Warm water sluiced through his hair, followed by a caressing motion of her hand. To his disappointment she turned off the water, but she rubbed his wet hair with long, languorous strokes of the towel, and the mood remained.

“That’s better, she” murmured. “I’ll lever you back up now. “

As she raised the chair he opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the damned flowers. The sensuous haze evaporated as he stared at them. She must have noticed his gaze because she swiveled him toward the mirror with more vigor than he thought necessary. She didn’t want him focusing on those flowers. Guilty conscience , perhaps?

He glanced in the mirror, but she was busy choosinga comb from the sterilizing jar on the counter. Or maybe she didn’t want to look at him right now. The party, sweet though it might have been, was over. Time for him to do a little questioning of his own.

“Will you let me use my own judgment on the style?” she asked as she combed his damp hair back from his forehead.

“Sure: ‘

“Good. I think you’ll like the results.”

He decided to go for the jugular. “Is Neal Parnell one of your regular customers?” ,

She froze in mid-motion. Then she began studiously snipping at his hair. “No. Why do you ask?”

“I saw him in here a while ago.”

“Yes.” Her voice had lost its soothing texture. Such a pity.

“I wouldn’t think having him hang around would be very good for business.”

“He can go wherever he wants.” Her snipping became more vigorous. “He s an innocent man: ‘

“So the jury said.”

She stopped snipping and glared at hirxi in the mirror’ Were you at the trial?”

“Got there after it was over, unfortunately. But someone pointed you out as the foreperson.”

Her chin went up a notch. “That’s right: ‘

He jerked a thumb back toward the vase of roses. “Nice flowers .”

She laid down the scissors and the comb. “Just what are you implying, Mr. Escalante?”

He’d meant to be more subtle, but exhaustion pushed him toward the accusation he’d been restraining for hours. “No implication. The plain truth. You turned a rapist loose. “

“That’s not true!”

“Oh, yes, it is .” He wrenched off the cape, scattering hair, and pushed himself out of the chair. “And for a little reward, he sends you flowers. What else has Neal

Parnell done for you lately, Miss Dallas?”

Her face went dead white and she began to tremble.

“Get out of my shop .”

“Sure thing.” He pulled money from his wallet and threw it on the counter. Then he snatched his hat from the rack. “But justice is a hobby of mine. And I’m not going away ,

DALLAS DIDN’T MOVE as Gabe stormed out of the shop. Then she grabbed a broom and began furiously sweeping the bits of dark hair that had scattered when Gabe pulled off the cape.

“Dallas?”

She looked up to find Dave Fogarty, operator of the old-time photography concession, standing in the doorway.

“Did that fellow cause a problem?”

Dallas gripped the broom handle and took a deep breath. “No .”

Dave stroked his full gray beard. “I’ve never seen anybody take off like that from your shop. Usually they leave looking sort of dazed:

‘


“I ordered him out.”

Amber hurried in, carrying a half-full mug of coffee that she nearly spilled in her haste. “You did what? Did he try to hit on you or something?”

“No : More in control now, Dallas took the dustpan from a corner and swept the snippets of dark hair into it.

“Hey, Dallas; Dave said. “I’ve been running the shop across from yours for eighteen months, and I’ve never known you to throw somebody out. What did he do?”

Dallas dumped the contents of the dustpan in the trash and faced them. “He accused me of having some underhanded deal with Parnell, of somehow rigging the trial .”

Amber gasped. “Oh, wow. He’s lucky he didn’t go out of here looking like van Gogh.”

“I considered aiming the scissors a bit lower than that .”

Dave adjusted his gray Stetson down over his eyes. “He’s at the bar. Maybe I’ll go have a little talk with him.”

“No, please.” Dallas picked up the cape from the floor and folded it. “Let’s not make this into a bigger deal than it is .”

“That darn Parnell would have to come in here.” Amber glanced nervously at the vase of roses. “I suppose the guy figured out about the flowers, too.”

Dave’s eyebrows rose. “Parnell sent you those?”

“Unfortunately. He has some idea that as foreperson of the jury I deserve his gratitude.”

“That’s not all he thinks you deserve, Amber said. “He’s developed a crush on you, Dallas. I watched him while I was eating dinner, and in between dances he kept looking over at the shop.” She turned to Dave. “He invited her to dinner at the Tack Room: ‘

Dave let out a low whistle.

