Reality had no place in idealized love. What did the poets call it? Unrequited love—a gut-churning passion, an obsession that was totally one-sided, like the feelings David must have had for Misty. From what Tab knew, poor David Welling didn’t really know the object of his affection. He hadn’t spent enough time with Misty to be irritated by her giggle or to see her when she didn’t look her best.
People did crazy things in the throes of unrequited love. When Tab had her teenage crush, she’d pined away her entire summer at the Gabriel ranch without dating, not that there had been a lot of guys asking. Only two, and she had turned both down. She’d been saving her heart for the man of her dreams, the twenty-one-year-old Aiden who barely knew she existed in spite of the way she continually arranged to accidentally on purpose run into him. When he mentioned that green was his favorite color, she’d worn her one green T-shirt for three days in a row. Plus green eyeshadow. And green ribbons in her hair.
Crazy.
What kinds of things had David done?
The possibilities made her shudder.
One thing seemed certain. His unrequited love for Misty made his murder less random. He was watching her. The fact that he’d turned up in the middle of nowhere to help Misty when the Jeep got stuck wasn’t a coincidence.
Tab glanced at Aiden and spoke into the microphone on her headset. “Do you think David was following Misty and Clinton?”
“I do,” he said tersely.
“Because he was in love.”
“Or stalking her.”
Below, she saw the deputies load the two lawbreakers into the back of their car and drive toward Henley. The boys would spend the night in the local jail, which would give them time to think. Would they change their minds about Misty? She doubted it.
As the chopper swept into motion, she spoke again, hoping to melt the glacier that had formed between her and Aiden. “I guess the whole town knows about David’s murder.”
“And they’ve already decided that Misty is guilty.”
“A hasty conclusion.”
“People are like that. They want answers.”
“But there hasn’t been an investigation. The sheriff hasn’t even taken my statement, and I’m the closest thing he has to an eye witness.”
“There’s evidence,” he reminded her. “Unfortunate evidence. Ballistics will show that Misty’s rifle fired the shot that killed David. Her fingerprints are on the gun, and she admitted firing it. That might be all the proof the sheriff needs to arrest her.”
That was the most talking he’d done since she got into the chopper with him. “Evidence might be fact. But it isn’t necessarily the truth.”
“My sister isn’t a killer.”
“I know.” He had absolutely no call to make that statement; she hadn’t once accused Misty. Still, she supposed he was under stress and she ought to cut him some slack. “Don’t worry. We’ll find the truth. Even if we have to do our own investigation, we’ll find the killer.”
“That’s not going to happen, Tab. We aren’t going to run around playing detective.”
She wasn’t sure if he was rejecting the idea of investigating or rejecting her personally. “You don’t seem too pleased with the way Sheriff Fielding is handling things.”
“I’m not.”
“And I’m not suggesting that we get in the sheriff’s way. But I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t do some poking around on our own.”
“I like you.” He turned his head to look directly at her. “I’d like to get to know you better…but not like this. Protecting my family isn’t your problem.”
He was beginning to tick her off. “Because you don’t think I can handle it?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You know, Aiden, you’re the one who called me and asked me to come to the ranch.”
“Because Misty needed you.”
“And you don’t.”
“Correct.”
Waves of arrogance radiated from him. “I just want to help. Don’t be so quick to turn your back.”
Contradictory feelings braided into a knot that tightened in her belly. She ought to be elated because he wanted to spend time with her, but he was pushing her away at the same time.
“You’re angry,” he said.
“Confused.”
“I don’t want to put you in danger. There’s a serial killer out there.”
“Right,” she said. “And I want to help catch him. You don’t always have to do everything by yourself.”
Though he nodded, she didn’t really think he got her point. Why couldn’t he understand? Nobody was meant to go it alone, not even a man like Aiden who had taken on big responsibilities when his father died. There was no shame in accepting help.
“I’m going to make you smile again,” he said. “Get ready.”
“You’re trying to change the subject.”
“Maybe.”
He slowed the forward speed until they were standing still, poised on a current of air. Aiden adjusted the gears, and the chopper made a rapid ascent as though they were riding an invisible elevator. The land below them faded away. Higher and higher, they lifted into the night sky, and then they stopped.
