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  “I’m sorry to tell you this, but we know it was arson,” he said and her skin prickled. “We found an incendiary device and your passenger side window was smashed in.”

  An angry flush burned beneath her skin. “Why would someone want to burn up my car?”

  “It could have been random.” Cody held her gaze. “But we don’t know for sure what the motive was.”

  “I can’t believe this.” She clenched her hands on the tabletop. “It’s all so surreal.”

  “Did you see anyone around when you left the café?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I saw people walking up and down the street, but nothing seemed unusual. No one was near the parking lot when I reached it.”

  Cody looked thoughtful. “It’s possible that one of the pedestrians could have seen someone coming from the direction of the parking lot. We can hope someone will come forward.”

  “I’d sure like to see him caught, whoever it is.” Carilyn ground her teeth. “Do you think this fire is related to any of the others that Leigh told me about?”

  “I assume she’s talking about the three cases of arson we’re investigating now,” Cody said. “We do have reason to believe they’re related but I can’t discuss that yet.”

  “I understand.” She sighed. “Thank you for telling me what you could.”

  “No problem.” He seemed to be studying her. “I promise to let you know what I can as we learn more.”

  She pushed back her chair as Leigh and Mike approached the table. “Thank you,” Carilyn said to Cody. “Leigh has a hair appointment and I’m going to get a pedicure, so I imagine we need to get going.”

  “Thanks again for the cookies,” Cody said as Leigh and Mike reached them.

  Carilyn smiled. “You’re welcome.”

  “See you Friday night.” Again he looked like he wanted to say something else, but didn’t.

  Leigh and Carilyn said their goodbyes and headed out of the fire station and to Leigh’s car.

  “See?” Leigh said with a laugh. “Cody has a thing for you.”

  Carilyn rolled her eyes. “You’re incorrigible.”

  Leigh grinned. “And I’m right.”

  Carilyn shook her head. “Well, it doesn’t matter if he does because I’m not going there.”

  But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t get the sexy firefighter off her mind.

  * * * * *

  After Leigh and Carilyn left, Cody went to the fire station’s office to find it empty. He booted up the office computer and opened up file folders and documents relating to the arson cases. He pored over information collected from the first three fires, which included interview results, witness statements, scene photographs and videos, insurance inquiries, and forensic testing.

  He studied the videos Johnson had taken of each scene. He’d recorded all of the details and had also panned the crowd gathered around, just in case the arsonist was there, perversely watching. No one stood out to Cody, but that didn’t mean anything. He’d caught one arsonist in the past using this method and it could happen again.

  Cody and Reese had met with two of the victims earlier in the day and neither woman had witnessed anything strange since the fires. They hadn’t noticed anyone following them or any individuals around who might make them suspicious.

  Janice Barnhart, the third victim and owner of the dress shop, hadn’t answered her phone when Reese had tried to contact her and hadn’t returned his call. After the first two interviews, Reese and Cody had stopped by her apartment but no one had come to the door when they’d knocked. Reese planned to continue trying to get hold of her, but for all they knew, she may have gone out of town.

  For all they knew, the arsonist could have gotten to her.

  Cody shook his head. He wasn’t about to jump to any conclusions, and that included the possibility that one of the women had been a victim of the arsonist again, only this time not with fire. Still it nagged at him that Janice Barnhart hadn’t answered phone calls and hadn’t been in her apartment—unless she’d ignored their knocks. It all wasn’t sitting well with him.

  He’d shared his theory with Reese about the Barbie dolls’ hair color, and how each had matched the women who were the victims of the fires. Reese had taken to Cody’s theory immediately, and like Cody, Reese was now concerned for the women’s safety.

  Reese had already had police officers interview employees at local stores that sold Barbies but had come up with nothing that stood out. The arsonist was probably buying his dolls in the Phoenix area, or on the Internet, and that would likely be nearly impossible to provide some kind of clue. If the case didn’t break soon, though, the police would have to go public with the Barbie angle.

