Her Cowboy Avenger

The call was picked up on the third ring. “This is Pam,” a voice almost exactly like the one he’d just spoken to said in a no-nonsense tone.

“Pam, it’s Matt Alvarez.”

She fell silent for a few moments much like her sister had. “Matt,” she said flatly, her voice devoid of Piper’s natural warmth. “This is a surprise.” She gave no indication whether it was pleasant or otherwise.

“I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m in a situation and could use your help.”

“What is it?” He quickly outlined Elena’s circumstances. “This case doesn’t fall within federal jurisdiction,” she said when he was finished. “There’s nothing I can do officially.”

“I know that. I was just hoping for some information.”

“What kind of information?”

“For now, anything you can give me on the town, on Elena and her husband, the sheriff and whether he can be trusted. Obviously, you have resources that I don’t. I’m not asking for anything illegal or that would get you into trouble. Just anything you can give me that you think I need to know, though I might need to come back to you later the more I learn here.”

She didn’t say anything for a long moment again. “This woman must mean a lot to you.”

His mind instantly wanted to deny the idea. Elena didn’t mean anything to him. Not anymore.

He couldn’t exactly say that. It would raise far more questions, ones he wasn’t sure he was ready for and didn’t like the answers to.

Instead, he simply said, “She’s a friend.”

Another silence. When she spoke again, all she said was “Give me a number where I can reach you.” Matt quickly gave it to her. “I’ll see what I can find.”

“Thank you,” he said, only to realize she’d already hung up. With most people the action would probably be considered rude, but he didn’t take any offense at it. That was Pam—brisk, blunt, to the point. She was willing to help. That was all he cared about.

Lowering his phone, he glanced up, his eyes suddenly meeting those of a woman standing down the street a short distance away.

He could tell she’d been watching him for a while, her face reflecting surprise at having been caught. If he hadn’t been so focused on the call with Pam he might have sensed it. Still, she didn’t immediately glance away, continuing to look at him. He looked right back. Given the way he’d felt people watching him since he and Elena had arrived back here to change her tires, he figured he should get used to people staring at him. That didn’t mean he was going to let them think they could intimidate him or make him in any way nervous.

But as he absorbed the woman’s attention, he realized it was different somehow. She was an attractive woman in her fifties with dark hair and eyes and a nice face. There was a warmth to it, and her attention wasn’t cold or judgmental. It was like she was studying him closely, looking for something. He half wondered what it was, not caring all that much. Maybe she was just curious about a stranger. It didn’t seem like she meant him any harm, and as long as that remained the case, she could look as long as she wanted.

As though finally realizing just how long she had been staring, she abruptly looked away and started down the sidewalk in the other direction.

He watched her go for a few seconds before shaking his head and dismissing her strange behavior. He had bigger things to worry about.

Pam could likely get information that he couldn’t, but he’d meant what he’d said. He intended to learn as much here as he could. It might still be early enough that word hadn’t gotten out about who he was and why he was supposedly in town, so there might still be time to find someone willing to talk to him. And there was one place around here he figured was his best bet to find someone who would.

Chapter Five

Her hands were shaking.

The realization came with a strange sense of detachment, as though she was noticing something that was happening to someone else. Elena glanced down at the hands that were gripping the steering wheel tightly. Yes, they were shaking, she registered, barely feeling it. The steering wheel was shuddering beneath them.

No, she corrected faintly. Her hands weren’t shaking. Her whole body was.

She looked back up at the road, only to discover that she was already outside of town. Blinking in shock, she tried to draw in a breath. It was impossible. Her lungs were too tight.

She quickly swung over to the side of the road and sat there, still clutching the steering wheel in a death grip, trying to catch that elusive breath. Thankfully, there were no other vehicles in view, no one in front of or behind her, no one to witness her meltdown. She was alone, truly alone for the first time since Matt’s sudden reappearance in her life.

She wasn’t surprised that she’d managed to get all the way outside of town without noticing where she was. From the moment she’d driven away from him, there’d been only one thing on her mind.

Matt.

Matt was back.

The image of the way he’d looked on the street came back to her.

She hadn’t wanted to say goodbye. Not again. Not yet.

Suddenly, the flood of memories she’d barely managed to keep at bay when he was near finally broke free, filling her head with a million different thoughts, pictures, impressions. Things she hadn’t thought about in years. Things she hadn’t let herself.

Eight years. She could feel every one of the years that had passed since he’d left, and yet it seemed as vivid as if it were yesterday.