THURSDAY, 7:45 A.M.
CIRCLE S RANCH
Heath hadn’t slept a wink.
Why would he have? He was supposed to be keeping Harper safe. Watching out for her.
That job would be over today.
That thought alone had kept him up. Pacing the house. Watching out the windows of this spread that wasn’t his own. Staring in the mirror. The sun had already risen, and everyone was up. Danger hadn’t snuck up on them during the night. He splashed water on his face. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as haggard as he’d ever been. Even counting his time in the army, and last year when he was shot in the gut.
Not surprisingly, his side throbbed at the thought. He grimaced and pressed a hand to his midsection. He thought back to the moment right after he’d been shot. His shooter leaned in, and as if his words would absolve him of his crime, he told Heath that Dad hadn’t been drunk in the accident that killed a senator and his family. The accident for which his father had been blamed. That moment ripped through his thoughts, along with anger. With a killer on the loose and the cabin bombing and Harper’s reappearance in his life, Heath had been forced to push aside his focus on finding the truth about Dad. But as soon as this was over, he would press Taggart again for answers. Heath could guess that the sheriff hadn’t had time to work Dad’s case either, like he’d assured Heath that he would.
He shrugged off the multiple issues pressing down on him. He had to finish cleaning up and get back out there.
Face the day.
Face Harper—an act he dreaded for no reason that made any sense. As he’d told her only two nights ago, right before he made the colossal mistake of kissing her, he wanted to be close to her and would have been there beside her through this with or without Taggart’s request. He didn’t regret sharing his true feelings.
But now Harper was leaving. That was what was best for her. And best for Heath.
He released an easy breath. Got his emotions under control.
He splashed more water on his face, then dried off. After combing his hair, he left the room.
Liam had left early this morning on his mission to discover the truth about John Smith. Heath hoped John and Donny were the same man, and then he could feel more confident that this case was closed.
Walking down the hall, he scraped a hand through his hair. Voices in the kitchen drifted toward him. Evelyn spoke. “My boy’s coming home soon.”
“That’s wonderful news, Evelyn,” Harper said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled for all of you.”
Should he tell Harper about John Smith?
Before he reached the kitchen, he hung back and lingered in the hallway to listen to the happy lilt to Harper’s voice. Telling her now would make her fearful again. Plus, it could keep her from leaving. It was better to let her believe the evidence was lining up to close the case so she would feel free to let it go. Even if he planned to dig deeper after she left.
He would wait to see what Liam found out. No sense in telling her until then. Maybe it was their man, after all. Heath would be glad for that. Except . . .
He didn’t want her to leave. But did he want her to stay?
Even if Heath truly wanted her to stay and could convince her to, she’d made it clear that she didn’t want a relationship with him, and that thought brought all the sensations of their kiss rushing at him. He gritted his teeth and forced the overpowering feelings back into the shadows of his mind.
The timing couldn’t have been worse. Someone was coming around the corner, and he couldn’t exactly hightail it back to his room.
Harper ran right into him. She’d been caught off guard, and he gripped her arms to steady her.
“Oh, Heath. I’m so sorry. What are—”
“I was on my way to the kitchen.” He smiled down at her, hoping to cover the truth.
That he’d been dreading facing her.
“Are you . . . all right?” She gazed up at him, and he could swear he saw that same longing in her eyes. That she had a thing for him too, despite her reaction to his kiss.
“Sure, I’m fine. Are you almost ready?” He would take her to talk to Sheriff Taggart like she’d insisted. She wanted to confirm the news that the killer had been found. Then on to the airport.
Harper would exit from his life forever. Because what were the chances she’d come back again and he’d run into her?
“Yes. Let me grab my things.”
She rushed by him, leaving him wrapped in her citrusy scent.
He sauntered into the kitchen to grab coffee as if he hadn’t drunk ten gallons of it during the night.
Evelyn’s eyes sprang to life when she saw him. “Heath, I’ve got good news. Leroy’s coming home tomorrow.”
Lori turned from the stove where she was scrambling eggs and gave him her beautiful smile. “I’ve assured Evelyn that I can make accommodations for Leroy here. Anything you need from me, anything I can do, you let me know.” Her deep Texas accent was thicker this morning. “Y’all are welcome to stay as long as you want. You don’t have to leave simply because Harper’s out of danger now.”
She patted Evelyn’s hand. “I know you two need to talk about what you’re going to do. I’ll give you some privacy. I need to talk to my assistant anyway.” Lori turned off the stove and placed a lid over the pan. “The eggs will stay warm. Help yourself.”
“Thanks, Lori.” He poured his coffee as she left.
Evelyn sucked in a breath.
Heath cut her off. “I know what you’re going to say.”
“You do?”
“Of course.” Unfortunately, he hadn’t forgotten her words. Any of them. “A beautiful woman out there is missing the chance to be loved by you. Please don’t deprive her of that.” And “You need to let the good Lord give you someone special, to have and to hold. To love.”
He slurped up the darkest coffee he’d ever tasted and thanked the good Lord that Lori knew how to make the brew. And that wasn’t her only great quality. But no matter how kind or skilled Lori was, he couldn’t make himself return her affection.
“You’re going to tell me to pay attention to Lori. That she’s been more than generous to us.”
She nodded. “She has been, but that’s not what I was going to say.”
Befuddled, he angled his head and shook it. “Then what?”
“Lori is a good woman. I don’t think you would be disappointed if you let yourself love her, true. Kindness runs to her bones, but she’s smart enough to see that you only have eyes for Harper. Smart enough she doesn’t want second best. And the rest of it is that we’re not going to stay here one more day than necessary.”
“Good. I’m glad you agree. I need to get back to my ranch. My home. Besides, I know the man for Lori.” Sheriff Taggart. He had made that crazy trip out here to bring Liam when he could have sent a deputy. Lori hadn’t been up at that hour though. Heath smiled to himself. He should have seen it before.
“That still doesn’t fix your problem, Heath.”
“I have a problem?”
“Sure you do. You can’t let Harper leave.”