Unbridled, page 23
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. It looks like it’s snowing so I won’t stay long.” With that he was gone.
Alex stood and shut down her laptop, eager to find Connor to discuss their plans. The idea they could have dinner together, perhaps in bed, was more than appealing. Food play was on her list of things to try one day. With a snowy, chilly night ahead, it was the perfect time.
She smiled as she walked down the hallway, amazed to find herself feeling happy. Who knew how much coming home would mean to her? She peeked in the door of Connor’s office but it was dark and empty.
With only a small pout, she went back to her office to get her coat, hat and gloves. The air was beyond cold after the sun went down. The crispness of the morning air could make her nose hairs freeze; at night it made her lips blue. Strangely enough, she had missed that frigid taste in the air in California.
Fifteen minutes later, she peered out the window from the main office, waiting for James. In the pit of her stomach she was a little nervous and couldn’t explain exactly why. He’d been a gentleman most of the time, except of course when he tried to grope her. And the time he punched her out.
An outsider might think she’d lost her mind by agreeing to meet with him. However to Alex this was the final time she was going to see him, a last farewell. They might run into each other in town—after all, Lobos was quite small—but she didn’t intend on seeing him outside of casual contact again.
Connor would be happy about that, but she wasn’t doing it for him. James almost represented the life she used to lead, the meaningless existence where she’d floated around like a cloud in the sky. She’d been pushed by the wind to move this way and that, unable to get herself on the ground and steer her own destiny.
Wyoming had rescued her from that nebulous life, and James was the means for her to say good-bye to it, to David, to all she’d hidden behind for ten years. Put in perspective, this was a monumental parting of the ways.
Feeling stronger, Alex successfully squashed any nervousness she felt. She saw the black Lexus pull up and headed for the door. Claire was just walking in, her nose red from the cold air. She looked behind her and saw the car, then frowned at Alex.
“Where are you going, Alex?”
“I’m just talking to him, Claire.” Alex buttoned her coat, waiting for her stepmother to read her the riot act, or at least disapprove. She did neither. “You’re not going to tell me I’m nuts? Or that I shouldn’t be consorting with the enemy?”
Claire unwrapped the scarf from around her head. “No, that’s not my business, of course. You’re a grown woman with a mind of your own. I wouldn’t think you had any intention of listening to me anyway. You have that in common with your father.”
Alex stopped in midmotion, surprised by the comparison. “Are you trying to say I’m stubborn like my father?”
Claire shrugged. “I’m saying nothing that I say will change your mind so I won’t say anything. Simple as that.”
“Then what were you going to tell me?”
“I was going to ask you to be careful. James has tried to paw me a time or two, and he’s not a small man to fend off. I’m sure you know that, but I wanted to say it anyway.” Claire hung her coat on the rack and peered out the window at the car. She frowned again.
Alex was shocked to realize Claire was concerned about her safety. This was a new development, one that made her feel, well, kind of warm inside. She smiled at her stepmother. “Don’t worry. I’ve handled James’s octopus-like tendencies before. I plan on having a ten-minute conversation with him, then having dinner with Connor.”
Alex walked out the door with Claire’s gaze following her, and to Alex’s surprise, she was most definitely comforted by the concern. She and her stepmother were only about ten years apart in age, so she wasn’t old enough to actually be her mother. However, it felt like an older sister was keeping an eye out for her, watching her back.
The cold air slapped Alex in the face as soon as she stepped outside. The air definitely smelled like snow; it would be a great night to be indoors beside a fire with a naked Connor beside her. The thought warmed her immediately and she could hardly wait to see him. If that was love, she’d have a second helping, and perhaps a third. Alex knew at that moment she’d tell him she loved him as soon as they were alone.
With a spring in her step, she went toward the waiting Lexus and knocked on the window. The exhaust puffed out clouds into the cold air.
Alex leaned toward the door and peered in. “James, if you’re not going to talk to me, I’m going back inside.”
