her. He wore a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes, but Pike could see that he was staring at Sierra’s seductive shape just as intently as Pike had. The man seemed to become aware of Pike’s gaze and he put his hand up to his eyes and veered away as though embarrassed to be caught staring. Pike could have assured him just about any man would have ogled a bit.
“Sierra Hyde?” Pike said, stepping forward. She turned as though just becoming aware of him, pocketed her phone and maintained eye contact as Pike approached. He tried to see himself through her eyes and wondered what conclusions she might be making about him. He could only hope they were as flattering as the ones he’d drawn about her.
“You must be Pike,” she said, holding out her hand and shaking his with a firm, no-nonsense grip. “My phone works,” she added.
“Wait until we get out in the middle of nowhere,” he said with a smile.
“No doubt. Funny how dependent we get on our gadgets.”
Tess had said her sister was a private eye and he bet she was good at what she did. She didn’t look as though she’d tolerate being anything but good.
“Let me help you with that,” he said, reaching for her suitcase. “Please, go ahead and take a seat.”
She seemed almost reluctant to let him help, but did as he asked. He deposited the suitcase in the back of the SUV as she climbed into the passenger seat. “Did you have a nice flight?” he asked as he pulled away from the curb. She had turned to look back at the terminal and took a second to look forward again. Was there something back there? He glanced into his rearview mirror and saw nothing but a sea of cars. “Is everything okay?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, avoiding eye contact. “And my flight was fine. How is Tess?”
“Pretty miserable,” he said.
“Has she told you anything?”
“No. But I was referring to her head cold as well as her emotional state.”
“She hasn’t even said where she went after she left home all of a sudden?”
“Not a thing. I only heard from her once in all that time and that was right before Christmas. She texted me but never responded when I texted her back.”
“That’s about the same thing that happened to me, too,” Sierra said. “But I’m surprised she tuned you out. I know you’ve done your best to visit her every few months and get along with her dad. She even came out to your ranch once or twice, right?”
“Yes. And I’ve flown to LA. She’s a nice kid who seemed to get lost in the shuffle.”
Sierra nodded, the assessing look back in her eyes. “Frankly, I’m surprised she wants me to come at all. She’s been angry with me for years.”
“I wouldn’t take it personally. She’s just kind of confused. And I, for one, am very glad you’re here,” he added. “I can tell she’s scared of something, but she insists she wants to talk to both of us. I was hoping you two had made some inroads with each other.”
“I wanted her to come stay in New York with me after our mom died,” Sierra said, “but Doug was her legal guardian and he insisted she stay with him in LA. There wasn’t much I could do about it. I think Tess thought I didn’t want her. And I don’t know... I was about eighteen at the time and she was what, six or seven? I’d seen little of her since before she started kindergarten. I tried to stay in touch but after her dad hooked up with that woman—” She paused and cast him a quick look. “Sorry, I forgot for a second that Mona is your mother.”
“I’m under no illusions when it comes to my mother,” he assured her. “She left about five minutes after I was born and never looked back. Don’t worry about offending me.”
“Well, in that case, let’s just say Mona got caught up in what was left of Doug’s Hollywood glamour. She didn’t want Tess around, or me, either, for that matter. Unfortunately, Doug is about as perceptive as a cantaloupe. Tess was problematic and he dealt with it by ignoring her. Those two people are hopeless as parents, but I’m still surprised that they didn’t do more to find her when she walked out in October.”
“Mom said that Tess stormed off in that car Doug bought her. She was eighteen, legally an adult. I think it was easier for both Mom and Doug to throw up their hands. And you have to remember this was right after Mona caught good old Doug fooling around at his restaurant and kicked him out. When Tess left the next day I think Mona said good riddance to both of them.” He shook his head. “People, right? Give me a horse any day.”
She studied him for a second and he glanced at her. “Something wrong?”
“No, nothing. I’ve just never met...well, someone like you before.”
“Someone like me,” he mused. “What does that mean?”
“You’re a cowboy.”
He flashed her a smile. “What gave it away? The hat, the boots, the saddle in the back? Or maybe it’s the subtle whiff of cow lingering in the air?”
“All of the above,” she said, but her voice revealed she knew he was teasing her. “Of course, in my line of work it pays to be observant.”
“And I bet you don’t miss much.”
“I’m not sure if I do or not. Exactly how far into the middle of nowhere is your ranch located?” she added as they left the Boise city limits.
“About two hours north of here.” He was aware of her disappointment upon hearing that. “Listen, there’s not all that much to see between here and there,” he added. “Why don’t you close your eyes for a while so you’ll be fresh when we get there?”
“I couldn’t do that,” she said.
“Why not?”
She shrugged lovely shoulders. The gesture seemed out of character for her, like a tiny little beachhead of uncertainty. “It would seem, I don’t know, too familiar, I guess.”
“Don’t worry. If you snore I won’t tell a soul.”
“I do not snore,” she said.
He smiled at her. “Go ahead. Close your eyes. I’ll turn on the radio so I can’t hear any little snorts or grunts—”
“I don’t snort or grunt, either,” she said, but this time she laughed. “Okay, I’ll try to get a little sleep. My eyes feel like sandpaper. Wake me up before we’re actually there, okay? I’d like to orient myself.”
“Sure thing.” He fiddled with the FM station until he found easy listening music that shouldn’t keep her awake, but realized almost instantly it would take a brass marching band to accomplish that. One second she was sitting kind of stiffly in her seat, tilted cautiously toward the window, and the next her head had rolled forward until her chin touched her collarbone. She didn’t look all that comfortable, but he resisted the urge to shift her. Something told him she was not the kind of woman to touch, even innocently, while she slept.
* * *
SIERRA OPENED DOOR after door along a darkened hallway.
