Chapter Two
“Don’t hurt me! Please.”
Ruby had made the identical plea eight days earlier when she was accosted in her condo. The stalker hadn’t listened and instead had increased his choke hold, starving her body of oxygen as he whispered vile things in her ears.
This man, Cliff, did listen. He released her but planted himself directly in her path, his stance and demeanor that of a linebacker. If she tried to run, she wouldn’t make it three feet before he dropped her in her tracks.
“Who are you?” he repeated.
She wavered, forcing herself to concentrate as her heart banged against the side of her rib cage. He was the local sheriff. Sworn to serve and protect, yes? And Ruby, God help her, needed protection.
He was also someone her sister had liked well enough to date. Ruby should be able to trust him, only she didn’t.
She cradled her wrist, the response more reflexive than anything else. He hadn’t hurt her. Not really. But the kiss, and its suddenness, had startled her, releasing a flood of harrowing memories she’d give anything to forget.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“No, I’m not.” She’d never be okay again.
He reached for her wrist. “Let me see.”
Alarmed, she retreated a step. He was already too close for comfort. “I’m fine.”
“Tell me your name.”
Ruby considered her answer. Lying, as he’d pointed out, was useless. He might arrest her. Probably would anyway. Either way, he’d find out very quickly she wasn’t Scarlett.
“Ruby,” she finally whispered. “Ruby McPhee.”
“Scarlett’s sister?”
She nodded. “Twin sister.”
His eyes bore into her, noting, she supposed, the resemblances and very tiny differences that only their parents and close friends could distinguish. She averted her head and prepared herself for the onslaught of questions.
He asked only one. “Why?”
She instinctively knew her answer would decide his course of action. She settled on the truth, the lesser of two evils.
“I needed a place to hide out for a week or so.” When he said nothing, she continued. “The detective on my case recommended it. At least until after the arraignment. So, Scarlett and I decided to trade places.”
“Where is she?”
“San Diego. Visiting—” Ruby swallowed. Revealing that her sister was off reconciling with her old boyfriend probably wasn’t a good idea. “A friend,” she finished lamely.
“Who’s arraignment? Yours?”
“Absolutely not!” He thought she was the criminal? Of all the nerve. “I was attacked last week. By a stalker. He was arrested and charged, then released on bail within hours.” Ruby had barely left the station before an army of attorneys secured Crowley’s freedom.
“Where did the attack take place?”
“My condo. He broke in and ambushed me when I came home.”
“A former lover?”
There it was again, that accusatory tone. “No. We met at the casino where I work.”
“A dealer?”
“I’m assistant manager of the VIP lounge. Crowley was a customer. Well, his father, actually. He’s a regular and started bringing his son a few months ago after Crowley graduated college.”
Ruby didn’t tell Cliff more than that. She’d been advised to keep her mouth shut. The senior Crowley was a local politician with considerable clout. His lawyers had contacted Ruby twice, pressuring her to drop the charges in exchange for compensation.
It was yet one more reason she’d decided to leave Vegas until after Crowley’s arraignment and why she would feel safer going home afterward. Once Crowley entered his plea, his attorneys would stop pressuring Ruby.
“Which casino?” Cliff asked.
How many questions was this guy going to ask? “The Century Casino. In Vegas.”
“Did you encourage this guy? Why’d he pick you?”
Ruby frowned. Suddenly, their conversation had become an interrogation. She felt as if she was back at the police station, wanting to cry out that she was the victim, not the perpetrator.
“Contact Detective Dorell James of the Vegas Metro P.D. You can ask him the rest of your questions.” She squared her shoulders. “Am I free to go now, Sheriff? Or are you taking me in?”
“I’m considering it.”
An indignant gasp escaped her. “I haven’t broken any laws.”
“That remains to be seen. Your sister’s missing.”
“I told you. She’s in San Diego. Call her if you don’t believe me.”
“I will. After I verify your story.” Removing a satellite phone from his belt, he punched numbers into the keypad and offered no greeting to whoever answered. “I need you to locate a Detective Dorell James, LVMPD. Patch me through once he’s on the line. Tell him it’s regarding Ruby McPhee. Yes, that’s right. Ruby. Not Scarlett.”
He watched her while he waited, like a predator studying its prey in the seconds before pouncing. Ruby tried not to squirm and observed him in return through lowered lashes.
