She glanced over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to Jessie. “All right. But you have to hurry. I need to leave.”
“I’ll just be a moment.” Jessie nodded. “Promise.”
Phoebe stepped aside and let Jessie into her home. “Down that hall, first door on the right.” She pointed to a hallway and Jessie noticed her perfectly manicured fingernails.
“Thanks.” Jessie headed toward the bathroom.
The house was lovely with flower-patterned cushioned couches and chairs and mahogany furniture. It wasn’t a country or southwestern styled home. It was more modern. The floor was tiled—at least that was practical in this part of the country. Much easier to clean with all of the dust that usually accompanied country living.
She glanced through an archway and saw a mahogany kitchen table with two glasses, one of them about a third full of orange juice. Two plates, and silverware were on the table as well. Considering how clean and beautiful the home looked, she doubted that the dinnerware had been sitting there for very long.
Yep. The woman had someone here. Someone who had just had breakfast with her.
Jessie took her time in the small guest bathroom and left after washing her hands. As she opened the door she saw a glimpse of someone leaving the living room, but it was only a glimpse.
She pretended to be looking at her camera as she came out of the hallway and looked up and gave Phoebe a smile.
“When would be a good time for me to come back?” she asked Phoebe as she came up to the woman again.
“Call and I’ll let you know.” Irritation was in Phoebe’s eyes and her entire demeanor. “Make sure you don’t come over without an invitation again.”
“Sure.” Jessie glanced over her shoulder as she stepped through the doorway. “I’ll give you a call—”
Phoebe shut the door in her face, cutting off Jessie’s last words.
For a moment, Jessie stood on the porch steps wondering what she should do. It wasn’t her place to get between Zane and his fiancée… But could she stand by and let him marry the woman when she was probably cheating on him?
She started for her car, thoughts spinning in her mind.
Tell Zane or not… What was the right thing to do?
She shook her head. Maybe she’d misread it all. She’d download the pictures from her camera and take a look at them again on her laptop.
And go from there.
Chapter 5
Zane glanced at Jessie’s Mustang. She’d arrived back at the ranch sooner than he’d expected and then she’d gone straight into the house. By that time he’d been outside again, working by the barn. He’d noticed her thoughtful expression as she took her equipment out of her car and as she headed into the house.
Now that Jessie was back, it was as good a time as any to have a talk with Phoebe.
He drew his cell phone out his holster and brought up her phone number. It rang a few times and then she answered, “Zane. I was just about to call you.”
“I’m coming over,” he stated.
“Uh—” Phoebe hesitated only a moment. “Why don’t I go over there?”
“I’d like a little more privacy than we can get here,” he said.
“Oh.” She paused again. “All right. When?”
“Fifteen minutes.”
“Okay.” The word sounded forced. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
He went into the barn to the sink and rinsed off the dust on his face and neck, toweled off, then headed out to his truck.
The drive to Phoebe’s took ten minutes. Only one car passed in the opposite direction on his way to her house. Some idiot driving a black sports car with tinted windows came by too fast, swerved, and almost ran Zane off the road. He got a good look at the guy and it wasn’t anyone he recognized from the area.
When he reached Phoebe’s home, he walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. She answered within moments. She looked beautiful, her face flushed, her eyes sparkling. Her smile didn’t quite seem genuine, though.
She reached up and kissed