The Millionaire Cowboy's Secret (7 page)

Sighing, she shifted her weight on the bottom step. Talia whined, her brown gaze fixed on her mistress. Absently, Skylar scratched the dog’s neck, letting her pet know not to worry. With a sigh, the border collie sank to the ground and, resting her head on her paws, dozed.

Once again, Skylar experienced the gut-wrenching pain of losing her son. She blinked, trying not to remember the sight of his still, small body covered in blood. At that moment—hell, at
any
moment—if she’d been able to change places and die in his place, she would have.

As her eyes filled with tears, she clenched her teeth.
Focus. Focus.
She had a job to do and she’d damn well do it right. If Matt Landeta truly was guilty of selling ammunition illegally to the Mexicans, she’d make the bust. No matter how much she liked him.

As the sun rose higher in the cloudless sky, Skylar tried to puzzle out the problem. She couldn’t afford a mistake with potentially the biggest bust of her career.

So what was wrong? Ever since the bank holdup that had robbed her of everything, she’d made a habit of being brutally honest with herself. She wouldn’t change that now.

She zeroed in on the one aberration. Her attraction to Matt. This had taken her by surprise. Clearly, she hadn’t planned to find him so...desirable. Unlike with his friend José, she couldn’t make herself see him in the role of villain.

What she could make herself see him as was her lover.

Shocked, blindsided by the heretical thought, she gasped out loud. She hadn’t taken a lover since Robbie had died, and the idea that she could even think of having sex again with a man who wasn’t her husband felt like the worst kind of betrayal.

Once again, despite the fact that she’d eventually stopped the therapy, she could hear her therapist reminding her that she was only human. Her body had needs and she could only suppress them for so long. Eventually, she’d have to live again.

While she knew this objectively, for so long she’d taken to regarding herself as only a police officer, then an ATF agent. Not as a woman.

Dropping her head into her hands, she inhaled the air, still laden with smoke and water and soot, and quietly wept.

Then, calling herself several kinds of fool, she got up. Calling Talia, she climbed the steps and went inside the trailer, undressed and climbed into bed. As if a nap would fix what was wrong with her.

She lay there unmoving, wide-awake, as sunshine claimed the sky. Finally, sometime after noon, she dropped into a restless slumber, her beloved dog on the bed next to her.

The sound of knocking woke her. Talia barked, jumping to the floor and standing guard at the door. Blearily sitting up in bed, Skylar rubbed at her heavy eyes and glanced at the clock.

“Two-thirty?” That couldn’t be right. She hadn’t slept that late in years.

Again someone banged on her door, this time with a bit more urgency. Now she understood why—she’d overslept.

“Hang on,” she said loudly, readjusting the giant Dallas Cowboys T-shirt she slept in.

Figuring she looked presentable for someone who had, only seconds before, been dead asleep, she opened the door, blinking at the bright sunshine.

Matt. Of course. He frowned up at her, his beautiful blue eyes full of worry.

Damn. How did the man manage to look so fantastic after the ordeal they’d just been through? She swallowed hard. “You look good,” she blurted, mentally wincing. “I mean, considering...”

His mouth twitched, but to his credit, he didn’t laugh. “Thanks,” he said gravely. “Did I, er, wake you?”

Briefly she thought about lying and saying no, but since it was so painfully obvious that he had, she nodded. “I got up so early this morning that I took a nap for a few hours.”

“Sorry.” His gaze roamed over her, making her conscious that she wore nothing underneath the T-shirt.

Her body reacted. She crossed her arms in defense. Beside her, tail wagging, Talia tried her best to get outside to greet Matt.

“I think your dog needs to go outside,” he pointed out.

“I’ll take care of that.”

He smiled, and her body clenched up tight in response. “Let her out. I’ll watch her.”

She stepped aside without a word. Talia barreled past her, but instead of running to the grass, she leaped on Matt, sending him staggering backward. “Talia,” she said sharply. “Go to the bathroom.”

The border collie, ever obedient, trotted off to do exactly that.

Matt moved back to the edge of the trailer steps, still staring. Was that
heat
she saw in his gaze? Surely not. She knew for a fact she didn’t look at all good first thing after waking up.

“Um, what did you need?”

He blinked, as though she’d brought him back to the present. “The police are here. They’ve got me rounding up anyone who might have seen anything. They want to ask you a few questions.”

