Chapter Five
Amaryllis crouched to look at the hay scattered in front of the shed door. Aiden loomed next to her, his long denim-clad legs inches from her face, the muscles bulging in all the right spots.
“What are you looking for?” he asked.
She glanced up as he bent to examine the hay. Up close, she saw tiny creases around his eyes from squinting. And damn if the man didn’t have the longest, lushest lashes imaginable. Why did guys get all the luck?
He scuffed the ground with the toe of his boot. “Looks like hay to me.”
“Thank you, Sherlock. I can see that. I was looking for blood. If I lived here, I’d hang some meat in this shed that’s closest to the house.”
He straightened and she unfolded from her crouch. Their gazes met. “We’ll come back with a search warrant.”
“I’d just open the door and look.” She put her hand on the doorknob and twisted.
He poked his head inside, and she pushed closer to see too. The inside was dim, musty, but only held some farming implements.
Aiden dragged in a deep breath, and Amaryllis froze. Was he… sniffing her? She chanced a look at him, but he was still staring into the dark interior.
Dumb. He’s sniffing the shed to see if meat was hung in here.
“You satisfied that this is just an old shed?” Aiden asked.
“Yes.” She stepped away—far away. She didn’t want to admit to the surge of sensations she felt when he was close to her. And earlier, when he’d put a hand on her arm, had he felt that electricity too?
She must have lost her mind back at ten-thousand feet during that turbulence. Because she was not a woman who drooled over men, and especially not ones as guarded as Roshannon.
They headed to the truck. Just as they reached it, Nicky unleashed the hell hounds and they launched off the porch, running full tilt for her and Aiden.
“Get in the truck,” he snapped to her.
Was he seriously ordering her around? She narrowed her eyes at him, and to be contrary, she turned to watch the dogs race at her. She held out her hand, and one of the meaner ones lunged forward. Her heart stuck in her throat but she managed not to jerk her hand and cause it to react by biting. Remaining calm, aware Aiden was glaring holes in her, she spoke to the dogs as she opened the door. She managed to wiggle into the truck and pull the door shut, closing out the snarling beasts with canines bared.
“You must enjoy taking risks more than I thought. Those dogs were ready to make you their supper.” Aiden sounded grumpier than a treed coon.
“They aren’t that bad.”
He gaped at her. “Are you serious?”
“Well, the one cozied up to me after a few minutes.”
He pushed out a breath through his nostrils and started the truck. Without looking behind him, he backed up. Dogs scattered and chased after the tires.
“There’s a reason these dogs are so mean,” Aiden said.
She swung her gaze his way. “What? Are they abused? I’ll have animal control up here so fast to take them away that—”
“No, not abused. They’re mean because their owner’s mean. That woman of his is cowed, couldn’t you tell? She’s hiding him, and I don’t like it.”
“So get a warrant to search the place like you said.”
“Why do I need a warrant when you can just barge into the house without knocking?”
“Are we back on this topic again?” She rolled her eyes and folded her arms. “In this business, you’ve got to take risks, Roshannon.”
“Risking that you could be shot isn’t my idea of by the book,” he muttered.
She dug her fingers into the edge of the seat, holding on as he navigated the bumpy drive. She wasn’t going to give Aiden the satisfaction of seeing her hold on to the handle.
“Is that how you operate, Roshannon? By a code of rules? Most cases are solved by dumb, blind luck. You open a door and catch someone in the act.”
“Of what? Loading shells into his shotgun?”
She pressed her lips together. “I’m surprised you didn’t write that in your notebook yet.”
He made a noise in his throat, and very pointedly removed the notebook from his pocket, along with his pen. He shoved the end of the pen against his front teeth, clicking it into position to write. Then he mashed the book to the steering wheel and scrawled something across the pages that looked suspiciously like Long is a pain.
