“Looks that way.”
“Amazing how well our employees can get along without us.”
For the first time that day, Jenny smiled. “Kind of humiliating, really.”
Cain laughed. “True.”
They were standing in the opening between the lobby and bar. She needed to get back to work, but somehow couldn’t summon the energy.
“I have an idea,” Cain said. “It’s been a tough day, so I hope you’ll at least consider it.”
Jenny looked up at him. “Of course. How could I not after all you’ve done to help.”
“As you just said, the Star is chugging along just fine without you. You can’t do anything about the room upstairs until the police release the crime scene.”
“I hadn’t thought about that, but you’re right.”
“I think you should take the rest of the day off and all day tomorrow. You deserve it, and it’ll give me a chance to show you the ranch. We’ll drive up, spend the night, and I’ll show you around tomorrow. I’ll bring you back the next morning. What do you say?”
For a moment, Jenny just stared. “Just because I let you kiss me doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with you.”
Amusement lifted a corner of his mouth. “I’m not asking you to sleep with me. I’m asking you to visit my ranch as a guest. We won’t be alone. I have half a dozen ranch hands milling about, plus my housekeeper, Maria Delgado. You’ve already spent the night in my suite, in my bed. You were perfectly safe that night, and you’ll be perfectly safe this time.”
She couldn’t deny Cain had been a perfect gentleman. Still . . . Jenny felt torn between wariness and interest. “What about my work at the Grandview?”
“A couple of days won’t make any difference.”
She wanted to go. She was attracted to Cain Barrett as she hadn’t been to a man in years. It was dangerous, but also exciting to have piqued the interest of a man like Cain.
Say yes, a little voice prodded.
“You need to get away from this place for a while, and I think you know it,” Cain pressed. “A few days off will give you time to put things in perspective. If your people need you, you’ll only be an hour’s drive away.”
“What if Chief Nolan wants to talk to me about the murder?”
“As I said, you’ll only be an hour away.”
The last of her defenses faded. She smiled. “All right. Taking off for a couple of days sounds wonderful, and I would love to see your ranch.”
Being away from town, breathing fresh air out in the open desert—the appeal was overwhelming.
Jenny thought of what had happened in the room upstairs. At least for the rest of today and tomorrow, she could leave ghosts and murder behind.
* * *
Now that things were under control, Cain finally relaxed. The moment he had seen the EMTs and police arriving at the Copper Star, fear had gripped him. He’d been sure Ryder Vance had returned and attacked Jenny.
At six-foot-three and nearly two hundred pounds, not much scared Cain. Throw in dealing with the rough crowd he’d run with as a kid and the tough men who worked the mines, and fear was an odd sensation. He’d learned to overcome it years ago.
He’d been equally surprised at the relief he’d felt when he’d discovered Jenny wasn’t the victim. It made him realize how important she had become to him. It didn’t mean he had fallen madly in love with her. Hell, he wasn’t even sure he believed in love. It was just a bit of knowledge he would stash away to examine later.
In the meantime, he intended to enjoy her company for a couple of days while he showed her the ranch.
Cain waited at the bottom of the hotel stairs, while Jenny went up to pack a few things for the trip. A police officer escorted her past the yellow tape to her room, then stood in the hall until she was finished.
Once they were loaded into his big Dodge truck, Cain headed straight for Highway 89A. No need to stop at the Grandview. He kept plenty of clothes at the ranch.
“Might as well sit back and enjoy the ride,” he said as the truck rolled down the curvy mountain road. At that altitude, they were driving through timbered forest, down to the desert floor below.
