into his mind. How could the woman not know that she was stunningly beautiful? He mentally cussed out all the idiots who had made her feel that way before he answered Lincoln. “Actually, I took that this morning at the Dixon Boardinghouse.”
“The Dixon Boardinghouse? Why does that sound familiar?”
“It’s the only hotel in Simple, Texas.”
“You’re in Simple? No kiddin’? Whatever you do, don’t drink the water. It appears to be spiked with some kind of love potion. That’s the only theory I can come up with for how Holden, Cru, and Logan all ended up hitched.”
Val smiled. Maybe Granny Dovey had put something in the water before she died. “I’ll try to steer clear of the water,” he said before he got to the point of the phone call. “The reason I called, Lincoln, is I need your help finding someone.”
“A real someone? Or is this one of your fictional scenarios?”
“A real someone. Sam Sweeney.”
There was a long pause before Lincoln spoke. “Why would you want to find that asshole?”
Val quickly gave Lincoln the entire run down. When he was finished, Lincoln didn’t say anything. “Linc? You still there, man?”
“I’m here. Did Willaby act like he had any real information?”
“No, I think he was just fishing.”
“Fishing is still not good. I’ve had to deal with him on more than one occasion. When he was a scared deputy with an inferiority complex, I didn’t worry too much about him. But once he got the sheriff’s badge and the power behind it, he became dangerous to innocent people. If it were anyone else, I’d tell you to blow it off. But since it’s Willaby, you’re right to be concerned. He’s still holding the past against us. I hear it in his voice every time I call him about a suspect or criminal I’m searching for. He’ll do everything he can to cause problems for the Double Diamond. So the sooner we locate Sam, the better. Do you have any clues on where he went after he left the Double Diamond?”
“Not one lead.”
“There has to be someone who talked to him after he left the ranch, but before he left Simple. Maybe someone at the boardinghouse or that big warehouse of a bar that’s there.”
“Cotton-Eyed Joe’s?”
“That’s it. You need to go there and talk to the bartender. Sam was definitely the type to drown his sorrow—or anger—in a bottle. I’d come to Simple myself, but I think that would only add fuel to the fire. Since you’re a writer, you can ask questions without Willaby getting suspicious. Just say you’re researching a book. How is your book coming, by the way?”
“Not well. I’ve been a little distracted lately.”
Lincoln laughed. “So you have fallen under this redhead’s spell.”
Val wasn’t under Reba’s spell, but he certainly liked her. He liked her honesty. Her strong work ethic. Her generous spirit . . . and her generous body. He definitely liked that. Unfortunately, he could never sample that generous body without being just another sex-crazed male who used her and left her.
And he would leave.
Valentine Sterling didn’t belong in a small town called Simple.
Chapter Eleven
Reba’s day had been crazy.
Three new guests had shown up all at the same time and she’d had to hustle to get them checked in and settled in their rooms. Then a water valve under the kitchen sink had burst, spewing water everywhere. After she fixed it, got the water mopped up, and was finally able to start working on supper, Rhett Butler jumped up and helped himself to one of the roasted chickens resting on the counter. When Reba screamed at the cat, he escaped with the chicken, dragging it across her just mopped floor and out the cat door into the garden.
Reba would’ve left the cat to his feast if she hadn’t been worried about Aunt Gertie’s beloved pet choking to death on a chicken bone. It seemed to take forever to locate the cat beneath a pyracantha bush. By the time she got the chicken carcass away from him, her arms were covered in scratches not only from the bush but also from the devilish cat. After taking the cat back to Aunt Gertie, she headed to the cottage to clean up the worst scratches and change her still damp clothes, which were streaked with dirt from crawling under the bush.
By the time she hurried back to the kitchen, it was too late to roast another chicken and she had to strip the meat off the other one and pray