Gold Fire (8 page)

“You didn’t catch any?” Jase asked when he got closer.

“No, how about you?”

“Just one. A big guy, probably as big as that one you got at Deadwood last summer.”

“Huh. Did you take a picture?”

“No.”

“Then he was smaller.”

Jase laughed and finished reeling in the line, securing the lure to the pole. “You ready for lunch?”

“Past ready. You think I invited you fishing just to let the trout laugh at me? I want one of those sandwiches your new cook makes. You should sell them.”

“And here I thought you liked my company.” He waded toward the bank as Brandon followed.

“Nah, I’m just using you for food.” He splashed ashore and started removing his waders. “Plus, I asked you so I could make sure you know what the hell you’re doing before you get involved with one of the Larkin girls.”

Jase stopped, the wader’s shoulder straps hanging at his waist. “Jesus, Brandon. Do you really intend to pull some Dr. Phil shtick on me?”

“It’s for your own good, boy-o. I wouldn’t be a friend if I didn’t let you know what you’re getting involved in.”

Jase pulled the waders off. “First, I’m not getting
involved
in anything. Our relationship is purely business. And second”—he scowled and emphasized his words—“
I’m not getting involved
.”

Brandon regarded him mildly. “Pretty passionate about that, aren’t you?”

Jase reached into a canvas bag and tossed Brandon a tightly wrapped sandwich. “Screw you.”

“My, my, we’re touchy.”

Brandon hoisted himself onto their usual lunch spot, a flat-topped boulder by the creek. Jase gave him a warning stare, then climbed up beside him. For a couple of minutes they both concentrated on the thick buns stuffed with meat and cheese, and oozing with sauce.

Brandon finally swallowed and smiled with utter contentment. “Heaven.”

“Amen,” Jase agreed. He took another bite, relishing the perfection of his world—the best scenery, the best food, and his best friend.

“It’s been a long time since you looked at a woman like that.”

“Oh, for Christ’s sake.” Jase lowered his sandwich. “You’re not going to leave it alone, are you?” At Brandon’s bland look, he ripped off a bite and spoke around it. “Fine, get it out of your system. What’s the problem with Zoe Larkin?”

“Nothing. I don’t even know her. Might be a wonderful person.”

“So?”

“So she and her older sister, Maggie, had a hell of a reputation in this town when they were teenagers. They grew up at some hippie commune in the mountains and
didn’t exactly make a smooth adjustment to town life. Wild parties. Easy sex, if you believe the stories.”

“I’ve heard the rumors. What’s the point?”

“
That’s
the point. By the time you quit skiing and started noticing the rest of the world, they’d both done a total one-eighty. But you heard about them. You’d
still
hear about them if you asked around. That kind of reputation takes a long time to die.”

“Sucks for them. But it doesn’t affect me.”

“It might if you start something with Zoe.”

Jase gave him a hard look. “I guess you didn’t hear me the first three times.”

“Didn’t have to hear you. I saw you looking at her all night long.”

Jase shifted uncomfortably and knew he couldn’t deny it. No matter how hard he tried, he hadn’t been able to get Zoe Larkin out of his mind.

He stared at the swirling water for several seconds. A similar churning sensation ran through the depths of his mind. “The Alpine Sky wants to buy the saloon,” he finally said. “Zoe’s the negotiator.”

Brandon lowered his sandwich. “Holy shit!”

“My reaction exactly.”

“Are you thinking of selling?”

“Hell, no.”

“Good.” Reassured, Brandon took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Why do they want the saloon—tired of the competition?”

“Hardly. We don’t have the same customers. They want to tear it down and put a golf course on my fifty acres.”

“Damn! I like that land.” He frowned thoughtfully. “Like golf, too. And I can see how it makes good
business sense for the resort.” The creases deepened on his forehead. “B-Pass probably wouldn’t mind the extra taxes and tourist money, either. Bet they’d rezone quick enough. But—” He shook his head. “Hell, we’ve got enough development on the slopes. Too much. I like your land the way it is.”

“So do I.” He liked his life the way it was, too, without worries or responsibilities. The thought of losing that made him even more uncomfortable than losing out to a golf course.

