now? Because she was heading to the bar? She hoped it wasn’t because of the cute bartender, Kyle—surely, she couldn’t have been that taken with him. She knew he wasn’t boyfriend material and she wasn’t the one-night-stand type. Tearing herself away from the mirror, she skidded out into the common room of the suite.
“I’m going to head over to the bar and see if my contacts know anything about the break-in while you guys are finishing up,” she said as she hurried to the door.
“Umm ... okay. Do you want me to go with you?” Morgan asked.
Jolene rolled her eyes at her older sister who tended to be overprotective with good reason—their mother had jumped to her death from the cliffs outside their home when Jolene was only fourteen and Morgan, who had been twenty-eight at the time, had had to put herself in the role of mother. And since their father was already dead, her sisters had all chipped in to finish the parenting job. Jolene appreciated all they had done for her … but she was twenty-one now and didn’t need parenting anymore.
“I think I’ll be fine … I’ll only be a few minutes while I’m waiting for you guys to get it together so we can go to the mine.”
Morgan narrowed her eyes, but gave in. “Okay, see you in a bit, then.”
Jolene slipped out of the door, ran down the stairs and out into the hot desert sun. It was late afternoon and the sun was shining directly into her face. She squinted and then put her hand up to shade her eyes, noticing a movement over by the bar.
Was that someone ducking behind the building?
“Hey! You!” She sprinted over to the building, skidding around the corner where she’d thought she’d seen the person go, but no one was there.
“What the heck?” Jolene scrunched up her face. She was sure she’d seen someone.
Walking back to the front of the building, she shrugged. Probably just my imagination going wild due to the break-in , she thought as she tugged open the door to the bar.
Inside, it was just as dim as the day before. She headed straight to the bar, letting her eyes adjust as she walked. As she slid onto a bar stool, she noticed the tables and other stools were empty. One lone glass sat at the end of the bar, empty except for a few ice cubes melting on the bottom.
“Hey there.” Kyle had turned at the sound of the door opening and now leaned against the back bar smiling at her.
“Hey,” she said.
“Coors?”
“That would be great.”
He poured the beer and slid it across the bar to her along with a square white napkin. “Hey, some guy was just in here asking about you and your sisters.”
Jolene’s heart lurched. She whirled around to look at the door. “Did he just leave, like a few seconds ago?”
“Yes, right before you came in.”
She turned back to look at Kyle and noticed he was leaning on the bar studying her intently. It made her a little nervous, but she couldn’t pinpoint why. “What did he look like?”
Kyle shrugged. “Dark hair, kind of tall. Just a regular guy. I hope you’re not in some kind of trouble.”
“Nothing we can’t handle,” she said. “But our rooms did get broken into last night. Have you heard anything about that?”
A cloud passed over Kyle’s face as he straightened back up. “No. Why would I know anything?”
“Well, I just figured you might have heard something here in the bar.”
He shook his head. “No. You think that guy that was asking about you had something to do with it?”
“Maybe.” Jolene sipped her beer, the grainy smell of hops tickled her nose while the icy beer cooled her throat.
“Did they take anything?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah. Computers and stuff.”
“We don’t usually have much trouble out here, but sometimes kids break in and steal stuff,” Kyle said. “It could have been kids from town.”
Jolene was considering that when she heard the door open behind her. Her shoulders tensed. She swung around on her stool, ready to confront
“I’m going to head over to the bar and see if my contacts know anything about the break-in while you guys are finishing up,” she said as she hurried to the door.
“Umm ... okay. Do you want me to go with you?” Morgan asked.
Jolene rolled her eyes at her older sister who tended to be overprotective with good reason—their mother had jumped to her death from the cliffs outside their home when Jolene was only fourteen and Morgan, who had been twenty-eight at the time, had had to put herself in the role of mother. And since their father was already dead, her sisters had all chipped in to finish the parenting job. Jolene appreciated all they had done for her … but she was twenty-one now and didn’t need parenting anymore.
“I think I’ll be fine … I’ll only be a few minutes while I’m waiting for you guys to get it together so we can go to the mine.”
Morgan narrowed her eyes, but gave in. “Okay, see you in a bit, then.”
Jolene slipped out of the door, ran down the stairs and out into the hot desert sun. It was late afternoon and the sun was shining directly into her face. She squinted and then put her hand up to shade her eyes, noticing a movement over by the bar.
Was that someone ducking behind the building?
“Hey! You!” She sprinted over to the building, skidding around the corner where she’d thought she’d seen the person go, but no one was there.
“What the heck?” Jolene scrunched up her face. She was sure she’d seen someone.
Walking back to the front of the building, she shrugged. Probably just my imagination going wild due to the break-in , she thought as she tugged open the door to the bar.
Inside, it was just as dim as the day before. She headed straight to the bar, letting her eyes adjust as she walked. As she slid onto a bar stool, she noticed the tables and other stools were empty. One lone glass sat at the end of the bar, empty except for a few ice cubes melting on the bottom.
“Hey there.” Kyle had turned at the sound of the door opening and now leaned against the back bar smiling at her.
“Hey,” she said.
“Coors?”
“That would be great.”
He poured the beer and slid it across the bar to her along with a square white napkin. “Hey, some guy was just in here asking about you and your sisters.”
Jolene’s heart lurched. She whirled around to look at the door. “Did he just leave, like a few seconds ago?”
“Yes, right before you came in.”
She turned back to look at Kyle and noticed he was leaning on the bar studying her intently. It made her a little nervous, but she couldn’t pinpoint why. “What did he look like?”
Kyle shrugged. “Dark hair, kind of tall. Just a regular guy. I hope you’re not in some kind of trouble.”
“Nothing we can’t handle,” she said. “But our rooms did get broken into last night. Have you heard anything about that?”
A cloud passed over Kyle’s face as he straightened back up. “No. Why would I know anything?”
“Well, I just figured you might have heard something here in the bar.”
He shook his head. “No. You think that guy that was asking about you had something to do with it?”
“Maybe.” Jolene sipped her beer, the grainy smell of hops tickled her nose while the icy beer cooled her throat.
“Did they take anything?” Kyle asked.
“Yeah. Computers and stuff.”
“We don’t usually have much trouble out here, but sometimes kids break in and steal stuff,” Kyle said. “It could have been kids from town.”
Jolene was considering that when she heard the door open behind her. Her shoulders tensed. She swung around on her stool, ready to confront
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