Donovan chuckled. “You underestimate the power of curiosity.”
“You weren’t going to go without me?” she said, motioning to the fact that he was still in a T-shirt and pajama bottoms.
“I was just getting ready to jump in the shower. Give me a few minutes?”
She nodded and moved to the window that looked out on the main street of Dry Gulch. He wondered if she’d still be standing there when he returned from his shower. The part of him that regretted what was coming wanted her to be gone, wanted her to run as fast and as far as she could. Even that old survival instinct of his would have cheered her on. He was already thinking about what he would tell Malcolm if she ran as he stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Except Goldie Shaw wasn’t the kind of woman to run. She stayed and fought and that’s what scared him.
WHERE’S THE ARMOREDcar carrying the large cash deposit?Max looked out on the town from his office and swore. “What are our diners doing?” the sheriff asked as he radioed Rance.
“Having breakfast. Arnie is visiting with them,” the deputy said.
Max looked down the main drag again for the armored car. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He’d agreed not to contact Goldie, but now all bets were off. He texted her to call him. If she could, she would text him back.
He waited. No text. Nothing from Goldie. He’d seen her go into the hotel. She had to still be there with Donovan.
Unable to shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong, he called Bill at the bank. Inside, Bill had several guards hidden out of sight, all of them struggling to make it appear that it was just another day in Dry Gulch.
“Have you heard anything on the ETA of the armored car?”
“I just got off the phone with the other banks where the guards were making deliveries today on their way here,” Bill said. “They were all on time. It should be here soon.”
Max quickly radioed his deputies. The two at the back of the café and bank hadn’t seen anyone. He radioed Rance. “What’s happening?”
“All four of them are still at the table eating,” the deputy reported. “Any word on the armored car?”
“It was on time at the other banks on its run, including its last stop. If something happened, it was on the last stretch to Dry Gulch,” Max said. Which meant miles of wide-open country with sagebrush and little else. “I’m going to give it a little more time.”
GOLDIE COULD HEARthe shower running as she quickly looked around Donovan’s hotel room for anything that could help her. She felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out. Max. She had nothing to tell him. She pocketed her cell again, feeling the clock ticking. If Donovan knew what was expected of him today, he hadn’t let on.
With the grand opening of Arnie’s this morning, all she knew was that Mandeville wanted Donovan in town today.Whywas anyone’s guess. She figured it must have something to do with the opening of Arnie’s. But when she’d told Donovan last night that she was thinking of not going, he’d been fine with it. When she showed up at his hotel room door and said she’d changed her mind this morning and wanted to go to breakfast at Arnie’s, he’d been fine with that too. She’d told herself that whatever was going down would happen at the café today but now wondered if she was wrong about that.
He seemed so calm. Too calm, while she felt as if she was going to jump out of her skin waiting. Max was convinced they would try to rob the bank. Goldie had hoped to get more information out of Donovan, but he didn’t seem to know any more than she did. Mandeville was keeping him in the dark—if Donovan’s laidback attitude could be believed.
That was the problem. She no longer believed him, but she’d been trying to hide her doubts from him. She wasn’t sure she was succeeding, she thought, as she listened to make sure the shower was still running, before she spotted his phone lying on the bureau where he’d left it.
She hurriedly picked up his cell. She’d seen him tap in his code on numerous occasions and had memorized it. Quickly she scanned his calls. Nothing from Mandeville. Most of the calls were from her. She moved to his texts.
“Find anything interesting?” Donovan asked from behind her, making her jump and almost drop his phone. “Why do I get the feeling you don’t trust me anymore?” He was so close behind her that she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck.
Goldie turned slowly in the cramped space until they were close enough to kiss. She saw that his hair wasn’t wet. He hadn’t been in the shower. Instead, it had been a ruse, a trap that she’d walked right into.
“I’ll take that,” he said and held out his hand for his phone.
She laid it in his palm, then looked up into his handsome face. She’d wondered why she couldn’t fall for Donovan. Now she knew. She’d never been able to trust him even though she’d tried.
“You should know,” she said, feeling as if she had nothing to lose at this point, “I found the note to you from Malcolm Mandeville tossed in a corner of your hotel room. I know you’re working for him. I also know that he has something planned here in Dry Gulch today for the grand opening of Arnie’s and you’re a part of it.”
She couldn’t read his expression. He didn’t seem surprised. It was more like disappointed. “You told Max.”
“He thinks Mandeville is going to rob the bank once the armored car drops off a large deposit. He’ll be ready.”
“Wow, you and the sheriff have been busy. And I thought you were just trying to get him back. How’s that going by the way?” She didn’t bother answering. “I’m going to need your phone,” Donovan said, his blue eyes going dark.
She didn’t move, barely breathed as she realized how much she’d misjudged this man. He was much more dangerous than she’d thought. “Don’t pretend that your only agenda was to help me.”
“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you the truth.” He shook his head. “Your phone.” She put a protective hand over the phone in her pocket. “Please don’t force me to take it from you.”
