Sully grabbed her bag out of the truck, and Charley carried her purse. They headed into his house and as they passed Sully’s bedroom on the main floor, he wished she’d ask him to share a bed with her again. He escorted her upstairs to the guest bedroom, where she’d spent the previous night, and set her bag down on the bed she’d made.
“Thank you, Sully,” Charley said.
“No problem, come back downstairs whenever you feel like it. I’ll rustle up supper.”
“Okay, I will.”
Sully left her, and by the time he was in the downstairs foyer, he heard the shower running in her bathroom. He paused and looked up at the stained glass window. Lavender columbines would always remind him of Charley. The yellow ones outside might indicate their friendship. To him, the purple ones represented her resolve to figure out who had killed her mother and who was plaguing her. And red columbines symbolizing love and passion? Oh yeah. Every time Charley looked at him, her sparkling blue eyes captured him. Each time he touched her, energy crackled.
Leaving the foyer and walking down the hall to the kitchen, Sully wondered what it would be like to kiss her. Man, he sure wanted to find out. Entering his bedroom, he pulled off his shirt and flung it on his bed. What would it be like to toss Charley into his bed? Instinct told him it would be so good.
He pulled off his boots, and when her shower stopped, he stepped into his bathroom. A quick, cold shower did little to cool the heat Charley had ignited in him. She was a sexy temptress, from her pretty brunette head to her dainty feet. Pulling on a tee shirt and pair of sweatpants, he padded barefoot out to the kitchen. He turned on a flatscreen at one end of a countertop and opened the fridge. Placing a package of hamburger on the quartz island in the center of the kitchen, he heated the oven and layered a baking sheet with French fries. Placing the fries in the oven to bake, he was making smash burgers as the evening news came on.
Sully stopped and turned to the flatscreen as the newscaster’s first story caught his attention. The body of a second young woman who had been missing from the Old Colorado City neighborhood, close to where Charley lived, had been discoveredin yet another underground cave-like tunnel. The El Paso County coroner had taken possession of the body, and the cause of death was not available at this time.
“Damn,” Sully muttered under his breath.
Hearing movement behind him, he turned. Charley stood fixated on the flatscreen. Her long hair fell in glossy waves around her beautiful face. Her blue eyes were wide, and her full lips a soft pink. She wore a purple sweatshirt with a Fleming Flowers logo imprinted above a bouquet of the Colorado state flower. As Charley walked closer to the TV, Sully saw the writing on the back of her sweatshirt.Discovered in 1820 on Pikes Peak, the Rocky Mountain Columbine, with its rich aroma attracts bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. The lavender petals are a symbol of the sky, the white cup represents the snow-capped mountains, and the gold center symbolizes Colorado’s gold mining history.With the sweatshirt, Charley wore a pair of snug purple gym shorts. Her legs were long and shapely, and her small feet were bare, with shiny lavender toenails.
CHAPTER NINE
“Iknew her,” Charley said, coming to a stop near the island. “We had a couple of college classes together.” Turning from the flatscreen to Sully, she said, “Her name was Heather Mason.”
“They found her earlier today,” Sully said, placing hamburger patties into a cast-iron pan on the stove. “They think she’s been dead for at least three weeks. Toadflax was in her hand.”
“Toadflax is a noxious weed. It’s typically found in degraded areas like untended lots, gravel pits, or along forgotten roadsides,” Charley said, turning to him.
“Right, I keep toadflax out of my pastures,” Sully said as she turned to him.
“Toadflax was in Grace Lightner’s hand too.” Looking back at the TV, Charley said, “Heather was a nice girl. She was studying agriculture. We had lunch together a few times on the UCCS campus,” she said, referring to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
“I’m sorry for the loss of your friend,” Sully said. “An on-the-scene reporter said some cave explorers found her body. One of them said she had marks around her neck.”
“Just like Grace Lightner.” Charley shivered at the recent and terrifying memory. “I wonder if the Cave Killer has a tattoo of a scorpion. I tried to pull off the ski mask of the man who attacked me, but I only got it as far as his chin. In the process of fighting against him, I tore the neck of his hoodie. He had a scorpion tattoo on his collarbone.” She touched the left side of her collarbone to show Sully where it was.
“Scorpions are predators,” Sully said as she grimaced. “You told the police about the tattoo, right?”
“Yes,” Charley said softly and nodded.
“Good.” Sully clicked off the flatscreen and said, “Have a seat at the island because smash burgers and fries are coming your way.”
Charley smiled at the handsome man who was cooking for her. No man had ever cooked for her until today. Sully gave her a sexy, green-eyed wink, and when he smiled, it showed his straight white teeth. A white tee shirt hugged his broad shoulders and chest and a pair of black sweatpants clung to his muscular legs. From the thick black hair on his head to the sprinkle of black hair on his toes, Sully was the most attractive man she’d ever laid eyes on. Just looking at him made her heart race and skin pop out in goose bumps. When she had wrapped her arms around him on the horse and on his motorcycle, she could almost forget her new fear of men.
“What have you got to drink?” she asked. Then, before he could answer, she remembered. “Bottled water and beer.”
“Right,” he replied with a chuckle. “Both are chilling in the fridge.”
“I’ll get us two beers,” Charley said.
“Sounds good to me.”
Shortly after she brought the beer to the island, he placed burgers on plates. She’d spied ketchup and mustard in the fridge, retrieved the condiments, and then took a seat on oneof the barstools. Sully scooped up fries and piled some on both their plates. Setting the plates down, he sat on the barstool beside her. Taking a bite of her burger, her eyes widened. It was delicious.
Swallowing, Charley said, “This is the best burger I’ve ever eaten.”
“I can’t take much credit,” Sully said. “It’s Triple C Ranch-Central beef.”
“It’s absolutely scrumptious.”
