Natural-Born Protector

She nodded. “I’ll have somebody come out first thing in the morning. Is there anything else you can tell me about what was going on with Lainie around the time of her death? Anything unusual?”

He hesitated a long moment, unsure about revealing the confidences of a woman now dead. “What?” she asked as she leaned forward.

“Did you know she wanted a baby? That she was trying to get pregnant?” He could tell by the shocked look on her face that Lainie hadn’t shared that with her.

A spasm of grief twisted her features and he bit his tongue, sorry that he’d told her. “That’s the last thing she needed. She couldn’t even take care of herself, let alone a baby,” she said.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have told you,” he said, fighting the impulse to reach out and take her hand, offer some sort of physical support. She looked so sad, so lost.

“No, I want you to tell me everything. If I’m going to find the person who killed her then I need to know everything.”

He stared at her in surprise. “Don’t you think it would be best to leave the investigation to the sheriff and his men?”

She leaned back, looking stronger than she had moments before. “I’ll let the sheriff run his investigation but I intend to run my own. If I know my sister, she liked to run with people who had at least as many problems as she did, people with attitudes and criminal records, not the kind of people who will likely cooperate with anyone in law enforcement. They’ll talk to me.”

Hank thought about the blood he’d cleaned up. So much blood. Whoever had killed Lainie had been enraged. The violence that had taken place in that bathroom sickened him.

He wanted to talk Melody out of whatever it was she intended to do, but he could tell by the fervent glow in her eyes that she was determined.

“That could be dangerous. Do you have a plan?” he asked.

“The first place I’m going to start asking questions is at the Edge,” she replied. “Maybe Lainie’s boss or one of her coworkers will know something.”

Hank scowled. “That bar is no place for a woman to go by herself. Why don’t I tag along with you?”

“I can’t ask you to do that,” she replied.

“You didn’t ask. I offered.”

Once again she stared at him for a long moment. He’d thought her eyes were a clear, sharp blue like Lainie’s, but he realized now they were deeper, darker and far more enigmatic than her sister’s.

“I was planning on going tonight,” she finally said.

He nodded. “Maddie can stay at my mother’s.”

“How do I know I can trust you?” she asked. Some of the fervor left her eyes and she suddenly looked small and vulnerable.

“You know any of the West family?” he asked.

“I know them on sight and by reputation. I know they work in the bodyguard business. Why?”

“Dalton West is an old friend of mine. One of the reasons I decided to make the move from Texas to Cotter Creek was so I could go to work for them. At the moment I’m waiting to be assigned to my first job with them.”

Maybe four months of boredom was getting to him, or maybe he was jumping into her drama because he had genuinely grown to care for Lainie. “Maybe we could help each other,” he continued. “It sounds to me like you intend to talk to people and go places that might put a single, attractive woman at risk. You could use a bodyguard, and I could use some practice at being a bodyguard.”

“So, you want to be my bodyguard in training?” A small smile curved her lips.

He returned her smile. “Something like that.”

Once again she wrapped her fingers around her coffee cup and eyed him soberly. “I’ll think about it,” she said finally.

He nodded and told himself it really didn’t matter to him whether she took his offer of help or not. Eventually the killer would be caught and Melody Thompson would return to her life in Chicago.

And he’d keep putting one foot in front of the other and try to figure out how to keep going when the only woman he’d ever loved was gone.

Chapter Three (#u4d8f4dbe-1ba6-5d4b-a686-6f4c67c2bf4b)

Melody stared at her reflection in the bedroom mirror. She scarcely recognized the woman who looked back at her. Tight jeans molded to her and the bright turquoise blouse fit her like a second skin, the plunging neckline revealing far more flesh than she was used to showing.

If she was going to hang out at the Edge, then it was important for her to blend in with the clientele that frequented the bar on the edge of town. Her conservative clothes would set her apart, draw attention that she didn’t want, so she’d raided Lainie’s closet for something appropriate.

Her hand trembled slightly as she raised it to smooth an errant strand of hair away from her face. She knew that she might be asking questions tonight that could make somebody nervous.

She turned away from the mirror and checked her wristwatch. Almost nine. Hank would be here soon to accompany her to the bar.

She wasn’t sure why she trusted Hank Tyler, but she did. There was something solid about him. She liked his direct gaze and the straight answers he’d given her over coffee. Besides, he was working for the West family. That went a long way in alleviating any fear she might have that he was a nut.

After she’d left the café and Hank that afternoon, she’d gone straight to the sheriff’s office and met with Zack West. He’d assured her that they were doing everything in their power to find Lainie’s killer.

“But I’ll be straight with you, Melody. We don’t have any real leads and your sister didn’t have a conventional lifestyle.”

“The night of the murder she left a message on my answering machine and told me she was going out with somebody new. I don’t suppose you’ve identified who that might have been?” she’d asked.

Zack shook his head, his green eyes sympathetic. “Not yet. But I’ve told your mother and I’m telling you, I won’t rest until we have the killer behind bars.”

She’d left the office satisfied that Zack and his men were doing everything they could to solve the crime, but unsure just how successful they would be.

As irrational as it was, she felt as if she were the only one who could find the answers. She was the one who had known Lainie better than anyone and she owed it to her sister to help her rest in peace. The only way that would happen was if Lainie’s murderer was found and punished.

The soft knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts and she hurried to answer. Hank had underdressed for the night as well. Clad in tight worn jeans and a black T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders, he looked both slightly dangerous and capable of handling anything that might come his way.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked as she grabbed her purse from the sofa.

“Are you sure you want to?” she countered.

He flashed her a small smile. “I’m in if you are.”

“Then let’s go.” She locked the door behind her and together they left the building and walked out into the warm night air.

“We’ll take my car,” he said as he pulled a set of keys from his pocket. “If we run into any problems I know mine has the horsepower we need to make a fast getaway.” He gestured toward a bright red sports car, a larger model that seated four.

“Definitely better horsepower than my rental,” she agreed. “Are you expecting trouble?”

He shrugged. “I like to be a good Boy Scout and be prepared for anything.” He opened the passenger door and she slid inside, then watched as he went around the front of the car to the driver’s side.

She drew a tremulous sigh. Hank Tyler had been attractive in his dress slacks and shirt, but he looked like pure sin in those jeans and T-shirt. His dark hair fell carelessly over his forehead and only added to his lethal look.

“You don’t need that kind of distraction,” she muttered to herself as he slid in behind the steering wheel.