  Frustrated, Cody continued to comb through the reports. He was good at mentally compartmentalizing tasks and other things, and he’d been able to set aside thoughts of Carilyn—for the time being. He had a job to do and he couldn’t do it if he was spending his time daydreaming about her.

  When he’d finished going through the files, he finally allowed himself to think about Carilyn. She’d been so sweet to bake the cookies with no nuts for him. Images poured into his mind of Carilyn wearing an apron and placing a big tray of cookies on a table as children gathered around…two boys and two girls. He’d always wanted a big family, and four kids would be perfect.

  “Whoa.” He shook his head, banishing the images from his mind. Where had those thoughts come from? He’d barely met the woman. But, damn. What a woman.

  He pushed back his chair and stood. It was getting late and he needed to catch some sleep. He’d be seeing Carilyn tomorrow night and he couldn’t wait.

  ***

  Chapter 6

  Laughter and music spilled out of the Highlander and into the night as Carilyn and Leigh approached the bar. All day Carilyn had found herself looking forward to tonight despite the fact she knew she shouldn’t want to see Cody as much as she did. It was only yesterday afternoon that she’d seen him and it seemed like ages.

  As if it might calm her nerves, she brushed her palms down her black skirt that reached mid-thigh. Her entire body felt jittery, as if she’d had half a dozen cups of coffee.

  “I’m telling you, Cari,” Leigh was saying, “Cody was a little tongue-tied when it came to you.”

  “I don’t think so.” Carilyn shook her head. “We talked about the investigation and he wasn’t that way at all.”

  Leigh grinned. “But when it came to you and not some safe topic, he was a lot quieter than normal.”

  Carilyn rolled her eyes. “You’re imagining things.”

  They reached the front entrance and went inside the Highlander that was hazy with smoke. Carilyn scanned the dim room and saw a bar directly in front of them, two pool tables to the left, a mechanical bull on the right along with a jukebox, and lots of high-tops scattered all over the place. Carilyn had called it a “down and dirty” bar and said that’s where the firefighters who weren’t on duty hung out every Friday night.

  Leigh leaned close and spoke next to Carilyn’s ear to be heard over the music and the crack of billiards. “I hear there’s poker in the back, invitation only.”

  Carilyn spotted Cody leaning up against the bar, watching her, and for a moment she lost all sense of rational thought. Something swooped in her belly as she got a good look at him. He wore a western shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, Wrangler jeans, and brown boots, along with a Stetson. He looked every bit the cowboy that Leigh had said he was.

  “Damn, he’s hot,” Carilyn said before she could catch herself.

  Leigh gave a laugh. “I knew you were developing a thing for him.”

  Carilyn glanced at Leigh. “Am not.”

  Leigh nodded. “Are too.”

  Before Carilyn knew it, she and Leigh had reached Cody. She realized for the first time that Mike was there, too, and he was giving Leigh a kiss.

  “Hi.” Carilyn smiled at Cody.

  His gaze held hers. “You look great,
Carilyn.”

  “Thank you.” She felt both pleased and self-conscious at once in the black silky blouse that scooped low in the front and dipped down in the back. She and Leigh had picked it out at a great dress shop they’d shopped at yesterday.

  Leigh was clearly busy talking with Mike, so Carilyn focused on Cody. No doubt Leigh was making a point of giving Cody and Carilyn time to talk.

  Carilyn’s gaze drifted around the room and she noticed men throwing darts at a dartboard near the pool tables where both men and women shot pool. She looked back at Cody. “So this is where the firefighters hang out?”

  “A lot of the guys come here to blow off steam on a Friday night.” He leaned one elbow on the bar. “What would you like to drink?”

  “Rum and Coke.” She watched him as he turned to the bar, caught the bartender’s attention, and ordered her drink.

  She started to pull her wallet out of her purse but he shook his head. “I’m buying tonight.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” she said. “I can pay my own way.”

  He put his hand over hers that still held the wallet. His touch sent fire racing through her and set her heart to pounding. “I insist,” he said.

