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If he didn’t know better he’d think his soft caress was absorbing the heat from her skin, for he felt as though his entire body was growing hot.
When she turned and his hand moved over the tops of her breasts where the skin was burned the worst, she let out a whispered cry.
Charley wasn’t sure if he’d hurt her or if she was simply reacting to the feel of his touch.
Lillie pushed her way between them. Taking the lotion away from him, she claimed his rough touch made Jubilee jump.
The five-year-old had taken over the doctoring, even insisting Jubilee stay for ice cream as part of her treatment.
Charley tried to apologize, but when he looked at her talking to Lillie, smiling at her, letting Lillie be the doctor, he couldn’t seem to form words.
The feel of her warm skin lingered on his hands but he’d done his best to ignore it the next day. No women in his life, he reminded himself. If he ever did need a woman, he’d pick someone like Lexie, who’d know from the start that there would be no strings, no commitment, no future. He’d been fighting to get his footing since his dad kicked him off the ranch and made sure his college days were over. He’d worked and saved and done his best to raise Lillie. Nothing would stop him. No woman would ever get to him again.
Not even one with skin like silk and breasts that promised to be irresistible.
Don’t get involved, he reminded himself—so often that it started echoing in his mind.
If he’d had any doubt that Jubilee wanted it the same way, all he had to remember was yesterday morning. When he’d asked how the sunburn was, she’d said “fine” as if drawing a line of what should not be talked about. The rest of breakfast had been formal, all business. He’d eaten his burned eggs and almost-raw bacon without another word about her body.
Of course, he couldn’t help it if now and then his body went rogue with memories of its own. The way she’d felt. How he could feel her breath brushing against his throat as he leaned closer. The soft cry that could have been pleasure or pain.
Yesterday morning, all that seemed to have vanished with the dawn. Maybe he’d just imagined how good it felt so close. Maybe he was simply starved for a woman and had seen a request only for help as an invitation.
He had looked across the table. All business.
“Fine,” Charley had finally echoed under his breath when she got up to get her notepad. He wanted it that way, too. The last thing he needed to do was get involved with her on anything but a business relationship. She’d told him while they were eating lunch a few days ago that she’d lost both her job and her lover, whom she didn’t really love anyway.
She was the definition of mixed-up. He hadn’t asked any questions, but now he wished he had.
“Someone’s coming,” she called to him as she closed her book and walked across her sleeping garden toward him.
He noticed the cloud of dust flying behind a little compact car. “Looks like the sheriff’s daughter’s VW Bug. Don’t know anyone in town who drives a yellow one except Lauren.”
Jubilee raised an eyebrow. “You know everyone’s cars in town?”
“No, but I know Lauren’s. She’s had that one since she left for college. She and my little brother are friends, or at least they were the last time I talked to Reid. He’s a year older than her but my dad said once that they dated some.” Charley clamped his lips together. Too much information, he decided. Jubilee wouldn’t care. Why did he always feel as though he needed to explain everything about not only the ranch, but also the town, to her?
It occurred to him that maybe he talked so much because he wanted to learn more about her. Or maybe he simply liked that low voice of hers that was starting to whisper through his dreams. Who knows, maybe if she knew the place and the people better, she’d stay.
As the car turned into the dirt drive, Jubilee commented, “I didn’t know you had family in the area.”
“You didn’t ask and the answer is no, I no longer have family in the area. None that claim me anyway.” He could hear the bitterness in his words, but he didn’t plan on explaining. Let everyone for a hundred miles around believe whatever they wanted. He was the bad seed in the Collins clan. He’d gotten one girl pregnant and she’d left him with a kid. He’d slept with his stepmother. He’d never amount to anything. He was blacker than the blackest sheep.
Charley clenched his jaw to keep the swear words from spilling out. He’d prove them all wrong even if it took him a lifetime.
Before Jubilee could ask more questions, Lauren jumped out of the VW and hugged Charley. “It’s good to see you,” she said. She was laughing, though for some reason she looked a bit nervous. “I’ve missed your being around campus, Charley. You’re my favorite Collins, you know.”
