Naked Heat: Naked Cowboys, Book 7 (2 page)

Excessive speed. Smashed rear of vehicle with enough force to push it into a tree.

No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get the gruesome pictures of the scene out of his mind. He had haunted the cops for weeks afterwards to see if they’d identified the other driver. The
murderer.
The answer remained an unbreakable
no.

An attorney friend of his had told him he’d heard a rumor that the cops actually knew who it was but there was a lot of pressure to lose the paperwork. With his rage boiling over, he’d invaded the police station and demanded answers. Everyone had told him that just wasn’t true, but the way they’d said it had made his neck itch. That’s when he’d begun his own campaign. Mac had his own resources. So far, he’d been able to determine that whoever it was lived in Rowan County. Someone had told him the father was a big shot rancher who’d spread a lot of money and influence around to make this go away.

Now he had a plan, and moving out here in the middle of nowhere was the start of it.

“Mr. McDaniel?”

The real estate agent’s low, pleasant voice broke into his thoughts and he realized he’d spaced out standing there.

“Sorry.” He shook his head. “What were you saying?”

“I wanted to point out to you that the barns were probably not worth saving, nor the corral. And if you plan to eventually raise cattle or horses here, you’d need all new fencing. That can be quite expensive.”

“Not a problem. I don’t plan to go into the ranching business.”

She tilted her head and gave him a curious look. “It’s really none of my business, but why on earth would you want a place like this, especially if you don’t plan to build it up again. There are a lot of other properties in far better shape. We haven’t seen them all.”

He shook his head. “No. This one suits my purpose just fine.”

“If you say so.”

But he heard the skepticism in her voice. He moved to stand at a big picture window in the breakfast area of the kitchen, taking in the depressing view beyond it.

“You said you’d tell me what happened to this place. Before I make an offer, I’d like to know.”

Nida sighed and shook her head. “It’s such a sad story, really. Buddy Hannigan inherited a thriving operation from his father and built it up into a million-dollar operation. It was the showplace of Rowan County, maybe even the entire Hill Country. Private plane. Big parties. People bowing and scraping. After his wife passed away, he kind of lost all restraint. Turned out to be an obnoxious bully, and his son, Cade, grew up in the same mold. They treated people like crap.” She touched a finger to her lips. “Oh, sorry. I should watch what I say.”

“Why, if it’s the truth?” Mac snorted. “I know too many people like that.”

And some of them are my clients. Maybe getting away from them is a really good thing.

“Well, yes, don’t we all? Anyway, Buddy dropped dead one day of a heart attack and Cade came to find out his father had gambled it all away. Every last nickel of it.”

“What?” Mac’s eyebrows shot up. “All of it?”

“Every last red cent went to satisfy debts. Between the creditors and the IRS, there wasn’t a penny left anywhere. Nobody wanted the ranch itself, although they sold off all the surrounding property he owned. This is what’s left. The county’s been trying to sell it for taxes, but no one’s buying.”

“What happened to the son?”

Nida grinned, and he thought her eyes twinkled. “There’s a real fairy tale for you.”

Mac frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“He was left with nothing, and after the way he’d treated people, no one wanted to give him a hand. You’ve heard the expression so far down he’d have to look up to see the gutter? That was him.”

“That doesn’t sound much like a fairy tale to me.” Mac had a hard time keeping the skepticism out of his voice.

“Yes, well, when he was literally down to his last penny, he realized he had to get his act together or life was over for him. He cleaned himself up and talked Georgie Zelinski, who bought the old B&B, into hiring him to help her rehab the place. Best thing that ever happened for both of them.”

Mac suddenly found his interest piqued. “How so?”

“She kept him on the straight and narrow, they fell in love and got married, and now they run the place together. Making a nice living with it.”

“Does he ever talk about this place?” Mac was curious. “Miss it? Think about trying to get it back and doing something with it?”

“Heavens, no.” Nida chuckled. “No one in Saddle Wells thought they’d live to see the day, but Cade’s a new man. I think he sees this place as the root of his troubles. He avoids it like the plague.” She studied his face. “And to tell you the truth, Mr. McDaniel—”

“Mac,” he interrupted. “Call me Mac. Please.”

Now why the hell did he do that? Being more formal and keeping his distance was what he did these days.

