Page 14 of Pay Dirt

Chapter 7

Clayton opened the door, and Nathan slid out, extending his hand toward me. “Well played, Agent Murray. When you said farm, I didn’t see this coming. Maybe itwouldbe better if I stayed out here.”

Nathan chuckled as he and Clayton rounded the vehicle to get the bags out. I cupped my hand over my eyes, shielding them from the sun as I gazed around the area. Trees lined one side of the house, which would createshade at sunrise. Toward the south, a oil rig was churning. In the other direction, the fields were empty for miles, with one exception—a barn in the distance with a gated area and a horse galloping inside the fence.

“You have horses?” I asked.

“Yeah, my sister rides them. She competes,” Nathan said.

The screen door shoved open and banged off the house siding. A young woman wearing a cowboy hat came running out. She charged Nathan, and he’d barely dropped the suitcases in time before catching the young woman in his arms and lifting her in a hug off the ground.

“You didn’t tell me you were coming.”

“It was a last-minute decision,” Nathan said and glanced up onto the porch. He gave a quick wave to the older man sitting on the porch in the shade watching us.

Nathan led the young woman over to me. “Squirt, this is Cassie. Cassie, this is my baby sister, Amanda.”

Amanda held out her hand, and I shook. “Who beat you up?”

I’d almost forgotten about my bruises. Heat crept to my cheeks. “A man in a bar. He stole my French fries, but don’t worry, he looks worse.”

Amanda’s brows dipped as she turned her glare on her big brother. “Was she with you? Did you let her get hit?”

“It was over before I could intervene. That’s one of the things I love about Cassie. She doesn’t need a man to save her.” Nathan rested his arm over my shoulders.

Amanda’s eyes widened. “You never bring girls home.”

“She’s special,” Nathan answered.

“And who are you?” Amanda asked, glancing at Clayton.

“I’m the driver and her friend,” Clayton answered.

“Am I being punked?” Amanda asked, walking to the back seat of the car. She yanked the door open and stuck her head inside as if expecting to find someone filming the entire exchange.

“No, squirt, you aren’t being punked, so be nice,” Nathan said, grabbing the suitcases. “Come on, you guys, let me show you where we’re sleeping.”

Amanda wrapped her arm around mine and led me to the porch. “He didn’t tell you about us, did he?”

Heat climbed to my cheeks. “He’s been busy with work, and so have I.”

I tried to stick as close to the truth as possible as Gwen had schooled me, but something told me that little Ms. Amanda had a keen eye, just like her FBI agent brother.

“Amanda, give her some room to breathe. You’ve got plenty of time to drill her.”

“It’s not me you should worry about.” Amanda chuckled as she disappeared inside the house.

Introductions to the old man on the porch went smoother. Nathan’s granddaddy had hardly said a word while chewing on his unlit pipe.

Nathan showed us inside the house. I’d been expecting doilies and well-worn furniture, and I would’ve been half right. As spacious as this house was, it had every bit of southern charm imaginable, all the way to the smell of homemade apple pie.

“This place is fabulous. I’m surprised you ever left here.”

Nathan guided us up to the second floor. “Cassie will be sleeping in my room down the end of the hall. Clayton, feel free totake any room on this floor. This floor is for guests. The rest of the family sleeps on the third floor.”

“You sleep on the guest floor?” I asked as I followed behind Nathan with Clayton disappearing into one of the rooms as we passed.

“I’m never home, so it makes sense,” Nathan said, opening the wide double doors at the end of the hall. I paused under the doorframe. It wasn’t just a room we were standing in. It was a suite, complete with a sitting area. “This is bigger than my first apartment.”

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