Wedlocked?! (8 page)

Cole raked his fingers through his hair. It was obvious that her mind was made up. All he could do was make damn sure she didn't get caught. “Okay,” he growled. “Give me the damn cell phone.”

 

A half-hour later, after Annie had freshened her makeup, spritzed on more perfume and changed to
a cropped top with fringe around the bottom, she put the equipment she'd shown him in a fanny pack and tucked it back into the drawer. They both studied Lockhart's photo again and then they left their room, locking the door carefully behind them and following the sound of music to the covered area where the dance lessons were being held. Cole insisted on holding her hand on the way, but the contact didn't bother her. Instead she decided to enjoy it. They were pretending to be a couple; what harm could a little fantasizing on her part do? Besides, even though she wouldn't have admitted it even if she'd been staked to an ant hill, she was glad he was here with her.

This time when Cole whispered that he saw Lockhart, she spotted him too. He was leaning against the wall with several other men, all decked out in genuine cowboy garb, including boots and Stetsons. Along with the toothpick stuck in the corner of his mouth, Lockhart wore a confident smile as he scanned the group of guests. He was attractive in a rough sort of way, but a shiver of warning trickled down Annie's spine. When his gaze caught her eye, she curved her lips into a smile before she looked quickly away.

Cole had no idea about the first part of her plan. When the Bests waved from a table for four on the edge of the open dance floor, Annie let him lead her over and hold out her chair. Carol greeted them
cheerfully, but Roger Best looked as though he would rather be somewhere else.

“We're missing the branding demonstration in the corral,” he told Cole glumly.

Carol poked her husband playfully. “This will be more fun. You'll see.”

Roger didn't look as though he believed her.

Cole's back was to Lockhart, but Annie was facing him. Once again she caught his eye over Cole's shoulder and gave him a long look, but she didn't risk a smile this time. After all, she was supposed to be with her husband.

Pretty soon an older man came out and introduced himself to the group as Glen Appleberry. Below his Adam's apple was a bolo tie with a chunk of turquoise the size of a hen's egg. His belt buckle looked like a headlight and his boots were snake-skin.

Glen and his wife demonstrated the basic steps of the first dance they'd be doing, the Western Swing. Then they invited everyone to join them on the floor.

“Don't be shy,” he urged when no one moved. “There are plenty of experienced partners here to help, if you're new at this. A couple of turns around the floor with one of our Circle A experts, and you'll be ready to dance with your spouse or sweetheart like a pro.”

The personnel leaning against the wall, including Clint Lockhart and the waitresses from lunch, began
approaching the guests, hands extended. Just as Annie had hoped, Lockhart made a beeline for her.

He stopped in front of Cole and tipped his hat. “Okay with you if I dance with the lady?” he asked deferentially.

Cole glowered. For a moment she was afraid he was going to refuse. “It's up to her,” he said finally.

Annie saw a triumphant gleam in Lockhart's eye that was quickly smothered as he took her hand. He was wearing leather gloves. Introducing himself and asking her name, he led her to the far side of the floor.

“Call me Annie,” she replied with a wide smile as the music started up again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a pretty blonde tug playfully on Cole's hand until he got to his feet. A twinge of jealousy distracted Annie, and she missed what Clint was saying.

Before she realized what was happening, he'd put an arm around her and was walking her through the steps of the dance. With a big effort, Annie tore her attention away from Cole so she could set out to soften up her partner.

“Is that your husband?” he asked.

She nodded, concentrating on her feet.

“Been married long?” he persisted, holding her too tightly.

“Too long,” she agreed with a light laugh. “What about you?”

His grin was confident. “Nah, I've avoided that noose. Never wanted to be tied down.”

Annie wondered if that was what had gone wrong with Sophia. Had she pressured him to make a commitment? “You must have lots of women after you,” she said with an appreciative glance after he swung her around. “A handsome cowboy like you wouldn't have to be alone if he didn't want to be.”

He shrugged. “You could say my last relationship ended rather abruptly,” he drawled with a grin that chilled Annie to the bone. “The woman's not around anymore.”

Was he joking about Sophia? It was all Annie could do to keep her repulsion from showing. She could be dancing with a cold-blooded killer.

“What was your girlfriend's name?” she asked daringly.

In a blink his eyes went flat and cold. “It's not important.”

Annie didn't dare dig any deeper for fear of making him suspicious. Instead she pretended to stumble. “Sorry,” she exclaimed, falling heavily against him.

