Naked Heat: Naked Cowboys, Book 7 Read Online Free PDF

worry about.”
    “Good. I hope you mean that.”
    I’m going to do my best on that count.
    But shit, he just couldn’t get her out of his mind.

Chapter Three
    Mac turned off the Bushwhacker and wiped his face on his tee shirt, which he had long ago taken off. He tilted his head back to take a long drink of water then capped the bottle and looked around at his handiwork. Not too bad , he thought, if he did say so himself. He’d been at his new digs for a week, spending his days at hard labor and his nights on his state-of-the-art computer chasing every tidbit of information he had.
    Cade had been a huge help, setting him up at the hardware store and turning him on to the people who’d come and torn down the outbuildings and hauled away the rotten wood. He had telephone service, an internet connection—which shocked him, way out here in the boonies—a sleeping bag and a minifridge. He still trekked to town once a day to pick up dinner, preferring to carry it back to the place rather than leave himself open to curious stares and too many questions. One thing he’d learned about Saddle Wells was it was a close-knit, friendly community, but the people could also be nosy. In a friendly way, of course, but still. He wasn’t about to satisfy people’s curiosity. He was here on a mission, and the less they knew the better.
    A mission that he didn’t seem to be making much progress with. Before leaving San Antonio, he’d gone to the police lot where Alicia’s wrecked car had been towed. All the cops had been able to tell him was they had taken some paint scrapings from the bumper but they hadn’t provided any information. Mac had managed to take a few scrapings himself when they’d left him to stare at the vehicle, but at the moment he had no way to get them analyzed and use them to identify a vehicle. It was another thing he had to look into, but in a way that would not call attention to him or what he was doing. Flying under the radar was the only way he was going to get to the bottom of this mess.
    And he didn’t need people around for that.
    His parents were still having trouble coming to grips with the whole mess. Alicia had been a bright star lighting up the sky, and her death had really hit them hard. Mac called them every couple of days, just to check in on them, but he had no words of comfort for them. He barely had any for himself.
    The police continued to list the crash as an open accident case. Yes, there was one person who’d gotten a look and told them it was a truck. But the witness hadn’t seen enough to give a good description. Yes, other people had run out of their houses, but not in time to see more than the taillights of the truck.
    Mac kept up the pressure, checking with the police every few days. He had no intention of letting them shelve this in the cold-case files. As far as he was concerned, that wasn’t going to happen. But getting a list of possible ranchers and their families was a tedious job. He didn’t want to involve anyone else for fear of word getting out, but at this rate it could take forever. His level of anger was growing every day.
    From his few trips into town, it was obvious Cade hadn’t spread Mac’s business around, and he was grateful for that. He didn’t want to be distracted by well-meaning people. But just as he thought that, he saw an SUV turning in from the road and heading up his driveway. For a brief moment, he actually hoped it might be Nida, although he kept reminding himself she was off-limits and he was a mess. Then he realized the vehicle was really dark green and not black.
    Who the hell could this be?
    He stood there, holding his sweaty tee shirt, until the SUV came to the end of the driveway and parked in the weed-choked gravel area. When the driver climbed out, he recognized Georgie Hannigan. Shit. Was she here on a do-gooder mission? That was the last thing he needed. He didn’t even bother to put the shirt back on, hoping she’d take the hint or