anger-management classes and all of Isabel’s attempts to distract her from her favorite topic. The very idea of being stuck with the reporter in Devil’s Claw was enough to make Dana break out in a cold sweat.
“I wanted to keep this in the family,” said her mother, “but if the media’s our only chance of finding Angie…”
Dana jumped at the sound of a firm rap at the room’s door. “Hang on a minute. Someone’s here.”
Though she wasn’t expecting anyone, she put a hand over the phone’s mouthpiece. “Come in.”
Jay Eversole stepped inside, his hat in hand and his expression serious. Far cleaner than he had been when she’d last seen him, the man looked like a Wild West fantasy in his tan-over-brown uniform, the silver star catching the light from the room’s window. Lynette would faint dead away, thought Dana.
She twitched the sheet to cover her injured leg and thenheld up an index finger to signal him to wait. Uncovering the phone, she said, “Promise me you won’t do anything until we talk again. The doctor’s here to see me now. I’ll call you back this afternoon.”
As she clicked off the phone, Eversole smiled. “Doctor, huh? That’s quite a promotion.”
She shrugged. “If I’d told my mother it was you, she would have demanded I pass over the phone so she could give you an earful.”
“What makes you think she hasn’t? Several times, including last night, after you got around to telling her about that snakebite.”
Dana winced, imagining the conversation. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Upset mamas come with the territory. And your mother has every right to be unhappy, with one daughter hurt and the other missing.”
Before she could say more, a tap at the door preceded another interruption, an elderly man in wire-rimmed glasses and a volunteer’s vest who was mostly hidden behind an enormous spray of mixed flowers. He set the vase on the bed tray.
“Holy cow. Who died?” Dana asked.
The man laughed, his mostly bald pate turning pink. “Only my lower back from hauling that behemoth up here.”
He plucked out the card and passed it to her before wishing her a good day and a quick recovery.
“Thanks,” she said, as he waved and left them. Shaking her head at the arrangement, she added, “My mother really has no concept of proportion…Weird.”
She blinked at the tiny card, confused, then looked up. “It’s signed, ‘Bill Navarro.’ ”
Jay grinned. “It’s a lonely life out there ranching with his brother.”
“But I don’t know who he is…Oh, yeah,” she said, remembering a somewhat shaggy man, fortyish, with eyescreased by the sun and a thin layer of grime she’d come to associate with the men of Rimrock County. And a cowboy hat, of course. “He was one of those guys skinning the snake behind the café.”
She made a face before adding, “He gave me his card before the helicopter showed up.”
Jay snorted. “I have to hand it to him. Man sees an opportunity, he seizes on it.”
“Like a pit bull, apparently.” Dana rubbed her nose, which itched from all the pollen.
“That’s Bill in a nutshell. Pit bull. Might want to keep that in mind when you talk to him.”
“Maybe just a note, then.”
The sheriff nodded in approval.
She sniffled, thinking she’d better have a nurse give the bouquet to a patient in need of cheering up, or she’d be sneezing her head off before day’s end.
“So what brings you here?” she asked. If he had had more questions, he could have called her as he had the past two days. Unless he had some news he didn’t want to share over the phone. “Is it something about Angie? Ha-have you found her?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but there’s still no sign of your sister. I wanted to see for myself how you are, and I brought your car for you.”
Walking to her bedside, he passed her the keys, attached to a fob made from a photo of her corgis. The glimpse of Ben and Jerry made her homesick. Probably the two
“I wanted to keep this in the family,” said her mother, “but if the media’s our only chance of finding Angie…”
Dana jumped at the sound of a firm rap at the room’s door. “Hang on a minute. Someone’s here.”
Though she wasn’t expecting anyone, she put a hand over the phone’s mouthpiece. “Come in.”
Jay Eversole stepped inside, his hat in hand and his expression serious. Far cleaner than he had been when she’d last seen him, the man looked like a Wild West fantasy in his tan-over-brown uniform, the silver star catching the light from the room’s window. Lynette would faint dead away, thought Dana.
She twitched the sheet to cover her injured leg and thenheld up an index finger to signal him to wait. Uncovering the phone, she said, “Promise me you won’t do anything until we talk again. The doctor’s here to see me now. I’ll call you back this afternoon.”
As she clicked off the phone, Eversole smiled. “Doctor, huh? That’s quite a promotion.”
She shrugged. “If I’d told my mother it was you, she would have demanded I pass over the phone so she could give you an earful.”
“What makes you think she hasn’t? Several times, including last night, after you got around to telling her about that snakebite.”
Dana winced, imagining the conversation. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be. Upset mamas come with the territory. And your mother has every right to be unhappy, with one daughter hurt and the other missing.”
Before she could say more, a tap at the door preceded another interruption, an elderly man in wire-rimmed glasses and a volunteer’s vest who was mostly hidden behind an enormous spray of mixed flowers. He set the vase on the bed tray.
“Holy cow. Who died?” Dana asked.
The man laughed, his mostly bald pate turning pink. “Only my lower back from hauling that behemoth up here.”
He plucked out the card and passed it to her before wishing her a good day and a quick recovery.
“Thanks,” she said, as he waved and left them. Shaking her head at the arrangement, she added, “My mother really has no concept of proportion…Weird.”
She blinked at the tiny card, confused, then looked up. “It’s signed, ‘Bill Navarro.’ ”
Jay grinned. “It’s a lonely life out there ranching with his brother.”
“But I don’t know who he is…Oh, yeah,” she said, remembering a somewhat shaggy man, fortyish, with eyescreased by the sun and a thin layer of grime she’d come to associate with the men of Rimrock County. And a cowboy hat, of course. “He was one of those guys skinning the snake behind the café.”
She made a face before adding, “He gave me his card before the helicopter showed up.”
Jay snorted. “I have to hand it to him. Man sees an opportunity, he seizes on it.”
“Like a pit bull, apparently.” Dana rubbed her nose, which itched from all the pollen.
“That’s Bill in a nutshell. Pit bull. Might want to keep that in mind when you talk to him.”
“Maybe just a note, then.”
The sheriff nodded in approval.
She sniffled, thinking she’d better have a nurse give the bouquet to a patient in need of cheering up, or she’d be sneezing her head off before day’s end.
“So what brings you here?” she asked. If he had had more questions, he could have called her as he had the past two days. Unless he had some news he didn’t want to share over the phone. “Is it something about Angie? Ha-have you found her?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, but there’s still no sign of your sister. I wanted to see for myself how you are, and I brought your car for you.”
Walking to her bedside, he passed her the keys, attached to a fob made from a photo of her corgis. The glimpse of Ben and Jerry made her homesick. Probably the two
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