Callaway Country. Annette Broadrick

I want to hear from you now is how you’re enjoying your job with the FBI, not to mention hearing about that delectable-looking young man you’re with.”

      When the music stopped, the band announced a short break. Melanie paused in the middle of the dance floor and asked, “Do you have any idea how much longer we need to stay? I’m really tired.”

      Clay glanced at his watch. “In that case, why don’t you go on upstairs? I’ve got that meeting with my uncle and I don’t know how long I’ll be, but you don’t have to wait around for that.”

      “If it’s really all right with you, I think I will get some rest,” she replied, leaning against him.

      He gave her a quick kiss and said, “I seem to have gotten my second wind, but when this last rush of adrenaline is gone, I’m going to be ready to collapse, myself. I can’t remember the last time I managed to get more than a nap during the past few days.”

      “If you’re sure you don’t mind…”

      “No, you go on. Oh! And you’d better tell me the room number. I never thought to ask when I called you from the lobby.” They walked out of the ballroom during their conversation and paused in the hallway outside.

      “It’s a suite,” she said, “just as you requested. It’s really very nice. Number 973. Keep knocking so I’ll hear you, in case I fall asleep.”

      “Better yet, I’ll get another key at the desk.” He kissed her again, this time with a little more heat. “I’ll enjoy waking you up once I’m lying beside you.”

      Clay watched as Melanie walked down the hallway toward the lobby. He wished he was going with her now, but she was the reward he had to look forward to once he was through with this meeting. He turned and went back into the ballroom, determined to concentrate on the future he hoped to build with Melanie and erase the past from his memory.

      Chapter 2

      By the time Clay returned to the ballroom, Pam was no longer at the table where his mother and dad sat with two of his sisters and their husbands. He felt the tensed muscles in his neck and shoulders relax as he returned to his family’s table.

      Well, he had finally seen Pam after all this time. He was irritated to have to face the fact that most of his reluctance to return to Texas had been due to the memories of her that surfaced whenever he came home. They were adults with other interests now. The fact that she wasn’t married didn’t surprise him. She’d made her opinion of that hallowed institution clear a long time ago.

      He was greeted with warm welcomes from his sisters when he sat down with the family and explained that Melanie had decided to call it a night. He lost track of time while he caught up on family news and was surprised some time later when Cole stopped by the table and said, “Carina, I hope you’ll forgive me for borrowing your husband and son for a short while.”

      She smiled. “Not at all, Cole. I would say the evening has certainly been a success. You had a great turnout.”

      Cole looked around the room. Although many people had left, there was a solid group of dancers who showed no sign of stopping. “Allison is pleased. Frankly, I’ve decided I’m too old for this sort of thing. All I want to do is find a comfortable bed for a few hours.”

      Clay and Cody followed him across the ballroom.

      “Sorry it took so long to have this meeting,” Cole said. “The man heading up the group just arrived. We could have waited until morning but he was eager to meet with us for a few minutes, and since you were still here, I thought we could get the deal going.”

      He paused in front of a door and opened it, standing back so that first Cody, then Clay walked through.

      Two men stood at the end of the room talking. Clay immediately recognized his uncle, Cameron Callaway, who was second in command of Callaway Enterprises. However, it was the other man who made him stop in his tracks.

      Cole closed the door and walked to the small conference table. “Sit down, everyone, and let me introduce you to Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carruthers, who is here to explain the reason for this meeting.” He glanced at Clay and smiled, as though amused by the look of shock that Clay figured must have registered on his face. “As well as your presence here, Clay,” he added.

      Cole nodded to the man dressed in casual clothing and said, “Sam, these are my brothers, Cameron and Cody.” With a deliberate pause, he added, “I believe you know Clay.”

      Even though neither of them was in uniform, Clay fought the reflex to salute a superior officer. He vaguely heard Cole say, “I’ll let you take over this meeting,” to the colonel.

      Sam Carruthers was a wiry, tough-looking man of medium height. There was nothing about him to draw attention. Clay knew that was intentional. What in the hell was Colonel Carruthers doing there?

      Carruthers looked around the small room and said, “Sit down, gentlemen, let’s get down to business. I’ll try to make this meeting as brief as possible.”

      Each of the men quickly found a chair and sat down.

      “First of all, I want to apologize for my delay in getting here. I’ve just come from a meeting with the deputy director of the CIA; the deputy director of National Security; and General Allred, head of Army Intelligence. We’re all concerned about the recent trouble you’ve had with several of your installations.”

      He looked around the room, making eye contact with each man. “For the past five years, one of your companies has been working on a top-secret fuel for the military. As you’ve discovered, certain oil wells here in Texas have a tendency to develop a very high-octane fuel that the government has been interested in testing in our rockets and missiles, as well as possibly developing for tank and jet fuel.

      “The recent attacks on your various facilities around the state have us very concerned, gentlemen. I’ve been assigned to head up my own team to investigate.” He looked at Clay. “When I was going through the roster of possible men to choose for this particular mission I came across your name. I remembered you from our training sessions at Fort Benning.”

      Clay would never forget his training in Georgia, or the fact that Colonel Carruthers was the toughest of all the instructors he’d had.

      “I decided to make you a part of our group,” Carruthers continued. “It was easy enough, given the circumstances, to arrange to send you home. I figured you’d want to be in on this mission since it affects your family. Am I right, Captain?”

      “Yes, sir!” Which was the truth, of course, but they both knew there was only one correct answer to the colonel’s question.

      Carruthers permitted himself a brief smile. “That’s what I figured. Of course, that leaves us with the dilemma of why you’re back home. We certainly don’t want it known that you’re on temporary assignment.”

      “I’m on leave, sir. I was overdue for one and was told that I had no choice but to take it now.”

      Carruthers nodded. “That will work for us. It goes without saying that no one must realize that the government has a private investigation going. I’m sure all of you understand that we’ll need to keep a very low profile. Therefore I’ll be working this mission undercover as well, so you can start thinking of me as Sam for the duration of this investigation.”

      “Yes, sir. Uh, Sam.” Clay felt like a fool when the other man smiled slightly.

      “I don’t happen to agree with the government’s position on this, Colonel,” Cole drawled. “Our security has been too tight on the fuel testing. Outside of the offshore drilling rig and its oil exploration, none of these explosions had anything to do with our government ties. I’m hoping that your investigation will also include a check for someone with a grudge against the family or some other kind of personal vendetta.”

      “Yes, your theory was brought up at the meeting