In a Killer’s Sights (6 page)

“I thought I’d give you my room, and I would sleep in the bunkhouse with the ranch hands.” His eyes darkened and he swallowed. “But I guess I won’t have to do that now. I can put you in Granddad’s room.”

Her heart pricked at the sorrow on his face, and she reached for his hand. “Are you sure about this, Dean? If it’s going to cause you any stress to think about your grandfather’s room being occupied by someone else, I can go back to the motel.”

His gaze traveled over her, and her breath hitched in her throat. It was almost as if he was caressing her with his eyes. After a moment he pulled his hand free from hers. “The only thing that’s giving me comfort right now is the fact that you’re here with me. I don’t want to face this alone, and I don’t want you in further danger. So for the time being, let’s make the best of a bad situation.”

She was about to respond when the door to the kitchen burst open and Shorty barreled into the room. He grinned and held up two plates. “Here’s that supper I saved you from the cookout—chuckwagon steak, baked beans and my famous sourdough bread. Hot and ready to eat.”

Gwen’s stomach growled as the scent of the food tickled her nose. She closed her eyes and sniffed. “Oh, that smells delicious. I haven’t had sourdough bread since my last visit here.”

Shorty set the plates on one of the tables at the side of the room and wiped his hands on the long white apron he wore. “Well, missy, while you’re here, I’ll make sure you have enough to satisfy your appetite.”

Gwen laughed and walked to the table. She was about to pull out the chair to sit when she felt Dean at her back. Before she could move, he’d pulled the chair back from the table and held it for her.

She looked up at him and then dropped her gaze at the intense expression on his face. Without saying anything, she eased down into the chair. She could feel his hands against her back as he pushed the chair closer to the table, and a tingle of pleasure rippled through her body.

His hand brushed against her shoulder, and his breath fanned the side of her face as he leaned closer. “Welcome back to Little Pigeon Ranch, Gwen. I hope you’ll enjoy your stay with us and that we can repair some of the hurt we’ve caused each other.”

His voice held a pleading quality, and she glanced up at him. “I hope so, too, Dean.”

He smiled and walked around to the chair facing her. “Then there’s no better way to get started than to sit down to one of Shorty’s meals.”

Before she could answer, the cook pushed the kitchen door open and stuck his head back in. “Let me know if you need seconds, but save some room. I have peach cobbler for dessert.”

Gwen laughed as she picked up her fork and knife. “I can see I’m going to have to watch it while I’m here. I’m not used to eating like this, but I know the food will be too good for me to resist.”

Shorty grinned and ducked back in the kitchen. She cut into her steak and put the first bite in her mouth. Her eyes closed, and she gave a groan of satisfaction. “Delicious. I haven’t had anything this good in a long time.”

Dean looked up from cutting his own meat and smiled. “Really? You were always a good cook. What do folks up in New York eat?”

She swallowed the food in her mouth and laughed as she cut into the steak again. “Macaroni and cheese is one of the favorites at my house.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before she realized what she’d said. That was Maggie’s favorite dish, and she begged for it several times a week. Gwen’s hand froze on her knife, and she cast a wild-eyed look at Dean.

A small frown wrinkled his forehead, and he studied her with interest. “Since when did you start eating macaroni and cheese? You never used to like it.”

“Uh, I—I like quick and easy-to-fix dishes these days.” Her face grew warm, and she stuffed another bite into her mouth and chewed.

Dean grinned briefly. “I can’t argue with that.”

For the next few minutes they concentrated on their meal without speaking. By the time Gwen had cleaned her plate, her pulse had quit pounding at the thought of how close she’d come to revealing more than she should. She took a sip from her coffee cup and watched as Dean scraped up the last bite of his peach cobbler.

She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “That was delicious. I haven’t had a meal like that in ages.”

Before Dean could answer, Shorty walked out of the kitchen and stopped at their table. “I put a tray with a fresh pot of coffee and some cups on the front porch. It’s a nice night, and the sky is full of stars. Go out there and relax. It’s been a rough day.”

“Let me help you,” Gwen said as she rose and started to stack the dishes.

