An Officer and a Maverick Read online

  “The gossip columnist,” Russ said.

  “Right.” Lissa looked at each of them. “The person who writes the pieces in Sunday’s edition of the Rust Creek Falls Gazette seems to have a whole lot of details from that night.”

  “How much confidence do you have in gossip?” Russ had read the back issues but wondered what the sheriff’s wife thought.

  “Well, I can’t say that anything was a lie. Will and Jordyn Leigh did get married suddenly.”

  “But they’re in love.” When both of them gave him funny looks Russ said, “I talked to her, and she admitted that the effects of the punch lowered their inhibitions, but it all worked out and they’re glad to have found each other.”

  Lissa nodded. “It’s also true that Levi and Claire Wyatt had a falling-out that night. But their relationship seems stronger now that differences have been aired out so publicly. That happened because of being under the influence of whatever was in that punch.” She snapped her fingers. “And don’t forget that poker game where Brad Crawford won Old Man Sullivan’s ranch. So whoever wrote those columns saw things.”

  “And I would give anything to know the identity of that person.” Russ set his empty appetizer plate on the table and grabbed his beer bottle. “So, Lissa, any idea who’s writing Rust Creek Ramblings?”

  “How would I know?” Her blue eyes were blank for several moments then sparkled with humor when she caught his drift. “Because I’m a blogger you think I might have some psychic connection with another writer?”

  “Long shot,” he admitted. “But worth a try.”

  “I know it’s a guilty pleasure, but I can’t wait for the Sunday paper. Reading that column to find out what’s going on with people is just too much fun.”

  “Whatever floats your boat.” Russ shrugged.

  “It does. And speaking of that...” Her eyes sparkled in a way that made him nervous. “I’m curious about something that wasn’t in the paper.”

  “What?” Russ asked warily.

  “You arrested Lani Dalton that night.” She glanced at her husband. “And I have a reliable source who says the two of you were locked up together for a few hours.”

  “Really?” He looked at the sheriff.

  “Sorry.” Gage didn’t look sorry. “She has her ways.”

  “I do.” Lissa gave Russ her I’ll-get-it-out-of-you look. “And I would really like to know what the two of you did to occupy yourselves for so long in jail.”

  He shrugged. “Oh, you know...”

  She tilted her head and gave him a pitying look. “You seriously believe that’s going to get you off the hook with me?”

  “A guy can hope.” When she shook her head, Russ sighed. Wild horses couldn’t drag the whole truth out of him, but he could throw her a bone. “Okay. You win.”

  “And don’t forget it. Now spill your secrets, Detective.”

  “Lani and I talked.” At her look he added, “It was her idea.”

  “Now, there’s a big surprise.” Her tone was wry. “No one would accuse you of talking their ear off of your own free will.”

  “It’s part of my charm.” When Lissa laughed he thought his distraction had worked.

  “So you expect me to believe you spent hours alone with a pretty girl like Lani and nothing happened besides conversation?”

  “Like what?” He gave his friend a help-me-out-here look.

  Gage stood and headed for the smoker. “I’m going to check the ribs.”

  Whatever happened to male solidarity? Russ wondered. Apparently, things changed when a man got married.

  “Did you kiss her?” Lissa asked.

  That was a loaded question, and he knew where it would lead. Russ decided on a flanking maneuver. “Did Gage tell you that she stole the keys to the cell to keep me locked in?”

  “He did. What’s your point?”

  “People with nothing to hide, who have done nothing wrong, don’t do things like that.” He shifted in his chair. “That means she can’t be ruled out as a suspect.”

  “Lani Dalton? Seriously?” Lissa shook her head and looked at her husband, who had rejoined them. “What do you think?”

  “I’ve known that girl and her family all my life. She’s open, honest, loyal. Never been in trouble. If she’s guilty, I’d take a dip in Badger Creek in the dead of winter.”

  “I’d like pictures of that,” his wife teased.

