Truth and Dare Read Free Page A

but he also saw sadness in her eyes. “You mentioned at your office that the sheriff would be overseeing the investigation, so I’m not totally understanding the problem.”
    She grinned.
    Cade shifted in his seat like a nervous schoolboy with a crush.
    “I promise you I will do everything I can to find who did this. They have to pay for what they did to your family.”
    Cade was grateful someone cared enough to even try. It couldn’t be easy solving a twenty-year-old murder. “Well, I’ll be here to help you, so we can cover twice the ground at the same time. I do have to run out to the ranch every once in a while to see how things are going.”
    “The ranch?”
    “Yeah, a couple of months ago I hired a foreman to run my family’s old place. We bought some cattle and he’s got the barn on the east side up and running. I promised to help him with the fences while I was here, and fixing up the old barn near the house. But my dad comes first. That is if you want me.”

    W ANT HIM? P ATIENCE WANTED to tie him up in a bow like a present and feast on him for weeks. She couldn’t remember the last time her libido had been this fully engaged. He wasn’t her normal brand of “man candy,” as her friends liked to say, but then what was normal? She hadn’t been on an official date in years.
    Technically he was a client and she had to behave.
    Katie broke the rule and she survived quite nicely.
    Katie, one of Stonegate’s best detectives, lived in London with her hot professor boyfriend. They’d met when Katie was protecting him. So maybe the rule wasn’t so hard and fast after all.
    The last thing Patience needed was romantic complications. It would take all her concentration and resources to find the murderer. Her gut told her it would be best to stay away from the handsome cowboy.
    “I don’t want you to take time away from the ranch, it sounds like it’s important to you.” She popped another French fry in her mouth. She’d have to run two or three miles to keep half of her lunch from landing on her hips.
    “Oh, it’s no problem. I’d planned on spending as much time as I can with you.”
    Patience’s head snapped up. Did he say he wanted to spend time with her? From the moment they’d met in her office she’d experienced an inexplicable pull toward him. Had he felt the same?
    “Helping with the case that is,” he finished.
    Her hopes sank. “Of course.” She waved a hand to the waitress for the check.
    “Ah, honey it’s on the house,” the waitress told her. “You got our Cade back to town, so I feel like we owe ya one.” She leaned down and kissed Cade’s cheek, wrapping her arms around his neck.
    Something strange came over Patience and it took a second for her to realize her clenched fist might be a sign of jealousy. It wasn’t an emotion she knew. There had never been anyone in her life to feel jealous about.
    Interesting.
    The scientist part of her brain wanted to explore the implications, but the woman in her was freaked out by her response.
    Cade stood and gave the waitress a big bear hug.
    Patience’s stomach twisted into one huge knot.
    “Charli, you are the best cousin ever, but I told you that’s no way to run a business.” He plopped a twenty down on the table. “You can’t be giving the goods away for free.”
    “That ain’t what you told all those girls in high school.” She let out a loud laugh, but she didn’t give him the money back.
    Cousin? They were family.
    “You keep this one,” she said, pointing to Cade, “on the straight and narrow. Don’t get his temper up or he’s ornery as a hornet’s nest on the first day of spring.”
    He made a ring motion above the top of his head indicating a halo. “Don’t listen to her. I’m a complete angel.” He fluttered his eyelashes angelically. “She’s the one with the temper. Just ask her brother Jason. He woke up bald one morning because he said her boyfriend looked like a bean pole.”
    Charli slapped him on