Page 93 of Luck of the Devil

I couldn’t help laughing. “No one’s ever accused me of being sweetness and sass.”

“I know what you’re thinkin’,” he said, resting his glass on his knee, “but there was never anything between us. She was a friend of a friend, and while I confess that, in the beginning, I helped her because of her friend, in the end, I helped her because she’s a genuinely good person who deserves good things.”

Further proof he had a good heart, but I was smart enough not to say what I was thinking.

“Neely Kate is perfect for Jed,” he said, his face glowing with fond memories. “It took me a while to realize it, but to be fair, she was married to her deadbeat husband when she walked into our lives. Then, later, her husband left her high and dry, practically days after she’d nearly died miscarryin’ their twins, so when she asked me to help find him so she could serve him divorce papers, I readily agreed. She deserved better. Carter drew up the divorce papers.”

“He left her after she almost died?” The guy sounded like a complete jackass.

“And he was a polygamist.” He added dryly, “But he got his in the end.”

“Neely Kate got her divorce and took him to the cleaners?”

“It’s a long, complicated story, but basically, no. Her no-good husband was murdered.” He took a sip of his water.

Had James killed him? The question hung in my head, but I realized I wasn’t as horrified by the possibility as I would have been a month ago.

As he lowered his glass, he made a face, then added, “I suppose I should add he wasn’t murdered by me, nor did I have anything to do with it.” His gaze lifted to mine, and for a second it felt like time froze. He was only a few feet away, but it felt too far. I wanted to be next to him, hell, I wanted to be on his lap. The heat in his eyes suggested he wouldn’t push me off.

But the fact he felt the need to clarify reminded me I had a secret of my own. And I couldn’t follow through on my need to be closer to him until I made my confession.

But I wasn’t ready. Not yet. So, I forced myself to focus on what he said. “Wow. That had to mess Neely Kate up.”

“It was rough, but she had Jed to help her through it.”

“Did you cut Jed loose before or after Neely Kate’s wayward husband was murdered?”

“Before.” He took a breath, then said, “Neely Kate had gotten into some trouble in Oklahoma after she graduated from high school, and she caught wind that someone was digging into it. Jed knew how hard it was for her and wanted to go with her. So I told him he had to choose—Neely Kate or me. I’d hoped to God he’d choose Neely Kate, and he did.” A sad smile tugged at his lips. “Smart man.”

Was the sadness because he’d lost his best friend in the process? Or was there a small part of him that had hoped Jed would choose him?

How many people had chosen him? Or maybe a better question was how many people hadn’t? He’d spent most of his life pushing people away, partly to protect them, mostly to protect himself.

I understood that well enough. I’d lived most of my life that way too.

“I should add,” he said, his gaze fixed on his water glass. “In full disclosure, Neely Kate is J.R. Simmons’ illegitimate daughter.”

My mouth dropped open.

He finally looked up, his expression carefully guarded. “I didn’t know when I first met her. Hell, she didn’t know either. It all came out during the whole Simmons mess. And none of this has anything to do with her.”

I nodded. “Thanks for telling me.”

But if he was sharing things to earn my trust, it was time for me to come clean with him too.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” I said, summoning the courage. He’d just opened up to me—trusted me—and I was about to blow it to hell. But I couldn’t let him confide in me without telling him about my call with Deveraux.

His face shifted from open to closed, like a door slamming. “Go on.”

“Last week, while we were working the Hugo Burton case, I made a call.” I grimaced. “J.R. Simmons’s name popped up, and you weren’t totally forthcoming with information. I’d searched the internet for clues that might clue me into why Simmons might have been in Lone County, and his name lit up like bonfire with links to Fenton County.”

“Go on,” he said, his tone still chilly. Not that I blamed him.

“Your name came up too, which seemed odd, and again, you weren’t forthcoming, so I decided to talk to someone who might have more insight.” I gave him a pleading look. “I was hoping to get something that would help me solve the case.”

His eyes were so cold, it felt like the temperature of the room dropped ten degrees.

“I figured who else would know the facts better than the man who brought charges against him?” I paused, realizing this confession would probably change everything between us. James would likely kick me out of his house and tell me to go fuck myself.