Shorty shook his head and took the plate she held from her hand. “I’ve got this. You go on and keep Dean company. I’ll clean up the kitchen. Then I’ll head out to the bunkhouse. I have to be up early to cook breakfast.”

Dean pushed back from the table and stood. “Thanks, Shorty. I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Good night, Shorty. It’s wonderful seeing you again,” Gwen said and turned toward the door.

She was almost to it when she heard the cook’s voice. “It’s good seeing you, too, Miss Gwen. It just ain’t been the same around here since you quit coming. It’s good to have you back.”

She felt her face grow warm, but didn’t turn and look at him as she headed out of the dining room, Dean right behind her. When she stepped onto the porch, she walked to the railing, braced her arms on it and stared up at the stars. Dean stopped beside her and directed his gaze to the sky also.

“I’ve never seen the stars so bright,” she said. “They look like jewels twinkling in the sky.”

His shoulder brushed hers as he leaned forward. “They’re always brighter here in the mountains. Since we’re not in town, they don’t have to compete with the streetlights and the harsh glare of all the neon signs. Then when the sky’s clear like tonight, it makes the heavens really light up.” He lifted his arm and pointed. “Look at the stars in the Big Dipper. We might not be able to see them if we were looking at them in a city.”

His voice held a note of reverence, and it reminded her of the young man he’d been when they’d first met. He wasn’t jaded by his job then, and he had enjoyed living his life to the fullest.

“You’re happy here, aren’t you, Dean?” she murmured.

He nodded but didn’t take his eyes off the sky. “I found myself again here. I came to understand how much God loved me, and I completely turned my life over to Him.” Dean darted a quick glance at her and then back to the stars. “I only wish I’d found Him sooner. If I had, maybe I could have saved our marriage. But I didn’t, and all I can do now is move forward.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment. “I’m glad I got to see how happy you are. I can go back to New York knowing that you’re all right.”

He straightened and turned to her. “When you go back, do you think we might be able to stay in touch? Maybe just talk on the phone every once in a while? Or maybe I could come to New York and spend a weekend sometime. I’ve never been there, and you could show me the sights.”

Panic rushed through her, and she grasped the railing tighter to keep him from seeing how her hands were trembling. She bit down on her lip and closed her eyes for a brief moment before she took a deep breath and turned to him.

“Don’t do this, Dean.”

“Don’t do what?” he asked.

“I know seeing me today has been a shock to you, and I’m thankful you were there to save my life. But you need to understand that whatever we had is over. Our marriage ended five years ago, and it’s impossible to change that. You have your life here, and I have mine in New York.”

He swallowed and stared into her eyes. “I’m sorry, Gwen. I won’t do anything to make you uncomfortable again.”

“Thank you.”

He pursed his lips and sighed as he glanced at the coffeepot on the table. “I guess the coffee’s cold by now. I’ll take it inside. It’s time I was getting to bed anyway. We get up early around here in the morning, and I have a lot to do tomorrow.”

She nodded. “I’m sure you do, and I don’t want to be in your way. If you have an extra horse that isn’t going on a trail ride tomorrow, I’d like to borrow it. I remember a beautiful waterfall in the mountains back of the ranch. I’d like to ride up there and see if there are any spots that would be good locations for us to use.”

“I’ll see that you have a horse, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go alone. I’ll get one of the staff to ride along with you.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

He picked up the tray holding the coffeepot and cups and stared at her. “You were nearly killed twice today. Please don’t fight me on this. I’m only thinking of your safety.”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay. I have to confess I’d feel better having someone along.”

“Good. Now follow me, and I’ll show you to your room. Shorty told me he’d made it up for you while we were eating supper.”

“I’ll be right there,” she said, then turned back around to look up at the stars.

Tears pooled in her eyes as Dean walked into the house. She’d never felt so guilty as she did right now. Dean didn’t deserve what she was doing by keeping his daughter a secret from him. But how could she tell him?

Even with the horrible events of the day, being with him had been the happiest she’d felt in a long time. Earlier he had looked at her with such hope that maybe they could heal the past, but she couldn’t let that happen. Maybe she was being selfish, but she didn’t think she could stand to see his gentle look turn to one of hatred toward her.

