The Cowboy's Claim

“Sure, that would be great,” he readily agreed.

It had become their routine on Friday nights after dinner for him to come into the motel room and share a cup of coffee before he headed home.

She never worried about things getting intimate. So far their physical relationship had consisted of a couple of chaste kisses when they said good-night.

With Garrett to consider, she’d been reluctant to date anyone, but Grant had been persistent and she’d finally agreed to go out with him with the understanding that things between them would go slow. He’d respected her wishes, and their romance, such as it was, had progressed at a snail’s pace.

With Garrett soundly sleeping in his crib and coffee made, they sat across from each other at the tiny table under the single hanging light in the room and talked about the hot weather, the plans the town had for a summer festival in the next couple of weeks and their own plans to enjoy that day together.

“The bank is sponsoring a stand offering free soda and bottled water, and I’m assigned to work it from nine to eleven that day. But after eleven I’ll be all yours,” Grant said in the soft voice he always used so as not to awaken the sleeping child.

“Sounds like it’s going to be a wonderful day, although it doesn’t seem right to be looking forward to a festival with two unsolved murders in the town.” As she thought of Shirley’s murder, she fought off a shiver that threatened to waltz up her spine.

“We just have to stay focused on the positive,” Grant replied. “Sheriff Evans is a good man and he’ll figure out these crimes eventually.”

“I hope so,” she said fervently.

Even though she was hoping that it was mere coincidence that both Candy and Shirley had worked at the café, there was no question the fact that two of her coworkers had been murdered unnerved her more than just a little bit.

Grant glanced at his watch. “I’d better get out of here. I have to go into the bank early tomorrow.” He got up from the table and carried his empty cup to the sink.

“Thank you, as always, for a lovely evening,” Courtney said as she walked him to the door.

He kissed her on the forehead, the scent of his expensive cologne a bit overpowering. “I’ll call you tomorrow?”

“I’d like that,” she agreed. “The only thing I have planned is maybe taking Garrett to the city park, but I’ll probably wait until early evening when it cools down a bit.”

He frowned. “Take a friend with you. I don’t like the idea of you out and around all alone, especially if you plan on being out after dark.”

She smiled, touched by his concern. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back here long before dark.”

They murmured their goodbyes, and then he left and Courtney carefully locked the door behind him. She’d just carried her cup to the sink when a knock fell on her door.

As she hurried to answer she assumed it was Grant who had either left something behind or had forgotten to tell her something.

She unlocked the door and pulled it open to see Nick leaning casually against the doorjamb. “What on earth are you doing here?” she asked in surprise, praying that Garrett stayed asleep and quiet in his crib.

“Is that who you’re dating now? Grant Hubert?” he asked, as if he had a right to know anything about her or who she might be seeing.

“That’s really none of your business.” She stepped outside and pulled the door halfway closed behind her so that he couldn’t see into the room.

“Your parents must be so proud of you. Grant has a good position with the bank, a real air of respectability about him. Is that why you moved here? To be closer to him?” Although his features betrayed nothing, his voice held just the faintest edge of resentment.

“Exactly what part of ‘it’s none of your business’ don’t you understand? And I’ll repeat it again, what are you doing here?”

“Can I come in for a minute?”

“Absolutely not,” she replied and tightened her grip on the doorknob of the half-closed door. The last thing in the world she wanted was for this man to know about his son.

Garrett didn’t need him in his life. Garrett didn’t need a man who had left her without a backward glance, a man who would probably blow back out of town again before too long.

“I heard about the murder of the waitress this morning, and about the other murder before that,” he said. In the shadows of the night the cleft in his chin looked deeper than usual and his eyes appeared almost black. “I guess I just wanted to stop by and see that you were okay.”

“As you can see, I’m just fine.” Even though she wanted to feel nothing for him, she couldn’t help the way her heart squeezed slightly at the thought that he might care about her just a little.

Not that she cared about him anymore. She’d stopped caring about Nick Benson in the weeks after he’d left when he hadn’t even bothered to call her, when he hadn’t thought her worth any kind of an explanation of why he had left. She’d stopped caring about Nick Benson when he’d shattered her world by walking away without even a backward glance.

“You look good, Courtney,” he said, his gaze appearing soft in the moonlight. His gaze slid down the length of her. “You look real good.”

At that moment a cry came from inside the room. Apparently Garrett had awakened. Nick’s features froze as Courtney’s heart crashed to the ground.

“That yours?” he asked, his voice flat.

“It is.” Her heart beat fast and furious in her chest.

“So, I guess you’ve really moved on.”

“What did you expect? That I’d pine away just because you were gone? I’ve got to go.” Before he could say anything else she slid back into the room and closed the door, then leaned against it and prayed he wouldn’t ask anyone exactly when Garrett had been born.

* * *

Mary Mathis sat across a café table from Sheriff Cameron Evans. He almost always ended his nights here, drinking the last of the coffee after she closed the restaurant.

He was a handsome man, with dark brown hair and hazel eyes that changed with his mood. Tonight they were more brown than green, and his eyebrows were pulled down into a frown.

“It’s just like Candy’s murder,” he said as he wrapped his big, strong fingers around his coffee mug. “No forensic evidence, no obvious suspect.”

“What about Kevin Naperson?” Mary asked, knowing he’d been the main suspect when Candy had been killed.

“I spoke to him first thing this morning and his alibi is that he was in bed asleep, which is going to be pretty much the same alibi of everyone in the entire town. We’ve fixed Shirley’s time of death at 3:12 a.m.”

Mary raised an eyebrow. “That’s pretty specific.”

Cameron nodded. “Apparently while the killer was attacking Shirley he managed to pull the cord to her clock radio out of the wall. That’s the time the clock stopped.”

An edge of grief stabbed through Mary, along with a whisper of fear. It was a fear she could share with nobody, the fear that somehow this was all happening because of her, because of her past sins.

“You okay?” Cameron looked at her with concern.

“Yes and no,” she admitted. “I’m trying not to make this personal, but two of my waitresses have been brutally murdered.”

“There’s absolutely no reason to believe this is about you or the café. Right now we just happen to have two victims who coincidentally worked at the same place. Let’s not make it bigger than it is.”

For one heart-stopping moment she thought he might reach over and touch her, maybe cover her hand with his big, strong one, and for just an aching moment of weakness, she wanted him to.

It seemed like a lifetime that she’d felt even the most simple touch from a man, and of all the men in town, Cameron was the one who made her heart beat just a little faster whenever he was around.

Instead, he rose to his feet with a weary sigh. “I’ve got to get back to work. As always, thanks for the coffee and the moment of sanity in my day.”