“‘I want the information. Give it to me before I have to take more drastic actions. Keep this phone with you at all times. I’ll call with further instructions.”’

  “The killer?” She spun to look at Gavin, finding him even closer than she thought. She could easily imagine his strong arms going around her right now, offering the comfort he’d so often provided in the past. For that very reason, she pushed him back. “The killer must have seen me and didn’t trust that Dad was telling the truth.”

  “So he thinks your dad gave you the information.”

  “But what could it be?”

  Gavin met her gaze and held it. The dark worry she saw in his eyes told her bad news was coming. “It likely has to do with what I wanted to talk to you about. I came back to town to investigate your father.”

  “You what?”

  “I’d hoped to do a better job of telling you, but my team has been investigating health-care fraud and your dad just came on our radar.”

  “No, I don’t believe it.” She shook her head hard. “Not Dad. He may not have been a great father, but he would never sink that low.”

  “I hoped the same thing, Lex, but we have to face facts now. Someone killed him. Someone who’s part of a syndicate.”

  Gavin took her hand, but she couldn’t think clearly with him touching her, so she jerked it free.

  “It’s looking more and more like he was involved with some unsavory people,” Gavin continued, his tone deadly serious. “We need to figure out who they are and what they’re looking for before they try to kill you, too.”

  FIVE

  Gavin stood at the front door to Ruth Paulson’s house, staring at its fragrant pine wreath and big red bow while Lexie worked the lock. As soon as she opened the door, Adam bolted inside and up the stairs.

  “Thank you for driving us home.” Lexie started to close the door.

  He reached over her head to plant a hand on the door. “Before I go, I’d like to take a look around to make sure the place is secure.”

  “I’ll agree on one condition.” Her gaze locked on his.

  “Name it.”

  “You steer clear of Adam,” she said firmly. “He’s had enough drama for tonight without having to deal with issues over your abandonment.”

  Another fist to his heart. He deserved this one, too. He sucked in a breath. Let it out. He had to find a way to forget their past and concentrate on the lives that could be lost if he let emotions make his decisions for him. “I’ll have to check the locks on his window.”

  “Then I’ll come with you and run interference. We’ll start there so he can get some sleep.” She hooked her jacket on the newel post and marched up the stairs.

  At the landing, she tucked her plaid blouse into her jeans and tugged on the thick belt boasting a silver buckle. She was a Texan to the core like most everyone who lived in rural Lake County. Something he’d forgotten since living in the city.

  He followed her down the hallway and stepped into Adam’s messy room to get to the window. The teen glared at Gavin, who cringed at the walls reverberating with the loud, blaring music coming from Adam’s speakers. Gavin wasn’t one to judge. He’d been the same as a teen. Man, that seemed like an eternity ago. Still, he wouldn’t mind going back to those days when he and his dad were inseparable—his family everything to him.

  Stop it. Focus.

  Lexie chatted with Adam while Gavin checked the lock. Once finished, he wasted no time leaving the teen alone and then followed Lexie through all five bedrooms on the second floor and the first-floor rooms, tugging at windows and double-checking locks in the rooms with exterior doors. She didn’t say a word through the tour, but the moment he finished, she marched to the front door and pulled it open. Clearly, she wanted him gone.

  He had no excuse to stay, even more reason to go, but his feet were made of lead and he couldn’t step through that door.

  She turned to look at him, her gaze pointed.

  “I know Ruth always has coffee on hand,” he said, grasping for any reason not to leave. “How about I make a fresh pot and we talk?”

  “About what?”

  He winced at her suspicious tone, but wouldn’t back down. “Your father.”

  She nipped on her lower lip and didn’t move an inch. “I do want to know about your investigation, but you have to promise not to bring up anything personal. I’m too exhausted for that.”

  “I promise.”

  She led him into the kitchen and opened the back door. Two large German shepherds charged into the house and pawed her legs.

  “Well, hello to you, too.” She laughed and gave them both big kisses on their heads.

  Feeling a bit jealous of the dogs, Gavin sat at the round oak table worn from years of family use. “Nice to see Salt and Pepper are still doing well.”

  Lexie dumped kibble into two large bowls. “They have the best vet around.”

  Ruth was a highly respected veterinarian, and she filled the ranch with a menagerie of animals needing homes. She brought many of them home while waiting for someone to adopt them, but they never ended up leaving.

  Lexie washed her hands and prepared the coffee in a single-serve machine. He watched her every move. She wasn’t what people would call an overly graceful woman. She could be, he supposed, if she didn’t often rush head-on into things and stumble in her eagerness. Her father’s extreme demands when she was young had taught her to hurry to please him. That was a subject the two of them had often commiserated about in the time they’d been a couple.

  The nutty aroma of coffee drifted through the homey kitchen. When the first cup finished, he reached out to take it from her, but she made a point of setting it on the table as if making sure she avoided his touch. She then placed a milk jug and sugar bowl next to it.

  “Thank you.” The fact that she remembered how he took his coffee only added to his sadness over the end of their relationship. And the way she avoided touching him? Man, that hurt, too.

