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Kat angled her head to indicate his feet. “The biker boots. And I saw you in the lobby carrying a helmet. I figure you’re a weekend warrior with a Harley. That, and you never seem totally relaxed even when you’re just making conversation. You’re always scanning the room, and there’s this undercurrent to you, as if you’re spring-loaded.”
Nick shook his head, wondering if he’d chosen the right woman to pursue. She was too observant for his comfort. “You’re good.”
“Not really. I have a talent for finding the one bad boy in a room full of good guys. You might even call it a curse.”
Dear Reader,
I have wanted to write Kat’s story since she emerged as Annie’s wisecracking best friend in Welcome Home, Daddy. To be honest, I felt sorry for her because she had a total loser boyfriend, the latest in a long line of bad boys.
Kat is smart, beautiful and successful. Couldn’t she see she deserved better? And if picking losers was a pattern for her, why didn’t she simply change it?
Many of you are probably nodding and thinking, “That’s just like my friend________.” Yes, we all have a friend like Kat. Heck, some of us are Kat. So why do intelligent, attractive, charming women seem to be drawn to men who are no good?
As Kat’s story unfolds, I think you’ll see why she needs to be needed so badly (although she covers her vulnerability with a smart-ass attitude). And I hope you’ll cheer her on as she fights to let go of the past. Even as dark, intense Tony Perez will challenge her newfound courage to choose differently every step of the way.
As always, I love to hear from readers, by e-mail at carrieauthor@aol.com, or snail mail forwarded through Harlequin Books.
Yours in reading,
Carrie Weaver
www.carrieweaver.com
Once a Ranger
Carrie Weaver
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Carrie Weaver is vastly relieved that she no longer shares Kat’s penchant for bad boys…or more accurately, bad men. As the mother of two young men, Carrie hopes her sons are the good guys Kat would have avoided during her loser-chasing days. When not molding the husbands of tomorrow, Carrie loves to write award-winning novels reflecting real life and real love.
This book is dedicated to my friend and fellow reader Carol Cancik, and her amazing daughter, Mary.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
EPILOGUE
CHAPTER ONE
EUNICE TREADWAY DESERVED justice and Tony Perez intended to see that she got it.
Not only because Eunice’s son had hired him, but also because of the there-but-for-the-grace-of-God factor. Tony would want to exact a whole lot more than justice if Will Sterling destroyed his widowed mother.
Tony opened his laptop and placed it on the mission-style table in the breakfast nook of his suite. Booting up, he ran through his notes; there were precious few. It wasn’t that he didn’t have contacts in law enforcement. As a former Texas Ranger, he had plenty. There simply hadn’t been an investigation. Treadway’s death had been declared a suicide, no foul play involved.
Except Tony knew better.
His cell phone buzzed. He checked the number as he went and grabbed a bottled water from the fridge under the minibar. The Phoenix Rising Resort was top of the line, even if it was in the Arizona boonies. He thumbed the button on his phone. “Hey, Teresa, how was your flight?”
“This is Brian, Teresa’s husband.”
Tony’s shoulders tensed. She wouldn’t let anyone take her BlackBerry without a fight. Even her husband.
Tony’s gut told him this case could derail before it had even begun. “Yeah, we’ve met a couple times. Is something wrong?”
“They just took Teresa into emergency surgery. Her appendix was about to burst and the stubborn woman insisted I call you before her family.” His chuckle sounded shaky. “Wanted me to tell you she’s sorry she won’t be able to help you with that case in Arizona.”
“That sounds like Teresa.” Concern for the tough ex-cop warred with the desire to punch something. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Yeah, the doctors caught it before it ruptured. A few more hours and it could have been a different story.”
Tony took a deep breath, determined not to dwell on all the women who could potentially avoid destitution or worse if Will Sterling was put in jail. “Tell her to concentrate on getting better. I’m sure we’ll have the chance to partner up again soon.”
“I will. I gotta go call our youngest at the University of Texas.”
