Not that he was the least bit interested in her story. No sir, he had a comfortable life and he aimed to keep it that way. Marriage was for suckers, and he had ceased being one.
The woman was coming straight in his direction, just like an arrow aimed at a dartboard. Ben slouched down into the seat and began to slightly snore. If anything would drive a woman away fast, it was snoring, according to the town crier of Junction.
He'd left his saddle in the seat beside him, so surely she wouldn't plop herself down beside him. If anything she should read it as an open invitation to look elsewhere for a seat. But the bus was crowded, where could she go? The woman didn't have much choice, he conceded with a heavy sigh.
She was going to sit down beside him, and there wasn't a way in the world he could stop her.
Then he heard a thump, a loud, thump.
Without looking he knew it was the saddle landing on the floor, and none to gently. He bit his tongue to keep from snapping at the woman. Didn't she realize how much a saddle like that cost? Hand tooled!
But she hadn't finished making a spectacle of herself yet. She wrestled with the tripod for several minutes before it finally lay silently against her side of the seat.
With one finger, and a frown bigger than the Pecos he stared at her.
The woman peered at him beneath the longest lashes Ben had ever seen on a human, a cow maybe, but not a human.
"Excuse me, ma'am."
The woman fluffed her slip around her, and finally put it down to a decent level then eyed him with all the innocence of a teddy bear facing a rattlesnake. But even venom couldn't stop the immediate reaction Ben had to those engaging green eyes.
"Sorry about the saddle, but all the seats were taken." She said sweetly.
He glanced at his saddle which had become her instant foot prop.
Satin shoes and leather didn't mix, Ben thought quietly to himself as he watched her fumble in that sorry excuse for a purse for who knew what. Why would a woman carry such a little thing, and put so much in it. It made no sense to him.
He couldn't stop himself, he handed her a handkerchief, without a word.
"Thank you," she smiled quickly.
"Yes, ma'am," he said and pulled his hat over his face again to pretend sleep. But he'd caught a glimpse of that smile and something in his insides sprang aware. He hadn't been this aware of a woman in years.
The woman seemed to shrug her indifference and he watched from one corner of his vision as she tried to clean her face. Not that he was interested, but she was such a puzzle, he had to pay attention to what she might do next.
It looked as though she might settle down until all of a sudden she opened her mouth to check her teeth. Good Lord, did she fully intend to clean her teeth, right here in public? He squirmed.
Pulling his hat down so he couldn't see her, that's when he noticed her feet on his saddle again. Tiny feet, in what was once white satin slippers. The dress she wore must have cost someone a fortune, Ben thought to himself. Just the intricate beadwork on the bodice told him that much and the fact that a tiny bit of it overlapped on his lap against a finger and he felt the softness. He didn't want to feel the softness, but it was there, and darn hard to ignore. She was impossible to ignore.
He'd give fifty cents to hear her story, just out of curiosity and the peculiarity of the moment. But he wasn't about to ask. He knew better.
"I had car trouble out on the highway, I was stranded." Her proffered explanation fell on deaf ears.
He didn't want to start a conversation, so he merely nodded a little and didn't look at her at all.
He couldn't help thinking about his quickly failed marriage. No way would he ever let himself in for something like that again. Marriage wasn't in Ben Hogg's plans. No matter how long her eye lashes were.
No, he didn't need trouble. And this lady was definitely oozing with it.
Then he saw her hands and it was all he could do not to laugh. Right in the middle of that beautiful, dainty little hand, were three broken fingernails, marring a perfect manicure? A manicure that probably cost more than any steak dinner he'd ever eaten. Had she noticed yet? Probably not, and he wasn't about to tell her. It reminded him of old man Perkins polishing his white Cadillac when the back fender was all banged up. He polished that car every week, rain or shine.
Thoughts of Perkins, brought Ben's mind back to the present and how anxious he was to get back to work after one long vacation with his family. Yeah, being a Sheriff was a pure pleasure after that, especially in Junction. For a small town that only boasted a couple of thousand, had one local bar, one bank, five churches and three beauty parlors, Ben felt safe returning to his office again, where the biggest problems were keeping the darn air conditioner from blowing every year. He loved his family, but sometimes it was a pure relief to get away.
"Could you tell me what the next town is, sir?" The woman in the wedding dress purred sweetly.
Didn't she know he was trying his best to sleep? He didn't want a conversation. He could use some shut eye after celebrating his younger sister's birthday half the night.
Good manners forced him to tip his hat back and cast her a curious glance. But when he did he nearly bust a gut trying to stop the laughter. The woman had used his handkerchief alright, but instead of cleaning up, she only managed to smear the dust and grit over her face. It had dried in a slur across a dainty little nose, and determined looking chin. Obviously she thought she had cleared it away, but it had managed to dry and was caked in places. She looked as if she'd been playing in the mud.
Ben tried not to notice things about her, but it didn't work. Messed up as she was, she was still nice to look at, a little too nice.
She had a pleasant little face, her mouth was kissable, and her eyes looked too big to be on her heart shaped face. The long lashes covered a set of dancing gray-green eyes. Her hair was fairly long, and framed her face. It was hair that attracted him first, the way it dangled about her shoulders and face, all shiny and curled and there was that one little blond streak.
