Gold Fire (9 page)

Zoe automatically did a typical female assessment—expensive haircut, fashionable clothes, and shoes that probably cost as much as Zoe’s monthly rent. Her complexion was suspiciously taut and wrinkle free for a woman old enough to be Matt’s mother, not to mention her breasts, which were as plump and perky as a twenty-year-old’s.

Zoe couldn’t manage a single snarky thought. The cosmetic magic worked; Ruth Ann, who had to be fifty-five if she was a day, looked no more than forty. A hot forty.

She walked straight to David and accepted his polite kiss on the cheek. “David, darling, I’m starving. Can we leave now?”

“Of course.” He gave Zoe a condescending smile. “I’m sure Zoe can handle whatever minor problems might pop up during the evening. Ruth Ann, have you met Zoe Larkin? She’s my assistant manager.”

Not yours
, Zoe thought, gritting her teeth.

“Oh, you’re the girl Matt told me about!” Ruth Ann offered her hand in a limp shake while looking her up and down.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Zoe was curious to know what Matt had said about her, and whether it was personal or professional, but couldn’t think of a polite way to ask.

David didn’t look at all pleased that Zoe had been a topic of discussion between Matt and his mother. He put an arm around Ruth Ann’s shoulder and turned her away, sending two signals at once—
We have better things to do than talk to you
, and more significant,
I’m allowed to do this
.

And possibly allowed to do more. Buck’s estate had probably left Ruth Ann set for life in everything but male companionship. If she was in the market for young, handsome, and ingratiating, David fit the job requirements.

“We’re going to check out the B-Pass nightlife,” he said over his shoulder. “Hold down the fort, would you? I left a to-do list on your desk.” He waved a dismissive hand. Ruth Ann didn’t look back.

A to-do list? Zoe ground her teeth. If there really was one, it was going straight into the shredder. David hadn’t needed to tell her what to do from the moment Buck hired him, and he wasn’t going to start now.

•  •  •

She almost wished there would be a major crisis just so she could efficiently handle it on her own. A broken water main, a collapsed retaining wall, a lightning strike . . . something. But everything ran smoothly and the sky remained clear, leaving her with little to do besides paperwork.

Even Matt was busy at his computer, clicking away at the keys. That was fine, the man had a business to run. But she was restless. Maybe if she ran her new idea past Matt and he approved, she’d be able to approach Jase with an offer he might find more appealing.

She cleared her throat, flashing a smile when Matt looked up. “Can you take a minute to talk?”

“Sure.” He pushed away from the keyboard without hesitation, which was encouraging. This was the man she had to impress, and the ease with which he passed out approving looks was almost too good to be true. “What do you want to talk about? If it’s dinner, I thought we might eat here tonight. If you’ll join me, that is.” He grinned.

She’d have to be crazy not to. She hoped her fair skin wasn’t betraying her by flushing with pleasure. “Actually, after I tell you what I’ve been thinking, you may want to go to the Rusty Wire instead. I have an idea that might make Jase change his mind about selling.”

“Great! But I think it will have to wait a while. He’s probably a bit preoccupied right now, and I like to have someone’s full attention when I deal with them.”

It was hard to imagine anyone not giving Matt their full attention. Being the focus of that direct eye contact was riveting. She’d also noticed the subtle way he leaned toward her when he spoke, probably something he wasn’t even conscious of, but that she found extremely flattering.

The rest of Matt’s statement puzzled her. “Why would Jase be preoccupied?”

“I imagine he’ll have his hands full getting the place repaired after that fire. Kind of useless, too, since we’re just going to tear it down once we buy it.”

He presumed a lot, but it barely registered. “What fire?” The place had looked fine when she’d stopped by around two o’clock.

“You didn’t hear? The fire department had to put out a blaze at the back of the building this afternoon. Fortunately, it was confined to the office and some little outbuilding, but there’s bound to be smoke damage to the rest of the building. Garrett won’t want to be closed longer than necessary, so he’s probably trying to get repairs started.”

Matt made it sound trivial, but a cold shiver passed through her. “There was a fire at the Rusty Wire?”

“Just a small one. One fire truck had it out in an hour.”

