Callahan's Gold (Southwest Desert Series Book 3)

by Mary Tate Engels

  Laughingly, he pushed her down on the bed and began to kiss her all over. "Don't worry, my sweet little fancy pants. I'll take care of you." He engulfed both breasts with his large hands and kissed each one tenderly, finally burying his face in their softness.

  "It sounded so close," she said.

  "It was close," he answered, his words muffled against her silky skin.

  "But what if the roof caves in?"

  "Then we go to heaven together. In ecstasy!" He laughed raucously and kissed her navel and the flat stomach between her hip bones.

  "Wait!" She protested suddenly as his kisses came closer to the crest of her femininity. "I was going to do that!"

  He raised his head. "This?"

  "Well, no, I wanted to do that to you!" She giggled embarrassedly as he molded his body to hers and slithered up until their lips were close to matching.

  "Do what to me?"

  "Kiss you. Love you. Until you couldn't stand it without me."

  "I already can't."

  "No, I mean, really!"

  "I'm crazy for you, really!" He kissed her and, at the same time, rolled her over on top of him. "Now . . . that better?"

  Tory grinned and wriggled over her victim. "Much better." She felt his hard arousal firmly assailing and probing, searching for her warmth. And she wanted him inside her. But he would have to wait. Until he was crazy for her!

  She pressed her hands on his wrists above his head and kissed him all over, making love to him with all of her body as he had done to her. Until he begged for her. And she knew she had him! She had accomplished what she'd set out to do—drive him crazy for her. It was a heady feeling, this power she held over the big, brawny Dodge Callahan.

  The wind howled around the corners and found tiny cracks in the trailer to whistle through, making a high, wailing noise that accompanied the lower, more ominous sounds.

  "Tory, Tory . . ." he moaned softly, "come on – you're killing me here."

  She wasn't sure who was crazy for whom in the end. She wanted to feel his power, wanted him inside her more than she ever had before. This time her desperation was born of love and fueled by fear. A deep, abiding love for a man who was entirely different from her and fear that she was losing him.

  The wild wind stalked outside the windows, shaking them as if trying to enter, to interrupt the happenings inside the trailer. In futility, the wind grabbed the small metal building and shook it hard.

  She gasped and shuddered as their forces came together with the storm.

  Lightening flickered and their bodies glowed with a love sheen.

  In an overwhelming burst of delight, they shuddered together and rose in a wild frenzy that left them both weak and trembling. When they were still at last, she slumped over him, letting her heart beat against his.

  In time, their breathing became more normal and their heartbeats slowed. Gently, he cradled her in his arms. "Are you warm now?"

  She snuggled against him. "Hmm. The warmest."

  His lips brushed her cheek. "God, you make me crazy, Tory."

  "Yes." She smiled. "You, too."

  The rain plunked rhythmically on the trailer's tin roof, lulling its occupants to sleep. And they slept around the clock, dreaming of this ecstasy in each other's arms lasting forever.

  But when they awoke the next day, they knew it couldn't last forever. It was a feeling in the air, more than anything said.

  Dodge woke first and was fixing coffee when Tory staggered in, wearing a man's flannel shirt she found in the closet.

  "Do you mind?" She lifted one arm.

  He shook his head. "It isn't mine. Sharkey's."

  "Oh." She looked at the blue plaid curiously. "Well, then, I suppose it's okay. From what I've learned about my father, he seemed like the sort of man to give you the shirt off his back."

  "Oh, yes, he was," Dodge said smiling, and poured them both a cup of coffee.

  Her face was tight and serious. "We've got to talk, Dodge."

  "I know."

  They sat at the tiny table. Tory remembered the time, not very long ago, when they sat across from each other at this very table as strangers. Perfect strangers. Now they were perfect lovers. She smiled hopefully at him, thinking how her life would change with a man to love. It was exciting, for this man was different from any she had ever known. And she loved him so . . .

  "When do you have to go back?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  "I need to get back as soon as possible. I've already left the shop with Megan in charge longer than I planned. But maybe we could wait a few more days—"

  "We?"