“Take care.” Clicking off his phone, Tony swore under his breath. Without Teresa for bait, luring Sterling was out of the question. Now would be the time for plan B. If he had one, that is.
There was a knock at the casita door. When he opened it, the blond, middle-aged woman who had handled his check-in smiled warmly. “I’m Linda. In case you haven’t had the chance to read your brochure, I wanted to make sure you’re aware we try to keep the dining experience casual. You’re invited to a welcome luncheon that starts in half an hour in the private dining room next to the Copper Dining Room. It’s a small affair for the people who arrived within the past few days.”
“Thank you. But I thought to get some work—”
“None of that. One of the things that sets Phoenix Rising apart from other resorts is that we encourage our guests to shake things up, meet new people, change worn-out patterns. Step outside your box, so to speak. We find that folks who form friendships with other guests are more inclined to participate in activities and are, on the whole, more satisfied with their stay here. After the welcome luncheon, our activities are more on an à la carte basis. There’s a schedule on the credenza in each room.”
Tony figured a con man stalking his mark wouldn’t want to miss the welcome luncheon. That meant Tony couldn’t miss it, either. Especially now that he was solo. And operating without a plan. “I’ll be there, I promise.”
“Good.” She smiled warmly, clearly enjoying her job. “Will your sister arrive in time?”
“No, she just called to say her plans have changed, and she won’t be able to make it at all.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought it was nice for a brother and sister to vacation together. We have two sisters who always stay together at Phoenix Rising, but they’re much older.”
“I was looking forward to catching up with Teresa. But these things happen.”
“I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful stay all the same. Well, I have a few other guests to remind, so I’ll see you at lunch.”
Tony closed the door, calculating the pros and cons of continuing without a partner. His not-so-legal surveillance of Sterling’s credit card charges had shown the man had arrived at the resort day before yesterday.
Tony had monitored Sterling’s accounts regularly and this was the first time in months the weasel had gone anywhere resembling a vacation destination. Since the Treadways said Eunice had met Sterling at a resort in Texas, Tony figured he was planning to target a new victim. Smart man to vary his hunting grounds.
Even without a partner, Tony intended to stop Sterling and collect enough evidence to convince the authorities a series of felonies had been committed. Fraud, at the very least. Legally, Sterling hadn’t murdered Eunice Treadway. Morally, he might as well have administered the fatal dose of pills.
Because Tony had no doubt Eunice would have continued to sing in the church choir, help shuttle her granddaughters to activities and chair a few Red Hat Lady committees if she’d never met Sterling.
KAT MONROE FELT HER reservations fade as she strolled down the gravel footpath to the lodge. The days were cooler up here around Jasper, at nearly five thousand feet, than in Phoenix, where the spring temperatures already topped one hundred degrees.
She watched birds flit from a juniper tree to manzanita shrubs. Tucking her long auburn curls behind her ear, she shielded her eyes from the glare and saw a red-tailed hawk soaring high in the sky.
Feeling the tension ease from her shoulders for the first time in months, Kat was glad she’d splurged on the pricey resort.
It seemed as if June Marsh, her best friend’s mother, had been spot on in her recommendation of Phoenix Rising. Already Kat’s messy life in Tempe seemed strangely removed, as if it had happened to someone else. She sighed, hoping Annie hadn’t told her mother all the sordid details of Kat’s breakup with Zach. It was humiliating to think everyone knew she’d picked the totally wrong guy again. As a thirty-two-year-old, established accountant, she should be well past picking losers. Or allowing them to choose her.
“Beautiful, isn’t he?”
Kat started.
A tall, muscular man leaned against a wooden pole that supported a kerosene-style lantern, his silver hair held away from his face with a leather band. Most men couldn’t carry off the gray ponytail look, but on him it seemed both masculine and…elegant, she decided. His skin was weathered from long hours in the sun, and his eyes were an unusual shade of gray.
She returned her attention to the sky. “Yes, it is. Solitary, yet powerful.”
