About the Author

CARLA CASSIDY is an award-winning author who has written over fifty books. Carla believes the only thing better than curling up with a good book to read is sitting down at the computer with a good story to write. She’s looking forward to writing many more books and bringing hours of pleasure to readers.

Cowboy Deputy

Carla Cassidy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Chapter 1

It was only when she saw the dancing swirl of cherry-colored lights in her rearview mirror that Edie Burnett glanced down at her speedometer. She was going forty miles an hour. As she eased off the gas pedal and pulled to the side of the street in front of a little dress boutique, she caught sight of a sign that indicated the speed limit was twenty-five.

Muttering a curse beneath her breath, she came to a stop at the curb. This was just the icing on the cake of crud that had become her life.

The official car pulled up behind her and she watched in her rearview mirror as the driver got out. Tall and lean, his khaki shirt tugged across broad shoulders as he walked toward her driver window with purposeful strides.

An errant curl of dark hair flopped onto his broad forehead and it only took that single glance in her mirror to know that the man was a hot piece of hunk.

Still, at the moment she didn’t much care what he looked like. She needed to figure out the best way to talk him out of giving her a ticket. She wasn’t sure she could afford lunch, much less a fine for speeding.

Cute or pathetic? She quickly decided to reach for cute and clueless and then resort to crying if necessary. It had worked for her more than once in the past.

“In a hurry?” His deep, pleasant voice resonated inside her and she looked up to see long-lashed eyes the color of rich, dark chocolate gazing at her.

“Oh, wow, I’m so sorry. I had the radio on and it was a really good song and I guess my speed just kind of got away from me.” She gave him a bright bewildered smile. “I didn’t notice the speed limit sign until I saw your lights flashing in my rearview mirror.”

“But surely you noticed you’d entered the heart of town,” he countered.

“I’m such a dunce,” she agreed, once again giving him her friendliest grin.

“Driver’s license please,” he said, no returning smile curving his sexy lips.

Her own smile faltered as she dug into her oversize purse for her wallet. Damn. He was obviously going to give her a ticket. She handed him her license and watched in her mirror as he returned to his car, unable to help but notice that he looked just as good going as he had coming.

Now was the time she’d usually summon up fake tears and hope she could find a soft spot in his heart. But as she stared blindly out the front window the tears that blurred her vision were achingly real.

The past seven months of her life had been an utter nightmare, culminating in the call from somebody here in town that her grandfather needed help.

It had been two years since she’d last seen her grandfather, Walt Tolliver. At that time she’d come back to the small town for her mother’s funeral. That particular trip back had been brief and so filled with grief she now scarcely remembered it. Since that time she’d tried to call the old man every weekend, yet in the past six months with her own life falling to pieces, Edie hadn’t talked to her grandfather.

A sob escaped her and was quickly followed by another. By the time the deputy returned to her car window, she was blubbering like a baby.

“Hey, there’s no need for that,” he exclaimed as he held her license out to her. “I’m just going to issue you a warning.”

“It’s not that,” she replied, the words choking out of her between sobs. She grabbed the license and tossed it into the dark recesses of her purse. “It’s my life. It sucks. A year ago I was too stupid to live. I thought my creep of a boyfriend loved me and I wanted to do something special for him for his birthday so I gave him my credit card and told him to buy himself the stereo system he’d been drooling over. He bought the stereo all right, and half the store. He maxed out my card and disappeared.

I used most of my savings to pay off the card and then I lost my job.”

The words tumbled from her lips as if of their own free will as tears continued to cascade down her cheeks. “Then this morning as I was packing up to drive here, my landlord appeared with a thirty-day notice for me to get out. He’s selling the house where I rent an apartment and I have to go.”

She suddenly looked up at him, appalled by the gush of her personal problems to the handsome stranger. God, how embarrassing was this? She swiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. “I’m sorry, this isn’t your problem. I’m sorry I was speeding and I appreciate you just giving me a warning.”

“Are you okay to drive the rest of the way to Walt’s house?” he asked.

She nodded. “I’m fine.”

He stepped back and motioned for her to pull away from the curb. It was only when she was back on the road that she wondered how he knew she was headed toward her grandfather’s place.

How embarrassing, to totally break down in front of a stranger and spill the sordid details of her life. She hadn’t cried a tear with each bad thing that had occurred over the past year. It seemed unfathomable that she’d had a mini-breakdown in front of a stranger.

At least she hadn’t told him everything. She hadn’t told him that the credit card debt Greg had left her with had been the least of the heartache he’d left behind.

She dismissed both Greg and the hot deputy from her mind as she turned off Main and onto a tree-lined residential street. Black Rock was typical of many small Kansas towns, with the business section taking up two blocks of the main drag surrounded by picturesque side streets lined with mature trees and pleasant, well-kept homes.

When she’d been young she and her mother had often visited her grandparents for a week or so each summer. Her mother and her grandmother would spend much of that time in the kitchen and Walt would entertain Edie by teaching her to play chess, bird-watching in the backyard and gardening.