  "Yes. If you need a few days to close out your business here. Or if you need a little more time getting rid of Sharkey's stuff, you could join me later."

  "Join you?" He winced and narrowed one brown eye at her.

  "Yes. I understand this kind of thing takes time. Plus we have to get the gold situation settled."

  "That may take weeks to finalize, but we should know something about the value today when we meet with Ramona." He paused to thoughtfully sip his coffee.

  "Good." She reached over to pat his hand. "Of course we'll probably have to return here for Yazzie's trial, but that'll be just a pleasure trip. In the meantime, though, we can get settled in L.A. I have a small apartment, just big enough for one, so we'll want to get a larger one. And we have to find you a job—"

  "Hold it, Tory!" His face was a dark scowl. "What are you talking about? I'm not coming to live in L.A."

  "You aren't?" She straightened against the back of the booth. "Well, what do you expect me to do? Transfer my dress shop to Tombstone?"

  "Expect you to do?" He shrugged. "Why, nothing."

  "Wait a minute, Dodge. What are you planning to do?"

  "I think I'll go check out Reno and the University of Nevada. I told you I applied for a job there. Maybe I'll work in Nevada for a while."

  "Maybe . . . Maybe?" She looked at him wildly. "I don't think you understand any of this. Or maybe I don't. I—I love you, Dodge Callahan. And somehow in the last few days, I figured you felt the same. What do you say about that?"

  He ran his hand over his face, his fingers lingering to stroke his mustache. "Frankly, it scares the hell out of me."

  "What?" She wanted to jump up and scream. "After all we've been through together, all we've done. After sleeping together . . . Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

  His dark eyes clouded. "Of course. It's just that suddenly you're sounding like someone taking charge of my life, tying me up to convention."

  "Oh, no, I wouldn't do that. But, Dodge, we could make a good team. You could help me get the shop straight, help me keep it solvent."

  "I've never done that kind of work in my life, Tory. I don't know anything about retailing."

  "But you could learn. We'll work together on it. After we're married—"

  "Hold it, Tory." He stood up abruptly. "I don't know if I'm ready for that."

  "What does it take?"

  "For me? Time. And, uh, oh, a strike of lightning, Tory. I think we both need time here."

  "I only know one thing. That I love you, Dodge Callahan. And you're refusing my love."

  He faced her, his dark expression frantic. "If it means I have to conform to your standards, I guess so. Don't you know me well enough to realize I can't live like that? Oh, Tory, don't you see? I need space. And I need a little time to figure out what all this means."

  "What—what about us?" She felt as though someone had socked her in the stomach.

  "I don't know yet. I have to think. We both do. We'll work something out to be together, Tory."

  "Sounds like a long-distance love affair is what you want."

  "No, I want us to be together, but—"

  "You know what I think?" She ran a hand through her short dark hair, mussing it even more. "I think this is a repeat of history."

  "What?"

  She folded her arms. "Only I was lucky enough to find out about it sooner than
my mother did."

  "Tory, what are you talking about?"

  "Oh, Dodge Callahan," she muttered, shaking her head slowly, "you're just like my father. You can't make a commitment."

  "No, you're wrong, Tory. I'm different from Sharkey. I want you with me. I just haven't figured out how to keep you yet. But I will."

  "Well, when you do, let me know what you've decided! And I'll see if it fits in my world!" She bolted from the room and slammed the bedroom door. Her frantic gaze fell on the rumpled bed where they'd made love, where they couldn't bear to be apart, where they were crazy for each other. Her eyes filled with tears, fogging the view. Furiously, she threw her suitcases on the bed and began piling her clothes into them.

  This was it—the end! They'd been lovers . . . perfect lovers. But nothing more than perfect lovers. She couldn't believe her plan hadn't worked, her plan to make him love her. She'd wanted Dodge so badly. And she thought he wanted her. But, obviously not.

  His voice sounded strained as he called through the closed door. "Tory, we're supposed to meet Ramona and Rex at noon at the Crystal Palace."

  "I remember. I'll be ready." And then I'm leaving. Her heart was heavy with sadness as she finished packing.

