His deep voice softened, rolled over her like a caress. “This deal isn’t just about money, Carly. It’s about friendship. Mine and Joe’s. Look at the paperwork, give yourself some time to think it over, then call me. My card is in the envelope.”
Carly slid the paperwork back to him. “I’m not interested. I appreciate whatever it is you think you’re doing, but I’m not selling. Drake Trucking is not for sale.”
He studied her for several long moments. “You’re not what I expected,” he said softly, making a little curl of heat slip into her stomach. Picking up the papers, he put them back in his briefcase and closed the lid.
He pulled a card out of his inside coat pocket and set it down on the table. “If you need anything, call me. It’s what your grandfather would want.” Grabbing the handle of the briefcase, he turned and walked out of the room.
As soon as the door closed behind him, Carly sagged down in the chair. Her hands were trembling. A shaky breath whispered out. Just being in the same room with Cain made her nervous.
She hoped he wouldn’t come back again.
Chapter Three
Iron Springs was a small, typical East Texas town, with a long main street, slant parking in front of the stores, and several side streets, each a few blocks long.
The businesses were mostly flat-roofed, false-fronted buildings that hadn’t changed much in the last hundred years. The most memorable feature of the town was the courthouse, a massive, gray and red stone structure with turrets and arched windows that looked like a combination Victorian mansion and something out of a Harry Potter movie.
Just for the hell of it, Cain drove past the building that morning, felt the pull of a smile at the fantastical architecture. He slowed to a stop in front of a crosswalk, waited for two gray-haired women and a kid on a beat-up bicycle. People were already out, even this early on a Saturday.
He continued down the road, not looking forward to the conversation he meant to have, pulled the big GMC up in front of a plain beige, single-story structure. As he turned off the engine, a white Ford-150 with the Drake dark blue bird-in-flight logo on the door pulled in and parked a few spaces away.
He recognized the pretty blonde who stepped down from the cab andstarted toward the office. She was wearing jeans and sneakers, a soft coral blouse that showed the shape of her breasts. Since she was Joe’s granddaughter, he tried not to notice how perfectly they suited her feminine curves, or the way her stretch jeans drew his eye to her long legs and perfect ass.
When he started getting hard, he silently cursed.
It didn’t take long to catch up with her, just outside the front door.
“Morning, Carly. I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
She turned to face him, took in his brown slacks and yellow Oxford shirt. He considered telling her he was dressed for a video conference call or he’d be in jeans, but didn’t.
“I thought you’d be in Dallas,” she said. “You live there, right? What are you doing in Iron Springs?”
“I’ve got a condo in Dallas. I like to spend my weekends at the ranch as often as possible.”
“I see.” For whatever reason, she didn’t look happy to know he was that close by.
“You’re here to see the sheriff ?” he asked.
“That’s right. I’ve called him a dozen times, but I never get any answers. I thought maybe if I came in person it would force him to tell me what’s going on.”
Linc thought of Emmett Howler and ignored the bad taste in his mouth. “Maybe if we talk to him together he’ll get off his ass and find the men who killed Miguel Hernandez.”
“That’s why you’re here?” she asked, clearly surprised. She was really sexy, more cute than beautiful like a lot of the women he dated. With a few pale freckles across her nose, eyebrows a little darker than her long blond hair, top lip slightly bowed, a little fuller on the bottom.
His groin stirred for the second time that morning.Sonofabitch. “That’s right. I’m here to see Howler, just like you.”
“You were at the funeral. I should have realized Miguel was a friend.”
“Miguel was a friend of your grandfather’s. Joe would want his killers brought to justice. I plan to make sure that happens.”
“Why? I know you worked for him a long time ago, but—”
“Your grandfather gave me a job when no one else would. He stuck up for me when the whole damn world had turned against me. If it hadn’t been for Joe . . .” He shook his head. “If you’re really interested, we’ll talk about it sometime.”
Before she could press him for more, he reached for the door and pulled it open, held it so Carly could walk past him into the office.
She cast him a this-isn’t-over glance as she sailed on by and he almost smiled. She wanted to know more about Joe. He liked that. She really was different from what he’d expected.