“She declined.”

“That’s good.” Dave glanced back at his studio where a couple lingered, looking at the sepia-toned photographs on display. “I’d better get back, but I’ll keep an eye on you over here. If either of those clowns pester you again, I’ll drop by.”

“Thanks, Dave.”

Amber put down her coffee and started toward the roses. “Maybe I’d better take those out to my car before they cause any more trouble.”

“Wait. I know I promised them to you, but I’d appreciate it if you d leave them here, after all.”

“You want these flowers?”

“No, but I refuse to be intimidated by that son of a bitch.” Dallas glared out the door of the shop. “Those roses are staying until they wilt. Just let him try and make something out of it!”

Gabe new he’d screwed up. He sat at the bar where he had a view of the Cutting Pen and nursed a beer. Alcohol probably wasn’t such a great idea, either, but the crisp bite of the ice-cold liquid fit the bill right now.

He’d done everything wrong. His plan had been to get a haircut and some information. To cooly, calmly lead Dallas into some sort of compromising confession What had gone wrong?

Just about everything.

He should have refused the massage. Refused the shampoo. Refused to meet the laughing challenge in her eyes, gray eyes with little flecks of gold that sparkled when she smiled. He’d become fascinated with the spirit reflected in those eyes, had wanted to study them far too long. In spite of damning evidence that she was dishonest , he’d begun to like her. Not to mention the baser emotions her touch stirred in him.

Apparently imagining this desirable woman dealing with Parnell had been too much for him. Instead of questioning, he’d accused. Instead of playing it cool,

cascading down her back shimmered the way aspen , g he’d worked himself into a hot rae. He could blame it leaves danced in a breeze. But he d lived in the world on lack of sleep, on the frustration of not being there for Celia during the trial, on the fury blasting through Icng enough to know that beautiful hair and a great him when he’d heard the verdict. body could just as easily be decorating treachery as

He could sit here and make excuses all night, but he’d honesty.

ruined Dallas as a source of information. And if she was

Another man walked into the shop, took off his cozy with Parnell, she d tip him off before the eve rung cowboy hat and eased into the chair Gabe had va was over. Parnell might even have the resources to un-ca ted Dallas reached for the massage wand, and Gabe cover Gabe’s identity as Celia’s brother, even though flexed his shoulders, remembering how soothing the they no longer had tkqe same last name. deep vibration had felt. When Dallas tipped the man

His lack of judgment could mean that Parnell would back into the shampoo bowl, Gabe could feel her fin slip through his fingers. If that happened, he’d never gers on his scalp, smell the fragrance of her skin. He was forgive himself. definitely turned on, not a good condition to be in right

“Another beer?” the bartender asked. now.

Gabe nodded. The bartender had been eyeing him He looked away, distracting himself by examining the strangely ever since he sat down. He scratched inside updated decor of Rowdy Ranch. On the wall behind the his collar where sharp barbs of hair had fallen when deejay booth a black metal sculpture of wild horses was he’d pulled the cape away. He knew his hat didn’t dis-backlit in red. On another, a stagecoach backlit in blue guise the fact that he had half of a haircut, and he careened across the desert, the driver’s whip a vivid probably looked pretty stupid. But stupid-looking or slash of purple neon. The untamed West. Leave your not, he’d keep an eye on Parnell for the rest of the night. inhibitions behind.

But he was here to monitor Parnell, and he’d better And Dallas. remember that. Spotting him in the crowd wasn’t hard.

She moved with the short, jerky gestures of anger that he recognized in himself. She was probably relay-His gaudy dress and loud manner made him easy to ing the whole story to the photography-shop guy and find. He’d already bought some new friends by makthe other woman, a brunette with long, straight hair inga big deal out of paying for a round of drinks. and a figure almost as good as Dallas s. Gabe shook his Gabe was taking the first shift of watching Parnell, head, angry at himself all over again. He should have but he’d lined up two guys to spell him. They were known that after months of being without sex he’d be working cheap because they were friends of his and

, susceptible to a beautiful woman’s attention. they didn’t like Parnell’s kind, but Gabe would have

And Dallas was breathtaking, with hair the color of paid his last penny to snare this particular lowlife. Ceaspen leaves in the fall. When she moved, the curls lia deserved to see him behind bars, along with anyone who had helped him get away with his crimes. If that included the beautiful Dallas, so be it.