  She dropped her wallet back into her purse. From the look in his eyes, it was a battle she wasn’t going to win with this cowboy. “All right. Thank you.”

  When the drink arrived she was glad to have something to hold. After a few swallows of her rum and Coke, the drink seemed to steady her and make her feel less nervous around Cody. She noticed that he drank a Rolling Rock beer as he lifted it to his lips.

  Laughter and shouts came from the direction of the mechanical bull and she glanced to see a cowboy riding the beast. The bull jerked hard and the cowboy went flying. People gathered around laughed and shouted as another cowboy helped up the first cowboy.

  She looked at Cody. “Have you ever ridden that thing?”

  He nodded. “My older cousin, Creed McBride, was a professional bull rider and retired not too long ago. When I was a kid I looked up to him and wanted to do everything he did, so he taught me to ride.” He grinned. “Doesn’t mean I’m any good, but I can hang on pretty well. Or at least I could—it’s been a while.”

  “I’d like to watch you.” Carilyn smiled. “See if you’ve still got it.”

  “I’ll probably end up on my a—” He corrected himself. “On my butt.”

  “Sounds like fun to watch.” She gave him a wicked grin. “Come on, cowboy. You can make it eight seconds.”

  He looked amused and set his empty beer bottle on the bar top. “All right. Let’s go.”

  She turned to head toward the bull then felt the heat of his hand on her lower back as he guided her through the busy bar. His touch caused a pleasant warmth to course through her.

  When they reached the bull, he wrote his name on a chalkboard, beneath two other names. It wasn’t long before it was his turn.

  Impulsively she reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “For luck,” she said as she drew away.

  His sexy grin had her sitting at the melting point again. He winked and left her standing near the railing surrounding the mechanical bull.

  She set her rum and Coke on a high-top and then gripped the railing as she watched him step down into the pit and onto the straw-covered mat. He climbed up onto the bull, gripped the rope around the bull’s chest and gave a nod to the cowboy manning the controls.

  Her heart started beating a little faster and she wondered if she should have goaded him into riding. These things could be dangerous, couldn’t they?

  The bull started off with a wild spin and a buck but Cody managed to hang on. He held one hand up high as he held the rope with his opposite hand. The crowd cheered and some called out his name. Onlookers gave shouts of encouragement or taunted him, all in good fun.

  Cody’s body jerked in time with the bull and a look of fierce concentration was on his handsome features. She glanced at the digital clock counting the seconds. Five…six…seven… Right at the seven-second mark, Cody went flying. He landed on his ass but easily rolled to his feet. Somehow his cowboy hat had managed to stay on his head.

  “Close,” she said when he reached her.

  He shook his head but was smiling. “Close doesn’t cut it in bull riding.”

  “Getting old,” came a voice from behind her.

  Cody grinned as he looked at the man who’d spoken and Carilyn looked to see a handsome cowboy joining them. Like Cody, the man was over six feet, had light brown hair, square features, but had intense blue eyes where Cody’s were brown. The man looked hardened, like someone who had witnessed a lot, and a lot of that not good.

  “Reese, this is Carilyn Thompson,” Cody said as he gave a nod toward her. “Carilyn, this is my cousin, Detective Reese McBride.”

  “Ms. Thompson.” Reese held out his free hand to Carilyn and she took it. A beer bottle was in his opposite hand. “My partner, Detective Petrova, took your statement at the scene.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Detective McBride.” Carilyn smiled as they released hands. “I liked your partner. She has good bedside, er rather curbside, manners.”

  Reese’s expression relaxed and the corner of his mouth tipped up in a grin. “I’ll be sure and tell her that.” He looked a little more serious. “How’ve you been since the fire?”

  She shrugged. “Fine, considering.”

  He nodded. “Notice anything odd since the fire?”

  She tipped her head to the side. “Not that I can recall. Why?”

  “Just a little follow-up.” He held the beer bottle as if prepared to take a swig. “I’ll be calling you to set up a time to go over a few things.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  “But for now it’s time for you to loosen up, Reese,” Cody said with a grin. “By that beer in your hand I’d say you’re not here to work.”

