Anger had her stepping back from him. “I understand why you had Faraday run a check on me, but don’t you think digging into my sex life is going a little too far?”
“I needed to know.”
“How would you like it if I did that to you? Dug into all your past affairs?”
“I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“Fine. From now on, if you want to know something about me, all you have to do is ask.”
“I already knew everything I needed to know about you before Faraday looked into your past.”
“You did?”
“I knew you were honest and kindhearted. I knew you were smart. I knew I wanted you badly. I still do.”
And then he kissed her, and Jenny was lost.
* * *
Cain left for Scottsdale early the following morning. He’d left Jenny sleeping, her curls spread over his pillow. Their supper the night before had been interesting, as he watched his grandmother and Jenny interact. Nell liked her. And Jenny liked Nell. They were easy together, as if they had known each other for years.
That was a good thing, Cain told himself. But he didn’t want it to change the dynamics between him and Jenny. He wasn’t sure where their relationship was headed. Hell, it had taken him a while just to admit they had one.
The truth was, they weren’t just dating. There were expectations between them. Fidelity, first and foremost. Jenny expected it from Cain, and Cain expected it from Jenny.
That was a first for him. He usually spent time with women who preferred to remain unattached. Who accepted that either of them could see other people. Commitments were something he had shied away from. Somehow, with Jenny, it had just happened.
The weird part was he liked it.
Cain spent the morning in meetings in the Scottsdale office. He met with his CEO, as well as the president of the company and several company VPs. Barrett Enterprises was planning to acquire Titan Transport, which built heavy equipment geared to the mining industry. Titan would be a valuable asset to the company.
After a hard day, they broke for a catered supper in the conference room, then worked for two more hours. It was eight p.m. when the last meeting ended.
Cain drove the Jag toward his house on North Pima off Hualapai Road. The three-acre property, part of Pima Acres, was surrounded by desert, the house a flat-roofed, ultra-modern structure with walls of glass and very high ceilings. With an interior done in white and black with light and dark gray accents, it was a beautiful home. Unfortunately, it felt as if it belonged to another man.
Cain still wasn’t sure why he’d bought it. Mostly because the woman he was seeing at the time had loved it. It came fully furnished, and he didn’t want to spend more time shopping for something else.
As he pulled into the driveway, his headlights illuminated the tall glass windows in the living room, giving him a glimpse into the stark interior.
Cain pressed the button that opened one of the three-car garages and just sat there with the car idling, trying to work up the will to go in. He had meetings scheduled for tomorrow and the next day. There was no way around it.
With a sigh of resignation, he pulled the Jag into the garage and turned off the engine. The refrigerator would be fully stocked. The housekeeper would have a casserole ready to put in the oven. The place would be immaculately clean. No one would bother him.
No one would be waiting for him.
He liked it that way, he told himself. It would be a nice change from the problems at the ranch or the chaos at the Grandview.
But when he finally went inside, the house felt empty in a way he hadn’t noticed before. When he went into his spacious bedroom, showered, and climbed into bed, he couldn’t fall asleep. He kept thinking of Jenny. Worrying about her. A lot had been happening at the Copper Star. Bikers, ghosts, rattlesnakes. And murder. Was it all just coincidence?
If he could have convinced himself, Cain might have been able to sleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
JENNY NEEDED TO TALK TONELL. THOUGH SHE’D ENJOYED HER DINNERwith Nell and Cain the night before, they hadn’t discussed the murder. It wasn’t an appropriate topic for a special, welcome-home supper for Cain’s grandmother.
With Cain already gone, Jenny had showered in his fancy marble bathroom, dressed, and headed for the Copper Star. She wouldn’t be sleeping in his bedroom tonight. Their relationship was too new for those kinds of assumptions.
She’d planned to talk to Nell when she went back to the Grandview later that day, but Nell was out, spending the afternoon with friends. Needing to stay busy, Jenny put in extra hours, telling herself not to think of Cain and what he might be doing in Scottsdale. Telling herself it didn’t matter that Anna Hobbs lived there. Or any number of other beautiful women.