  In a spontaneous moment, she removed Sharkey's plaid shirt and stuffed it into a corner of her bag. Dodge wouldn't want it, and she would value it as a small memento of her father. Suddenly, her eyes filled with tears as she realized she really did regret never knowing him. And that meant more to her than any inheritance he could have left for her.

  The Crystal Palace was crowded with tourists. Tory and Dodge were there first. They sat in the back near the framed antique roulette wheels in strained silence. Heck, the bartender, brought them cold drinks while they waited. Tory stared at the huge mahogany bar that covered one long wall, wondering how many lovers' quarrels it had witnessed. Or how many lovers had parted from there, heading for separate futures. Like her and Dodge.

  Well, she'd come to Tombstone and stepped back in time, far enough to fall in love with a man very much like her father. Far enough to leave herself aching and brokenhearted, like her mother had been.

  It would end between her and Dodge today. She had no illusions about them getting together again. That was a dream with no hope of coming true. They had loved, and now they would part, never to be together again.

  "There she comes," Dodge said quietly, nodding toward Ramona entering the front door. "But Rex isn't with her. Wonder if he's all right?"

  Tory watched Ramona's confident demeanor as she walked across the crowded room, slipping between the tourists who came to admire the antique bar and review times past. She recalled the first time she had seen Ramona and how she felt when she discovered Ramona was her father's lover. It was something close to hate. But then, she disliked a lot of people that day. Sharkey included.

  Now that she had gotten to know Ramona, they had become good friends. And it was a friendship that would last, bonded by mutual respect and the crises they'd overcome.

  Tory met her with a hug and a smile. "Okay, what gives? You look like you swallowed a canary!"

  "Have I got some great news for you!" Ramona kissed Dodge's cheek, then sat opposite them.

  "Where's Rex?" Dodge asked first.

  "He's still in the hospital. They had to do a little corrective surgery on his arm, but he's going to be out and fine in a few days. I stopped by to see him this morning to give him the news, and he was sitting up in bed, letting a blond nurse feed him."

  "Leave it to good ole' Rex to find the prettiest woman in the hospital and pretend to be helpless," Dodge said, chuckling. "I guess keeping him from medical attention those extra days didn't hurt him much. What about his other injuries?"

  "Mostly minor." Ramona's dark eyes twinkled. "But still he was talking about needing special round-the-clock nursing care when I left."

  Dodge rested his large hands on the table. "Tell us, Ramona, did we dig up enough gold to pay his hospital bills?"

  Ramona couldn't keep from smiling and opened a couple of forms from her purse. "I think so. Here, these belong to you. They give an accounting of the assay preliminary evaluation. It'll be a few weeks before we know how much, and before any money is forthcoming, but it looks good. Very good."

  Tory reached for the paper and scanned the confusing columns. "What does this mean?"

  "Oh, more than twenty thousand. Each."

  "Twenty? Twenty thousand dollars?" Tory couldn't contain her joy and jumped up to hug Ramona. "This is fantastic! Just great! Better than I ever dreamed."

  "Me, too." Ramona nodded happily. "It'll mean I can start the Center for Southwestern Studies, something I've always wanted to do. We'll document and investigate every pictograph I've recorded. And we'll be able to study that ancient skull we found in the wash."

  "You could have a whole new career, Ramona," Dodge said.

  She nodded proudly. "All because of Sharkey."

  "What about the cave room full of Indian artifacts?" Tory asked. "What will happen to those?"

  "That entire area will be federally protected and preserved in its present state. The college will administer to its protection and be permitted to study the ghost town. The Indian ruins are at least two hundred years old, maybe more. It's all very exciting and will improve our academic standings in archeology studies."

  "And yours as a professor?" Dodge added.

  "Yes," she admitted with a shy grin. "I don't think I'll have any trouble getting my book on Indian pictographs published now. And I have ideas for about three others!"

  "That's fantastic, Ramona," Tory said with enthusiasm. "I'm so proud of you! Now you have to promise you'll come to visit me in L.A. when your first book is published. I'll give you a big autographing party. Oh, we'll have a wonderful time together."

