into other people’s business, gotten someone riled up.” A flicker of recognition passed over her face. He knew she’d asked questions; his friend from Starbucks had called last night.
“I…ah,” Dena said, and rubbed the side of her face. “I asked questions—”
“Like?”
“I visited the Rancho Almagro PD. And I questioned a gal at Starbucks in La Quinta. And someone at the hotel.”
“I don’t want you doing that.” It was worse than he thought. She’d covered quite a bit of territory in one night. “Leave it to the cops. Okay? I’m trying to clear my name, the family name.” Zeke shoved a hand through his hair and gave her an exasperated look. “I’ve done some investigations of my own.”
She sat taller, her eyes wide and bright. “And?”
“These people at Three C’s are employees, and friends—”
“You’d cover for them?” Her eyes narrowed.
“I’d like the chance to investigate without you messing things up. I don’t want to cause a suspect to run.”
She smiled then. “Soooo…you do have a suspect?”
Zeke turned away from her inquisitive stare. “What’s this?” He indicated the apparel in the normally pristine foyer.
“I’m returning to L.A. later this morning, to the office. Could I change after we ride?”
“Oh, sure…yeah.” Guilt for the thoughts he’d had of her trying to twist his arm to sign the contract reminded him he’d become distrustful. “Can you give me a list of everyone you questioned?”
Her blue eyes sparkled. “If you help me, I’ll help you. Exactly who did you tell that we had an appointment today?”
“Forget it.” Zeke ignored her excited words. He’d told Irma and Rocky and Manny. “Besides, it was kids with BB’s—”
“No it wasn’t. Go check my car. Better still drive down the road, there’ll be a shell casing or two—”
“Look,” Zeke said, and tried not to show his exasperation. He needed to show some compassion, even though she irritated the hell out of him. “You’re going home. Forget about investigations. Leave this to the cops.”
“Yeah.” Dena snorted. “The cops have been a great help—”
“Come on.” He helped her rise. “I’ll put your things in the guest room. You relax. I’ll check the area, if everything is okay, we can ride over near the hotel site but we can’t access it. Then I want you to promise to leave town.”
“How long is this ride?”
“About fifteen minutes, unless you want to give Susie Q and José a run for their money.”
She moistened her lips with a flick of her tongue then rubbed them together. Tension radiated off her.
“You’re not a proficient rider, are you?”
“It’s been a while.”
Zeke shook his head and strode into the guest room. He opened the shutters and the closet door. He couldn’t believe his actions, like he wanted her to stay over. He’d almost fluffed the damn pillows. He shook his head again at his stupidity.
“I’ll meet you on the verandah. Twenty minutes,” he said gruffly, and hurried to find Irma. He needed a quieter horse.
When Zeke got back, Dena sat at the outside table on the back verandah, her mouth tight, face pale. Either she was upset that no cop had yet taken her report, or the thought of the horse had her scared as hell.
“Irma said Manny wouldn’t mind if you rode his horse. She’s a sweet thing—”
“Okay. Thanks,” Dena said, and stood. “Let’s go.”
They walked across the verandah and down the path. Maybe he’d been wrong about her mood. She matched his stride, her arm brushed his every so often, and he caught the scent of vanilla and something else far too likeable. Relief flooded him when she began to walk ahead. There was just so much closeness a man could take without reacting.
“Did you find anything back down the road?” she asked.
He’d seen the tire marks where she’d gotten into the soft sand on the shoulder. He’d found no shell casings. A hole in a rock, where it sure looked like a bullet could have lodged and been gouged out with a pocket knife, looked decidedly fresh. The area had been swept clean.
“No, nothing really…I found the spot where you’d parked.”
When she frowned and looked like she was ready to spring into an attack, he continued. “I believe you though, that it was no BB gun. I checked out the side of your car.”
“Thanks,” Dena said. “We’ll see what the cops have to say.”
He nodded.
She stopped, touched the flower of a yellow Japanese oleander. “You have a little piece of heaven here.”
“Yeah, until you get to the relentless heat of summer.”