She wiped at the tears in her eyes and straightened her shoulders. She’d made her decision and now had to live with it. The best thing for her to do right now was finish her location project and get out of the Smokies as fast as she could.

SIX

D
ean was finishing his second cup of coffee the next morning when Gwen entered the dining room. He rose from his chair and studied her as she walked toward him. To look at her no one would suspect that she had almost been killed twice the day before. Her eyes sparkled this morning after getting a good night’s sleep, and from the pink flush of her cheeks he thought the fresh mountain air must be agreeing with her.

She smiled as she came toward him in the deserted room, and a pang of regret thudded in his heart. Having her here was the best thing that could have happened to him at this time, but he knew she’d soon be gone. He had to make sure he did nothing to make her uncomfortable. That didn’t mean, however, he wasn’t going to keep trying to convince her to stay in touch after she returned to New York.

He held her chair as she smiled up at him and slipped into it. “Where are all the guests?” she asked.

“Out enjoying a day in the mountains. Breakfast is over at nine o’clock around here.”

She stared down at her watch. “I guess I slept in longer than I meant to.” She arched an eyebrow and directed her gaze to his cup of coffee. “It looks like somebody is still hanging around, though.”

He chuckled and took another sip. “I was waiting for you. Shorty said to let him know when you were ready to eat. He has pancakes and bacon for you.”

The kitchen door opened, and Shorty bustled into the room with a coffeepot. “And I have them cooking right now. I brought you a cup of coffee to get you started.”

Gwen looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks, Shorty. I hope my tardiness hasn’t caused you any problems this morning, but I just couldn’t get out of bed.”

He grinned. “Not a bit. You deserved to sleep late after the day you had yesterday. I couldn’t believe it when Dean told me what happened. I’m just thankful you’re alive and that you’ve come back to visit us.”

“Well, I’m certainly enjoying being here, and your cooking has to be one of the highlights. I imagine that’s what keeps the guests coming back.”

Shorty’s chest puffed out with pride as he shook his head. “Aw, I don’t know ’bout that. Dean does a mighty good job of running this place. For the past two years James has been sick, and Dean handled everything by himself.”

Gwen looked at Dean and frowned. “You never told me Gramps was sick. What was the matter with him?”

“He was diagnosed with cancer and went through chemo and radiation. For the past six months he’s been better. We thought he might have licked the disease and was going to make it.” Dean paused and bit his lip. “Of course, we never figured on somebody wanting to kill him.”

“I’d better get those pancakes,” Shorty said as he sniffed and turned away. “Be back in a few minutes.”

When he’d stepped into the kitchen, Gwen reached across the table and covered Dean’s hand with hers. “I’m so sorry I didn’t know he was sick.”

The touch of her hand made his skin grow warm, and he pulled free of her grasp. “How could you have known? We had no idea where you were.”

She sat back in her chair and stared at him. “Did you really not know? I mean, after all, this is the twenty-first century, and you can usually find anybody on the internet if you look hard enough.”

“I know that.”

Her face paled a bit, and he frowned at her reaction. She swallowed before she spoke. “Then did you ever try to find me?”

He sighed and shook his head. “The day I signed the divorce papers I promised you I would never look for you, and I haven’t. I wanted to.” A harsh chuckle rumbled in his throat. “You have no idea how badly I wanted to find you, but I promised you I wouldn’t. And now here you are, without any help from me. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

She took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. “Not strange. Just a coincidence. If it wasn’t for my work assignment, I wouldn’t be. I certainly didn’t expect to see you here.”

He tilted his head to one side and smiled. “I prefer to think that God brought you here for a reason. Maybe for us to know each other again.”

She started to respond, but Shorty came back in with her pancakes just then and set them in front of her. He wiped his hands on his long apron and looked down at Dean. “If you don’t need me this morning, I got some personal business I gotta take care of. All the guests will be out until late this afternoon.” He turned his attention to Gwen. “Most of our guests are either out sightseeing or on trail rides during the day, so we don’t have lunch here. There’s sandwich fixings in the kitchen for you, though. I’ll be back in plenty of time to get supper ready.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Gwen said. “I can fend for myself.”