The sheriff—it was hard to think of him as Cliff—was one of those men who did justice to a uniform. Tall, broad shouldered, rugged features. She’d noticed his short cropped blond hair before he donned his hat and it disappeared beneath the brim. His eyes, pale blue when he looked into the light and gray when he looked away, were disarming. She doubted they missed the smallest detail, which must account for how he’d so easily discovered her ruse.
Under different circumstance, Ruby would find him attractive. She didn’t blame her sister for dating the sheriff in Demitri’s absence. He was certainly better boyfriend material than a nomadic marine biologist. Not that Ruby was in the market for a boyfriend.
She caught herself fidgeting and immediately stopped. The sheriff, for his part, hadn’t so much as blinked.
This would be over soon, she told herself. Once Detective James explained her situation, surely the sheriff would release her...and probably go straight to the owner of the ranch.
She should have chosen a different town, gone to stay with her father in North Dakota. Not agreed to Scarlett’s harebrained scheme. Too late now. She and Scarlett were both going to suffer the consequences—Scarlett losing her job and Ruby enduring a grueling visit to the station.
“Detective James. This is Sheriff Cliff Dempsey from Sweetheart, Nevada.”
Ruby straightened.
“I have a woman here claiming to be Ruby McPhee. She’s been impersonating her sister, Scarlett McPhee.” After a pause, he handed the phone to Ruby. “He’d like to speak to you.”
Ruby accepted the heavy phone, its weight and solid form oddly comforting. “Hello.”
The detective’s rich baritone filled her ears, also comforting. “Are you okay?”
How often had she been asked that question in recent weeks? Fifty? A hundred? Twice in the previous two minutes. “Yes.”
“What happened? You only arrived in Sweetheart an hour ago.”
She couldn’t very well tell him that the sheriff had kissed her and instantly concluded she wasn’t Scarlett. “I think my tattoo tipped him off.”
“You’re going to have to be more careful if you intend to pull this off.”
“Yeah.” It was a stupid mistake.
“Might be to your benefit if I fill him in.”
Detective James didn’t need to spell it out. Crowley had easily found the address of Ruby’s condo. With his father’s powerful connections and a full week at his disposal, he could possibly discover where she was hiding.
“Your call, Ruby.”
“All right. Tell him.” She handed the phone back to Sheriff Dempsey, looking away but listening raptly to his side of the conversation. Thankfully, it didn’t last long. From what she gathered, reports and a photo of Crowley would be forwarded to the sheriff’s office.
“I’ll keep you posted.” Cliff disconnected from Detective James and immediately placed a second call. “Your sister isn’t answering,” he said after a moment.
Ruby’s head snapped around. “Why do you want to talk to her? Detective James confirmed my story.”
“To verify that she’s all right.”
“She’s fine.”
Deep vertical creases formed between his brows. “Where is she?”
“I told you. San Diego.”
“With a friend.” He said the last word as if he knew darn well boy should be in front of it.
“Are you going to tell Sam and Annie about the switch?”
“Yes.”
Worry seized her anew. “What if they fire Scarlett? She needs this job. And the fewer people who know about me, the better. I’m in danger. From the stalker and his family.”
“Call your sister.” His expression was all hard lines and uncompromising angles. “I want to speak to her.”
Left with no other option, Ruby removed her cell phone from her shirt pocket and dialed.
“Put the call on speaker,” Cliff said.
She did as told, refraining from rolling her eyes in exasperation. Scarlett answered on the fifth ring.
“Hi,” Ruby’s voice shook with relief.
“Sorry I didn’t pick up sooner. Demitri was showing me the baby Beluga whale. It’s so cute.”
“Listen, we have a—”
“Oh, sis,” Scarlett cut in. “Everything is just perfect. Demitri’s being a dream.” There was a wistfulness about her that even the speaker’s tinny quality didn’t distort. “He says he loves me and that he’s sorry.”
The sheriff’s eyes darkened. He’d figured out Ruby wasn’t her sister in a matter of minutes. He was surely connecting these dots at lightning speed. Was he hurt? Angry? Feeling betrayed? No one wanted to be the rebound.
Ruby dismissed an unbidden rush of guilt. Why did she care? She was hardly responsible for her sister’s complicated love life.