He guessed Lauren was trying to tell him she wasn’t one of the ones who judged him. He didn’t know her well, but she’d always been kind. He’d been sad when he found out she’d dated Reid. She deserved better.
“It’s good to see you, too.” That was it, he thought. The limit to their conversation since they’d been toddlers.
The last time he’d seen Lauren was the day he packed to leave college. She’d been much more of a kid then, it seemed. Tall, slender, her hair blowing across her face wiping away tears. She hadn’t asked questions then, she’d simply looked sorry for him.
“I wish you could stay,” she’d said even though they seldom saw each other on campus. “It isn’t fair. You only need to finish one semester.”
Charley hadn’t explained. He figured she’d heard the stories. “Don’t worry about it. No big deal.” He’d lied. “I’ll come back when I have time.”
Now he needed to think of something to talk about before she started asking questions. She’d had over a year to think of a few. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about ancient history.
With his arm still resting on Lauren’s shoulder, he turned her toward his boss. “This is Jubilee Hamilton, old Levy’s great-granddaughter. I’m helping her get the place up and running again.”
To his surprise, Jubilee was very professional. Shaking hands. Saying she’d seen the sheriff’s car drive by a few days ago and looked forward to meeting him.
Charley didn’t miss the gentleness, a true friendliness, in Jubilee’s welcome. She’d been like that with Lillie, too. Maybe he was the only one alive who brought out her anger? Or maybe it was men in general—after all, every boyfriend had left her, she’d admitted. Which he found hard to believe, remembering the feel of her skin.
Charley tried to get his mind back in the present.
“What brings you out here, Lauren?” he said as he noticed the bone-thin kid Thatcher Jones trying to get out of her tiny car. He reminded Charley of a long-legged spider. “Did you bring the boy out to pick up his truck? I saw it parked down the road in the bar ditch.”
“Something like that.” Lauren glanced back as if she’d forgotten Thatcher was there. “He’s riding shotgun on my mission.”
Charley waved at the kid and Thatcher waved back. He’d seen the boy around. They’d never talked, but they were on waving terms.
“I’m looking for my father.” Lauren straightened as if finally getting to the reason she’d driven out. “Hikers found a body in the canyon a couple of nights ago. My dad said he’d be north of Lone Heart Pass this morning looking for clues. I’ve got information he asked for and thought the pass might be the quickest way to get it to him.”
Charley got the picture. Lauren needed his help, but she didn’t want to give more away than necessary. “You could go down into the canyon behind the museum, but I’d pack water if I were you. It could be a long walk. Or I could saddle up another horse and take you through the pass. I’m stabling several extras here and I figure the owners would be happy if I got them out for a little exercise. Once we ride down the hiker trail, we’ll probably be within sight of the sheriff if he’s still in the canyon.”
“Would you?” Lauren smiled, but like always, she seemed a bit shy. “I’d appreciate it if you’d go with me, Charley.” She gave him that you’re-almost-like-my-big-brother look she used to shoot him when she visited the ranch. Reid, who was more her age, and his friend Tim O’Grady usually ignored her at parties and roundups. Charley would always end up saddling her horse, or talking to her for a few minutes.
“Sure. Glad to help,” Charley answered, knowing he’d be working later into the night to make up the time.
The Thatcher kid’s voice cracked with excitement. “Mind saddling two horses, Mr. Collins? Like Lauren said, I’m traveling with her.”
Charley turned and saw the boy walking tall and serious. Charley gave the kid his due. “Happy to. I can always use another man who can ride.” He offered his hand. “The canyon can be tricky.”
“Glad to help.” Thatcher shook hands. “Might as well. I’ve been helping Lauren at the sheriff’s office all morning.”
Charley had an idea there was far more to the story, but he didn’t ask.
“I’m going, too,” Jubilee announced. “Just give me a minute to get my new boots on and find that hat with the strings on it.”
“But...” He tried to think of a reason for her not to tag along, but saying that his ears could use some rest from her constant questions didn’t seem polite.
Her stare locked on him. “I’m going.” She turned around so fast he had no doubt the discussion was over.