“Stop the truck and let me drive if you’re gonna be scribbling down your grocery list.” She reached for the wheel. He dropped the notebook into his lap and gripped her fingers in his big, warm, callused hand.
Liquid heat traveled through her limbs and pooled in her belly. She yanked her hand back and stared out the windshield, fuming at him. And herself for letting him get to her. She didn’t understand what was going on, but it had to be blind, ignorant attraction.
She definitely wouldn’t cross any lines with Roshannon, though. They were work colleagues, period. Even if it looked like the threads on his shirt were popping from the mere flex of his biceps just for her viewing pleasure.
“Let’s get one thing straight and we can deal with each other, Amaryllis.” God, did his voice have to be deep and rich with a hint of gravel?
She tangled her hands in her lap and set her jaw for a fight. “Name your terms.”
“Hands off my truck.”
“What is it with men and their trucks? You’d swear it’s their manhood, a set of balls or something.”
Was the corner of his mouth tugging upward? Couldn’t be. He had to be struggling with gas or something. Served him right. She hoped he got stomach cramps.
“Around these parts, a man’s truck can mean survival, so yeah, we’re pretty protective of our assets.” He drawled the last word in a way that made her think he was referring to his balls.
“Fine, hands off the truck. But I do know how to drive, and pretty well if I do say so myself.”
“I have no doubts you can do whatever you put your mind to, Ms. Long. But I’d appreciate if you didn’t pull another stunt like you did back there either.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
She saw a hint of shadows moving within the depths of his gray eyes. Stormy eyes. Like the damn Wyoming weather. “What are you referring to?”
“Lordy, woman, you know damn well I mean you opening that door and walking right into what could have been a very bad situation.”
“And I told you that sometimes you have to look in places without asking first. Damn, I bet you did everything your momma wanted you to with a thank you, ma’am.”
He glared at her.
“Nothing happened. We got a little bit of information from that woman. I do think her ‘man’ is involved in stealing or butchering some of the cattle around here, but I don’t believe he’s the only one. I think there’s a group. Going separate ways, committing separate crimes to throw us off.”
He grew solemn and stared out at the road he’d just turned onto. In the near distance, mountains rose up, stark and jagged into the gray sky. The cut of Aiden Roshannon’s jaw wasn’t much different from the harsh lines of the landscape. He seemed to have sprouted more stubble in the last hour since she’d met him, too.
“Well?” she said after a long silence that followed. “What do you think of my theory?”
“I think it’s so close to mine that I’m scared.”
At that, she burst out laughing. She couldn’t help it. The notion of him being afraid of her amused and delighted her in ways she couldn’t begin to describe. Maybe she really was a ball-buster like her daddy claimed.
Nah, she wasn’t one of those crazy feminist types. She just wanted to be treated as an equal, and come hell or high water, she’d get that from Aiden Roshannon.
“We’re sharing insights on a crime, Roshannon. Not a brain.”
“Thank God for that.” He shot her a look and there it was—a crooked grin only a true country boy could manage.
Damn, there went her libido again, like a swelling wave rising upward.
She chuckled and dug around in her pocket for a pack of gum. She took a piece and offered the pack to Aiden. He shook his head. “I need something more than gum to hold me over. I haven’t eaten in about eighteen hours, and if I don’t get something soon, you’re not going to like me very much.”
“Wow, you mean you can get grumpier?”
He issued a low growl that only managed to make her feel hot and sweaty again.
“We need to keep on this trail. The crime’s still fresh.”
He whipped into a little diner along the road. “So are the eggs here at Delaney’s.” He parked between two other trucks and cut the engine. “C’mon.”
He climbed out and slammed the door before she could think of a retort about work ethics. She had no choice but to follow him inside. Once the scent of grease and frying bacon hit her, she realized her stomach had finally recovered from the airsickness that had seemed to hover over her long after the flight had ended. She was starving.
Without a backward glance, Aiden strolled to one of the booths, tugging the brim of his hat in greeting to everyone he passed.
