Lone Star Bachelor

She didn’t plan to be here long. The Red River Roost would do until she finished the investigation and returned to her nice apartment in Paris, Texas.

Resisting the urge to jump in the shower and cool off, she changed tops and jackets, opting for a white blazer and orchid button-down. Still professional, but definitely cooler.

From beneath the mattress, she withdrew her tiny laptop and booted up, taking a moment to check her email and run through some records sent by her boss, though nothing appeared pertinent to the Buchanon case. At least not yet.

As an afterthought, she pulled up Sawyer’s Facebook profile. Social media was an amazing source of information to private investigators and police officers.

She scanned through the recent posts, pausing at one with a puzzled frown. Sawyer had responded to a message with:

Praying for you, man. Hang in there.

In another, he’d posted a scripture.

No one had mentioned his religious affiliation, but Jade had experience with men who wielded scriptures like a weapon. Her father was one of them, battering her, her brothers and mother over the head with the Bible whenever the words suited his intent.

Granted, Sawyer’s scripture had been encouraging, not scathing, but religious fanatics were always suspect in her book. Closing the lid, Jade slid the laptop back into its hiding place. She exited the room, still pondering the complexities of human beings, one in particular. She wondered if Sawyer’s twin would prove as interesting.

Chapter Three (#uf53c2fd0-216e-5019-b7a7-57eb13835e64)

Buchanon Built Construction Company was housed in a warehouse on the edge of Gabriel’s Crossing, not far from the railroad tracks and the downtown area. Every day at least four times, a train rumbled through town, shook the earth, rattled windows and made dogs howl. Townsfolk like Sawyer barely noticed unless they were stuck at the railroad crossing. Like this morning.

When Sawyer finally arrived at the warehouse with Dawson pulling in behind him, a row of familiar pickup trucks had parked at an angle in front. UPS and a flatbed lumber truck unloaded supplies through the end double doors, the clatter of their labor enlivening the quiet, sunny morning. Summer in Gabriel’s Crossing meant construction work and plenty of it. Business for the Buchanon family was not good. Business was great.

Sawyer entered through the front door, stepping into the main offices where a U-shaped desk filled most of the room. Two of his sisters were behind the business center, already busy, and the ever-present scents of coffee and new wood welcomed him in.

“Did you bring doughnuts?” Allison asked. His petite sister could normally eat anything without gaining weight, but lately she’d put on a few pounds, mostly around the middle. She was hungry all the time.

“You’d be better off eating something healthy, Allison.” Jaylee, stick thin, was super health conscious and happily nagged the rest of them on a regular basis about their food choices. They mostly ignored her.

“I am eating healthy.” Allison patted her barely rounded belly. If he hadn’t been reminded a hundred times, Sawyer wouldn’t even know she was pregnant. “But baby Hamilton wants a doughnut with his milk this morning.”

Sawyer held up a white box. “Uncle Sawyer to the rescue.”

Allison sucked in a deep, appreciative breath. “My hero.”

“I thought Jake was your hero.”

“He is, but he’s not here and you have doughnuts.” She laughed, tossing her flippy dark hair.

“Did the poor guy already have enough of your pregnancy hormones and run away?” He knew better. Jake Hamilton was so thrilled over the expected baby he behaved as if he was the only man ever to experience fatherhood. Not that Sawyer would know a thing about that. Someday he’d like a passel of kids. It was the Buchanon way. But for now, he’d play the happy uncle and teasing brother.

“He and Manny are hauling bulls to the sale.” Allison pumped her arm once. “Cha-ching. Gotta buy baby some pretties.”

She reached for the doughnut box on the counter and flipped the lid open with an approving moan. “These are amazing. Which do you think is healthiest? The Bavarian cream? Does that count as dairy?”

Jaylee snorted. “If you’re going to eat one, pick the one you like best. Healthy and doughnuts are incompatible terms.”

Sawyer reached across the counter and took a chocolate-iced pastry. “Coke, popcorn and doughnuts. My breakfast of champions.”

Jaylee swatted at him with a stack of paper. He laughed and added, “I promise to eat a salad for lunch. Anything I need to know before I head on over to the job site?”

“Dad’s in the back. He wants to talk before you leave.”

Beyond the office space was a conference area for family and vendor meetings and anything else that required a gathering place. Quinn, the family architect, worked there for peace and quiet and because he’d been a reclusive grump since moving home from Dallas a couple of years ago. However, since falling in love with Gena Satterfield, the local nurse practitioner, Quinn was a lot easier to be around.

“Sure thing.” Sawyer sauntered through the doorway, mouth full of fried dough. Dawson followed.

When he saw the woman standing stiff as the Statue of Liberty at the end of a long table, he nearly choked.

The fiery attraction he’d hoped was a fluke seared up the back of his neck.

His father, standing next to her, waved them in. “Sawyer, I think you’ve met Jade Warren from the private investigation firm.”

Sawyer battled the doughnut and managed to swallow down the thick lump.

The attraction was an entirely different matter. It raced through his bloodstream like molten lava. Nice. And weird.

He liked fun-loving, happy women with sunny dispositions and lots of laughter. Why did he find the serious, unfriendly Jade so compelling?

“Well, if it isn’t Nancy Drew.” He offered an intentionally flirty smile, hoping to loosen her up a little.

Her icy stare knocked the smile right out of him. She nodded once, a head bob that was both dismissal and acknowledgment.

Did anything rattle Miss Prim and Grim?

“Let’s have a seat,” Dad was saying as he pulled out a chair for Jade. Sawyer would have done that. Wanted to do it. Instead he seated himself across from her and noticed she’d changed clothes. She was still buttoned to the top in a choke hold that could take out a sumo wrestler, but the light purple color looked good with her eyes.

Yeah. He was noticing way too much about a woman who really didn’t want to like him.

He folded his arms on the tabletop and let his gaze linger on her deceptively sweet face while she talked in that crisp, no-nonsense manner that made him straighten his posture.

“Your father is creating a list of disgruntled employees.” She flipped open the spiral notebook. “I’d like each of you to do the same for cross-referencing purposes.”

Sawyer exchanged looks with Dawson and they both laughed. They still had the twin radar at times, knowing what the other thought. “Disgruntled? Would that include us brothers? We stay disgruntled.”

“But Dad won’t let us stop working.” Dawson lifted his coffee cup in a salute.

Dan Buchanon smiled slightly. “My boys like to joke around.”

“I see that.” But she didn’t crack a smile. “Does anyone come to mind immediately? Anyone who was fired, injured on the job, or caused a problem? No matter how small or seemingly insignificant the issue, I need to know.”

The four men mentioned a handful of people but stalled out quickly. They ran a reputable business and treated employees well. Dan, a workaholic, could be tough and demanding, but Brady, Mom and the three sisters kept things running smoothly so that most employees loved to work for the Buchanons.

Everyone wanted to come to the Buchanon Built Christmas party and the Fourth of July cookout, the place where Dan handed out bonuses and gifts and goodies to show appreciation for the previous six months of success.

“This business goes back many years to Grandpa. Maybe our bad guy goes that far back, too.” Dawson’s usually serene face was troubled. “I’ll give the list more thought.”

Sawyer nodded. “Sure. I will, too.”