by Rita Herron
“I found a bracelet in the stall that belonged to Ellie Penateka.”
“Ellie? I don’t understand. When was she at the barn?”
A sliver of moonlight playing through the window glinted off his strong jaw. “I went to her house and asked her that myself. She claims she and your brother are having an affair.”
Shock momentarily robbed Jessie’s breath. “Ellie and Trace? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I didn’t believe it either,” Cabe said. “But Trace was there. He came out of Ellie’s bedroom, and they gave each other alibis for tonight.”
Jessie frowned. “I saw them talking after the meeting, but it looked as if they were arguing.”
He chuckled sarcastically. “They obviously made up.”
Jessie contemplated the implications of Ellie and Trace being together. Trace had been furious when Jessie had showed up at the ranch and announced she was moving back in. He and her father had also argued about the land deal. But Trace had arranged it.
And Trace was worried about losing the ranch to her.
Would he team up with Ellie to sabotage her father? No, that didn’t make sense…
Unless Trace wanted to hurt their father. Unless he thought that if Jonah went to jail, he would inherit the ranch…
CABE’S GUT PINCHED at the worry on Jessie’s face. Maybe he should have waited until she’d recovered before he revealed Trace and Ellie’s affair.
But if either of them had tried to hurt Jessie, he needed to push for answers.
She rubbed her temple with her fingers, and he choked back any more questions. She had had a rough night. She needed rest, not pressure.
“You need to get some sleep.”
“I can’t sleep yet,” she whispered. “Will you sit and talk to me for a minute?”
Her eyes looked so soft, her body small and vulnerable, her voice beckoning him by her side. And he knew that she was independent and didn’t ask for help often.
Unable to resist, he gave a short nod, and reclaimed the chair, bracing his legs apart. He ached to pull her hands into his again.
To connect with her and hold her and kiss her pain away.
“Tell me about your family,” she said. “You grew up on the reservation?”
The last topic he wanted to discuss was his past. “Yes. My father still lives there.”
“How about your mother?”
He chewed the inside of his cheek, then removed his Stetson and set it on the bedside table. “My mother committed suicide when I was a teenager after my younger brother’s death.”
Jessie’s eyes filled with sympathy. Sympathy he didn’t want.
Still, when she reached for his hand, he relented, clung to the scent of her skin.
“What happened?” she whispered.
A long-suffering sigh escaped him. “My mother was white, my father Comanche. People around town gave them a hard time, then my little brother became ill. My mother begged my father to take him to the hospital, but my father believes only in the old ways. He insisted on using the Big Medicine Ceremony to heal him instead.”
“Oh, God,” Jessie whispered. “I’m so sorry, Cabe.”
Cabe shrugged. “So, you see, I think hospitals are good places to be when you’re ill.” This time he did reach up and touch her, just a gentle sweep of his fingers across her brow. “Or when you’re injured.”
“Do you still see your father?”
He shook his head. “We had a falling out when I decided to leave the reservation and Comanche Creek. Like some of the other Natives, he felt I was turning my back on him and the old ways.”
“Were you?”
Her directness surprised him. “In a way, I guess I was,” he admitted. “But my culture is still a part of me. I’m just not married to it to the point that I refute the advantages of modern ways.”
“Your Native blood allowed you to sense the spirits on the land?”
A small smile curved his mouth. “Yeah.”
“And the other Rangers brought you here because they thought you could bridge the gap between the two factions in town?”
He chuckled sarcastically. “I told them it was a mistake. I never fit into either group. In time, I thought things would change, but apparently they haven’t.”
“Not everyone shares those prejudices, Ranger.” She reached up and pressed her hand against his cheek. A tingle ripped through him as her soft skin brushed his rough jaw. He’d seen so much violence on the job, so much hatred between the people, so much cruelty that her tenderness tripped emotions in his chest.
The sudden urge to hear her say his name slammed into him. The need to kiss her followed. “It’s Cabe,” he said in a low voice. “Call me Cabe.”
A tiny smile curved her mouth, making her look more beautiful than he could have imagined. “All right, Cabe. And just so you know, I think you can bridge the gap here, that you’re exactly what this town needs.”
He didn’t believe her. But her voice sounded like an angel’s.
Yet angelic thoughts fled when her damp tongue slipped out to trace her lips. He wanted his mouth there, wanted to taste her. Her breath hitched as if she recognized the hunger in his eyes.
He expected her to drop her hand, to tell him it was time for him to leave. Instead, she traced her fingers down to his mouth, scraping beard stubble in her path. She was so soft next to his rough exterior. So gentle, while he dealt with hard-core criminals and violence.
Even injured and weak, he’d never seen anything so beautiful.
“Cabe…”
“Tell me to go,” he said, already bracing himself for her to utter the words.
“Please don’t.” Her breath whispered against his cheek as she gently coaxed his face toward her.
His body hardened, need firing through his sex, and he finally gave in to his need and claimed her mouth with his.