“Mac, then.” She favored him with another of her smiles, and unexpectedly, he focused on the fullness of her lips slicked with a soft red gloss. “As I was saying, I feel it’s my responsibility once again to point out the benefits of almost any other place I’ve shown you. And some we haven’t even seen.”

But Mac had already made up his mind. The location of this property, right in the center of the county, was what had drawn him to it originally. In its dilapidated state, it certainly wouldn’t draw any visitors and would serve as a good base of operations for his plan. Once people found out about the death of his twin, they would chalk up his need for isolation as a way of dealing with his grief. Good. They’d leave him alone.

He stood looking out through the grimy window for a long moment before turning back to Nida.

“I want this place. I’ll take it.”

He saw shock wash briefly over her features before she pulled herself together and gave him her best professional smile.

“Okay. The customer is always right. But still—”

“What do we need to do next?” He was impatient to be done here. To finish his business and get away from this woman whose nearness did strange, unwanted things to him. “I’d like to get this done as soon as we can. Who still holds the paper on it? And why are they letting it go for so little? If they fixed it up, they could bump the price.”

“You’re in luck.” She picked up her briefcase from the counter and her car keys. “The county took possession of it because the taxes haven’t been paid for the past two years. Just on the parcel that’s left, I mean. They’re willing to let it go for that amount just to get it off their books. It’s not as if anyone’s been beating down their doors to get it. Which, when you look at its condition, isn’t hard to understand.” She shook her head. “I’m almost ashamed to show it to you.”

“But the land is worth something, isn’t it?”

She shrugged. “Yes, but not much the way it is. I think everyone just wants this off the market and the whole nasty episode forgotten about. Cade’s turned his life around and I think he’d like it gone too. Besides, the neighboring ranches are claiming it devalues their property.”

Mac frowned. “If this place was worth what you said, those taxes have to be pretty damn hefty. I’m not looking to break the bank.”

“When the other debts were satisfied, the taxes were paid to that specific date. What’s accrued since then is on a devalued piece of property. I can assure you the county will be glad to get it off the tax rolls.”

As he followed her out of the house to her vehicle, he noticed again the sexy sway of her hips and once more caught the teasing spice of the scent she wore. How the hell could he even be thinking of anything like that considering the circumstances? Since Alicia had been killed, he might as well have been a eunuch for all the appeal women had for him. So what was it about this woman that suddenly made his dead senses leap to life? He didn’t have time for this right now. He could not afford to be distracted.

When they were back in her SUV he asked, “Okay, how do we move forward?”

Nida looked at her watch. “We can try to catch the tax collector in her office, but she may be out at a meeting. I can set something up for tomorrow. Will that work?”

“It will. I need to call my bank and move some money around anyway.” He glanced at the dashboard clock. “Damn. I’m going to hit all that rush-hour traffic when I get back to San Antonio.”

Nida backed around and headed toward the road. “Why don’t you stay the night? We don’t have a warehouse-type store here, but if you need anything you can probably pick it up at Gray’s Pharmacy or This and That.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “This and That?”

She laughed, and he thought again what a pleasant sound it was. “We get a lot of tourists here, as you can imagine. Sometimes they decide to spend the night. And those that come for the weekend usually need something. You know, this and that.”

“Thanks for the info.”

She cleared her throat. “If you want a place to stay in town until the property closes, the Hannigans’s Butterfly Bed and Breakfast would be a good place. It would give you a chance to meet Cade.”

“It might be hard for him to talk about what’s happened with the ranch,” he guessed.

“I don’t think so. He’s a much different person now. He had the strength to turn his life around, and he’s done a magnificent job of it. He might even be glad to know someone’s finally going to buy it. Anyway, you’ll enjoy them. They’re a really nice couple. It’s the middle of the week, so they won’t be full.”

“I might do that. Better than making the drive.” He thought a moment. “You’re sure he’ll be okay with it when I tell him why I’m here?”

“Like I said, it might even give him a feeling of relief. But if you’re concerned, how about if I give them a call,” Nida suggested. “Kind of smooth the way for you.”

Mac actually found himself smiling, a strange phenomenon after all these weeks. “You’re kind of the everything agent, right?”

“That’s just how we do it in Saddle Wells,” she acknowledged.

“Well, then, if you don’t mind, that would be great.”

