Better Off Dead in Deadwood Read Free Page B

was adjusting it in case we had any onlookers.
    “Care to step into your office and peek for yourself?” I asked.
    Doc’s focus raked down to my legs, his chin lowering. He whistled low. “Damn.”
    Leaning closer, I breathed in the subtle aroma of his woodsy cologne, letting his scent fill me. It wasn’t enough.
    I slid my hem a little higher up my right thigh. “Or you could just frisk me … against your desk.”
    He sucked air in between his teeth.
    “Is that a ‘Yes’?” I asked.
    “It’s a ‘Yes, but I can’t.’”
    “Oh.” I let my hem fall. “They have pills for that now, you know.” I couldn’t hold in my chuckle.
    His attention shifted back to my face. “You’re going to pay, vixen, when I get back from Keystone tonight.”
    “Going to see the men on the mountain, are you?” Mount Rushmore was a hop and a skip down the road from there.
    “One man and according to the map, he lives in a valley. A new client.”
    I licked my lips, aiming for the seductive siren look, wishing I hadn’t eaten off my lip gloss at lunch. “You sure you can’t slip inside for a moment?”
    “Nice pun, but I only have a couple of minutes to spare right now. The next time I have you naked, I want to take my time and explore every inch of your soft skin.”
    Hmmm. There were a couple of inches here and there on my body that I’d rather he never found. After having the twins, I’d roped off a couple of areas and labeled them as no man’s land.
    A half-smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “Although that desk frisking idea is now on my to-do list.”
    He rested his arm on his door, his keys dangling from his fingers, looking for all the world like we were discussing the benefits of diversifying my portfolio, not back-arching, sweaty sex on his desk.
    I, on the other hand, could have used a bag of ice to dump down my underwear.
    He reached out and brushed something off my shoulder, his fingers lingering, teasing. “How was Jane’s service?”
    My tongue found that missing molar hole once again that Harvey had talked about during lunch.
    “Heart wrenching.” Then I thought about some of the attendees. “But interesting.”
    His hand caught mine, squeezing it gently before letting go. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there with you.”
    I shrugged. “It was for the best. Harvey let me sniffle on his shoulder.”
    “So why was it ‘interesting’? Was Detective Cooper there keeping an eye on the scene?”
    “No, thank God. But everyone else in town was.”
    Harvey had whispered a play-by-play of many of those who came through, helping to keep my mind off the reason we were there.
    Lowering my tote to the asphalt, I said, “I had no idea Jane had such a wide circle of friends.”
    “Nothing draws people like funerals.”
    “Harvey figured it was because of the whole Open Cut mine mystery. People wanted to see Jane’s body.”
    Unfortunately for them, there was no body to view. No urn either. Just a big, happy picture of her in a white sweater with a red scarf. My eyes got misty behind my sunglasses. I was going to miss her perky smile and those damned lists she loved to write and post.
    Doc cocked his head to the side. “Did I hear Harvey say something about Cooper before he drove off?”
    “Yeah,” I blinked away my tears. “Cooper stopped by Bighorn Billy’s after the service. I have to go see him shortly.”
    “Why?”
    “He’s opening a murder investigation.”
    Doc’s jaw tightened. “What’s that got to do with you?”
    “He used the words ‘usual suspect.’”
    “What? No.” He scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “Christ.”
    “My reaction was similar. Only there were more swear words involved.”
    “He’s got to be messing with you.”
    “Or not. I didn’t get any practical joke vibes off of him.” And he certainly wasn’t wearing a daisy that squirted water nor did he ask me to pull his finger.
    Truth be told, the cold fury in Cooper’s eyes had made part of me want to