Less-than-Innocent Invitation Read online

  Logan glanced at his planner. “What time do you want us there?”

  “Ten-thirty.”

  “I’ll be there.” Logan disconnected the line.

  Grimacing, he stood and left the study. What had Gavin found? From his hard tone, it couldn’t be good.

  Logan arrived in the dining room to find Daniel and Rick across from each other at the table already eating.

  Rick looked up. “Hi, Logan. We were going to wait for you, but Norah insisted that we start eating while the food was hot.”

  “I’m glad you did. I had a call I needed to take.” He sat at the end of the table nearest them. “Where’s Melissa?” Logan hadn’t meant to ask, but the words had just spilled out of his mouth. Annoyed with himself, he buttered a piece of toast, then added some eggs and bacon to his plate.

  “Haven’t seen her yet,” Rick said.

  Logan raised an eyebrow. When he’d dated her, she usually had been out of bed before him. “Not a morning person?”

  “Are you kidding?” Daniel took a sip of his coffee, made a grunt of approval, then took another sip. “She’s usually the first one into work every day.”

  Chewing his food, Logan found that interesting. It could only mean one thing. Melissa was in her room avoiding him. Well, if she thought she’d wait him out, she was in for a surprise.

  He wasn’t going anywhere until he saw her.

  The scent of bacon and eggs hit Melissa as she left her room the next morning. The thought of eggs made her stomach roil. She’d settle for a cup of coffee and a piece of toast. She’d hardly slept at all, and she wasn’t in the greatest of moods. It had nothing to do with her conversation with Logan last night. Nothing to do with being tempted to kiss him.

  Nothing to do with sleeping only a few rooms away from him.

  Today she would borrow Daniel’s car to run some errands. Before she did any additional investigation on her story, she needed to buy some clothes.

  Her steps faltered as she entered the dining room and saw Logan. He was sitting at a large walnut table, a cup of coffee in his hand. Daniel and Rick also were seated at the table.

  “Good morning, everyone. I was hoping to find a cup of coffee.”

  Logan looked up at her approach. “Have a seat. I’ll pour you some.”

  She saw the coffee urn on the table and reached for it. “Thanks, Logan, but please don’t get up. I can do it,” she said without looking at him.

  “Morning, Melissa,” Daniel said.

  Rick finished a bite of his food, then swallowed. “Hey, Melissa.”

  With her cup full, she pulled out a chair and sat down, thankful that Rick and Daniel were seated next to Logan and she didn’t have to sit near him. She added sugar and cream to her coffee, then looked up at Daniel. “I’d like to borrow your car for a while this morning. I have some errands to run. I also need to head over to the museum and check out the Halifax exhibit, get the details on what happened with the vandalism.”

  Daniel shook his head. “Sorry, Melissa, but my plans have changed. As much as I was looking forward to staying here for a few days, I have to head back to Houston.”

  Melissa’s hand froze in the middle of reaching for a piece of toast. “What? Why?”

  “Jason called this morning. There’s a story breaking in Houston about busting a drug ring.”

  “Then we’re leaving,” she concluded.

  “I am,” he clarified. “I’m leaving you and Rick here to work on the Jessamine Golden story and how it might tie in with the Halifax exhibit.”

  “Are you sure you want to go there, Daniel?” she asked, trying one last time to dissuade him. “There’s probably nothing to it. So far, no one even knows what it means. And the map is hardly worth mentioning.”

  Daniel picked up his cup, then paused before taking a sip. “Stay on it. The appearance of the map is interesting enough to follow. And I want more about the historical mystery.” He nodded. “Contact me when you’ve finished your first segment on the ball and the Halifax exhibit.”

  Frustrated, she set down her coffee. “I’ll work on it. I hope the mystery surrounding Jessamine Golden doesn’t disappoint you.”

  “It’s going to go over big. I just know it. A lot of wealthy, influential people live here. Who knows who could be involved?” He sat back in his chair and looked at Logan with gratitude. “Well, I’ve gotta run. I can’t thank you enough for your hospitality, Logan.” He stood and extended his hand. “Don’t get up. I’ll see myself out.”

