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  She also made a phone call to a co-worker who said he’d get software she needed to do her job overnighted to her again so that she could get it installed ASAP. He was a hacker, too and was also sending her tracer software on the side.

  When they reached the ranch Carilyn did listen to Cody and laid down on the bed in the guestroom and took a nap. She woke in the early evening and found that she was feeling better. Her head hurt less and even though she felt bruised and battered from the spill she’d taken, she felt stronger.

  Still, the e-mailer who called himself Firebug had her feeling uneasy and jumpy. The man, at least she assumed it was a man, had not only sent her a threatening email, but had probably been the one to tear apart Leigh’s house. The thought of that violation caused anger to burn beneath her skin.

  After she had brushed her hair and washed her face, she headed into the kitchen. A note that Cody had written was on the kitchen island, telling her he was outside taking care of chores and would be back shortly.

  Her stomach growled. It had been awhile since they’d eaten at a fast food place while they’d gone shopping. She didn’t consider herself to be much of a cook, but she figured there had to be something to throw together that would be easy and palatable.

  She searched through the pantry and saw that he had a couple of boxes of spaghetti and a jar of red sauce. In the freezer she found frozen vegetables—a man after her own heart. Whenever she bought fresh vegetables they inevitably went bad because of how little she cooked. She located hamburger in the freezer, too. She also found a bag of salad, along with a bottle of Thousand Island dressing as well as a bottle of ranch.

  It wasn’t long before she’d made meatballs. The spaghetti sauce bubbled in a small pot on the stove, and she added the baked meatballs to it when it was time. She then put the dry spaghetti into water she had boiling in a stockpot she’d found in one of the cabinets. Veggies simmered on a back burner and the salad was in a large bowl on the counter.

  “Something smells good.” Cody’s deep voice had Carilyn whirling around to face him.

  “Spaghetti and meatballs,” she said. “I assume you like spaghetti since it was in the pantry.”

  The corner of his mouth curved up in a smile. “You assume right.” His expression turned concerned. “How are you feeling?”

  “Much, much better.” She picked up a pair of potholders she’d discovered in a drawer. She started to put them on to lift the pot and pour the spaghetti into the colander she’d set in the sink.

  “Let me.” He took the potholders from her, put them on, carried the stockpot to the sink, and poured the spaghetti into the colander. “I don’t think you should be carrying anything this heavy.”

  She shook her head. “I think you’re worrying too much about me.”

  “I’m entitled.” He set the empty stockpot on a trivet then shook the colander to get most of the water out. “I watched you take a hell of a spill.”

  “Well, I’m doing lots better.” She turned off the burners that were beneath the veggies and sauce.

  In a matter of moments, they had everything on the table and were seated. Dinner was enjoyable and she was glad he didn’t bring up “Firebug” or anything else that had happened. When they’d finished dinner, they cleaned up. He said he’d offer her a glass of wine but that she should stay away from alcohol until she was fully healed from the concussion or it could delay her healing.

  Carilyn was surprised at how easily she had settled in to staying with Cody despite the fact that they’d only met a few days ago. She found she trusted him and was comfortable with him.

  After dinner, she asked Cody to play his guitar. He got it out and sang as he played a few tunes for her. He had a great singing voice and she loved listening to him. As far as she was concerned, he finished too soon—she could listen to him all night long and not get tired of it.

  Once he’d put away his guitar, he suggested watching a pay-per-view movie on cable. They picked out the latest superhero movie when they discovered they each liked Spiderman, Superman, Batman, Ironman, and any other number of superhero movies. When she sat on the couch, he sat on it too, close but not so close that she might feel he was going to try to be intimate. She wasn’t ready for that. She still had a headache, not to mention she didn’t plan on getting involved with him since she was here for such a short amount of time.

  The movie was fun but at the end she found herself sleepy. “Ready for bed?” he asked when she yawned.

  “Sorry.” She held back another yawn. “I think the day is getting to me.”

