The Sheriff Gets His Lady

“Ma’am? I think I got them all.”

“What?” She stared blankly at the skycap who’d tapped her shoulder.

“Your suitcases. Is this all of them?”

Reluctantly, impatience beating at her soul, she glanced over the contents of the skycap’s long, flat cart. Her computer case now rested precariously on top and she mentally ticked off the seven bags.

“Yes. That’s all of them.”

The girl and the sheriff were well down the concourse, moving briskly. The family was also on the move. The sister gave her little brother a smack when she thought no one would see. The tyke let out a wail and the group came to a halt again.

Sky exhaled a shaky breath of disappointment and turned away. Maybe it was just as well. This crowded, noisy airport was hardly the best place to meet her daughter for the very first time. Besides, it probably hadn’t been her daughter. The coincidence would be far too incredible.

“You must be plannin’ to stay awhile.”

Looking at the skycap’s pleasant face, she forced a smile in return. “Perhaps.”

She followed him outside, breathing deeply of the temperate weather while she tried to calm her jangled nerves. If only she’d gotten a decent look at the girl’s face.

“Imagine our weather is a nice change after that cold, rainy slush they’ve been saying you New Yorkers are having.”

“What? Oh. Yes.” She tried to focus on her companion instead of the rushing thoughts filling her head. “They are predicting snow for New York City this week.”

He shook his head. “I’ll take Texas weather any day. Taxi, ma’am?”

His warm Texas drawl was a pleasant change from the frequent nasal snarls of busy New Yorkers. Her own voice held almost no hint of the twang she’d grown up with.

“Yes, thank you.”

The car company had suggested she check with them again once she landed, but even if they did have a luxury car available now, she wasn’t up to dealing with driving at the moment. They could just deliver the car as promised in the morning.

“The Grand Hotel, overlooking the River Walk,” she told the cabbie who leaped forward to claim her as a passenger.

The sidewalk was jammed with people and someone jostled her with force. She hit the cart full of suitcases, which were already shifting. Turning indignantly, Sky glared at the offender.

For an instant, her gaze locked with pale-blue eyes spaced too close together. The handsome man from the plane swept her with a chilling stare. Without a word of apology, he strode past clutching a black laptop computer case.

A ghost of unease made her watch as he hurried away. From out of the crowd, a uniformed security person followed quickly in his wake. The two were swallowed by a throng of people intent on their own goals.

Was security chasing the man from her plane? Come to think of it, she didn’t remember him holding a computer case earlier when he’d offered her that come-on smile. Of course, she hadn’t really paid him that much attention but...no, she was pretty sure his hands had been empty. Suddenly, edgy, she turned back toward her own computer case, only to see the black bag being lifted by the driver.

“Did you want this up front with you, ma’am?”

Sky forced herself to relax and shook her head. “No. You can put it in with the other luggage.” She wouldn’t be working tonight.

She turned back to the skycap, tipping him generously. She allowed him to open the taxi door for her and slipped inside. The unpleasant scent of stale food lingered in the air. Obviously the driver had eaten in here recently. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she was hungry, too. Well, the hotel boasted a five-star restaurant so she wouldn’t have far to go once she checked in.

As she settled back into the seat, attempting to maintain the cool facade she’d perfected over the years, she decided what she needed was a long soak in the room’s Jacuzzi tub to unwind and see if she could get her nerves to calm down. Maybe then she would enjoy room service overlooking the River Walk.

Very soon now, she’d learn what her actions all those years ago had wrought. She needed to stay calm and in control before meeting her daughter for the first time. It would never do to give in to the rising excitement bubbling inside her.

Staying calm and in control soon became her mantra because the hotel was a worse mob scene than the airport had been. The timing of her arrival couldn’t have been worse. Some sort of large business conference was in the process of registering. The place literally swarmed with frenzied people. Sky waited at the curb with false patience for a bellman with a cart to load her baggage and write her a receipt.

“Is it always like this?” she asked him.

“No, ma’am. This is nuts right now. If you need your luggage right away, you’ll have to call down to the bell captain’s desk after you get your room assignment. Give them this number and we’ll send the luggage right up, but we’d appreciate your patience. As you can see, we’re going to be running a little behind.”

Sky tipped the man and nodded, then walked into the lobby to check in. The front desk was efficient, but understaffed for this sort of a rush. Sky waited her turn, accepted the key card, and went straight to her room.

She got through to the bell desk with no problem. They promised her luggage would be sent up as soon as possible. Resigned, she headed for the bathroom, only to discover the toilet hopelessly stopped up. When her call to housekeeping rang unanswered, her calm disintegrated.

Living in New York had taught her many things—including how to get what she needed. Sky took the elevator back down and strode across the lobby, cutting past people still waiting to check in. Politely, but firmly, she expressed her displeasure.

“I’m Skylar Diamond in room 1217. The toilet is unusable and housekeeping isn’t answering their phone.”

The harried clerk grimaced.

“I’m terribly sorry, Ms. Diamond. I’ll call maintenance to your room right away.”

“I would appreciate that.”

As she turned from the desk, her stomach knotted. Despite the crowd, she spotted him at once. The good-looking man from the plane stood to one side, openly watching her. He no longer clutched the computer case, and gone was the male perusal. This was a far different expression altogether. Cold. Hard. Calculating.

Before she could move or speak, he spun and strode across the lobby toward the main entrance. A shudder traveled up her spine. She felt as if she’d just had a close call with danger. Was he stalking her? Sky was certain she’d never seen the man before today. Was it mere coincidence that he’d chosen this hotel, or was he part of this conference checking in?

Feeling paranoid, she considered that he could have overheard her destination when she’d given it to the taxi driver outside the airport. Her apprehension escalated as she realized it was also possible that he’d heard both her name and her room number just now.

Apprehension changed to budding fear. The Grand was by far the most exclusive hotel in downtown San Antonio. The man had flown tourist. While it didn’t automatically mean he couldn’t be staying here, Sky had a bad feeling. Hadn’t security been chasing him at the airport? She was wearing quite a bit of gold and precious stones on her wrist and at her neck and ears. Jewelry was a new passion of hers. Perhaps she should report the man to hotel security.

“And tell them what?” she muttered to herself. “All he’s done so far is glare at me.”

Still trying to decide what to do, she rode back up to her floor. The telephone was ringing when she stepped inside her room.

Genuine alarm flashed through her. No one knew where she was staying. She hadn’t even told her office yet. She’d made all the arrangements herself at the very last moment after speaking with Lily Garrett Bishop yesterday.

Probably the hotel desk was phoning about the toilet. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the receiver. Her hand was steady enough, though her heart thudded more quickly than normal. “Hello?”

A second of staticky silence filled her ear. There was a decisive click as someone hung up.

Sky held the telephone for several long minutes before replacing the instrument on the nightstand. There was no reason to believe the call had come from the stranger downstairs, but she couldn’t stop the apprehension from slithering up her spine.

A loud knock on her door made her jump, her hand hovering over the telephone.

“Who is it?”

“Bellman.”

Unnerved, she crossed to the door and peered through the peephole. She was only slightly reassured by the sight of the smiling young face on the other side.