Page 5 of Cowboy Peril

She locked the door, then fell back onto the bed, arms splayed, and let the tears fall, soaking her hair and the pillow under her head. She’d allow herself to have a good cry, then she’d lift her chin up and come up with a plan B. Being a smart woman, she’d figure out how to stay alive, find whoever murdered her parents, and bring them to justice.

Swiping her forearm across her eyes, she sniffed and sat up. No more time for sniveling.

She stared at the large suitcase sitting next to the door. What was the sense in unpacking? She’d get a good night’s rest, then head back to Little Rock and forget all about Colt and his unforgiving heart.

Disrobing, she headed for the bathroom and turned the shower as hot as she could stand. Once it reached the desired temperature, she stepped under the spray, cried some more, then washed with the free toiletries provided before wrapping a towel around her and climbing into bed.

Surprisingly enough, she fell asleep almost instantly. Her stomach’s grumble woke her up. Remembering she’d seen a diner on her way into town, she got dressed, locked the room behind her, and decided to walk the couple of blocks. Since she didn’t plan on leaving until morning, it wouldn’t hurt to do a little sightseeing of the town that looked like a Norman Rockwell painting.

A bell jingled over the door as she entered Lucy’s. Heads turned as a young girl led her to a table near the window.

“First time here?” She asked, handing Parker a menu.

“Yes. What do you recommend?” Parker skimmed the menu, noting homestyle cooking.

“Our chef is a four-star chef from the big city, and everything is good. Today’s special is chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, white gravy, and fried okra.”

Not the fine dining she was used to, but it sounded delicious. “I’ll have that and a diet soda.”

“Be right up.” The server took the menu and headed for the kitchen.

A few seconds later, she brought the soda with another promise that the food wouldn’t be long. Parker thanked her and stared out the window while she sipped her drink.

A few cars cruised by. Shoppers strolled in and out of stores. The place really did look like a Hallmark movie. It was probably almost magical when it snowed. Maybe she could rent a house and stay for a while. With internet, she could do a lot of investigating into her parents’ death, and Little Rock was only four hours away if she needed to head there to do some snooping. A small town in the middle of the Arkansas Ozarks had to be a safer place to hide out than a much larger city.

After eating a meal that was sure to put five pounds on her hips, she paid the bill in cash and stepped into dusk. Old-fashioned streetlights flickered to life. Parker turned right and strolled past Victorian homes and bungalows with wraparound porches. Beautiful.

People nodded and smiled, and some said hello as they passed. One little girl in particular handed Parker a wilted flower.

“Thank you.” Parker turned to watch her walk away with her mother.

Her smile faded and a frown formed as a man ducked into the drugstore. Something about him looked familiar.

She stepped up her pace, crossing at the end of the street. When she passed the drugstore, she glanced inside but didn’t see the man. She chuckled, realizing how silly she was, thinking the man who had killed Tanya could have followed her to Misty Hollow. With no connections to the town other than Colt, how could the man follow her here?

Parker did a little window shopping and ducked into a bookstore for something to read before falling asleep in a few hours. She purchased a new rom-com release, a pretty notebook, and a pen to jot down notes for her investigation, then pushed the door open and stepped outside.

There he stood. The same man who had ducked into the drugstore was watching her from across the street. He stood under a streetlamp, hat pulled low, looking exactly like the man she’d spotted outside her apartment. So, he had followed her—the man who had slit her friend’s throat and written that note.

Her heart leaped into her throat, and she picked up her pace. Was he following her? She didn’t dare look back, but she’d have to ditch him before heading back to the motel.

She ducked back into Lucy’s and headed for the ladies’ restroom. Noticing the exit door at the end of the hallway, she passed the restroom and stepped outside into an alley. Now, she ran in the direction of the motel.

Inside her room, she locked the door, pulled the curtains tight, and called the front desk. “I need the number to the Rocking W Ranch, please.”

“I don’t have that number.”

“Can you get it for me?”

The manager sighed. “Okay, but you could look it up as easy as I can.”

Parker widened her eyes. How spoiled was she? “You’re right. Sorry to have bothered you.” She sat on the bed and pulled up the needed information on her phone, then called the ranch and asked for Colton Dawson.

~

“This is Colt Dawson.”

“A man is following me.”

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