A Texas Ranger's Christmas Read online

  “What else?”

  “Bits and pieces I still can’t tie together. The manager of the Sterling Luxury Condos was supposed to be available on Wednesday, but when I called, his voice mail was still on. We know Farley paid cash to send flowers to a woman named Janie Pettigrew in La Jolla. We have proof he flew to San Diego every fourth weekend for the months he was married to Blaire. We have evidence he didn’t take lessons at Torrey Pines from Tally Isom. All roads seem to lead to California.”

  Ernie poured himself more coffee. “I’m still phoning every Janie Pettigrew listed in San Diego County.”

  Mac’s brows lifted. “Did you ask Blaire if she’s ever heard of a Janie Pettigrew?”

  Caige heaved a troubled sigh. “Not yet. I’d hoped that if there was a woman involved, I’d have all my ducks lined up first.” His elbows rested on the table while he pressed his laced fingers against his forehead. “If there’s no other way, then I’ll have to ask her.”

  Both men nodded.

  “Go on over to the jail,” Mac told him. “See what you can pull out of Seeward. You’re getting closer, Caige. It won’t be long. I can smell success around the corner.”

  He wanted to believe it. His life depended on it. “Thanks for the grub and the talk.” Caige pushed himself away from the table, anxious to confront the caddy who, he knew in his gut, could provide more answers. Caige needed to give him a reason. Maybe he’d go for a plea bargain.

  Ernie smiled. “You’ll hear from me the second I come up with anything.”

  “I know. Thanks.”

  An hour later Caige was shown into a room where Ron Seeward sat on a chair in hand and ankle cuffs. A mutinous expression altered his regular features. “I’m not talking to anyone without my attorney present.”

  Caige studied him for a minute. “I’m not here to discuss your case.”

  The other man scowled. “Then what in the hell do you want?”

  Taking a plunge that might lead nowhere Caige said, “Did you take Janie away from Rick, or did he take her away from you?”

  “I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Even though he’d come out with the quick answer, Caige saw something flash in his eyes.

  “You don’t remember him driving a bombshell brunette like her around in that flashy black BMW? Come on. You knew he was leading a double life with a false name. We have an eyewitness in San Diego who will testify under oath you and Danny knew her. Tell me what I want to know, and maybe I can help work out a deal for you.”

  “I had nothing to do with either of them, I tell you. Rick was one of Danny’s suck-ups who was a lousy golfer and no friend of mine. All I know is, she was Rick’s wife.”

  Wife?

  Bingo, bingo, bingo.

  “Thanks for your cooperation, Seeward.”

  Twenty minutes later Caige raced back into Mac’s office. The older man looked up. “That was fast. You only have that look in your eye when you’re about ready to go in for the kill.”

  Caige nodded. “I know Rick’s last name,” he said, out of breath. “It’s Pettigrew.”

  Mac’s razor-sharp brain put all the pieces together before he picked up the phone. “Ernie? Come to my office on the double. Caige just got back from the jail. The Farley case has cracked wide open. This is going to do it. Be prepared to roll up your sleeves.”

  BLAIRE RUSHED AROUND HER bedroom putting on the finishing touches. After leaving Caige’s house, she’d hurried to the mall to find a new outfit to wear to the ballet, and she didn’t have a lot of time to spare.

  When she’d explained what she wanted, the sales-woman brought out the perfect black dress. “This calf-length chiffon has a jewel choker and mesh-illusion sleeve. With your hair and coloring, it will be stunning on you.”

  Once Blaire saw herself in the dressing-room mirror, she knew this was the right dress, and she hoped it would raise Caige’s blood pressure. She would wear her new black sandals with it. In her closet at home, she had a lightweight black coat with a belt that would look good.

  The sound of the doorbell knocked her heart out of rhythm. She grabbed her coat and black clutch. Not needing anything else, she rushed down the stairs.