  “There won’t be any because there’s no way Lani did anything to that punch,” Gage said emphatically.

  Russ wanted to believe him but refused to let go of his doubts. Maybe that was an overabundance of caution, but he tended to think it was more about keeping her at a distance. Letting down his guard was the first step in trusting, and he wouldn’t do that again.

  Chapter Seven

  After riding fences all day, Lani watched the sun sink lower in the sky as she headed back to Anderson’s house on the Dalton ranch compound. She was hungry, dirty and tired, really looking forward to getting home to her parents’ house in town for a hot shower and her mother’s meatloaf. She rode into the barn and dismounted then led Valentino over to the water trough for a drink. She gave him a good rubdown and a generous portion of oats before walking to the house to see Anderson.

  But as soon as she saw the familiar truck parked out front beside her own, it was clear that her plan for a hot shower and dinner was going to have to wait.

  “Damn it, Russ,” she muttered. “You better not be here to arrest Anderson.”

  Or accuse him of doctoring the punch. She was still annoyed about the other night when he’d insinuated she’d been responsible for getting the whole town drunk. The funny thing was that she didn’t get the feeling his heart was all in on suspecting her. It was only after kissing her in front of everyone at the Ace in the Hole that he brought up the suspect list then aired his doubts about her. As if he was reinforcing his reasons for pushing her away. But everyone was a suspect, and the investigation could be the reason he was here at the ranch. She needed to find out what was going on.

  She walked inside without knocking and found her brothers in the living room with the detective. His back was to her and she couldn’t see his expression, but that body language didn’t say relaxed.

  “He threw the first punch when Travis wasn’t looking, so I stepped in,” Anderson was calmly explaining. “Skip Webster is a jealous hothead. Anyone in town will confirm that if you ask them.”

  Lani had slammed the door, and the wood floor didn’t muffle the noise from her boots. It appeared no one had heard her come in, and she chalked that up to a surplus of testosterone making these three men deaf.

  She didn’t wait to be asked. “Skip Webster is a jealous hothead. That’s exactly what went through my mind when I saw what happened.”

  At the sound of her voice, Russ turned. “Hi, Lani.”

  “Detective.” She met his gaze, trying to decipher what was in his. She couldn’t and decided she didn’t much like the cop face that hid what he was thinking. “What brings you out here?”

  “As I was just explaining to your brothers, I’m investigating all of the incidents that occurred after the Traub-MacCallum wedding. And that the sheriff and I believe the only reasonable explanation for why folks who are normally easygoing and law-abiding started acting crazy after drinking the punch is that it was spiked.”

  “What does that have to do with my brothers?” She walked past him to stand with Anderson and Travis. Her body language was telling Russ that this was three against one if he was going after Anderson for assault and battery when it so obviously had been self-defense.

  “It’s okay, Lani. No need for you to get involved,” Anderson said. Any more than you already are, his look told her.

  “I’m not here to single anyone out.” Russ rubbed a h
and across the back of his neck. “I’m interviewing everyone who was in the park that day, which is pretty much the whole town. Someone I spoke to remembered Travis and Anderson being there because of the altercation.”

  “It was stupid what happened,” Anderson said. “Although that’s just an impression, since the whole thing is kind of hazy. And you’re right about people being rowdy, but Skip Webster throwing a punch is pretty much how he operates on a routine basis. He never pressed charges, by the way.”

  “I know.”

  Lani felt the heat and sharp accusation in Russ’s hazel eyes when he looked at her. She knew he was thinking about being locked up that night instead of arresting her brother. He wouldn’t forgive her for taking his keys, so it probably wasn’t wise to point out that she’d saved him a pile of paperwork. Not to mention rescuing an indeterminate number of trees. The goal had been to keep her brother out of jail. Whatever was in that punch had given her the guts to do what she had to. And she was sworn to secrecy about her motive.

  “Have you made any progress on the case?” she asked.

