Texas Manhunt

by Linda Conrad

  “Wh…what do you mean?”

  Past time he accepted that she was a capable woman and let her make her own decisions. “Someone has been playing a series of so-called pranks, nasty ones, around the ranch. I thought whoever it was would give up, or we’d find him. But it hasn’t stopped, and we aren’t any closer to finding the jerk who’s been committing these acts of sabotage.”

  “Nearly killing Jenna’s foal doesn’t seem much like a prank.” Her eyes were clearing and her breathing was stronger.

  “No,” he admitted. “And neither was cutting the cinch on your saddle. But someone did that, too.”

  She gasped and narrowed her eyes on him. “You didn’t tell me that my fall wasn’t an accident? That’s no prank. I could’ve been killed. It’s something I needed to know. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I thought I could keep you safe. I’ve had Barrett double-checking anything that could harm you before you even think to use it. But now you need to understand the possible danger.”

  Her mouth turned down in a straight, disapproving line. But at least she seemed to be regaining her balance. Still, he wasn’t too crazy about the way she was looking at him.

  It took another few seconds for her to say anything. “You can’t keep me blindfolded to a situation and locked away in a fantasyland, Travis. I’m not one of the hands you need to control for the good of the ranch. I have to participate in my own life. It’s the only way for me to remain sane. Please don’t smother me.”

  “I… Sorry. But I swear I didn’t know this particular situation would keep involving you. I’m positive I’m the main target of this guy’s criminal acts and you’re just suffering by proximity.”

  She reached up and cupped his cheek with her palm. “Don’t be too sure of anything. And even if it’s true that someone is out to hurt you, don’t you think I’d want to know when you’re under a threat? I’m not entirely selfish. Maybe I could’ve been on the lookout for someone who’s really dangerous.”

  “Sorry,” he mumbled again. He’d had enough talking for now. “We’ll find the guy eventually. But can we talk about this tomorrow? You need your sleep. We’ve only got a few hours till Jenna should be getting up for school.”

  Summer stared at him in stony silence, and he wondered if she thought he was trying to control the situation again. “Okay. I’m the one that needs sleep. Is that better?”

  Chuckling, though the look on her face said she was still miserable, she patted his arm. “We both need it. I’m just not sure I’ll be able to rest after all that’s happened.”

  Ideas to help her forget and relax immediately came to mind. In fact, dozens of sensual, enthusiastic ways of helping her forget filled his imagination. But he discarded them all as too intense for her current misery and sucked up a little fortitude. She was exhausted—he knew by the dark circles under her eyes. And he did understand that there were ways to help her relax without sex. Though every one of them would quietly drive him to distraction. But tonight he owed her the peace and quiet. And he vowed to find a way, if not tonight, then for sure tomorrow, to prove to her that she was not crazy.

  “Let’s head on upstairs. Maybe I’ll give you a back rub. That should relax you.”

  She pushed back from the table while watching him carefully. “I didn’t know you gave back rubs. Why didn’t you tell me that before?”

  “Only very special people get my back rubs.” He started to reach out to steady her, only to catch himself and back up a step.

  She was too vulnerable. Too sexy in her ratty bathrobe. Any touching might prove his ultimate undoing.

  As they walked through the dimly lit hall toward the stairs, her expression changed from tired but determined to exhausted and beat down. He had to get her mind off both the town gossip and the subversion on the ranch.

  “I’ve missed you the past couple of days. Yesterday in Dallas was the hardest without you. The interview went badly. I sure wished you’d been there to help me.”

  She turned to him as they came to the bottom of the staircase. “Me? What could I have done to help?”

  Her eyes were like two purple bruises looking out at him. It hurt deep down to see her like this.

  He lifted a hand to take hold of her elbow and help her climb the stairs. But then he realized that one touch might send him over an edge to a point where he might never recover.

  “You’re smart,” he said as he propped his thumbs in his jeans pockets to keep his hands still. “You would’ve seen right away that the applicant was unsuited for ranch life. I wasted the whole afternoon with her before she finally asked how far it was from the ranch to the nearest shopping mall.”

  “How far is it? What’d you tell her?”

  He had to smile at the memory of the woman’s facial expression. “Her eyes grew wide as dinner plates when I told her it was at least a hundred fifty miles to the nearest mall. That did it for her. She couldn’t leave the employment office fast enough.”

  Summer reared her head back. “Really? Who would’ve thought?”

  Dang, why’d he have to go and tell her that story? He didn’t want her thinking about how isolated she was here on the ranch. “If we need to shop for anything we can’t get at the Feed and Seed store, it’s a forty-five-minute flight by either the Cessna or the helicopter in to San Antonio. Makes a nice day trip.”

  She nodded, grabbed hold of the banister and continued pulling herself along up the stairs. “That wouldn’t be so bad. But I guess your applicant didn’t agree.”

  He hadn’t told the woman any such thing. He hadn’t wanted her to feel comfortable coming to the ranch. He flat-out didn’t want to hire a stranger. In fact, he didn’t want to hire anyone. Not when he was praying for a way to make Summer want to stay.

  “Nope. It was a wasted trip, I’m afraid.”