  Silence greeted her after she opened the door. It came from both parties. While she was dazzled by Caige’s attire—a dark blue dress suit and tie—he appeared equally taken with her. His gaze wandered over her bared shoulders and arms veiled by the sheerest chiffon, before it settled on her mouth wearing blush-peach lipstick, another purchase made before leaving the mall.

  Only the sound of him taking a quick breath reached her ears. “I don’t know if I dare take you out in public tonight. Maybe I should keep you to myself. Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe how you look.”

  She’d already felt feverish thinking about him while she was getting dressed. “You’re pretty eye-catching yourself, Ranger Dawson.” He’d been just as spectacular as Jack Lignell in his forest-service uniform, but she didn’t dare tell him that. She’d made a pact to keep everything professional and he’d been adhering to it.

  He took her coat and helped her into it. She felt his reluctance to let go of her arms before he led her outside and pulled the door shut. After making sure it was locked, he walked her along the path to his car. Soon they were on their way.

  “This is a thrill for me.”

  “For me, too,” Caige murmured, but as they headed south, she sensed he was preoccupied.

  “Was it hard for Josh to see you leave this evening?”

  Caige darted her a surprised glance. “By now you know he never likes it, but he gets over it.”

  She clasped her purse tighter. “I’m worried he’s going to look for Elly after she’s gone.”

  They turned onto Riverside. “Don’t borrow trouble, Blaire. We’ll both be there for him.”

  “I’m probably the one who’ll have the hardest time adjusting. The way she handles him, it seems second nature to her.”

  “Not in the beginning,” he reminded her. He reached over and grasped her left hand to squeeze it before letting go. His touch shot warmth through her body. “Josh has been around you for the last three days and not one tantrum from him so far.”

  “I’m grateful for that.”

  “Tonight let’s forget everything and enjoy this rare evening out.” Quiet reigned until he eventually turned into the Palmer Center garage to park and they made their way over to the Long Center to watch the performance.

  “Blaire?” a female voice called to her as they were walking down the aisle. She looked back.

  “Irene—” The blonde woman was the mother of two of Blaire’s best former piano students. She hurried toward Blaire and gave her a hug. “I thought it was you.” They both smiled. “You look stunning.”

  Anything was a change from five years ago when Blaire had felt and looked like a battlefield victim. Irene’s eyes asked questions about Nate, but she only whispered, “Who’s that gorgeous man who can’t take his eyes off you?”

  “A friend.” She introduced them. “Uh-oh. The house-lights are dimming. I’ll call you.”

  “Please do.”

  At least a dozen people in the audience who’d known her waved to her before Caige found their row. The women had caught sight of him. They were the ones who couldn’t keep their eyes off him.

  While he helped her off with her coat, he put his lips close to her ear. “This is like old home week for you.”

  “As I told you before, I was once a regular symphony-goer.”

  After they’d taken their seats, he folded her coat on his lap. The orchestra conductor took the podium. After the clapping subsided, the ballet began and the music swept her away. She thought the orchestra had never sounded better.

  When the Sugar Plum Fairy came out on stage, Caige clasped her hand. “The other night when you were at the piano with Josh, you reminded me of her,” he whispered. “Sparkling and magical.”

  Though she’d been to at least twenty performances of the Nut
cracker in her life, with those words coming from Caige the ballet took on new enchantment for her. Every so often she gave him a covert glance. Toward the end of the performance she noticed a new expression cross over his handsome face. Whether it was pain or sadness, she couldn’t say.

  She imagined he was thinking of all Josh was missing and all his boy would miss growing up. A lot of parents had brought their children here tonight to enjoy the rare Christmas treat together. “In the next few years Josh could improve enough that you might be able to bring him to the Nutcracker,” she whispered.

  “Maybe.” He pressed her hand once more before relinquishing it.

  Blaire decided he’d been here before with his ex-wife and it had brought back memories. Yet the more she thought about it, she decided his mood had everything to do with the changes taking place in his life. Elly would be gone on Monday, and he was giving up his career as a Texas Ranger.