  He shifted on the couch. “Do you have everything you need in the guestroom?”

  She nodded. “Now that I have my clothes and toiletries, I’m all set. Tomorrow I should be okay to go back to Leigh’s.”

  His forehead wrinkled as he frowned. “I don’t like the idea of you going back to Leigh’s after the place was just ransacked, and when you’re getting threatening emails.”

  “Maybe I’ll book a room in a hotel.” She sighed. “I can’t just stay here with you. I think I’m wearing out my welcome.”

  He reached out and put his hand over hers. His touch was warm, comforting. “Carilyn, you are welcome here as long as you need. I’d rather see you here where I can keep an eye on you. I have to admit I’d be damned worried if you were out there alone.”

  She smiled and surprised herself as she turned her hand up and clasped his. “Don’t worry so much.”

  “Can’t help it.” He studied her for a long moment, looking as though he wanted to say something. Instead he leaned closer and her belly flipped as she thought he was going to kiss her, but he pressed his lips to her forehead then drew back. “Now let’s get you to bed.”

  ***

  Chapter 12

  Early the next morning, Monday, Cody headed outside to take care of chores. He frowned as he thought about the person who called himself Firebug, the threatening email to Carilyn, and someone trashing Leigh’s house.

  Dawn was just lifting the dark sky, graying it out, the sun starting to peek over the horizon. It promised to be a beautiful day, yet what had happened yesterday cast a shadow over everything.

  He fed the cattle and horses, checked the water troughs, saw to the trees being irrigated around the ranch, and generally made sure everything was running smoothly. When he headed back into the house, the smell of coffee and sausages filled the air and he heard the meat sizzling on the stovetop.

  When he went to the entryway to the kitchen, he leaned against the doorframe, watching Carilyn as she busied herself. She hadn’t noticed him and he smiled to himself as he thought about what it would be like to come in every day to find her cooking breakfast for them. She looked cute in her jeans and T-shirt, her feet bare, and her damp red hair pulled back in a ponytail. From her wet hair, he guessed she’d just taken a shower.

  She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. “Good morning.”

  “Good morning to you, sunshine.” He pushed away from the doorframe and walked closer to her. “Smells great.”

  “Coffee is ready.” She nodded toward the coffee maker. “I’m just about to make omelets. Two eggs or three, and what do you like on yours?”

  He looked over the plate of grated cheddar cheese, chopped onions, fresh tomatoes cut into small pieces, and bell pepper sliced into small pieces, too. “Three eggs and I’ll take everything on it,” he said.

  “You’ve got it.” She beat eggs in a bowl with a whisk. “They won’t be pretty but they’ll be edible.”

  He laughed. “Edible is what counts.” He studied her as she poured the egg into the nonstick pan. “How are you feeling?”

  “Better.” She glanced at him. “Still have a headache and sometimes I’m a little unsteady on my feet, but I think I’ll be fine to go back to Leigh’s later today or tomorrow.”

  “Don’t rush it, Carilyn,” he said as she put cheese and veggies in the omelet. “There’s no hurry to leave and it may not be safe to go to Leigh’s.”
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  She looked up from the omelet. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

  He tweaked her ponytail and caught a whiff of the soap she’d used when she’d taken a shower. “And I told you that you are not a burden.” He gave her a little grin. “Besides, what cowboy doesn’t want to come in to a warm breakfast rather than eating cold cereal on his own?”

  “There is that,” she said with a smile.

  While she made breakfast, he made himself a cup of coffee, black. He set the table for two, including glasses and a jug of orange juice. He also took a jar of salsa out of the fridge along with a tub of sour cream, something he liked on his omelets. When she was finished, she was right, they weren’t pretty, but they smelled great and tasted even better.

  Over breakfast they talked about her plans for the day. “I need to start setting up my laptop as much as I can without the software,” she said. “There are some things I can download off the Internet.”