Those had been some of the happiest days of Edie’s life. But when she’d been a teenager, she’d opted for spending time with her friends instead of visiting grandparents. Then the years had slipped away and everything had changed.

Her grandmother had passed away, her mother was gone and now the only family she had left was her Poppy, and according to the brief phone message she’d gotten from somebody here in town, he needed her. The problem was she wasn’t in a place where she could be much help to anyone.

As she pulled up in front of the familiar two-story house, her heart fell. Even the forgiving glow of the late afternoon sun couldn’t take away the air of neglect that clung to the place.

The lawn needed a good mowing and the house itself screamed for a fresh coat of paint. Weeds had choked the last of the fall flowers in the beds that lined the walkway to the front porch.

She got out of her car and tried to ignore the sense of being overwhelmed. Was he ill? Poppy was seventy-one years old. Was he too old to be living on his own? How was she going to help him when she could barely help herself?

She knocked on the door, hoping he was at least well enough to open it. “Who is there?” The deep voice resounded with energy from the other side of the door.

“Poppy, it’s me, Edie.”

The door flung open and Edie breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her grandfather, looking older, but robust and healthy. “What a surprise! If it isn’t my favorite girl in the whole wide world.” He pulled her into the foyer and into the loving embrace of his arms.

He smelled of cheap cologne and menthol rub, of early autumn air and sweet childhood memories, and as she hugged him back she wondered why she had stayed away for so long.

He finally released her and motioned her to follow him inside. “Come on, then. I need to check on my dinner.”

As she followed behind him toward the kitchen she noticed that the inside of the house was neat and tidy and the scent of a roast cooking emanated from the kitchen.

Maybe it had been a cranky neighbor who had called her because of the condition of the exterior of the house and the yard. She couldn’t remember the caller giving his name but it was obvious that he had overreacted. Thank God her grandfather seemed fine.

She’d take the next couple of days and mow the lawn, weed the flower beds and maybe get a couple gallons of paint to spruce up the place. She made a commitment to come visit every two months and resume her weekly phone calls.

“Got roast and potatoes for supper,” he said as he went to oven and opened the door. “And green beans from the garden. Go on, sit down while I stir these beans and add a little bacon grease.”

“Are you expecting company?” she asked, noticing that the table held two place settings. Unless Poppy had suddenly become a psychic, the extra plate hadn’t been set for her.

“Benjamin is coming over. He stops by two or three times a week for dinner and some chess.” Walt smiled at her. “It will feel like a regular party with you here.” He finished stirring the beans and then grabbed a plate from the cabinet and added it to the table.

“I was beginning to think you’d forgotten all about your Poppy,” he said with a touch of censure in his voice.

“You know the phone lines go both ways,” she replied.

“I know, but I figured if a young girl like you wanted to talk to an old coot like me, you’d call.” He eased down in the chair next to her at the table. “What are you now, twenty-three or twenty-four? “

“Twenty-nine, Poppy.” Although the past year of her life, she’d made the mistakes of a teenager and suffered a woman’s grief.

One of his grizzly gray eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Twenty-nine!” He swiped a hand down his weatherworn face and shook his head. “Seems the past couple of years have plum gotten away from me. That means it’s been almost ten years since I lost my Delores and over two years since we lost your mama.” For a moment he looked ancient, with sadness darkening his blue eyes and his paper-thin lips turned downward.

The sadness lasted only a moment and then his eyes regained their usual twinkle. “I hope you’re going to be here long enough for me to teach you a lesson or two in chess.”

She laughed. “I’m not leaving here until I win at least one game.”

“Good,” he said, obviously delighted. “That means it’s going to be a nice long visit.”

Although Edie was glad she was here, again she was struck by the thought that he seemed just fine and whoever had called her saying he needed help had definitely overreacted.

He jumped out of his chair and walked over to the oven and opened the door. “Benjamin should be here soon and we’ll eat. Are you hungry?”

“Starving,” she replied. Her lunch had been a bag of chips she’d eaten in the car. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“There are a couple of nice tomatoes in the refrigerator. If you want to, you can slice them up and put them on the table.”

As she sliced the tomatoes, they chatted mostly about the past, playing a game of remember when that created warm fuzzies in Edie’s heart.

She shouldn’t have stayed away for so long. Poppy was the only family she had left in the world. Her home in Topeka was just a three-hour drive to Black Rock but somehow her personal drama and heartbreak had taken over and the last thing on her mind had been her Poppy.

“You’ll like Benjamin,” Poppy said as he took the roaster out of the oven and set it on hot pads in the center of the table. “He’s a good guy and a mean chess player.”

And probably eighty years old, Edie mentally thought, although she was grateful her grandfather had a friend for company. Maybe this big house was just too much for Poppy. Maybe it was time for him to think about an apartment or someplace where he didn’t have to worry about maintenance and upkeep. Time to talk about that later, she thought as the doorbell rang.

“That should be Benjamin,” Walt said and left the kitchen to get the door.