They ate in silence for a while. Finally, Brandon said, “So if you told them no deal, why is Zoe still coming around?”

“Did you see the guy with Zoe? That’s the owner’s son. He says, and I quote, ‘
People sometimes change their minds
.’”

Brandon looked at him, his expression gradually turning cold as he followed the implications. “Is that what happened to your truck?”

“I’d put money on it.”

Bandon narrowed his eyes. “Is Zoe Larkin in on it?”

The three-million-dollar question. “I wish I knew.”

They pondered it for a minute before Brandon asked, “What else can they do to pressure you?”

Jase shrugged. “I don’t know. But I’ll bet you a day’s pay I’m going to find out soon.”

“A day’s pay ain’t shit, lately, especially with our little company. Orders are down. We could use something new to grab the customers’ attention.”

He knew it, and had been resisting Brandon’s hints to come up with a product for the winter sports equipment company they’d started years ago. “I did the snowboard redesign.”

“And I think it’s gonna do well. But we need more to go with it.”

That was the problem with owning a business—it needed to make money. It was probably a good thing Brandon cared about that, because ambition was something Jase avoided.

“I’ll think about it,” he said. “Later.”

•  •  •

Brandon dropped Jase at Cliff’s Auto Center where he picked up his newly repaired truck and drove to the Rusty Wire. The charred smell hit him even before he saw the fire truck in the parking lot. From behind the saloon, an acrid, gray cloud sent a lazy column of smoke into the sky. He hit the gas, speeding around the building just as a long tongue of flames leapt skyward through the smoke.

The Rusty Wire was on fire.

Chapter
Five

J
ase screeched to a stop near the fire truck, taking in the scene as he jumped out. A shed at the back of the saloon was engulfed in flames, and the fire had taken a strong foothold on the back entrance.

Adrenaline seized him. He’d run past two firemen before a third grabbed his arm and yanked him back. “You can’t go in there.” The tone was firm, from someone used to giving orders.

“I’m the owner!” To his right, a jet of water burst from the thick fire hose and began doing battle with the flames. He struggled against the man’s grip on his arm. “Let me go! Someone might be in there!”

“No one’s inside. There were only two employees. They’re both standing over there.”

Jase followed his nod and saw Jennifer and Billy behind their cars, frightened gazes fixed on the saloon. He yelled Jennifer’s name, but the sound was lost in a sudden bang as a window burst. Jase ducked. The fireman let go, racing to help with the hose.

Fresh flames poured from the broken window.
Russ’s office, he realized, automatically tabulating the amount of flammable items inside. A lot. The arc of water moved over it, drowning the flames at the window and soaking the roof above.

Jase watched for what might have been seconds or minutes. The fire department must have arrived quickly, but the flames had taken a firm hold, and were seeringly bright. Hundred-year-old wood, he thought, watching the vigorous blaze. And all those files in the back office. When he finally turned away, his eyes stung, as if he’d been looking directly into the sun.

Feeling numb and useless, Jase walked over to Jennifer and Billy. Billy blinked at him, as if in a stupor. Jennifer was more collected and stoic. She pressed her mouth into a tight line, and shook her head as she anticipated his question. “I don’t know what happened. I smelled smoke and opened the back door, and the shed was on fire. It had already spread to the saloon’s roof. I yelled for Billy, we got out, and I called the fire department.”

He touched her shoulder, realizing as he did it that he’d avoided touching her for years, as if she embodied some sacred essence of her dead husband. He cringed inwardly, hoping she didn’t resent him for it. “Thanks, Jen, you did the right thing. I’m just glad you’re both safe.”

He looked at the shed, already burned to a blackened, smoking ruin. It was more accurately a lean-to, butting up against the back wall of the saloon. The structure was as old as the main building, probably built to store cords of firewood when woodstoves had been the only source of heat. Jase used it to store extra
tables and chairs. There’d been no gasoline cans or piles of dirty rags that might easily combust, although the shed itself was probably a tinderbox. Decades of paint hadn’t kept the wood from drying and cracking. It wouldn’t have taken much to send those boards up in flames.

Still, wood didn’t catch fire by itself. A hard lump formed in his gut. “Jennifer, did you see anyone hanging around before you smelled smoke?”