  “I don’t think I’d be much of a help there,” he said as he cut into his omelet with his fork. “I’m doing good to utilize whatever software I need for work at the fire department or here for the ranch.” He ate the bite of omelet. After he swallowed, he said, “So you know how to track people down on the Internet?”

  She nodded. “Even people who try to cover up their tracks. Eventually I will find them.”

  “You must be good at what you do,” Cody said.

  With a shrug she said, “It’s what I was trained to do and something I have a knack at doing.”

  “How did you get in that line of work?” he asked.

  “I majored in computer science when I was in college.” She smiled, finally deciding to tell him what she actually did. “I did post-graduate work in programming and I got involved with an elite group of programmers—hackers—who taught me a whole lot about what I do now. You could say I have a gift for it.”

  Cody raised his brows. “You’re a hacker?”

  She gave an impish grin. “For the good guys.”

  “That’s pretty cool.” Cody took a drink of juice and set the glass down, thumping it on the tabletop. “So you think you can find Firebug?”

  “Eventually.” Her brow wrinkled. “Firebug did a credible job covering his tracks, but I’ll be getting software that will help me get to him.”

  Cody gave a satisfied nod. “As soon as we find him, I’m going after the bastard.”

  Carilyn was taken aback and her eyes widened. “You’re not going after Firebug on your own, are you?”

  Cody looked like he was considering it. “I’ll call Reese,” Cody finally said. “He’ll likely let me in on the action—or at least watch it.” His gaze met Carilyn’s. “But if the bastard tries to hurt you all bets are off.”

  Again, he looked as if he wanted to say more, but didn’t. Some kind of connection was between them and she knew he felt it too.

  After breakfast, they cleaned up together. When they were finished, he put his arm around her shoulders and gave her a little squeeze. “This afternoon, I have a few 4-H’ers coming over to look at my calves. You’re welcome to join us and meet the kids.”

  “I might do that.” She smiled at him.

  “Come on out if you decide you want to.” He released her, headed to the front door, and took a beat-up work-worn western hat off of the hat rack. He tugged the hat down on his forehead and opened the door.

  Carilyn watched Cody walk out of the house. She never got tired of seeing his sexy backside. She also liked the feeling of being in the same house as him, making him breakfast as he came in from work. It was a homey, comfortable feeling.

  She shook her head. This was exactly why it wasn’t a good idea to stay at the ranch with Cody. Jeez, soon she’d be heading back to Kansas and she could end up hurting both of them if she wasn’t careful.

  It took some time to install the basic software on her new laptop, just to get it up and running. It was frustrating not having the software to prepare to tackle her job, but she’d just have to make up for lost time by working longer hours after she received the software.

  She downloaded tracing software that a fellow hacker provided when she contacted him. Or her—it was virtually impossible to tell from their names. This hacker was referred to as Lord. His/her whole name was LordoftheFuneralPyre. It sounded masculine to her, but who really knew? Carilyn went by WizardAsp as her hacker name, which she figured was as androgynous as one could get.

  When she was finished setting up her laptop the way she wanted it, she decided to head to the kitchen. She poked around until she found an old recipe book with one page marked. It was a recipe for chewy brownies. Despite the fact that she wasn’t the best cook, she did know how to make brownies. As long as she didn’t burn them, they should turn out fine.

  First she checked to make sure Cody had all the ingredients to make the brownies and was pleased when she found everything. He was almost out of cocoa and flour, but there was enough to get by. It didn’t take long until she had all of the ingredients combined and was stirring the batter. She greased a pan and spread the mixture into it before putting it into a preheated oven.

  While the brownies baked, she brought her laptop into the kitchen and checked her email again, praying she didn’t have one from Firebug. Thankfully she didn’t.

  Just as she was going to close out the email client, a new one popped into her inbox. Sam Anthony.

  “Sam?” she said as she straightened in her chair. She hadn’t heard from him since he’d gone into the Peace Corps.

  She clicked on the email and read it through.

