Chapter 4
Eve wiped a wet cloth over Suzy’s messy cheeks then smoothed back an unruly curl.
The blond pigtails made her face impossibly cuter.
She tossed the dirty towel in the hamper then washed her hands in the pedestal sink.
Spending her morning with her best friend and favorite little girl was the perfect way to start her day.
Especially after such a traumatic night.
Fisting her hands on her hips, she faced Suzy with a wide grin. “All clean, baby girl. Nana will love the pink bows we put in your hair. So fancy.”
Suzy’s bottom lip jutted out, and her blue eyes grew larger. “I want you. No Nana.”
Eve’s heart melted. She gathered Suzy in her arms and settled on the edge of the tub in the small bathroom.
She’d always assumed she’d have a child of her own at this point in her life, but at least she could pour all her love into her goddaughter.
Suzy filled the holes in her life, smothering her in unconditional love and slobbery kisses.
“I’m sure you’ll have a blast with your nana today, honey.
She always has the most fun things planned. ”
Becca popped her head in the room. “Suzy, be happy you got to see Eve at all today. Now be a good girl and grab your shoes.”
“No.” Suzy burrowed her head against the curve of Eve’s neck.
“Didn’t you get new purple sneakers?” Eve hurried to find a way to get the child to listen before Becca lost her patience. Giving Suzy an opportunity to show off new shoes would always entice cooperation. “I want to see them. Can you show me?”
“Okay!” Suzy jumped onto the ground and ran from the room.
“I don’t know if I should be appreciative or annoyed she listens to you better than me,” Becca said as she fastened a golden hoop earring into place.
Eve shrugged, happier than she should be with Suzy’s cooperation.
Her dream of having a family one day might never come true, but no matter what, she had a bond with Suzy that could never be severed.
“I have a gift and, to be honest, some free time this morning. I could hang with her for a few hours before I need to head to work. Give your mom a morning to herself.”
Scrunching her nose, Becca studied Eve. “Are you sure? You’ve had a tough night and not much sleep. You should relax. Take the day off. Nellie and I can handle everything.”
The idea of spending the whole day and evening alone sent a shiver down her spine. She trusted her staff to handle the restaurant without her, but right now she needed to be busy. Not sitting idle while her mind played tricks on her.
Made her feel like her attacker was watching her. Waiting for her.
The pitter-patter of little feet snapped Eve out of her spiraling thoughts. Suzy wiggled past her mom and stormed into the room, hoisting her little shoes high in the air. “Look!”
“Oh my! Those are beautiful.”
Suzy beamed.
Eve gathered her in her arms and sent a pleading look toward Becca.
“I know what would make me feel better today, and it’s more of this.
” She gave Suzy an extra-big squeeze to accentuate her point.
“We can have some girl time before I head to work for the dinner shift. We’ll be slammed tonight, and there’s still a lot to plan before tomorrow night.
Fridays are always busy with locals coming in to listen to the band and dance.
With the rodeo in town, we should expect at least double the usual crowd. We need all hands on deck.”
“We could cancel the band. The fine folks of Cloud Valley can go one week without some line dancing.” Becca secured her hair in a low ponytail then fixed concerned eyes on her. “People will understand.”
A part of her wanted to agree, wanted to cancel the weekly entertainment. But that one event brought in half the revenue for the week, and on the one night a year when a horde of tourists were in town, that revenue went through the roof.
“I can’t do that. Besides, there’s no real reason to cancel anything. Yes, I’m a little shaken, but I’m totally fine. I just need a few hours with Suzy and I’ll be right as rain.”
Becca didn’t look convinced. “If you’re sure, I’ll call my mom. But if you need a break or change your mind, let me know. I’ll tell Mom to be on standby. I still think you should take the night off work.”
“We can argue about that later. Right now, I have a fun day to plan with my favorite girl. Maybe some flower picking? What do you think, Suzy?”
“Yay!”
“You spoil her,” Becca said, rolling her eyes but grinning. “I’ll pack up some stuff for her.”
Eve snorted out a laugh then tickled Suzy’s sides while figuring out a perfect way to spend her suddenly free day. There was only one place where she felt totally at ease and completely happy. A place she couldn’t wait to share with her goddaughter.
Reid hopped out of the passenger side of Madden’s truck, and his weathered boots kicked up a cloud of dirt.
The sun hadn’t climbed all the way into the sky yet, which kept away everyone except those who worked for the rodeo.
In a few hours, the parking lot would be jam-packed with vehicles carrying loads of visitors to enjoy the last couple days of festivities.
But for now, he only spotted a handful of people bustling around, attending their duties, as he and Madden wound through the maze of vendors and food carts preparing for the coming crowds.
“You know where we’re meeting the sheriff’s deputies?” Reid sidestepped a man the size of a world-class steer pushing a wheelbarrow filled with hay toward one of the large barns.
