“I’ll tell you about it later.”

He could hear the question John didn’t ask. That was what made him the good man he was.

“When will you be back?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Fair enough. Brenda’s waiting for you. She’s going to be disappointed when I tell her business called you away.”

Business, hell-

Cole rubbed his jaw. Brenda was attractive, and he enjoyed her company, but that was all. Unfortunately she wanted more. This was as good a time as any to end it with her. She would have to under stand he needed his space to mourn Buck. If she didn’t, then he couldn’t do anything about it. Catherine Arnold’s bombshell had blown him from the path where he’d been letting his life drift. But no longer.

“I’ll call her later.” He rang off, his thoughts already concentrated on the female who’d managed to get beneath his skin long before he’d learned her visit had anything to do with Buck.

When she took the first turnoff, he sped ahead of her and drove on to the Midas Inn, located in the center of town. Pulling around the side to a private entrance, he jumped down from the cab to help her from the car she’d parked along side his truck.

Her long, elegant legs distracted him as she got out of the car. “Is this where we’re meeting Buck?”

“No.” With that one word he’d extinguished the hope in those fabulous blue eyes. “We need to talk. The Midas is one of the ranch owner’s investments,” he explained, aware of her questioning glance as he pulled her over night bag from the backseat. “I phoned ahead to arrange a room for you. If you made a reservation somewhere else, let me know and I’ll cancel it.”

“It’s at the Ruby Inn.”

“In your own name?”

“Yes,” she answered tentatively. “Why do you ask?”

“You come off sounding like you might be an attorney. If so, you could have made your reservation in the name of the firm you work for.”