Then he straightened up, opened the door and got out, tossing her the keys, before he went inside.
Gina sat there, her entire equilibrium off-balance. What just happened? She traced her finger over her swollen bottom lip, trying to pull herself together. Trying to quell the ache between her legs.
The bastard had kissed and run and had left her…well, she wouldn’t say unsatisfied. That had been about the most satisfying kiss she’d ever had. But to just walk away like that…to just leave her in the car all hot and bothered…She had half a mind to go after him and demand that he finish the job.
She didn’t, of course. She had more pride than that. Instead, she went home and made ice cream, hoping it would cool her off.
Chapter 10
“You think it’s legit?” Sawyer stood at Cash’s table, staring at his laptop as his cousin studied the email.
“I think it’s a legitimate email. The question is whether the sender is legitimate.” Like Sawyer, Cash tried to reply to the message, only to have it bounce back.
“Is there a way to trace it?” No matter how many times Sawyer reminded himself to be skeptical, even to dismiss the email, something about it told him it was a trail to Angie.
“Maybe,” Cash said. “I’ll talk to a friend of mine from the Bureau, see what he can do.
“More than likely it was sent from a disposable email address or a burner. Lots of people are using them now when they sign up for things online to keep from getting spammed. If it’s a burner, it can probably be traced to the owner of the email address.” Jace leaned back on a dining room chair.
Cash poked Jace in the ribs. “You break that chair and Aubrey will break your legs.” They were supposed to be watching a baseball game while the women had their girls’ night at Jace’s place. Ellie was away at horse camp and the boys had gone on an overnight fishing trip with the family of one of Travis’s best friends.
“How is it that you’re so up on disposable email addresses and burners, anyway?” Cash asked Jace.
Sawyer wondered the same thing. There weren’t a lot of cybercrimes for a sheriff in Mill County.
“When Charlie filed her restraining order against that douchebag, Ainsley, I researched it.”
Last winter, Charlie had fled her abusive ex and had hidden out on Dry Creek Ranch, where Jace had fallen madly in love with her.
Sawyer was thrilled that both his cousins had found their soul mates, even if he felt like he was living inside a freaking romance novel. Then again, he had two gorgeous women in his life, who fussed over him.
Nothing wrong with that.
He subconsciously touched his lips with his finger, thinking about his and Gina’s kiss. On a scale of ten, the kiss had been a solid fifteen. It had taken all he had not to throw her over his shoulder, caveman style, and carry her up to his loft apartment. Not happening, he reminded himself. His mother would have a meltdown. The kiss was bad enough. And Gina…was a walking aneurism.
But despite it, he was attracted to her. A lot. Which was weird because she wasn’t even his type. Too high-maintenance, too much of a prima donna. How many times had she made disparaging remarks about Cash’s old cabin and the ranch?
The Clampetts.
The Daltons were noBeverly Hillbillies. The Clampetts had at least struck oil on their land.
“What if it’s a disposable?” Cash asked, bringing Sawyer back to the conversation at hand.
“Dunno,” Jace said. “That’s as far as I got. Don’t have to worry about it anymore.” His lips curled up into a self-satisfied grin. “Not now that Ainsley is doing life.”
They were all quiet for a few seconds, remembering one of the worst days in Jace and Charlie’s lives. Everyone had recovered, thanks to Jace. And against all odds, the lovebirds were getting married in October. The best time of year on the ranch. Warm days filled with light.
“Let me see what Ken can do in the computer forensic lab,” Cash said, breaking the silence. “He owes me a few favors. But Sawyer, my gut tells me this isn’t Angie. Why would she wait five years to contact you? Or any of us, for that matter. Yes, we all questioned her lifestyle choices. But no one, including her, questioned our love for her. She knew there wasn’t anything we wouldn’t do for her.”
Sawyer had thought the same thing himself when he’d first opened the email. Why now? Why after five years? But on further reflection, he was convinced that the note had something to do with him going to New Mexico and nosing around. He was getting closer to the truth about why his sister disappeared. And someone didn’t want him to. Those six boldfaced words—Stop searching for me. I’m safe—had to be Angie-related.
In all these years, he’d never lost hope. And that had to mean something.
“Then who?” Jace asked. “Who would’ve sent it and why?”
“Could it have something to do with a story you’re working on?” Cash got them all another round of beers from the fridge while the forgotten ball game played in the living room. Sawyer caught glimpses of it from the dining table.
Though the cabin’s layout was a carbon copy of Gina’s—same open floor plan—the similarities ended there. Aubrey’s magic decorator touch was stamped on every surface: From the refinished floors and brightly colored walls to the painted kitchen cabinets and sophisticated window treatments.