She wasn’t prepared for the clawlike grip on her neck. As she struggled, whoever it was reached out and opened the car door. Alex yelped as she was shoved inside.
Connor surveyed his handiwork in the VIP cabin and nearly patted himself on the back. He’d stocked up the logs for the fire, laid out a smorgasbord of fruit and other sweets on a platter and had a nice white wine chilling in a bucket.
He glanced at his watch and saw it was almost six already. Alex would likely be looking for him—he couldn’t wait to surprise her. He had a feeling the fruit and sweets would be a part of their bed play, or maybe floor play, that night. His dick twitched at the thought of licking chocolate sauce from her nipples.
Oh yeah, time to find Alex.
Leaving a single lamp lit, he left the cabin and headed for the main office. He didn’t tell her what he was doing because he wanted to surprise her. The hard truth was, they hadn’t had a conversation about their relationship or their future. He wanted to have it, and soon, before any other disaster happened.
He nodded to everyone he saw, smiling like the lovesick fool he was. If Grant saw him now, he’d likely smack him upside the head and tell him to stop acting like a pussy and be a man. Grant was hard on the outside, and he expected everyone to march to that beat. Connor could see how it would be hard for a little girl, one who never felt as if she could please her father. Alex was tough for a reason, and it made Connor love her even more.
The lobby was deserted except for the night clerk, Dan Fielding, another college student, who waved as Connor passed by on his way to Alex’s little office. He intended on giving her something bigger, but she’d settled in there as if it were a clubhouse. Perhaps in another month or so, they could find a more spacious spot for her.
The little room was empty and dark, as was his office and every other nook and cranny in the building. He walked back to the desk.
“Have you seen Alex?”
Dan shook his head. “No, but I’ve only been on shift ten minutes. Jennifer was working and I think I heard her say she was going to the mess hall for dinner.”
“Thanks.” Connor went back out into the cold, hoping he could catch Alex before she found his surprise. Outside, gently falling snowflakes began to dust the ground. It was getting colder faster than expected. He reached the mess hall in five minutes and found Jennifer chatting with Bernice. They both turned to look at him as he approached.
“You know, it’s a good thing I’m not the jealous type or I’d pitch a fit over the way you’ve thrown me over for Alex.” Bernice punched him in the arm.
Connor smiled. “You know I’ll always love you, B.” He kissed her cheek and to his utter surprise, she blushed. “Have you seen Alex?”
Jennifer frowned. “I saw her about five o’clock. She was talking with Claire and then went out the front door. I didn’t see her come back in so I figured she was with you.”
“No, she’s not with me.” Connor tried to ignore the niggling feeling of worry. “Thanks.”
He took a moment to look around the mess hall, but Alex wasn’t there. Claire and Daniel, however, were over in the corner at one of the private tables. Connor headed straight toward them, eager to find out what Claire knew about Alex’s whereabouts.
Claire was smiling at her son when he walked up, and as soon as she saw him, the smile disappeared. “Connor, what are you doing here?”
That niggling feeling began to grow larger. “What do you mean?”
“I thought you were having dinner with Alex. She told me so herself when I saw her in the main building.”
“At five o’clock.”
“Yes, around five. She was, uh, taking care of some business and then said she was going to have dinner with you.” Claire’s expression became as worried as his. “Oh, Connor, I told her to be careful.”
Thump, thump, thump. His heart beat madly as dread inched out worry.
“Why did you tell her to be careful? What was she doing?” He squatted beside the table since his legs began to shake.
Claire pinched her lips together and shook her head.
“Claire, dammit, tell me what she was doing that she needed to be careful.”
“You shouldn’t cuss, Connor. A gentleman never does it around a lady,” Daniel piped in.
“She said she was only going to talk to him for ten minutes and then spend the evening with you. I didn’t approve but I’m not her mother so I had no way to stop her.”
Fear now joined dread and jumped up and down on his spine. “Who?” He didn’t need to ask but did anyway.
“James Howard.”