  “You’re welcome anytime.” As Daniel left, Logan glanced at Melissa, who didn’t look at all pleased that her producer was leaving her in Royal. From the cold shoulder she’d been giving him, he had a feeling she was eager to avoid him. More determined than ever to pin her down, he said, “I can give you a lift into town, Melissa.” Being alone with her in the car would be the perfect opportunity to question her. She couldn’t avoid answering him there.

  “I appreciate it, Logan, but Rick will still be here. I’ll ride in with him.”

  Rick stuffed the last of his bacon into his mouth, chewed it, then swallowed. “Logan said I could hang around the ranch this morning and take a look at his operation.”

  She stared at him with disbelief. “What?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “C’mon, Melissa. You’re not going to be shooting this morning, are you?”

  “Well, no, but—”

  “Then you don’t really need me. The ranch foreman’s already agreed to let me tag along with him for a while.”

  “I have a meeting at the Cattleman’s Club so I’m going into town anyway,” Logan cut in. “You might as well ride with me.”

  Melissa finished the last of her coffee. This wasn’t working at all the way she’d planned. The last thing she wanted was to spend more time in Logan’s company. Why? she asked herself. Because she didn’t trust Logan? Or because she didn’t trust her own feelings for him? “Thanks anyway, but I can take Rick’s truck.”

  “If you take my truck, then later want me to meet you, I won’t have any way to get there,” Rick told her.

  “All right,” she said, accepting her fate. “But keep your cell phone with you in case I need you.” Fine. She’d ride into town with Logan. Maybe after she poked around a little at the museum, she’d learn that the vandalism of the exhibit was merely a prank. If so, she’d write a conclusion to her story and leave Royal by tomorrow.

  And say goodbye to Logan. Again.

  Logan’s pickup rocked as he hit a pothole on the back road before turning onto the main highway and heading toward Royal. “Do you plan to remain silent the entire ride?” He glanced at Melissa. “Or do you plan to talk to me?”

  Melissa looked up from her reporter’s notebook. “I’m not ignoring you. I’m thinking about the story I’m working on.” She went back to flipping through the pages. If she were inclined to talk, she’d demand to know who he’d married. Which she could never do because it would seem as if she were interested in him. Which she wasn’t. Really.

  Still, it grated on her nerves to know he’d married within months of her leaving. His actions only solidified her reason for breaking up with him. He’d needed a wife to secure his inheritance. It hadn’t mattered who the woman was.

  Old hurt coiled through her as she recalled the day she’d found out why he’d proposed. She’d run into a friend from school, Cara Young, who had been dating Logan’s brother, Bart. Cara had revealed that the terms of their father’s will dictated that the first of his sons to marry would inherit the ranch.

  Because he didn’t want the ranch, Bart had refused to marry Cara to get it. He’d told her that he and Logan had made a deal. Logan would marry Melissa, thereby securing the ranch, then he’d buy out Bart’s portion. Cara had been furious.

  Crushed and betrayed, Melissa hadn’t wanted to believe Cara. But she’d thought about Logan’s words right after he’d proposed.

  I’ll have everything I’ve ever wanted, Melissa. I’ll have you and the Wil
d Spur.

  The truth had been right there for her to hear. She had been too in love with Logan to see it. So she’d done the only thing she could to save her self-respect. She’d given Logan his ring back and left town, using her desire to be a reporter as the reason she’d changed her mind about marrying him.

  Did he really want to dredge all that up?

  Glancing at him, Melissa noticed his taut jaw, his white knuckles as he gripped the steering wheel. This certainly wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience if they couldn’t be civil with each other. She’d probably be with him for only a few days at the most. How hard could it be?

  “I appreciate your giving me a lift into town.”

  “Where do you want to go first?” Logan asked, deciding not to press her now. They’d be in town in a few minutes. When he talked to her, he wanted time on his side.

  “Shopping.”