Lockhart held her close for a moment too long before he let her go. “No problem,” he said smoothly as he stared into her eyes. “You're sure a pretty thing.”

Cole had managed to maneuver the waitress near them. It was all he could do to keep himself from abandoning the little blonde and charging to Annie's
rescue the moment he saw Lockhart give her a hug that wasn't part of the dance. If the man hadn't almost immediately released her again, Cole probably would have made a fool of himself and ruined her plan as well.

“Are you okay?” the waitress asked as he whipped her forcefully around like a yo-yo on a string.

“Sorry.” He clutched at the distraction. “Maybe you'd better demonstrate this step again.” Although he tried hard to concentrate, he was relieved when the music ended and there was an exodus from the floor. By the time he'd thanked her and worked his way back to the table, Lockhart was already there with Annie.

“I'll take it from here,” Cole said, pulling out her chair.

Her mouth tightened with annoyance and then she flashed Lockhart a smile that set Cole's jaw muscles. Before she sat down, she leaned toward the other man and murmured something Cole couldn't hear.

Lockhart winked and then he glanced at Cole. “Have fun,” he said to both of them with a smirk, and then he backed away. Annie finally sat down as the music was starting again, but Cole sure didn't feel like dancing. The couple sharing their table hadn't come back after the last number. They were still on the floor holding hands. Apparently Roger had changed his mind about the branding.

“Let's get out of here,” Cole said to Annie.
“You got what you came for.” From her expression and the stiff set he could feel on his own face he figured anyone who noticed would assume they were quarreling. It would be natural for them to leave.

For a moment he thought she'd refuse, but then she surprised him by getting to her feet. “You're right,” she replied with a toss of her head. “There's no point in staying.”

As Annie threaded her way among the small tables, she saw Lockhart watching her. No doubt his arrogance would lead him to assume they were arguing about him. The man was repellent and all she wanted was a shower, but she wasn't about to admit that to Cole. She knew he was acting, but his interpretation of a jealous spouse was Oscar material. If she wasn't careful, she'd forget it was all a pretense.

“That went well,” she said as they entered their quarters.

Cole's sound of disbelief made her stare. “I didn't know my role was going to be the cuckolded husband. Keep playing with Lockhart and you won't need your lock picks to get into his room.” He sounded furious.

“What are you suggesting?” Annie demanded, put on the defensive.

Cole glared. “I think a smart girl like you can figure that out.”

He was carrying his role too far. “I'm going to take a shower,” she announced haughtily as she
grabbed clean clothes and swept past him. “If you want to know the truth, after dealing with the two of you, I feel like I need one.”

Cole looked stunned. Without giving him a chance to reply, she went into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Men!

When she came back out a little while later, wearing a broomstick skirt in a pastel flowered print and a seafoam-green sleeveless blouse, he was stretched out on the bed with his hands behind his head.

“I'm sorry,” he said without preamble. “I don't know what got into me.”

“I guess you just immersed yourself in your part,” Annie replied. It seemed like all they did was quarrel and apologize. Cautiously she sat on the edge of the bed with the intention of going over the evening's plans with him.

“You look nice,” he said. “You're still one of the prettiest women I've ever seen.”

It was all she could do to keep her mouth from dropping open. What was he up to? He'd never been big on compliments in the old days. “Thank you,” she stammered.

Tension crackled between them. If the truth be told, with his black hair and blue eyes, Cole was by far the most physically attractive man she'd known. Perhaps the reason she'd never again gotten seriously involved was because no other man appealed to her as strongly as he had. Cole had been her first
and only lover. Sharing a room reminded her of the times they'd been together—

Annie quickly got up from the bed and sat down a safer distance away from temptation. It was either that or stretch out next to him. Wouldn't that be a shock? Perhaps she could tell him it was method acting, that she was submersing herself in her role.

“Why did you move?” he asked, propping himself up on one elbow. “I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. Surely other men have complimented you on your looks.”

If it was meant as a question, it wasn't one she was going to answer. Let him wonder.

When she didn't respond, he sat up and smoothed his hair with one hand. “Are we ever going to talk about what happened?”

“With Lockhart?” she asked. “I told you I'm going to search his room during the riding and roping exhibition.”

“Don't play dumb,” Cole said impatiently. “You know what I meant. There's still something between us. I could feel it when you kissed me. Are we ever going to discuss the past?”

