Heather smothered a smile. She realized that the antagonism John and Josie showed toward each other was only a symptom of something much deeper that was just beginning to take root. She didn’t believe that their houseguest was the criminal she appeared to be. Heather had always had a second sense about people, being able to see through the masks that most people wore. Josie was compassionate and she was really very fond of JJ. She didn’t just lie around the house doing nothing. If there was a chore that needed to be done, she jumped right in with no complaint and helped.
That didn’t seem to Heather like the hallmark of a criminal. Of course, she knew that people outside the law could pretend to be something they were not. But Josie seemed like a totally different person than the one she showed to the world.
Besides, there was something about the way Tanner talked to her that was out of the ordinary. Tanner played little attention to women as a rule, but it had been his idea to rehabilitate Josie at his parents’ ranch. It wasn’t like him.
“My son seems to know you,” Heather said aloud.
“Well, I don’t really know her. I met her trying to steal one of our purebred calves.”
Heather realized that she made a slip of the tongue and she just smiled at both of them to ease the tension. She didn’t dare mention in front of John what she really thought of their houseguest. Or that she’d meant Tanner with her comment, not John.
“We go to New York next week for Odalie’s audition with the Met,” John reminded his mother.
Heather became introspective. “Odalie has put off this audition for weeks,” she told him. “I don’t understand why. She has a beautiful singing voice. I can’t believe that they won’t find a place for her. Besides, Tony pulled some sort of strings to get her a private audition with someone he had connections to. I just hate to see her waste this opportunity. She’s worked so hard for it.”
“If you want my opinion,” John said, diverted, “Odalie is more interested in Tony than she is with the Met.”
“I know,” Heather replied. “When you see the two of them together, there’s something smoldering there, just under the surface. I think Tony feels the same way about her, but he’s so aware of his own background and hers and the age difference that he’s deliberately keeping her at arm’s length.”
“This is the first time that she’s ever shown any interest in a man, well, except for Cort Brannt,” she added, “and that was really no more than a slight infatuation that ended the minute she ran over Maddie Lane with the Jaguar.”
Josie, who had heard about this, just remained quiet while John and his mother speculated about the other woman’s entanglement with the New Jersey gang boss or, that was, former mob boss. Josie had never met him, and now she worried about that possibility if he came down here. She had heard that he had connections to Marcus Carrera, another notorious crime boss, and one who would recognize her on sight. He had helped her department with an investigation a few years back. But she consoled herself with the probability that even if Tony did come down to Texas, he was unlikely to bring Carrera with him.
This was a bad time for her, with a big shipment of fentanyl on its way over the border soon. The division boss didn’t really trust her and neither did Raines. At least she had the help of the sheriff. It was just that maintaining contact with him was going to be tricky. She’d have to do it very carefully.
“I said—” John interrupted her thoughts “—are you staying for Christmas?” and he hoped that his pleasure in that thought didn’t show on his taciturn face. Because Josie was getting to him and he did not like it. She was a criminal. But then he stopped to think that so was Tony, and it was possible that very soon Odalie might end up with him. He really liked Tony, who seemed to fit in at the ranch in an impossible way, considering that the manwas from New Jersey. But he could certainly ride a horse and he liked the ranch and the family. In fact, he fit right in here. So it wasn’t completely illogical that Josie might be someone who could be reformed. She was pretty in her way. He wondered why she carried that pistol all the time. Did she have enemies they didn’t know about?
Josie was answering him. He hadn’t heard her. “Excuse me?” he asked.
“I said that I would love to spend Christmas here if your family doesn’t mind.” She cleared her throat. “It isn’t as if I have anywhere to go. Well, there’s my father, but I have no idea where he is. He’s selling our family ranch in Wyoming. He probably has some new woman that he’s shacked up with.” She realized belatedly what she just said, and she apologized to Heather, flushing a little.
“That’s all right, sweetheart,” Heather said. She glared at her son. “I probably know every bad word in the English language by now, thanks to my son.”
“You stop that,” John muttered. “I’m working on that. Really,” he insisted with a grin. His mother grinned back.
Josie, watching the loving interaction between mother and son, was touched. She missed her own little mother so much. Heather was a lot like her. Just being around the older woman made her feel warm and welcome. Not like John, who very obviously hated her guts and was afraid she’d steal the house out from under them.
And he was glaring at her again. She ground her teeth together, her pale eyes pinning him. “I won’t steal anything out of the house,” she grumbled.
John’s pale eyes remained on her. “I didn’t say a word,” he muttered. He glanced at his watch. “I need to get to the feed store and then I want to look at that new bull at the Brannt place,” he added. He hesitated and glanced at Josie. “I thoughtI’d take JJ with me. Do you wanna come, too?” he asked Josie as an afterthought. “You can see the little statuettes she makes in her workshop and of course,’’ he added sarcastically, “you can see Penelope again.”
Josie’s expression softened, and she smiled. “I’d love that,” she said. “I love kids.”
John knew that. A reluctant smile touched his chiseled mouth as he studied Josie’s face. She looked up and caught him staring, and it was like catching hold of a live wire. Her whole body seemed to explode inside as they stared at each other.
Heather smiled secretly as they suddenly broke the contact.
“When do you want to go?” Josie asked.
“Right now,” John said.
“Good idea,” Heather said.
“Could you run me by my motel in Percell, while we’re out?” Josie asked John.
“I guess so,” he added with visible reluctance. “Why?” he added. “Are you missing your buddy Raines? Odd that the sheriff didn’t arrest him, too.”
“He did,” Josie replied irritably. “It’s just that he didn’t have my priors.” She hated the sad look on Heather’s face when she said that. Playing this role was really getting to her. She hated pretending with the Everetts. They were such good people, and they’d been so kind to her. But so much depended on her ability to keep her identity undercover, so she really had no choice.
