Page 22 of Cowboy Peril

He raised his eyes heavenward.What are you doing to me? The cold wall around his heart started to melt. With that, the pain of Parker’s rejection came to life. It would take time for him to move past the fact she’d chosen money over him.

From the direction of the house came the flashing of red and blue lights. “Time to go.” He set her at arm’s length and stared into her face. “You okay?”

“I am now,” she said, her words husky. “I’m always okay when I’m with you.”

“You’re killing me, Parker.” He dropped the flashlight and knife and cupped her face. “I have so many questions that need answering, but now is not the time.” His gaze fell to her lips. Before he could succumb to his urges, he backed away and retrieved the items he’d dropped. “I’ll fetch the butcher knife from the barn after the sheriff leaves.”

“Okay.” Confusion laced her reply. “We’ll talk when you’re ready.”

With a nod, he headed toward the flashing lights.

Chapter Ten

After a long, restless night dreaming of faceless men chasing her through the dark, Parker sat up and reached for her father’s journal. So far, she’d found nothing to give her a clue as to who might have wanted him dead.

She read a few more pages, then flipped through them, scanning for clues. The back page stuck to the binding. She inserted her fingernail behind the page and slowly peeled it from the back cover.

Words in her father’s handwriting were scrawled across the back of the page. He’d glued the page down purposefully.

Parker adjusted her bedside lamp for a better look and held the book under the light. “Answers are found where the snow flies.”

What snow? It was the middle of summer in Arkansas.

Hope built to a crescendo. Her first clue. She jumped from the bed and raced for the shower. The only snow she knew about was her snow-globe collection boxed up and waiting for her to retrieve from her parents’ attic. Since today was her only day off in a while, she’d head to Little Rock and do some digging.

She practically floated into the kitchen, dressed in a loose, flowing summer dress and her pink cowboy boots. “I’m headed to Little Rock after breakfast. Anyone need anything?”

“I have some time. I’ll go with you.” The look on Colt’s face left no room for argument.

“Okay.” She shrugged, secretly pleased. Despite her sleepless night, his veiled promise the night before had left her with a warm fuzzy feeling. He did still care for her but was too afraid to show his feelings.

“Did you forget Sheriff Westbrook said you weren’t to go anywhere alone?”

There it was. She sighed. The real reason he’d volunteered to go with her. Last night had been nothing more than fear in the moment. “I haven’t forgotten. Why do you think I brought it up?”Liar. She hadn’t spared the sheriff’s order a second thought in her excitement to finally have a clue. Parker grabbed a bowl of oatmeal and sat at the table across from him. “Can you leave right after we eat?”

“Yep.” He set his spoon in his bowl and stood. “Meet me at the truck when you’re ready.” His intense gaze settled on her for a moment before he placed his dishes in the sink and headed outside.

“That man sure is surly around you,” Mrs. White said. “Still has feelings for you is my opinion.”

“Of that I have no doubt. They just aren’t the type of feelings you think they are.” Parker ate quickly, ignoring the questioning gazes of the other cowboys, then handed over her dirty dishes and raced to her house to collect her purse and the journal. Purse slung over her shoulder, she joined Colt at his truck, climbing in before he could come around to open the door for her. “Thank you for driving.”

He nodded. “What’s in the rock that you can’t get in town here?”

“My snow globes.”

“As in Christmas ones? I’ve seen your snow globes. You have at least twenty.”

“I found a clue in my father’s journal that said, ‘Answers are found where the snow flies.’ That’s the only snow I can think of at this time of the year.” She clicked her seatbelt into place. “Hence the trip to the attic.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you being so cryptic?”

“I was saving the info for the long drive.” She flashed him a grin. “Now, we have nothing to talk about.”

Shaking his head, he turned the key in the ignition, then flipped on the radio. Country music played from the speakers. “Fine with me.”

She pouted and crossed her arms. “Guess I’ll catch up on some sleep.” She shot him a glare, then leaned her seat back as far as it would go. When she closed her eyes, the same nightmare from the night before flashed through her mind.I need to think about something good.Snow globes are good. Parker remembered each Christmas when she found a new one under the tree. Her parents had purchased them from all across the world. Colt was right. She had over twenty, one for each year of her life. Twenty-six to be exact. Which one would hold the clue her father had left?

Why leave her a clue? Had he known his life was in danger? Her eyes snapped open. He must have known. Why else leave the clue in the journal? He had to know that Parker would eventually go through the boxes from his business, but he probably didn’t think it would take her six months of procrastinating. If Tanya hadn’t been killed, Parker still would have put off the task.

---