Edie wiped off the countertop and then pasted a smile on her face as Walt came back into the kitchen. The smile fell as she saw who followed at his heels, not an old, gray-haired man with stooped shoulders and rheumy eyes, but rather the very hot deputy who had pulled her over and witnessed her mini-breakdown.

“Edie, this here is my friend, Benjamin Grayson. Benjamin, this is my granddaughter who surprised me this evening with a visit,” Walt said.

“Hello, Edie, it’s nice to meet you.” He stepped forward and held out a hand, obviously deciding to play it as if he’d never seen her before.

He’d looked great earlier in his khaki uniform but now with worn tight jeans hugging his long lean legs and a blue cotton shirt clinging to his broad shoulders, he was pure sin walking.

“Nice to meet you, too,” she replied as she gave his hand a short, curt shake.

“Go on, sit down,” Walt said. “Let’s eat before the roast gets cold.”

Edie slid into a chair at the table and tried not to notice the clean, male scent mingling with a woodsy cologne that wafted from Benjamin.

He might have smelled good and he might have looked great and in another place and time she might have been interested in him. But Edie had sworn off relationships and men and sex for the rest of her life. Besides, her intention was to be in Black Rock for only two or three days.

As the men joined her at the table and filled their plates, Walt and Benjamin made small talk about the weather and the forecast for a harsh winter to come.

Although Edie was glad she’d gotten the phone call that had prompted her to come for a visit, she still didn’t see any real issue where her Poppy was concerned.

“Any word on that missing girl?” Walt asked.

Benjamin shook his head. “Nothing. It’s like she vanished into midair.”

“Missing girl?” Edie looked at Benjamin curiously.

“Her name is Jennifer Hightower, a twenty-two-year-old who went missing three weeks ago,” Benjamin replied.

“And she’s not the only missing girl in town,” Walt said. “Benjamin’s own sister went missing over two months ago.”

Edie saw the darkness that crawled into Benjamin’s eyes as he nodded. “That’s right, but surely we can think of something more pleasant to talk about while we eat.” There was a note of finality in his tone that indicated this particular subject was closed.

Walt immediately began to talk about the fall festival the town was planning in the next month. As Edie ate, she found that her focus tugged again and again to Benjamin.

His face was tanned as if he spent a lot of time outdoors rather than inside at a desk or seated in a patrol car. He had nice features, a no-nonsense slight jut to his chin, a straight nose and lips that looked soft and very kissable.

There was no question that she was curious about his sister, felt a tinge of empathy as she imagined what it must be like to have a family member missing.

Edie didn’t know about missing family members, but she was intimate with grief, knew the sharp stab of loss, the ache that never quite went away.

She could only assume that Benjamin wasn’t married and she questioned why a handsome man like him would choose to spend a couple nights a week playing chess with an old man.

“How long are you planning to visit?” he asked.

With those gorgeous, long-lashed eyes focused intently on her, a small burst of unwanted heat ignited in the very pit of her stomach.

“Just a couple days or so,” she replied, grateful her voice sounded remarkably normal. “I need to get back home and take care of some things.” And he knew exactly what those things were because she’d spewed them out in a mist of tears when he’d pulled her over.

“You still managing that restaurant?” Poppy asked.

She hesitated and then shook her head. “Unfortunately a couple weeks ago I showed up at the restaurant and found a padlock on the door and a note that said the place was out of business.” She tamped down the residual anger that rose up inside her each time she thought of that day. There had been no warning to any of the employees, no hint that the place was in trouble.

“So, have you found a new job?” Poppy eyed her worriedly.

“Not yet, but when I get back home I’m sure I won’t have any problems finding something,” she assured him with a quick smile. The last thing she wanted was for him to worry about her.

Thankfully dinner went quickly and as Poppy stood to clear the table, Edie shooed him away. “You two go on and play your chess. I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

“I won’t argue with you. I like the cooking but hate the cleanup,” Poppy said.

“I could help. It would only take a minute,” Benjamin said.

Edie shook her head. “I’ve got it under control.” The last thing she wanted was to be butting elbows with him over the sink. He was too big and too sexy for her and she didn’t want him close enough that she could smell him, feel his body heat.

She breathed a sigh of relief as the two men left the kitchen and disappeared into the living room. It took her only minutes to store the leftovers in the refrigerator and then stack the plates for washing.

There was no dishwasher and as she got the dish drainer rack from the cabinet, she remembered all the times she’d stood at this sink and helped her grandmother wash dishes.

It hadn’t been a chore; it had been a chance to talk about the day, about the weather, about life with a woman Edie had considered wise and loving.

The last time Edie had been here she’d been thirteen years old and madly in love with a boy named Darrin. It had been a case of unrequited love. Darrin had preferred video games to girls.

“It’s not a mistake to love,” her grandmother had told her. “But you need to love smart. Choose a man who has the capacity to love you back, a man who can make you feel as if you’re the most important person in the world.”

