Chapter 12
Eve stepped out of the trailer and sucked in a large breath of cool, fresh air. Her gaze latched onto the yellow tape across the path, whipping in the wind. A shiver raced down her spine and she hurried to turn away from the reminder of death.
Reid plunged his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and walked beside her. His pinched expression broadcast his anger and irritation, a handsome mirror to a lot of what she was feeling.
They walked through a break in the trees and the morning chaos of the rodeo greeted her. The smells of frying oil and tempting sweets made her mouth water, reminding her she hadn’t eaten. Although she still wasn’t sure her stomach could handle food.
“How you holdin’ up?” Reid asked, sidestepping a man hurrying through the growing crowd with a hay-filled wheelbarrow.
“My heart is broken for what Dana went through. How scared she must have felt and how lonely it must have been to feel like there was no one to help her. And I hate that I’m disappointed not to find out more.
Sarah warned us she didn’t have much to say, but I hoped for at least a name. Something to pinpoint who this guy is.”
“We found out the first time he approached Dana was in Denver,” Reid said. “That could be his hometown.”
“Denver’s a huge city. Odds of us finding a guy based on his appearance and first known location are pretty low.”
“True, but I’m sure Dana spoke with more people than just her barrel-racing buddy about what was going on. Family, close friends, even other people working the rodeo. The more we uncover about Dana, the closer we might get to the truth.”
His logic made sense and loosened some of the knots in her stomach. “Where do we start?”
“First, we’ll talk to the sheriff’s department. They’ve already begun an investigation and have probably spoken to plenty of people. No need to do the same job twice if we can help it.”
“Do you think they’ll tell us what they’ve learned?” She didn’t know much about how police investigations worked, but loose lips were probably frowned upon.
Reid shrugged. “They might. Keeping you informed should be a priority. Not to mention Madden and I’ve been working closely with the sheriff’s department lately.
I’m not saying they’d divulge confidential information to a buddy, but I’ve established relationships that may help grease the wheels a bit. ”
The mention of grease brought her attention to a white-and-red-striped food cart straight ahead.
A woman with gray hair braided down her back placed little balls of dough in a vat of boiling oil.
As soon as she plopped a couple in, she fished others out with a slotted spoon, tossed them on a plate and dusted them with powdered sugar.
Eve couldn’t stop the small groan from pouring out of her mouth.
Reid stilled and stared down at her.
Wrinkling her nose, she glanced up at him. Heat scorched her cheeks. “Sorry.”
He widened his eyes. “Everything okay?”
She extended a finger toward the truck, where a small line had formed. “Fresh doughnut holes.”
A slow grin spread across his mouth. “Would you like some?”
She nodded. “More than anything.”
“Whatever you want,” he said, sweeping his arm in a go-ahead gesture.
Jumping into line, she grabbed his hand and yanked him along beside her.
Instead of letting go, Reid laced their fingers together and squeezed.
“How about this, I’ll place a call with Madden and see if he knows anything.
He’s been in constant contact with the deputies, heading up security here while this guy is at large.
He might already have some information. If not, he might make the call so we can focus on other things. ”
“Like what?”
He pulled her forward as the teenagers in front of them moved ahead. “Fried fair food. Now that everything’s opening up, I want more than measly doughnuts.”
Her jaw dropped. “Measly?”
“They’re so small. I need something with a little more substance. I saw giant turkey legs when I was here yesterday, and I’ve been craving one ever since.”
A wave of nostalgia hit like a sucker punch.
“My dad always ate those things. He’d bring me and my mom to the rodeo every year as a way to say goodbye to summer.
We’d stuff ourselves with food until we almost burst, and he’d let me pet every animal I could find.
Except the bulls. Those always scared the bejesus out of me. ”
He winced and slid his hand from hers to rest on his side where the stiches lay beneath his shirt. “Good call. I don’t think I’ll ever look at one of those the same after yesterday.”
Before she could comment, the woman at the counter called them forward.
Eve placed her order, her mouth watering as she watched the fresh dough bobbing in the oil.
She focused on the sweet-smelling vanilla and hints of cinnamon instead of the fear that had swallowed her whole when she’d heard Reid had been injured.
He wasn’t the only one who’d never view a bull the same way.
“All right, darlin’,” the woman said, holding out the giant paper plate. “Enjoy.”
Reid took the plate. “I’ll carry it, you eat. Let’s walk toward those turkey legs.”
She plucked a warm doughnut hole from the plate and popped it in her mouth. A burst of heat had her parting her lips and blowing out steam, but she refused to waste the delicious mound of flaky pastry. “So good.”
He chuckled and led the way past colorful displays of homemade wares and trinkets.
It’d been years since she’d visited the rodeo, too concerned with preparing her bar for the annual line dancing to take time from her day to just enjoy the festivities.
She’d forgotten how much she loved watching the people in traditional Western wear walking beside the younger generations with tattoos and piercings, coming together to celebrate traditions as old as the West itself.
But even when she’d visited the rodeo with her parents, she hadn’t spent much time looking at the homemade candles or knickknacks. She’d been more excited by the livestock and action in the arenas.
Now she understood her mistake. Jars of jam and beautiful crafts that must have taken hours to create lined decorative shelves.
