Beau’s arm flew up in surprise but it was too late to block the blow. His cheek stung and anger tightened every muscle in his body. As she stood in front of him, Cassidy’s dark eyes flashed with fury.
Beau gritted his teeth to control his temper and took a step forward, forcing her back into the living room.
He slammed the door behind him. “Why the hell did you just hit me? And your reason better be good.”
She didn’t back down, didn’t show a trace of fear. Instead her pretty mouth curved in a hard-edged smile. “I know why you came to Pleasant Hill.”
“Is that right? Well, don’t keep me guessing.”
“That girl, Missy Kessler. She’s pregnant.”
He nodded. “Very pregnant. So what? How is that any business of yours?”
“It’s motive, Beau. Missy’s just a kid. You took advantage and got her pregnant. When you came over that day, you and your father started fighting about it. The fight got out of hand and in a fit of rage, you picked up the letter opener and stabbed him to death.”
He closed his eyes, trying to block the terrible image ofhis father on the floor, his chest soaked in blood. “That’s what you think happened?”
Her expression didn’t change. “Isn’t it?”
“My father had already been stabbed when I walked into the study. But you’re right, we did have a fight about the baby—the daybeforehe died. And it wasn’t about my being the father. Missy’s baby is my half sister. My father is her dad.”
Silence fell in the room. The blood drained from Cassidy’s face. “Oh, my God.”
“I got him to agree to give Josie Kessler full custody so she and her daughter could raise the child together.”
“You . . . you offered to give her money,” she said. “You wanted to help her.”
“That’s right. I told Josie I’d pay the expenses, make sure the child and her mom were taken care of properly. I came back to the house the next day to get the custody papers signed. Missy didn’t want anyone to know, so I kept quiet about it. I guess it’s too late for that now.”
Cassidy bit her lip. Her eyes were dark with regret, but there was something more. She reached up and gently set her palm over the red mark on his cheek. “I’m so sorry, Beau. I’ve never done anything like that before. I don’t know what happened.”
He caught her wrist, holding her hand in place against his cheek, feeling the soft throb of her pulse beneath his fingers. “Maybe you were starting to like me, maybe even trust me. Then you heard about Missy and you thought I’d let you down.” He let go of her wrist and she eased her hand away, but her eyes remained on his. “I didn’t kill my father, Cassidy. And if you trust me, I won’t let you down.”
She stared at him a few seconds more, then turned and walked over to the window. Sunlight glinted on her thick dark curls and he noticed the fine ruby strands running through them. His cheek still stung where she had slappedhim. She was passionate and beautiful and in that moment, he realized how much he wanted her.
She turned to face him. “It won’t matter to the police. It’s still motive, Beau. You and your father could still have been fighting about the baby. You could have gotten so angry you picked up the letter opener and killed him.”
Beau started shaking his head. “I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill my father.”
Cassidy walked back to him, stood right in front of him. “I believe you. Over the years, I’ve learned to trust my instincts. I should have done that this time. I won’t jump to conclusions again.” And then she did something completely unexpected. She went up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss on his lips.
Heat burned through him. Lust hit him so hard his whole body tightened. He reached for her but Cassidy stepped away.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I let my attraction to you cloud my judgment. I won’t do it again.”
It took all his control not to cross the distance between them and haul her into his arms. His hand fisted as he fought for control. “I want you,” he said. “I have since the moment I saw you in my father’s study. That day, I did the same thing you did—I misjudged the situation because of the attraction I felt for you. Now that we’ve cleared the air, we can—”
“No.” She shook her head, shifting those dark curls around her shoulders, making him ache to grab a fistful and drag her mouth back to his for a deeper, far different kind of kiss.
“That isn’t going to happen, Beau. We need to stay focused. I’m not sure you realize the trouble you’re in. So far you’re the primary suspect. Until we find the real killer, that isn’t going to change.”
“There isn’t any evidence, Cassidy. There never will be because I didn’t do it.”
“You’re on their radar. You had method and opportunity. The police will find out about Missy and that’ll give you motive. We need to find the killer. We have to if you’re going to clear your name.”
Since she was right, he didn’t argue. But now he had two objectives. One was to find the man who had murdered his dad. The other was far more personal. It had nothing to do with murder and everything to do with Cassidy Jones.
* * *