Chapter Eight
Cabe had never tasted anything as deliciously sweet as Jessie’s kiss. Hungry for more, he traced the seam of her mouth with his tongue, probing her lips apart so he could delve inside. She moaned his name, and arousal splintered through him in shocking waves that threatened to destroy his sanity.
Sliding his hands through the silky tresses of her hair, he pulled her closer, angling her head so he could deepen the kiss. Heat flared between them as she flicked out her tongue to meet his. Their lips and tongues danced in a lover’s dance, sweet, tender, erotic, passionate.
He wanted more. Wanted to touch her, trace her entire body with his fingers and his tongue. Wanted to strip her and climb in that bed and plant himself on top of her, inside her, wrap her up in his body. A body that was raging out of control with hunger and desire.
A knock sounded on the door, then the door squeaked open. “Um, excuse me.”
Cabe tore himself away, then whirled his head around to see the doctor standing in the doorway. He glanced back at Jessie, and saw her dazed look. She looked well-kissed, her hair tousled, her chest rising and falling with a labored breath.
A blush crept up her face, and even though he knew it was wrong, a smile of pleasure ripped through him.
“Miss Becker, I just came to check on you,” the doctor said.
The realization that he’d crossed the line hit Cabe with gut-wrenching force, and he walked to the window, putting his back to Jessie while the doctor approached her bed.
Dammit, he was a Texas Ranger. A professional.
But he’d been kissing Jessie senseless, fantasizing about climbing in bed with her and making love to her when she was injured and in a damn hospital room. He’d really screwed up this time.
Jessie was a part of the task force, her family murder suspects, his ability to maintain control and objectivity vital to doing his job.
Sleeping with Jessie Becker could destroy that objectivity. Could mess with his head.
Distrust rose like a fireball in his belly. And what if she was just using him, seducing him so he wouldn’t arrest her father?
For more of his mouth on her. His lips touching hers.
But Cabe turned his back to her as the doctor approached, and she had to pull herself together.
“Hello, Miss. Becker. I’m Dr. Finwick. How are you doing?”
“I’m ready to go home.”
The older man chuckled. “Tomorrow will be soon enough. You do have a minor concussion, but your X-rays and the CAT scan look good. You need to take it easy for a couple of days.”
Jessie sighed. “All right, Doctor.”
“Any nausea?”
Jessie shook her head. “No. I’m just tired.”
“Then rest. But the nurse will come in to check on you periodically during the night.”
The doctor glanced at Cabe, then her. “I’ll see you in the morning, Miss Becker.” The door closed behind him, and Jessie sighed.
“Cabe?”
His shoulders stiffened, but he refused to face her. “You heard the doctor. Get some sleep.”
She lifted her fingers to her lips, aching for him again, missing the closeness. “Don’t you want to talk about what happened?”
Finally he turned toward her, but the hunger and desire in his eyes had faded. Instead the brooding cop had resurfaced and distrust colored his expression. “It was just a kiss, a mistake,” he said matter-of-factly. “Forget about it, Jessie. Nothing can happen between us.”
His words were like a slap in the face.
He was here to investigate her family, and when the case ended, he would leave Comanche Creek. He’d already made it clear that he didn’t belong here, and that he hadn’t wanted to come back.
And after hopping from one town to another all her life, she wanted and needed a home, a life and a family here in Comanche Creek.
CABE WAITED UNTIL JESSIE finally fell asleep, then settled in the chair to grab some shut-eye himself. He didn’t trust that whoever had attacked her might not return to finish the job.
His mind ticked over the suspects. Trace topped the list. And then there was Ellie, her anger about the land deal, her political aspirations and her relationship with Trace.
She stirred in her sleep and whispered his name, and he had to clench the chair edge with his hands to keep from going to her.
She was growing more and more intriguing, more and more appealing.
More and more of a threat to his control and sanity.
But haunting memories of losing his mother and brother taunted him, and he forced any emotions aside.
He was a loner, and he liked it that way. No entanglements, no commitments.
Except to his badge.
Besides, Jonah Becker would probably kill him if he touched his daughter’s lily-white skin with his dark hands.
Muttering a curse, he leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes. He’d grab a few winks before morning. Then he’d drive Jessie home, confront Jonah and take his blood and a DNA sample.
He also needed to visit Charla and get that list of artifacts and the buyers. Maybe the lab would have some results for him on the evidence he’d processed so far.
Finally sleep claimed him, but it was fitful. Every time Jessie moved or moaned, he woke and checked to make sure she was all right. And when she whispered his name in the middle of the night, he almost succumbed to temptation and crawled in bed with her.
They both might have slept better if he’d held her.
But he’d already traveled into dangerous territory with that heated kiss, and his willpower couldn’t endure any more tests. At least not tonight.
The night dragged by, but as morning light cracked the sky, the nurses brought breakfast. He stepped outside for coffee and to call the lab. “Did you find out anything on the bullets I sent yesterday morning?”
“Yes, Sergeant, they came from a .38. Find the gun, and we can make a match.”
