Natural-Born Protector

Fastening her seat belt, she tried to ignore the scent of him, a pleasant fragrance that reminded her of sunshine and sandalwood. “You must have moved into the town houses right around the time Lainie did,” she said, determined to keep her focus on the matter at hand.

He started the engine with a roar and pulled out onto the street. “She moved in a couple of weeks before me and Maddie. The first night we were there she brought over a little basket of soaps she’d collected from hotel rooms over the years.” He smiled. “She said she didn’t have any fruit and refused to bake a cake, but wanted to welcome us and bring us something. Maddie still uses the soaps. She says they’re just her size.”

A new edge of grief crawled up in the back of Melody’s throat as she thought of her sister. “Lainie loved hotel soap and shampoo. When any of us stayed at a hotel, we always grabbed the freebies for her.”

They cruised slowly down Main Street and Melody looked at him curiously. “Where were you before coming here? You mentioned something about Texas?”

“Just south of Dallas. My grandfather was an Oklahoma oil man, and when he passed away he left me an embarrassingly large inheritance. I used it to buy a ranch. I raised cattle and horses.”

“What made you decide to leave it all and come back to Cotter Creek?”

In the illumination from the dashboard she saw his hands tighten slightly on the steering wheel. “My wife died.” The words fell flat, with no other information offered.

It was obviously a topic he didn’t want to discuss. “I’m sorry,” she said.

“Thanks.”

They were silent for several minutes. So, he wasn’t a stranger to grief, she thought. She realized that’s what he’d meant earlier when he’d told her that his daughter had suffered enough loss in her life.

Her heart ached for Maddie, who had lost a mother so early in life. Melody knew what it was like to lose a parent. She’d lost her father when she’d been ten, and while Fred had stepped in as a father figure and support, it would never be the same as having her own dad in her life.

A new tension filled her as Hank turned off the main road and onto a gravel road that led to the Edge. Was she foolish to think that she could get information that Zack West couldn’t? Perhaps. All she knew was that she needed to try.

“Looks like a full house,” he said as the place came into view. A sprawling one-story building, it was weathered to a dark gray with neon signs in the windows that advertised a variety of beer.

Motorcycles were parked in a row by the front door and the parking lot was filled with pickups and cars. A group of men stood just outside the front door, their cowboy hats pulled low in tough-guy fashion.

Hank found an empty parking space and pulled in, then together they got out of the car. As they approached the door, Hank threw an arm across her shoulder in a proprietary fashion. She welcomed it, was glad that he was with her as the men eyed her up and down with drink-induced boldness.

Hank met their stares with a hint of challenge as he and Melody passed them to go inside. Anxiety twisted in her stomach as they entered the dim, noisy, smoky tavern.

Hank pointed to two empty stools at the bar and Melody quickly beelined for them. “Two beers,” Hank said to the bartender, a young man with tattooed arms and a pierced ear.

“Bottle or tap?”

“Bottle,” Melody said. She wasn’t sure she wanted to drink from any glass the place had to offer.

The bartender set the beer in front of them and Hank tossed a bill on the counter. “Is Harry in?” She had to yell to be heard above the sound of the band that was playing on a platform stage at the other end of the place.

The bartender glanced at his wristwatch and then shook his head. “He usually shows up around ten or so.”

“Can you let me know when he gets here?” she asked.

He nodded and moved down the bar to serve another customer. “Who’s Harry?” Hank asked. He leaned so close to her she felt his warm breath on the side of her neck. It danced a shiver of pleasure up her spine.

“Harry Pryor, the owner,” she replied. She picked up her beer, then swiveled her stool around to face the crowd. The dance floor was packed with two-stepping cowboys and women dressed to attract Mr. Right, or at least Mr. Right at the Moment.

So many people, she thought. How was she ever going to find the ones who might have been close to Lainie? How could she even begin to try to figure out who might have answers that could lead to a killer?

She looked at Hank, who scanned the crowd with narrowed, calculating eyes. “See anyone you know?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I was hoping to see either Dean or James here, but I don’t see either of them.”

“It’s early,” Melody replied. She turned back around and motioned to the bartender. When he approached them she offered him her brightest smile. “I was just wondering if you were friends with Lainie Thompson.”

He grabbed a wet sponge and swiped down the countertop. “Who’s asking?”

“I’m Melody Thompson, Lainie’s sister.”

Immediately his expression changed as a smile exposed a chipped front tooth. “Everyone was Lainie’s friend. She used to talk about you a lot.” The smile fell. “I can’t believe what happened to her.”

“You know anyone who was angry with her? Somebody she was fighting with or who was giving her a hard time?” Melody asked.

His gaze shifted to Hank, then back to Melody. “Is he a cop?”

Hank shook his head. “Just a friend.”

“I already talked to the sheriff and told him I don’t know anyone who was upset with Lainie, unless maybe it was Harry. But Harry was always mad at Lainie. He’d fire her at closing then rehire her the next day. Look, I really don’t know anyone who’d want to hurt Lainie.” Once again he moved away from them as a customer hollered for him.

Hank leaned closer to Melody. “Anyone else you see that you want to question?”

Once again she gazed around the room and spied a waitress in black tights, a short skirt and a tight T-shirt that advertised the Edge. “The waitress over there. Her name is Kerry Butcher. She was one of Lainie’s friends.” She slid off the stool.

“Want me to come with you?” Hank asked.

“No, I’ll just see if I can grab her when she brings over her next drink order.” Besides, Melody suddenly needed a bit of distance from Hank Tyler. She was finding it difficult to focus on what she was there for with his evocative scent washing over her and his body warming hers.

She’d been cold ever since she’d been told about her sister’s murder, and she found Hank’s warmth far too appealing for comfort.

She wound her way through the crowd and touched Kerry’s arm. The big-breasted, wild-haired woman spun around to face her. Her caramel-colored eyes instantly took on the sheen of tears. “Melody! What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you about Lainie,” Melody replied.

Kerry frowned as somebody at a nearby table called her name. “I’ve got a break coming up in about ten minutes. Meet me in the back of the building.”

As Melody returned to the bar she couldn’t help but notice that Hank was the most attractive man in the place and was garnering plenty of admiring female glances.

Another place, another time, she might have considered following through on her initial attraction to him, but he was merely an emotional support while she navigated her way through her sister’s murder investigation. Nothing more.

By summer’s end she’d be back in Chicago living the life she’d begun there. There had only been two weeks left of school when she’d gotten the word about Lainie’s death and Mr. Cook, the principal at the school, had assured her the job would be waiting for her in the fall.

“Everything okay?” Hank asked as she rejoined him at the bar.

“I’m supposed to meet her behind the building in ten minutes when she takes her break.”

“Maybe she’ll be able to tell you something you can take to Zack.” He frowned. “I know it’s really none of my business, but I don’t think it’s wise for you to be putting yourself out here like this, asking questions that could possibly stir somebody up in a very bad way.”

Melody lifted her bottle of beer to her lips and took a swallow, her mouth suddenly unaccountably dry as she felt an unexpected press of tears.