The Angel and the Outlaw Read online

  He had an instant of confusion. He’d been expecting Hayley to return since he’d driven her home. He’d been certain he’d recognized her voice—Hayley Tavistock had a throaty way of talking that any man would remember—but the woman who stood in front of him didn’t look anything like the one he’d left six hours ago.

  She was still as blond as she’d been in high school. With all the mud, he hadn’t been able to tell before. Rich curls like the kind he’d expect to see on pictures of angels framed her face and tumbled over her shoulders. She was wearing a tailored jacket the color of cream. The matching skirt ended well above her knees, treating him to a good view of her long legs. She looked classy and sexy at the same time.

  “Hello, Mr. Webb.” She shifted the purse she carried to her left hand and extended her right. “If you’re not too busy, I’d like to speak with you for a few minutes.”

  He glanced at her hand. The mud was gone from that, too. Her skin was pale, her nails clean and buffed to a shine. He remembered how good it had felt when she’d gripped his leg. He wondered how much better it would have felt without the barrier of denim. He enclosed her hand in his.

  As soon as he touched her, his confusion dissolved. She might have cleaned up, but she hadn’t been able to scrub away the tremor in her fingers.

  He moved his gaze to her face. Back in high school she’d been cheerleader-cute. Not his type, yet he couldn’t deny he’d noticed. Problem was, she’d been an underage girl from a family of cops so he’d steered clear. Now she was all woman. She had the kind of bone-deep beauty that even mud and matted hair hadn’t disguised. Her lips were full and shaped in a feminine bow. Her eyes were hazel and tipped up at the corners, as if she should be on the verge of a smile.

  She didn’t appear to be a woman who had smiled much lately. The hollows in her cheeks weren’t from a trick of makeup. And no amount of makeup could hide the weariness that pinched the edges of her lips or the despair that shadowed her gaze.

  Cooper studied her more closely. Her skirt was too loose on her. He realized she didn’t quite fill out the jacket, either. Along with the hollows in her cheeks it all pointed to a recent weight loss. He felt a sudden rush of sympathy. And he had a crazy urge to yank her closer and do what he hadn’t done last night. He wanted to kiss her until her lips lost their tension and her eyes filled with desire instead of despair.

  And he had an even crazier urge to wrap her in a blanket again and carry her someplace safe.

  He dropped her hand and hung on to the door. Since when was he anyone’s protector? She might stir his hormones, but she was an inconvenience, a distraction he couldn’t afford. “There’s not much point talking, Hayley. I already said everything I wanted to say.”

  “All I ask is that you hear me out.”

  “I’m busy.”

  “Tending bar?”

  “Not right now. We’re closed.”

  “That man called you boss.”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “Are you?”

  “Yeah. I own this place. I also work the bar. Is that what you wanted to talk about?”

  She shook her head. Her hair rippled in the sunshine. “Why are you going after Oliver Sproule?”

  “What difference does it make as long as I get him?”

  That made her pause. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth.

  Damn, he still wanted to kiss her. He swung the door open and motioned her inside. “You might as well come in before you draw a crowd.”

  Was it his imagination, or did she hesitate a beat before she lifted her chin and stepped over the threshold? “Thank you, Mr. Webb.”

  “Call me Cooper.” He closed the door and shot the bolt. “I’m expecting a delivery in ten minutes so that’s all the time I can give you.”

  She acknowledged his words with a smile that was too stiff to call real.

  There was a clatter of chairs as Pete continued to clear off the tables. Cooper stepped aside and gestured Hayley toward the door at the other end of the room. “We’ll talk in my office.”

  She remained silent as they walked past the bar, her gaze darting everywhere. He had taken her out the rear door when they had left here earlier this morning, so she hadn’t seen anything except his office and the back hallway. Cooper looked around, trying to see the place as she would.

