“I’m happy right here.” She tilted her head. “But I’ve always wanted to go to Kauai. It seems so wild and beautiful from all the pictures I’ve seen.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” He took her hand in his and studied her fingers, then placed his palm against hers. “Your hand is so small.”
“Next to yours, maybe. But for a woman they’re not small.”
“Oh they’re small all right. Your ring finger is only the size of my pinkie.” He turned her hand over and placed his lips to her palm. “And your skin is much softer than mine.”
Kelsey gasped at the sensual contact, the feel of his lips against her skin. Her eyes locked with his and she couldn’t move. Couldn’t think.
She knew only that she was truly lost.
When they finished eating, Kade and Kelsey walked outside the cafe and ran into Sal Valenzuela.
The Border Patrol agent slapped Kade on the back. “Buenas tardes, amigo.” He turned to Kelsey and held out his hand. “Hello, Kelsey. You look beautiful. Kade’s a lucky man.”
She blushed and returned Sal’s friendly smile. “Get out of here.”
Sal slid his hands into his pockets. “Coming to CP tomorrow night, Kade?”
Kade shook his head.
“What’s CP?” Kelsey asked.
“Choir practice.” Sal’s mustache twitched and mischief sparked in his dark eyes.
Kelsey folded her arms and looked from one smirking man to the next. “Uh-huh.”
Kade ran his hand over his head. “Well, it’s CP if we’re referring to our Check Points, like the one where you met Sal.”
Sal laughed. “But it’s also the term for an after-shift party to relieve stress—usually involving beer.”
Kelsey raised her brows.
Kade slipped his arm around Kelsey’s shoulders. “The guys refer to it as Choir Practice to give the tongue-in-cheek illusion to our spouses and significant others that we are not drinking, not smoking, and not swearing.”
Sal wiggled his eyebrows. “And not talking about past sexual conquests.”
Kelsey’s eyes widened.
“You can get lost now, Sal. See you at work tomorrow,” Kade said with a grin, then steered Kelsey down the sidewalk.
“Past sexual conquests, huh?” she said as they walked.
He hugged her closer. “Sal’s full of it, so don’t listen to him.”
It was mid-afternoon when he took her to the Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum.
“The brochure says this museum was the first rural Smithsonian affiliate in the country,” Kelsey said, just as the guide started speaking.
Their tour guide was a middle-aged woman who spoke with a soft lilt, the movement of her hands like butterflies floating in the wind. She wore a velvet patchwork skirt that reminded Kelsey of a crazy quilt, and heavy silver-and-turquoise jewelry blossomed at her neck and wrists.
“In the early 1900s, Bisbee sported a population of around twenty thousand, and it was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco,” the guide said. “The town burned down three times, survived outbreaks of typhoid, annual floods, labor strikes, and the closing of most of the mining operations in the mid-1970s.
“Our population hovers right around six thousand now,” the guide continued, “and the town has reinvented itself as an artists’ colony and retirement community. Travelers come from all over the world to drink in the history and enjoy the culture.
“You may want to visit our Romanesque-style Copper Queen Hotel,” she went on, waving her hand toward one window, in the direction of the hotel. “It was once considered one of the grandest in the West. Even Teddy Roosevelt stayed there.”
The guide waved her hand again in another direction. “Just around the corner from the Copper Queen is Brewery Gulch, an infamous part of our history, which was home to almost fifty saloons and bordellos around the turn of the century.”
Her butterfly hands -fluttered in a different direction. “Another of our attractions is the Lavendar Pit Mine. It’s three-quarters of a mile wide, nearly a thousand feet deep, and one of the largest surface mines in the world. It was named for a man whose last name was Lavendar, with an ar at the end, not er. It wasn’t named for the color and the lavender hues as many people think.”
“Amazing,” Kelsey said as they left the museum. “Fifty saloons on one street?”
“Don’t forget the bordellos.” Kade kissed the top of her head.
“The history of this town has never been so interesting to me before coming here with you.”
