The Cowboy's Claim

He pushed Diamond a little harder as a slight edge of anger rose up inside him. He’d wanted so much more from Courtney, but she’d been so afraid of what her parents would think, so worried about how the people of her hometown would react if she hooked up with one of the wild Benson brothers who were and always would be nothing more than ranching cowboys.

Consciously shoving thoughts of Courtney out of his mind, he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the herd of cattle in the distance. Even from this vantage point he could tell they looked healthy and happy. At least Adam had been tending the livestock, even if he hadn’t been tending to himself.

He turned his horse around and headed back to the house. Adam was still holed up in his bedroom, and Nick didn’t bother trying to get him out.

The drive from Texas, along with the stress of seeing both Courtney and the neglected house, had exhausted him. He took a long hot shower, and even though it was early, he went to the bedroom that had been his before he’d left town.

Although his intention was just to rest for a while and then get up and get some work done, he fell into a deep sleep. His dreams were of Courtney and the magical seven months they’d spent together. Laughter, lovemaking and spinning fantasies had filled their time.

He awoke with the morning light, the faint taste of bitterness and regret in his mouth. He’d known from the beginning that she wasn’t his to keep; there had just been moments in the past when he’d forgotten that fact.

Adam wasn’t up yet and Nick had a feeling he wouldn’t be for some time, so around seven Nick headed for the Cowboy Café and a hearty breakfast to start his day. As he drove he thought about the dreams he’d had the night before and reminded himself that Courtney was nothing more than a piece of his past.

It was about seven-fifteen when he pulled into the café parking lot. There were only a few other diners that early in the morning. It took him a quick glance around to see that Courtney wasn’t one of the waitresses working.

Good. He could eat his breakfast without feeling her animosity toward him, without thoughts of her disturbing his appetite.

He slid onto a stool at the counter and smiled at Mary, who stood behind it wiping it down with a clean cloth. “Start you off with some coffee, Nick?”

“Sounds perfect,” he replied and watched as she set the cleaning cloth aside, washed her hands in the sink and then poured him a cup of the fragrant fresh brew.

“How was the homecoming?” she asked. Mary Mathis was an attractive woman with blond hair and clear blue eyes. She had a ten-year-old son named Matt, who was obviously her heart. He’d never heard of her dating anyone, even though she was a widow who had shown up in town eight years ago.

“A bit tense,” he admitted. “The house was a mess, but I think my brother is a bigger mess.”

“One way or another, things will eventually straighten themselves out. They always do,” she said with her usual optimism. “At least you’re home now and can maybe help Adam find his way back to the land of the living.”

“He definitely hasn’t shown any signs of being alive or even wanting to resurface since I arrived,” Nick replied drily.

“He’s a strong man. He’s just lost his way a little bit. This thing with Sam definitely shook him up. Now, what can I get you for breakfast?”

Nick ordered the classic café combo of eggs, bacon and a buttermilk biscuit, and a stack of pancakes on the side. He figured he would need all the fuel he could handle to then head back to the ranch and start figuring things out. The ranch needed work and somehow he had to get Adam’s head back in the game of life.

He was halfway through his meal when George Wilton came in and slid onto the stool next to him at the counter. “About time you came home,” he said to Nick. “Your family is falling apart.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Are you home to stay?”

“Doubtful,” Nick said truthfully. “Although I imagine I’ll be here through the fall.”

“Rumor has it you’ve been working in Texas.”

“The rumor is true.” Nick knifed butter over his pancakes as Mary approached to get George’s order.

“Speaking of rumors, I just heard that another waitress from the café was murdered last night,” the old man said. Both Mary and Nick stared at him. “I can guess by the look on your faces that the sheriff hasn’t been in here yet this morning.”

“Who?” The single word yanked from Nick’s throat with a hoarse despair. “Who was murdered?”

“I don’t know. The sheriff didn’t reveal her name. I just met him as I was leaving my house.”

Nick looked at Mary, whose face had blanched of all color. “Is Courtney here now?”

She shook her head. “She works a short shift today, noon to five. I’ve got five waitresses who aren’t in.”

That made it five to one that the murdered waitress could be Courtney. Nick’s heart banged hard, leaving him half-breathless with fear.

At that moment Sheriff Cameron Evans walked through the door. His stern features softened as he looked at Mary. “I guess you’ve heard. We have another one.”

* * *

It had been their usual date. Grant was pleasant, as was the conversation that flowed easily between the two of them. Everything was so uncomplicated with Grant. He was the perfect gentleman and always made Courtney feel at ease, unlike Nick, who felt like an out-of-control tornado that whirled through her body and mind each time he was in sight.

“Terrible thing about Shirley Cook,” Grant said as they lingered over coffee. “I heard she was killed the same way Candy Bailey was... In bed with her throat cut.”

Courtney wrapped her fingers around her coffee mug, seeking warmth as she thought of the unsolved murders. “Sheriff Evans was in and out of the café all afternoon, interviewing each of us to see if we might know who Shirley was seeing, if anybody was giving her problems or anything that might point in the direction of a potential killer.”

“Were you able to give him any information?” Grant asked, his brown eyes sympathetic. He was a nice-looking man with light brown hair and mildly handsome features.

He didn’t make her heart beat any faster. He didn’t stir the crazy passion that Nick always had. But that was okay. What she needed most in her life right now was stable and responsible, and it was ironic that Grant was that kind of man with the kind of job that her parents would have approved of.

“No, I couldn’t help him at all,” she replied to his question. “Shirley was a bit older than me. We didn’t run in the same crowd and didn’t socialize much at work and not at all outside of work. She was a quiet woman who minded her own business and always showed up for work on time.”

A bubble of grief welled up inside Courtney’s throat as she thought of the woman who had died before her time, died so violently...like Candy before her.

“Have you considered quitting your job?”

She looked at him in surprise. “Why would I do that?”

He shrugged. “Two women murdered and both were waitresses at the Cowboy Café. What if somebody is specifically targeting the women who work there?”

“Sheriff Evans thinks it’s more likely that maybe Kevin Naperson killed both women.” Kevin had been Candy Bailey’s boyfriend at the time of her murder, and despite the fact that his father had given him an alibi for that night, Courtney knew he’d never dropped off the top of the suspect list for Candy’s murder.

“Kill another woman who he has no ties with and take the heat off himself for Candy’s murder. It’s an interesting theory.” Grant picked up his coffee cup and took a sip, then carefully set the mug back on the table in the precise position it had been in originally.

“Either that or somebody else is a killer and both women were vulnerable,” she replied.

“And you don’t feel vulnerable?” Grant asked with a quirk of his neatly trimmed eyebrow.

She gave him a rueful smile. “I live in a motel, Grant. There are nights I hear somebody drop their soap in their shower, or the snoring of a man who has rented the unit next door for a night. I feel perfectly safe there. I’m completely surrounded by people.”

“You know, I could arrange for you to be in another place...a better place for you and Garrett. All you have to do is ask me.”

“I know, but really we’re fine where we are.” She wasn’t at a place in her relationship with Grant that she wanted any favors from him. She wanted to be beholden to nobody, taking care of herself as she should have years ago. “And it’s probably time for me to go pick up Garrett. I told Sophie before we left that it wouldn’t be a late night.”

“Then let’s go pick up the munchkin,” he agreed easily.

Within half an hour they were at Courtney’s room at the motel. “You want to come in for one last cup of coffee?” she asked as she held a sleeping Garrett in her arms.