Authors: Candace Havens
Patience walked in front of him and gave out a small gasp. “It’s beautiful.” The walls were painted a soft cornflower-blue, and everything else was white, the furniture, comforter and linens, even the vase holding the colorful bouquet of flowers on the small nightstand.
“She’s a tough old broad, but she does have a knack for turning places into homes,” Cade said. “Where would you like your suitcase?”
“If you don’t mind, by the bathroom would be great. Thanks for carrying everything up.” She suddenly felt awkward. The room was large, but with Cade in there it didn’t seem like it.
“No problem. So I guess I’ll meet you downstairs in a half hour?”
“Uh-huh,” she said.
Cade shut her door to the hallway and then walked through one that adjoined their rooms. He smiled as he closed the door.
Patience fanned herself. The man did strange things to her body without ever even touching her. Unzipping her suitcase she pulled out her toiletries and clean clothes.
In the bathroom, she stripped off her dirty clothes and was about to turn on the shower when she heard someone singing. The voice was rich and beautiful, and it belonged to Cade.
Delicious shivers shot down her spine. She listened for a moment before turning on the shower over the big claw-foot tub. She pulled the curtain around to keep the water from drenching the floor.
Cade was on the other side of the wall. Even with the water running she could hear his humming. Why did the man affect her so?
It’s an infatuation.
How long has it been since you’ve been on a date? Too long
.
Patience showered quickly, turning on a cold blast of water at the end to send her traitorous body a message. She had to focus on what was most important—the case. With the towel wrapped around her she stepped out just as her phone rang.
It was the sheriff.
“Dr. Clark, heard you were over at the courthouse this afternoon, thought I’d check up on you.”
“Thanks, Sheriff. I should have come to see you first. Do you have a minute for me to ask you something?”
“Certainly. What’s up?”
She told him about the courthouse. “I was wondering if you might have the files? If so, we’d like to come pick them up.”
“Sorry, I haven’t seen them, but that is curious. You checked several boxes and those were the only ones you found missing?”
“Yes,” she said as she shimmied into her panties.
“I did some digging myself. Joseph Randall, Cade’s father, was the water commissioner back then, but he also worked in the deeds department. At the time, our courthouse was a small operation and everyone helped out when necessary.”
“Water commissioner? I’d imagine water’s a big deal around here, where there are so many ranches.”
“Yep,” he said. “You know, those missing files may be in a storage facility outside of town. The old courthouse was a mess five years ago and they moved a lot of stuff out. I’ll check into it and let you know.”
Before returning to search the records she figured she should speak with Cade’s grandmother to get some background about her son’s business as the water commissioner.
Well, I’m learning as I go.
Now, grilling the woman wouldn’t be her best option. Patience wasn’t always known for her tact, but she knew she needed to approach Dorothy with kindness. Maybe she could ask about Cade as a child and what he was like before his father disappeared.
She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment.
You have to be patient.
What was it Katie had told her? That one sentence could change the entire way one looked at a case. She needed to keep her ears open and talk as casually as possible with those involved. And not push too hard for answers. People clammed up that way, Katie had reminded her.
Her friends often joked that her name was a misnomer. In her lab, Patience always took her time, but when it came to the rest of her life—well, she had a way of being abrupt and saying exactly what was on her mind. She didn’t have time for the games people often played. And to be honest she didn’t understand them. Unfortunately, from what her friends had warned, game play was a part of solving cases. Often a cat-and-mouse game.
Given what she’d seen already, her direct way wouldn’t work to her advantage here.
There was a knock on the door. “Are you ready?” Cade asked.
She quickly slipped on her T-shirt. “Yes, I’ll meet you downstairs.” Her mind shifted to the sound of his beautiful voice as he’d been singing.
She turned toward the shower wondering if she might need another cold spray. Patience was dressed, but she wasn’t sure about being ready for whatever it was Cade might offer her.
Laying a hand on his arm, she smiled. “No, I adore her. The food was incredible, but that’s why. A few more days of eating like this, and you’ll have to roll me out of town. I thought I might pop the zipper on my jeans before we even finished the meal.”
Your jeans look just fine.
The way they hugged her slightly rounded behind and showed off her legs.
Cade stopped. He shouldn’t be thinking like this. He had to concentrate, get back to Austin. The merger.
Taking her hand, he tucked it in the crook of his elbow. He had to confess he was relieved by her joking about leaving town. Throughout dinner she’d talked mainly to GG, and Patience had charmed them with her openness and honesty.
“I love food, too,” Cade said honestly. “I’m usually a nut about eating healthy and exercise. Of course, all that flies out the window when I smell my grandmother’s cooking. But I plan to work it all off at the ranch this trip.”
“I’d like to see it.”
“The ranch?”
She nodded. “I’ve never been to a real working ranch.”
“Sure, although I don’t exactly have it working just yet. But my foreman and I are at least making some headway. I’ll take you out there anytime you want to go. But no judgments. The old house where I spent part of my childhood looks pretty beat-up on the outside, though the inside really isn’t so bad.”