The sun was low over the mountains and the streetlights flickered on. Kelsey sighed, wishing they could stay forever in this perfect time, this perfect place. Of course, they couldn’t. Fairy tales came true only for children, not grown women with too many scars and mileage.
Hand in hand, they strolled toward the bed-and-breakfast, toward Kade’s truck, and toward a reality Kelsey wished she could escape for another day. Even another hour. She knew that was impossible, but the dream felt pleasant even as they drew closer to the truck.
She leaned against his shoulder, feeling tired but content. And happy. She’d never felt so happy in all her life, even though she only had a short time longer with Kade. “Thanks for a wonderful day.” He eased his arm around Kelsey and squeezed her to him. “Darlin’, every day that I’m with you is wonderful.”
***
Kelsey had nodded off on the drive home, her head resting against the window. She looked pale, and Kade was concerned that she wasn’t feeling well. But when they arrived at the ranch and he woke her, she insisted she was all right.
“Dad. You’re home!” Trent bounded into Kade’s arms when they walked in the door and gave his father a hug and a sticky kiss on his cheek. The boy wriggled free and then wrapped his arms around Kelsey’s waist and hugged her. “I’m glad you’re back.”
To Kade’s surprise, she gave Trent a kiss on his dirty cheek, and the boy gave her a big smack in return.
“You’re just in time for dinner,” Sadie said as they entered the kitchen. “I made a big batch of spaghetti and a tossed salad. And a fresh pitcher of iced tea.”
Kade sniffed the air and his stomach grumbled in appreciation.
“Breadsticks with garlic and butter, too.” Trent pointed to a basket on the counter covered with a gingham cloth. “Can I have one now?”
“You hold on till we all sit down to dinner.” Sadie slapped playfully at Trent’s hand as he lifted up the edge of the cloth. “Go on and wash up.”
“All right, Grandma,” he grumbled, and ran off toward the bathroom.
“I bet the spaghetti is wonderful,” Kelsey told Sadie. “But I’m not hungry and I’m tired. I think I’ll lie down.”
Sadie patted Kelsey’s hand. “You go rest up, and if you get hungry there’ll be plenty of leftovers in the fridge.”
Kade walked Kelsey down the hall and into her room. “You okay?”
She nodded and smiled. “Just tired.”
He drew her close and she sighed, leaning against him and sliding her arms around his waist. For several minutes they stood in each other’s embrace, until he thought she’d fallen asleep standing up. With more than a little reluctance, he parted from her and she opened her eyes. Her lids drooped as if she could hardly keep them open.
“I think I plumb wore you out.” He ran his finger down her nose to the tip.
“Feel free to wear me out anytime,” she murmured.
He kissed her, then closed the door behind him when he left her room.
Chapter 25
Kelsey had only intended to take a nap when they returned home from Bisbee, but she didn’t wake until just before dawn the next morning. Apparently, Kade had slipped into bed without disturbing her and held her all night.
Her head was tucked under his chin and she was facing him, his arms tightly around her. He smelled so wonderful, felt so great in her arms... and he was good and naked, his early-morning erection pressing against her belly. She w
ished she were as bare as he was, but she was still wearing the skirt and peasant blouse they’d bought yesterday, and no panties.
Kelsey sighed. A girl could get used to this.
Fascinated by the hair curling on his chest, the powerful muscles of his arms, the scent of him, the taste of him—she slid her hands across his skin and kissed his warm flesh until he stirred and woke.
Kade gave her a sleepy grin. “Now this is one hell of a way to wake up.”
“Mmmm-hmmm.” Kelsey’s tongue circled his nipple and the tiny nub tightened. She smiled and moved her mouth to his other nipple and she teased it just as slowly and deliberately.
He rolled her onto her back in a swift movement that took her breath away. He braced himself above her, his hands to either side of her breasts. For a moment she just stared up at him, his sleep-tousled hair and morning stubble making him even sexier.
“You’re so beautiful.” His face was intent as his gaze raked over her. “Waking up with you is the best thing I can imagine.”