With the flick of a couple of switches, he turned off the running lights and the lights in the cockpit. Suspended in the velvet darkness, she experienced a strange, almost magical sensation. The stars closed around her and she became part of the sky. She could feel the altitude. The only reminder of reality was the synchronized rumble of the rotors. Looking down, she saw dots of light from ranch houses and a warmer glow from the streets of Henley, miles from where they were.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
Though she hadn’t been aware of holding her breath, she exhaled in a whoosh. “I feel like the wind, a feather on the wind.”
“You’re not a helicopter virgin anymore.”
“I understand why you love flying. It’s so free.”
“Up here, I can leave the worries behind. But only for a couple of minutes.” He turned on the lights and set a course for home. “Usually when I’m up in the chopper, I’m on my way to a disaster. A rescue. A search. A medical emergency.”
She closed her eyes, not wanting to come down to earth. Her memory bank made a permanent record of these magical moments with Aiden. “Thank you.”
“Am I forgiven?”
“Not entirely,” she said, “but mostly. And do you forgive me for coming with you without permission?”
“You bet,” he said. “I’m wondering if you told anybody else your plan before you took off running after me.”
“I told Grandma, and she was pleased.” Come to think of it, her reaction was kind of odd. “She said something about how I was meant to be with you, whatever that means.”
To her surprise, he chuckled. “This might be a good time to warn you about your grandma and my mom. I was with them in the kitchen while the sheriff was talking to you and Misty. And the two of them were plotting.”
“About what?”
“Matchmaking,” he said.
“Between you and me?” Though she’d been making that same match ever since she saw him, Tab didn’t like being manipulated. “Why do you think so?”
“They kept winking and nudging each other. Then my mom announced that you didn’t have a boyfriend and wasn’t that convenient because I don’t have a girlfriend, either.”
“Subtle,” Tab muttered.
“When I said I liked the sweet potato pie, your grandma told me that you made it.”
“Why would she say that?”
“To let me know that you’re a great cook.”
Tab groaned. Of course, her grandma would push the anatomically incorrect old wives’ tale about the way to a man’s heart being through his stomach. “Does that turn you on? Thinking that I know my way around a kitchen?”
“Do you?”
“As a matter of fact, I’m fully capable of making a pie, but I didn’t make that one. There wasn’t time after I got back to Grandma’s, took care of Shua and drove to your ranch.”
“Busy day.”
Running through the short list of what she’d done in one day made her aware of the time. Her wristwatch showed it was after ten o’clock. She should have been tired, but she wasn’t. A restless energy coursed through her. No doubt, she was still feeling the effect of the adrenaline rush that came from flying and from being this close to Aiden.
As they approached the ranch, he turned on the searchlight and scanned the landing area behind the barn. Looking down on his cabin, she noticed a deck that was half the size of the house, a good place for a barbecue. “When did you build the cabin?”
“A couple of summers ago. I wanted to put some space between me and the main house. My mom and Blake—he’s the foreman—are handling most of the ranch business. If I’m not around, they don’t come running to me.”
Apparently, he needed to physically move to avoid taking over. “And the separate cabin gives you some privacy.”
“Mom and Blake are the ones who need space of their own. They still sleep in separate bedrooms, but they’ve been a couple for quite a while.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Hell, no. I want my mom to be happy. Her life didn’t end when my father died. It took her a long time to crawl out of her depression. When she did, Blake was there, waiting to give her a hand.”
The chopper touched down, and the rotors stilled. Without that noise, the night seemed uncomfortably quiet. Tab wasn’t sure where to go from here. “It’s late,” she said.
“You and your grandma should stay at the ranch tonight. We’ve got plenty of room.”
Suspiciously, she asked, “Did you think of that invitation all by yourself? Or is it something your mom and my grandma suggested?”
“Both,” he said. “About the matchmaking…”
“What about it?”
“I’m not opposed.”
