take you to my motel room, I don’t want you to get the wrong
idea.”

She gave
him the first real smile of the evening. “Maybe it’s the right idea.”

Lust
shot through him and Trey had to work hard to tamp it down. Tonight he had to
lead with his big head not his little one.