Deadly Intent

“For now. He stirred long enough to call himself a silly old bugger.”

“Then he’s definitely improving.”

She shook her head. “He won’t until a transplant becomes available.” And we can persuade him to go to Perth to have the operation, she added to herself. That wasn’t likely to happen until they’d resolved her father’s concerns about Diamond Downs’s future.

Too much pressure on too many fronts, she thought, feeling tiredness sweep over her. She was glad now she hadn’t piloted the Cessna to Halls Creek, and could look forward to closing her eyes on the way home if she wanted to.

“This has been rough on you, hasn’t it?” Ryan observed.

“Rougher on Dad. He’s used to being independent and strong.”

“Nobody can be strong all the time.”

Not even you. She heard what he didn’t say. For a fleeting moment she was tempted to lean against him and let his arms come around her. He would find her mouth with his and his fingers would thread through her hair, pressing her closer to deepen the kiss until she shivered with pleasure. With him, she would have no need of strength. He had more than enough for them both.

But there would be a price. He would insist on more, and she already knew he wasn’t a man to take no for an answer. Before she knew it, she would want a ring on her finger and the course of her life would be set. A course she was determined to avoid.

She shook herself like a blue heeler cattle dog shedding water and stiffened her spine. “Time we were heading back.”

“Would you like to go for a drink first?”

At the hotel they were likely to run into dozens of people she knew. She’d have to talk about her father’s problem endlessly, meet their friends’ concern with reassurances she barely believed herself. “I’d rather go home.”

“There’s still that bottle of wine in the fridge at the cottage.”

She gave up trying to make sense of her feelings, knowing only that his suggestion was the best one she’d heard all evening. “Sounds good to me.”

About to get into the car, she was waylaid by a man hurrying up to them. Tall and tanned, he appeared fit enough until you looked closely and saw the signs of too much good living. Unlike most bosses in the Kimberley, Max Horvath preferred to let his men do the hard work around the cattle station he’d inherited from his father. So where he might have been muscular, there was a hint of flab that was set to get worse as he got older. His charcoal hair was streaked with premature gray and his brown eyes were dulled by too many late-night drinking sessions.

“Judy, sweetie, I called at the homestead and they told me the news. Is your dad all right?” Max asked.

As he approached, her heart sank. “It was a false alarm brought on by stress, Max,” she said, thinking how much of that stress could be laid squarely at their neighbor’s feet.

He went on, seemingly unawares. “You should have called me. I’d have brought you to the hospital and stayed with you.”

Precisely why the thought hadn’t crossed her mind. “It all happened too quickly. Luckily Ryan was available to drive me to town.”

Max had barely given Ryan a second glance. Now he looked at the other man with more interest. “You’re new here. Do you work for Des Logan?”

“Ryan is…”

“Ryan Smith. I’m looking for work around here.” He cut across her smoothly. “Judy was interviewing me for a job when Mr. Logan collapsed, and I offered to give her a ride.”

“Late hour for an interview,” Max said stuffily. “Still, you probably have your hands full with everything that’s been going on. I didn’t know you were looking to hire more people, Judy.”

He didn’t know she could afford to hire more people, she translated. “We’re not really hiring,” she said, taking her cue from Ryan. “Ryan was recommended to us by a friend, so the interview was a courtesy. Under the circumstances, we can’t afford to take on anyone new. I’m sorry to be so blunt after you’ve been so helpful,” she said with a deliberately apologetic look at Ryan.

“That’s okay, something will turn up,” he said. “I’m not fussy what I do.”

She could hardly believe her eyes. In a few seconds Ryan had somehow transformed himself from a take-charge figure into a slump-shouldered ne’er-do-well who could barely manage to meet her eyes. It was all she could do not to laugh. How could Max possibly be taken in by such a performance?

However, it seemed he was. “Maybe we should talk. My name’s Horvath. My place borders Diamond Downs to the northwest.”

“That would be good, Mr. Horvath. Judy’s letting me sleep at the bunkhouse tonight, so I’m not far away. “

“Come and see me tomorrow at nine. Judy can give you the directions.”

With that, Max dismissed Ryan as no more than a lackey who might be useful to him, and turned his full attention to Judy. “What’s happening with Des now?”

“They’re keeping him in the hospital overnight as a precaution, then releasing him tomorrow. He’ll be staying with Blake for a while.”

Max nodded. “If there’s anything I can do, let me know.”

Start by tearing up the mortgage over Diamond Downs as Clive had intended to do, she wanted to scream at him, but she kept silent. Max was a different character from his father, who’d been one of the most generous people in the district. Clive would never have taken advantage of Des the way Max was doing.

“There’s nothing,” she said, meaning it.

“Then let me buy you a drink at the pub before you head home.”

She let her shoulders drop. “Can I take a rain check? I’ve had a rough night.”

“Sure. I should have thought of that myself. Why don’t I look in on you tomorrow morning? Smith and I can talk then, if it’s okay with you?”

Inviting Max home was the last thing she felt like doing, but knowing what Ryan was up to, she gave a weary nod. “You can use the office.” When they attacked Cade and stole the file, Max’s men had already taken what he wanted from there anyway.

She tensed as Max leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. His drink at the pub wouldn’t be the first of the night, judging by his whiskey breath. She restrained a shudder as his cheek rasped against hers. “Good night, Max.”

“See you tomorrow, then. You, too, Smith.”

Ryan reached to tip an imaginary hat. “Good night, Mr. Horvath.”

“Snake,” she muttered as the other man walked back to his vehicle.

“Me or lover boy?” Ryan asked, coming around to open the door for her.

“You decide.” She was capable of opening her own door, but allowed the gesture in case Max was still observing them. Or so she told herself.

“What was that all about?” she asked when they were on the road at last.

“I’ve seen him before,” Ryan said.

In the darkened car her startled gaze went to him. “I thought you’d never met Max.”

“He was involved in the insurance scam that got me into the P.I. business. We were sure he was part of the money-laundering end in Perth, but there wasn’t enough evidence to lay charges against him. He went by an alias for that deal, so the name Horvath didn’t mean anything to me.”

“Why am I not surprised? You’re lucky he didn’t recognize you.”

Ryan’s fingers drummed a tattoo on the wheel. “People like him are users. To them, the likes of me are dirt under their feet. They don’t even see us most of the time. We were never introduced, so he would only have seen me from a distance, and he was away when I lived around here. He took me completely at face value.”