  “Sometimes it’s hard to shake off the job.” Reese smiled, his features relaxing again. “I’ll talk with you later, Ms. Thompson,” he said to Carilyn. To Cody he said, “Work on that grip.”

  Cody saluted Reese who gave a nod to Carilyn before he slipped into the crowd and disappeared from sight.

  She picked up her rum and Coke from off the high-top she’d set it on and took a sip.

  “Did you get everything you needed when you went shopping with Leigh?” he asked.

  Carilyn lowered her glass. “Pretty much. The most important thing was a new laptop, which I’m going to have to set up so that I can get to work when Leigh takes off for Europe.”

  “What kind of work do you do?” he asked.

  “I’m what you call a geek.” She smiled. “I’m a computer programmer.” She didn’t mention that she was also a hacker—but for the good guys.

  He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t look like the geeky type to me.”

  She grinned. “And what’s a geeky type supposed to look like?”

  He returned her grin. “I guess I’m just going to have to change my way of thinking if geeks are as beautiful as you.”

  She felt her face warm and was glad the bar was dim so that he couldn’t see her blush.

  “So what do you do?” he asked.

  “I contract for the government.” She set her now empty glass down. “I’m working on a big project right now that I can’t talk about.”

  “A mystery woman,” he said.

  Desperate to change the subject from herself, she decided to turn the tables on him. “So you’re not only a firefighter, but a cowboy, too?”

  He nodded. “I have a little spread that I inherited from my parents.”

  “How do you have time to work on it?” She tilted her head to the side. “With the kind of hours and schedule a firefighter works, doesn’t that make it difficult?”

  “It can.” He pushed the brim of his hat up a little with one finger. “I used to hire 4-H kids and all of them did a good job. But now I have a ranch hand who handles things when I’m gone. Tom is semi-retired
and lives on a place not too far from mine so he’s available when I need him. It’s easier having him than juggling the kids.”

  “I’ve never been on a ranch.” Carilyn wondered how close real ranches were to what was portrayed in the movies.

  “I’ll have to show you around my place,” he said. “If you don’t have anything planned tomorrow, you could come on over if you’d like.”

  Carilyn hesitated. Was this getting too close to going out on a date with the man? She really did want to go out on a ranch. “Okay,” she said. “Mike is giving Leigh a ride to the airport around five in the morning so I’m free for the day. She’s leaving her car for me to drive while she’s gone.”

  “Great.” He smiled. “I’ll give you directions. Smart phones aren’t always so smart once you head away from town.”

  She found herself brushing down her skirt with her palms for something to do with her hands. “What time?”

  “How about ten?” he said. “I can take you riding.”

  “Riding?” She felt a twinge in her belly. “I’ve never been on a horse.”

  “I’ll let you ride one of my gentlest horses,” he said. “She’s a real sweetheart.”

  She gave him a nervous smile. “I guess I’ll trust you on that.”

  “You can definitely trust me.” He inclined his head toward the bar. “Let’s get another drink.”

  “All right,” she said, at the same time wondering what happened to her insistence to Leigh and herself that she should keep her distance from Cody. She certainly wasn’t doing a very good job of it.

  When they were seated at the bar and after Cody had ordered drinks for both of them, he rested one arm on the bar top as he looked at her. “Do you have family in Kansas?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Not anymore. My mom and stepdad retired and moved to Florida.” She hesitated and a sharp ache stabbed her gut like it always did when she mentioned her father. “My birth father might be there, but it’s hard to count him as family since he abandoned my mom and me when I was very young.”

  “No cousins or any other family there?” Cody asked.

  “All of my relatives live in Indiana.” Carilyn ran her fingers up and down her rum and Coke glass. “Mom ran away to Kansas with my birth father when she was just seventeen. When my father left us, she didn’t have enough money to move back to Indiana and she refused to ask family for help. So we stayed. By the time she could afford to move she’d met my stepdad and his roots run deep in Kansas.”