  “None. I was just getting to that when you came in.” His eyes narrowed first on Travis then Anderson. “Did either of you see or hear anything suspicious that night?”

  “Besides the fact that you arrested my sister?” Travis said.

  Lani felt Anderson tense and wished Travis hadn’t brought that up. She couldn’t explain because it would lead to more questions she wasn’t at liberty to answer. She had to do damage control.

  “Like Russ said—” she met his gaze “—along with everyone else, I was acting weird, and it was getting pretty disorderly.”

  “I arrested her because she was going to hurt herself in that fountain. So I took her in for her own protection.”

  “He was there to maintain the peace,” she confirmed.

  “Maintaining the peace must have been a challenge when you were locked up in a jail cell with my sister.” Travis had the angry, defensive big-brother thing down to a T.

  Lani loved him for it, but barreling down this road wouldn’t do Anderson any favors. “If it’s all the same to you, Travis, that wasn’t my finest hour, and I’d rather not talk about it. Except to say the whole thing was my fault, not Russ’s.”

  The detective looked surprised that she’d backed him up. It bothered her that he would never know she had a good reason for doing the wrong thing.

  Russ looked at her brothers. “The sheriff and I figure someone spiked the punch, and the subsequent individual behavior is a direct result of that illegal act, so no one will be held accountable. We’re only interested in finding out who’s responsible for drugging everyone and why.”

  “So it doesn’t happen again, right, Detective?” she clarified.

  “Exactly.” He looked at her, and his eyes went smoky hot for a second before he shuttered the emotions.

  “I’m not buying it.” Travis still looked angry. “He’s got a funny way of asking a question, making it sound more like an accusation.”

  “Easy, Trav—” Anderson put a steadying hand on his brother’s arm. “I don’t like it any more than you do, but he’s the law.”

  It was so like Anderson to be the voice of reason, calming everyone around him. Now that she thought about it, Russ did the same thing. Maybe it had something to do with being the oldest sibling.

  “He doesn’t work for the Rust Creek Falls Sheriff’s Department.” Travis’s gaze was full of suspicion. “Kalispell is his jurisdiction. And from what I hear, he’s there because he couldn’t hack it when he was with the Denver Police Department.”

  Lani was looking at Russ and saw the muscle jerk in his jaw. Clearly there was a story there, and she would give anything to hear what happened because it had obviously changed him—and she wanted to know everything about it. But this wasn’t the time or place to discuss the matter.

  “Look, you guys,” she said to her brothers. “Maybe you’ve been spending too much time on the ranch, but here’s the scoop. The sheriff hired Russ to investigate, and he’s taken time from his life to do that. The least we can do is cooperate in order to get to the bottom of what happened.”

  “Be that as it may, he’s an outsider,” Travis commented. “If Gage Christensen asked me anything, I’d be happy to answer.”

  “That’s the thing.” Lani glanced up at her brother then back to Russ. “He’s standing in for Gage, and we have an obligation to help. The fact that he isn’t from around here makes him perfect for this. His objectivity won’t be in question because he has no emotional investment in the outcome of the investigation.”

  Although Lani was wishing more and more that he had an emotional investment in her. She’d tried to stay mad at him for refusing to cross her off the suspect list. But as soon as she’d seen him here standing up to her brothers, her anger deserted her. And she really missed it.

  “I heard that you’re going out with him.” Travis angled his head toward Russ then gave her a challenging look. “What’s up with that?”

  It was too much to hope that gossip regarding their public kiss at the bar wouldn’t get to her brothers. Normally, they didn’t meddle in her relationships, but being questioned about that day in the park had pushed Travis’s buttons.

  “It’s not serious. Russ and I are just getting to know each other,” she said.

  “That’s right,” he confirmed, but something flickered in his eyes.

  “Are you sure about this?” Travis asked. “About him?”

  “No one gets a guarantee about a person,” she snapped. “That’s why it’s called becoming acquainted. And really, it’s no one’s business but mine.”