“An hour! Was anyone hurt?”

“No, it was just property damage.”

Property damage to the office area. “That could be disastrous if accounting and inventory files were destroyed.”

He nodded, as if pleased that she’d sorted out the most important issue. “You’re right. Garrett didn’t strike me as the type to keep backup files, either.” He shook his head and made a clicking sound with his tongue. “Too bad. This could be a real mess for him.”

For
any
business owner, backup files or not. She would have thought Matt would be more concerned, if only for selfish reasons. “Couldn’t this delay a sale?”

“To tell the truth, I hadn’t considered approaching him again until he got things straightened out. I
wouldn’t kick a man when he’s down, Zoe. We’ll back off on the offer until we see where he stands.”

“Of course.” She felt slightly embarrassed for assuming he might try to push ahead with the sale. His stance was admirable. And her idea could wait.

Matt stood. “I nearly forgot, I need to meet with a potential investor. It shouldn’t take long; how about if I find you later for dinner?”

She smiled. “Great.”

He winked as he left. The man had business savvy and ambition, yet obviously didn’t let it override his humanity. Matt Flemming seemed more and more like everything she’d always wanted in a man. It was amazing she felt so at ease with him. Maybe it was a mark of maturity that she didn’t get all weak-kneed and nervous around him like she did with Jase. Maybe this was how mature love developed, as an easy, natural growth from friendship and respect.

She should ask Maggie. Zoe picked up a pen, rolling it between her fingers as she thought. Her older sister had fallen suddenly and blissfully in love last year, and was now happily married. Her husband, Cal, seemed equally smitten. That was the kind of relationship Zoe wanted. They might have had a rocky beginning, but Maggie had obviously found everything she’d wanted in Cal Drummond.

Before she could change her mind, she picked up the phone and dialed. Maggie answered right away. “Hi, Zoe, what’s up?”

“Do you have a few minutes?”

“Yeah, we just finished clearing the supper dishes.”

“Great, I have a question about . . .” Damn, she should have thought this through. If Maggie knew
who this was about, she’d be up here to check out Matt before the night was through. It was too soon to drag a matchmaking sister into this relationship. If it even
was
a relationship. She clicked the pen, thinking. “It’s a hypothetical question. About falling in love.” God, that was weak.

There was a long pause. She could imagine Maggie’s eyebrows shooting up and her lips twitching with repressed questions. “Uh-huh, okay. Hypothetical question.”

“Really.”

“I believe you.”

Liar. But she was committed now. “When you first met Cal . . .” A light began blinking on the phone and she glanced at the readout—the front desk. She couldn’t ignore it. “Hang on, Maggie.” She changed lines, tapping the pen impatiently on the desk. “Zoe.”

“Zoe, it’s Geoff. There’s a man here who would like to see you. A Mr. Jase Garrett.”

The pen hit the desk. She sat up straight, thoughts racing. Was it possible Jase was throwing in the towel? Maybe the fire damage was worse than Matt knew, was too extensive to make it worth repairing the old saloon. She’d hate to see him give in that way, but a victory was a victory. This could be her big moment. “Show him back here, Geoff.” She punched line four. “Maggie, I have to handle this. I’ll get back to you.”

“Yes, you will,” Maggie said forcefully. “If you don’t,
I’ll
be calling
you
.”

Terrific, she’d left her sister on full alert. She hung up and took a few seconds to straighten her desk and close the document on her computer. She was standing
to adjust her blazer just as Geoff rapped his knuckles on the open door.

Jase walked past Geoff, then closed the door on the desk clerk’s surprised expression. He stopped a few steps away, arms folded and biceps bulging just enough to be sexy as he regarded her. Some purely female part of her went gooey, and she gave herself a hard mental slap, taking note of the more relevant information—he didn’t look happy.

“I just heard about the fire,” she told him. “I’m sorry. Would you like to sit down?” She gestured at a chair, but he ignored it.

His gaze drifted to Matt’s desk, then fastened back on her. “I only saw one name on the door.”

“That desk is temporary. Matt Flemming is sharing my office while he’s here. Would you like to speak with him, too?”

“No. I came to see you.”

