Free Stranger At My Door (A Murder In Texas) by Mari Manning Page A

seventy-five square miles. But Rafe’s father was a vet not a rancher, and all the animals on Hacienda Osito were patients except for Dr. Ernesto’s stable of beloved Appaloosas.
    It was bittersweet to ride this route again, remembering the times she’d driven along this way to visit Esme. She closed her eyes and let the warm breeze caress her face. For the first time since she’d come back to El Royo, it felt like home.
    When the Jeep slowed and turned, Dinah opened her eyes and sat up. A metal arch over the drive announced Hacienda Osito . A honeybee had been incorporated into the grillwork. In the distance, a sprawling adobe ranch house reflected the late afternoon sun. The aroma of Texas barbecue meat filled the air.
    Her heart began to thump. Maybe this was a bad idea. “Are you sure about this, Rafe?”
    “What’s wrong?”
    “You weren’t around when everything happened. This is a small town, and people have long memories.”
    “You’ll be fine.”
    Maybe he was right. She wanted him to be.
    Rafe parked the Jeep in the driveway. The low rumble of voices and laughter drifted from behind the house. She followed him through a shady grove of oak trees to a wide, grassy yard where two long grills had been set up. Smoke billowed skyward, disappearing into the bright blue sky. A crowd milled around or sat at picnic tables sipping drinks while children chased each other through the knots of grown-ups. The genial voices softened and died. The children stopped screaming. The air zinged with tension as one-by-one, the guests gaped at Dinah.
    Dinah’s heart thumped wildly. Oh, God. Her worst nightmare. Why did she let Rafe talk her into this? She turned and fled.
    “Wait! Dinah, wait!” Rafe’s footsteps were close behind her. She sped up, but it was hard to run in cowboy boots. As she reached the Jeep, he grabbed her wrist and spun her around.
    Anger burbled up inside her. This was his fault. He’d put her in this embarrassing situation. She yanked her arm from him and pushed at his chest with her hands. He didn’t budge. Capturing her fingers in his big hands, he held them tight.
    “You should have known, Rafe.”
    “Known what?”
    “I’m the town pariah.”
    “Why, Dinah? What did you do that was so bad?” He sounded angry. Beneath the wide brim of his Stetson, his dark eyes were hard and glittering.
    “My daddy was a cop who went to the other side. He stole a quarter-million dollars. He went to prison.”
    His hands squeezed hers. “Precisely what does that have to do with you?”
    A good point, but it wasn’t the only Pittman sin. “I got naked in front of my entire graduating class.”
    “I heard.”
    “Everyone in El Royo thinks I’m a whore.”
    “Half the actresses in Hollywood have taken their clothes off. Do you think if, uh, Nicole Kidman showed up at the barbecue they’d call her a hooker and run her off?”
    Her anger drained away. “It’s doubtful.”
    “Damn right it’s doubtful.”
    He let her fingers go and slid his hands over her shoulders. “I don’t know about you,” he said softly, “but I got all cleaned up and got myself a hot date—”
    “Beard.”
    “Got myself a hot beard, and I’m fixing to get me a cold beer and a mess of barbecue before I leave. I propose we go right on into the party, and if someone’s got a problem with that, they can kiss my ass.” He winked. “No one’s allowed to kiss yours, unless you change your mind about cops. Then I might go for it.”
    A smile forced its way to her lips. “You’ll stay with me?”
    “Like white on rice, Miss Dinah.”
    She went back to face the town, only this time Rafe’s hand was pressed against the small of her back. Its warmth soaked through her thin shirt, heating her skin. Desire skittered through her.
    “Dinah!” A small, bullet-shaped woman pushed through the circles of guests. Other than a few more gray hairs in her chignon, Miss Peppie hadn’t changed a bit. Five feet of energy and warmth,