  Her response evoked a grin from him and lightened his mood as he thought about the times they’d gone shopping together. “You always did like clothes.” And she’d looked damn good in whatever she wore. Even better when she was naked. He stole a look at her, letting his gaze drift over her breasts. Though she was still thin, her body had gentle curves and swells that were hard to ignore. He dragged his eyes back to the road.

  “I can’t very well wear these same clothes every day that I’m here,” she said, feeling the need to defend herself because he probably hadn’t forgotten how much she loved shopping. He used to go with her often.

  “I was just teasing you.”

  “Oh, gee, I missed that.”

  “You can walk around naked for all I care.”

  Her eyes widened. “Logan!”

  Thinking about her naked sent all kinds of erotic images through his mind. Ever since she’d arrived, Logan had been fighting the desire to kiss her. Though he’d started this, he needed to clear his thoughts. Otherwise he would be very uncomfortable for the remainder of the ride into town—and the rest of the day. “All right. Do you want to go to the museum after you shop?”

  She watched him warily. “Yes. I think that’s the best place to start investigating the vandalism of the Halifax exhibit.”

  “I don’t know how long my meeting will be. I’ll drop you downtown, then come back and pick you up.”

  “Thanks.” She turned to a fresh page in her notebook and jotted down her phone number, then she ripped out the page and handed it to him. “This is my cell number. Call me when you’re on your way and I’ll let you know where I am.”

  He stuffed it into his front shirt pocket. “I shouldn’t be too long.”

  She turned a little in her seat to face him. “As a long-time resident, why do you think anyone would vandalize the Halifax exhibit?”

  He shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe someone’s just trying to tarnish Gretchen Halifax’s name. Could be someone doesn’t want her to win against Jake for mayor,” he speculated.

  Her brows dipped in thought. “Do you think she will win?”

  “It’s hard to say. Jake is a strong candidate. He’s a local businessman and he’s well liked in the community.”

  By his tone, Melissa read into what he hadn’t said. “And Gretchen Halifax isn’t?”

  “I didn’t say that, but, truthfully, I don’t know her that well. She comes across as very ambitious. I guess that’s not always a bad thing.”

  Intrigued, Melissa jotted some notes on her pad. “Does she have any secrets?”

  “None that I know of.” He had a gut feeling there was more to her, but with nothing solid to go on, he didn’t speculate further.

  “Does Jake Thorne?”

  At her focused, intelligent questions, Logan let his gaze drifted over her feminine features. She was a beautiful woman, but he’d always known there was more to Melissa than her appearance.

  He looked back at the road as he turned onto the street leading to the center of town. “No. He’s running against Gretchen because he feels her platform on tax reform may have a negative effect on local businesses in Royal.”

  “What about you? Do you think Jake is a better candidate for mayor, or as a businessman, is he protecting his own interests?” Melissa knew he was one of Logan’s close friends. Did his loyalty to Jake make him blind to his flaws?

  Logan’s mouth tightened. “Jake is as upstanding as you get.”

  Melissa had to stop herself from grinning. Obviously she was right. Jake was Logan’s friend, and Logan was loyal to a fault.

  Except with you.

  Melissa tamped down on her feelings of resentment and tried to keep her focus on her story. “I wasn’t suggesting that he wasn’t,” she replied, softening her tone. “I’m just trying to find out what’s going on.”

  “Right.” Just like he was trying to find out why she’d left. And eventually he would. He just hoped he wouldn’t be sorry when he did. He tabled his thoughts as he pulled up to a curb in the upscale shopping district. “My meeting shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”

  She reached for her door handle. “I’ll be ready when you are.”

  “You don’t have to rush.”

  “Thanks.” Melissa got out of the truck, then gave him a wave. Maybe she didn’t have to rush shopping, but she did have to rush to get this story done so she could return to her life in Houston.

  So far today she’d avoided any further personal discussions with Logan. She didn’t expect her luck would hold out, though, not with the looks she’d been getting from him. Or the innuendos.

