Cade had done some checking into her background before making the drive down to Phosphor. He’d discovered she was the best at what she did. She’d written several books, and universities around the world courted her and through the Stonegate Agency she consulted for law enforcement officials all over the world. She was the superstar of the forensic anthropology field.
“Normally, in a case like your father’s, I identify the remains and then one of the detectives from our agency would take over the case to track down the murderer.”
Cade had a feeling he knew where this was going. “You’re worried you don’t have the right skill set to solve this.”
“Yes and no.” She twirled a fry. “I’ve been with the Stonegate Agency for some time now, and I’ve picked up a great deal from my friends. But I’ve never followed through on a case completely on my own.”
“So why not assign the case to someone else?”
Patience shook her head. “There is no one else right now. We’re short staffed in Austin as it is while some of our associates are away working around the world. It would be weeks, possibly months before one of the detectives could take on anything new. I felt like your father was long overdue for some peace, and I wanted to give that to him. And to your family.”
Every time he thought of the word murder he had to pause to consider what it really meant. He had a lot of apologizing to do to the heavens for the many horrendous things he’d said through the years about his dad.
“As far as I’m concerned we couldn’t have anyone better than you helping our family.”
Patience sucked in a breath of surprise, her cheeks becoming a light shade of pink. “Why do you say that?”
“You’re passionate about this or you wouldn’t have taken time away from your lab and other cases.” He wanted to ask her why this was so important to her, but something told him this wasn’t the right time. It was more a hunch than anything, but he also saw sadness in her eyes. “You mentioned at your office that the sheriff would be overseeing the investigation, so I’m not totally understanding the problem.”
She grinned.
Cade shifted in his seat like a nervous schoolboy with a crush.
“I promise you I will do everything I can to find who did this. They have to pay for what they did to your family.”
Cade was grateful someone cared enough to even try. It couldn’t be easy solving a twenty-year-old murder. “Well, I’ll be here to help you, so we can cover twice the ground at the same time. I do have to run out to the ranch every once in a while to see how things are going.”
“The ranch?”
“Yeah, a couple of months ago I hired a foreman to run my family’s old place. We bought some cattle and he’s got the barn on the east side up and running. I promised to help him with the fences while I was here, and fixing up the old barn near the house. But my dad comes first. That is if you want me.”
WANT HIM? PATIENCE WANTED to tie him up in a bow like a present and feast on him for weeks. She couldn’t remember the last time her libido had been this fully engaged. He wasn’t her normal brand of “man candy,” as her friends liked to say, but then what was normal? She hadn’t been on an official date in years.
Technically he was a client and she had to behave.
Katie broke the rule and she survived quite nicely.
Katie, one of Stonegate’s best detectives, lived in London with her hot professor boyfriend. They’d met when Katie was protecting him. So maybe the rule wasn’t so hard and fast after all.
The last thing Patience needed was romantic complications. It would take all her concentration and resources to find the murderer. Her gut told her it would be best to stay away from the handsome cowboy.
“I don’t want you to take time away from the ranch, it sounds like it’s important to you.” She popped another French fry in her mouth. She’d have to run two or three miles to keep half of her lunch from landing on her hips.
“Oh, it’s no problem. I’d planned on spending as much time as I can with you.”
Patience’s head snapped up. Did he say he wanted to spend time with her? From the moment they’d met in her office she’d experienced an inexplicable pull toward him. Had he felt the same?
“Helping with the case that is,” he finished.
Her hopes sank. “Of course.” She waved a hand to the waitress for the check.
“Ah, honey it’s on the house,” the waitress told her. “You got our Cade back to town, so I feel like we owe ya one.” She leaned down and kissed Cade’s cheek, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Something strange came over Patience and it took a second for her to realize her clenched fist might be a sign of jealousy. It wasn’t an emotion she knew. There had never been anyone in her life to feel jealous about.
Interesting.
The scientist part of her brain wanted to explore the implications, but the woman in her was freaked out by her response.
Cade stood and gave the waitress a big bear hug.
Patience’s stomach twisted into one huge knot.
“Charli, you are the best cousin ever, but I told you that’s no way to run a business.” He plopped a twenty down on the table. “You can’t be giving the goods away for free.”
“That ain’t what you told all those girls in high school.” She let out a loud laugh, but she didn’t give him the money back.
Cousin? They were family.
“You keep this one,” she said, pointing to Cade, “on the straight and narrow. Don’t get his temper up or he’s ornery as a hornet’s nest on the first day of spring.”
He made a ring motion above the top of his head indicating a halo. “Don’t listen to her. I’m a complete angel.” He fluttered his eyelashes angelically. “She’s the one with the temper. Just ask her brother Jason. He woke up bald one morning because he said her boyfriend looked like a bean pole.”
Charli slapped him on the hip with the rag. “Now don’t you be tellin’ tales.” The other woman smiled at Patience. “But trust me that boy deserved it.”
They all laughed. This man was the exact opposite of the one she had met at her office. She couldn’t believe she thought him so cold and calculated. He was down-to-earth and relaxed. And she could see he had a great respect for his family.
Over at the courthouse, everyone seemed to have kind words for Cade. There were many cheerful hellos and pats on the back welcoming him to town. When she’d entered the first time she’d been completely ignored, except for the occasional curious glance.
“They’re so much more friendly toward you,” she said as they walked down the long staircase to the basement.
“What do you mean?” He helped her push open the large wooden door protecting the old records.
“When I first arrived, some of them looked at me like I was an exhibit at the zoo.”
“Ah, well, they’ll warm up to you soon enough. Everyone around here is cautious of strangers,” he said as he held the door open for her.
“Like those men at the diner?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure what’s going on with them. I’ll have a talk with them later.”
There was no sense making more trouble. “Don’t bother. That was probably their way of protecting their town from an outside threat. Though why they see me that way makes no sense.”
“With those three there’s