Claiming Ana (2 page)

“What could he have done with forty thousand dollars? The ranch can’t handle that kind of loss.”

“No, it can’t. A closer look at the hidden books shows serious debt. He was behind several months with all of his suppliers. They’ve cut off your accounts. The only things it seems he managed to keep up were the utilities. And there is one other thing. Your dad mortgaged the Star.”

“How much?” Jace again. A deep red flush of anger crept up the man’s neck at the open collar of his shirt. Apparently, the brothers hadn’t been informed of the mortgage or the upcoming balloon payment that would cost them their family home.

“Another hundred thousand. A balloon payment comes due in three months.” Howl stuffed the notepad back in his jacket pocket. Bad news sucked. Both on the giving and receiving end of things.

“There’s no way. No way in hell we can come up with that kind of money.” Jace jumped up with so much force his chair fell over.

Ruby hollered at them from the kitchen. “Take it outside, boys.”

Cade sighed and stood. “Calm down, Jace.”

“Like hell I will. Were you even listening?”

“I heard him just fine.” He was on his feet and in his brother’s face. “Outside.
Now
.”

Howl followed the men outside to Cade’s squad car. He hadn’t expected this latest blow to sit well with the Murphys. Honestly, Jace had a point. He’d seen the financials. Between the three of them, they might be able to come up with enough to pay the suppliers, but not enough to save the Star.

“I have somewhere to be. We’ll talk about this at home. Dad’s reputation is tarnished enough without dragging our dirty laundry out for everyone to see.” Cade spoke quietly, the underlying authority unmistakable and more powerful than a punch.

“Fine. You twitch your nose and conjure a hundred grand, Mr. Fix It.” Jace stomped toward his truck, got in and slammed the door. “Maybe Taylor’ll give it to you.”

“Where are you going?” Cade asked.

“To run fences, while we still have a damn ranch to run. Better call Bren before she hears about this through the grapevine.” Spinning gravel, Jace tore out of the parking lot.

“Sorry about that. My brother can be a hothead. He’s understandably upset.”

Howl leaned against the car. “I’m sorry to lay more trouble on your doorstep. Your call, chief. Do you want me to keep digging?”

“I want to know where that money went, Raven. Don’t stop until you find out.”

“Count on it.”

“One other thing.”

“Yeah?” Howl called back over his shoulder.

“I saw how you looked at Ana. I’m guessing you’ll move on when this job is finished. If you hurt her, you’d better pray I find you first. Jace knows ways to torture a man I prefer not to think about. Understand?”

“Are they together?”

“Not anymore, but that doesn’t change a thing. Just giving some friendly advice. I don’t want another murder in my town.”

“Understood.”

2

Ana heard the tinkling chime announcing a new arrival. Why did it always get so busy when bad weather moved in? Maybe she shouldn’t have let Amy take the day off. She had her hands full looking after patients. The telephone was ringing off the hook and she still had several pet owners in the waiting area. It didn’t help everyone was on edge because of the impending weather. Her belly grumbled.
12:30.
Lunch was going to have to wait just a little longer. She pressed the button on her earpiece to answer a call. “Shady Creek Animal Clinic. Dr. Brannon speaking. How may I help you?”

“Hi, Ana. Howl Raven. We met this morning.”

Howl? Mr. Yummy was calling her? Maybe his dog was sick. Did he even have a dog? Maybe he was a cat person. No, definitely dog.

“Hi. What can I do for you?” Her thoughts went straight to the gutter.
Oh, geez, Ana. Stupid question. What can I do for you?
Why did this guy have her dancing on a thin line between caution and desire?

“Would you like to have a late lunch with me? The chief says Cooper’s has amazing smoked ribs and chicken on Fridays.”

“Cade’s right about that. And I wish I could, but I gave my receptionist the day off. It’s Grand Central Station around here. It will be a couple hours before I can close up. Rain check?”

“Sure.”

“Great.” A beep sounded in her ear. “There goes the other line. Sheesh. Sorry, I have to catch this.”

“I’ll let you get back to work then. Bye.”

It was 2:30 when she handed Zazoo, the cat, back to his owner, bid them farewell and walked out into an empty waiting area, flipped the closed sign and locked the door. The faint smell of wood smoke and chicken teased her nose. Turning, she found Howl sitting behind Amy’s desk with the phone pressed to his ear.

“No, ma’am. I will give her the message. Yes. Hold just a moment.” He scribbled on a yellow sticky note and cupped the receiver to block his voice. “Are you open tomorrow?” His dark brow lifted with the question.

She shook her head and Howl turned his attention back to the receiver.

“I’m sorry. The clinic will be closed this weekend. I will leave the receptionist a note to call you on Monday to set up a new appointment. Thanks. You too.” He replaced the receiver and kicked his feet up onto the edge of the steel desk. His scuffed biker boots looked oddly at home there. “You weren’t kidding when you said it was busy.”

“What in the world are you doing here?” She should be mad at the way he had just come in and taken charge, but for some reason it was all she could do not to laugh at his disheveled appearance. He’d thrown his leather jacket over the back of the chair. His dark hair was just a little messy, as if he had run his fingers through it in frustration or the wind had tousled the waves.
Mmm. What is it about a bad boy on a bike? Get a hold of yourself, Ana.

“Being neighborly.”