"Next town is Junction." He answered gazing out the window so he didn't have to see those sparkling eyes dance with a smile. This woman irritated him from the moment he laid eyes on her and usually he was an agreeable fella.
"So I've finally come to Junction?"
He whipped about to look at her sincere gaze. She looked mesmerized.
Junction wasn't her kind of town, he assumed too quickly.
"That's it."
She did smile just a little and he was flabbergasted at how beautiful her smile was. She radiated a warmth like sunshine with that smile and Ben was quickly appalled at himself for noticing.
"I'll bet you're from there, aren't you?"
"Yes ma'am."
Maybe if he didn't offer conversation she'd hush and he could go back to pleasantly dreaming of a fishing trip he aimed to take real soon.
"I could tell."
His mind began to explode with reasons he shouldn't continue this conversation with the lady. However, Ben prided himself on being a gentleman, all part of being the town Sheriff.
He crossed a leg over and leaned back. He had no intention of carrying the conversation any further, but suddenly found his mouth didn't belong to him. "What gave me away?"
"Maybe the way you're trying so hard to sleep on this bus that manages to hit every bump in the road."
"I guess I'm about as laid back as a man can get at the moment, that's true. Are you stopping in Junction, ma'am?"
He could have bit his own tongue out for asking such a question, but it just slipped out. What did he care whether she stopped or not? Still, she had a way of bringing out the conversation in Ben like no other.
"Oh yes. I'll have to have my car towed and fixed."
"What's wrong with it?" He should have ignored her conversation but somehow she'd got the best of his curiosity.
"Well for one, a busted radiator hose and a flat tire. At least I think that's what it is. Steam was shoo
ting out from the hood. I recall my brother saying something about a busted radiator hose once when it happened to him."
It shocked Ben that she actually knew what was wrong with the car. He figured her for nothing short of an air head. She was just the kind of woman he liked to have a romp in the hay with and send her on her way.
"I guess you were late for the wedding, huh?" Ben couldn't catch his mouth in time. Here he was minding his own business when this runaway bride came waltzing up the aisle and now he was talking more to her than he did to his younger sister, Dana during his visit home.
"Wedding?" she shrieked enough to get the attention of the woman in the seat in front of her, and then glanced down at her clothes. "Well...as a matter of fact, yes. I guess you could say that."
But it was too late to explain, because the bus was pulling into the small station. Ben sighed comfortably as he moved to get up. He needed to get as far away from this woman as possible, obviously. He'd already asked too many questions, and gotten too many answers.
"We're here?" she gasped and looked about her.
"Yes ma'am."
***
So much for flirting with strange men, Savannah shrugged. If this one was any measure she had her work cut out for her. Not that she was one bit interested but losing a man to another man had damaged her ego a bit. This man was rather handsome, if he wouldn't frown so much. His dark sandy hair was cut short and well trained. But the beard didn't fit him.
She crept down the bus steps and stared at the vacant station.
"Where is everyone?" She blurted out when she saw the cowboy heading in the opposite direction.
The cowboy that sat by her on the bus was moving deliberately away from her at a fast pace. On hearing her question he stopped dead in his tracks and turned about to look at her again. By his actions she could have sworn he really didn't want to turn around and answer her at all.
"It's Sunday afternoon, everyone's either in church or home. Not much goes on, on Sundays."
Boy had she stumbled into a country town or what? It was like a fairy tale to her. Just the kind of place she wanted to be. A place where people took time to listen, to care, a Junction little town she could surely learn to do something in. This was her dream of heaven, away from the hectic schedules of modern day life.
"Is there a restaurant around here?" she asked the cowboy who was now hauling that beautiful tooled saddle she had straddled on the bus. She hadn't paid much attention to it on the bus, but now she could see it was very expensively crafted, and so was its owner.
"Yes, about a block down the street, Mary's Kitchen." He nodded the direction.
"Thanks," she said and hauled a small bag on one arm, her camera and tripod on the other and started for what looked like the town of Junction, Texas. But his next words stopped her cold.
"But they aren't open till tomorrow," he added his voice filled with some irritation. It was like he didn't want to give her any information, and it had been dragged from him.
"Tomorrow?" she whirled around and turned a startled glance on him. "You're kidding."
She'd spent the entire day without eating and her stomach roared.
But the stranger was doing his best to ignore her, it seemed. He stood there leaning against his jeep as though he was waiting for her to do something.
He shook his head. "'Fraid not. It's Sunday. Little towns have a habit of foldin' up early on Sunday's ma'am." He adjusted his Stetson again.
Sunday was merely another day of the week to her. She usually attended church, when home, then worked on her client list. She'd been a real estate agent for all of a year, but she had progressed, thanks to her dad's influence. Not her own. Still, she wasn't fooling herself; she didn't want a career in real estate. That was her dad's idea, not hers. Even though the work came easy for her, she had no interest. She wanted a home and family. How did one go about changing that kind of idea, especially when it was a lifetime idea?
All the stores would be open at home...But this wasn't home.
