Kade had never believed Keller had been hired by one of the Red Hawk miners. According to Turley, he wasn’t the sort to make close friends. If Keller was shooting steers, Kade’s dog, and one of his ranch hands, he wasn’t doing it as a favor to someone. Keller had been paid, and for a high-risk job that could land him in prison, the payment would have been substantial.

Whoever had hired him was someone with plenty of money. According to Earl Dunstan, that same man had killed him. Killed them both.

“I’ve been thinking,” Kade said as he closed the snaps on the cuffs of his western shirt that morning. “If Keller wanted to kill me, he had every opportunity to do it. I wasn’t hiding. I was out with my men almost every day. Even Alejandro. I think Keller could have killed him if he’d wanted to.”

“So why didn’t he?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe whoever hired Keller just wanted him to harass you,” Ellie said. “Maybe they wanted to cause trouble but not actually murder you.”

“It’s possible. Even if it’s true, it doesn’t change what we need to find out—who’s behind it and why.”

“I know.” Ellie straightened the turtleneck on the pale blue cashmere sweater she was wearing with navy blue wool stretch pants and a pair of black ankle boots. Kade said a silent thanks that she hadn’t put on another skirt. His behavior yesterday afternoon still embarrassed him.

Sweet Jeezus. His reaction to the bozo sniffing after Ellie had been way over the top. He’d fought an urge to grab the guy by the back of the neck and the seat of his pants and toss him out into the hall.

By the time they’d returned to the suite, his anger had faded. Mostly. Then Ellie had kissed him, and the heat had bubbled back to the surface. The urge to claim her overrode his good sense, and his body reacted.

He’d still be apologizing if Ellie hadn’t responded so wildly. Her passion matched his own—one more thing that drew him to her.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Kade grabbed his Stetson and settled it on his head, tugged the brim low. “Let’s go.”

The valet, a young blond kid doing his best to grow a mustache, had the car waiting in front. He opened the passenger door, and Ellie slipped into the seat. Kade handed the boy a tip, and they headed south again on I-25, turned east, and followed GPS directions to an address on East Tufts Avenue.

The building was impressive. Brick and glass, twenty stories high. According to the list of names, the man Will Turley reported to was the Breckinridge-Leadville District manager, the guy in charge of all Mountain Ore mines in the area.