As Edie washed and rinsed the dishes, she wondered what her grandmother would say about the mess Edie had made of her life. She had definitely loved stupid, choosing to give her heart to a man who not only didn’t have the capacity to love her back, but also had all the character of a rock. The price she’d paid for loving stupidly had been enormous and she’d been left with the determination to never put her heart in jeopardy again.

A burst of deep male laughter came from the living room as she placed the last dish in the drainer. It sounded like the two of them were enjoying their game.

Darkness had fallen outside and Edie realized she hadn’t brought in her suitcase from the car. As she entered the living room both men looked up from the chessboard. “What are you doing, girl?” Poppy asked. “Come sit and watch a master at work.” He gave her a grin that twinkled in his eyes.

She returned his smile. “I gather from the smug look on your face that you’re winning.”

“I’ve been playing him a couple nights a week for the past six months and I have yet to win a game,” Benjamin said.

His gaze slid down the length of her, the quick once-over that a man might give a woman he found attractive.

She felt the heat of his gaze and quickly moved toward the front door. “I’m just going to get my suitcase from the car.”

“Need any help?” Benjamin asked.

She quickly shook her head. “Thanks, but I can get it.” She scooted out the front door and into the cool September evening air.

For a moment she stood on the porch and stared up at the night sky. Here in Black Rock the stars seemed brighter, closer than they did in Topeka.

“Make a wish, sugar,” her grandmother would tell her whenever the two of them had sat on the porch and gazed upward.

Edie reached up and grabbed the small charm that hung on the gold chain around her neck. The gold was cool in her fingers but warmed quickly as she held it tight.

There was only one wish she’d like to make and she knew it was one that could never come true. She released her hold on the charm and headed to her car in the driveway.

Behind her car was parked a large black pickup she knew must belong to Benjamin. Funny, she would assume he was more the sweet little sports car type than the big, bruising truck.

She’d packed light and grabbed the small suitcase and overnight bag from her backseat, then headed inside the house. She heard no sound from the living room. Apparently the current chess game was intense enough that both men were concentrating.

She carried the suitcase up the stairs, the third and seventh steps creaking beneath her weight as they had when she’d been a child. She entered the last bedroom at the end of the hall, the room where she’d always stayed when she and her mother had come for a visit. The dusty pink paint on the wall and the pink floral spread covering the double bed brought another wave of memories.

Every night that she’d slept here she’d been tucked into bed lovingly not only by her mother, but also by her grandmother. And often Poppy would come upstairs to sneak her a cookie or a little bowl of popcorn. In this house, she’d always felt loved like nowhere else on earth.

It took her only minutes to stow her items in the dresser and closet, then she headed back downstairs where it sounded like the chess game had ended.

As she entered the living room, Benjamin and Poppy got up from the small game table. “He beat me both games,” Benjamin said. He smiled at Edie, a warm, sexy smile that once again fluttered a faint heat through her veins.

“Maybe you and Edie could play a few games together, you know, practice so eventually you can beat the master.” Poppy grinned.

Benjamin laughed. “I’d love to hang around and play a game of chess with Edie, but unfortunately I’ve got some reports that need to be written before morning.”

The twinkle in Poppy’s eyes faded as he looked at Benjamin seriously. “You know how to find those girls. Find the aliens and you’ll find out what happened to that Hightower young woman and your sister.”

“Aliens?” Edie looked from her grandfather to Benjamin with curiosity.

Poppy nodded. “Space aliens. I keep telling Benjamin and his brothers that they’ve landed here in Black Rock and until we get them rounded up, nobody is safe.”

A sick feeling swept through Edie as she stared at her grandfather, hoping to see the familiar twinkle of a joke in his eyes. But there was no twinkle—only a faint tinge of fear coupled with the determination of an intergalactic warrior. And then she knew why somebody had called her to check on her Poppy. It was because he was losing his mind.

Chapter 2

Benjamin saw the dismay that swept over Edie’s features at Walt’s words. She was a pretty woman and he knew her statistics from looking at her license. She was five foot four and weighed 117 pounds. Her hair was auburn and her eyes were green.

But those statistics didn’t begin to really describe the woman who stood before him. Yes, her short curly hair was auburn, but it shone with a luster that made his fingers itch with the need to touch. Green was too ordinary a word to describe her eyes, which sparkled with tiny shards of glittering gold.

The orange sweater she wore complemented the burnished highlights in her hair and intensified the color of her eyes. Something about her stirred him in a way he hadn’t been stirred in a very long time.

“I’ll walk you out,” she said, casting a meaningful look at him.

“Walt, as always, thanks for the meal and the chess game,” Benjamin said.

“Thanks for the company,” Walt replied, obviously unaware that his previous words had upset his granddaughter. “Edie, you can pull your car into the garage. I sold my car a year ago. I got tired of paying for insurance.”

Edie nodded. “Thanks, Poppy, I’ll do that.”

As Benjamin walked out with Edie, he caught a whiff of her perfume, something subtle and spicy that reminded him of tangy fall air and cinnamon.

