LITMIR.BIZ

      “TELL ME MORE about the case,” Deacon said to the detective once the jogger had been carried away by the paramedics, Kevin Lee’s statement had been given and the scene had quieted down.

      The detective shot him a look that left no question as to what she thought about his request. “I can’t.”

      “I’m not telling you to give away your family’s barbecue recipe. I’d like to know who I’m looking for, if you have a description of the suspect. It’ll help us on the ranch as we guard our herd and we might actually be of some help if he returns,” Deacon said. He could ask the same information from his cousin Zach, but the detective might have an inside track.

      “We don’t have one,” she admitted. “And I’m not the lead on this case, so I have no authority whatsoever to dig deeper. All we’re doing that I know of is watching the trail and pretty much everywhere else for another attack.”

      “There were no witnesses and you have no leads,” he summarized.

      “Just like the newspaper said,” she stated.

      “Excuse me if I don’t believe everything I read,” he countered.

      “Your cousin. He’s the sheriff, right?” she asked.

      “Yes.” Deacon wasn’t sure where she was going with this.

      “Explains why you know how to conduct yourself during an investigation.” She locked on to his gaze and he ignored the power that one look held. He also saw a repeat of that split-second vulnerability that got all his protective instincts fired up. A glance at her finger had said she didn’t wear a wedding band. But that call home had thrown him off balance at first until he heard bits and pieces of her conversation. “Also tells me that you won’t mind me reminding you that I’m not privileged to share information with you. Even if I had access to it, which I don’t.”

      There were ways to get around that but he didn’t want to push her.

      “Want to grab a cup of coffee?” he asked, noticing she’d started shivering. The temperature had dropped another ten degrees. He could feel it through his jacket. Christmas was around the corner, so there was no shock that the weather had turned.

      “No, thank you.” Her words were curt. “But I will share another piece of advice if you don’t mind.”

      “Be my guest.” He folded his arms across his chest.

      “If you go crawling around a crime scene, you might just leave your DNA for someone to discover and end up on the wrong side here. Why not leave this to law enforcement.”

      “My cousin has no authority in Fort Worth. I have no idea if these cases are connected but have every intention of finding out before any more of my cattle suffer and heaven forbid another person if that’s what’s happening here. I’ll give you that I acted on impulse coming here. Doesn’t mean I regret my actions and especially not if I can help in any way.” Getting away from the ranch for a few hours had proven to be the distraction he needed. While his brothers seemed to have settled into their birthright, Deacon still wasn’t comfortable. He’d been restless since losing his parents and leaving his small but thriving Dallas-based custom millwork company. He’d sold the business to his partner not without regret.

      Leah examined him and he noticed that her eyes darkened when she skimmed his torso.

      “Maybe you shouldn’t act on impulse next time.” She pointed her finger at his chest.

      “What are you not telling me?” The detective was holding back. He couldn’t say he was surprised given the circumstances. The statement caught her off guard enough for him to know he’d hit the nail on the head.

      Leah’s cell buzzed. She checked the screen and Deacon caught the breath she blew out.

      “Cordon here,” she said into the phone and he realized the caller couldn’t be the sitter who waited for her at home. The stab of jealousy said he feared it was a romantic interest. She turned around to face the opposite direction to take the call.

      “That’s great news, sir,” she said quietly. “Thank you,” she added before ending the call and turning around to face Deacon.

      “That wasn’t home calling,” he said matter-of-factly.

      “Nope,” she reported. “Killer’s been arrested. We can all go home.”