He settled back in his seat and wondered if the tiny edge of anticipation had anything to do with finding a place to use as a base of operations or the woman sitting next to him who continued to addle his senses.

Chapter Two

Nida pulled her car into the lot in front of Mike’s Bar, turned off the ignition and sat for a moment to catch her breath. She had left messages at the tax collector’s office and the attorney she used to handle the paperwork for sales. She hadn’t thought to ask Mac if he had his own attorney he wanted to use, but she’d left messages on his cell phone and was just waiting for him to confirm one way or the other.

Mac. Lordy, that man was something else. She’d been at her professional best today, knowledgeable and calm and friendly, her stock in trade, but it had taken all her self-discipline. Mac McDaniel had quite an unexpected impact on her. She had taken one look at his tall and lean body, his dark blond hair, gold-flecked hazel eyes and a square-jawed face, and her hormones had broken into a happy dance. Not a usual occurrence for her. For some damn reason her luck with men had taken a nosedive before she relocated to Saddle Wells. In point of fact, she had actually sworn off dating at all.

What she sensed in Mac, though, was a lot more than just a really sexy, good-looking man. It was the obvious air of grief and anguish he wore like an extra skin. The pain so evident in his eyes. The almost visible don’t-ask-questions sign. She couldn’t remember the last time a man had such an immediate erotic effect on her, and damn it, it had to be a man obviously unavailable. Of course, that was probably best considering.

She had lectured herself all the way to Mike’s Bar, knowing Georgie would be there. She hoped her friend wouldn’t ask questions about Mac that Nida didn’t want to answer. That might be a foolish hope, but she at least needed to be prepared with some answers.

Mac would probably hole up in that dilapidated ranch house and she’d never see him except for a glimpse now and then. Anyway, she’d already had enough trouble with men to last her a lifetime. She didn’t need to borrow extra trouble.

Ha! Tell that to her hormones.

Swallowing a sigh, she climbed out of her SUV and hurried inside over to the table where her friends were waiting.

“I know I’m late,” she told them, “but this one couple would not leave the office. I finally gave them printouts of some properties that looked interesting, told them to look them over and set an appointment for tomorrow morning.”

“What are they looking for?” Amy Montgomery asked.

“I don’t think even they know.” Nida lifted the pitcher of beer from the middle of the table and filled an empty glass. “I get people like that sometimes. Thank God, not very often.” She took a healthy swallow of the amber liquid and sighed with pleasure. “Just what I needed.”

Charity Vance raised her hand and waved it at the bar. “Oh, Liam! Could we have a refill here, pretty please?”

“Your husband doesn’t need to wait on us,” Jinx Cross said in a low voice. “We’re all capable of getting our own drinks.”

Charity grinned. “I know, but the bar’s pretty empty, and I’d hate for him to have nothing to do.”

“You’re an evil, cruel woman.” Liam limped over to the table and set a full pitcher down in the center. “You’ll probably have to pay for that later,” he said.

She gave him a look Nida could only call heated. “Promises, promises.”

Liam gave her a quick kiss on her mouth before taking his place behind the bar again.

“You are one lucky chick,” she told her friend and then looked around the table. “All of you.”

“So tell us about the gorgeous man
you
sent over to the B&B.” Georgie Hannigan cocked an eyebrow. “Apparently, he’s going to buy Cade’s old place?”

Nida gave a nod. “So it seems.” She studied her friend. “Cade’s okay with hearing about it, right?”

“Honey, Cade has moved on so far from the person he was when the ranch was sold off, he barely even thinks about it.”

“It’s a good thing you took him off the market, or he’d be a hot commodity these days. He’s turned out to be every woman’s dream man. Anyway, I know he’ll make Mac feel real comfortable.”

Georgie grinned. “Mac, huh? Do you always call your clients by their first names?”

Nida waved a dismissive hand in the air. “You know how friendly we are here in Saddle Wells. We don’t stand on ceremony.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Cyn Orosco broke in. “You were pretty formal with me until I told you I was divorced and not to keep calling me Mrs. Dellinger.”

Nida took another long drink from her glass, acutely aware that everyone was staring at her.

“What?” she asked, lowering the glass. “So I called him by his first name. No big deal.”

Except she hadn’t been able to get the man out of her mind.