“I think everything’s under control,” Dean said to Shorty. “Go on and do whatever you have to do, and I’ll see you at supper.”

Shorty nodded and turned back to the kitchen. When he’d closed the door behind him, Gwen leaned forward and glared at her ex. “As I was about to say before we were interrupted, don’t go reading more into my presence here than what it is. God didn’t bring me back. My network sent me here, and that’s the only reason. And as soon as I eat breakfast I need to get to work. Did you check to see if there’s a horse I can borrow?”

He didn’t speak for a moment, just stared at her. Then he sighed and picked up his coffee cup. “Princess is available. She’s a gentle mare that’s good for people not used to riding, and it’s an easy trip up to Crystal Falls. Emmett’s going to go with you in case you have any problems. I don’t imagine you get much time to ride in the city.”

“You’re wrong,” she said. “Rick has a stable of horses at his house in the Hamptons. We ride there quite often.”

Dean’s mouth dropped open, and he sat back in his chair. “Wow! A house in the Hamptons. He sounds like quite a catch. Your first husband could never have given you anything like that on a cop’s salary.”

Her face grew warm at the sarcastic tone of his voice, and she gritted her teeth. Before she could say anything, her cell phone rang, and she angrily pulled it from her pocket. “Hello,” she snarled.

Her features immediately softened, and she smiled. “Good morning to you, too. How are you today?”

Dean picked up a fork and began to trace patterns on the tablecloth with the tines. He had no idea who was on the phone, but she seemed happy to hear from whoever it was.

“Oh, I can’t,” she said. “I’m going to scout out some locations up around Crystal Falls this morning.”

She paused a moment. “You know the place? That doesn’t surprise me. You seem to know most of the trails around here. Would you like to come with me?” She listened for a moment before she spoke again. “I see. Then, yes, I’d love to have dinner with you. See you at seven. Enjoy your day in the Smokies. ’Bye.”

She ended the call, and Dean leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table. “Who was that?”

“Mark Dyson.”

Dean’s forehead wrinkled. “The guy I met at the motel yesterday? Are you having dinner with him tonight?”

“Yes. He has to leave tomorrow and wanted to see me again before then.”

“Tell me once more how you met this guy?”

She rolled her eyes and huffed out a long breath. “Honestly, Dean, you act like you have a right to check into my life, and you don’t. I can see whoever I want without your approval.”

The muscle in his jaw flexed, and he glared at her. “I know that. You’ve certainly reminded me of it often enough since you’ve been here, but I’m just trying to protect you. Somebody tried to kill you, and everybody around you is a suspect. Now, what do you know about Mark Dyson?”

She crossed her arms and glared back. “He’s a lawyer in Knoxville, and he seems like a nice man. That’s all I know.”

“You ran into him in the motel office, you said. How did he happen to strike up a conversation with you?”

“I don’t know. I bumped into him when I turned around from asking the desk clerk a question, and he was very apologetic. He insisted on buying me a cup of coffee for being so clumsy, and we just got to talking. He’s a very interesting person.”

“What did you talk about?”

“When I told him I was a TV producer here to scout locations for a documentary, he was very interested. It seems he watches a lot of documentaries, and he thought the subject of ours would be very successful.”

Dean let her words sink in for a moment. Something didn’t seem right here, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. “You told me you were doing a documentary about the Smokies. I thought the subject was the beauty of the scenery and the wildlife in the mountains. Is that right?”

She nodded. “Well, yes, but it’s really about what’s happening to the environment.”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re trying to alert the public to how the Earth’s environment is being destroyed, and the Smokies is just one part of it. We also are going to have footage from the rain forest.”

“So this isn’t just a travel documentary. It’s a report on how our lifestyles are affecting our surroundings.”

“That’s right. You live in these mountains. You surely can see the effect air pollution is having on the trees and wildlife. The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to reduce pollution by having fossil fuel–burning power plants cut down on harmful emissions and factories from illegally dumping waste into water sources. We’re going to show some of the companies that are under investigation right now for causing the most harm.”