“Fuck.”
“Connor, you cussed again.” Daniel sounded as worried as Connor felt. The boy was smart enough to sense something was wrong.
“Tell me what you know, Claire. Now.” Connor leaned in close to her. His mouth had gone cotton dry to accompany his racing heart and shaky legs.
“She told me she needed to talk to him, but it was only going to be ten minutes. Then she went out the door. It was too dark to see very far but I know it was James’s Lexus.” Claire’s face had grown paler. “I’m sorry, Connor. I should have made sure she was okay.”
“Alex is a grown woman and doesn’t need a babysitter.” Connor had trouble believing his own words, but at the moment he felt panic creeping over him. “She’s been gone over an hour, nearly an hour and a half, and she intended on being gone ten minutes?”
“I thought she came back already. I’m sorry, Connor,” Claire repeated. “I’ll help look for her.”
Grateful for the support, they left Daniel with Bernice and began their search of the grounds for Alex. As he suspected, she was nowhere to be found, not even in Rusty’s stall. Connor’s panic had given way to fury at James Howard. No doubt the son of a bitch was trying to find a way to force Alex to give in to him and sell her half of the ranch. He’d already tried that trick with Grant more than once.
Connor got back to his office with Claire on his heels and called the Howard ranch. Whoever answered the phone told him James was gone for the evening.
Connor’s next call was to the sheriff’s office.
Alex was furious. James was virtually keeping her prisoner in his car as they drove aimlessly around back roads in the pitch black, with snow coming down in buckets around them. It had started off as small flakes, but it was quickly turning into a full-on snowstorm.
“Take me back to Finley’s and I won’t press charges,” she repeated for the umpteenth time.
“Not until you see reason.” James flashed a smile at her. “I only want to relieve you of the burden of running a guest ranch. It’s more headache than reward. You and I both know a California girl like you could never be happy in a backwoods place like this.”
“Actually, I’m a Wyoming girl, born and bred, James, in case you’d forgotten. I’m happy at Finley’s, plan on staying on, actually, and I am not selling. How clear do I have to make it?” She was tempted to get out of the car and walk, but she had no idea where she was, and the snow made it impossible to see more than three feet ahead of her. She was stuck in the damn Lexus until he decided to bring her back.
Rat bastard.
“Ah, but Alex, you don’t understand. I won’t take no for an answer. I must have the property or my ranch will wither and die.” His coaxing tone had changed, becoming a bit darker and harder. “The water has dried up on my land and Finley’s has an endless supply from the mountain stream. I need that water or my cattle will die.”
“So we can put in a tributary and filter water to your property. We can cut a deal for the water, but you’re not getting the land. I’m not selling and I’m not leaving. Ever.” Alex firmly believed what she said, which meant she had made the decision to stay in Wyoming. A huge weight lifted off her shoulders and she knew she’d made the right choice.
James was quiet as the car silently rode along on the streets. The light snowflakes swirled on the pavement as they rode over them. It would have been a nice ride if she hadn’t been with James. He made her tense and uncomfortable. Alex was the kind of woman who lived by her instincts about people and she’d been right to mistrust him from the start, no matter how charming he had been.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Alex. I had hoped you would be more open-minded about selling the ranch and about me.” He sighed and fiddled with the zipper on his jacket. “Disappointing, to say the least.”
“I suppose you’ll just have to get over it. Now, take me back to Finley’s, please.” She’d had enough of the obtuse conversation. More than enough.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
“Excuse me?” Her heart began to pound as she realized just how isolated they were out in the blackness of the night with only snow for company.
“Claire isn’t as strong as you are. She’ll give in to my demands if you’re not around to influence her. The boy is of course no problem. Connor will need to be eliminated as well, though.” James’s voice had hardened, becoming as frigid as the air surrounding the car.
“ ‘Eliminated as well’? James, what the hell are you talking about? This isn’t an Old West movie where you can just off people you don’t like.” She managed not to sound afraid but it was very, very hard.