Before Kelsey could respond, he pulled down the rumpled peasant blouse and dipped his head to lick first one nipple and then the other. She gave a little moan as she reached for his cock, needing to feel its rigid warmth in her hand. In her.
Still bracing himself on one arm, Kade reached for her skirt and she released his cock to move her hands to his shoulders. He pulled up her skirt around her waist and his eyebrows rose when he saw she wasn’t wearing any panties. “If I’d known you were naked beneath your skirt, I’d have taken advantage of you yesterday.”
Kelsey gave a soft laugh. “Well, take advantage of me now, cowboy.”
In moments he had sheathed his cock with a condom from the nightstand.
“Spread your legs wider for me, honey.” Kade held his cock, ready to penetrate her, as she opened her legs as wide as possible.
In a single thrust he buried himself deep within her. Kelsey gasped and slipped her hands beneath his arms to hold on to his back. As he moved in and out of her, she dug her nails into his flesh and it seemed to spur him on. Harder. Faster.
Her senses whirled and everything blurred around her. Warmth pooled in her abdomen and grew, larger and larger until her orgasm exploded within her. Kade continued pumping in and out of her and then he came with a low rumble that sent aftershocks through her.
With a sigh of contentment, he rolled onto his side, still locked with Kelsey, her leg hooked over his thigh.
Kelsey snuggled against him, feeling as if she had the world in her hands.
After Kade got up to get ready for work, Kelsey dressed and joined him and his family at breakfast. As she was picking at her slice of French toast, Kelsey’s thoughts turned toward her feature, and to her interview with John Stevens.
Should she mention the recording to Kade? Or was it nothing? Maybe he’d think she was overreacting, but her gut told her differently. She trusted her instincts—at least when it came to reporting.
When he carried his empty plate to the kitchen, she followed. She slipped her own plate into the dishwasher beside his. “Have a second?”
Smiling, he tweaked a strand of her hair. “Always for you, darlin’.”
“I interviewed John Stevens at his ranch a couple of days ago.”
Kade wrapped the strand of her hair around his finger. “I’ll bet Bull had something to say. He lost a big chunk of cash due to illegal immigrants.”
Kelsey explained how she’d left the room when Stevens took a call, but she’d left her phone on record, and how she’d transcribed her notes afterward. “His conversation was in Spanish, but I understood a name. At least I think it was a name.”
As Kade raised one eyebrow, she continued, “I’m sure he was talking to someone named Gordo.”
She winced as his finger tugged a bit too hard on her hair.
“Sorry,” he murmured, and caressed her scalp. But he looked distracted, like wheels were churning in his mind.
He moved his hand from her hair and settled it on her shoulder. “Where’s the recording?”
Kelsey led him to the office and passed him the phone. While he listened to the one-sided conversation, she chewed the inside of her cheek, wishing she’d taken Spanish instead of French in high school.
“Mind if I borrow your phone to get the recording?” he asked when the recording stopped.
Kelsey hated to be without her phone, but she nodded. “Sure.” By the look in his eyes, she didn’t think it would have mattered if she’d refused. He was taking it regardless, so it had to be important. Very important.
“I’ll get it back to you this afternoon.” He slid the phone into his shirt pocket. “See anything or anyone out of the ordinary while you were there?”
“No.” Kelsey started to shake her head, then paused. “Wait— when I was leaving, this guy was driving a van loaded with people up to the ranch and he almost ran me off the road.”
Kade narrowed his gaze. “What did he look like?”
“Early forties, Hispanic, handlebar mustache. Big guy.” The man’s image came easily to her. “I remember because he swerved so close and I was angry that he almost hit me.”
“Fits,” Kade muttered. “On the tape Bull was talking to someone on a cell phone who was on his way to the ranch.” He gave Kelsey a quick kiss and headed out the door. “Don’t mention this to anyone, all right?”
“Okay.”
But he was already gone.
When Kade made it to the Border Patrol station, he found his ASAC, Miguel Martinez, at the water cooler. “Hey, Mikey. Got a minute?”
