Confessing to the Cowboy - By Carla Cassidy Page 0,56
some sort of an attempt to hide the worst of his facial scarring.
Still, it was hard to feel too sorry for him as he was a gregarious man who didn’t appear to suffer any self-pity because of his situation. He was a favorite among the waitresses, not only because he tipped well, but also because he had a terrific sense of humor.
Everyone looked happy and cared for, and Mary was pleased to see the three waitresses bustling between tables to make sure all the guests stayed that way.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and sank down at the stool behind the long wooden counter, where at the moment nobody sat to eat.
She wished Cameron was here, seated on the other side of the counter, gazing at her with his beautiful hazel eyes. But it was a foolish thought. The less she had to do with Cameron, the less danger she felt she placed him in.
If their theory was right and Jason or one of his paid minions was killing people close to Mary, then the last thing she wanted was for anyone to know the true depth of her feelings for Cameron.
For some reason she wasn’t afraid for Matt. Even as evil as she believed Jason to be, she didn’t think he’d want to kill Matt. He would simply want to own him. He’d want Mary to die knowing that Matt would be with him for the rest of Matt’s youth.
She shoved these troubling thoughts out of her head. She didn’t want to think about Jason or the killings, although she was acutely aware that it had been one week ago today that Dorothy’s body had been found in her bed.
As always when she thought of the three victims her heart crunched with the pain of loss. She didn’t want any more victims, not in this town that she loved, not from the café that was her life.
Rather than focus on the trauma of the last week, she walked around the café, greeting her diners and visiting with each for just a minute. It was what everyone called the “Mary” touch, the personal attention she tried to give everyone who entered her establishment.
“Good morning, Brandon,” she greeted the scarred, bald war veteran. “Hope you’re finding your breakfast to your liking.”
Brandon patted his bulging stomach. “I’m afraid I find all your food to my liking. If I keep eating here I’ll need two scooters to get myself around town.” He winked one of his blue eyes. “Unfortunately I’m a man who hates to cook and this place makes it far too easy to eat well despite my inadequacies.”
“We’re always glad to see you here,” she replied and then moved on to visit with the twins for a few minutes.
Even as she put on her pleasant face and went about her usual business, she couldn’t help but think about Jason. Surely he’d stick out in this rough-and-tumble town with his elegant features and slick dark hair. Even in a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt, he’d poke out like a sore thumb. But if he’d hired somebody to do his dirty work, then he’d never have to make a personal appearance here in Grady Gulch.
It was between the lunch and dinner rush, when the café was fairly empty that Mary thought about that moment the night before when she thought she’d seen somebody skulking around the cottages.
She hadn’t been inside any of them since Candy’s death. Maybe it was time to check them out and make sure no vandals had done any damage and no squatters had taken up residency without her knowledge.
“Rusty, have you ever seen anyone around the other cottages out back?” she asked as the burly cook sat on a stool drinking a cup of coffee and eating a thick ham sandwich.
He shook his head. “Never. It’s definitely deserted out there. It’s just me and the raccoons and deer. Why?”
“I was just thinking that I haven’t been out there to check on the other cottages for a while and maybe it’s time I did.” She grabbed her coat from a hook on the back door.
“You going now?” Rusty asked, around a mouthful of ham and cheese.
“Now is as good a time as any,” she replied. “I can get out there and check things before the snow moves in.”
“Want me to come along?”
Mary looked out the back door in the direction of the cabins. It was the middle of the day and Rusty had just told her he