“Oh, but it is. You see, this is still the West, and men are still men if they own land. The more they own, the more powerful they are. I intend on being the most powerful man in the state of Wyoming.” He turned to her, his face a mask of cold fury in the bluish light from the dashboard. “You will not be the bitch who ruins it for me.”
Alex suffered a combination of shock, terror and rage. Before she could respond to his threat, she realized he wasn’t just playing with his zipper; he had something in his coat.
The gleam of metal in the meager light was her only indication he had pulled out a gun and was pointing it at her.
Two thoughts flew through her mind. The first was that she hadn’t told Connor she loved him and she’d regret that for the next ten seconds of her life. The second was that James intended to kill her.
Alex started fighting for her life.
Connor paced around the front of the main building and threw up his hands in disgust. “Yancy, what the fuck is going on? She’s been gone for an hour and a half and no one has seen her. That bastard could have done anything to her by now.”
He wanted to do something, anything, to help find her. He’d called around to everyone he knew, but no one had seen James or Alex. Frustration and fear were eating away at him.
The sheriff looked odd with his brown hat covered in snow, like a great big winter sculpture. “There’s nothing I can do right now. It hasn’t even been a day, much less two. That’s the regulation for finding an adult who’s missing.”
Connor grabbed Yancy’s coat. “I don’t give a shit about the regulations. She’s in trouble. I know it. I feel it in here.” He thumped his chest.
“I can appreciate that, Connor, but your feeling ain’t gonna count for much.”
Red-hot rage poured through Connor. “It counts to me! I love her, Yancy. I won’t let anything happen to her because of your bullshit rules. I’ll find her myself.”
“That doesn’t sound like a smart idea.”
Connor stalked toward his truck, determined to find Alex come hell or high water. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything stop him, even a deputy the size of a Volkswagen. She was too important to him for that. Most of his life had been spent doing whatever he felt like, chasing a thrill, screwing around. It left no room for being afraid because he had to be fearless. Connor hadn’t even been sure he could feel fear, but he knew the answer to that question now.
He was flat-out terrified something had happened to Alex.
“Connor, wait.” Yancy was right on his heels. “I can’t open an investigation yet, but I can help you look for her.”
“Fine. You take your car and search in town and I’ll start at Howard’s place.” Truthfully he wanted to tear over there and kick the shit out of the man, but he needed to find Alex first. Revenge could wait until after she was safe.
“Oh, no, you know I can’t let you go on private property. He’s had you arrested twice already for doing that. I’ll go to Howard’s ranch and you stay on the main roads and in town.” Yancy leaned toward him, his bulk repeating the message a bit more forcefully.
Connor gritted his teeth. “Fine. I’ll have the CB on channel three. You let me know the second you find anything.”
“I can do that. Connor, listen, we’ll find her. You know, maybe she just decided to skip town or go to a bar to relax.”
Connor shook off Yancy’s suggestion. “She didn’t fucking leave and she didn’t go to a bar. Alex is in trouble; do you understand that? Howard is a sneaky son of a bitch and he’s up to something. Whatever it is it’s bad, as bad as Grant.”
Yancy frowned. “What do you mean as bad as Grant?”
He’d never told anyone of his suspicions about his friend’s untimely death, but now he realized he should have. “I know you’re the sheriff and you rely on evidence, but my gut and everything in my soul tells me Howard had something to do with Grant’s accident.”
Yancy’s dark eyes widened. “What the hell would make you think that?”
“With Grant out of the way, James tried his best to hang around and convince Claire to sell the ranch. It was too convenient; he even had legal documents already drawn up at the fucking funeral. She told me he cornered her once, scared the hell out of her.” Connor ground his teeth together. “The bastard was the first one at the scene when Grant was killed! He’s the one that called you, remember? I could never prove anything, but he was acting odd and my gut told me James had something to do with Grant’s death. He wanted the land, he wanted the water, he wanted everything that Finley’s is, and now that includes Alex.”