  She went to retrieve the other cup and then sat across the table from him. He opened his mouth to ask how she was doing but then snapped it shut.

  She met his gaze. “Go ahead and say it.”

  “Say what?”

  “You forget... I know you like the back of my hand. You were going to say something then stopped.”

  “It’s personal.”

  “Oh, okay. In that case, never mind.” She crossed her arms as if defending herself against him.

  He felt like such a jerk for adding to her pain. He wished things could be different, but he’d had to leave town or die a slow death working for his father.

  She met his gaze. “So tell me about the investigation into my dad.”

  “First, you should know that I can only share the barest of details because you don’t have clearance to be read in.”

  “Read in? Fancy talk for a guy from Lost Creek.” She frowned. “What with your new way of dressing, I should have expected that, I guess.”

  “Now who’s getting personal?”

  “Sorry,” she said and sounded like she meant it. “I’ll be quiet and listen.”

  He almost chuckled, as she loved to gab, and he often hadn’t been able to get a word in during their conversations. “I’m sure you know that doctors bill charges for Medicaid clients to the government. Your dad had a large number of clients who were legitimate Medicaid patients and billed accordingly. But he also billed for clients we’ve been tracking for suspicious charges.”

  She set down her cup and sat forward. “But why would he do that? He didn’t need the money. Or, at least, he didn’t ever let on that he did.”

  “He led a pretty lavish lifestyle for a country doc.”

  “He had a huge inheritance from his family.”

  “Still, a plane, fancy cars, multiple properties. That all takes money. He could have run through his inheritance long ago.”

  “If you think that, why didn’t you get a warrant to look at his banking records?”

  “We tried, but the judge wanted additional information before granting our request. He did approve a warrant for your father’s patient files, and I planned to serve his office manager with it tomorrow. But first I wanted to talk to you, as I’d hoped you would know where he was.”

  “You thought I was covering for him?” She recoiled. “With my relationship with him, how could you even think that?”

  “I’ve been gone for a few years, Lex. I had no idea of your current status.”

  “He was still the same guy. Never available for Adam. Always slamming my profession whenever I ran into him. Being a nurse still wasn’t worthy of the reputation he tried to cultivate. Only a doctor would do.” Her voice hitched with emotion. “Even in his last words to me he mentioned his reputation.”

  “What? You didn’t tell us that.”

  “Honestly, I forgot about it until now. Guess learning someone wants to kill you messes with your thoughts.”

  “In what context did he bring up his reputation?” he prodded.

  “He said the envelope was my insurance and he should have done something, but then his voice fell off and he said, ‘My reputation. Legacy.’ Like these things stopped him from acting on whatever he was trying to tell me about.”

  “Legacy’s an interesting choice of words.”

  “Is it?”

  “He could have been talking about his inheritance. Or maybe he knew he wasn’t going to make it and meant the money he was leaving behind.”

  “I don’t know. I mean...” Tears flooded her eyes, and she looked up at the ceiling.

  “I’m sorry, sugar.”

  “Don’t call me that.” She leveled her gaze on him. “You have no right.”

  The vehemence in her tone felt like a physical blow.

  “I apologize,” he said stiffly. “It’s a habit, and I’ll do my best not to do it again.”

  She ran a hand through her hair. “I overreacted. I guess I’m at the end of my rope.”

  “Maybe we should call it quits for the night,” he said, though he really wanted to probe deeper.

  “Sounds like a good idea.” She raced away as if running from a dangerous foe and faced him at the exit. “Will you be attending the meeting tomorrow?”

  “Yes.”

  She pulled open the door. The wind howled through the opening, but wasn’t as frosty as her look. “Then I’ll see you there.”

  He nodded. “Tessa should soon be done processing the phone left in your truck, so someone will stop by with it tonight.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Because you’ll need to keep that phone on you at all times in case the person who left it calls.”

  She clamped a hand over her mouth and her eyes opened wide. “I hadn’t really thought about him calling me. Not sure why. I mean, he said he’d call with further instructions.”

  “You’re still in shock from everything that’s happened. Just promise me if the phone rings during the night that you’ll call me right away and won’t go anywhere. Not even with the deputy out front.”

  “Trust me. If I hear from this creep, I’ll call.”

  With her vehement tone, he had no doubt she’d comply, though he still didn’t like leaving her. But what choice did he have?

  He exited, each step away from her raising his concern. He almost turned back until he saw his cousin Dylan climb out of the patrol car. Dylan was a top-notch deputy and Gavin could count on him to keep Lexie safe.

  Gavin met his cousin at the curb. “I’m glad to see you on duty.”

  “This’s crazy, isn’t it?” Dylan settled his hands on his duty belt. “I hate that crimes like these are creeping into the county. Mostly big-city folks moving out here.” He held up a hand. “No offense meant at that, bro. You’re still one of us.”

  At least someone still thought of him that way. “You know I have a special interest in keeping Lexie safe, right?”

  “Honestly, I wondered. What with your breakup and all, but then I saw you bring her home...” He shrugged.