  “Understood,” her brother said, but there was disapproval in the dark stare he leveled at her.

  “Look, I’m only asking questions.” Russ faced the other two men squarely, feet braced wide, looking them straight in the eyes. “Even though your memories of the night in question aren’t clear, you might know something and not even realize it.”

  “You’re asking if we saw anyone suspicious hanging around,” Anderson guessed.

  “Pretty much,” Russ agreed.

  “Look.” Travis’s voice had less of an edge, but the sarcasm was ratcheted up. “Everyone in town was at the reception. Everyone was getting something to drink. It was a hot day.”

  “Was there anyone you didn’t recognize? A stranger? Someone who looked suspicious? Anything out of the ordinary?”

  The two brothers looked at each other, clearly trying to remember, then shook their heads. Anderson spoke for both of them. “Community events are held in that park all the time, and I didn’t see anything different about this one.”

  “Okay. I appreciate your help.” Russ nodded.

  “Are we done here?” Travis asked.

  “For now.” Russ glanced at each of them.

  “Okay,” Lani said. “I’ll see you out. I’m heading back to town.” She looked at Travis, who’d driven his own truck to work today from their parents’ house. “See you at home. Bye, Anderson. See you in the morning.”

  “Drive carefully,” he said.

  She nodded then headed to the door with Russ behind her, certain that his gaze was on her back. Now that the tension was gone, she thought about her appearance. Spending the day on horseback didn’t lend itself to looking cover-girl gorgeous. She was dusty and sweaty, and if she took off her Stetson there would be serious hat hair. Not to mention no makeup and grime all over her face. He was probably thanking his lucky stars that they weren’t actually dating.

  Walking down the porch steps, she felt the need to say something. “Travis and Anderson aren’t normally so prickly.”

  “I didn’t think they were.” His expression was cop face again.

  “No one is at their best when being questioned about a crime.”

>   Duh. He already knew that better than she ever could. She’d defended him to her brothers and was now doing the same for her brothers. For reasons she didn’t quite get, it was important that Russ didn’t think the worst of her family.

  “My brothers are good men. Not perfect. They have flaws, but would never do anything dishonorable.”

  “I get that, Lani.” He walked over to her truck and opened the driver’s-side door. “I’ll follow you back to town.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” Lani wasn’t ready to say goodbye, but after she climbed in he closed the door, indicating that he wanted to be done. “See you.”

  “Right.” He turned his back and walked to his truck.

  If he hadn’t cut this short, she knew she would have babbled on and defended herself. Told him again that she wasn’t in the habit of throwing herself at handsome cops in a jail cell, but he didn’t give her the chance. All business, all the time for Detective Russ Campbell.

  That was probably for the best, she told herself. Otherwise he might confirm that the intimate moment they’d shared in that jail cell meant nothing to him.

  * * *

  “Lani, I need to talk to you.”

  Starting a conversation like that never meant anything good, Lani thought. She hadn’t even closed the front door before hearing her father’s voice from the kitchen. When Ben Dalton was waiting for her, she knew her shower and dinner were going to have to wait a little longer.

  “Hi, Dad.” She walked into the room, and the good smells coming from the oven made her stomach growl. “Where’s Mom?”

  “She had to run to Crawford’s. Something about making gravy.”

  “Mmm.” She was barely back in control after seeing Russ at the ranch, and now this. What the heck was going on? The last time her father said he needed to talk to her she’d been a teenager, and he took away her cell phone until her geometry grade improved. “What’s up, Dad?”

  Her father was a tall man, about six foot two, with some silver running through his brown hair. It was a family joke that his kids had turned him gray. And he was looking so serious right now, it was a wonder his hair didn’t turn white on the spot. The man had no belly fat and didn’t make a habit of imbibing, so it was a surprise when he pulled a beer out of the refrigerator, twisted the cap off and took a long swallow. Good Lord, she’d driven him to drink!