“How much do you know about him?” Georgie asked. “Cade’s curious why someone wants to buy what’s left of that place. Of course, he’s glad the Hannigan name will finally be taken off the property.” She grinned. “I think we both bless the day he came to the B&B looking for work.”

“I hear you loud and clear,” Amy told her. “No one is more surprised than I am at the man he is now. Cade Hannigan, upstanding citizen. Who’d a thunk it?” Then she winked at Georgie. “That’s some love story to tell your kids.”

“So when does the deal take place?” Georgie asked.

“Tomorrow.” Nida took a sip of water. “I’m calling the tax assessor’s office first thing and setting it up.” Nida took a sip of her drink.

“So what’s this Mac’s story? He has an air about him that’s…oh, I don’t know, maybe tragic?”

Nida sighed. “He didn’t tell me anything, and I didn’t feel it was my place to pry.”

“But?” Amy prompted. “Come on. I know you and your curiosity. Besides, you always check out your clients so you don’t end up with some looney toon or convicted felon.”

“I wouldn’t even share this except I got it off the internet and anyone can find it.”

“So come on and give.”

“Well.” She leaned forward. “About four months ago, his twin sister was killed in an accident. Some jerk going too fast smacked the rear end of her car and drove it into a tree. The air bag deployed but the impact jerked her head so hard it broke her neck.”

“Holy shit,” Georgie said in a low voice. “What a tragedy. I hope they got the guy.”

“Well,” Nida told them, “that’s a depressing part of the story. No one’s ever been arrested. He drove off and left her there.”

“Do they even know who it is?” Cyn asked.

“I’m not sure.” Nida took another sip of her beer. “It was hard to tell from the articles online. I get a feeling there may have been some kind of cover-up, at least according to two of the reporters.”

Reenie shook her head. “Mac must be devastated.”

“Yes,” Nida agreed, “I think he’s all that and more. I have a feeling he’s on a crusade though, and he’s hiding out here while he puts it together.”

“Cade took him to the Lone Star Saloon,” Georgie told them. “I hope he can get something out of him and maybe see if there’s any way we can help.”

“Maybe he won’t like us sticking our noses in his business.”

Amy laughed. “Since when has that ever stopped us? None of us would be happily married if we didn’t meddle.” She looked around the table. “Right?”

“True,” Cyn agreed, “but this is a little more serious than meddling in someone’s love life.”

Reenie refilled her glass. “Well, I see this as our civic duty.”

“He does seem pretty depressed,” Nida agreed.

“Why don’t you bring him to the Bit and Bite after the closing tomorrow?” Georgie suggested.

“And surround him with a mob he may or may not want?” Nida shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“Just do it. Cade and I will
accidentally
meet you there. We can talk about the closing and maybe reach out the hand of friendship to him.” She turned to the woman next to her. “Jinx, you’ve been pretty quiet about all this. Do you have any thoughts?”

“You know,” Jinx said in a thoughtful voice, “Dillon and I might be able to help. He could probably request copies of the reports from the San Antonio PD. You know he used to work there. And I can do a search for everything that’s gone out on the wire about it.”

“Good idea.” Amy clapped her hands. “Get our sheriff and our publisher on it.”

Nida chewed on her lip for a moment. “Okay, but let’s be gentle with Mac. I can tell he’s in a lot of pain.”

And that was no lie. When he wasn’t being careful, rage simmered in his eyes. It was obvious he wanted to keep things businesslike, but anyone who spent five minutes with him would have no trouble spotting the tension gripping him. Nida was sure he had to be in a lot of emotional pain.

Don’t fixate on that, Nida. Haven’t you learned your lesson by now? Haven’t you already wasted too much of your time on wounded birds?

She knew she better keep reminding herself of that every minute she was with Mac McDaniel. He didn’t want anything from her except to close this sale.

“I understand,” Georgie told her. “But let’s get Jinx and Dillon doing their thing. We can let Mac know he has friends here if he wants them, and maybe—”

“Maybe what?” Nida demanded. “He might not want to have any friends.”

“He was definitely reserved when he checked into the B&B,” Georgie told them. “Although he and Cade connected, maybe over the sale of the ranch. I really liked him, Nida. He’s not only a very good-looking man, but he’s sharp and has a sense of humor when he lets it out.” She looked at her friend and winked. “The best thing I’ve seen around here since I snagged Cade.”