The bouquet of flowers lying on the table caught her eye, and the guilt returned. The gesture was sweet. Thoughtful. That of a man who held affection for a woman.
If she hadn’t asked for Scarlett’s help, her sister might have stayed in Sweetheart.
Fat chance. The sheriff was history the second Demitri crooked his little finger. Ruby’s appearance changed nothing.
“Scarlett,” Cliff said into the phone. “Are you all right?” Each word was delivered with an icy undertone.
There was a long, awkward pause. Ruby half expected her sister to hang up. No matter. Cliff knew Scarlett was alive and well. That had been the whole purpose for the call in the first place.
Or, did he have an ulterior motive? He might have insisted Ruby call her sister in order to confirm the friend was indeed a boyfriend. Maybe he was retaliating by embarrassing both Scarlett and Ruby.
Anger prompted her to blurt out, “He knows about us. He saw my tattoo.”
The pause that followed was considerably shorter. “I’m sorry, Cliff,” Scarlett said. “I didn’t mean for you to find out this way. I’d have told you, but everything happened so fast.”
“Are you all right?” he repeated.
“I’m great.” She sighed. “Look, maybe we can talk about this when I have more time. Then, I can explain.”
“Not necessary.” Turning on his heels, he snatched his half-finished coffee off the table and carried it to the sink where he rinsed out the mug.
Ruby removed the phone from speaker before continuing the conversation with her sister.
“For crying out loud, Scarlett, why didn’t you tell me about him?”
“I thought it was over.”
“You thought?”
“All right, I wanted it to be over. When Demitri contacted me last week, I blew Cliff off. Sort of.”
“Sort of? Really?”
“I avoided him. Didn’t return his calls. I figured he’d get the message.”
“He obviously didn’t. He brought you flowers.”
“Oh.”
“You should have leveled with him.” Ruby found it difficult to keep the disappointment from her voice. Her sister thought first of herself, then others.
“How’s he doing?”
Now she suddenly cared?
“I have no idea.” Ruby stared at Cliff’s rigid back, then at the flowers on the table, and her heart cried a little for him.
“How are you doing?” Scarlett asked.
“Well enough, all things considered.” She returned to the subject of Cliff. “Detective James says Sheriff Dempsey is someone I can trust. A straight-up guy.”
“He is. And he’s really sweet. If not for Demitri, I’d still be going out with him.”
Second choice. Ruby decided to spare Cliff that tidbit of info.
“He’s gorgeous, as I’m sure you’ve noticed,” Scarlett continued, talking more to herself than to Ruby. “And I liked the attention. Demitri was being his typical indifferent self, and I needed a distraction.”
Ruby gnashed her teeth together in frustration. How many times would her sister keep returning to that loser before she wised up?
The “gorgeous” guy in question stood at the sink, staring out the window, the muscles in his neck corded with tension.
Whatever Ruby did next, stay or leave, was partially up to him. She wasn’t reassured. There was nothing yielding or compassionate about him as far as she could tell. Even his kiss had been hard. Void of emotion. She was nothing more to him than a lead in a possible crime.
And he was definitely not the person in whose hands she cared to place her fate.
A click alerted her there was a call waiting. “I have to go,” she told Scarlett. “Someone’s buzzing in.”
“Sorry about Cliff.”
“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”
“Call me later.”
“I will.” Ruby checked the display, aware of Cliff’s intense scrutiny. The incoming number wasn’t one she recognized.
“Who is it?” he demanded.
“I’m not sure.” Her new number was only a few days old.
Normally, she’d let the call go directly to voice mail. If it was important, they’d leave a message. But Cliff’s intimidating presence threw her off balance.
She swiped her finger across the phone’s screen, accepting the call. “Hello.”
“Hey, baby. Miss me?”
Terror froze her bones. For a nanosecond. Then, fury took its place, just like it had that night in her condo. A fury that had ultimately saved her life.
“How did you get this number?” she rasped.
“You should know you can’t hide from me forever. I’ll always find you.”
Her arm shook so violently, the phone started to slip. Using both hands, she held it in front of her mouth and screamed into the receiver, “Leave me alone!”
Cliff materialized at her side. Grabbing the phone from her, he barked, “Who is this?” Empty silence answered him, and the display returned to the home screen.