“I’m the one who called you,” he said when they were far enough away from the front door that Walt wouldn’t hear. “I’ve been worried about him.”

In the illumination from a nearby streetlight, he could see the confusion on her pretty face. “I didn’t catch the name of the person who’d called me and once I got here I thought maybe it was just a cranky neighbor upset because the yard needs some work. He seemed so normal.”

“He appears to be normal in every way except for the little issue that he thinks space aliens are trying to take over Black Rock. It wouldn’t be a big problem but he’s often out in the middle of the night alien hunting and I’m afraid he’ll get hit by a car or fall down someplace where nobody will be able to help him.”

“How long has this been going on?” she asked. She still looked overwhelmed by this news and as he remembered the things she’d told him when he’d pulled her over for speeding, he had a crazy desire to take her into his arms and assure her that everything was going to be all right.

Instead he rocked back on his heels and frowned thoughtfully. “About six months. My brothers and I have tried to assure him that there are no space aliens in town, but he’s adamant in his belief and gets downright cranky when you try to tell him different. Look, I’d recommend you take him into his doctor and get a full checkup done. Maybe this is some sort of a medical issue.”

“I guess that’s as good a place to start as anywhere,” she replied. “Well, thanks for all your help with him. I guess I’ll see you around over the next couple of days, but hopefully not in my rearview mirror with your lights spinning.”

He grinned at her. “As long as you’re not a fast woman, we won’t have any problems in that area. But I can’t promise I won’t follow you just because I think you’re pretty.” Someplace deep inside he recognized he was flirting a little bit.

She must have realized it, too. But her eyes cooled and she took a step back from him. “I am a fast woman, probably way too fast for a small-town deputy.”

He wasn’t sure who was more surprised by her response, him or her. Her lush lips compressed as she frowned once again. “Thanks again for you help. See you around.”

She turned and headed back to the house in short quick steps that swayed her shapely hips. Benjamin watched until she disappeared behind the front door and then released a sigh as he got into his truck.

He had no idea what had possessed him to attempt a little flirt with her. It was obvious by her response he wasn’t very good at it. Still, her cool response had surprised him.

Since his brothers Tom and Caleb had hooked up with their soul mates, Benjamin had become the toast of the town when it came to the single women. But all the women who were interested in him left him cold.

He’d been cold since his sister, Brittany, had disappeared over two months ago. Tom, his oldest brother and the sheriff of Black Rock, still held out hope that she would be found alive and well, but even though Benjamin never said anything out loud, as each day had passed with no word from her, he’d lost hope of ever seeing his little sister again.

As he backed out of Walt’s driveway, he tried to ignore the stab of grief that always pierced his heart when he thought of his missing sister.

And now they had another one missing. Tom was reluctant to tie the two disappearances together, but Benjamin had a bad feeling about the whole thing. He was afraid Black Rock was in for dark days, and the darkness had nothing to do with Walt’s imaginary space aliens.

As he headed for the ranch his thoughts returned to Edie Burnett. For a minute as he’d seen her tears after he’d pulled her over, he’d thought she was faking them to get out of a ticket.

Old Mabel Tredway did it on a regular basis. The eighty-two-year-old woman shouldn’t be behind the wheel of a car and whenever Benjamin pulled her over for crossing the center line or going a little too fast, she wept like a baby. But the one time he’d given her a ticket, the fake tears had stopped on a dime and she’d cussed him, his dead mama and all the cattle on his ranch.

However, Edie’s tears had been real and as she’d burped up the details of her life with each sob, he had decided not to write the ticket.

She had enough to deal with in deciding what to do with Walt. Benjamin and his lawmen brothers had come to the end of their rope with the old man. Nobody wanted to see anything bad happen to him, but they all felt it was just a matter of time before he got hurt.

As he pulled into the gates that led to the family homestead, he felt the familiar sense of peace the place always brought to him. The house itself was an architectural anomaly. What had started as a simple two-bedroom ranch had become a sprawling complex as rooms were added with each birth of a child.

There was also a small cottage just behind the house where Margaret Kintell, a sixty-eight-year-old widow, lived. Margaret had worked as a housekeeper for the Grayson family for as long as Benjamin could remember. Her husband, John, had worked as a ranch hand until he’d passed away several years ago, and even though Benjamin had encouraged Margaret to retire she insisted that her job was still taking care of the Grayson children.

Unfortunately Benjamin was the only Grayson child still living in the family home and he wasn’t exactly a child at thirty years old. His brothers Tom and Caleb lived in town. Brittany had been living in town at the time of her disappearance and Jacob was holed up in a small cabin nestled in a grove of trees on the ranch property.

The porch light was on so he knew Margaret was probably still in the house rather than in her little cottage. As he walked through the front door, the scent of apples and cinnamon filled his nose and Tiny came running toward him, barking a happy greeting.

“Hi, Tiny.” He bent down on his haunches to pet the mixed-breed mutt who had stolen his heart six months ago. “Margaret?” he called as he stood. As he walked through the living room toward the kitchen, Tiny followed close at his feet.

