Daring Desire: Cowboy Justice Association (Serials and Stalkers Book 6) Read online

  DARING DESIRE

  COWBOY JUSTICE ASSOCIATION: SERIALS AND STALKERS

  BOOK SIX

  OLIVIA JAYMES

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  About the Author

  1

  “Are you back for the reunion, Jack?”

  Jackson Kenner was in the local bakery of his hometown picking up a chocolate marble cheesecake for his grandmother. It was her favorite and no visit would be complete without them digging into it after eating one of her delectable meals. Grandma Kate was a genius in the kitchen. His grandfather Earl was no slouch either. They’d had many years of marital bliss cooking in the kitchen together.

  “I am,” he replied, handing over his credit card to the young woman behind the counter. Her name was Annie, but he didn’t really know her. She was the cousin or something like that to someone he went to high school with, Danny Henderson. It was like that in small towns. Everyone knew everyone else and was connected in some way. “In fact, I’m meeting Danny later for a beer. I’m looking forward to a few days off work, too.”

  Jack loved his job. He had a passion for investigation, always wanting to get to the bottom of a mystery. He loved puzzles, and there was no better feeling than putting that last piece in place and seeing the whole picture.

  But he worked a great deal of hours, his nose to the grindstone more often than not. He was looking forward to a few days where he could sleep in and relax a bit.

  “I’m not sure this town is a good place for a vacation,” she said with a laugh. “The most exciting thing that’s happened here in the last twenty years is the movie theatre that opened not long ago. Other than that, you pretty much have to make your own excitement.”

  “That’s fine with me. I’m looking forward to boring.”

  Jack had had enough excitement for awhile. He and the team that he worked with had just helped put a double murderer behind bars.

  “You’ll find it here for sure. I hear the fish are biting at the lake, though. You still like to fish?”

  “I do, and I’m definitely going to check it out.”

  Annie handed him the cheesecake all boxed up.

  “Are you staying at your folks’ house?”

  The poor girl didn’t realize what she was asking, and the can of worms that simple question would open. He kept his response simple, no editorializing.

  “Yes, I am.”

  There was another customer behind him, so he smiled and said goodbye to Annie before exiting the shop. He’d put it off as long as he could. He’d walked around the downtown area, stopped for a cool drink, bought a cheesecake, but as Annie had said there wasn’t a thing going on in Oxford. Even the dog passing by Jack taking a walk with his owner was yawning.

  He had to go home and he wasn’t looking forward to it. Normally, he would have stayed with his grandparents and all would have been fine. But Kate and Earl were in the process of renovating their home and by all accounts, it was a mess. They weren’t even living in it themselves, instead renting a small one-bedroom apartment while the work was being done. His high school reunion was simply lousy timing. He had no choice but to stay with his parents. Oxford didn’t have a hotel, motel, and only one small bed and breakfast for visitors. The B&B had been booked for months for the reunion, so it wasn’t an option.

  No one ever came here.

  He’d already decided that he would spend as much time out of the house as possible. His mom and dad had sounded happy about welcoming him, but he didn’t know how long all three of them would be able to keep up the facade of a happy, loving family. He wasn’t all that interested in pretending, to be honest. The older he became, the less patience he had for anything less than the truth. He’d briefly thought about staying in a hotel in another town close by, but he knew that his parents - and everyone else - would question it.

  The apartment that Kate and Earl were living in wasn’t far from the downtown area. He parked his car in a visitor space, and easily found their temporary front door. They were on the ground floor, their patio overlooking a small garden with brightly colored flowers. He knocked on the door, holding up the cheesecake box so it would be the first thing they would see.

  The door flew open, and he was pulled into a tight embrace while another set of hands took the cheesecake.

  His grandmother stepped back, her gaze running from his head to his toes and then back again.

  “You’ve lost weight,” she said bluntly. “You better get inside so we can cut into that cake.”

  His grandfather was now holding the cake and he balanced it on one palm while hugging Jack with his other arm.

  “Let the poor boy sit down and relax for a minute, Kate. This is his vacation, after all. And I don’t think he’s lost weight. He looks fine to me.”

  “He’s lost weight,” Kate repeated, and then looked over her shoulder at another person that Jack hadn’t seen when they first opened the door. “What do you think, Paige? Has Jack lost weight?”

  “I’m not sure,” the woman replied with a chuckle. “I haven’t seen him since high school graduation. That was a long time ago.”

  Paige? Paige? High school graduation?

  “Paige Stevens,” he said when the memories finally hit him, flooding back as if it were yesterday. “It’s been fifteen years.”

  She didn’t look the same. Back then she’d been decidedly goth with her black hair and nails, heavy kohl eyeliner and pale skin. This woman was quite different with long dark auburn hair paired with soft brown eyes. Her skin had a golden tinge as if she’d just spent some time where it was sunny. Even her clothes were opposite of what she used to wear. Now she was wearing casual khaki shorts and a pink tank top. In school, she’d sported black pants and shirts, and wouldn’t have been caught dead in a pastel.

