Whatever she might have done to him in the past, he wasn’t likely to back off until he felt sure that she was safe.
“You don’t have to escort me back to the hotel, Casey,” she said. “If I hurry, I can catch up with my family.”
“No, you don’t,” he said. “After what just happened, I can’t just turn you loose. I’m taking you for coffee, and you’re going to tell me what spooked you so badly.”
“Blast it, stop trying to big-brother me. This is none of your concern, and I’m not going to let you get involved.”
The narrow-eyed look he gave her was a sign she remembered from the old days. It meant that he’d dug in his heels and wouldn’t be moved. “I’d say it’s a little late for that,” he said. “Come on, let’s go.”
With a sigh, Val gave in. After all, this was a man who routinely faced charging bulls.
But she had to shut the door on Casey Bozeman and lock it for keeps. There were too many secrets she couldn’t let him know. And Casey, as she remembered, had a way of wearing her down until nothing was left but raw, bleeding truth.
Only one plan came to Val’s mind. Lie through her teeth, then run for her life.
CHAPTER FIVE
CASEY STUDIED VAL WHERE SHE SAT ACROSS FROM HIM IN THE shadowed corner booth. The radiant, laughing girl he remembered was still beautiful, but she had a frayed look. She was too thin, her features too sharply chiseled. Her stunning green eyes were restless, their gaze darting here and there as if hesitant to meet his.
She’d never made it big in Hollywood. Casey would have known if she had. He’d seen every one of her movies, even the ones in which she was little more than a walk-on. For a time, he’d hoped she’d come back to him. After a while he’d forced himself to give up and move on.
Even now, looking at her across the booth, he knew better than to think tonight would make any difference. He and Val were history. But she would always be a part of who he was. And he still cared enough to worry about her.
Was that all, the caring? Or was the memory of loving her still heating his blood?
He’d invited her for coffee. But in his truck, on the way to the café he had in mind, they’d both confessed they were hungry, so they’d ordered nachos to share and two Cokes—a favorite from the old days. Casey would’ve preferred a cold beer, but he remembered Val saying she was on the wagon. Did that mean she’d had an alcohol problem? Once he’d known her so well. Now he hardly knew her at all.
“So you’re back at the ranch,” he said, making small talk while they waited for their order. “Do you plan to stay?”
“Maybe.” She shrugged and sipped her Coke. “But only if I can find a way to earn my keep. I never was much of a cowgirl, as you know.”
“Yes, I know.” Casey had to lean close to hear her. Some noisy cowboys at a nearby table were whooping and laughing, their raised voices drowning out even the country music that blasted from the speakers.
“We can’t talk in here.” Val had to raise her voice. “Maybe you should just forget it and take me back to the hotel.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” Casey motioned to the waitress. “We’ll take those nachos to go,” he said, handing her some bills. “Keep the change.”
Minutes later, they carried the boxed nachos, their drinks, and some napkins out to the truck. Casey opened the door for her. When she was settled in the seat, he passed her the food and drinks. “Remember how we used to do this at that old drive-in before they tore it down?” he teased as he climbed into the driver’s side.
“At least you’ve got a fancier truck now,” she said, opening the box on the console. “But I’m not about to join you on a trip down memory lane. Eat up. Then you can take me back to the hotel.”
“All in good time.” Casey sampled a nacho chip, dripping with cheese and garnished with jalapeños. If she didn’t want to talk about the past, that was fine. It would only open old wounds. But he wasn’t about to let her go until he understood what lay behind the terror in her eyes.
* * *
The nachos weren’t as tasty as the ones Val remembered from the old days, shared in the front seat of Casey’s dad’s old pickup, while they watched the movie between cheese-flavored kisses. The old drive-in theater had been a relic of an earlier time. But it had fed Val’s desire for a glittering life beyond small-town Arizona. Even on the nights when he’d driven her home to the ranch and they’d parked at the top of the pass to lie under the stars in the open truck bed, she’d known that she wanted to leave—and that she would. She just hadn’t known how it would happen, or how soon.
“So, tell me,” he said. “Why were you so afraid, back there on the concourse? Who did you think was after you?”
“It doesn’t matter. I was just imagining. It turned out to be nothing—just a security guard. You saw that for yourself.”
“I know you better than that, Val. You were terrified. Who did you think was following you? An old boyfriend, maybe? One who never got over you? Tell me. I want to help if I can.”
“Leave it alone, Casey. This isn’t your concern.”
“I’ll be the judge of that. Just tell me.”
She pushed the nachos away, her appetite gone. “Is that what you think, an old boyfriend? Fine. We’ll let it go at that. I’ve dated some creeps in my time, mostly to get ahead in the business. See where it got me. Now, take me back to the hotel.”
“You never could look at me when you were lying.”
“Stop it. You think you can just walk into my life again and start fixing things. Well, you can’t. It’s too late for that, Casey. Now start the truck and take me back to the hotel.”
“All right.” He gathered up the napkins and closed the nacho box. “Five more minutes, and I promise to take you back. You can sit there like a stubborn bump on a log, or you can tell me the truth. Your choice.”
He settled back in his seat, one hand resting on the wheel as the minutes scrolled past on the dashboard clock. Casey knew her all too well, Val thought. If one thing could break her, it was silence.
“I’m not just being stubborn,” she said. “There’s a reason I don’t want to tell you.”
“Go on.”
“Only if you promise not to get involved. Not in any way. All right?”
He hesitated. “All right. But if you’re in danger—”
“No, you have to promise.”
Lights from a nearby vehicle pulling out of the parking lot cast his features into stark light and shadow. His strong chin had a slight dimple. Val remembered how much all the girls had loved that dimple.
“Fine, I promise—for now,” he said. “Tell me.”
Val took a deep breath. She’d wanted to tell him, she realized. Heaven help her, she was so scared. She needed to tell somebody—even if she couldn’t tell him everything.
“A few years ago, I spent some time here in Vegas. I got mixed up with the wrong people, and I saw some bad things.”
“What kind of bad things?”
“Bad. Telling you isn’t part of our deal. You’re better off not knowing. I can swear that I wasn’t involved. But I was a witness.”