bad he’s a jerk.
Shoving her hair up into a ponytail, she moved toward the boxes, grateful experienced agency detectives Shannon and Katie had given her advice on where to start. No one seemed to know who owned the land where the bones were discovered. Finding the answer was her first assignment on the well-ordered plan she’d devised.
“More than likely, no one wants to lay claim because they are worried about the consequences,” Katie had informed her. “Some of the records may be really old, and property lines shift all the time. When land is inherited or sold and the surveyors don’t know what they’re doing, anything can happen. There have been cases where fifty years later a farmer discovers part of the land he’s been working on most of his life, isn’t his. Disputes over land, especially in Texas, are a big deal. It’s a good place to start.”
Lifting the lid on the first box, dust assaulted Patience. She sneezed, and reached for a tissue in her bag. Evidently, people didn’t hang out in the Phosphor records room very often. The whole place could use a vacuum and about a hundred dust rags. Patience had a slight case of OCD and preferred her spaces neat and tidy. She kept her labs pristine, and she wasn’t a fan of moldy smelling dustbins like the basement.
Pulling out an armful of files she sat down at the long table and began to peruse them. For three hours she sat searching for one mention of the property in question. She didn’t find a thing.
Her first day in town, and she was doing not so great. Frustrated, Patience returned everything to its proper place and put the lids back on the boxes.
Way to go, detective.
Her friends made it look so easy.
Glancing at her watch she realized it had been several hours since she’d eaten.
Guess it’s time to check out the Bluebonnet Café.
She’d seen the establishment across the street when she parked in front of the courthouse. It was almost one and when she entered the café she could tell it had been a busy afternoon. Dishes were stacked high in a big tub behind the counter, and the waitresses were wiping down all the tables and refilling salt and pepper shakers.
“Hey, darlin’, why don’t you take that booth in the corner, we’ve got that one cleaned up for you,” said the waitress with a long brunette ponytail, jeans and a pink T-shirt that read “Shut up and eat.”
Patience nodded her thanks and walked toward the back. A group of older gentlemen sat at a center table. They looked like regulars, and she wondered if maybe she should try to talk to them to see if they knew who owned the property. But food was her first priority.
The menu was on the table, and from the delicious smells in the kitchen she had a feeling the selections were comfort food greatness. She ordered a cheese-burger, fries and lemonade. She thought seriously about a piece of coconut cake, before deciding the burger and fries would do enough damage.
She didn’t mind her curves, unless they made her jeans too tight, which was why she usually stuck to meat, vegetables and fruit.
The waitress delivered her lunch, and Patience gasped. The hamburger was almost as big as the plate. Even with her appetite she would barely make a dent in the food.
A shadow crossed in front of her table. Patience glanced up to see three of the men from the other table standing over her.
“Hello.” Patience was curious as to why they were there.
“Heard ya was over at the courthouse digging into property records,” the oldest man said. He wore a dark gray hat, jeans and his skin was so leathery it didn’t look real. His nearly black eyes were downright hostile, as was his tone.
“I might have been,” Patience ventured. She didn’t know what they were up to, but she refused to be intimidated. “I’m not sure how it concerns you, one way or the other.” Her right eyebrow rose. She’d dealt with bullies all of her life, she could handle a couple of rednecks in a Podunk town.
“Quite a mouth you got there,” said the youngest of the three, who was probably somewhere around fifty, though it was hard to tell with his black hat pulled down over his face so low she couldn’t see his eyes. He leaned forward.
Patience refused to move, holding her chin even higher.
“Reckon you should keep to your own business and leave our town alone,” the man threatened.
“I reckon you should leave my friend Patience there alone,” said a voice from the doorway of the café. There was a silhouette of a man who wore a cowboy hat, white shirt, boots and jeans, but she couldn’t see his face.
“Her business is my business,” he continued, “and I don’t appreciate you making threats to my friends.”
The older man held his hands up in surrender.
“Just looking after the town, Cade. We don’t like nosey folk in our business.”
Cade walked to the table and Patience had to forcibly shut her mouth with her hand. The man had been sexy in his suit, but in these jeans, he was nothing less than smokin’ hot, as her boss, Mariska, the owner of Stonegate, would say.
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Hey, there. Everything okay?”
His lips scorched her skin, and she couldn’t breathe.
She nodded.
Cade slid into the other side of the booth. “I see you ordered enough for the both of us.” He gave her a dazzling smile.
She willed her mouth to work, but it didn’t. Though her heartbeat did double-time.
Cade glanced at the men. “Moses, Jim, Ralph, I’m sure you have better things to do than watch us eat.” He smiled but his tone implied they should leave quickly.
Up until six weeks ago when he came to town to check on his land at his grandmother’s request, it had been two years since Cade had been in Phosphor to visit his family. Not much had changed. For the most part the townspeople were friendly, but these old characters were the exception.
The men stared at him, but eventually backed away, mumbling as they left the café.
Cade jumped up to grab an empty plate from the waitress, and ordered a sweet tea.
Patience remembered the last time she’d seen him. He was like some kind of Jekyll and Hyde—a mind-bendingly sexy Jekyll and Hyde.
“Thanks,” she said finally. “I could have handled them on my own.”
Cade nodded. “I’m sure you could. But I don’t like aggressive types, especially ones who pick on beautiful women.”
He called her beautiful. No one had ever said that about her. The man was a flirt.
She cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?”
Cade took her fork and knife and cut the hamburger in half. Then he scooped a handful of fries and put everything on his plate.
“I’m taking your dare.”
2