  Apparently, she’d parlayed her interest in all things dark by becoming a successful horror writer. Jack had read her last book and it was good. Really good. A little scary, too, and he wasn’t easily spooked.

  “Are you home for the reunion?” he asked. “That’s why I’m here.”

  She pulled a face, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

  “Not at all. I’m not going. I’m back in town to help out my mom. She’s not in the best of health these days, and Dad could use a hand.”

  “You’re not going?” Grandma Kate asked, taking the cake from her husband and placing it on the counter that separated the living room and kitchen. “I’m sure it would be fun.”

  “I think I’m going to pass on it,” Paige said. “Can I help you with that, Kate?”

  “That would be lovely. Can you grab four plates from the cabinet while I slice this up? I’m cutting Jackson a big piece.”

  It didn’t take long and they were all four sitting in the living room eating cheesecake, his grandma making yummy sounds every so often. He was absolutely glad that he’d stopped off at the bakery.

  “Paige is living i
n the apartment opposite us,” Earl said. “Just temporarily, of course. She’s bought the old Milford place and intends to renovate it. She’s even using our contractor.”

  “She’s been so helpful,” Kate added with a smile. “Helping us unload the groceries and such. Just like you, Jack.”

  “The old Milford place,” Jack repeated. He was sure he hadn’t heard correctly. “Are you kidding me?”

  “He is not,” Paige replied tartly, a small smile playing around her full lips. “I’ve bought it lock, stock, and barrel. It’s a great property. Big house, lots of land. It’s going to be gorgeous when I’m done.”

  “The house is a wreck,” Jack said. “Or at least it was the last time I saw it. It’s going to need a hell of a lot of work to make it livable.”

  “There’s no electricity or water right now,” Paige explained. “So I can’t stay there until that’s all hooked up. As for the work that needs to be done, my inspector and contractor both agree that the house has great bones.”

  “And maybe a few ghosts,” Earl said with a wink. “You know everyone in town thinks that house is haunted.”

  “There is no such thing as ghosts,” Paige laughed. “If there were, I’m sure I would have found one by now, especially with all the research I do. Nope, I don’t think the Milford house is haunted. I think it’s just neglected. Something I intend to rectify.”

  He could only hope she got a good deal on it because it was going to cost a small fortune to fix up. If it was even possible.

  “I didn’t even realize it was for sale,” he said instead. “When did it go on the market?”

  Earl frowned, stroking his gray-stubbled chin.

  “Was it last year, Kate? Somewhere around there? Of course, no one made an offer on it until Paige.”

  “It was right before Christmas,” Kate replied. “I remember because it was in the paper along with the Black Friday sales.”

  “Paige is going to write about the Milford murder,” Earl said, shoving the last bite of cheesecake into his mouth. “It’s going to be her next book.”

  Paige’s cheeks flushed pink, and she shifted in her chair.

  “It’s actually going to be fiction,” she said. “But I’m going to sort of base it on the murder. It’s not a true crime book or anything. That’s not what I write. You’d probably think it was boring since you deal with actual, real-life murders.”

  His grandmother’s eyes lit up and she clapped her hands together.

  “Jackson, you could help Paige with her book. You know, tell her about some of the cases you’ve worked on. She might be able to use the details in her story.”

  Earl was already nodding his head before Jack could answer.

  “That’s a fine idea. You two probably have a lot you could talk about.”

  Jack’s grandparents weren’t fooling anybody. They were playing matchmaker and not even trying to hide it. Normally, he wouldn’t mind being set up with a beautiful woman, but he wouldn’t be here long enough to enjoy it. He was planning on returning to work in a week.

  “No. No, it’s fine,” Paige replied, her eyes wide with panic. It didn’t look like she was thrilled at the idea of spending any time with him. Quite the opposite, if anything. “Jack is on vacation. I wouldn’t want to bother him. Besides, I’ll be working on this book for months.”

  “I’m sure Jack wouldn’t mind spending a little time bragging about his work,” Kate said. “He’s worked on some interesting cases, that’s for sure.”

  “I don’t want to bother him,” Paige said, her expression turning a bit panicked. “It’s really okay.”

  “You should exchange phone numbers. Just in case,” Earl said. “You never know when you might have a question about police procedures or something like that.”

  Jack would have bet money that Paige already had resources she could call, but he didn’t argue, dutifully pulling his phone from his pocket.

  “Sure, we can do that. Paige, what’s your number?”

  Looking like she’d rather be getting a root canal, she recited her phone number while he tapped it into his cell. He quickly sent her a text and her phone chimed cheerfully when it was received.

  She typed his name into her contacts and then tucked her phone back into her purse.

