Dalton, Tymber - Stoneface (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (11 page)

Talking to him in real life felt as comfortable as it did in e-mail. Except for the fact that he looked hunkier in real life, and turned out to be a fandamtastic cook, he was the same person. She retold the story.

After she finished, he nodded, a serious look on his face. “I think you and your brother are right. There’s something funky going on. You don’t even know for sure if she’s okay, or maybe being held against her will. A text message isn’t the same as talking. Anyone can send a text from a phone, or an e-mail from a computer, if they’ve got their hands on it.”

“I think my mistake was telling the cop I’m a writer.” She frowned. “Well, that and insulting him. Cute guy, but what an asshole. I’m probably lucky I’m not in jail for telling him off. Me and my temper, I got into it with him.” She set her fork on the empty plate. “I didn’t help matters any, that’s for sure. Liam always had to bail me out of trouble in school. I was always getting into fights with older kids.” She laughed. “I had two senior football players ready to pound me once when I called them fucking pussy assholes for picking on a freshman. Liam got there to pick me up from band practice just in the nick of time.”

“Ballsy kind of girl, huh? No wonder I’m in love with you. Like I said, Jack’s a detective. I’m sure he’ll help you.” He glanced at his watch. “Dammit, he’s supposed to be in court this afternoon, though. We’ll have to wait until he gets home tonight. Meanwhile…” He cleared her empty dishes for her. “You are coming with me to see the sights!”

* * * *

No wonder I’m in love with you.

She wistfully sighed, even though she knew he meant it innocently.
If only.
Damn, he was cute. More than cute enough to make up for Detective Dorkhead that morning. Tim would most definitely be her next hero. She’d write him into a book. Maybe even make him the hero in a series. She sure as hell wouldn’t hesitate to jump his bones if he was interested.

Well, if he was straight, single, and interested.

Depending on how cute his boyfriend was, maybe she had her next ménage couple and could write herself as the heroine.

It was eleven thirty when they headed out in Tim’s car. He pleasantly chattered almost nonstop as they wound around the Black Hills and through the small scenic town of Keystone to Mt. Rushmore. “There they are, the original Stonefaces,” he joked as they rounded a curve and the mountain came into sight. “Unlike Jack, who’s just an imitation.”

“What?”

“My boyfriend. We’re proof that opposites attract. He’s an über-serious cop, I’m the bouncy beach boy.”

She laughed. “He’s a lucky man.” She wondered if she could get away with flirting with him in real life the way they did in e-mails. “I’d steal you if I thought I had half a chance.”

He pulled into a space in the monument’s parking garage, then turned and winked. “Honey, who says you’d have to steal me? I don’t think you can steal the willing.” His playful grin dampened her panties.

“You are
so
getting a character modeled after you, you realize that, right?”

“Good guy?”

“Very good.”

“Charming? Witty? Well hung?” He waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Very well hung.”

He grinned. “Excellent.”

Tim’s plan didn’t just involve sightseeing, but following Amy’s trail through the notebook. “One of my customers is a ranger here,” he explained as he led her to the Park Service office. “She might be able to help us out.”

They tracked her down, but she had no recollection of seeing Amy. She returned Gwen’s BlackBerry to her after looking at Amy’s picture. “That doesn’t mean someone else didn’t see her or might remember her,” the woman said.

Tim perused the notebook. “Let’s try down at the Sculptor’s Studio,” he suggested. “Looks like she took a lot of notes about it. Probably talked to someone there.” He led the way. Gwen stopped for a moment to look at the mountain.

“You know, I never realized it was set up like this.”

He followed her gaze. “Like what?”

“I just always thought it was in the middle of nowhere.”

He laughed. “Well, to a Laguna Beach boy, South Dakota
is
the middle of nowhere. Must be culture shock for you, too.”

“I meant I always thought it was like out in the open by itself. Like in the middle of a field somewhere.”

“Ah. I see what you mean. I thought that, too. I guess a lot of people do, but nope, it’s tucked snug as a bug here in the Black Hills.”

She thumbed through Amy’s pictures in her BlackBerry and found one, held it up, and studied the view. “This is close, isn’t it?” She pointed. “Look, there’s that column in the view.”

He took her phone and looked. “You’re right.” He turned around and took her into the bookstore where they asked the clerks on duty if they’d seen Amy and showed her picture. No one remembered her.

“Okay, so to the studio like we planned,” he said. They made their way down the stairs to the studio, Tim being a gentleman and slowing down so Gwen could catch her breath. Once there, Gwen followed him around as he talked to staffers.

One older woman, a volunteer, nodded as she studied a picture of Amy. “I remember her. She was with a man. We had a very nice chat. She asked me a lot of questions about the history of the studio.”

Gwen’s heart raced. “Do you remember the man’s name?”

“No, ’fraid not. I didn’t get either of their names. I just remember her taking notes in that notebook,” she said, pointing to the one Gwen held. “That’s the only reason she rang a bell for me. I’m sorry, but we deal with over a million visitors a year at the park. Very few usually stand out in our minds unless they do something particularly memorable to draw our attention. If you’d come a few weeks later, I probably wouldn’t have remembered her at all.”