  Hi, Carilyn,

  I just got back to the States yesterday and I wanted to talk with you. I went to your apartment earlier today but you weren’t there, and you didn’t answer your phone when I called.

  Carilyn paused to pull her phone out of her pocket and saw that yes, she’d missed two calls from him. She frowned but then saw that somehow her ringer had been turned off. She went back to reading the email.

  I wanted to tell you how much I’ve missed you and that I’m back for good. Call me. I want to see you.

  Love,

  Sam

  Carilyn blinked. Sam was back and he wanted to see her? She bit her lower lip. In the past she might have been excited to receive an email from him…but now?

  She wondered, too, about him being back for good. Didn’t they have to sign a contract or something, like they did in the army? He hadn’t explained when he told her and she’d been in too much shock to think to ask.

  The smell of something burning caught her attention. “Nooo,” she said as she jumped up from her seat, grabbed a couple of potholders, and opened the oven door. She groaned when she saw that the brownies were very dark and very overdone.

  “Darn it.” She scowled. “These will be extra chewy if they’re not as hard as bricks.”

  She put the pan on a trivet to cool and went back to her laptop. She wasn’t ready to respond to Sam, so she closed the laptop lid and wandered to the front door.

  She knew what she’d do. She’d try not to think about Sam, the Firebug, or the burnt brownies and go outside for some fresh air and to see what Cody was up to. When she stepped out of the house, she saw him with a group of three kids and three horses stood behind them. From a distance she couldn’t tell how old the kids were.

  With her hands in the back pockets of her jeans, she strolled toward Cody and the kids. The four of them were outside a corral with five calves in it.

  “These heifers are the best of the herd,” Cody was saying. “All come from champion stock.”

  Carilyn watched as the two girls and one boy, all of about eleven or twelve, talked with Cody. They discussed growth rate, reproductive efficiency, conformation, skeletal correctness, and disposition. She liked watching the way he interacted with the kids, on their level. He didn’t talk down to them. He engaged the 4-H’ers as adults, answering all of their questions and comments.

  Cody surprised Carilyn by drawing her into the group
and introducing her to the kids. “Everyone, this is Carilyn,” he said. Then he gestured to each kid as he continued. “Carilyn, meet Amanda, Cindy, and Garth Johnson.”

  “I take it you’re all related.” She smiled and shook each of their hands as they told her they were cousins. “Have you picked out which calves you want?” she asked.

  “This is my first time,” Cindy said. She gestured to a heifer, the largest of the bunch. “She’s pretty and I like her disposition.”

  “Not me.” Amanda shook her head and pointed to the one closest to them. “I think she has the best lines and show quality.”

  The boy picked his out of the remaining three heifers and seemed satisfied with his choice. They discussed price and Cody looked like he was holding back amusement and approval at their attempts at haggling.

  “You all drive a hard bargain.” He looked at each one of them. “I’m going to give you an excellent price, and it is the lowest I will go.”

  When he gave them the price the kids chimed in their agreement. He promised to keep the heifers for them until they each returned later that evening with their parents. Looking thoroughly excited, the 4-H’ers each mounted a horse and then took off at a fast trot.

  “You’re good with children,” Carilyn said as they headed toward the ranch house.

  “I like kids.” Cody smiled. “Want a few of my own one day.”

  Carilyn smiled, too. “So do I.”

  As they walked, Cody put his arm around her shoulders. It felt comfortable and natural, and she didn’t shy away.

  When they reached the house and walked inside, Cody sniffed the air. “Do I smell brownies?”

  She gave a little laugh. “Burnt brownies.”

  He looked at her and grinned. “My favorite.”

  “Uh-huh,” she said and shook her head, but he grinned.

  They walked inside and went into the kitchen. They sat at the table, drank cold milk, and ate the burnt brownies. She was surprised that he ate half the pan along with two tall glasses of milk. She ate three brownies herself. They weren’t too bad for being burnt.