Crowley had hung up.
Ruby’s legs went out from under her, and she leaned against the nearest solid object, which happened to be Cliff.
* * *
“HERE, SIT.” CLIFF LOWERED Ruby into a seat at the table, then fetched her a bottle of water from the fridge. He held it to her mouth. “Drink this.”
She complied, and the water seemed to restore her strength. “The bastard,” she muttered.
Cliff couldn’t agree more.
She pressed her palms to her cheeks. “I don’t understand. How did he find me? I changed my number three days ago.”
“He may not have found you, only your new number. Let’s assume for the moment you’re still safe.”
“I’m not assuming anything.” Her hands fell, and she lifted her gaze to him. Tears shone in her eyes, making them large and luminous. “That’s what got me in trouble in the first place. I assumed his creepy attention was a harmless crush. When he started cornering me at work and outside my condo building, I assumed complaining to my manager would resolve the problem. I also assumed I was safe inside my own home.”
“Detective James said you fought him off.”
“I never guessed for one second anyone could make it past the locks on my door or my security system.”
“It’s easier than you think.”
“He came out of nowhere and grabbed me.” Her hand drifted to her throat. “I couldn’t breathe. Felt myself passing out. Then something snapped inside me. I got angry. How dare he intrude into my home! Violate me. I drove the heel of my stiletto into the top of his foot. Luckily, he was wearing shorts and sandals and my aim was good. He loosened his grip.”
“You ran?”
“That would have been the smart thing to do.” She chuckled mirthlessly. “Instead, I turned and kicked him square in the center of his man parts.”
Cliff kept a straight face. Inside, he cringed, thinking of her pointed-toe shoe. Crowley deserved no less.
“He sank to his knees. That’s when I ran into the hall as fast as I could. I went from door to door, screaming at the top of my lungs and ringing bells.”
“You were brave to take him on.”
“I was stupid. He could have killed me. I’m lucky he didn’t.”
“What did he do?”
“Got the hell out of there. By then, two or three of my neighbors had called 9-1-1. Another one of them took me inside her place to wait for the police. When Detective James arrived, I ID’d Crowley. They picked him up at his home a short while later. He denied attacking me, of course. But my neighbor saw his face when he pushed past her and was able to pick him out of a lineup. And then there was the injury to his foot.”
Ruby shuddered.
Cliff put a hand on her shoulder. She’d been through a lot. He didn’t tell her that this was only the beginning. A long road lay ahead of her. Opening the back of her phone, he removed the battery and SIM card.
“What are you doing?”
“Disabling your phone so he can’t trace the signal. Don’t reassemble it whatever you do.” He set the phone on the table near her elbow.
She glared at the components as if they were Crowley himself. “I shouldn’t be surprised he found my number. He learned everything else about me. My schedule at work. My friends. My route home.”
“Is he connected?” In Cliff’s experience, only someone with extensive resources or a computer hacker could find a newly issued cell-phone number.
“The mob? No. But his father’s a congressman. The family is as rich as Midas.”
Money. That explained a lot. Cliff was more anxious than ever to read the reports.
“Finish your water.” He pushed the bottle toward her.
She’d stopped trembling but was white as a ghost. He probably should have been easier on her. She didn’t deserve to bear the brunt of his anger at her sister.
Anger or hurt?
Fine, he’d admit it. Scarlett dumping him for an old boyfriend had dented his ego. Which beat the heck out of broken heart, he supposed. If anything, Cliff had dodged a bullet. He should be grateful to the slob.
Removing his phone from his belt, he dialed the station.
“Who are you calling?”
“Detective James.”
Ruby nodded resignedly. She sat finishing her water while Cliff was put through a second time to the LVMPD. Detective James expressed appropriate concern.
“Can you post a watch on her?” he asked.
“Consider it done.”
At his remark, Ruby arched her brows.
Lovely brows, he observed. Elegant and graceful.
Cliff warned himself to stay strong. Women in trouble were a weakness of his and had landed him into trouble before.
“She needs to pull off this switch with her sister,” Detective James said. “Crowley’s one sly pervert, and he’s not the kind to give up easily, as his previous record shows.”
“I’ll do everything I can.”