  “I should probably be going,” she said, backing toward the door. “I’m sure you’ll want to visit with Jack. Call me if you need anything else. I’m happy to help.”

  “You don’t need to go,” Kate insisted. “We can all visit together. I’m sure you and Jack have a lot to talk about. Lots of memories from school.”

  His grandparents didn’t have a clue or a mean bone in their bodies but talking about high school would probably be the last thing Paige would want to do. He wasn’t all that keen on it either yet somehow, he’d let his old friends talk him into attending the reunion. Sure, there were good memories but there were some bad ones, too.

  “I’m sure Paige has things to do,” Jack said. “We don’t want to keep her from them.”

  “Right. Things to do,” she mumbled, nodding vigorously. “Lots of things.”

  Luckily, his grandparents gave in gracefully.

  “Stop by later if you can,” Grandma Kate said. “We can have more cheesecake after dinner.”

  With a wave, Paige was out the door leaving Jack with Kate and Earl. And two-thirds of a chocolate marble cheesecake. Extra creamy.

  “That girl is wonderful,” Kate said to the now closed door. “You could do much worse.”

  Jack loved that his grandmother spoke her mind. It was so different than the household he’d been brought up in.

  “I see that we’re not going to pretend that you two weren’t matchmaking,” he said with a grin. “I’m only going to be here for a week, Gran. Besides, I’m sure Paige has a boyfriend already.”

  “She doesn’t,” Kate said with a shake of her head. “I asked her when I heard you were coming to visit. She’s single and so are you.”

  “It usually takes more than that for a relationship to happen. We might have to have a few things in common.”

  “You have murder in common,” she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She was really dug in about this. “You went to school together. I’m sure you have lots of other things in common.”

  “Now, Kate…” His grandfather sighed and placed his arm around his wife’s shoulder. “I think they’d make a nice couple, too, but you can’t force it. Maybe he’s not her type. Maybe she’s not his type.”

  His grandma was convinced that Jack simply needed to find a nice girl here in Oxford and settle down. All of his problems would then be solved. He, on the other hand, didn’t think that he had problems so bad that necessitated a woman to fix them.

  “You could ask her to the reunion,” Kate said, a new smile blooming on her lined face. He hadn’t gone too long between visits, but he was beginning to notice that his grandparents were aging faster than he was truly ready for. “Isn’t that a great idea? You don’t have a date, and neither does she.”

  “Because she doesn’t want to go,” Jack said. “Frankly, I don’t blame her. High school was tough on her. The kids never gave her much of a break.”

  Some of them had been downright mean and nasty. Paige had always held her head high, but anyone could have seen that she’d been hurt. He couldn’t think of one friend she’d had back then. She’d hung out with a few other outcasts but generally kept to herself most of the time.

  “That was fifteen years ago,” Earl said. “I’m sure she’s forgotten all about that.”

  From Paige’s expression, Jack didn’t think that was the case. He couldn’t blame her either. She’d been treated shabbily.

  “She said she doesn’t want to go,” Jack replied. “I’m going to take her at her word. Hell, the only reason I’m going is because Danny and Rick convinced me. Not everyone is into reminiscing about the past.”

  His grandmother frowned at the mention of his two friends from high school.

>   “I never liked that Danny much. He didn’t seem to have a whole lot of common sense. I hope he’s improved since then.”

  Kate had summed up his friend quite well. Danny had been wild when they were teenagers, always pushing the envelope and always in trouble with either his parents, the school, or the sheriff. Sometimes, all three at the same time. There were days it seemed to Jack that Danny had a death wish.

  Now he was an accountant. Married with two kids, and boring as the day was long. Danny had said not long ago that he didn’t remember the last time he’d stayed up past eleven. He was too tired all the time. Apparently, his kids were up before the chickens every single morning.

  “He does taxes for a living so I guess you could say he’s calmed down,” Jack laughed. “I see that you didn’t mention Rick.”

  “I always liked him,” Kate said with a smile. “Such a nice, polite young man.”

  His grandmother had never seen Rick drunk. He liked to get naked and run around outside even in the winter. Luckily, he didn’t do it around a lot of people.

  “Have you seen your mom and dad yet?” Kate asked, her smile falling. “They’ve been talking about you coming to stay with them. I’m sorry we don’t have the room for you to stay here.”

  He shrugged as if he wasn’t bothered in the least. He didn’t want his grandparents to feel guilty.

  “It’s not a big deal. No, I haven’t seen them yet. I guess that’s my next destination.”

  “You can always bunk on the couch,” Earl said from behind his newspaper. “We’ll find the space if we need to.”

  It was a tiny one-bedroom, one-bath apartment probably less than five hundred square feet. The two of them were fine, but add in a third? It wouldn’t be fun. Maybe if he was still a little kid it would have been okay, but he was a grown man who wasn’t going to fit on that two-cushion loveseat. The living room was so small there wasn’t even a space where he could stretch out and sleep on the floor.