  You didn’t do something like that unless you had absolutely no other choice on earth. Or unless you valued something else more.

  That would be his Josh. The worth of a child. Beyond rubies, as the saying went.

  After five curtain calls and shouts of “Bravo” for the superb performances of the lead dancers and the orchestra, Caige helped her from her seat and they made their way out of the concert hall to the car.

  Neither of them seemed inclined to do much talking. They made desultory conversation but mainly drove back to her town house in companionable silence. That suited Blaire, who was deep in her own thoughts. When he pulled in the guest parking stall, she’d made up her mind that they’d say good-night at her front door.

  Tomorrow she and Elly had planned for her to be at Caige’s house by six-thirty. Blaire needed to see what a Saturday was like for Josh from the moment he woke up in the morning until he went to bed.

  There’d be no school to take up part of the day. This would be a new test for Blaire. Caige was probably holding his breath wondering if she’d even make it through a whole twelve hours without telling him she’d changed her mind. Though she would never do that to him, he didn’t know that beyond a doubt. The solemn way he looked at her after turning off the motor actually reinforced her thoughts.

  “Thank you for going with me,” he spoke first. “I had one of the most pleasurable evenings in years.”

  “So did I. Now tell me what’s going on to make you look—” She paused, trying to choose her words carefully. “To make you look like you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. You can tell me the truth. We’ve bared our souls to each other.”

  A tiny nerve throbbed at his temple.

  “If you’re having second thoughts about me taking care of Josh, then just say so. I’ll understand, and I’ll help you find someone who’s professionally trained. You won’t hurt my feelings. I promise.”

  “Blaire—”

  “Let me finish,” she interrupted him. “Tonight while I was looking at the families seated around us, it brought home once again how beloved Josh is to you. It must be so hard to trust anyone else with him. You think I don’t know that?”

  As her voice rang in the confines of his car, he made a strange sound and levered himself from the car in a surprise move. She quickly climbed out, fearful of what was wrong. They made their way to her front door. After she unlocked it, he followed her inside and shut it.

  “Let’s sit down to talk.” He helped her off with her coat, but this time his hands didn’t shape her arms as they had done before.

  She sank down on the couch. Her heart was thudding so hard, she was afraid he could feel it even from the distance separating them. Caige pulled one of the leather chairs around so it was facing her. He sat forward with his hands clasped between his knees. “I wanted you to hear this from me first. Tomorrow morning it’s going to be all over the news that Danny Dunn’s case has been solved.”

  Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Solved?” Out of all the reasons she’d come up with tonight for Caige’s change of mood, the Danny Dunn case hadn’t been one of them. Shaken by the news, she got up from the couch, unable to remain seated. “Who killed him?”

  Caige gave her a frank stare. “He was shot by his lover, Charlie Beck. It happened in Ron Seeward’s house. He’s in custody and has made a full confession.”

  For the next few minutes she listened spellbound while Caige told her everything. She took several unsteady breaths after he’d finished. “So there’s nothing to implicate Nate in any of this?”

  “No.”

  “Neither Ron Seeward or Charlie Beck knows anything about his disappearance?”

  “I’m sorry, Blaire.”

  She turned away from him, dry-eyed. “I’m sorry, too. He really did vanish into thin air. Naturally I’m glad he didn’t have anything to do with Mr. Dunn’s death, but it feels as though a door has been slammed shut forever.”

  Suddenly Caige wrapped his arms around her from behind, pressing his face against her hair. “Don’t despair. Clearing up the Dunn case makes my hunt for your husband that much easier.”

  Blaire whirled around, grasping his upper arms. “How can you say that?”

  “Because all of this time I’ve been following up on other leads. An investigation goes step by step. Sometimes one lead takes off on a detour, but there’s always another one that brings you closer.”

  “So you have other viable leads at this point?” Her blue eyes implored him for answers.