“Of course.” She wished she’d taken the time to drag a comb through her hair. “I’ll need a few minutes to brush my teeth and get dressed.”

“Take your time.” Glancing at his watch, he took a step back just as Talia returned to the trailer. “José is on his way back here from his place in town, and the police are still interviewing the stable hands. Just come on up to the house when you’re ready.”

Nodding, she shut the door in his face. Her legs felt weak, so she sank back onto the bed. Beside her, Talia whined.

“It’s okay, baby girl,” she said, pulling the dog close and burying her face in Talia’s soft fur. “Let’s get you some breakfast.”

While Talia ate, Skylar jumped in the shower and took care of her normal morning tasks. She put on a light dusting of mineral powder, mascara and lip gloss. Dressing in jeans and a muted yellow T-shirt, she studied herself with a critical eye and decided she looked okay. Before she spoke to the local police, she needed to make a report.

Using her secure cell phone, she phoned in. A special voice-mail box had been set up for her to leave simple updates. She did, relaying the fire and the fact that she’d be speaking with local authorities.

Once she’d concluded the call, she took Talia out once more. After she’d made sure her dog would have plenty of water, she closed her up in the camper and headed to Matt’s house.

The men wearing uniforms were laid-back but businesslike, impressing her with their efficient questions. No, she hadn’t seen anything suspicious. Yes, she’d smelled something that might have been used to start the fire, though she had no idea what that might have been. They finished with asking her to supply her address and phone number in case they had any further questions.

Through it all, she was super conscious of Matt leaning in the door frame, listening to her answers.

José arrived a few minutes after she’d finished, and when the police began questioning him, Skylar moved off to stand next to Matt.

“I heard from the arson investigator,” he said.

“Already?” She was surprised. In her experience such findings usually took a few days.

“He’s not busy,” he explained. “He used to work for Dallas Fire and Rescue, but retired and moved down here. Now he volunteers whenever he’s needed. This is the first time they’ve had to call him.”

“What did he find out?”

“Arson.” Matt’s eyes narrowed. “Someone really wanted to hurt my horses.”

“And hurt you, too,” she said, instinctively touching his arm. When she saw the way his gaze darkened as he followed her movement, she hurriedly removed her hand.

“Do you have any idea why?” she asked softly, wondering what, if anything, he’d choose to reveal.

“No.” Of course, he gave away nothing.

Before she could comment, José called his name, waving him over.

“Excuse me,” he said and left her without another word.

Watching him go, she kept her expression pleasant. What had she expected? Him to open up about his enemies?

Slipping from the room, she headed back to her trailer to spend some quality time with her dog. After that, she’d best get busy concocting some sort of plan.

A quick game of ball helped relieve some of the tension. Up at the main house, she saw Matt and José emerge. She watched, game forgotten, as the two men climbed into the pickup and drove away. Her heart began to race. This would be her opportunity to search the house. Since the police and fire department were still questioning people and milling around, all of the household help would be distracted and preoccupied.

There couldn’t be a more perfect opportunity.

Locking Talia back in the trailer, she made herself walk normally, as though she had forgotten something and needed to talk to the authorities again. As far as she knew, Matt never locked the back door, so she went through the patio, unable to keep from smiling at the lush scenery.

Once inside, she noted Matt had left the curtains open, allowing lots of light to flood in. Grateful, she did a quick search in the kitchen, still experiencing that gut-wrenching reaction of coming home. This time, better prepared, she didn’t bother to try to analyze the feeling, but continued her methodical search.

What exactly she hoped to find, she didn’t know. Something—anything—that might give her a clue as to where he kept the ammo stored or his reason for purchasing such large quantities.

Part of her—a tiny, really idiotic part—hoped to find something that would exonerate him.

She made quick work out of checking the kitchen and moved on to the den. This room also had few hiding places and she didn’t really expect to find anything there.

Matt’s study or office or bedroom—now, that was another matter. She guessed he probably had a safe and would keep any important papers there. If she found a safe, she’d be out of luck; she lacked the necessary skills to crack it. Plus, she hated to do anything without a warrant, as any evidence she found would be inadmissible in court.

In reality, she knew this search was probably a pointless waste of time, but she had to make the attempt. If she found something, she’d get the necessary warrant then.

After all, she had to have something proactive to put in her report.

