Hard Ride to Dry Gulch. Joanna Wayne

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СКАЧАТЬ had been missing for ten months now and she seemed no closer to finding him. Her nerves were ragged, her emotions so unsteady that the slightest incident could set off the waterworks.

      Had it been anyone else who’d asked her to be maid of honor in her wedding, Faith could easily have said no. But she couldn’t refuse Joni, especially after the way Joni had stood by her when Cornell first went missing.

      Joni was still concerned, but as the weeks had turned into months, she—like Faith’s other friends—had moved on with their lives. Faith understood, though she could never move on until Cornell was home again and safe.

      As for the cops’ theory that Cornell had left home by choice, she was convinced it was pure bunk. Sure, she could buy that Cornell had gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. He was extremely vulnerable to peer influence.

      And she wasn’t so naive as to believe it was impossible that he might have experimented with drugs. A lot of kids had by age eighteen. But never in a million years would Cornell have left home and shut her out of his life—not of his own free will.

      Wherever he was tonight, he was being held against his will or—

      Here she went again, working herself into an anxiety-fueled meltdown.

      This was Joni’s big night. Surely Faith could hold herself together for a couple hours.

      Her glance settled on Leif Dalton. A boyish grin split his lips, and his dark eyes danced in anticipation. A sexy, loving cowboy waiting for his beautiful bride. Joni was a very lucky woman—if it lasted.

      For Faith, marriage had been one of life’s major disappointments, enough so that she had no intention of ever tying the knot again.

      She switched her concentration to Leif’s brother and best man. Tall. Thick, dark hair that fell playfully over his forehead. Hard bodied. Ruggedly handsome.

      And familiar.

      She struggled to figure out where she’d seen him before as she took her place on the other side of Leif’s daughter. Faith had missed the rehearsal celebration last night and arrived at the ranch only minutes before the ceremony tonight.

      But she’d definitely seen him somewhere.

      The tempo of the music changed and a second later the bridal march filled the air. Sounds of shuffling feet and whispered oohs and aahs filled the air as the guests rose to their feet for their first sight of Joni in her white satin-and-lace gown.

      Adorable twin girls, their curly red hair topped with pink bows, skipped and danced down the aisle in front of Joni, scattering rose petals. Lila and Lacy, Leif’s three-year-old half nieces, whom Joni bragged about continuously. Faith wouldn’t be surprised if Leif and Joni didn’t start a family of their own within the year.

      Faith stole another quick glance at the best man. Her heart pounded.

      All of a sudden she knew exactly where she’d seen him before. In a Dallas strip club. He was the sexy cop who’d come to her rescue a few months back. The cop whose orders she’d disobeyed when she’d cleared out before he could ask too many questions.

      He wouldn’t be nearly as easy to dodge tonight.

      Talk about spoiling a wedding. One word from the groom’s brother about where he’d met the slutty maid of honor and Joni would figure out exactly why Faith had turned down every Saturday-night invitation to meet her and Leif for dinner.

      Joni would worry about Faith’s safety. Worse, if she couldn’t persuade Faith to give up her visits to the criminal underbelly of Dallas, she’d insist on getting involved. No way could Faith drag Joni into that.

      Steady, girl. Don’t panic.

      There was a good chance the hunky, nosy cop wouldn’t connect her to the woman he’d met in a strip club months ago. For one thing, she had on tons less makeup. For another, she wasn’t braless. She was just Joni’s maid of honor.

      Besides, he’d originally figured her for just another woman on the make, or perhaps even one of the off-duty strippers. No reason for him to have given her another thought.

      Play this cool, leave at the first opportunity, and the cop would never guess they’d ever met.

      * * *

      “SURELY YOU’RE NOT thinking of sneaking out without a dance with the best man?”

      The husky male voice startled Faith. Poor timing. She’d already stepped out of the tent and was about to start down the path to the parked cars.

      Except for a brief conversation when Leif had introduced them after the ceremony, she’d managed to avoid Travis all evening.

      She flashed what she hoped was an innocent-looking smile. “I’m not sneaking anywhere. I’ve said my goodbyes to the happy couple.”

      “It’s still early. The party is in full swing.”

      “Yes, but it’s a long drive back to Dallas.”

      “So why drive it? The guest rooms in the newlyweds’ ranch bungalow aren’t fully finished yet, but I’m sure R.J. can put you up for the night. From what I’ve seen of his house, there are plenty of spare bedrooms.”

      “So I’ve heard. Joni invited me to stay over,” Faith admitted. “But I really need to get home tonight.”

      The band returned from their break. A guitar strummed. The lead female singer in the country-and-western band that had kept the portable dance floor occupied all night belted out the first words to an old Patsy Cline hit.

      Travis fitted a hand to the small of Faith’s back. “One dance before you call it a night?”

      Her brain issued a warning, but the music, the night and even the tiny lights that twinkled above them like stars overpowered her caution. Besides, Travis showed no sign of recognizing her. What could one dance hurt?

      They walked back to the dance floor together. His arms slid around her, pulling her close as their bodies began to sway to the haunting ballad. His cheek brushed hers. An unfamiliar heat shimmered deep inside her. She dissolved into the sensual sensations for mere seconds before her brain kicked in again.

      She hadn’t felt a man’s arms around her for years. No wonder her body had reacted to the contact.

      She pulled away, putting an inch of space between her breasts and his chest and points lower. The warmth didn’t fully dissipate, but her breathing came easier.

      By the time they finished the dance, she was almost fully in control. “I really do have to go now,” she said, leading the way as they left the dance floor.

      “If you must.”

      “I must. And really, there’s no reason for you to walk me to my car.”

      “A promise is a promise.”

      The man was persistent. If the cops handling Cornell’s missing-person case had been half as determined, they likely would have located him by now.

      “No reason for you to leave the reception,” she said. “I’m sure СКАЧАТЬ