Charley fought down a groan. He’d be willing to bet his boss hadn’t been near a horse in years. He’d bought a gentle one for her while he was at the auction buying cattle and she’d yet to touch the mare.
Five minutes later, when the others climbed into the saddle, Jubilee walked to the wrong side of her mount.
“This side,” he whispered.
“Of course. I knew that.” She circled around.
She seemed so determined. He whispered a few instructions as he placed his hand on her backside and shoved her up into the saddle.
She stared down at him with angry eyes. Before she could comment, he slid his hand along her leg and shoved her boot into the stirrup. “Try to hang on to the reins, Jubilee.”
Now she looked too angry even to speak. Which Charley decided wasn’t a bad idea.
When he passed Thatcher, he whispered, “Stay close to the lady and make sure she doesn’t fall off.”
“Will do, boss,” Thatcher answered as he saluted.
As Charley expected, the kid rode as if he’d slipped from the birth canal directly onto a saddle.
On the mile ride to the pass, Lauren and Thatcher stayed on either side of Jubilee, giving her pointers, but she bounced up and down all the way. Charley had a feeling her shoulders wouldn’t be the only things red tonight.
As they entered the pass, Charley looped a lead rope from her horse to his saddle horn. Within minutes they had left the morning sun and ridden into the cool darkness of the passage. The walls on either side shot toward the heavens, and a slice of light slid down the rock, showing off the beauty of the stone that had stood silently against the weather for more than a million years.
When anyone spoke, the words echoed off the passage walls, bouncing back and forth like dueling chimes.
Every time Charley glanced back, Jubilee looked terrified. Her hands had a death grip on the saddle horn and her eyes were wide. But her back was straight and she didn’t cry out or demand they stop.
“You’re doing fine,” he offered, but she didn’t look at him.
Lauren’s calm voice whispered from behind them. “I remember how frightened I was when I rode through this pass for the first time. The night was cold, but I wanted to see the moon cross the opening above. There is a legend that if you see the full moon while in the pass, your heart’s wish will come true. Only that night I was too scared to wish for anything, even though my Pop was with me.”
From behind her, Thatcher added with a laugh, “I’d be scared if the sheriff was with me right now. I get the feeling he’s worrying his brain trying to come up with one more thing I’m doing wrong.”
Charley laughed, remembering when he was in his teens and felt the same way about Dan Brigman. Only since he’d been back from college, somehow they’d become friends. Dan had even asked him to help out a few times, manning a road block one night, rounding up drunks after a barn party and, once, directing traffic at a funeral for a ninety-year-old O’Grady. They’d had ten family cars that day. Charley didn’t want to be a deputy, but he didn’t mind being the sheriff’s friend.
After several minutes of silence, Jubilee whispered from just behind Charley, “It’s like we’re walking among ghosts in here. Like we don’t belong. Like this is a passageway only for the gods.”
“Trust me,” Charley whispered back. “If anyone were in here with us, ghost or human, we’d know it. I heard once that outlaws used this pass to disappear into the canyon.”
Thatcher didn’t help the tension by adding, “This would be a great place for snakes to hide. If it were warmer, we could probably find a whole nest curled up sleeping the day away.”
When no one commented, he added, “You know the young ones can be as deadly as the big ones. I saw a rattler not yet a foot long kill a pup once. Bit him on the nose.”
When no one joined the conversation, Thatcher started whistling softly.
Everyone took a deep breath when they made it to the other side. The small canyon, no more than a few hundred feet deep in this spot, opened out with colors ribboning the rocks and the first brush of wildflowers along the base.
Lauren and Thatcher took the lead, winding down to the bottom of the canyon so they could follow the shallow creek. From there they could look up and spot the sheriff easier.
Charley held back until Jubilee rode even with him. “You did good in there,” he encouraged. “Don’t worry about snakes. I’ve never seen one in the passage.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t worried about snakes. Or wishes, for that matter,” she said, her lips still white around the edges, showing her lie. “Only one thing I do need to say to you before we go any farther. Don’t put your hands on me again. I can manage on my own.”