Finished with the downstairs part of the house, she moved quietly to the stairs. Outside, the sun was still strong and she knew she’d need to stay away from windows, as she’d present a clear figure to anyone outside.

Upstairs there were several bedrooms. She did a cursory search of all three before moving on to what had to be Matt’s personal office.

A desk, empty of clutter, revealed nothing. As she suspected, she located a small wall safe behind a Western landscape painting, but the lock wasn’t engaged and the door sat open a half inch. The inside of the safe was empty.

The rest of the office turned up nothing. Glancing at her watch, she realized she’d burned through an hour. She still had Matt’s bedroom to search, so she’d better get a move on.

Crossing the hall, she hesitated in front of the only room she hadn’t visited. Strangely reluctant—this felt like a violation of the worst kind—she took a deep breath and stepped inside.

Immediately, his scent assaulted her. She found it odd that she could smell him so intensely—the scent wasn’t cologne or aftershave, but rather a personal mixture of spearmint and the grassy fields.

Shaking off her nervousness, she crossed to his nightstand and pulled open the door.

“Looking for something?” Matt drawled from less than a foot away.

Chapter 6

S
kylar nearly jumped out of her skin. She even, to her complete and utter embarrassment, let a little scream escape, totally involuntary and completely unbefitting a seasoned law-enforcement officer.

Crap. Busted. This was not good. Not good at all.

“What are you doing here?” she asked lamely, her heart pounding. She felt flushed due to all the blood rushing to her head.

“Actually, I think that’s my line,” he said, unsmiling. Arms crossed, a grim expression turned his features to stone. “This is my bedroom, after all.”

Mouth dry, she stared at him, searching for a plausible explanation, and came up empty. Instead, she finally nodded. “I...er...was curious?”

A muscle worked in his jaw. He didn’t respond. She hadn’t really expected him to.

Any moment now, in fact, she anticipated an explosion. And she really didn’t want to be around when it came. In fact, she wouldn’t blame him if he evicted her from the ranch.

With that thought in mind, she began backing away from him and the nightstand, hoping for a clear shot to the door. Maybe she could get out of here, hide out in her camper until he calmed down. If she had some time, she thought she could come up with a somewhat plausible explanation.

Instead, he moved with her. His hand shot out and gripped her wrist tightly.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled.

Alarmed, at first, she froze again. He was breathing harshly, his eyes glittering in the dim light. A slow heat began low in her belly, and she realized—holy hell—she was actually incredibly, unbelievably, turned on.

What the hell?

Swallowing hard, she let her gaze drift over his broad chest, flat stomach, to the apparent bulge developing in the front of his formfitting jeans. Apparently she wasn’t the only one turned on.

The thought just barely crossed her mind when he made a sound low in his throat, a mixture of a curse and a groan. Then, while she was trying to process what this meant, he yanked her to him and slanted his mouth over hers. His kiss was hard and punishing and more arousing than any kiss she’d experienced. Ever.

Even with Robbie. Pushing away the stab of guilt she felt at the disloyal thought, she gave herself over to sensation. It had been so long, so damn long. His hands—oh, his hands—holding her close, stroking her, caressing her, making her want more. Right. Here. Right. Now.

She heard a moan, then realized the sound had come from her. He, too, appeared similarly affected, his heart pounding in his chest so rapidly and strongly she could feel it against her skin.

This felt amazing. And wrong. So, so wrong.

Breathing hard, she summoned up every ounce of rationality she could and pushed herself back, ending the kiss. As she stared at him, she was shocked that she could even stand since her legs felt absurdly weak and wobbly.

All at once, it dawned on her. Now the way to the door was clear. Stunned and panicked, shocked and shaking, and still way too aroused, she rushed toward it, both relieved and disgruntled when he made no move to stop her.

For the rest of the day, she hid out in her trailer. Anytime she saw movement anywhere close, she tensed, certain it would be Matt asking her to leave. She couldn’t blame him. She’d react the same way if the situation had been reversed. A journalist had no reason to be snooping through his personal belongings. And no matter what, she couldn’t blow her cover.

The day dragged on and there was no sign of Matt. The tightness in her chest began to ease somewhat. Maybe he wouldn’t ask her to go. Which made no sense. A big fan of logic, anything illogical made her temporarily crazy. Crazy enough, in fact, that she half-assed considered marching up to the house, finding Matt and demanding an explanation.