Gwen sighed. “Thanks anyway.”

“Oh, I do remember them asking me if I was familiar with the Crazy Horse monument, if that’s any help.”

Tim nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

They climbed the trail back up to the main level and Tim led her to the parking garage. “We’ll have to come back with your brother so he can see the place. I’m sure they’d let us drive him down there to the Sculptor’s Studio instead of making him hike. I didn’t even get to take you into any of the exhibits.”

“So where to next?” she asked.

He looked at the notebook. “Crazy Horse. It’s closest. And she took a bunch of notes there, too, from the looks of it.”

Gwen tried not to keep her nose pressed to the car window while he drove. They wound through hills and woods that took her breath away with their beauty.

“It’s pretty land, isn’t it?” he asked.

She tore her gaze away from the scenery. “Yes, very.”

“If you’re terrified to fly, I guess you don’t get to see much of the country, do you?”

“Nope.”

“Listen, and I mean this in all sincerity. Is there any reason you two have to rush off? There’s so much to see and do around here. I’ve got to fly back to LA next week on business for a couple of days, but you and Liam are more than welcomed to stay with us as long as you want. When I get back, we can do more sightseeing.”

“That’s really sweet, but I don’t want to be an imposition.”

“Hey, my favorite writer literally drops in, if you think I’m in a hurry to get rid of her, think again.” He winked at her. “Maybe I can convince you to move out here.”

“Hmm. Don’t tempt Liam too much. A chance to escape our mom and dad? You might be stuck with a permanent houseguest if you don’t watch it.”

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “So he’s the weak link in the chain, huh? I’ll make sure to bribe him well.” He grinned.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “You are a tease, aren’t you?”

Mock horror filled his face, “
Moi
? A tease? I think not, girlie.” He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “I mean every word I say.”

She fought back another wistful pang. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”

* * * *

By the time they pulled into the Crazy Horse Monument parking area, Tim couldn’t help but hope there was a chance to talk her not just into visiting for a few days, but maybe moving. She was everything he thought she’d be and more.

Contingent, of course, upon Jack liking her.

And, duh, being able to convince her to stay. Maybe it was wishful thinking on his part, but he really hoped he could talk her into staying.

Tim didn’t love easy, and only once before, with Jack, had he felt the instantaneous, soul-wrenching attraction he felt with Gwen. A single gal who wrote the kind of stuff she did, she had to at least be open-minded to the possibility of two guys in her life, right?

His cock hardened at the thought.

* * * *

He wouldn’t let her pay her own way into the park. They found the main office and repeated the routine of asking around to see if anyone remembered Amy. It wasn’t until they wandered through the artisan displays that Gwen thought of something. One woman sold gorgeous handmade silver jewelry. Amy had taken a picture of the same woman working on a piece.

When Gwen showed her Amy’s picture, the woman nodded. “Yes, I remember her. We had a nice chat. It was a slow day, so she sat down and we talked for quite a while.”

Gwen’s gut tightened. “Did you get the name of the man she was with?”

The woman frowned. “She wasn’t with a man. She was alone.” She thought about it a moment longer. “Although she did take a phone call from someone, it sounded like she was meeting them nearby.”

Gwen fought the urge to groan in frustration. “Thank you for your time.”

Tim led her back to the car. “So close, and yet no cigar. Dammit, I wish Jack didn’t have court today. I know he’d help us.”

“Silent Lucidity” rang on her phone. “Okay, I’m flying in tomorrow afternoon. Can you meet me at the airport, or do I need to get a taxi?”

“I’ll meet you—” Tim tapped her leg to get her attention, then pointed at himself. She smiled. “I’ve just been told Tim will be coming with me to pick you up.”

“Too bad he’s not single,” Liam joked. “He sounds like a great guy.”

“Hey, if anyone gets dibs on him, it’s me,” she replied. Tim smiled and waggled his eyebrows at her. “How are you breaking the news to Mom?”

“I’m not. I’m simply going. Ruthie’s sworn to secrecy. Mom’s out at one of her church group things for most of the day. I already snuck home, and Ruthie helped me grab some more stuff. No dice on Amy’s bank card. I found the log-in info, but there’s only some restaurant and gas charges, no hotel charges.”

“How’d you get home?”

“You left me your keys, remember?” His voice changed with another movie imitation. “I’m a very good driver.”

“All right, Rain Man. You’re lucky I love you. She catches you driving, she’ll kill me.”

“This is why I’m glad I’m living with you now, even if they don’t know it yet. Go have fun with your new boyfriend. Lucky girl. Maybe him and his boyfriend will want to help you reenact one of your books.”

She reddened a little as she glanced over at Tim, who was doing a poor job of pretending not to listen to her end of the conversation. “Thanks. Talk to you later.”

Tim started the car and smiled. “You are single, aren’t you?”

Gwen laughed. “Yeah. Why?”

He shrugged. “Wouldn’t want to be accused of stealing another guy’s girl, that’s all.” She didn’t question him or his playful, teasing smile.