She greeted him in the doorway and gestured him into a chair at the table. “Go on, now, sit down. I made fresh apple cobbler and I know that nutcase Walt probably didn’t feed you good and proper.”

Benjamin smiled and eased down at the table. “Actually, he had a very nice roast and potatoes for dinner.” Margaret had been mad at Walt since last year’s fall festival when his apple pie had beaten out hers for a blue ribbon.

She harrumphed as she scooped up a healthy serving of the cobbler into a bowl. “Probably got the recipe from one of those space aliens of his. I don’t know why you have taken that man under your wing. You’re too soft, Benjamin. That’s always been your problem. All Walt Tolliver needs is a stern talking-to.” She placed the bowl in front of him and then went to the refrigerator and pulled out the jug of milk.

“Maybe his granddaughter can talk some sense into him. She arrived in town today.”

“Really?” Margaret placed a glass of milk in front of him and then sat across from him. “That would be Julie’s girl.”

“Edie,” Benjamin replied. “Her name is Edie Burnett.”

“That’s right. Julie married that no-account Kevin Burnett. He was a drinker, that one, and a womanizer. The marriage lasted just long enough for Julie to get pregnant. It was a shame, her dying like that in a car accident. So, what’s Edie like?”

Hot. With tantalizing eyes and a body that could make a man weak in the knees. He spooned some of the apple cobbler in his mouth in an effort to think of a more reasonable response.

“She didn’t seem to know what’s been going on with Walt and when she realized he thought Black Rock was being invaded by space aliens, she seemed a little overwhelmed by it all,” he finally replied.

“She in town to stay?”

“No. I imagine she’ll just be here long enough to figure out what needs to be done with Walt and then she’ll go back home.”

“What’s she like? Julie was a pretty woman and sweet as that cobbler.”

“She’s nice-looking,” Benjamin conceded, “but I think she might have a little bite to her.” He thought about how her gaze had frosted over when he’d attempted a little light flirtation.

If he were a man who liked a challenge, he might have pursued a little more flirting just to see if he could melt that frost. But Benjamin was a man who’d never felt enough passion to work too hard for anything. Except this ranch.

“She’s got her work cut out for her in straightening out that old man,” Margaret said as she rose from the table. “I’m going to head to my place. It’s time for this old broad to call it a night.”

Benjamin smiled. “Good night, Margaret.” The old woman had the heart of an angel and the saltiness of a sailor, but she helped to keep the ranch and Benjamin’s life running smoothly.

Once she was gone the silence of the house pressed in on him. Growing up with all his siblings in the house, he’d longed for silence.

But lately the silence in his life had felt oppressive, ushering in a loneliness he’d never felt before. His brother Jacob had closed himself off in the cabin in some form of self-imposed isolation. Brittany was missing and Tom and Caleb now had beautiful bright women to fill the silences in their lives.

He got up from the table and carried his bowl and glass to the sink. As he rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher, he thought of all the things he needed to get done in the next couple days while he was off-duty.

Of course, the law enforcement team in Black Rock was so small that all of the men were often called in on their time off. He left the kitchen and doused the light, then headed toward the master bedroom.

As always, when the silence pressed in the heaviest, his thoughts turned to Brittany. A little over two months without a word, without a clue as to what happened to her. They’d found her car hidden in an abandoned barn a month ago and it was at that moment that any hope he might have entertained in seeing his sister alive again had died.

With intentions of rising before dawn to start the catch-up on chores around the ranch, he shucked his jeans and shirt and got ready for bed. Tiny sat next to the bed and looked up at him expectantly.

“You know you have your own bed to sleep in,” he said to the dog, who cocked his head as if he didn’t understand. Benjamin pointed to the dog bed in the corner. “Go on, get to bed.”

Tiny remained in place for a long moment and then finally slunk slowly to his bed. He got in and then looked at Benjamin with mournful brown eyes.

“I don’t know why you look so sad,” Benjamin said. “We both know you’ll be curled up in my bed at my feet before morning.”

Minutes later, as he eased down onto his king-size bed, his thoughts returned to Edie Burnett. She’d been quiet during the meal but he had a feeling quiet wasn’t really in her character.

He burrowed down and closed his eyes. It was just his luck that the first woman in a long time who had stirred something inside him was only in town for a couple days.

From what she’d told him, she’d have a mess on her hands when she got back home. She had to find a new job and another place to live. He didn’t want to think about what she was going to do if Walt’s problem wasn’t a quick fix.

He drifted off to sleep with visions of lush lips and green eyes playing in his dreams and was awakened some time later by the ringing of his phone on the nightstand.

He was awake instantly, his heart drumming a rapid beat. He glanced at the clock as he fumbled in the dark for the receiver. Just after midnight. Nothing ever good came from middle-of-the-night phone calls.

“Yeah,” he answered as he sat up.

“It’s me,” his brother Tom said. “I’m at the hospital. Somebody beat the hell out of Walt Tolliver and he won’t talk to anyone but you.”