“Oh?”

“I’m renting the Parker place just down the road.”

“That’s a lot of house for a single man.”

“I’m not there much anyway, but I like the privacy and the woods.”

“Did you know there is a path that connects my cabin with the house?”

“Mmm. Good to know. Maybe I’ll come over sometime…to borrow a cup of sugar.”

She smiled and leaned against the desk next to his scuffed boots. “You’re welcome to. Are you having fun playing secretary?”

“Probably more than I should.” Howl laughed. “Since you couldn’t come out, I brought lunch to you.” He pointed to a white convenience store bag on top of the filing cabinet out of reach of critters.

“Feeding me and answering the phone. Trying to butter me up?” Ana laughed.

“Yeah. Is it working?” Howl winked and smiled.

“Come on. We’ll eat in the kitchen.”

* * * *

“So what brings you to Shady Creek?” Ana reached into a cabinet above the sink, got out two glasses and set them on the counter. “Sweet tea? Soda? I rarely drink, so I don’t keep beer or wine on hand.”

“Tea is fine. Thanks. And work, actually.”

“Oh? What sort of work?” She added ice to their glasses, took out a pitcher of sweet tea from the fridge and filled them while Howl set their Styrofoam plates on the table.

“I’m a PI. I’ve been running down some leads for the chief privately.”

“Ah, I see. Cade has you looking at Sam Murphy’s murder.”

“Unofficially, yes.”

“The county cops are investigating, but it’s a slow process. According to the law, Cade is supposed to keep his nose out of things, but I expected him to find a loophole around that. Sam Murphy was a good man. Tough, but attentive to his sons. Their mama died when the boys were six.”

“That’s rough.”

“For all of them. The Murphy boys were wild growing up, but I’d say they’ve settled down some now. Well, most of them anyway. Jace is still rough around the edges, but Drew is a federal agent.”

“First-hand knowledge?” The sound he made was perilously close to a growl. “Both men seem very protective of you. Cade actually warned me off.”

Ana couldn’t resist rattling his cage. “You might say that. We grew up together. Jace and I were friends through school and dated during our senior year. I was co-head cheerleader. He was quarterback on the varsity football team. You know how the story goes.”

“Classic. What happened?”

“We decided we liked being friends more than lovers. Jace planned to enlist, ended up CIA. I didn’t want to be an operative’s wife. I went to college. Drew started his journey toward the FBI. He and his partner Cassie find missing children. Everybody thought Cade would follow Taylor to California, but when she left, he stayed, trained and joined the police force.”

“Who’s Taylor?” Howl closed his plate and sipped his tea.

“Seriously? You mean to tell me you’ve spent more than five minutes with Cade Murphy and you don’t know who Taylor is? I thought you were a PI.”

“Enlighten me. I like to know who I’m working for.”

“I remember she moved here in second grade after her parents were killed in a car accident. Her Aunt Bren is the housekeeper at the Triple Star and lives in the guest cottage, so naturally Taylor was always around too. Cade took her under his wing. They became inseparable. Still are. Even fame can’t shake their bond. It’s sweet, really.”

“Fame?”

“Taylor is an actress. Surely you’ve heard of her?”

“Taylor Ross?
The
Taylor Ross? The Chief of Shady Creek has a thing going with a movie star?”

She glared at him. “No. He does not have a
thing
going with Taylor. She’s his best friend. I talked to her a couple of hours ago. She’s flying home Friday. Her horse foaled this morning. She probably loves that horse almost as much as she loves Cade.”

“I thought you said it wasn’t a thing.” Howl looked skeptical.

“Men and women can have strong emotions for each other and still be just friends, Howl.”

He frowned. “Not in my experience.”

“Oh, really? Jace and I are friends. I have a lot of male friends actually.” Ana knew she was baiting him, but couldn’t seem to help herself.

“You and Jace were lovers.” Howl growled.

“We were barely more than eighteen.”

“Doesn’t make any difference. I’d bet he still thinks about you like that.”

“We could be friends. Chat on the phone, watch a movie. Go places together without wanting more. Couldn’t we?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

“Because every time I looked at you—Never mind. I shouldn’t say it. This just proves my point.”

“I want to know, Howl. What shouldn’t you say?” Her voice turned husky, even to her own ears. She slid her hand across the glossy tabletop and linked her fingers in his.
Uh oh.
Warmth radiated through her fingertips, through her body. The magic in her blood swirled in reaction.

“I’d imagine what you’d taste like every second we were together. How would you feel underneath me, wrapped around me? What would it be like to sink into your warmth? Your scent would drug me.”

“Really?”

Howl pushed away from the table and pulled her out of the chair. His hands were rough, warm, and she ached to have them slide over her skin like velvet. “I would crave your touch, your kiss. I don’t want to be friends. I want more.”

“This is crazy. I barely know anything about you.” Her words were tinged with doubt, but her body pressed into his. She linked her hands around his neck.

“Who the hell cares?”

“There are things you should know about me.”

“Same here.” His mouth dipped close to hers. “When it comes to this, they don’t mean a damn thing. Let’s talk about it later.”

Ana closed the distance herself. She’d had enough talking. This was what she needed. Heat. Glorious heat. A craving that wouldn’t be sated with simply a kiss. Even
this
kiss.
More
.
All.