  Without his assistance, the trip up the stairs seemed to be taking Summer forever. Just when he was feeling guilty about not helping, they reached the top. Summer put a finger to her mouth and nodded toward the door to Jenna’s room.

  “Let me check on her,” she whispered.

  He should’ve thought of that. But right at the moment, Jenna was the last thing on his mind. He stood in the hall a few feet away, while Summer peeked in on his sleeping daughter.

  In seconds, Summer quietly closed the door again. “She looks fine. Sleeping soundly. I didn’t want to wake her by touching her, but I’m sure she’s okay.”

  He nodded and turned toward the guest room where Summer had been staying. “Good. Now it’s your turn. You look exhausted.”

  “What are you going to tell her about the filly?” Summer hung her head and followed him down the hall.

  When he reached Summer’s closed door, he realized her lonely room was the last place he wanted to leave her now. But he couldn’t think of a good way out without feeling like a sex-starved brute.

  He stood back and let her move around him as he answered, “I’ll tell her the foal is sick and the vet wants the little filly to be immobilized for a few days. I don’t want Jenna anywhere near that barn until her horse is well. Thinking someone might’ve deliberately hurt her filly could be too scary for a seven-year-old.”

  Standing with one hand on the doorknob, Summer looked up into his eyes. “What will you say about the feed-room door?”

  Mercy, just look at her. The woman’s eyes were so full of anguish, it almost took his breath away. He had to turn his back or he would’ve gathered her up in his arms for sure.

  Scrubbing his hands across his eyes, he answered the best he could without looking at her. “Not that you had anything to do with it, that’s for sure. I’ll tell her it was an accident. I don’t want her worrying about something as awful as sabotage.”

  With a deep breath, he took a step down the hall and muttered over his shoulder, “Go to bed, Summer. Tomorrow will be soon enough to figure out what to do about Jenna.”

  He took another step before he realized she’d come up behind him. “Y
ou’re a good father. Jenna is lucky to have you.”

  She slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek against his back. “I’m lucky to have you, too. You’re our hero, Travis. I’m sorry I said you were too controlling. Both Jenna and I understand you do what you do because you care.”

  “I’ve changed since you came,” he said as he twisted around in her arms and held her close to his heart. “I question my actions all the time now. I’m trying to let go, but it’s danged hard.”

  Tipping her head back, she looked up at him. “You are a good person. Keep that in mind.” Then she slid her arms around his neck and kissed him with so much tenderness, it nearly rocked him out of his boots.

  When she pulled back to take a breath, her eyes were glittering and so full of passion he was a goner. No way was he going to watch her walk away now. It would kill him.

  Without another word, he lifted her off her feet. Cradling her in his arms, his eyes locked on hers, he turned and carried her off to his bed.

  Chapter 13

  Travis laid Summer on the bed, turned on the lamp and closed the door. His hands were still shaking. But as he slowly undressed her, letting his fingers linger over every inch of silky skin, he found strength.

  He gave his greedy eyes the time to caress her, while he whispered soothing words and let her know what a joy she’d been since she’d come into his life. When they were both naked, he knelt next to her, then moved between her open thighs.

  So sweet. Her mouth was tender, hot and welcoming.

  Summer slipped her hands up his chest and touched his face, telling him how she felt with her kiss. He responded by filling his hands with her luscious softness, so taken with feeling he could barely breathe.

  What a gift for the senses she was. No adrenaline rush this time, he thought inanely. Only pure, raw pleasure in enjoying each other.

  As he slid inside her welcoming warmth and made love to her with a tenderness that surprised him, he felt overcome by something so complex he couldn’t find words to describe it. Suddenly this wasn’t about sex. It was about reverence, and about finding the one right person who could make him feel whole. And good. And right.

  He heard her take a breath and looked over to find her crying. But when he reared his head back, she smiled at him through the tears. The look in her eyes said she understood: him, his unspoken emotions, everything. With that one look they were no longer two lost souls, but rather a couple who’d found communion.

  And he hadn’t even known he’d been looking for someone like that. But he got it. He got the connection. There was nothing left of him and her. From here forward they were a we.

  As he made love to her with a new intimacy, the heat and intensity followed. And when they were spent and entwined in each other’s arms, he realized he’d just been through the most profound emotional experience of his whole life.

  He saw things clearly now. The difference between what he felt now for her and anything he’d ever felt before in his life was true love. Oh, he still didn’t like the idea of her leaving in the future. He wanted her with him always. But now that he understood what love was really all about, he could see that her needs were the most important thing. Not his. If she needed to go—anywhere—anytime, he would let her go. Even if it killed him.

  He was in love. Passionately. Irrevocably.

  * * *

  The first rays of sunlight were peeking through Travis’s windows when Summer stepped out of the shower with a huge smile on her face and nothing on but a towel. They’d spent the whole night in his bed—until a half hour ago, when she’d decided she needed a shower. Of course, Travis wouldn’t let that happen without joining in the fun.

  But now, towel drying her hair as she stood in front of the mirror atop the dresser, she blushed when she thought of all the things they’d done. Travis was everything she’d ever wanted. More than she’d thought she could have. No one had ever treated her with such tenderness or made her feel as special as he did.