“That Larkin woman stopped by to see you, but I told her you weren’t here.”

He tensed at the unexpected news. “What did she want?”

“She didn’t say.”

He didn’t want to ask the rest. “When was that?”

“Not long before I discovered the fire. I talked to her when she pulled into the parking lot, then I went inside.” She slid a meaningful glance at him.

He looked away, irritated by the sudden ominous prickle along his scalp. If there was anything to it, he’d find out, but he couldn’t prejudge Zoe based on Jennifer’s statement alone. He had a feeling she didn’t care much for Zoe. “How about you, Billy?”

The kid tore his eyes from the fire with a dazed look. “Huh?”

“Did you see anyone else here earlier today?”

He thought about it, brow furrowed. “No, why?”

“Just wondering.” Wondering how the arsonist had approached. He had no doubt it had been deliberate. The saloon had one security camera near the front door, focused on the front lot. He’d check it later, especially to see when Zoe had been there, but he knew it was probably futile. Zoe wasn’t stupid. There were
other ways to approach the shed if someone wanted to be sneaky.

The fire was nearly out. The fire hose moved over it like a hungry predator, chasing down spurts of flame as soon as they popped up, soaking the charred skeleton that had been the Rusty Wire’s back hallway and office. It could have been far worse.

A light breeze came up, blowing a fine mist of water from the hose. It filled the air, catching a rainbow that arched above the smoldering debris. An optimistic person might see it as a sign and take hope from it.

Jase was currently sour on hope.

•  •  •

Zoe saw David change course as he crossed the lobby, going out of his way to intersect her path. She could tell from looking at the nasty sneer he already wore that she wasn’t going to like the conversation.

“Putting in extra time these days, I see,” he said.

Damn his lousy spies. They must have seen her car when she’d driven to the Rusty Wire earlier that afternoon. She didn’t care to explain to David what she’d been doing. As she scrambled for a plausible lie, he added, “Your shift doesn’t start for half an hour yet. Couldn’t wait to suck up to Matt, eh?”

She frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“Your new attitude. Playing the eager employee and throwing yourself at him in hopes of getting ahead.”

The only thing that helped her keep her temper was knowing he’d like her to lose it. “I came in early so I could talk with the head of housekeeping before she leaves. I’m
not
throwing myself at Matt Flemming.”

“No? What do you call going out for drinks with your boss?”

“A business dinner. I hear you had one with him, too.” Although she was pretty sure they didn’t slow dance.

“Right, I’m sure it was the same thing.” His lip turned up on one side. “Did he take you out to discuss your new position in the company?”

“What new position?”

“I didn’t think so. So it wasn’t exactly the same. Well, let me save you the effort—you’re already in line for the job.”

“I don’t understand; did Matt say you weren’t going to be the manager of the Alpine Sky?” She tried not to look too pleased about it.

“He needs one of us to manage the golf course. He calls it a promotion.”

“That’s a lateral move.” With less authority, leaving the manager’s job wide open if David got the new position. Her hopes could be realized . . . but only if Jase would sell and let them build the damn golf course. She was beginning to believe that wasn’t going to happen.

“It’s a demotion, no matter how he spins it,” David said. “I’m not surprised that someone like you would sleep her way into the top spot in the company. It may even be working. I think he’s already on your side.”

If they weren’t in the lobby, in full view of the front desk and concierge, she’d be tempted to push him into the rock pool. Stepping closer and speaking between gritted teeth, she said, “I’m not sleeping with Matt Flemming. I prefer to rise on my own merits. If he’s looking to dump you, it might have something to do with performance.”

He snorted. “I can see you’re all concerned, but don’t worry,” David told her. “I can look out for myself. Two can play that game.” He arched one eyebrow, making it look like a challenge.

She had no doubt he’d suck up to Matt—that was how David operated. She’d opened her mouth to deliver a nasty response when David’s gaze flicked past her and he broke into a huge smile. “Ruth Ann! Don’t you look gorgeous!”

Zoe turned to see a middle-aged blonde walking toward them, her long, swinging strides bringing to mind the runways where she used to model. She’d never seen Buck’s wife in person before, as Ruth Ann had had little interest in the resort before inheriting it. Apparently that had changed.