When she emerged from the chopper and set her feet on hard ground, her legs were shaky. After flying, the earth felt too solid and heavy. She circled the tail and stood beside Aiden. “When you say you aren’t opposed, I’m not sure what that means. Are you asking me on a date?”
“I’m asking you to spend the night.”
She avoided looking at him. His offer to stay the night hadn’t been meant in a romantic way, and she didn’t want to react like a moron. “Normally, I wouldn’t impose, but this is a long day for Grandma. She needs her sleep.”
“And so do you.”
His low, sexy voice caressed her senses. Quickly, she said, “And I’m concerned about Misty. All this stress while she’s pregnant isn’t good for her.”
“Look at me, Tab.”
With great reluctance, she lifted her gaze. With the moonlight shining on his face, he reminded her of that iconic image of the perfect man she’d seen on that night so long ago when he was walking his dog. “Whatever happened to Reilly?”
“My border collie? Oh, man, I loved that dog.” His mouth relaxed into a smile. “I miss good old Reilly. He died last year and I buried him up on the hill. Why do you ask?”
She really couldn’t say. Standing this close to him had turned her into a tongue-tied sixteen-year-old with a heartrending crush. “I don’t know.”
With the back of his hand, he smoothed a wisp of hair off her cheek. “We’ve been through a lot together, Tab. But I hardly know you.”
Her chin tilted upward. The intense focus of his gray eyes warmed her. A trembling heat rippled through her body. “What do you want to know?”
His hand nestled on the nape of her neck under her braid, and he held her in place. When he leaned closer, she knew he was about to kiss her, and the anticipation was almost more than she could stand. Her knees turned to jelly. For years, she’d dreamed of this moment.
His lips touched hers. The light pressure intoxicated her.
This is it.
This moment was something she’d waited for and imagined and cherished. She wanted more, and she couldn’t hold back. Her level of excitement surged off the charts, and her heart raced madly. If she’d been hooked to a monitor, the machine would have exploded. She pressed her mouth harder against his. Their gentle kiss became fierce and passionate.
Her arm flung around his neck. Her body molded to his. She wanted to feel him in every fiber of her being. His arm snuggled around her waist and yanked her so tightly against him that her breasts crushed against his hard-muscled chest.
This kiss was as wonderful as she had imagined. Better, it was better because it was real and not the fantasy of a lovesick girl. In his arms, she was a woman.
Gasping, she ended the kiss and tucked her head into the crook of his neck. When her eyes closed, a tear squeezed through her lashes and slipped down her cheek.
“I’ll stay the night,” she whispered.
Tonight and tomorrow and the next day, she wanted to stay with him, even if it meant she might get hurt. Some risks were worth the pain.
Chapter Eight
As they walked toward the house, Aiden’s mind was a thousand miles away. His instincts told him to fling Tab over his shoulder, carry her back to his cabin and make love to her real slow. The rational side of his mind reined him back. Too soon, it was too soon. He probably shouldn’t have kissed her in the first place, but he was glad he did. For a woman who acted so professional, she sure as hell had a wild side and a sexy energy that bowled him over. That wasn’t a friendly little kiss. It was foreplay.
“Aiden,” she said, “are you listening?”
“I drifted off for a moment.” He shook off his fantasies and dismissed the image of her lying in her bed with her long black hair spread across the pillows. “You were saying?”
“When Misty was talking to the sheriff about her wristwatch, she was holding something back.”
“She was lying?”
“Not lying, but not telling everything. It had something to do with a party.”
With an effort, he tamped down his desire. “I gave her that pretty gold watch, and I thought it meant something to her. I’m surprised she lost it.”
“She didn’t misplace it,” Tab said. “She argued with the girl who was murdered, Ellen Jessop, and ended up throwing the watch at her.”
Pitching a tantrum sounded exactly like something Misty would do. Not only did she have a temper but she often acted in haste without considering the consequences. “Did she ask for the watch back?”
“Not according to her.”
Approaching the wide porch that stretched across the front of the house, he noticed that the sheriff’s vehicle was still there. “I’m guessing that the sheriff talked to her while we were gone. She’s got to tell the truth, but I hope that being honest won’t get her deeper in trouble.”