  But her guilt at lying and using him refused to stay buried. It crept back into her mind and forced her to turn away from her image in the mirror. She stared out the balcony window and thought of him. He was a man’s man and too prone to having his own way. But last night, he’d been a tender, solicitous lover. He’d given her everything he had, his body and his heart.

  When what she’d been feeling for days now finally clicked in, she straightened her spine and tried to blink back the truth. She was in love with Travis. Totally. For good and for always.

  But she couldn’t be. That was impossible. After what they’d done together, been together, felt together, what on earth would he do when she told him the truth?

  Frantic with worry, she froze on the spot, not knowing which way to turn. This wasn’t supposed to happen. Despite her marriage, she’d never really been in love before. But now she faced the ugly truth. She and her husband had only been using each other to get what they needed. He’d needed a respectable wife. And she’d wanted a child to love.

  But with Travis it was so much different. How could she have suspected love with him would be this kind of all-consuming, all-powerful condition?

  Suddenly, she would do anything—anything—not to see him hurt. But she’d boxed herself into a desperate corner. Nothing she did from here on out would keep him from being hurt. If she left him behind without telling him the truth, he would be hurt. If she told him the truth, he would be hurt knowing she’d lied.

  Holding her head in her hands, she closed her eyes and wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole. How could she go on like this?

  “Daddy?” Jenna’s high-pitched voice came through the closed bedroom door. “Are you awake? It’s Saturday. Hurry up downstairs. I need Summer to fix my breakfast so I can go out to the barn.”

  Jenna! Summer grabbed her robe from the floor. She was putting her arms through the sleeves when Travis came out of the bathroom, wiping remnants of shaving cream off his neck. He was wearing his jeans, boots and nothing else, and looked so sexy that she almost forgot about his daughter at the door.

  Almost. “It’s Jenna,” she told him in a stage whisper.

  “I heard.” He grinned at her but turned to yell through the door without opening it. “Get dressed, baby. Summer and I will be down in a minute.”

  “Okeydokey!”

  Travis reached for a T-shirt and pulled it over his head. “I think we’d better get down there.” He strode the few feet between them and kissed her on the top of the head. “I don’t want to take a chance of Jenna scooting outside to see her foal before I can warn her off.”

  “But…I’m not dressed.”

  Travis threw his arm around her waist and tugged her close. “You look beautiful. Just come down long enough to fix her breakfast. I intend to rush her over to her Aunt June’s as soon as she’s eaten, and you can take your time getting dressed then.”

  “Well, I suppose it’ll…”

  He bent his head and gave her a kiss that hummed along her skin as the blood boiled in her veins. “I’d much rather go back to bed, too,” he mumbled as he backed up and gazed into her eyes. “Or better yet, take that shower all over again. But both of those things will have to wait until tonight. Good enough for you?”

  “I… Tonight will have to be okay.” It took everything she had to smile at him.

  “That’s my gal.” He turned to walk toward the bedroom door.

  “Travis.”

  Turning back, he grinned in that special way again and almost caused her to forget what she’d wanted to say. “We need to talk. Tonight after everything has calmed down.”

  “Sure, sugar. I’ve got a few things to say then, too.” He gave her a meaningful look that nearly took her to her knees, then he opened the door. “But right now we need to hustle. Come on.”

  Against her better judgment, she wrapped the robe around her, tightened the belt at her waist and followed him out the door.

  * * *

  So many
things were chasing through Travis’s mind as he bounded down the stairs, he almost tripped over his own boots. He’d been planning on telling Summer how much he loved her, but he needed to ensure her and Jenna’s safety first.

  Tonight, things would be settled and he would tell her, he promised himself. And the image of how he would tell her, and where, sent a warm smile through his veins.

  But then the old niggle of worry bored into his brain. He began to wonder if telling her he loved her would be enough to keep her on the ranch. Just talking about love hadn’t been enough to keep his ex-wife here.

  Thinking back to last night and the punch-in-the-gut sex he and Summer had shared, he knew that had never happened with his ex. It had never happened to him in his entire lifetime.

  Summer must love him in the same way. He couldn’t be wrong about something so important. That had to be what she’d wanted to talk about.

  His chest swelled when he thought about her feeling the same things he did. Dang, but the woman was hot. How had he gotten so lucky?

  Still, the problem of isolation on the ranch might yet stand between them. He needed more time with her. With enough time, he could show her all the things to love about the Bar-C and this part of Texas. Already she’d seemed to take to the horses. There were many other things to love around here, too. Including him. All he needed to turn her to his view was a little more time.

  A few days ago he’d been plotting out a couple of ways to gain more time. But that was before. Before she had become his life’s goal. So, during the day today, he would give a lot more consideration to the best way to make her want to stay.

  He hit the kitchen door and looked around for Jenna. She wasn’t anywhere in sight. Was she still upstairs getting dressed? Didn’t feel right.

  Then he heard a noise at the back door and knew where she was. Speeding up, he made it to the mudroom just as Jenna put her hand on the doorknob of the outside door.