“He’s got a female nesting nearby. Red-tailed hawks mate for life.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“You’re going to the luncheon?”
“Yes. Are you?”
The man pushed away from the pole and shuddered, his eyes sparkling. “Hell, no. The social stuff is more my wife’s domain. You probably met Linda at check-in. I handle the art workshops and drive the excursion van. Don’t miss the glassblowing exhibit after dinner tonight. It’ll knock your socks off. But then again, I’m biased.”
Kat raised an eyebrow, smiling at the affection in his voice. “Linda is your wife?”
“Yes. Don’t look so surprised. She’s not nearly as refined as she likes to pretend. And I don’t always wear flannel shirts and jeans. We manage to go with the flow pretty well.”
Kat realized why he seemed slightly familiar. “You’re Garth Fremont. The brochure says you’re famous for your blown-glass art.”
He shrugged. “I’ve done okay.”
“The next Dale Chihuly, I think Wikipedia said.”
“My wife probably wrote that. She thinks I’m a genius.” He winked. “That’s the secret to the success of our relationship. If she ever discovers I’m just a dumb guy who likes to melt glass, I’m toast.”
Kat laughed. “I seriously doubt that. But I better get to the luncheon or they’ll send out a search party. Your wife said so.”
“She will, too. Tenacious is her middle name. Don’t forget the exhibition tonight.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Kat was still smiling as she rounded the corner to the lodge, realizing it had been a long time since she’d tried something new or done anything besides what her boyfriend of the moment wanted. Now that she’d forced Zach to move out, it was time to discover what interested her, rather than jumping into another doomed relationship. This vacation was her chance to start a whole new way of living. The thought was both exhilarating and scary.
TONY’S STOMACH GRUMBLED as he stepped into the private dining room, a large space decorated in South western style, with a stucco, beehive fireplace in one corner. The smell of food was enough to remind him he’d subsisted on coffee and power bars since hitting the road early this morning, after renting a motorcycle in Phoenix. The Harley was as much for his enjoy ment as it was part of his cover playing Teresa’s brother, a man facing a middle age crisis. His baggy Tommy Bahama tropical shirt was supposed to complete the impression.
He gave the buffet table a longing glance as he passed by to reach one of the two long pine tables, where several people were already gathered. He wished he’d had time to get at least the bare bones of a new plan worked out before meeting Sterling.
“Tony, why don’t you sit there.” Linda gestured toward the far end of the table, where there was a card with his name. There were no chairs, just a long bench on either side. “We’re not formal, just trying to encourage mixing. Starting this evening, you choose your own seat in the main dining room. The round tables there seat eight—it’s a good way to strike up a conversation.”
“No problem.”
See, I’m flexible. I can adapt to not being in charge.
He could almost hear his ex-wife, Corrine, refuting that statement in counseling, where she’d made him sound about as warm and cuddly as Attila the Hun.
“He treats me like one of his rookie officers. As if I should accept his word as the ultimate authority on everything. Having him home all the time during his…career transition…has been eye-opening.”
Apparently so eye-opening that she’d asked him for a divorce after a few short sessions. No, not asked. Demanded. As if she couldn’t stand to be with him one more second. Yet she still called to chat with him or ask for tips on fixing something around the house. He would never understand women. Maybe that was why he hesitated to jump back into the dating scene.
“Excuse me.”
He turned to see a redhead waiting expectantly. She was medium height, her turquoise tank top revealing toned arms and plenty of cleavage. A purple skirt of lightweight crinkly fabric covered her from hips to calves.
Her eyes narrowed and he realized he was staring.
“My seat’s back there.” She gestured behind him, silver bangles jangling on her wrist. “I need to get by.”
“Sure.” He stepped to the side, wondering if he should help her maneuver around the bench. Judging from her stiff posture, he figured probably not.
Two older ladies were already seated at the table. Heads together, they whispered to each other, nodding toward the door, where a distinguished gentleman with silver hair had entered.
So far, no sign of Sterling.