She did not, of course. She fed Talia and took her out. At loose ends, feeling uncomfortable in her own skin, she fixed herself a sandwich from the supplies Matt had thoughtfully put in the refrigerator and ate at the camper table by herself. She watched the news on the small television, grimacing as she peered out the window every time there was the slightest sound outside.

Finally as the day turned into dusk, and dusk became night, she realized, for whatever reason, she’d been given a reprieve.

Problem was, she didn’t know for how long. So she needed to step up her efforts to find the ammo. Starting immediately.

Climbing into bed early, she set her cell-phone alarm to wake her up at two o’clock in the morning. Surely by then everyone on the ranch would be asleep.

The plan she’d hatched wasn’t perfect, but it was the best she could do. Matt’s ranch was several thousand acres and there was no way she could explore it on foot.

Since she couldn’t use an ATV even if she had access to one—the noise would wake everyone up—she planned to use one of Matt’s horses.

Earlier when she’d questioned one of the trainers, she’d learned the mare they’d put in the first stall on the left in the old barn was the most gentle and the one they used for visitors who were unskilled at horseback riding. Though she wasn’t a novice, she was rusty. So she’d use his mare to ride out to the far side of the ranch.

She’d lucked out with the full moon—since there were no streetlights out here, or even streets, riding in the pitch-black of a moonless night would have been a dangerous proposition.

Either way, she felt quite certain her permanent eviction from the ranch was imminent. So she had no time to waste.

Leaving the trailer, she made it to the tack room and retrieved a well-worn English-style saddle, halter, bit and reins. Crossing the well-lit parking lot might be tricky, but she had no choice. She figured everyone would be asleep anyway.

Once she reached the old barn, she realized the huge door was closed. Praying that when she opened it it wouldn’t make a lot of noise, she placed the saddle and tack on the ground, and began to pull on the door.

The squeal of metal was loud, but not deafening. Still, she froze, afraid someone might have a dog that would begin barking an alert.

But after a few seconds, when nothing happened, she pushed the door the rest of the way open.

The mare nickered softly as Skylar opened the stall door. Though moving a bit clumsily from lack of practice, she managed to get the horse saddled and place the bit in the mare’s mouth.

She led the horse out into the stable yard before placing her foot in the stirrup and swinging her leg over.

Settling on the mare’s back, she touched her calves to the horse’s sides and urged her forward. Keeping to a walk, she rode out of the courtyard and into the first of the eastern pastures.

From the dossier she’d studied over and over, she knew Matt had divided the ranch into several pastures. The ones closest to the house were twenty acres, the next row consisted of forty-acre sections, and then after that lay open range land, fenced only at the extreme borders.

The far eastern edge of Matt’s property bordered a farm-to-market road and was remote and unusable, due to cliffs and rocks. This was the area where the ATF suspected him of storing the ammo. Her task would be to locate the shed or warehouse and make notes on precise coordinates as well as surroundings. That way they could have a team in place so they’d have eyes when the actual deal went down. What Matt didn’t realize—what most civilians didn’t understand—was that the ATF needed just one tiny shred of evidence that he might be involved in illegal activities in order to legally swoop in and take everything.

One shred. Whether it was selling weapons and ammo without a permit or some other charge, they didn’t need absolute proof, just enough evidence to convince a judge they should investigate. And since investigating could also mean confiscating everything, Matt would be out of business before he even got started.

Her job was to find that evidence.

Confidently, she consulted her compass and continued in the correct direction. When she reached the first gate, she was able to open and close it without dismounting.

It took a little longer to cross the second, larger pasture. When she finally reached the next gate, she was unable to unlatch it without getting off her horse.

Once she had, she led the mare through and closed the gate securely behind her.

Here, the land became hillier. She rode up the first rolling hill, glad the land flattened out once she reached the top. The full moon cast an eerie glow on the landscape, and she shivered as an owl hooted mournfully.

Yet despite it all, she found it breathtakingly beautiful. If she’d been there for any other reason, she would have added
peaceful
and
serene
to that description.

Ahead she could see the large boulders dotting the landscape. But no cattle, she couldn’t help but notice. Maybe Matt kept them on a different part of the ranch.

By her best calculations, it would take her a good hour to reach the first area she wanted to explore. If her estimate was correct, and she took her time checking out the area, she’d have the mare back at the barn with time to brush her down well before sunrise.