He frowned. “That sounds like an issue that may have a lot of controversy connected to it. Are you planning to reveal the names of those involved?”

She nodded. “Yes. One of them is located near here—the North Fork Chemical Company. It’s owned by a group of investors from all over the country.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of that one. But, Gwen, I don’t know. This sounds—”

She glanced at her watch and jumped to her feet. “It’s getting late, and I don’t have time to talk about this now. I need to get going. Do you think Emmett is ready to go with me?”

“I told him I’d call him on the intercom when you were heading to the barn.”

“You have an intercom that’s connected to the barn?”

“It’s a safety feature. We had smoke detectors installed there about two years ago. Since the house is so far away, we wanted to make sure we could hear the alarm.”

“That seems like a wise thing to do.”

Dean pushed back from the table and stood. “I’d go with you today, but I have some work to do in the office. I’ll go let Emmett know you’re on your way.”

“Thanks, Dean. I’ll see you this afternoon sometime.”

With that, she turned and dashed from the room. As Dean watched her go, he found his thoughts returning to Mark Dyson. Something about the guy didn’t ring true, but Dean didn’t know what it was. Being a cop had taught him that when he had misgivings about someone or something, he needed to check it out, and he knew just what to do. Gwen was right. You could find everything on the internet.

He strode from the dining room, entered the office and flipped on the intercom. After informing Emmett that Gwen was on her way, he sat down at the computer and within seconds was surfing the internet, looking for anything he could find out about Mark Dyson. His name and law firm came up, and Dean read all the information on the website. It looked like any other site for anyone seeking legal assistance.

He sat back in his chair for a moment, then typed “
Mark Dyson
l
itigation
”
into the search engine. His eyes grew wide as several articles appeared, relating the latest cases he’d handled. Dean read for several minutes before he turned off the computer and slumped in his seat.

He’d been right to worry but didn’t have enough information yet to know what was going on. He knew one thing, however. He had to tell Gwen right away that Mark Dyson was one of the lead attorneys representing North Fork Chemical Company in a current class-action lawsuit filed against them.

It couldn’t be a coincidence that Mark had bumped into Gwen right when she was about to produce a documentary revealing his client’s problems to the world. But what did he hope to learn by appearing to befriend Gwen? Whatever it was, Dean wasn’t about to ignore the suspicion he had about Mark’s motives. There had to be an agenda of some kind, and Dean intended to find out what it was.

* * *

Gwen strode toward the barn and tried to focus on what she wanted to accomplish for the day. She needed to finish up her location shots so she could get out of here. The tension between Dean and herself seemed to be escalating the longer they were around each other. She’d almost slipped and mentioned Maggie several times since she’d been here, and now Dean was acting like a jealous suitor, making sarcastic remarks about Rick and being suspicious of Mark.

She needed to leave, and the sooner the better. She’d take her pictures today, and then...

Her eyes grew wide, and she stopped in the middle of the path that led to the barn. With a loud thump, she slapped the palm of her hand against her forehead. How was she going to take any pictures? The man who’d tried to kill her yesterday had taken her camera.

Then she remembered the cell phone in her pocket and pulled it out. She could take as many pictures as she liked and email them to her office in New York. Sure, the quality wouldn’t be as high as with her usual camera, but this was just a scouting trip; professional-quality shots could come later. Problem solved. With a smile on her face, she pumped her fist in the air and continued toward the barn.

The corral adjacent to the barn held only two horses this morning, the others probably out on a trail ride. She wondered if one of the pair could be Princess as she walked over to the fence and stopped to gaze at the two sleek mares. Both looked docile enough that she was sure she could handle either one.

She turned and walked toward the entrance of the barn, but stopped a few paces outside when a large tan-and-white collie emerged. The dog stopped and stared at her with dark, almond-shaped eyes. From the looks of her Gwen knew right away this had to be a new mother, and from the look of her belly she must have just finished nursing her puppies.

Gwen squatted down and held out her hand. “Hello, girl. Do you have some babies around here?”