Tony took his seat opposite the two women and next to the redhead. He hated having his back to the room, but didn’t want to draw attention to himself by changing seats.
“Hello, ladies. I’m Tony.”
“Lorraine and Lola,” the one in blue said.
“We’re twins,” the woman in orange said. “Fraternal.” As if that explained everything.
“Nice to meet you.” He turned to the redhead, extending his hand.
She ignored it. “You’re Tony. I heard.”
He raised an eyebrow at her clipped tone. If she thought he’d been ogling her earlier, she was wrong. His ex-wife was tall, thin and blond; his taste hadn’t changed much over the years. He preferred understated women, and the redhead dressed to draw attention. “According to Linda, we’re supposed to be one big happy family. And your name is?”
“Kat.”
“Short for Katrina?” The exotic name suited her.
“Kathleen.”
“Irish?”
She rolled her eyes. “Mmm-hmm.”
Then she turned her shoulder to him as the older guy sat on the other side of her. She extended her hand, her voice warm. “Hi, I’m Kat.”
Shrugging off the snub, Tony glanced around. The driver’s license photo he had of Sterling wasn’t good quality and showed an average-looking man in his mid-thirties—thirty-six if the date of birth was to be believed. Though Tony had seen more than a few average-looking guys in the right age range at the small resort, none of them appeared to be Sterling. What if he’d already departed? Decided some larger resort provided better pickings? Or worse yet, Phoenix Rising was merely a diversion to throw someone like Tony off track, while Sterling went on to his true destination?
Wherever the man was, Tony would find him. He would track Sterling’s credit card purchases as long as it took, to see where the guy holed up.
Linda approached the table. “We’re waiting for three more members of your group. Please relax and take this time to get to know one another until they arrive.”
Tony glanced down the table toward the three unoccupied seats. Two cards, side by side, were decorated with wedding bells. Troy and Angie Birmingham. Unfortunately, the angle was wrong on the lone place card and Tony couldn’t read it without being obvious.
He resigned himself to more waiting. Not his strong suit.
KAT WAS ACUTELY AWARE of Tony sitting next to her. It wasn’t simply the fact that his arm occasionally brushed hers, or the accompanying sizzle. There was something commanding and dangerous about the man. She sensed a leashed energy, as if he was waiting for something to happen. A focused energy that reminded her of the red-tailed hawk, waiting to swoop in on a tasty morsel.
There was no way Kat would allow herself to be any man’s tasty morsel. At least not until she figured out how to avoid picking jerks. And judging from Tony’s earlier fixation with her breasts, he was a grade A jerk.
She heard him speaking to Lorraine and Lola, though what he was saying didn’t register. But the deep, strong timbre of his voice raised goose bumps on her arms.
This was insane. He was the kind of man she knew to avoid—one who came on strong to land a woman, but barely returned a crumb of affection once the novelty wore off.
Kat was done with accepting crumbs. Next time she fell in love, she wanted the whole damn cake.
But a quick glance at his tense jaw and observant eyes had her poised to run. Or throw herself at him.
She began to stand, intent on acting on her first impulse. Because throwing herself at a virtual stranger, while satisfying in the short term, never ended well.
A hand brushed her shoulder. There was no accompanying zing of awareness. Sneaking another glance at Tony, Kat was surprised to see he’d turned to talk to the older man. They appeared to be deep in conversation about the merits of the Dallas Cowboys versus the Phoenix Cardinals.
“Here’s my new neighbor. Kat, isn’t it? We met on the shuttle to our casitas,” a male voice said from behind her.
She turned to see Will standing there, a nice guy in his thirties with an easy, safe smile.
“Yes, I remember. It’s good to see you again.” Her tone was more effusive than she’d intended, bordering on desperate. Damn.
His eyes widened for a second. “Good to see you, too. You all settled in?”
“Yes. You were the one with the golf clubs, right?”
Grinning, he said, “Yes, that’s me—didn’t want to overdo the exercise. We’ll have to talk later.” He squeezed her arm and moved to his seat on the other side of the table, where he charmed Lola and Lorraine for most of the meal.