“You got it, lady,” he snapped as he nudged his horse ahead of her without looking back to see if she followed.
All he’d done was help her up. She acted as though it was an assault. With his luck, she’d have him arrested when they found the sheriff.
A few moments later, Lauren yelled, saying she’d spotted her father.
Sheriff Brigman was riding toward them on a huge bay Charley recognized as part of the Kirkland stock.
Lauren handed him an envelope and the sheriff instructed her and Thatcher to walk their horses down along the stream to search for anything that didn’t look as if it belonged in the canyon. Then Brigman headed up the trail.
Charley waited, halfway between the bottom stream and the top ledge of the passage. He knew he needed to stay close to Jubilee no matter how much she wanted him to keep his distance.
Glancing back, he saw her slowly picking her way down to where he waited. The sheriff reached him first and Charley was glad of the opportunity to ask a few questions with no one around.
“Morning, Sheriff.”
Brigman touched his hat in greeting. “Thanks for bringing Lauren down. Knowing her, she filled you in.”
“She did, but she didn’t seem to know how the guy died. Natural causes, or something suspicious?”
Brigman tapped the file against his leg. “Coroner said he was in his late sixties or early seventies, signs of a hard life, lots of old scars and tattoos, no dental care, probably heavy drug use at one time.” He looked straight at Charley. “But someone had to be with him. Someone wrapped him in the burlap sacks. Maybe they didn’t kill him, but the man did not die alone. So, why didn’t whoever was with him simply turn him over to the police? The only reason I can come up with is that whoever was there either killed him, or caused his death.”
“Any hint as to cause of death?”
“Blow to the head. Caved the side of his skull in.” Brigman paused as if thinking through the crime. “Strange thing is the coroner said it looked like someone beat him after he was dead. Bruises, cuts, even dents all over him. A little blood soaked into the burlap, but not as much as would have if the heart had still been pumping. Some of the cuts must have happened after he’d been wrapped and tied up like a mummy.”
“That doesn’t make sense.” Charley knew the kick of a horse could easily break bones or crack a skull, but why would someone put a dead man in sacks and then beat on him? Or, why would anyone leave his body here in the canyon?
Both men swung from their saddles as Charley asked, “Exactly where did you find the body?”
The sheriff pointed to a small ledge twenty feet to the left of them. It was not more than six feet wide or deep. “He was laid out on his back like someone put him on display. I saw no trail of how he got there because of the hard rain that hit the other night. Mr. Norton, the man who found him, said he remembered seeing drops of blood around, but it was all washed away before I got here.”
Brigman paced, thinking aloud. “The trail is too narrow for a four-wheeler, so whoever brought him here had to have carried him.”
“Or brought him out here alive. Killed him. Then beat the body bloody and left before the rain even started.”
“Possible,” the sheriff agreed. “Or he could have used a horse to transport the body. If so, he would have been on Hamilton land. He would have used the pass. Any other way in would have been too public for too long. Someone would have seen him.”
Charley shook his head. “I’ve been working for Jubilee Hamilton for a week. I can’t see the entrance to the pass from the headquarters, but I was working outside. I would have heard anyone crossing the land pulling a trailer. On horseback he might have stayed in the trees that run along the windbreak almost to the pass entrance.”
Brigman frowned. “The man hadn’t been dead more than a few hours. He was probably left in the canyon about twilight. Most of the hikers would have been gone by then. Norton grew up around here; he knew the trail so he’d let his kids stay late in the canyon.”
“So no clues?” Charley tried to think why someone would kill an old man and leave his body out here by a trail hikers used. He must have wanted the body found. Maybe he wanted to make some kind of statement?
Or whoever did this was planning to come back and bury the body when the rain stopped. There were spots where the ground was soft—easy to dig a grave. There were caves, too. This unfortunate fellow probably wasn’t the first body buried out here.
Charley remembered that about ten years ago a science class looking at rocks had found a skeleton buried with handcuffs like they’d been on the man when he died.
“One clue,” the sheriff said as he pulled a plastic bag from his vest pocket. “When we moved his body, this was underneath. One joint.”
