Confessing to the Cowboy - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,49

me back my life,” she said.

Just that quickly all the elements of the case thundered back into his mind. He kissed her on the forehead and then rolled away from her. “I’ll be right back.” He grabbed his clothes from the floor and padded naked across her living room and into the bathroom.

It was only as he got dressed that the full ramifications of his news to her struck him. Her abusive ex-husband was alive and possibly killing people she cared about, women in his town.

As he exited the bathroom she disappeared into it and Cameron sat back down at the kitchen table to wait for her.

Making love with her had been more amazing than any fantasy or dream he’d ever entertained. He could still smell the faint raspberry scent of her lingering on his skin, a fragrance that made a new desire for her roar through him.

But he couldn’t think about that now. This had simply been a beautiful respite in the hell that was going on all around them. He had more important things to think about, more important things to discuss with her than what this had meant to each of them or when would be the next time they could get together intimately.

She came out of the bathroom once again dressed for her day at work, but with a smile and a twinkle in her bright blue eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“I can’t tell you how much I wanted that to happen,” she said as she sat in the chair next to him. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips slightly swollen and he’d never seen her looking so achingly beautiful.

“Mary, I’ve cared about you and your son for a very long time, and as happy as you are to discover that you aren’t a murderer, you have to realize that in all probability Jason is either here in town or has hired somebody to do his dirty work...and that dirty work probably includes your eventual murder.”

The shining light in her eyes dimmed slightly and her smile fell as she held his gaze. “I know that,” she replied soberly. “And I’m hoping that you’ll find him before that happens. At least now you know what you’re looking for. If he paid somebody, then that person would suddenly be flush with cash, and if he’s here in town, somewhere sooner or later somebody will see him.”

Cameron nodded, his mind already working the details of what needed to be done. “I’ve downloaded a picture of Jason taken ten years ago, the latest picture of him I could find, and I’m going to distribute it all over town. Granted, he could have changed some in those years, but hopefully somebody will recognize him. I’m also going to check around to see who maybe has bought a flashy new car or is tossing around cash that he or she shouldn’t have. But in the meantime I’m worried about you.”

“I’m a little worried about me, too,” she admitted with a self-conscious laugh.

“Why don’t you and Matt move in with me for a while?” Although he made the offer with her safety in mind, there was no question that he liked the idea of her and Matt beneath his roof.

“Cameron, you have a killer to catch. The last thing you need is to babysit us.” She swept a strand of her blond hair behind one ear and looked around the room. “We’re as safe here as we would be anywhere. The café is full of people from dawn until late night.” She raised her chin a notch higher. “Besides, I’m not going to let him chase me away from my home, from my livelihood. He took enough away from me when we were married.”

She leaned forward, her eyes burning with a fervent light. “Just find him, Cameron. Find whoever it is before they kill somebody else...before he does get to me.”

What he wanted to do was wrap her up in body armor to keep her safe. What he’d like to do was whisk her and her son far away from Grady Gulch until these crimes were solved and somebody was in jail. But he could tell by the determined glint in her eyes that neither of those were options.

“Then I’d better get moving,” he said reluctantly as he got up from the table. “I’ve got a killer to catch.”

She stood, as well. “And I have a café to run.”

For a moment they simply looked at each other and then she moved