The house had been in the family for more than eighty years, and his grandmother and all her sisters and brothers had been born there. His father had also been born and raised in the house.
Cade had to clear this throat. His father was the good man his grandmother always claimed him to be. She and Cade’s mother were the only people in town who had believed his father hadn’t run off with some woman.
“Cade?”
“What?”
Cocking her head, Patience watched him carefully with those beautiful green eyes of hers. “You look upset.”
He forced a smile. “Sorry, I was thinking about my dad. His reputation was maligned by most of the town. Eventually, I even believed the rumors. Now I feel so guilty for all the mean words I said about him. I hated him for so long and now—”
“You were a kid, that couldn’t have been easy.”
“No, for the first couple of months I caused my mom and grandmother so much grief. Fistfights every day, and I was small so I came home with a lot of black eyes.”
“You were defending your family and I find that quite honorable.”
Cade took a deep interest in the dust sprinkling the top of his boots. There was absolutely nothing honorable about the thoughts he’d had about his dad.
“Every night I prayed he’d come home to us. Then after six months, I just gave up on him.”
“Like I said before you were—” Patience was interrupted by a loud shriek and then a string of foul words.
“Sounds like that came from the park.” Cade pulled her along with him as he went to investigate the source. They rounded the corner by Tom’s Hard ware Store and found the park crowded with people working on various booths.
“What is all this?” Patience asked as they walked down the path to where the booths were being built.
“The town is getting ready for the annual Firefly Festival,” Cade answered. “Andy was that you howling like a dog in heat?” he joked with his old friend.
Andy held a towel around his fingers and from the hammer on the ground Cade knew exactly what had happened.
“Well, Mr. Big Man is gracing us with his presence.” With his good hand he punched Cade in the shoulder. “Great to see ya.”
“Same here.” Cade smiled at his friend. He hadn’t seen him since they’d had drinks a year ago when Andy had come to Austin for an auction. He and his wife, Celia, who had been one of their high school friends, owned the antique shop on the square in downtown Phosphor.
“Where is your better half? I thought she banned you from all tools, especially hammers and saws.”
Andy hung his head. “Why do you have to make me look bad in front of your lady friend? And why—” he faced Patience “—is someone as beautiful as you hanging out with this runt?”
She laughed and held out her hand. “I’m Patience.”
Andy held out his left hand for an awkward shake. “Nice to meet you.”
“Patience is investigating my dad’s case.”
Andy’s face grew solemn. “I heard about that. I’m sorry. I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through and—” Cade knew Andy must have realized he’d said too much in front of Patience.
“Sorry,” he said. “My mouth doesn’t work any better than my hands. But I’m glad you finally have the truth. If I can help find the bastard who killed him, you know I’m all in.”
Cade couldn’t have asked for a better friend, and he felt a world of guilt for letting so much time pass since their last meeting. “I appreciate the offer. I really do. So where is that wife of yours?”
“You just missed her. I was worried she was getting tired and she looked a little pale.”
Cade frowned. “Is she sick?”
Andy’s face widened into the biggest smile Cade had ever seen. “Nah, she’s pregnant. Five months.”
Cade put a hand on Andy’s shoulder. “That’s one lucky kid.”
His friend nodded. “Going to be one ornery little ankle-biter with Cel and I as parents. We’re going to spoil the kid rotten.”
“You look like the happiest man in the world,” Patience said. “Congratulations.”
“We’d all but given up on having our own and were looking into adopting, so it was quite a surprise.” Andy shook his head. “Celia’s about to bust at the seams she’s so happy.” He rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell her I said anything about busting out. She’s very self-conscious about her weight, but I think she looks more beautiful than ever.” Andy flexed his injured hand.
“What were you trying to do?” Cade picked up the hammer from the ground where his friend had tossed it.
“I thought I’d better get some supports up for the booth, before the storm got here, didn’t want the booth flying around like Dorothy’s house in the
Wizard of Oz
. Figured I could handle three or four two-by-fours.”
Cade turned to Patience. “I’m going to take a few minutes and help him out.”
She smiled. “I’ll help him pack up the rest of the tools.”
“Now that’s right nice of both of you,” Andy said.
“No problem. I’ve been eating Cade’s grandmother’s food and I feel like I’ve gone up two jean sizes in an hour.”
Andy laughed.
Cade picked up the boards and a sack of nails. As he added the supports and fixed the counter in front, he listened to his friend and Patience chat.
He couldn’t believe his friend was going to be a father, though he hadn’t lied. Andy and Celia would be incredible parents. They were loyal, loving, funny and smart. And some of the best people he knew.
Cade often invited them to come up to his house on Lake Austin for laid-back weekends. But the past year… He hadn’t made time for anyone, not even his family. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been on a date.
That had to be why he was so into Patience. It had been a while since he’d been with a woman—a long while.
Patience stacked the rest of the boards while Andy searched for loose nails. They talked back and forth as if they had been friends for years. Cade felt the same way about her and secretly it pleased him.
Why?
Oh, I think you know exactly why
.
Patience was beautiful and smart, and…
Yep. He was in trouble
.