[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
the room was filled with applause and whistles.
“Give us more, Grady,” a woman shouted.
He smiled out into the darkness and kicked off a fast, up-tempo tune. He’d give
these people what they wanted but he couldn’t wait for the end of the evening, when
he’d be back at the motel, Erin in his arms. A little bit of heaven for as long as he could
hold on to it.
* * * * *
“Just who the hell is this Grady Sinclair?” Rance stormed, cell phone once again
clapped to his ear.
The ranch house was empty now except for himself, T.J. who’d taken up residence
in a guest suite, the housekeeper and the cleaning staff. The hands were at work in the
barn and out on the range, herding cattle and riding fences and doing the thousand and
one things necessary to keep a ranch running successfully. The caterers had taken down
the tent and carted it away along with the tables, chairs, dance floor, bars and the rest of
the paraphernalia.
“An itinerant singer, best as I can tell,” Brad Hollis said. “No one seems to know a
thing about him except he plays nickel and dime places like Smoky’s and has a string of
women running after him.”
“And where is he now?” Rance rubbed his forehead feeling a headache building
behind his eyes. He’d barely slept for forty-eight hours and ignored food to fuel himself
with pots of coffee.
49
Desiree Holt
“We’re working on it. More to the point, the Rangers are working on it.”
“She even left her damn cell phone in the truck so we can’t track her that way. Or
maybe he forced her to leave it.”
“Let’s wait until we zero in on this guy to find out if he even knows where she is.”
Rance blew out a breath of exasperation. “How hard can it be to find one lousy
singer?”
“Harder than you think. The places he works don’t exactly advertise and there’s
thousands of them all over the state. Not to mention they might not even still be in
Texas.”
“What?” The headache threatened to explode with full force. “You mean he’s taken
her out of state? Isn’t there a law against that or something?”
“Rance.” The sheriff’s voice was even and steady. “I hate to point out to you again
that Erin is thirty years old. Unless we have proof that she went unwillingly she can go
anywhere she wants with whoever she wants.”
“Yeah? Look how well that turned out the last time.”
Brad himself had only heard the story after it was all over. He, too, had tried to get
her to press charges against Cal Stadler but she’d been adamant she never even wanted
to hear his name again.
“I’m well aware of that. But she’s been going through counseling for months and
was really getting her act together. I’ve got to have evidence of foul play before I can
put out a bulletin all over the place.”
“It’s her money.” Rance gritted his teeth. “You damn well know it is. If it’s not a
kidnapping then he sweet-talked her because he knows about the Braddock money.
Well, I’m telling you here and now, he won’t get a fucking dime.”
Brad’s voice still held that reasonable tone, one that made Rance want to reach
through the phone and punch him. “If it was kidnapping we’d have gotten a ransom
demand by this time. The FBI is still monitoring your phones just in case but I think
50
Hard Lovin’
now it’s a long shot. And my office is checking every report of a body in five states and
also every emergency room. Just in case she’s hurt and can get to a hospital. But that
takes time, even with all of today’s fancy electronics.”
“If anything happens to her,” Rance said in a tight voice, “I’ll have your badge.”
There was silence for a long moment at the other end of the call. “I’m going to
pretend you didn’t say that because I know the strain you’re under. Go fix yourself a
drink. I’ll get back to work here.”
The rancher stared at his cell phone, astonished that the sheriff had actually hung
up on him.
“Still no word?” T.J. had come to stand in the door to the den.
“No.” Rance shook his head. “Nothing.” [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
the room was filled with applause and whistles.
“Give us more, Grady,” a woman shouted.
He smiled out into the darkness and kicked off a fast, up-tempo tune. He’d give
these people what they wanted but he couldn’t wait for the end of the evening, when
he’d be back at the motel, Erin in his arms. A little bit of heaven for as long as he could
hold on to it.
* * * * *
“Just who the hell is this Grady Sinclair?” Rance stormed, cell phone once again
clapped to his ear.
The ranch house was empty now except for himself, T.J. who’d taken up residence
in a guest suite, the housekeeper and the cleaning staff. The hands were at work in the
barn and out on the range, herding cattle and riding fences and doing the thousand and
one things necessary to keep a ranch running successfully. The caterers had taken down
the tent and carted it away along with the tables, chairs, dance floor, bars and the rest of
the paraphernalia.
“An itinerant singer, best as I can tell,” Brad Hollis said. “No one seems to know a
thing about him except he plays nickel and dime places like Smoky’s and has a string of
women running after him.”
“And where is he now?” Rance rubbed his forehead feeling a headache building
behind his eyes. He’d barely slept for forty-eight hours and ignored food to fuel himself
with pots of coffee.
49
Desiree Holt
“We’re working on it. More to the point, the Rangers are working on it.”
“She even left her damn cell phone in the truck so we can’t track her that way. Or
maybe he forced her to leave it.”
“Let’s wait until we zero in on this guy to find out if he even knows where she is.”
Rance blew out a breath of exasperation. “How hard can it be to find one lousy
singer?”
“Harder than you think. The places he works don’t exactly advertise and there’s
thousands of them all over the state. Not to mention they might not even still be in
Texas.”
“What?” The headache threatened to explode with full force. “You mean he’s taken
her out of state? Isn’t there a law against that or something?”
“Rance.” The sheriff’s voice was even and steady. “I hate to point out to you again
that Erin is thirty years old. Unless we have proof that she went unwillingly she can go
anywhere she wants with whoever she wants.”
“Yeah? Look how well that turned out the last time.”
Brad himself had only heard the story after it was all over. He, too, had tried to get
her to press charges against Cal Stadler but she’d been adamant she never even wanted
to hear his name again.
“I’m well aware of that. But she’s been going through counseling for months and
was really getting her act together. I’ve got to have evidence of foul play before I can
put out a bulletin all over the place.”
“It’s her money.” Rance gritted his teeth. “You damn well know it is. If it’s not a
kidnapping then he sweet-talked her because he knows about the Braddock money.
Well, I’m telling you here and now, he won’t get a fucking dime.”
Brad’s voice still held that reasonable tone, one that made Rance want to reach
through the phone and punch him. “If it was kidnapping we’d have gotten a ransom
demand by this time. The FBI is still monitoring your phones just in case but I think
50
Hard Lovin’
now it’s a long shot. And my office is checking every report of a body in five states and
also every emergency room. Just in case she’s hurt and can get to a hospital. But that
takes time, even with all of today’s fancy electronics.”
“If anything happens to her,” Rance said in a tight voice, “I’ll have your badge.”
There was silence for a long moment at the other end of the call. “I’m going to
pretend you didn’t say that because I know the strain you’re under. Go fix yourself a
drink. I’ll get back to work here.”
The rancher stared at his cell phone, astonished that the sheriff had actually hung
up on him.
“Still no word?” T.J. had come to stand in the door to the den.
“No.” Rance shook his head. “Nothing.” [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]