“I’m on my way.” Benjamin hung up as he climbed out of bed. As he pulled on his clothes he wondered what the hell had happened to Walt and where the hell Edie had been.

Edie rolled over and looked at the clock next to her bed. Just before midnight and she still hadn’t managed to fall asleep. When she’d come back into the house after Benjamin had left, she’d grabbed her keys and then moved her car into the garage. When she’d returned she’d wanted to ask Poppy more questions about the space aliens he thought were trying to take over Black Rock, but she was afraid to indulge the delusion. She was hoping to talk to his doctor and ask how she should handle the situation.

Even if she’d wanted to talk to him about it, the opportunity didn’t arise. Immediately after, Poppy had gone to sleep in the bedroom just off the living room.

She’d climbed the stairs to her room, but knew that sleep would be elusive. She’d taken a long hot shower and tried not to think about Benjamin Grayson. But thoughts of the man kept intruding.

She’d been rude to him with her little remark about being too fast for a small-time deputy, but even though she’d just met him, she’d felt an inexplicable need to distance him from her. His smile had been far too warm, his eyes had been too brown and for just a moment, she’d been afraid that he might make her forget that she’d sworn off men for the rest of her life.

She’d been an accident waiting to happen when she’d met Greg. Reeling with grief over her mother’s unexpected death, she’d met him in a bar two weeks after the funeral. It had been love at third drink.

They’d dated for two months before he’d moved in with her and she realized now she’d been far too naive, hadn’t asked enough questions and instead had believed everything he’d told her about himself.

They’d talked of marriage and children and he’d filled the loneliness that the absence of her mother had left behind. He’d told her that he was an entrepreneur between projects and that his money was tied up in his latest endeavor. God, she’d been such a fool.

One thing was clear, she didn’t need anyone in her life. When she got back home she’d focus on finding a new job, a new place to live and cleaning up her messes. She would be just fine all alone for the rest of her life.

She must have fallen asleep because she knew she was dreaming. Pain ripped her body, but it was a pain tempered with a sense of joy. A bright lamp nearly blinded her as the pain intensified. A murmur of voices took on an urgency that was suddenly terrifying and at the same time a bald-headed man wearing a doctor’s mask glared at her with accusation and a phone began to ring.

She awoke with a gasp, the taste of overwhelming grief and crushing guilt thick in her mouth. Disoriented for a moment, she looked around the moonlit room. Then she remembered where she was and that the phone she’d heard in her dream was actually the phone ringing in the house.

As it rang again … and again, she realized Poppy either didn’t hear it or didn’t intend to answer it. She looked at the clock. Twelve forty-five. Whoever was calling was persistent, for the ringing didn’t stop.

She jumped out of bed and left her room. Flipping on the hall light, she ran down the stairs and grabbed the receiver of the phone in the living room.

“Hello,” she said half-breathlessly.

“It’s me, Benjamin.” His deep voice sounded irritated. “I’m here at the hospital with Walt.”

“What?” Confusion sifted through her as she looked at the closed door of Poppy’s bedroom. “But he went to bed earlier.”

“Apparently he went out. Somebody beat him up and he managed to flag down a car that brought him to the hospital. He’s going to be all right, but I think you should be here.”

“I’m on my way. Where is the hospital?”

“Go straight down Main to Chestnut and turn left. It’s about halfway down the second block. You can’t miss it.”

She murmured a goodbye and then raced back up the stairs to get dressed. Her heart beat an uneven tattoo as she thought of somebody beating up Poppy.

Why, oh, why, had he left the house in the middle of the night? This delusion of his about space aliens obviously had a dark undertone.

Within minutes she was dressed and in her car creeping down the darkened Main Street, seeking Chestnut. Benjamin had sounded angry, as if it were somehow her fault that Poppy had been out wandering the streets. What did he expect her to do? Strap the man into bed at night?

She found the hospital, a two-story brick building with a large parking area near the emergency room entrance. She easily found a parking space, and as she hurried into the door she prayed that Benjamin was right and Poppy was going to be okay.

Once again she kicked herself for staying away for so long. She didn’t need Poppy, but it was obvious he needed her. The first person she saw when she walked into the waiting room was Benjamin.

His dark, thick hair was tousled as if he’d just climbed out of bed, making him look even sexier than she remembered. He jumped up from the plastic chair he’d been in as he saw her.

“Where is he?” she asked.

“Where were you?” he countered, his shoulders rigid with tension. “Didn’t you know he had gone out?”

“He went to bed just after you left. I went upstairs to go to sleep, as well. What was I supposed to do, tie a little silver bell around his neck so I’d know if he was on the move?” she asked belligerently.

The tension slid off his shoulders and he smiled. “You’d need a ball and chain because I’m afraid he’d be able to get a little silver bell off.” He rocked back on his heels and slid a hand through his unruly hair. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to come at you like that.”

“And I’m sorry I didn’t have a ball and chain on Poppy,” she replied, reluctantly charmed by his apologetic smile. “How is he? Can I see him?”