  “Water under the bridge.” After seeing Lexie again tonight, Gavin knew their feelings most definitely weren’t water under the bridge. They couldn’t be or they wouldn’t react so strongly to every little thing. But Dylan didn’t need to know about any of that, so Gavin would keep up the pretense for as long as this investigation lasted.

  “You have my cell number, right?” he asked.

  Dylan nodded.

  “Then call me if anything odd happens. Anything. I mean a cat jaywalks and you call me. Got it?”

  Dylan eyed him. “We’ve been friends from birth, man, but when it comes to my job, my loyalty is to your dad.”

  “Fine, call him first and then me. ’Sides, you won’t report a jaywalking cat to Dad unless you want to be razzed for life.” Gavin punched his cousin’s arm and stepped toward his vehicle.

  He heard Dylan laughing and felt certain if a problem cropped up, he’d get a call.

  Back at the ranch, Gavin wasn’t surprised to see the family room light burning bright. His mother never went to bed until everyone under her roof was safe and sound in bed, and that meant him if he stayed with them while he was in town. He didn’t need to wait to be asked. He knew she would insist, so he grabbed his suitcase and headed up the steps.

  As he closed the front door, the wind jostled a tree ornament he’d made in first grade. He stared at the yarn-wrapped frame holding the picture with his gap-toothed smile. He still remembered presenting the package to his mom and dad. Remembered the love glowing in their eyes.

  He sighed heavily. How had his life strayed so far from that? Living in a threadbare apartment in the city. Working every waking hour. Filled with emptiness much of the time, which was why he worked until he dropped from exhaustion. He’d wanted to be with his family. Had wanted to be with Lexie and see Adam grow up.

  As it turned out, maybe it was a good thing he’d left. With the way shooting an innocent person had caused him to start controlling every little thing in life, he’d hate to think of how he’d treat any woman he was involved with. He’d be a real bear to live with, that was for sure. Lexie didn’t deserve that. No woman did.

  “Good gravy,” his father shouted. “Can’t those blasted reporters get anything right?”

  Gavin set down his suitcase and joined his parents in time to see his dad turn off the TV then fling the remote at the end of the sofa.

  His father tried to make sure the public received accurate facts about his department, but accurate often wasn’t sensational, so reporters embellished the facts. Part of his concern was due to his being an elected official, but also because he, like every McKade before him, had great pride in law-enforcement work. Gavin respected that. Respected him as a sheriff. Gavin just couldn’t work for him.

  His father eyed him. “Lexie get home okay?”

  Gavin nodded.

  “And you checked the locks?”

  He nodded again.

  “They were secure?”

  The warm nostalgia brought on by the ornament evaporated. “It’s all been covered, Dad, so give it a rest.”

  His mother stood. “Why don’t I get the two of you a nice cup of hot cocoa?”

  Gavin really wanted to head up to his room, but his lack of visits was hard on his mother, so he smiled and nodded.

  “Don’t stand there like a guest,” his dad said. “Take a seat.”

  Gavin dropped onto a leather club chair with worn patina. His dad had hit it on the head... He felt like a guest in his own home.

  “S’posin while your mom is out of the room, you fill me in on why you’re in town.”

  Gavin had hoped to wait until tomorrow when he wasn’t as tired, but he might as well get it over with. He launched into the fraud story. “I read the news reports online about Dr. Grant’s disappearance.”

  His dad planted his hands on his knees. “So you came here thinking your FBI training gave you skills to find the doctor where I failed.”

  “No. I’m mostly here to serve a warrant for his files, but I also planned to interview people. Not because I didn’t think you did a thorough job, but because I’m lead on the investigation and I have to do a thorough job.”

  His dad watched him for a long moment. “Guess I taught you well, then.”

  “Yes.” Gavin meant what he said. His dad was a fine sheriff.

  “That why you were at the airstrip?”

  “When I called Lexie, she said she would rather not be seen with me in town. She didn’t want to deal with gossip about our breakup again.”

  “Makes sense, I suppose. What with the way gossip travels faster than that feisty stallion of yours. So what are your plans now?”

  “I’ll still serve the warrant tomorrow, and I was hoping to work with you on the murder investigation.” Gavin held up his hand before his father could say a word. “Your investigation. Not mine. But we share information and keep each other in the loop about what we learn.”

  “Sounds reasonable.”

  Gavin had to work hard to keep his mouth from falling open. “Do you want to talk now about how we’ll handle disagreements about procedure?”

  “No need to talk about it. It’s my county. My case. My way.”

  Right. He hadn’t changed.

  His mother joined them with a tray of steaming hot mugs and decorated sugar cookies. Gavin had meant to chug his cocoa once it was cool and head upstairs, but he never could resist Nana’s Christmas cookies. He grabbed a bright yellow star and devoured it, then polished off a few more.

  “Don’t you eat in Houston?” his dad asked.

  “No one makes cookies like Nana.” Gavin resisted taking another one and blew on his mug to cool it.

  “I saw your suitcase in the foyer,” his mom said. “Glad I didn’t have to convince you to stay.”