“She’s got a point,” Nick agreed. “Once the horse is out of the country, selling him wouldn’t be nearly as much of a problem. Or the thieves might already have had a buyer lined up.”
Cain ran a hand over his jaw. “Well, something’s sure as hell going on.”
“I’ll keep after it,” Nick said. He climbed into the SUV. “Again, nice to meet you, Jenny.”
“You as well, Nick.”
Nick fired the engine, put the vehicle in gear, and the SUV began to roll down the hill.
“I have to get back in time to change for work.” Jenny adjusted the purse strap on her shoulder.
Cain frowned. “Why don’t you leave a few things here? You don’t have to carry stuff back and forth every day.”
It wasn’t a good idea, and both of them knew it.
“You work here,” Cain continued. “It’s not a problem.”
He was just being practical, Jenny thought. And it really would be more convenient. “All right.”
Cain bent his head and lightly kissed her. “I’ll see you later.” There was something warm in his eyes . . . something besides the desire that made the gold in them glitter.
Jenny nodded and set off down the hill.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THEGRANDVIEW WAS BUZZING WITH ITS USUAL CONTROLLED CHAOSwhen Jenny returned. Carpenters working, deliveries arriving, FedEx and UPS fighting to make their way up the narrow road that led to the hotel at the top of the hill.
Jenny glanced around, but saw no sign of Cain, who undoubtedly was working. You didn’t make the kind of money Cain was worth by being a slacker.
Jenny spent the first couple of hours finishing the lists of kitchen and bar supplies that still needed to be ordered. Then Millicent showed up, and they continued making plans for the grand-opening party. Which was turning into more work than either of them had anticipated, but was also exciting and something they were both looking forward to.
She and Millicent were getting along much better than she had expected. Cain’s proprietary attitude toward Jenny made it clear where his affections lay—at least for the time being. Millicent seemed resigned. Or maybe she was just planning to wait until Cain began looking for a replacement.
Jenny felt a soft pang at the notion. She sighed. Whatever happened, happened. In the meantime, she was going to enjoy the time she spent with Cain.
By late afternoon, Millicent had left for the Airbnb she was renting at the edge of town while the hotel was being completed, an old, remodeled wood-frame house built in the early 1900s. Jenny wondered if there were any ghosts in the house, but didn’t think it was a good idea to ask.
Her thoughts went to the murder in room 10. She needed to speak to Nell, hear what the older woman had to say. Cain had asked Jenny to join him and Nell for supper, but Jenny didn’t want to bring up the subject in front of Cain.
At five o’clock, she went back to the Copper Star to check on the Sunday-evening crowd, but the weather was turning bad, and as the fall days shortened, the customers began to thin. The weekend was over, the hotel only half full. The crime scene had been released, but so far no one had been booked into the new wing of the hotel.
Unfortunately, that would soon change. The end of October was the annual Jerome Halloween Party, the biggest day of the year for the tiny town. The hotel was completely booked—except for room 10. Everyone from miles around would be showing up dressed as ghosts and goblins.
This year, Jenny wasn’t looking forward to it.
Satisfied everything was running smoothly, she went upstairs to her suite. The door had been replaced after Ryder’s attack, and the room was clean, everything back in order. Still, she felt uneasy whenever she was in there. Maybe she should move to a different room.
Or maybe not. No way was she letting a creep like Ryder Vance intrude into her life, her world. She’d stay right where she was, she decided, as she packed enough clean clothes to last a few days, extra makeup and toiletries that she could leave at the Grandview, then went in to shower and dress for her dinner with Cain and his grandmother.
Instead of her usual jeans and flannel shirt, she chose a black knit sheath dress accented with simple gold jewelry. A text message arrived just as she was ready to leave.
Cain’s note said he would be picking her up. Good, she wouldn’t have to haul her carry-on up the hill, hoping no one would see her heading for Cain’s private elevator. Hurriedly putting on her heels, she descended the stairs to the lobby, then wheeled her bag through the door out to the sidewalk.
Cain was already there, his gorgeous Jag parked at the curb. He got out and came around to take her bag and open the door, looking magnificent in a navy sport coat and tan slacks.
“What happened to your pickup?” Jenny asked, ignoring the little leap her heart took as he settled her in the passenger seat.
“I have to go to my office in Scottsdale for a meeting in the morning. I had one of the ranch hands drive the Jag up and exchange it for the truck.”
