born and raised. Only child. My grandparents came here, bought land, ranched it, expanded the ranch. My father took over, did more of the same.”
She nodded. “And you? Still expanding?”
He shrugged. “Not in land, more in better ways to use it.”
She sat back in her chair and felt herself relax as he began to open up and discuss a little of how he planned to diversify his business operations. She let his voice roll over her, enjoying the timbre and the slow, measured way in which he spoke. She gestured to the waitress for two more beers.
“Let me get those,” he said.
“If you insist,” she acceded.
Once the drinks were on their table, she decided to turn the conversation back to her investigation.
“So, you and Jesse Stevens. You guys grew up together?”
“Yeah. And he’s not the man you’re looking for.”
Ha, so much for softening him up and then pouncing with a question, Zoe admitted to herself with a measure of reluctance. Cord Galicia may have relaxed with her, but it didn’t mean his mind wasn’t as alert as a fox’s.
“Why are you protecting him?”
“Protecting him?” Cord laughed. “Nope, I’m just saving you time.”
“You realize I have to question him.”
“Why? Is my word not good enough?” Galicia challenged her.
She saw the latent anger that simmered beneath the surface. Was it because she wanted to question his friend, or because she was impugning his honor by not accepting his word?
“I’m sure your word is just fine.” She sighed. “But that’s not how we conduct an investigation.”
Silence stretched between them, and for a moment Zoe thought the evening was over. She felt a pang of regret. If she’d met this man under any other circumstances, then maybe they could have explored this simmering attraction that burned between them. She watched Galicia’s face carefully, but he gave nothing away. Eventually, he leaned forward and put his hand out.
“How about a truce, then?” he suggested.
“A truce? I didn’t know we were at war.”
“Oh, we’re at something, but I’m not quite sure what it is yet. How about, while we find out, we agree that you won’t ask me anything about Jesse and then I won’t need to stonewall you?”
She hesitated a moment before taking his hand. If she did this, she was opening herself up for a whole lot of trouble. She could feel it in her gut. But then again, what was life if it meant not taking risks? She reached out her hand and felt a surge of awareness the moment their palms touched. He felt it, too; she could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t smiling now; in fact, he looked serious—serious about her.
Her inner muscles clenched on a wave of pure lust. Right now, she wanted to do nothing more than lean across their table, sweep their drinks aside and reach for him, then drag his face to hers and plant her lips on his mouth in a deep, drugging kiss that would hopefully assuage some of this crazy pent-up tension he manifested in her.
Instead, she jerked her hand free and reached for her beer, downing half of it. When she looked back at Galicia, amusement reflected back at her in his gaze and she knew, in that instant, he was dangerous. Maybe not in the criminal sense of the word, but certainly in terms of her equilibrium.
She was a long, tall streak of trouble. He knew that as surely as he knew the head count of his herd. But he couldn’t leave her alone. Even now, after that stupid handshake, he wanted to touch her again—and not just her hand. He wanted to see if those pert breasts he could see pushing against the fabric of her shirt would fit neatly into the palms of his hands. He wanted to trace the cord of her throat with his lips and his tongue, to taste her and inhale the very essence of her.
Damn, but she did things to him that twisted his gut in knots without even trying. Which meant he had to be doubly careful. He was breaking every single one of his own rules by taking her out tonight. Still, it wasn’t as if he was going to marry her or anything dumb like that, he told himself. He was distracting her. Keeping her away from Jesse. She had no business with his friend, and the sooner she realized that and returned to Houston, the sooner he could get back to his normal life. Thank goodness things were a little quieter on the ranch right now. The calves had been dried out and had regained condition. His pastures were under control and his hands were onto the usual maintenance required before winter set in. He had time to spare and he’d make sure he used it well.
“Say, you want to grab a burger or something?” Cord asked before finishing off his beer.
“I could eat a burger,” Zoe admitted.
“C’mon, the Royal Diner makes the best burgers in the state.”
“That’s quite a claim,” she said, rising from her seat.
“It’s no claim. It’s a fact,” he boasted.
Putting his hand at the small of her back again, he guided her to the door. He liked the way she moved, all smooth and lithe, her gait a match for his own. His mind flashed in an instant to how they would move together—on a dance floor, between the sheets of his extra wide bed. Damn if he didn’t get a hard-on. He reminded himself that this wasn’t just about him. This was about keeping Zoe Warren away from his best friend.
Cord knew Jesse had been in touch with Hamm before Hamm’s tragic death. He also knew Jesse had been fired up about the guy. If Zoe figured that out, she’d likely put two and two together and make whatever the hell she wanted out of it. There was no way Jesse had killed Hamm. He might have been mad at the guy, but violence had never been Jesse’s style, not even when truly provoked.
They reached the truck, and he held her door for her. She brushed by so close he could smell the scent of her shampoo or whatever it was she’d used in her hair. It made him want to lean in and inhale more deeply. To touch her short black hair and see if he could tangle his fingers in it as he brought her face to his. He must have made a sound, because Zoe stopped midway getting into the truck.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Never better.”
“Hmm.”
She swung up, giving him an all-too-brief glimpse of her sweet butt showcased in dark denim. He closed the door firmly and went around to his side, all the while wondering what on earth he’d let himself in for.
The woman had an appetite, Cord observed admiringly as she tucked into a double beef burger with all the trimmings. He’d ordered the same for himself. He nodded at a few of the people he knew as they went by, but mostly his attention was on the woman seated opposite him in the booth.
“Nice place, even better food,” Zoe said when she finished her first bite.