And totally ignored Kat.
How was she supposed to see if she could drum up some enthusiasm for a nice guy when he wouldn’t even glance in her direction? And what did he mean by “talk later”?
With Zach, it would have meant a booty call that turned into a three-year live-in arrangement at her place. Unfortunately, the arrangement hadn’t included employment on his part.
“He’s not for you.” Tony’s voice was low, his breath warm on the curve of her ear.
Her shoulders tensed again. Not only at his assessment, but also because she could imagine him tangled in her sheets, whispering her name in the dark.
Her best bud, Annie, would tell her to run like crazy from a man who rang her bells so insistently on the first meeting. Granted, the advice could be construed as hypocritical if her friend didn’t mean so well, since Annie had slept with her husband, Drew, the evening of their blind date.
Steeling herself to make the right decision for once, Kat ignored her reawakened libido and managed a frosty glare for Tony. “I’ll be the judge of what—and whom—is best for me. But thanks anyway.”
With that, she flipped her hair over her shoulder, smacking him in the face with it. Anything to get the man to back off and stay out of her personal space.
Anything.
She managed to ignore Tony all through the meal. And then Linda broke the group into pairs for icebreaker exercises after dessert, circulating a brown paper sack. “It looks like our newlyweds have chosen to forgo the welcoming activities, which is quite understandable. But it means we have a small group. Each of the ladies needs to pick one slip of paper from the bag for your partner’s name. Then follow me to the playground out back.”
Tony groaned.
Kat felt the same way. Especially after she drew his name. For a woman who had recently won the lottery, she would have expected better luck. But then again, she’d had to split her winnings with four other people and contribute a healthy chunk to Uncle Sam.
Some self-destructive impulse prodded her to bait this Tony. “What’s the matter? Chicken?”
In retrospect, it felt an awful lot like the impulse that had told her Zach had potential.
And she knew how well that had worked out.
CHAPTER TWO
THE LIGHT OF CHALLENGE in Kat’s blue-green eyes made Tony reconsider inconspicuously strolling away from this kiddie playground and whatever icebreaker Linda had cooked up. Ex-Rangers did not do party games.
Until Kat made a clucking noise with her tongue that sounded suspiciously like a chicken.
He’d never walked away from a challenge. Folding his arms over his chest, he considered his options now that he knew for a fact Will Sterling was staying at Phoenix Rising. Being seated at dinner with the man had been a welcome stroke of luck.
An adjusted cover was essential, since Teresa wasn’t here to play the role of his wealthy sister. If he appeared to be a man on the make, he would have plenty of reason to mingle with the female guests while keeping an eye on Sterling. And it might just give him the opportunity to befriend the man, one stud to another.
Hitting on Kat would be an easy way to plant that perception right away. And he wouldn’t be risking his hormones getting the better of him, because she wasn’t his type. It seemed like a doable solution.
Tony was distracted watching Will from the corner of his eye. He had been paired with Lola, and they were close enough that Tony could eavesdrop on their conversation.
“If I can do it, you can do it.” Kat’s disdain was evident as she taunted him. Tony had no idea why she’d taken an instant dislike to him, but he intended to change that, and very publicly.
“You’re on, red.”
“I might have to hurt you if you call me that again. My hair is auburn, for your information.”
“Duly noted.”
Linda walked over and handed him a bandanna. “First, I’ll blindfold one person in each pair. Then I want the sighted partner to describe his or her favorite piece of play equipment from childhood, but you can’t name it.”
Tony raised an eyebrow, several locker room jokes coming to mind.
“Keep it clean,” Kat muttered.
“That wasn’t part of the instructions.”
Covering his eyes with the bandanna, Linda knotted it snugly at the back of his head. “Behave yourselves. This is an icebreaker, not the battle of the sexes.”
What had seemed harmless suddenly made Tony want to rip off the offending cloth. It went against every instinct to render himself helpless.