She glanced at her watch and grimaced, another couple of hours and the sun would go down. "How about a station where I could get my car fixed?"
"Full service filling stations went out a long time ago. We got a mechanic down the road a piece."
"Oh, good. How far?" She squinted in the sunlight.
"Couple of miles. I'll give you a lift if you like." His voice was indulgent, but right now, she just didn't care. He offered, she'd take him up on it.
"Oh, would you?" She tried to sound grateful. Somehow she didn't think the cowboy was too happy about being saddled with her. She understood that, and she'd be on her way as soon as she got her car tended to.
"Sure, get in." He mumbled as he threw his saddle in the back of his jeep. "He don't usually work on Sunday either, but maybe we can get him to haul your car into town, and fix it tomorrow."
Tomorrow? Everything was tomorrow, not now! How did people get things done around here? They were losing money, closing on Sundays.
She hurriedly pulled her equipment along and after carefully stowing it beside the saddle, she climbed in and he took off down the dust filled road. He seemed in a hurry to get there, in a hurry to get rid of her.
He hardly said a word to her all the way to the station and she wasn't sure why. He seemed to have good manners. But ever since she climbed into his vehicle the man was one big wad of frowns. He'd be very good looking if he didn't frown so much, she thought. Not that she was paying that much attention to a yokel. She knew enough about red-neck cowboys to stay as far away as possible.
Five minutes later the cowboy pounded on the station door. No one answered.
There was some kind of note pinned on the gas pump though. She spotted it and handed it to him.
"It figures. He's closed for his father-in-law’s funeral, it says." The cowboy read the note, and then stuck it back on the pump.
"Closed?" She nearly yelped.
"'Fraid so. Poor Alfred."
Who was Alfred?
Savannah felt like collapsing in one big puddle of tears. What had started out as such a wonderful day yesterday was turning into a nightmare today.
Now here she was, no better off than she had been sitting with her car. And the stranger didn't seem very eager to lend her any help.
Trying to curb her fears, she suddenly sat on an old coke carton in front of the station. She no longer cared about the dress.
The man eyed her for a few minutes. He even went so far as to get in his jeep and start the motor, but something stopped him. In slow motion, he switched off the ignition and glanced over at her. The look on his face was patronizing, as if he had to put up with her for one more minute it would kill him.
"You can come to my place and stay," he offered intently aware of her stare.
Yeah, right. Do I look like I've lost my mind? She might appear helpless, and maybe even brainless, but she knew better than to run off with a complete stranger, especially to his home. Besides, his offer was definitely reluctant. But maybe he had a wife that wouldn't understand, or maybe he was a pervert. She certainly didn't know anything about him. Not even his name.
"That's okay...."
She looked up at him, and swallowed hard. She hadn't paid that much attention to him on the bus. And during the ride, it was all she could do to stay in her seat. But now, she had time and she was totally entranced by his all male beauty. From the tips of his plain leather boots, to the tops of his wide shoulders, the man reeked male. His skin was as tan as his hair. His face was an interesting contrast to his personality. He had a pleasant face, crinkles around the eyes and mouth that said he smiled a lot, although she'd not seen even the beginnings of one since she'd met him. His brown eyes were very expressive. He had a wide face, and very youthful.
"I realize you're a stranger here, but you can put your mind at ease. I'm also the Sheriff."
Oh great, her parents were probably putting out an APB for their stolen car and she had run smack dab into the Sh
eriff!
Could it get any worse?
CHAPTER TWO
When he noticed her staring, he grinned, the first grin she'd seen and was it ever charming.
She tried not to let the grin affect her, but it did. Good grief the man was absolutely irresistible when he smiled. Awareness shot through her like a bolt of lightning and she silently scolded herself for reacting to a man who obviously wasn't a bit interested in her. Besides, hadn't she learned that men just couldn't be trusted? She wasn't about to get herself tangled with any man, for a long time.
"Thanks, but I'll manage," she said not knowing fully why she was rejecting the only friendly offer she'd had all day. Perhaps it had something to do with her reaction to this man. She was vulnerable right now, and she knew it.
He shook his head, the grin still in place, as he looked away from her. "I'm afraid you don't have much choice ma'am. You see, me being the Sheriff here, and well—the way you're dressed, I'd have to make an arrest if I caught you loitering around in that getup."
Savannah glanced down at herself. The first time she'd really noticed what she'd done to herself, hit her squarely. Then his words dawned and she had the sinking feeling that the worst of the day wasn't over yet.
"You're really the Sheriff?" she countered, eyeing him up and down with a long bat of her lashes.
"That's right, Ben Hogg, ma'am." He tipped his hat.
That southern way he had about him of grinning and tipping his hat, had her heart fluttering for a minute, but only a minute. What was she thinking? She didn't need a man, especially right now. Hadn't she learned anything?
"But I told you what happened ..." she protested. Then repeating his name she smiled, "As in pigs?"
She hadn't meant to smile, but that name startled her.
"Yes ma'am," his lips firmed into another frown. Obviously he was used to the question. "Look I sympathize, but we're gonna have to do something real quick about your state of dress." He cleared his throat and looked away. "You do have a change of clothes in that little bag of yours, don't you?"
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