Settling into the easy rhythm of the horse’s steps without relaxing her guard entirely, she felt a sense of peace steal over her. She’d missed horseback riding, though she’d been unable to bear the idea of doing something alone that she and her husband had loved to share.

This time, though, for this ride she felt no sense of guilt or even loss. Possibly because she was simply doing her job rather than going for a pleasure ride.

As she crested another minor rise, the land stretched ahead as far as she could see. Matt’s land, tied to him in an intimate and physical way as far as she was concerned. The moonlight gave everything a silver cast, but with the immense black night sky above and the clear view of a thousand stars, she felt a sense of how small, how insignificant she was in relation to the universe.

Humbling. Continuing to ride, she didn’t dare urge her mare to pick up the pace. The uneven ground was rocky and could be treacherous to a horse, so she let the reins lie slack on the mare’s neck, trusting her mount to choose the right path.

Ahead, a worn dirt trail led up a rocky bluff. Whether by instinct or habit, the horse headed for that path.

Once they reached the top of the bluff, Skylar could at last see the road that marked the eastern border of Matt’s ranch. The bluff, pitted with boulders and rocks and sagebrush, ran parallel to the road.

It all appeared to be deserted.

A sound—out of place and almost mechanical—had her freezing. Reining her horse in, she slid from the mare’s back and led her mount behind a huge boulder, next to some sort of short, twisted tree.

Draping the reins around a branch and tying them loosely, she crept forward alone, her heart pounding. Was she finally about to discover what until now the ATF had only suspected—illegal ammunition sales taking place? Would this night, so soon after her earlier debacle, be the one where she found the necessary evidence?

Sidling from rock to rock, keeping low to the ground, she finally made it to the other side of the bluff. Peering around cautiously, she saw nothing.

Then what had made the sound? It had sounded like a chisel hitting a rock or a hammer taking a good crack at a nail.

Or a gun cocking.

Holding herself absolutely still, she waited to see if she’d hear it again. A moment later, she did. The sharp report seemed to echo off the rocks, a moment of discordance marring the otherwise perfect night. And then again, and again. Muted, yet loud in the perfect silence.

Moving forward carefully, she peered around a boulder. There in a clearing in front of her were two huge deer, horned bucks clashing their antlers at each other ferociously. As she moved closer, she heard one whistle and another snort.

A deer fight at night.

Pushing to her feet, she made enough sound to attract their attention. Waving her arms madly, she started toward them. Instantly spooked, they took off in opposite directions.

She stood and watched them go, awed despite herself. While she’d grown up in these parts and seen plenty of deer, she’d never been witness to bucks fighting over mating rights. She’d seen the damage done to trees by them scraping the velvet from their antlers, but not the actual sparring.

Smiling to herself, she circled around and retrieved her horse. She’d done enough exploring for one night. Time to head back to the ranch.

After she’d returned to the old barn, she tied the mare outside the stall and removed the saddle and replaced the bit with a halter. She carried the saddle and bit back to the tack room. In there, she located a curry brush and brushed the horse down before putting her back into her stall.

With a buoyant step, she hurried across the parking lot, keeping close to the shadows and hoping Talia wouldn’t make a loud fuss when she returned.

She made it back to her trailer before dawn. Her watch showed a few minutes after five o’clock, which meant her little exploratory trip had taken about three hours. Though she’d found nothing and should have been frustrated, she’d honestly enjoyed her moonlit ride and unexpected wildlife encounter. The fact that she hadn’t been discovered made it even better.

Talia greeted her sleepily with a muffled woof before she turned a circle or two and settled back down in her bed.

After washing her face and brushing her teeth, she changed into her large, comfy T-shirt and climbed into bed. Sometimes she had trouble going back to sleep. She’d bet she wouldn’t this morning. She’d probably drop off an instant after her head hit the pillow.

In fact, lying down was the last thing she remembered before something woke her.
Knock, knock.
Jumping down from the bed, Talia woofed softly, letting Skylar know whoever was at her door wasn’t a threat. Squinting at the clock, Skylar saw it was six-thirty. Still early. What the heck? Had she managed to forget some appointment?

“Skylar, are you in there?”

Matt. Again.

Belatedly, she remembered his discovering her in his bedroom and the blazingly hot kiss they’d shared. Had he decided to wait until the morning to toss her out?