  "So you're going back to L.A.?" Ramona looked pointedly at her, then to Dodge. He remained impassive.

  Tory answered quickly. "Oh, yes, I have to get back to my business. Been gone too long now."

  "What will you do with your money, Tory?"

  She sighed. "First and foremost, it will allow me to pay off my debts. Then, I don't know. Maybe I'll give the shop a little facelift to improve business."

  Ramona shifted and looked at Dodge. "What about you, Dodge? What will you do? It isn't quite enough to buy that cruiser and sail around the world."

  "No, there won't be any cruises." He sighed with a shrug of his broad shoulders. "You're right, it isn't enough to make all our dreams come true, although it sounds like Ramona is coming pretty close."

  She smiled sadly. "There is one dream I'll never see come true because Sharkey is gone."

  "I think losing Sharkey was a great loss for all of us," Tory said.

  Dodge and Ramona looked at her curiously. "Even for you, Tory?" Ramona asked softly.

  "Especially me," Tory admitted painfully. "I came here, not as his daughter but as a stranger, angry about my past. Through all of you, I've been able to learn about my father and to get to know him a little bit. That knowledge has given me a connection with the past so I can understand myself better. I want to thank both of you for enduring me when I was so overbearing and miserable."

  Ramona reached for Tory's hand. "Actually, we're the ones who have benefited the most, to get to know Sharkey's little girl."

  "Thank you," Tory murmured shyly. "Well, it's time for me to leave. I have a plane to catch."

  "I hate to see you go," Ramona admitted. "But that's selfish of me. I know you have other things to do." She looked at Dodge. "What about you? Are you going to stay here with your old job?"

  "Teaching at the University of Nevada in Reno. It's time I settled down to a regular job and lived a regular life for a change."

  Tory's hands knotted in her lap, but she said nothing. They'd be parting soon, her to go back to her old life, Dodge to live a "regular life." Why couldn't he live that regular life with her? There was only one reason, and it broke her heart to acknowledge it.
/>   "A regular life for you sounds dull, Dodge," Ramona said with a little laugh. "Somehow I can't imagine that."

  "Well, you never know. I may find another gold mine to explore out there."

  Ramona folded her assay slip with her large hands and stuffed it into her purse. "Sharkey's mine will be closed forever. Fenced and boarded. What we got out of it will be the final digs because the mine backs up to the protected Indian ruins. If anyone should dig much further, or use explosives like we discussed, the whole thing could be ruined. They don't want to chance it, so I guess this is it."

  "I'm happy with it," Dodge said.

  "Me, too," Tory agreed. "Actually, it's more than I expected."

  "That's because you expected nothing," Dodge mumbled.

  "But I got a lot," Tory admitted. "I hope you'll all come to see me in L.A. Crazy as this sounds, I do appreciate the experience of going into the mountains. It was beautiful in many ways. It opened me up to another way of life that is totally different and even better in some ways than the city life I've always known."

  Ramona stood and hugged Tory long and hard. "Meeting you has been a highlight, Tory. I wish you didn't have to go so soon."

  "I know, but we'll probably see each other in a few months when they have Yazzie's trial. I'm definitely coming back for that," she promised. Slowly, she turned to Dodge.

  He was already standing, and his hands went around her naturally.

  She felt so clumsy with him. Why, just last night they'd made love. For the last time! Now she couldn't decide whether to hug him or shake his hand. She didn't think she could touch him casually, so she tried not to touch him at all. Like a dope, she leaned her cheek forward for a pecking kiss.

  Refusing to settle for such, Dodge cupped her chin in one hand and lifted her face to his. The kiss was breathtaking and hard and lasted far too long. They broke away to applause and turned to see that every tourist in the place was watching them.

  Tory was embarrassed and somewhat flustered. Grasping her purse, she hurried out amid a sprinkling of oohs and ahs from the audience.

  Dodge watched her disappear, even listened for her footsteps on the wooden sidewalk. Then they, too, were gone. Even though the Crystal Palace was full, his life was now empty. He knew it and couldn't do a thing about it. In his cowboy style, he ambled over to the huge dark bar and ordered.