  Four years ago the building had housed a custom welding shop that had been going out of business. Cooper had liked the location on the outskirts of town since there were few neighbors to complain about noise or traffic. The large, two-story main room had suited him, too. He’d kept the renovations simple, laying down a hardwood floor and installing a rectangular oak bar as an island in the center. He’d also lengthened the existing windows that had been set high under the eaves so he had a view of his surroundings.

  Enlarging the windows hadn’t been all that practical, since the bar’s busiest hours were after dark, but Cooper liked to see outside. It was one of the legacies of the time he’d spent inside.

  Each year he’d poured any profit he’d made into added improvements. Now he had pool tables, a big-screen TV and a top-of-the-line sound system. On Pete’s suggestion, last winter he’d added a raised stage in the corner beside the front door where local talent had the chance to show what they could do. He liked being able to give them a break.

  Cooper was proud of what he’d done with the Long Shot. It wasn’t fancy, but it was solid and getting more popular every year. Best of all, it was his.

  For now, anyway.

  Hayley had asked him why he was going after Oliver Sproule. She was walking through the answer.

  Damn Tony and his bargain. It had been four years since he’d made it. It had gone on so long, Cooper had begun to hope that Tony was going to let it slide, but he should have known better. Tony Monaco wasn’t the kind of man who forgave anything, especially a debt.

  “This is very nice,” Hayley said. “It’s much bigger than it looks from the outside. I like all the wood.”

  Her compliment sounded sincere. He tried to keep it in perspective. She wanted something from him, he reminded himself, so she’d say whatever she thought was necessary. “I guess you haven’t been here before,” he said.

  “No. I’ve been living in Chicago for the past ten years. I only moved back to Latchford last fall. Since then I’ve been too busy to…socialize.”

  He pushed open the door that led to the back hall, then stepped to one side so she could go ahead of him. Last fall? Right. That’s when her brother had been killed and her father had had his stroke.

  But it was more than grief that had kept her out of the Long Shot. Hayley Tavistock didn’t strike him as the kind of woman who would normally come to a place like this anyway. She was probably too much of the good girl to let loose and enjoy herself.

  She brushed close enough for him to catch her scent. There was soap and shampoo, but there was still a trace of earthiness. Maybe he was wrong about her not letting loose. Just because she was a Tavistock and dressed with class didn’t mean there wasn’t passion beneath the surface. He’d already seen some of it.

  They reached his office in silence. Hayley stopped in front of his desk and looked out the window. The shade was up, so she had a good view of the orchard on the far side of the parking lot. The trees had come into bloom the week before. The blossoms were pretty well finished now. Last night’s rain had knocked down of most of them but there were a few still stubbornly clinging to the boughs.

  Again, Cooper caught himself wondering what she thought. Before Sproule had set up business here, much of Latchford’s economy had depended on the surrounding farms. Only a few pockets were left, like this overgrown apple orchard. Although this window also overlooked the loading ramp at the back of the building, a practical feature which allowed Cooper to keep track of delivery trucks when they arrived, the trees were the main reason he’d chosen this room for his office.

  The bargain he’d made with Tony was what allowed him to have this. It could
also make him lose it all.

  He closed the door behind him more forcefully than he’d intended.

  Hayley gave a nervous start and turned to face him.

  He felt like a jerk for making her jump. “I’m sorry about your troubles, Hayley,” he said.

  “Everyone’s sorry. No one except you wants to do anything about it.”

  He wanted to pull her into his arms. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans instead. “That’s right,” he said. “I mean to do something about it. I plan to see that Oliver pays for his crime. If you want that to happen, the best thing you could do is keep out of it. You shouldn’t have come here.”

  She chewed her lip again, as if restraining herself from asking the same question as before. “While I do appreciate your help last night, I’m afraid you might have gotten the wrong impression about me.”

  “Oh, yeah? What part?”

  “I’m not always that…” She paused, as if searching for the right word.

  “Passionate?” he supplied.