“Uh huh. Just don’t go doing any matchmaking here,” Nida warned.

Amy crossed her heart. “We promise.”

But Nida knew her friends. They just couldn’t seem to keep themselves from meddling. Mac McDaniel was carrying a truckload of pain, and she didn’t want to be the cause of adding more.

Mac himself was currently sitting on the newly expanded terrace at the rear of the Butterfly B&B, listening to the night sounds and studying the man sitting in the Adirondack chair next to him. Cade Hannigan had offered him a beer, but since Cade himself took only a soft drink, Mac followed suit. He liked Cade immediately. He had a quiet air of confidence and an ability to put Mac at ease. Georgie was also warm and friendly, an ideal type of person to be an innkeeper. It was obvious Cade adored her. Although Mac would have preferred isolation right now, Cade was easy enough to be with. And he knew he would only be staying at the B&B for a couple of nights.

“I don’t know what you have in mind for the property you’re buying, but—and forgive me—you don’t look like much of a rancher.”

Mac gave a rough laugh. “What does a rancher look like, exactly? Do I need different clothes?”

Cade chuckled softly. “Not at all. You just have, oh, I don’t know, the look of someone who has spent his life in the city.”

“God forbid you call me a metrosexual. I might have to punch your lights out, and then I’d need to find another place to stay.”

Cade shook his head. “No, not that. I just don’t get the feeling that ranching has been in your blood.”

Mac took a swallow of his cold drink and tried to figure out how to answer the man. When he’d checked in to the B&B, he had just given them the bare details, mostly because he knew Cade would find out about the sale and he wanted to be up front about it. He’d had no idea how the man would react, knowing even the little bit Nida had shared with him. He’d been enormously relieved when Cade had told him he thought this was exactly what the place needed to get rid of the last of the bad mojo.

“If I tell you I just needed a change in my life, could you understand that?” he asked.

“Man,” Cade told him, “I can certainly get on board with that. No one needed a bigger change than I did. I thank God every day for Georgie and her willingness to give me a chance. So, yeah, I hear you.”

They sat in silence for a few more minutes.

“My sister was killed in a car accident a few months ago.”
Now why the hell did I blurt that out
, Mac asked himself. He hadn’t even told Nida.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Cade took a swig of his own drink. “I hope they got whoever did it.”

“Well, see,” Mac said, “that’s the problem. They never did.”

“You mean he fled the scene?” Cade sounded incredulous.

“Sure did.” He gave the other man the briefest of details of the accident. It was always hard to relive it.

“And no one knows who it is? No one saw anything?”

“Actually, someone did say they looked out as soon as they heard the crash and saw a truck pulling away.”

Cade snorted. “That could be anyone in Rowan County, or anywhere else in Texas.”

“Don’t I know it. It was nearly dark so they couldn’t really give us much of a description, and the truck was nearly to the end of the block by the time this person spotted it.”

“That’s a damn shame.”

Mac stared out into the night, weighing his words. “I have a friend who told me the cops do know who it is, but the whole thing is being buried. Seems there’s a lot of money and power involved.”

Cade snorted. “Unfortunately, I know firsthand how that works, and believe me, I’m not proud of it.” He glanced over at Mac. “I gather you two were close.”

“We were twins.” There was more silence. “I couldn’t handle it in San Antonio any more. My folks are having trouble coming to grips with it, and I have a lot of misplaced anger. I know this will sound stupid to you—”

“Hey,” Cade broke in. “Remember who you’re talking to. Nothing sounds stupid to me.”

“Well, anyway, I left the investment firm I was with, cashed out my partnership and came up here to sort of regroup.”

“Uh huh.” Cade’s voice was tinged with skepticism. “You wouldn’t just be looking for a place to hide out while you do your own digging around, would you?”

Mac was silent for a long moment before he answered. “And if I was?”

“Then I’d tell you two things. One, that in your shoes I’d do the same thing. And two, that we have a pretty nice tightknit group here and we might be able to help you.”

“You’ve made it easy for me to tell you my story, Cade. And I don’t open up easily to strangers. Besides, I have no idea what kind of high-powered mess I’ll be stepping into, so I’m reluctant to get anyone else involved. I probably shouldn’t have spilled my guts to you.”