“Right.” Easier said than done, but he refused to give up. “I collected bullets from a shooting in town last night and they’re being couriered over, along with two black hairs I found at the scene of an attack on Jessie Becker. Compare them to the strands found at the gravesite, and see if they match.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I have time to process them.”
“What about that clay sample used to glue the victims’ eyes shut in the ritualistic burial? Did it match the clay from Jonah Becker’s property?”
“Yes, sir. It’s a match.”
Cabe’s lungs tightened. That wasn’t good for Jessie’s father.
Of course, he could argue that any number of people, including his hands, had access to the land.
“Thanks.” He jammed some coins into the vending machine and watched as coffee spewed into a foam cup. Needing the caffeine buzz, he blew on the black coffee and took a sip. Steering his mind back to the case, he phoned Hardin and asked for a warrant to search the Becker house for a weapon.
“I’ll have it when you stop by the office,” Reed said. “The one for Becker’s DNA sample and blood is on my desk.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your assistance, Sheriff.”
By the time he disconnected and reached Jessie’s room, Jessie was signing release papers. “Now remember, take it easy,” the doctor ordered. “Do you need me to call someone to drive you home?”
Cabe cleared his throat. “That’s not necessary. I’ve got it covered.”
Jessie shot him an almost panicked look. She knew he was going to interrogate her father. She’d been protective of him ever since the investigation started. Wyatt had speculated that she’d appointed herself Jonah’s spokesperson to cover for him.
The doctor left the room, and Jessie pushed away the covers. “I need my clothes.”
“Where are they?”
“In the cabinet.” She swayed slightly, and he reached for her, but she threw up a warning hand. “I’m fine. I just stood up too quickly.”
A stubborn look tightened her mouth as she shuffled over to the closet and dug out a plastic bag which held the clothes she’d been wearing when the medics brought her in.
“Do you need help?” he asked, then immediately regretted the question when she glared at him.
“No.”
He offered her a clipped nod. “Fine. I’ll wait outside.” More for his own sanity than for her. If he saw her naked, he’d definitely lose his grip.
A minute later, the nurse appeared with a wheelchair, and he went to pull the SUV up to the hospital pick-up area.
“I could have called someone,” Jessie said when he climbed out to help her into his vehicle.
Cabe cut her off. “Don’t sweat it, Jessie. We’re working together on this task force, and you’ve nearly been shot twice and then attacked. I don’t intend to let you out of my sight until this case is over.”
Shock strained her face. “What?”
He chuckled at the horror in her voice. “You heard me. I’m your bodyguard.”
Even as he said the words, worry knotted his gut along with protective instincts—and arousal.
He sure as hell didn’t want anything bad happening to her body. In fact, his hands and tongue itched to give her pleasure.
Jessie fastened her seat belt. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Her sour tone reminded him that he’d hurt her by dismissing the kiss the night before. “I know you don’t like it,” he said. “All the more reason we figure out who attacked you, and who killed all these people and lock them up. Then you can go back to your life and your daddy.”
“Like he really cares if I’m here,” she muttered.
He turned to stare at her, confused by her statement. “I thought you and your father were close.”
“And I thought you were tough and strong, not a coward, Cabe.”
He gritted his teeth. “What the hell do you mean by that?”
“One hot, explosive kiss between us, and you run from me just like you ran from th
e town and your family.”
A fireball of anger erupted in his gut. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t I?” She crossed her arms and turned to look out the window. “But don’t worry, I’d never beg a man for his affection.”
He frowned, disturbed by her statement. Was she talking about him or her father?
It’s none of your business, he reminded himself.
Jessie lapsed into silence as he swung by the sheriff’s office to retrieve the warrants, and her mood grew more anxious as they approached the Double B.
The sight of the cattle grazing in the fields and the horses roaming in the pens stirred his baser love of the wild rugged land of Texas. He’d been so busy chasing his career and criminals the past few years that he’d forgotten how much he missed it.
Becker might be unscrupulous in his business tactics, but he ran a first-class operation, had always raised prime stock and was rumored to have incorporated the latest techniques to create leaner beef and treat his animals humanely.
Was he capable of murder?
JESSIE STRUGGLED TO ADOPT a congenial face as Cabe parked in front of the main house. The damn man was infuriating.
His dismissal the night before roused her insecurities. Her father had let her go with her mother because he hadn’t loved her enough to fight for her. And since then, every relationship she’d had had failed. She knew that was her fault—she’d closed herself off from others, had guarded her heart.
So why was Cabe Navarro getting to her?
Reminding herself that she didn’t need a man, or Cabe’s affections, she forced her personal feelings aside. She had bigger problems to worry about.
So far, she’d been able to protect her father from the Rangers’ interrogation tactics. But Cabe was persistent, and wouldn’t give up.
What if he detected her father’s mental capacity had diminished? Would Cabe take advantage of his condition? Make it public knowledge?
“Jessie, you know I have to get to the truth,” Cabe said as they climbed out and walked up to the front entrance. “This is not personal.”