  “Irrational.” She straightened the cuffs of her jacket. “As you mentioned, I was pushed to my limit. I snapped. I wasn’t myself.”

  “Sure, you were. No one can fake feelings that strong.”

  “Yes, well, I feel much better now.”

  “Did you sleep?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “After I took you home. How much sleep did you get?”

  She brushed at a wrinkle in her skirt. “That really isn’t relevant.”

  She was right; he wasn’t her keeper. But that didn’t stop him from wanting to kiss the weariness from her expression. He locked his elbows to keep his hands in his pockets.

  “I came here to assure you that you don’t need to fear I would hinder your plans if we worked together,” she said.

  “Soap and clothes won’t change who a person is, Hayley.”

  “That’s my point. You got the wrong impression.”

  “Not about one thing. There’s no mistaking the fact that you’re a Tavistock,” he said bluntly.

  Color flared in her cheeks. “I won’t apologize for my brother. He was a dedicated policeman.”

  “Right. I know. Just like your father. You come from a long line of cops.”

  “What does my father have to do with this? Adam’s the one you’re holding a grudge against.”

  “I was locked in a cage for three years of my life and your brother was the one who put me there. Saying I hold a grudge doesn’t cover it.”

  “What were you arrested for?”

  “Hijacking a truckload of computer chips.”

  She studied him for a moment. “Were you innocent?”

  He kept his gaze steady on hers. She would probably feel more comfortable if he lied, but he wouldn’t deny what he used to do any more than she would apologize for her brother. They both were what they were, and there was no changing that. “I was guilty as sin, Hayley.”

  “Then how can you resent Adam? He was only doing his job.”

  “Yeah, I know. But do you have much luck telling yourself how you should feel?”

  Her gaze wavered. The color in her cheeks deepened. “No, but sometimes to get what we want, we have to put our feelings aside. That’s why we should work together, no matter how much you dislike me because of my brother.”

  “Dislike you?” He moved to where she stood, unable to restrain himself from touching her any longer. He pulled his hands from his pockets and tipped up her chin with his index finger. “Where did you get that idea?”

  “You said you don’t want to work together.”

  “I don’t. That doesn’t mean I’m blind.” He stroked his thumb along the edge of her jaw. This was another one of those times he didn’t have much luck telling himself how to feel. Sure, she was a distraction he couldn’t afford, but his body wasn’t listening. “You’re an attractive woman, Hayley. I could see that even when you were wearing half of Sproule’s garden.”

  She didn’t pull away from his caress. He’d expected her to. Then again, she did want something from him. She might think accepting his touch was as necessary as making a compliment about his bar.

  He fingered a curl that rested against her neck. The way it sprang back against his hand made him smile. Her hair was soft but stubborn, sort of like her. “You cleaned up real good, too.”

  Beneath the classy jacket her breasts rose as she inhaled unsteadily. The pulse beneath her ear beat hard against his fingertips.

  She wasn’t much good at hiding her feelings, Cooper decided. He could see her awareness, just as he could see her distress over it. She didn’t want to be attracted to him any more than he wanted to be attracted to her. He should let this go, but some demon inside him wanted to push. Last night she’d said she’d do anything, hadn’t she? He leaned closer. “How about it, Hayley?”

  Her lips parted. “What?”

  “Aren’t you curious? I know I am.” He traced his fingertip down her throat to the V of her jacket neckline and tapped her breastbone. “What other passions do you keep inside here?”

  Her gaze sparked with an unmistakable response. It was anger. She pushed his hand aside and stepped back. She didn’t get far. She was stopped when the back of her legs hit the edge of his desk. “Don’t think you’re going to scare me off with some fake come-on, Cooper. That’s just too obvious and it won’t get rid of me.”

  He exhaled hard. Would he scare her off if he told her there had been nothing fake about his interest?

  “Could we get back to business, please?”

  He raked his hand through his hair, then rubbed the back of his neck. “We don’t have business together. Even if I wanted a partner, it wouldn’t be you.”

