“Maybe so, Hargrove,” Adam said tersely. “But these women are worth it to us, including the woman we’ve listened to you condescend to all night. It’s obvious it’s not working out for you two tonight. What’s the problem?”
Hargrove sputtered for a few seconds, and Richard couldn’t believe the words that came out of his mouth next.
“I suppose some men like their women plus-sized, but I don’t and had no idea she was so grossly overweight.”
Richard glanced out on the dance floor to make sure Summer was nowhere within earshot. He couldn’t believe that was how Hargrove viewed Summer. She was stunning and curvy in all the right places and had been drawing admiring glances from men all over the club all night. She was vivacious, had a great sense of humor, and describing her as “grossly overweight” was grossly inaccurate.
“Hargrove, you must need glasses or something,” Adam said with a disbelieving shake of his head.
Ethan said, “Personally, I think you can’t handle a woman who has thoughts of her own and isn’t afraid to share them or debate them. You’re using her dress size as an excuse when the truth is she’s more woman than you can handle.”
Hargrove rolled his eyes but said no more. As the song ended the men went forward to claim the girls at the edge of the dance floor. When Hargrove didn’t make a move, Richard rose from his seat to escort Summer back to the table while Hargrove fiddled with his cell phone. When he returned with Summer, Hargrove was nowhere in sight.
“I wonder where Kent is,” Summer asked as Adam held her chair for her.
“Hargrove must’ve slipped out of the nightclub without saying good-bye. Maybe he’s in the men’s room.” Richard hoped he’d taken the cue and made his exit.
It didn’t sit well with Richard to stand by and watch a woman be mistreated. If Hargrove had not disappeared when he had, Richard was certain the men would have invited him to find a reason to.
A man approached Summer and asked her to dance. His attitude was polite, and she smiled at him and nodded. Maybe the evening wasn’t a total loss for her.
Richard kissed Maya as she rejoined them and took a little possessive pride when she happily allowed him to pull her into his lap to sit for a spell.
“Did you like my dance?”
Richard chuckled and pressed her against the tingling erection he’d been dealing with while watching her all evening.
“I didn’t get this talking to the guys.” He kissed her throat, and she chortled and wiggled against him.
* * * *
Frank Reeves watched from a darkened corner of the nightclub as Maya cavorted in her skimpy outfit with her redneck boyfriends. If Kendall Warner hadn’t shown up when he did, none of this stealth and sneaking around would have been necessary. His plan would have gone without a hitch without his interference.
It was obvious watching her that she was smitten with all three of the Warner men. That little kink of hers was disturbing to know about, and he was actually glad his plans to marry her had fallen through. He didn’t want her if she was willing to do the kinds of things a foursome did. Disgusting perverts.
His plan was actually simpler as it came together in his mind. Watch her, catch her when she was alone, extract the key by any means available, then hide her body well. The important thing was that he got his hands on the contents of the safe-deposit box. He cursed Morgan for making all this necessary by not storing the papers he needed in their safe at home. They would’ve been ridiculously easy to get at there. He doubted she even knew what was in it yet. If she knew, she wouldn’t be living in such close, cramped quarters with those three cowboys. She’d be living high on the hog, which was what he intended to do after he paid off his damned bill collectors.
Chapter Twenty-eight
Sunday morning, Kendall answered his phone as he stepped from the barn out at the JWB Ranch. Morning chores were finished, thanks to Boone and Richard’s help, and he was ready to head back to the Divine Creek Ranch and pick up Maya for lunch.
“Kendall Warner.”
“Hey, Kendall. This is Ace Webster. Sorry it took me a few days to get back to you about this guy Reeves. We’ve been busy with this blog thing. I’ve got the information if you want to meet somewhere.”
“Great. I’m headed over to the Divine Creek Ranch with the guys in a few minutes. Want to meet at the foreman’s house?”
“Sure, I need to stop in to see Jack anyway. How long before you head home?”
“Give me thirty minutes.”
“Sounds good. See you then.”
* * * *
Maya was at her laptop updating her resume for Dr. Guthrie when someone knocked at the door. Rising from the dining room table, she frowned when she looked out the picture window and saw an unfamiliar truck parked out front.