Cain's Law (Cowboys on the Edge Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

room, she noted the sheriff, a large man still dressed in a firefighter’s turn-out gear, and several others she hadn’t seen at the fire, but whose gazes all turned toward her.
    She drew to a halt.
    A large hand settled at the small of her back and pushed her gently forward. “They just have a few questions,” the deputy said quietly.
    “All of them?” she asked under her breath, although whispering was a waste of time. Everyone listened to her hushed conversation with the deputy.
    Deputy Whitfield cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, this is Carina Black.”
    The men formed a half-circle, and one by one, they introduced themselves. Two were arson investigators, one a Texas Ranger out of Austin. The sheriff tipped his hat.
    The fireman gave her a frown as he introduced himself. “Blake Thacker, fire chief here in Caldera. Seems you made a lucky escape.”
    She wished the floor would open up and swallow her. “Yeah, that’s me. Lucky.”
    The deputy grunted beside her.
    Was he laughing? She aimed a glare over her shoulder, but his stern face gave away nothing of his thoughts.
    “We’ve all reviewed the statement you gave Cain,” the sheriff said. “Anything else you can tell us that might help us find Joey Guiducci?”
    She shook her head. “He’s not from around here. How hard should it be to find a guy driving a Viper—one who’s not wearing a cowboy hat?” She realized she was being snarky and clamped her mouth closed. “Sorry. Must be nerves.”
    The hand at her back gave her a tap.
    She stiffened. The touch almost felt like a spank.
    “Do you have any reason to believe he might not be alone?” the sheriff asked.
    Carina chewed her bottom lip. “He’s operating pretty far from home. And he’d hate for anyone to know I left him like that—plus taking his stash. If he brought anyone else with him, I’d be surprised. I’m not important. Not to anyone but him.”
    The men shared glances among themselves. One of the arson investigators turned his gaze to the sheriff. “We might need to revisit once we’ve had a chance to walk through the cabin.”
    “She’s not goin’ anywhere.” The sheriff raised an eyebrow and nailed her with a steady glare. “Are you?”
    “I guess not.” They had her car. She didn’t have a license, a phone, her clothes were borrowed, her money was in their safe… Nope, she was stuck here. “I can’t go anywhere. He took my money,” she said, hooking her thumb toward the deputy.
    “Caldera doesn’t have safe houses,” the sheriff drawled. His gaze slid to the deputy. “What about that house you’ve been renovating?”
    The hand at her back fell away. “It’s barely livable.”
    “Got electric? Water?”
    She didn’t need to look behind her to know he’d nodded.
    The sheriff was smiling. “I’ll make sure a deputy drives by regular-like. But you’ve got yourself some time off, Cain. Keep her under wraps. Can you handle that?”
    She heard a loud, drawn-out sigh.
    “Guess I’ll have to.”
    The men from Caldera all shared grins.
    What the hell they thought was so damn funny, she couldn’t even begin to guess. But she didn’t care. Cain Whitfield, with his broad shoulders and icy blue stare, would be keeping her safe. And since he’d managed to keep her alive this long, she was relieved by how things had worked out.
    Cain stepped to her side. “He might be watching for her to leave the station.”
    The sheriff pursed his lips. “Still got those ugly clothes you arrived in?”
    Narrowing her gaze, Carina frowned. “Wouldn’t you feel like crap if they were really mine?”
    The sheriff arched a brow.
    Carina huffed. “I put them in the trash can.
    “Well, go get ’em.” The sheriff looked beyond Carina and the deputy. “Hey, Rita.”
    “Ooh-wee! Do I get to be bait?” the older woman said with more than a hint of glee in her voice.
    He gave her a wink. “You do, ma’am. Perez’ll give you a lift in his squad car to your house. We’ll put a