CHAPTER TWENTY

C AIN DROVE THE STEEP ROAD BACK UP THE HILL TO J EROME . I T WAS starting to rain, a rhythmic patter against the windshield that continued to build, forcing him to turn on the wipers. He was glad Leslie Owens seemed to be on the mend, but Jenny's talk with the woman hadn't gone the way he'd hoped.

He flicked a sideways glance to where Jenny sat rigidly in the passenger seat. "Tell me what you're thinking."

Jenny shifted to look at him. "You heard what Leslie Owens said. Brian's attack was completely out of character. She said it was like he was a totally different man."

"Leslie said she and Brian had only known each other a short time. Takes a while to know what a person is capable of, and Chief Nolan told us he had a criminal record."

"No assault, nothing like that. He didn't say attempted murder or any other violent offense."

"True, but Leslie admitted Brian had been drinking."

"A little more than normal. They had just started dating, and Brian was nervous. That doesn't account for his totally erratic behavior. The thing is, Leslie's story is very close to what Mary Dennison wrote in the journal."

"And?" Cain pressed, knowing there was more going on in that pretty head than Jenny had told him so far.

"And both couples were staying in room ten."

Irritation trickled through him. "Tell me you don't think your uncle closed that section of the hotel because there was a demon in room ten."

"I don't know why he did it. I don't even remember exactly when it happened. I was a teenager back then. I'm betting it wasn't long after the incident Mary wrote about in the journal."

"So you're going to . . . ? What? Close part of the hotel down again because some nut tried to strangle his girlfriend and instead wound up dead?"

"What if being in that room is the reason Brian Santana died?"

Cain's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Surely, you aren't blaming yourself."

"I opened that section of the hotel. I wanted to make more money. Maybe by doing that, I put people in danger." And Brian ended up dead were the unspoken words.

"Keep talking that way, and you're going to wind up in a humdinger of a lawsuit."

"Maybe I deserve it."

"Bullshit." Cain forced himself under control. "Be reasonable, honey. Whatever happened between Leslie Owens and Brian Santana was not your fault. Even if there is something evil in the room that affected Brian's behavior, you weren't aware of it."

Jenny fell silent. As the car rolled along, a bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, zigzagging toward the horizon. "I'm going to close down room ten. I probably should close the whole section the way Uncle Charlie did, but—"

"But if you want to stay in business, the hotel has to support itself. That's just the way it is." Cain pulled into town, but didn't stop in front of the Copper Star, just continued up Main Street, turned on Hill, and drove toward the Grandview.

"It's getting late," Jenny said.

"You have to eat. Even if Opal's gone home, there's plenty of food in the kitchen." He flashed her a look. "I've been a bachelor for a long time. I'm not a half-bad cook."

Cain pulled the truck to a stop in the parking lot behind the hotel and turned off the engine.

"I don't have any clean clothes."

"You can change when you get back to the Copper Star in the morning."

"I'm not in the best mood," Jenny said. "Are you sure you want me to stay?"

Cain's gaze touched on her sweet curves, and his groin tightened. He wanted her. He couldn't seem to get enough. He also wanted her safe. "We'll eat first, then go to bed. I guarantee I can put you in a better mood."

For the first time that evening, Jenny laughed.

* * *

Warmed by the sunlight spilling in through the curtains, Jenny awoke early the next morning. The storm had passed during the night, but bad weather was expected to return this week. She glanced around Cain's bedroom. Though it was barely seven o'clock, Cain was already gone.

Jenny yawned as she climbed out of bed. A quick shower, and she would head back to the Copper Star. She needed to make sure everything was running smoothly before she returned to the Grandview that afternoon.

She smiled to think that Cain had kept his word. She hadn't gotten as much sleep as she needed, but after his skillful lovemaking, she was definitely in better spirits than she had been when she had left Leslie Owens's hospital room last night. Better spirits. Smiling at the pun, she headed for the bathroom.

Her smile faded as her thoughts returned to the murder in room 10. She hadn't had a chance to talk to Nell, but she planned to, and she would rather do it when she came back that afternoon. She didn't want Cain's grandmother speculating any further about Jenny's involvement with her grandson.