  Still, the question of his marriage burned in her mind. Maybe talking with him would be worth the pain if she forced him to admit the truth. Maybe she’d leave Royal this time with her mind clear of Logan Voss.

  And her heart.

  Logan pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the Texas Cattleman’s Club just as Connor Thorne, Jake’s brother, got out of his car. Unlike Jake, who was outgoing and easy to know, Connor was on the quiet side. Though his hair was cut short the way he’d worn it when he’d served as an army Ranger, he’d resigned his commission to return home and run the family’s engineering business. Connor didn’t talk about his reasons, but Logan suspected something had happened to cause him to give up his chosen career.

  “Hey, Connor,” Logan called as he got out of his truck and met him in front of the club. They exchanged pleasantries, then Logan said, “It looks like Jake, Mark and Tom Morgan have already arrived.” He gestured toward their vehicles.

  Connor nodded. “Yeah. Now we’re only waiting for Gavin.”

  Together they entered the club and went to a private room in the rear. Moments later, Gavin walked in and everyone but the sheriff seated themselves around the large conference table.

  “I’m glad you all could make it,” Gavin stated. He took off his hat and dropped it on the table. He looked at every man in the room, his gaze pausing briefly on each. “Since I’m down a few deputies I could use your help.”

  “Anything we can do,” Logan said. The rest of the men voiced their agreement.

  “As you know, Jonathan Devlin was murdered.” All of the men nodded. “Until I made headway into the investigation, I’ve kept the results of the autopsy confidential, even from the family, because I don’t know who was involved.”

  “And now?” Logan asked.

  “The investigation is snowballing.”

  Jake was the one who asked the question on all of their minds. “So how was Jonathan Devlin killed?”

  Gavin released a sigh. “Lethal injection.”

  “What was in it?” Tom asked, leaning forward.

  Logan understood Tom’s interest. Recently, Tom had learned that Jonathan was his great-grandfather. Adopted at birth, it wasn’t until after his mother died that Tom had returned to Royal in search of his family.

  Meeting Jonathan must have been an eye-opener. The man had had a reputation of being difficult and he’d ruled his family with an iron fist. There was no telling who had murdered him.

  “Potassium chloride,”
Gavin told them. “Which is why it looked as though he died of cardiac arrest.”

  “Did they find any needle marks on him?” Connor asked.

  The sheriff tapped his fingers on the table. “No. We believe it was given to him through his intravenous drip.”

  “Then the killer got to him in the hospital.” Logan voiced what they were all thinking.

  “That’s a fair assumption, but so far there’s no proof. My main focus at this time is hospital staff members, anyone who has worked there in the past year and family members who could have had a grudge against him.”

  “Do you have any leads?” Tom asked.

  Gavin sighed. “More than my men and I can handle. I don’t like the idea of a killer running loose in our town. We’re following up the leads as quickly as we can.”

  Jake rested his elbows on the conference table. “How about suspects?”

  Gavin pulled out a chair, turned it around and straddled it. “No one solid. I went out to Jonathan’s house, but found nothing significant to his murder.”

  “Anything else?” Logan asked.

  “Not yet. We’re still analyzing evidence and hoping something will turn up to lead us to the killer.”

  “What about one of the Windcrofts?” Jake asked. “They’ve been fighting with the Devlins for more than a hundred years over whether Nicholas Devlin cheated Richard Windcroft out of half of his land in a poker game.”

  “But their feud has never led to murder,” Connor reasoned out loud.

  “Except when Nicholas was shot,” Tom offered. “My family still talks about it. They believe a Windcroft was responsible.”

  “But why would a Windcroft want Jonathan dead?” Gavin asked. “What would they gain?” He shook his head. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t add up.”

  Mark crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay, let’s take this in another direction. What about the appearance of the map? Jonathan lived in the same house as Jessamine Golden did. If someone really believes she engineered a gold heist, they might have been after something in the house.”

  Connor nodded. “Like the map.”

  “But the map only turned up when Opal Devlin began cleaning out Jonathan’s things,” Logan pointed out.