Her pulse quickened—for purely business reasons, she told herself, the anticipation that she was about to close the deal on her own. She waited as he looked around her rather ordinary office. He showed no inclination to sit down, and she’d be darned if she’d sit while he stood. They were on her turf, and she wasn’t going to concede the psychological advantage by letting him tower over her. She might not be as experienced in management techniques as Matt, but she knew that much.

He studied her for several seconds before he finally spoke. “I’ve just been talking with the fire marshal.”

“Oh?” she said in polite response. She would have expected that he’d be talking to his insurance agent. “Was there much damage to the saloon?”

“No, just the back hallway and office. A good wash and a fresh coat of paint will take care of the rest of the place. We’ll probably be able to open again in three days.”

“Oh.” Then he wasn’t here to strike a deal after all. Since he almost certainly heard the disappointment in her voice, she tried to be more upbeat. “That’s good news.”

“Yes, it is. But that’s not why the fire marshal was talking to me. He wanted me to know that the fire was arson.”

“Arson!” Her stomach clenched, realizing where his suspicion would fall. “Is he sure?”

His lip twitched in what was almost a sneer. “They’re very good at that sort of thing.”

His attitude scraped against her temper. “If you came to imply that the Alpine Sky had anything to do with it, you’re wrong.”

“That’s not why I’m here.”

“Oh.” She wrinkled her brow in puzzlement. “Why
are
you here?”

His stony stare didn’t waver. “They know it was started in the shed by the back door, using a gasoline-based propellant and a large amount of paper, probably newspaper.”

“That’s good.” He cocked an eyebrow, and she rushed to correct herself. “I don’t mean good that it’s arson. I mean it’s good they can tell that much about how it started. Gasoline and newspaper. I didn’t know they could be that exact.” She felt as if she was babbling, so she shut up. It was his fault. Something about the way he looked at her always made her feel jumpy inside.

“That’s not all they know. From the way it burned, and from talking to the two employees who were inside, they know when the fire was set. It was sometime between two and two-thirty.”

“Amazing. Maybe it will help them catch whoever set it.”

A small tic narrowed his eyes for a second. “Yes, especially combined with the other piece of evidence I have.”

“There’s more? Lucky for you, you have a careless arsonist.”

“Or stupid. Apparently the arsonist didn’t know I have a security camera in the parking lot.”

“You caught him in the act?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Bitter disappointment tightened the muscles along his jaw. “It doesn’t show the back of the building, just the front entrance and parking lot. But that was enough.” She waited expectantly, and he moved a step closer. “Only one car pulled into the lot during that time period—a red Ford Escort.”

Her eyes widened in sudden shock. “My car!”

“Your car.”

She stared as the full implication soaked in, finally understanding the reason for his icy, closed expression. “You think
I
set the fire.”

“With that video, I think I can prove it.”

The hell with appearances. Zoe dropped into her chair, stunned by the mix of emotions swirling inside her. Anger. Fear. Confusion. She looked up, fighting back trembling, to emphasize the one fact she knew. “I didn’t do it.”

“Right.” His look of disgust hurt more than it should have. “Are you going to try to make me believe
it was someone else in that car? Because it’s not going to work.”

“No, it was me.” It sounded weak, even to her. “But I swear I didn’t set the fire.”

“Then you better have a damn good alibi, because that video is going to the police. Arson is a crime, and whoever set that fire is going to prison.”

Chapter
Six

J
ase fought against the instinct to take pity on her. Just because she suddenly looked small and vulnerable was no reason to go easy on her.

Bashing in headlights had been over the line, but could still be called petty vandalism. He’d been willing to overlook it if it had stopped there. He wouldn’t overlook setting the Rusty Wire on fire. People could have died. If Zoe did it, she deserved every bit of his wrath, along with a stiff prison sentence.

Steeling himself against the naked worry in her eyes, he said, “If you didn’t intend to burn down the Rusty Wire, why were you there?”

“I had an idea, something I thought might change your mind about selling.”

“Even though I told you that won’t happen.”

A small spark of defiance lit her eyes. “You think that’s a reason to not do my job? Unlike you, I have a career plan and goals I want to achieve. If I quit trying every time someone told me no, I’d still be working the front desk.”