Annie leaped to her feet and crossed to the window, huddling there with her arms folded protectively across her chest. “The past is over and done with,” she said, gazing through the curtain without really seeing anything. “It's the present we should both be focused on—finding Sophia's real murderer and clearing your mother.” She turned and looked
at him, willing him to stay where he was while she dealt with the panic his suggestion raised inside her. Instead, he got to his feet and came toward her, watching her closely with an unreadable expression.

“Ryan says you're the best investigator around,” he said softly, stopping right in front of her. “Smart, brave, clever. Willing to do whatever is necessary for a successful investigation. Do you really know what you're doing now?”

Annie wanted to take that one last step that would close the gap between them.
No,
she wanted to shout.
I don't have any idea what I'm doing. All I want is to stay in this room with you and forget all about the outside world.

She needed to have her head examined. The past she tried so hard to ignore rose between them like an ugly specter, reminding her to be careful.

“I know exactly what I'm doing,” she said in a cool voice, “and it's all strictly business.” Stepping around him, she retrieved her fanny pack from the dresser and sat back down in the wooden chair. Methodically she double-checked its contents. “Right now we need to review our plan for this evening so neither of us makes a misstep that could tip off our quarry or get someone hurt.”

After a moment Cole joined her at the table. His jaw was clenched and a muscle flexed in his cheek. His gaze was steady on hers. “Show me what you want me to do.”

A
s Annie made her way to the employee bunkhouse early that evening, she was relieved to see that her hunch had been right. Everyone appeared to have gone to the exhibition down at the outdoor arena. She could hear bursts of cheering and applause. Cole was there and he'd already paged her once to let her know he had Lockhart in his sights.

Adrenaline bubbled through her veins as she deliberately slowed her pace on the off-chance someone might see her and question her intentions. The last thing she wanted was to appear furtive. She'd learned long ago how important it was to blend in, to act as though everything was ordinary and routine.

Annie quenched a smile. For her this
was
routine.

In moments she was inside the building, headed for the room Ralph had so helpfully pointed out.

She listened, but all was quiet except for the now-fainter noise from outside. Taking a deep breath, she drew her picks from her pack and went to work. She hadn't lost her touch and the lock was no challenge; in less than a minute she was inside.

Heart pounding, she leaned against the closed door and looked around the empty room. The heavy curtains were drawn against the fading light, so it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. She had a flashlight tucked into her pocket, but she hated taking the risk of being noticed if she didn't have to.

As well as being a slimeball and a murder suspect, Lockhart was also a slob. The narrow bed was a tangle of sheets and blankets. Clothes were scattered all over the floor and heaped on a chair. With a shudder of distaste, Annie stepped over a pair of underwear. The dresser was covered with an assortment of loose change, playing cards, beer bottles, unopened mail and other clutter.

Methodically she began searching for anything that might link him to Sophia's death. Even though the fruits of Annie's search couldn't be used in court, she might find something, anything, that would give her a clue. Although the prosecutor had to share his information with the defense, the deal wasn't reciprocal. It was one of the little quirks of criminal law that Annie didn't mind at all.

Swiftly she made a visual search and then went through the dresser drawers, careful to put everything back the way she found it. She found a jumble of underwear, socks, a couple of bandanna handkerchiefs, a belt and an extra pair of leather gloves. In the back of the drawer was a small manila envelope. She looked inside.

Newspaper clippings! With a speeding pulse, An
nie pulled them out and glanced through them. Several were starting to yellow. Puzzled, she skimmed each one carefully, mindful of the passage of time. They were all about Bryan Fortune's kidnapping, from the time he first disappeared until the most recent ransom note was found. She wouldn't have pegged Lockhart as the kind of man to take such an interest in family business that didn't concern him directly, even when it was such a tragedy. Reluctantly, feeling as though she was missing something right under her nose, Annie put the clippings back in the envelope and returned them to the drawer.

Pushing it shut, she resumed her search. On a small table by the bed were a dusty brass lamp with a stained shade, an overflowing ashtray, a silver buckle inlaid with turquoise and two books of matches. In the closet were several shirts and a couple of fancy Western-cut jackets on hangers, a pale gray Stetson on the shelf and a dressy pair of boots on the floor next to a battered duffel bag.