  “What Adam did to you is history. Surely you can put your grudge aside and—”

  “Hey, Coop!” It was Pete’s voice, coming from the hallway outside the office. The door rattled with a hard knock. “You better get out here.”

  Cooper hadn’t heard him approach. That jarred him. Even through a closed door, Pete’s tread was always heavy enough to hear. Cooper must have been too focused on Hayley to notice. He stepped away from her and opened the door. “What’s going on?”

  Pete looked worried. “Sorry to interrupt, boss, but your two o’clock appointment got here early.”

  “My appointment? What the…” It took him a second to change gears. “Aw, hell. Where is he?”

  “Still in his car out front. He sent four of his men to check the place out first.”

  Cooper turned to look at Hayley. “Where did you park?”

  She looked at him blankly. “I don’t understand. Why—”

  “Just answer the question. Where’s your car?”

  “I don’t have one. It was repossessed last month. I took a taxi here.”

  He flicked his gaze to the window behind Hayley. He could see a man in sunglasses and a dark suit walking across the parking lot toward the loading ramp. Cooper hadn’t noticed him before, either. “It’s too late to get you out the back way,” he said. “They’ll see you.”

  She twisted her head to follow his gaze. “Who? What are you talking about?”

  He snatched her purse from the desk and shoved it into her hands, then grabbed her arm and tugged her toward the door. “Come with me. You’ll have to wait upstairs until they leave.”

  Her heels slid across the floor. She hooked her purse strap over her shoulder and caught the door frame with her free hand before he could pull her through. “No. We’re not finished. I’m not going anywhere.”

  He moved his grip to her upper arms and brought his face to hers. “Hayley, this isn’t the time to argue. You can’t be seen here.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because everyone in Latchford knows how you feel about Oliver Sproule.”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  “That’s why we can’t work together. It’s why you have to get out of sight now. If Oliver suspects that we teamed up, I don’t have a hope in hell of gettin
g close to him.”

  She shook her head. “You’re not making sense.”

  He glanced past her to the window and muttered a curse. The man by the loading ramp had taken a gun from beneath his suit coat.

  “Boss,” Pete warned. “He’s carrying.”

  “Yeah, I saw it,” Cooper said. There was no time left for finesse. He pulled Hayley’s hand from the door frame, leaned down to wrap his arms around her thighs and tossed her over his shoulder. “Pete, call Ken. Tell him the game’s on.”

  “Sure thing, Coop,” he said, digging his cell phone out of his pants pocket.

  Hayley thumped her fist into Cooper’s back. “Put me down! What are you doing?”

  “Saving your pretty little butt. Again.” He clamped his hand over her bottom to hold her steady, then jogged down the hallway to the door that was set halfway between his office and the barroom.

  Pete called after him, “What do you want me to do after I phone Ken, Coop?”

  “Give me five minutes to get Hayley out of sight,” he replied, raising his voice over her continued protests. “Then unlock the back door and bring Sproule to my office.”

  Chapter 3

  “Sproule?” Hayley braced her palm against Cooper’s back to lift her head. Her heart was pounding, her palms wet. Had she heard him right? “Oliver’s here?” she asked.

  “Yeah.”

  She clenched her jaw, fighting a wave of light-headedness as Cooper opened a door and made a sudden turn to his right. By the time she got it under control he was halfway up a staircase. The lighting was dim. Combined with the jostling from Cooper’s pace, it was disorienting.

  Hayley stopped struggling and anchored her fingers in his shirt. She didn’t want to send them both tumbling down the stairs. “Why is he here?”

  “Because I invited him.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t have enough breath to explain and carry you at the same time.”

  Hayley knew that wasn’t true. He was taking the stairs two at a time and wasn’t even breathing hard. She could feel the strength in his hands and in the corded muscles along his arms and shoulders. “Put me down,” she said. “I want answers.”