Her hair still a little damp from the shower, she grabbed her purse, slung the strap over her shoulder, and headed for Cain's private elevator. She needed to get back home and change into clean clothes. She wasn't secure enough to leave any of her personal belongings in Cain's suite. Neither of them had any idea how long they would be together.

The thought tugged at something inside her.

The elevator opened on the bottom floor, and Jenny pushed through the door leading out to the rear parking lot, hoping to leave unseen.

Instead, when she walked out, she spotted Cain talking to a lean, black-haired man standing next to a black SUV. She thought about ducking back into the hotel, but it was too late.

Cain waved and strode toward her. He smiled. "Trying to escape?"

As always, the man was far too perceptive. "I need to get to work. I'll be back this afternoon."

Cain nodded, but a trace of amusement touched his lips. "A friend of mine just showed up. I'd like you to meet him." Urging her forward, he led her over to the man standing next to the SUV.

"Jenny Spencer, meet Nick Faraday. Nick's a private investigator. He's been trying to help me find Sun King—and the people who stole him."

She didn't miss the edge in Cain's voice. He wasn't used to being thwarted, even by a band of thieves.

"Nice to meet you, Nick," she said.

"You too, Jenny. I understand you own the Copper Star."

She didn't ask how he knew. He worked for Cain as a private investigator. "It's been in my family for a number of years."

Nick didn't mention the murder, though it had been all over the local and not-so-local news. Jenny wondered if Cain had asked him to look into it. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

"Nick stopped by on his way to Flagstaff." Cain turned to his friend. "Sure you don't have time to come in for a cup of coffee?"

Nick shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm going to be late as it is." He was a good-looking man, the muscles filling out the sleeves of his olive-drab T-shirt making it clear he stayed in shape.

"You were bringing me up to speed on the stolen horses," Cain reminded him, putting the conversation back on track.

Nick nodded. "The two Morgan geldings stolen from the Four Winds Ranch turned up at a rural property in Winslow. The owner called the authorities. County sheriff got involved, saw the horses on a stolen property report, and had them returned to the ranch."

"So they're back at the Four Winds."

"That's right."

"Which leaves one of the Branch Creek quarter horses and Sun King still missing."

Nick just nodded. "Did you have any luck with your computer people?"

"I spoke to Matt Reasoner in my Scottsdale office on Friday. He's still digging around, but so far he hasn't found any online searches that connect the three ranches."

"So nobody searching for info on valuable horses in Yavapai County," Nick said.

"Doesn't look that way."

Nick's gaze locked with Cain's. "You realize none of this is making any sense. Thieves steal a bunch of valuable horses, then let them go? How does that work?"

Cain's jaw looked tight. "Maybe after the thieves took them, they found out how hard it is to sell high-value, registered livestock. Without their papers, the animals aren't worth much more than any other horses. Maybe they figured it was better to get rid of them than end up going to jail."

"Could be," Nick said. "Or could be stealing the others was simply a distraction. Your stallion is the most valuable horse by far. While the police are spreading themselves thin searching for a bunch of far-less-expensive livestock, Sun King could be on his way to Mexico."

"Or Saudi Arabia," Jenny added, and both men turned to look at her. "A couple of weeks ago, I read an article online that said horses are a major part of the Arab culture. They're willing to pay just about anything to own the very best."

"Sun King isn't for sale," Cain said.

"Exactly," Jenny said.

"She's got a point," Nick agreed. "Once the horse is out of the country, selling him wouldn't be nearly as much of a problem. Or the thieves might already have had a buyer lined up."

Cain ran a hand over his jaw. "Well, something's sure as hell going on."

"I'll keep after it," Nick said. He climbed into the SUV. "Again, nice to meet you, Jenny."

"You as well, Nick."

Nick fired the engine, put the vehicle in gear, and the SUV began to roll down the hill.

"I have to get back in time to change for work." Jenny adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder.

Cain frowned. "Why don't you leave a few things here? You don't have to carry stuff back and forth every day."

It wasn't a good idea, and both of them knew it.

"You work here," Cain continued. "It's not a problem."

He was just being practical, Jenny thought. And it really would be more convenient. "All right."

Cain bent his head and lightly kissed her. "I'll see you later." There was something warm in his eyes . . . something besides the desire that made the gold in them glitter.

Jenny nodded and set off down the hill.