Long, Tall Texans_ Boone (Long, Tall Texans #35) - Diana Palmer Page 0,34
that Boone was clued in. She wondered if she should tell Clark the truth. Probably she should, but she was wary of Boone’s temper if he found out. She felt stifled.
“Don’t look so worried,” he said gently. “Everything will work out. Really it will.”
“Did you know that Misty’s father had a private detective agency in San Antonio?” she asked abruptly, and then could have bitten her tongue for the slip.
“Some agency,” Clark muttered. “I had them check out a cowboy for us when we were hiring on a new horse wrangler. He had a rap sheet and their brilliant staff didn’t find a thing.”
She stared at him. “How did you find that out if they didn’t tell you?”
“Boone found it out,” he said. “He was suspicious of something the man did, so he asked Hayes to look into the man’s background. He had a prior for burglary. A conviction, no less, and he’d served time. Boone fired him the same day.”
“I thought even a bad detective could find out something like that,” she replied.
He frowned. “That’s what I thought. I mentioned it to Boone, too. He said that they hired a man with false credentials, but found it out only after they assigned him our background check. They thanked us for flushing him out.”
She was curious about that. It seemed a little easily explained. But they were already pulling up in front of her house, and there was no more time for questions.
When Clark pulled up at the porch, Ella was standing just outside the screen door in just her slip with a full glass of whiskey.
“So there you are!” she raged as Keely opened her door. “Where have you been?”
“Why don’t you come back home with me?” Clark suggested quickly, leaning over the passenger seat to look out at her.
Even her mother in that shape was preferable to being in the same house with Boone after their awkward conversation. She needed time to think over what he’d said. Not to mention her disquiet at having to listen to another long recital of Nellie’s assets, which had lasted all the way home. She forced a smile. “I can handle her,” she told him gently. “It’s okay.”
“If you say so.” He sounded dubious. “You never did say what happened in Boone’s office the last time you were at the house. We heard him close the door.”
“He was just warning me off you,” she prevaricated, and smiled again. “It didn’t work.”
He laughed, relieved. “Thank God. I couldn’t handle having all my plans go south before we even get started good, and this is just the beginning for me and Nellie! You’re positive you want to stay?” He gestured toward her mother.
She nodded. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you soon.”
“Sure. Take care.” Keely closed the passenger door. He waved to her mother, who ignored him, almost dancing in her impatience to talk to her daughter. He drove away with a wave.
“What’s wrong?” Keely asked when she got onto the porch, because this wasn’t a simple case of a few drinks too many. Her mother’s face was stark-white and she was visibly frightened.
Ella bit her lip. “Your father called again.”
“Again? Where is he?” she asked. “Is he coming here?”
“I don’t know.” She took a big sip of her drink.
“What did he want?” Keely persisted.
She turned and looked at her daughter with wide, frightened eyes. The hand holding the drink was shaking. “He…he didn’t say.”
“Why did he call, then?”
Ella looked around nervously. “Let’s go inside.”
They did, and Ella locked the door. She was rattled, all right. She couldn’t even find the right light switch to turn off the porch light.
“I’ll get it,” Keely volunteered.
Ella stood watching her, biting her lower lip. She was so pale that her skin looked like milk.
Keely stood quietly, waiting for the older woman to speak.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I DON’T KNOW where to start,” Ella said hesitantly. “I know your father didn’t tell you anything about what happened here before he left with you.”
“Nobody ever tells me anything,” Keely replied bitterly. “I know that Dad’s mixed up in something, that the police are interested in him for whatever it is and that Jock is involved somehow.” She straightened. “And I know that you’re broke and Dad is threatening you for money.”
Ella bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. “You couldn’t know that. Who told you that?” she demanded.
“Is it true?” Keely prevaricated.
Ella looked around wildly and brushed her untidy hair back from her thin face.
Keely moved forward a step. “Is