If her fingers weren’t covered in sugar, she’d be tempted to run them over the knitted blankets and Native American dream catchers.
Each step took her mind further from her troubles, and she could almost pretend this was just a normal day with a handsome man and delicious food.
The path curved and a burly man who could be a professional lumberjack sat hunched over on a tree stump. He concentrated on something in his hand, his big brow furrowed. She stopped and watched, unable to see what he worked on.
Behind him was a trifold draped in burgundy fabric. Decorations of some kind hung on the display. She took a step closer, not wanting to disturb the man but eager to see what he was selling. The decorations were all shapes and sizes with intricate patterns and details.
Terror swelled in her chest, forcing the air from her lungs. The items might all be different, but they had one thing in common. They were all carved from wood.
Tugging on Reid’s sleeve, she pointed to a small selection of carvings resting in a porcelain bowl on the table.
“What is it?”
“Look,” she said. “Flowers.” A flash of panic shook her hand and made the sweet treat revolt in her stomach.
Reid followed her sight line and frowned, shifting his focus back to the man on the stump. “That’s not the same guy, is it?”
The man was sitting, but Eve had no doubt if he stood, he would have a good five inches on Reid. The man who’d attacked her had been a similar height to Reid. The man in front of her had a beard, but it wasn’t as long, and the white whiskers blended with the black.
Eve shook her head. “No, but those flowers look so similar to the ones I keep finding.”
“Excuse me,” Reid said, stepping forward.
The man lifted his gaze, his hands stilling. “Can I help you?” His long drawl of each word spoke of a man who gave careful thought to what came out of his mouth.
“Those flowers.” Reid flicked his wrist toward the bowl a few feet away. “Did you make those?”
“Sure did. I make everything you see here.” He tipped his head in the direction of the display boasting his products.
“Do you mind if we take a closer look?” Eve asked, a pit forming in her stomach.
“That’s fine. If you don’t see anything you like, I can make most anything. The bigger the challenge, the better.”
Reid approached the table, Eve right beside him, and picked up one of the flowers.
“These petals are more intricate,” she said. “It’s close, and standing farther back they look identical. But these aren’t the same.”
The man stood, placing the piece he’d been working on in a tan leather apron tied around his waist. “Not the same as what?”
“Someone has made flowers like yours and left them in her home,” Reid said.
“Like a gift or forgot them or something?”
Clearing her voice, Eve stood a little straighter. “As in he broke in and left them there to scare me.”
The man’s features pinched, and he fisted his hands at his sides. “He did what?”
“Someone is stalking my friend here,” Reid said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her near. “He’s using little wooden flowers as part of his weird mind games. Do you sell other whittled flowers that have less precise details on the petals?”
The carver scratched the back of his neck. “I make a lot of different kinds of things. Some are custom, some just little ideas I have. I’m sure there are flowers out there I’ve done that are less intricate, different shapes and size, completely different flowers.”
“What about roses?” Eve asked. “The ones left for me have been roses in partial bloom.”
A dark cloud passed over the woodworker’s face. “About this big?” He indicated a length of about an inch with his thumb and forefinger.
“Yes, about that big.”
“And all the same?”
“Pretty much. Has someone made an order from you recently including flowers of that description?”
“No, but I know someone who made the same damn flowers over and over again. He’d come by and talk to me about what I was working on.
He had talent, and I always encouraged him to do something new.
Try to make something different. He spouted nonsense about the simple and natural beauty of roses.
How he didn’t need to make anything more elaborate because he just liked using his hands. ”
A wave of excitement pushed her on her toes. “Do you know his name?”
“His first name, yeah. Tyson. He was a bull rider. We were on the circuit together for a while. When his marriage fell apart, he disappeared. Figured he went home to his old woman to make things right. At least that’s what I’d do if my Edith put her foot down.
I’d burn all this to the ground if it meant making her happy.
” A wistful smile showed beneath his beard, softening his edges to show the teddy bear he must be inside.
“Do you remember the last time you saw him?” Reid asked. “The last city you were in when he left?”
“It’s been at least four, five months since I’ve heard from him. I can’t pinpoint the exact location, but I can give you a few cities I was in around that time.”
“That’d be really helpful,” Reid said.
“Give me a second.” The man rounded the corner of his booth and disappeared except a glimpse of his boots as he shuffled around.
Hope tripled her heart rate. “If we can figure out who this guy is, it could lead us right to him.”
“It will help, that’s for sure. Once we get a list of cities, I’ll get ahold of Madden. He knows more about how this world works than I do. He might know who to contact to find more details about this guy.”
“And the more details, the better. Then we can find him and lock him up and my life can go back to normal.”
Reid flattened his lips in a tight smile, and a flash of disappointment mirrored the dread climbing up the back of her neck.
She didn’t want to live in a constant state of fear, but she also didn’t want to stop spending so much time with Reid.
Peeling back his layers revealed he was more than a womanizing flirt, but that hadn’t been easy.
Once they returned to their normal lives, his shield would go right back up and he wouldn’t be forced to be around her long enough to tear it back down.
And at the end of the day, she didn’t want a man who wouldn’t freely open up to her. She had too much on her plate to have any leftover energy for a relationship with a man who was anything less than supportive and willing to be what she needed.
Even if every fiber of her body told her what she needed—what she wanted—was Reid.