  “Yes. Several. For the next week I’m going to be busier than ever. To know you’ll be home taking care of Josh relieves my mind more than you know. Now I can really concentrate.”

  She searched his eyes. “Do you honestly believe you’ll find out what happened to him?”

  “I can tell you this much with all the honesty in me. I’ll never give up trying. How about a kiss for luck? Otherwise I might die for the wanting.”

  His husky voice seduced her so completely, she forgot the rules and threw her arms around his neck. This time no chaste kiss touched her lips and was gone again. Caige kissed her as if he’d been hungering for this a long time. She opened her mouth to him, experiencing rapture as their bodies came together in need. The passion flaring between them was like a slow-burning fire growing so hot it was enveloping them.

  He carried her over to the couch and pressed her back against the pillows. For the next little while he kissed every inch of her face and throat, inducing tiny moans of pleasure from her.

  “I’ve been wanting to do this for so long,” he confessed on a ragged breath. “Sometimes in the trees I’ve seen the way the sunlight dapples your hair and skin. It’s so soft and creamy. And your mouth. I’ve been dying for a taste of it, but now I find this isn’t enough. Your dress has driven me mad all night.” As if to prove it, he kissed the bare skin showing through the chiffon.

  “I want to take you to bed. The first time you jumped down from the tree I wanted you. Help me to stay away from you until I find out what happened to Nate. Don’t let me get this close again. I don’t want you to be confused when I make love to you for the first time.”

  She’d twined her fingers in his hair. “What do you mean? I’m not confused.”

  He gave her one more hot kiss, then got to his feet and stood over her. “Maybe not right this minute. But when you wake up tomorrow, you might feel I took advantage of you.”

  Blaire had been so enthralled with their lovemaking, his comment didn’t register at first. When it did, she eased up on her elbows. “I would never think that. If anything, it’s the other way around. You know something, don’t you?” He didn’t look away. In fact, he did nothing, but she wasn’t reassured.

  After sitting up, she got off the couch, albeit unsteadily, and smoothed the hair he’d mussed from her face. “Why do I sense there’s more to this?”

  Caige put his hands on his hips. “With the other case solved, I have hopes we’re much closer to solving yours now.”

  Was he worried that she wouldn’t feel the same way abou
t him if or when he discovered what had happened to Nate? Caige had no idea how much she loved him. Her body was still clamoring for his kisses.

  I don’t want you to be confused when I make love to you for the first time.

  Needing to believe that day would come and they’d make glorious love forever and ever, she drew from all the strength within her and moved to the entry. “It was a heavenly evening.” She opened the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He eyed her swollen lips through veiled lashes. “Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  She locked the door after him and hurried upstairs to bed, reliving those moments in his arms when he’d carried her to the couch. He’d set her on fire and it would never go out. She knew she’d still be burning up at six-thirty in the morning when she needed to be at his house.

  BLAIRE REACHED FOR JOSH’S hand. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s go home.”

  Elly had sat in her car reading a book while she was waiting for them. They’d driven to a nearby park after Josh’s lunch. The weather was still in the sixties and they were both comfortable wearing jackets. She’d put sunscreen on his face to protect him.

  Armed with a ball and some cars, Blaire had played with him for a couple of hours. He’d loved his snacks and had drunk from the water bottle Elly had brought along. It had been a pleasant afternoon with other children around playing. Josh occasionally lifted his head when he heard someone shouting, but for the most part he remained in his world.

  She gathered the bag with his things in one hand and they started walking. Or at least she tried taking a step, but Josh pulled back and sat down. At first she thought he might have stumbled, and she urged him to get up again, but he refused.

  After putting the bag back down, she knelt in front of him. “Don’t you want to go?”

  Tears filled his eyes, terrifying her. She sat down by him and handed him a car. He clutched it with both hands, touching the different parts as he’d been doing on and off while they’d been there. Five minutes later she put the car back in the bag and stood up. “Come on. Let’s go.” Once again she reached for him. Josh wouldn’t get up, and more tears filled his eyes.