Benjamin nodded. “He’s been waiting for you. He refused to talk to me until you got here. Come on, I’ll take you to him.” He placed his fingers just beneath her elbow, and she felt the warmth of the touch burning her through the sweater she’d pulled on. She tore her arm away from him.

What was it about this man that made her feel defensive and prickly? Maybe she was overly sensitive to him because he was the least of her problems. She had a life in Topeka that was in complete and total chaos and a crazy grandfather in Black Rock that she somehow had to fix before she could go home.

She heard Poppy before they reached the exam room. “I’m fine. I just need to go home and rest a bit.” His voice held the raspy edge of frustration.

As she and Benjamin stepped into the exam room Edie’s breath whooshed out of her at the sight of Poppy, who sat upright on the examining table. One of his eyes was blackened and swollen shut and his jaw held a massive bruise that appeared to grow darker as she stared at him.

“Oh, Poppy,” she exclaimed, her heart squeezing tight in her chest. “What happened?”

He shifted positions and winced. “One of the bastards caught me.”

“Where were you, Walt?” Benjamin asked.

The doctor, an older man with a receding hairline and a kind smile, held up a hand to halt any questioning. “Before we get into that, I’m Dr. Drake. I’ve been Walt’s doctor for the past twenty years.” He held out a hand to Edie, who introduced herself.

“Other than what’s obvious, what are his injuries?” she asked.

“A couple of cracked ribs and a lot of bruising along his left side. I’d like to keep him here under observation for a night or two.”

Edie breathed a sigh of relief at the doctor’s words, but Walt took exception. “I don’t need to stay overnight. I want my own bed in my own house.”

“Walt, as your doctor I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist,” Dr. Drake said firmly. “You took quite a beating and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I just let you out of here without running a few more tests.”

The mutiny on Poppy’s face eased into something resembling resignation. “I’m not going to wear one of those damn gowns and this place better have cable television. And I want a pretty nurse.”

Dr. Drake smiled. “I think we can handle all that. Now I’ll just get out of here and let Benjamin conduct his investigation.”

“Dr. Drake, before I leave, I’d like to have a word with you in private,” Edie said.

He nodded. “I’ll be in my office at the end of the hall, and if I’m not there just grab a nurse and have her hunt me down.” He left the room and Edie turned back to Poppy as Benjamin stepped closer to the bed.

“Where were you, Walt?” he asked again.

“Out by the cemetery. I thought that might be a hot spot for those creatures and damned if I wasn’t right. I was only there about an hour when one of them showed up. Either I made a sound or those suckers have some kind of extrasensory stuff ‘cause even though I was hiding behind a bush, he came tearing after me.” He looked from Benjamin to Edie. “I think it’s best if you leave town, Edie. Those creatures are violent and this town isn’t a safe place anymore.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Poppy,” she replied. “At least not until I know you’re safe and well.”

“This space alien, what did he look like?” Benjamin asked.

“Like an alien,” Walt exclaimed, seeming to get more agitated with each question.

“Poppy, you need to be more specific,” Edie replied. “Was he little and green?”

Poppy shot her a look as if she’d lost her mind. “He wasn’t some damn cartoon Martian. I couldn’t tell much what he looked like. He was wearing all black. His face didn’t have a nose or mouth, just big eyes.”

“Where exactly in the cemetery were you?” Benjamin had pulled out a small notepad to jot down the pertinent information.

“I was hiding behind that big burning bush at the entrance and the alien was just inside the gate.”

“What was he doing?” Benjamin asked.

“Just walking,” Walt replied.

On and on the questions went. To Benjamin’s credit he didn’t lose patience even when Walt got cranky and insisted they needed to call in more law enforcement for the small town.

When the nurse came in to move him from emergency into one of the regular rooms, Edie and Benjamin were shooed out. Edie gave Poppy a gentle kiss on the top of the head and after promising to visit him the next morning, she and Benjamin left the room.

“You didn’t get much to go on,” she said to Benjamin as they walked down the hall toward the doctor’s office. Nervous energy jangled inside her. She’d managed to hold it together in front of Poppy, but she felt perilously close to losing it now.

“I’m sure it wasn’t a space invader on a nefarious mission, but somebody hurt Walt and I intend to find the person responsible,” he said with an intensity that somehow calmed her.

“Why would somebody want to hurt him like that? He’s an old man. He’s not a threat to anyone.” She was horrified to feel the ominous burn of tears in her eyes. God, she’d only been with Benjamin three times and she refused to be in tears yet again.

“Are you all right?” he asked. There was a softness in his eyes, a gentle but steady light that made her want to fall into it. He raised a hand, as if to touch her hair or cheek, but dropped it as she stiffened her back and took a step away from him. Someplace buried in her mind she recognized that this man was definitely dangerous to her.

“I need to speak to Dr. Drake. Please keep me updated on the investigation.” Without waiting for his reply, she turned and hurried down the hall, away from him … away from temptation.

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