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“Agreed,” she said. “I have no plans to be a hero.”

Was it her imagination or did he step closer to her? His aftershave teased her nostrils and she wanted to say to heck with sneaking around in the dark. They should go have a beer or two and see where the night led after that.

No. She took a step back. No. That was not why they were here. No matter how tempting it was. He was one phone call away from having his friends in the FBI doing a background check on her that could end everything. Since her sisters LeAnn and Reba had vouched for her, Shelby had only done a cursory reference check. Nepotism FTW!

As long as Dolly kept being helpful and keeping on everyone’s good side, she should be able to get out of this situation with Blevins being kicked out and her past as an escort remaining hidden.

Still, was it too much to ask for a little more TLC? Dolly was still feeling a little raw about the uniform.

Chapter Eight

Dolly

The Killeen RodeoGrounds were a different world after hours. The raucous energy of the day gave way to shadow and hush as they got farther away from the parking lot. Storage areas stood like silent sentinels beneath a moon that draped everything in silver-blue light. She and Nash crept toward them, shining the lights from their cell phones to guide their way.

“Each of the stock contractors has their own shed in each of the rodeos. I’ve made it a point to look through each of them at every event. I haven’t found anything yet, but all it takes is one time for someone to mess up.”

“Feels like we’re the bad guys,” Dolly whispered, her voice barely carrying over the muted sounds of livestock shuffling in their pens, the occasional snort or hoof-stomp punctuating the stillness.

Nash nodded, his gaze never ceasing its vigilant sweep of the area.

“Are you looking for anything specific?” she asked.

He hesitated, and she felt a flicker of annoyance that he was debating on what to tell her. “I know who switched Mick’s bull with LeAnn’s last year. It was a guy named Ryan Chester. He’s with the Rocky Ridge Ranch.”

“That’s Donnan’s ranch. The Canadian one.”

“Yeah. I was searching his truck when I saw you come flying out of your RV.”

“Did you find anything to link him to Blevins?”

“Nope. All I found was he likes to chew, and he has a collection ofPenthouses under his truck seat.”

Dolly wondered if this Ryan dude was the one who planted the uniform on her step. But liking stroke magazines didn’t necessarily link him to Leisure Industries. The person who left her the gift was probably long gone, but the hairs on the back of her neck tingled, as if someone was watching them.

Flicking off her light, she eased against one of the sheds.

“Everything all right?”

“I’m not sure. Turn off your light and come here. I think someone is following us.”

He pocketed his phone, and stood in front of her in the shadow of the building.

“You make a better door than a window,” she whispered and stepped to the side so she could see around his bulk. As they stood there in the stillness of the warm night, Dolly resisted the urge to sway into him and lean on him again for support.

After a few minutes, Nash said, “There’s no one there.”

“Yeah, I must be imagining things.”

“You can’t be too careful.”

She nodded and they continued to the Rocky Ridge’s shed. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“Do you know anything about Ryan Chester?” Nash asked as he fiddled with the lock on the door.

“No.”

“I thought you knew everyone,” he said with a grin.