“On the far side of the fairgrounds. There’s a spot where a lot of the vendors and riders park their trailers. Kind of like a makeshift campground. Dax and I used to sneak out here as teenagers when the rodeo was in town and drink with some of the cowboys. Dax always wanted to be just like them.”
Reid snorted. “I can see that. A hardened bull rider who enjoys drinking as much as flirting. I bet your pops loved that idea.”
“Pops never knew.” The side of Madden’s mouth slid into a smirk. “Son of a bitch probably did know, but never busted us. He had a hard enough time keeping everything moving after my mom died. We didn’t make things easier on him, that’s for sure.”
Reid slapped a hand on his friend’s shoulder and gave a little squeeze before letting his arm drop back to his side. “Ain’t nothing wrong with two young boys enjoying a cold brew with some new friends. We all should have been so lucky.”
Luck wasn’t exactly something he’d experienced growing up.
Living with an addict, he could have gotten his hands on his fair share of alcohol.
Hell, his father had been delighted when Reid had become a teenager and he’d figured he’d have a live-in drinking buddy.
At first, Reid had thought sharing a beer or two with his dad had been the best fun, but that hadn’t lasted long.
Even at a young age, he’d known he wanted a life as far away from his dad as possible.
That included a one-drink maximum and tight control over his actions.
He lived with a constant fear he’d slip and make a wrong choice that would send him down the same slippery slope his dad had been trapped on for most his life.
Afraid he’d hurt the people he loved the most and destroy their lives.
He followed Madden as he turned down the long, dusty pathway that snaked around the grandstands.
The trail circled the arena where most of the rodeo’s major events took place, and the sound of galloping hooves echoed off the empty stadium walls.
Fifty yards away, a cluster of campers parked under a canopy of trees came into view.
Reid let out a low whistle. “I knew it took a whole lot of people to put on a rodeo, but I never gave much thought to where they all stayed. This is like a little traveling community.”
Madden nodded. “Sure is. Folks usually don’t give us much trouble. They’re professionals who understand they won’t be welcomed back if they get too rowdy. But the odd incident occurs. Mostly when people party a little too hard after a long day’s work.”
The shelter of leaves gave a welcomed reprieve from the sun as they hurried forward. “You think that’s what happened? Things got out of a hand last night and someone ended up dead?”
“Not sure,” Madden said with a shrug. “Would be odd to call us in for something that straightforward, though.”
Scratching his chin, Reid gave that some thought.
Sunrise Security might have started out as a company that provided protection for people and their property in the area.
But after a high-profile case that had proven their skills in solving crimes as well as protecting against them, business had shifted.
Instead of solely providing surveillance equipment for managing ranches, they’d become the go-to agency for personal protection as well as aiding the local authorities when needed.
A woman who ended up dead from a night of partying wouldn’t need either of those services.
Reid studied the variety of trailers clogging the area. Some were small and dingy, while others rivaled the size of his apartment. People dressed in worn jeans and cowboy hats loitered on their temporary lawns, concern and curiosity clear on every face. “Looks like word’s gotten around.”
Madden mumbled his agreement and nodded at a couple of parked deputies’ cruisers on the narrow lane. “We found the right place. Time to figure out what the hell happened.”
Yellow crime scene tape wrapped around the perimeter separated the lookie-loos from the cluster of deputies speaking close to the small camper. The two deputies who’d assisted Eve the night before stood with their heads together. An older man frowned as he spoke into his phone.
Reid fought the urge to ask if the man who’d attacked Eve had been found. As hard as it was, he needed to focus on what had brought him here. He could get more information regarding Eve once they were finished.
Madden ducked under the tape and cleared his throat. “Hey.”
Following close behind, Reid dipped his head in greeting and shoved his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. He’d let Madden take the lead on this one. Better to stay silent and wait for instructions.
The older deputy—Deputy Sanders—disconnected his phone then aimed his frown their way. “Hey, Madden, Reid. Thanks for coming out all this way.”
Reid shook Deputy Sanders’s hand and offered a tight-lipped smile.
As one of the few citizens of Cloud Valley who’d welcomed him into town despite his friendship with Madden, he’d spent his fair share of time with the weathered officer.
Now that the town’s tension toward Madden had thawed regarding the sale of part of his family’s land, the old deputy’s willingness to overlook bullshit made him one of Reid’s favorite people.
“Surprised to get your call,” Madden said. “Can’t remember the last time there’s been an incident like this around here. I’m a bit confused as to why you called us, though. Not sure how we can help.”
“The department’s stretched pretty thin right now. Always is this time of year. We could use some help with security while we try to make heads or tails of what happened to that poor girl.” He hooked his thumb over his shoulder and shook his head.
“Wait, you want security services?” Reid asked, confused about why he and Madden were needed. “For who?”
Deputy Sanders heaved out a long breath. “The girl in that trailer was strangled, and we need to make sure we keep the rest of the community safe until we find her killer.”