When Annie had checked everything else, she upended the silver-toed boots. One was empty, but a small package wrapped in a red bandanna fell out of the other. In it were a fancy gold necklace with a broken link and a pawn ticket. Swiftly she laid the necklace on the bed on a clean white handkerchief she'd brought for the purpose and snapped a couple of pictures of it with her camera. The pawn ticket she studied for a moment and then slipped into a clear plastic bag. The necklace she wrapped in the
bandanna. Which boot had it been in? She finally dropped it back into the left one. All she could do was hope Lockhart didn't miss the ticket anytime soon.

In the bathroom, messy enough to make her cringe, she removed a few hairs from his brush, just in case, and slipped them into another bag. Although she searched the counter and the cabinet beneath the sink, she found nothing else useful. As she was returning his shaving kit to the drawer, her pager vibrated against her hip.

Lockhart was coming! Knowing she might only have a moment or two, she got down on her hands and knees for a quick peek beneath the bed. Nothing there but dust and a wool boot sock with a hole in the toe. When she got back up, she glanced at the open closet door. Had it been shut when she arrived? No time to decide.

With a last visual sweep of the bedroom to make sure she'd left nothing behind, she eased open the door and peeked out. The corridor was empty. Her pager vibrated again, making her jump. Was Cole trying to tell her something, or just being excessively cautious?

Taking a deep breath, she slid out of the room, pulled the door shut behind her and hurried down the hall. Unfortunately there was only one way out. As she turned a corner, she nearly slammed into Lockhart.

“Hey!” Obviously surprised, he grabbed her
arms as she skidded to a stop. “What are you doing here?” His gaze narrowed suspiciously. “Why aren't you at the show? I spotted your husband there.”

“Why aren't
you?
” Annie countered, with what she hoped was a sexy grin. Her heart was pounding so hard she wondered if he could hear it. They were alone. What if he got curious about the pack around her waist and wanted to see inside?

She'd ordered Cole to stay the heck away from the bunkhouse, but now she wished he would appear. It wasn't that she needed rescuing, but backup would have been nice.

Lockhart released her to hold up one hand. His leather glove was split along the side seam. “Just came back to get my other pair,” he replied. Then he stretched out his arm and planted his hand on the wall by her head, effectively blocking her escape. His gaze sharpened.

“You didn't tell me what you were doing here,” he pointed out.

His breath was stale, making Annie want to bolt. How had she thought he was attractive, even in a rough way? “I was looking for you,” she forced herself to purr as she ran one finger down the front of his leather vest.

How could he fall for anything so blatant? He knew she was married and that her husband might very well be wondering where she was.

“Oh, yeah?” For a moment he stared at her with
a mix of suspicion and male arrogance stamped on his features. To both her relief and dismay, arrogance must have won. He smiled and leaned closer. Like the flick of a snake's tongue, his gaze darted to her mouth and then back to her eyes. His grin turned gloating.

“Getting a little bored with the home fires, are you?” he drawled.

Annie's stomach lurched. She fluttered her lashes. “Does it show?” she pouted, easing back until her head hit the wall behind her. Just how far would she have to carry this little charade before someone else came along to interrupt them or Lockhart decided a rendezvous in the hallway might be too risky? From his expression, caution probably wasn't high on his list of character traits.

“I haven't bored any women yet,” he bragged.

She thought of Sophia, and her knees wobbled. Had killing her been an impulsive act, triggered by a temper that didn't deal well with rejection?

Again Annie wished she'd gone with her instincts instead of trying to show Cole her all-fired independence. “I'll just bet you haven't,” she responded lamely. Maybe she could stall Lockhart, suggest they meet later. To her horror, he glanced around and then pulled out his room key.

“Come on,” he said, hooking an arm around Annie's waist and jerking her closer. “No one will notice that I'm gone for a few extra minutes.”

For a moment, her mind went blank as he started
hustling her back down the way she'd just come. A woman, even one trained in self-defense as she had been, could still be at a disadvantage with a bigger and stronger male.

Merciful heavens, but his arrogance was unbelievable. Did he actually think she'd go with him for some kind of crude five-minute quickie?

Obviously he did. He was doing his damnedest to get her inside his room, and he was surprisingly strong. She'd underestimated him. Before she could formulate an excuse and bolt, he had her sandwiched between him and his door while he fumbled with the lock.

It was now or never. She wasn't about to be raped just to preserve her cover! In a near panic, she shoved his hand away from the knob. Instantly his head snapped up, his triumphant smile replaced by an even uglier expression.

“What's your game, lady?” he growled. This time when he grabbed her arm, his grip hurt.