He slid into the booth and she took a seat across from him. Okay, this was weirdly intimate, like a date.
“Don’t look so uptight, Amaryllis. It’s just breakfast.”
“I’m not used to eating at this hour.”
“Then get coffee.” He opened the laminated menu and ignored her as he made his choice.
When she didn’t open her own menu, he glanced up at her, gaze direct. “We can’t run around these parts all day without eating anything. When you see an opportunity to stop, you’d better take it because it could be eighteen more hours before you get a chance to.”
She opened the menu and her stomach rumbled at the selection of food that wouldn’t do anything for her arteries or the way her skinny jeans fit. But when the waitress came, Aiden gestured for Amaryllis to order first. She got a breakfast sampler with one scrambled egg, homemade sausage, two pancakes and a side of fresh fruit.
“I’ll have the Mountain Man,” Aiden said, flipping his menu shut. “And a pot of coffee.”
“I know you like it strong, Aiden. Be right back with your coffee.” The waitress dropped a wink and moved off.
Aiden centered his attention on Amaryllis. She concentrated on relaxing her shoulders and fighting the urge to bolt to the ladies’ room to escape his stare.
“You love your job.” His simple statement caught her off guard.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“And it’s your life.”
It was, but did admitting it make her sound sort of lonely and desperate? Like those women who devoted their time to cat charities?
“I guess you could say that,” she said.
“It’s mine too. But I can’t let you go storming into any more houses on an empty stomach.” His lips curved up slightly in what might be a smile. Or maybe it really was gas.
A cowboy stopped by the booth to speak with Aiden, and she tried to look at her new partner without seeming like she was staring. The guy asked about some of the rumors that Hanson had another cow killed and Aiden confirmed his story with as little information as possible.
Amaryllis listened for a minute and when the conversation lulled, she thrust out her hand toward the man. “I’m Amaryllis Long.”
The forty-something guy cocked his head and gave her a closer look. “Why, I’ll be damned. You are. You’re famous around these parts. Roshannon, is she working with you?”
“I am,” she answered for herself.
“I’m probably interrupting some important talk about the case. I’ll leave you be. But I’ll know where to look you up if I have any cattle stolen.” He dropped his gaze to Amaryllis’s breasts.
“I doubt you’ll find any cattle in my top, sir. Thanks for stopping by.”
Aiden spit out his coffee. The man moved away, a blush around his ears. Grabbing a handful of napkins from the dispenser on the table, Aiden mopped at the mess he’d made.
“My God, woman, you don’t hold anything back, do you?”
“I’ve learned it doesn’t really do much good.” She sighed and added a dash of cream to her cup.
Just then the waitress brought their platters. Amaryllis barely glanced at the one put before her because Aiden’s was indeed something only a mountain man could eat. Piled high with every breakfast food available. There was no way he could eat that.
Five minutes later, she doubted her prediction. He’d already worked through his hotcakes and polished off his sausage. He bit off a piece of bacon and it was impossible not to gawk at the way his angled jaw moved as he chewed. A slight film of grease on his lips only made him appear hotter.
She turned to her sliced melon and cut off a piece. It tasted pale in comparison to the hearty fried food.
“Not a lot of good seasonal produce up this way. Best to stick with anything Delaney can put on the griddle.”
“I just discovered that. The food’s great.” If Aiden ate this way all the time, he must spend every spare moment of his free time at the gym.
He nodded and swallowed the rest of his bacon. He was still eating when she sat back, full, to sip her coffee.
He poured more into his mug and drank it black. He cocked his head and focused on her face, but he wasn’t really looking at her. She opened her mouth to ask what he was doing when she overheard a conversation from a booth behind them. Talk about cattle and how a cattle auction three hours west of here had added a second day because they’d had such a big influx of cattle for market.
Amaryllis set down her mug and Aiden waved to the waitress. In less than a minute, they were on the road, headed west.