Miguel waved Kade to his office, then shut the door behind them. The man was below average in height and had a slim build, but he had a presence that filled a room and commanded respect. “What’s on your mind?”
Kade paced around the cramped office. “As you know, a couple of names keep popping up. One is Gordo, the other El Torero. From the information I’ve gathered, Gordo is head coyote, but Torero runs the show.”
Miguel scrubbed a hand over the stubble on his chin. “Just got in some surveillance today. We think we’ve made Gordo—a guy named Jose Hernandez.”
Miguel gave Kade the description and Kade whistled through his teeth. “Good news and matches what I came across.”
“As far as Torero...” Miguel shrugged. “Nothing solid.”
“I think I have a line on Torero.” Kade dragged his hand over his face and through his hair. “I need surveillance set up on John Stevens.”
“The cattle baron and former sheriff?” Miguel dropped into his chair and looked at Kade as if he’d lost a cog. “He’s funding the campaign for Eduardo Montano, the man most likely to win the election for U.S. Congress. And Montano’s running heavily on his immigrant platform.”
“I’ve got proof.” Kade sat down heavily in the seat across from Miguel.
Miguel frowned.
Kade ran over the recorded conversation. “The recording only has his side of the conversation, but it was enough to convince me that Gordo was on his way across Sweetwater. And when Kelsey Nichols was leaving the property, she saw a man who fits the description you just gave me.”
With a sigh, Miguel said, “Doesn’t make sense. Stevens hates smugglers for what they’ve done to his herd.”
“He’s been pretty bitter about it. Maybe he’s found a way to recoup some of that cash.”
Miguel shook his head. “What else have you got?”
Kade rattled off the rest of the information he’d gathered, including the scrap of paper with Toro written across it and the toothpick among the garbage he’d noticed when he found the dead informant. “Stevens’s nickname is Bull, so Toro could refer to him. And the man’s always chewing on a toothpick.” He paused. “I’ve got a gut feeling about this, Mikey.”
Miguel stared at the ceiling before returning his gaze to Kade. “I trust your instincts—they’ve never failed you before. But we’ll need to keep this quiet. If it gets out that the mayor’s being backed by a smuggler, al
l hell will break loose.”
Miguel pushed a frog paperweight along the edge of his desk. “Montano’s probably the most popular man in this town. Hell, one of the most popular men in the whole damn state. Loads of connections. Running for Congress.”
“Yeah, I know.” Kade stood and hooked his thumb in his belt loop. “But if Stevens is our man, we need to put him away.”
Nodding, Miguel shoved the paperweight to the back of his desk. “No shit.”
Kade turned and walked out of the office, and almost ran into Sal. “What’s up, compadre?” Sal asked, falling into step beside Kade. “You don’t look like a guy who just spent the weekend with one gorgeous woman.”
Pushing open the front door of the station, Kade stepped into the hot July sunshine. “I think I’ve made El Torero.”
“Yeah?” Sal nudged the brim of his hat up and scratched his head. “Who?”
“John Stevens.”
Sal narrowed his gaze. “You gotta be kidding.”
“Nope.”
“Think we need to talk.” Sal checked his watch. “You up for some dinner?”
Kade shook his head. “Thanks, but I’ve got something I need to take care of.”
Chapter 26
After he visited a jeweler in Douglas, Kade headed home, smiling as he thought about Kelsey. He’d found the perfect ring to give her, and had left it at the jeweler’s to be sized. He’d compared her ring finger to his pinkie, so he had a pretty good idea of the right size. Now he just had to find the perfect time to propose.
Kelsey was still away at an interview when he arrived at the ranch. Kade took a quick shower, then went in search of Trent and found his son in the windbreak. The boy was digging in the rich soil beside the playhouse.
“Dad.” Trent jumped up and hugged Kade with his dirt-covered arms before going back to his Tonka trucks and a giant mound of earth. “I’m building a city around a mountain made of gold, and digging a swimming pool with the backhoe behind this stick house that’s really made of gold, too. Wanna help?”
Kade crouched beside his son. “What do you want me to do?”
Kade: Armed and Dangerous Page 19