Cliff finished his conversation with the detective, promising to check in with the man on a daily basis. For his part, Detective James would bring Crowley into the station for another face-to-face. There’d be repercussions for him violating the order of protection.
“Here’s what we’re going to do.” Cliff took the seat next to Ruby. “Detective James agrees with me that while Crowley found your number, he has no idea you’re in Sweetheart.”
“You can’t be sure.”
“Which is why James is putting a tail on Crowley. In the meantime, we’re going to keep pretending you’re Scarlett. It makes the best sense. He’s after you, not her.”
“Forget it. Obviously I’m no good at pretending to be Scarlett. I didn’t fool you for even five minutes.”
“I’ll help you pull it off. On two conditions.”
She sent him a look.
“First, you need a new cell phone. Better yet, I’ll buy it for you. A disposable one. The only people you give the number to are your sister, Detective James, me and Sam.”
“Scarlett’s boss?”
“He and Annie need to be included.”
“They’ll fire Scarlett.”
“They won’t. Not after I talk to them.”
Ruby pursed her mouth. Her pretty mouth.
Cliff had kissed it. Solely to discern her identity. If he were to do it again...
No. That kind of thinking had to stop this instant. Ruby McPhee was duty. Obligation. Nothing more.
“I’m not sure...”
“Sam’s the kind of guy you want in your corner,” Cliff said. “He’ll understand why you and your sister switched places.”
“I can’t put the ranch in danger.” Determination flashed in her eyes. The kind of determination that had caused her to act quickly during the attack. “Not the owners and certainly not their guests. I’ll just stay in the trailer until the arraignment.”
“Use your head, Ruby. This guy’s looking for you and, by your own admission, he’s smart and resourceful. He can track Scarlett to Sweetheart in hopes of finding you.”
“My point exactly. The trailer’s safe. I’ll be out of sight.”
“You’ll be a sitting duck. The lock on that tin can wouldn’t keep out a five year old.”
“I’ll install a new one.”
“Which will hold him off for a minute at most.”
He could see his argument was beginning to make sense to her. Also that, despite the brave front she put up, she was scared.
“I’ll have a dead bolt installed. Just in case. And window locks. Leave the bedroom light on at night. Either me, my deputy or Sam will drive by every hour. If the light’s off, we’ll investigate.”
“Sam? I can’t ask that of him.”
“Knowing Sam, he’ll insist. And because a lot can happen in an hour, I’ll post a guard.”
“A guard?” Her eyes widened.
“The best one around. No one gets past him.”
“Who is he?”
“You’ll see. I’ll bring him by tonight.”
“I didn’t intend to involve anybody else when I came here. This is my problem.”
“We take care of our own in Sweetheart.”
“But I’m not from Sweetheart.”
“Your sister is. And you are by association.”
She looked as if she didn’t quite believe his reason. Well, Cliff didn’t quite believe it, either. His interest in Ruby and his desire to help her went beyond civic responsibility.
“What’s the second condition?” she asked.
“You go with me to the square dance tomorrow.”
“You’re kidding, of course.”
“If you’re going to pretend to be Scarlett, you have to lead her life. She and I are—were—seeing each other. Also, the more we’re together, the more I can protect you. If Crowley finds his way to Sweetheart, he’ll think twice about approaching you with me in the picture.”
She dropped her head and groaned.
“I understand it’s a lot to take in all at once.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“You need to decide quickly, Ruby. We’re already drawing attention by spending so much time in here alone.”
“I suppose you’re right. About telling Sam and Annie.”
“They’ll help you with the ins and outs of Scarlett’s job.”
“Her job!” Ruby’s gaze darted to the clock on the wall. “I’m supposed to be leading a trail ride in thirty minutes.” She shot to her feet. “I forgot all about it.”
“Relax.”
“Oh, God. I have no idea what I’m doing. This was an insane idea. One of the other wranglers will have to take over for me.
“Don’t worry.” Cliff steered her out of the kitchen. “They always send two wranglers.”
At the front door, she dug in her heels. “I haven’t been on a horse in eleven years. And I’ve never ridden in the mountains before.”
He turned her toward him and gripped her by the shoulders. “You can do this.”
“I don’t think so.”
“Sure you can. You fought off Crowley by yourself. Compared to that, a trail ride is a piece of cake.” He made an instantaneous decision. “And I’ll be with you the entire time.”