Gritting her teeth, Annie shifted away. Her breasts brushed his chest and it was all she could do to keep from gagging. Instead she licked her lips and forced a smile of her own. As much as she'd like the satisfaction of taking him down, talking her way out of this would be the best way to handle it.

“Your seduction technique could use a little work,” she teased. “I'm not some carcass to be dragged off to your lair.”

To her relief, his hold on her arm eased up
slightly. He stepped closer, pinning her against the wall. “You came after me,” he reminded her in a hoarse voice as he ground his hips against hers. She realized he was aroused.

Fury whipped through Annie. To hell with sweet talk. No one treated her like this!

Lockhart dipped his head and she was about to resort to physical force when she saw a movement out of the corner of her eye.

Cole!

“What the hell is going on here?” he demanded with righteous indignation worthy of a genuine betrayed husband. At the same time he grabbed Lockhart by the shoulder and spun him away from Annie, who sagged with relief.

“Get your hands off me!” Lockhart reacted with unexpected speed, hitting Cole in the chest. Annie let out a shriek as his fist connected with Lockhart's mouth, snapping his head back. As he staggered and nearly went down, the owner of the Circle A, Glen Appleberry, came hurrying around the corner.

“Good grief, what's this all about?” he demanded, face going instantly red when he saw Cole's expression and Lockhart's bloody lip.

Before either of the younger men could speak, Annie hurled herself into Mr. Appleberry's arms. “Thank goodness you're here!” she exclaimed, bursting into tears of relief that weren't totally staged.

“Mrs. Cassidy,” he said, prying her off him,
“what on earth are you doing in the employee dorm?”

Good question, and one she certainly didn't want him to pursue. “This man assaulted me,” she wailed, squeezing out more tears. “I was just wandering around and he g-grabbed me. Thank goodness my husband came along or I don't know what might have happened.”

To her embarrassment, two more ranch hands showed up, apparently drawn by the noise. Behind them were several guests! Cole was watching her with a thunderous frown that appeared way too real, and Lockhart looked as though he would have liked to kill her.

Oh, dear. This was getting out of hand.

“Don't listen to her,” Lockhart exclaimed. “I just came to get my other gloves. This broad ambushed me. She said she was looking for me. Next thing I know, she's all over me like a cat in heat.”

Annie's cheeks flamed. Swearing, Cole lunged at him, but she managed to get between the straining male bodies and flash Cole a warning look. The smartest thing now would be a hasty retreat, before Mr. Appleberry could ask too many questions.

“Touch her again and you'll regret it,” Cole told Lockhart despite Annie's unspoken warning.

To her shock, the guest ranch owner reached up and grabbed Lockhart by the nape of the neck with a surprising show of strength.

“You've been warned before about bothering the
female guests,” he thundered, giving the younger man a hard shake as he struggled like a fish on a hook. “Pack your gear and clear out.”

“Um…” Annie started, and then she fell silent again. Oh, hell, all she wanted now was to get away without arousing suspicion. Judging from the interested expressions on the faces of those in the small group around them, and the pure hatred in Lockhart's eyes, the chance of that happening was fading fast.

Mr. Appleberry glanced at her and then at Cole. “I'm dreadfully sorry this happened,” he said. “If the two of you will come to my office in a little while, we'll straighten it all out.” He glared at Lockhart. “Just as soon as I write this man a severance check and have him escorted to the gate,” he added.

“That's not fair,” Lockhart whined. “It's her word against mine.”

“Her word and that of several other women,” Appleberry retorted, and then he looked as though he could have bitten his tongue. He looked at one of the other employees standing off to the side. “Stan, keep an eye on our friend here, will you?”

“Sure thing, boss.” The man called Stan came forward and grabbed Lockhart's elbow. “You heard him,” he said, holding out his other hand. “Give me your key and let's get your stuff packed.”

With a last venomous glance at Annie and Cole, Lockhart complied.

“Okay, folks,” Appleberry said, rubbing his hands together briskly. “The campfire and sing-along will be starting shortly. Why don't you all head back to the arena. We'll be serving complementary beverages and popcorn in just a little while.” As soon as the small crowd had dispersed, he put a hand on Annie's shoulder and one on Cole's, herding them toward the door.

“Are you all right?” Appleberry asked Annie as soon as they were all outside. “He didn't actually hurt you, did he?”

She shook her head. “I'm okay, really. My husband came along just in time.” She let a shudder go through her. It wasn't difficult. “All I want is to go to my room and lie down.”