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Authors: Barbara McMahon
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Why should I leave?'
'It must have sad memories.'
'I don't know. I was very unhappy when Johnny was killed, yet I found some solace in being in the home he'd bought for us. I wouldn't want to leave it.'
'Never?' Kyle asked softly.
'Certainly not to go back to live with my parents.' She sidestepped the question. 'I'm all grown up and on my own now.'
Kyle let his eyes roam down over what he could see, brought them back up to see the flush on her face as met the appraising look in his eyes. 'Very nicely grown up, I'd say,' he murmured provocatively.
She rose and took the dishes, trying to slow the rapid rate of her heartbeat. She was vaguely pleased by the comment, but hoped he couldn't see the heat she felt spreading on her cheeks. Odd how she was so very conscious around a man she knew very little about.
***
During the day that followed, Kyle spent hours questioning Jenny about the layout of the land around Palmer, the ranches and farms, the people who owned them.
Two mornings later he brought down a topographical map of the area, and he and Jenny pored over it, Jenny drawing lines indicating ranch boundaries as best she knew them. Kyle then questioned her on some of the more remote areas.
Jenny gave him thumbnail sketches of all the owners of the ranches and of the people she knew in town. When Kyle repeated verbatim what she'd told him, she was amazed at the amount he'd learned and could recite back.
'Do you have to have a photographic memory to be an agent?' she asked when he surprised her one time with the facts she had briefly mentioned a few days earlier.
'No, just a good memory. I don't know yet what I need to know and what I don't, so I'll try to keep it all. Once I get a line on something, I can forget about the rest of it.'
'Don't you have a line on it yet? I thought that was why you were here.'
'One small clue, but it's our only lead right now. I'm here to follow up on it,' Kyle said, seeing the skeptical look on Jenny's face.
'I can't believe anyone in Palmer could be involved,' she said again.
'They may not be. On the other hand dealers excel in appearing like anyone else. They don't have shifty eyes, skulk around dark alleys, or wear trench coats. That's what makes them so hard to catch, and so successful in their trade. They're just like you or me to look at.'
Jenny shivered. 'It's spooky to think someone I know might be a drug dealer. What was the clue?'
He smiled briefly and pointed to the map.
'Who lives here?'
They were off again on the map: Jenny trying to pinpoint where people lived, where the National Forest land began. She wished he would tell her more.
The next morning, after breakfast, Kyle disappeared into his room for a while, and then reappeared, asking, 'Can I borrow your jeep?'
'Can't I drive you where you want to go?'
'Don't you trust me with your car?'
'I don't know, are you a good driver?' She looked at him, amazed she was teasing.
He answered her smile, his warm brown eyes alight with amusement as he loomed over her.
'I'm a very good driver, never had a ticket. Do you want me to provide references?' he replied lazily.
Jenny wasn't prepared for the way his smile caused a meltdown within. She found it difficult to breathe. Did he have any idea the effect he was having on her?
'I suppose that if you wreck it, the DEA will reimburse me.'
'I won't wreck it.'
Jenny turned from the sink, dried her hands. 'If you want to go somewhere, I'll take you. Not because I think you'll wreck my car, but just to let you see where things are. Wouldn't that suit you?' She was still concerned about his physical stamina. His arm was in the sling, he still rested in the afternoons. Was he up to driving the stick shift jeep? Silly, she chided herself, those were all the right reasons, the real reason was that she wanted to spend time with him, see him in action.
'Fine. Get me up to speed on the roads, then I can go out on my own and not worry about getting lost.'
Jenny called for Shasta
'It must have sad memories.'
'I don't know. I was very unhappy when Johnny was killed, yet I found some solace in being in the home he'd bought for us. I wouldn't want to leave it.'
'Never?' Kyle asked softly.
'Certainly not to go back to live with my parents.' She sidestepped the question. 'I'm all grown up and on my own now.'
Kyle let his eyes roam down over what he could see, brought them back up to see the flush on her face as met the appraising look in his eyes. 'Very nicely grown up, I'd say,' he murmured provocatively.
She rose and took the dishes, trying to slow the rapid rate of her heartbeat. She was vaguely pleased by the comment, but hoped he couldn't see the heat she felt spreading on her cheeks. Odd how she was so very conscious around a man she knew very little about.
***
During the day that followed, Kyle spent hours questioning Jenny about the layout of the land around Palmer, the ranches and farms, the people who owned them.
Two mornings later he brought down a topographical map of the area, and he and Jenny pored over it, Jenny drawing lines indicating ranch boundaries as best she knew them. Kyle then questioned her on some of the more remote areas.
Jenny gave him thumbnail sketches of all the owners of the ranches and of the people she knew in town. When Kyle repeated verbatim what she'd told him, she was amazed at the amount he'd learned and could recite back.
'Do you have to have a photographic memory to be an agent?' she asked when he surprised her one time with the facts she had briefly mentioned a few days earlier.
'No, just a good memory. I don't know yet what I need to know and what I don't, so I'll try to keep it all. Once I get a line on something, I can forget about the rest of it.'
'Don't you have a line on it yet? I thought that was why you were here.'
'One small clue, but it's our only lead right now. I'm here to follow up on it,' Kyle said, seeing the skeptical look on Jenny's face.
'I can't believe anyone in Palmer could be involved,' she said again.
'They may not be. On the other hand dealers excel in appearing like anyone else. They don't have shifty eyes, skulk around dark alleys, or wear trench coats. That's what makes them so hard to catch, and so successful in their trade. They're just like you or me to look at.'
Jenny shivered. 'It's spooky to think someone I know might be a drug dealer. What was the clue?'
He smiled briefly and pointed to the map.
'Who lives here?'
They were off again on the map: Jenny trying to pinpoint where people lived, where the National Forest land began. She wished he would tell her more.
The next morning, after breakfast, Kyle disappeared into his room for a while, and then reappeared, asking, 'Can I borrow your jeep?'
'Can't I drive you where you want to go?'
'Don't you trust me with your car?'
'I don't know, are you a good driver?' She looked at him, amazed she was teasing.
He answered her smile, his warm brown eyes alight with amusement as he loomed over her.
'I'm a very good driver, never had a ticket. Do you want me to provide references?' he replied lazily.
Jenny wasn't prepared for the way his smile caused a meltdown within. She found it difficult to breathe. Did he have any idea the effect he was having on her?
'I suppose that if you wreck it, the DEA will reimburse me.'
'I won't wreck it.'
Jenny turned from the sink, dried her hands. 'If you want to go somewhere, I'll take you. Not because I think you'll wreck my car, but just to let you see where things are. Wouldn't that suit you?' She was still concerned about his physical stamina. His arm was in the sling, he still rested in the afternoons. Was he up to driving the stick shift jeep? Silly, she chided herself, those were all the right reasons, the real reason was that she wanted to spend time with him, see him in action.
'Fine. Get me up to speed on the roads, then I can go out on my own and not worry about getting lost.'
Jenny called for Shasta
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