Rawhide Ranger

by Rita Herron

  “Get in the car.” Cabe shoved Charla’s head down until she relented and collapsed in the backseat of the squad car. When the door slammed shut, pinning her in, she started to cry hysterically again.

  Cabe shook his head in disgust, then turned to the sheriff. “McLandon, the man who bought the artifacts from Charla, is over there. He was shot in the chest. Charla claims it was an accident, that they fought for the gun and it went off.”

  The coroner nodded. “I’ll do an autopsy.” He headed over to examine the body. Cabe bagged Charla’s gun and handed it to the sheriff. “Courier this over to the lab. It’s probably the gun that was used in the other shootings.”

  “Good work,” Sheriff Hardin said. “I’ll drive Charla to the jail and let Dr. McGrath take care of moving McLandon’s body to the morgue.”

  “Make sure he goes by the book. We want every piece of evidence possible to make sure Charla’s arrest and confession sticks.”

  Hardin made a low sound in his throat. “Don’t worry. I want this over with just the same as you do so peace can be restored in Comanche Creek.”

  One of the medics approached. “How is the deputy?” Cabe asked.

  “He took a hard blow to the head, but he should be all right. We’re transporting him to the hospital now.”

  “I’ll check on him later,” the sheriff said.

  The medics went back to Spears and loaded him in the ambulance, and Jessie trembled. God, the past few days had been a nightmare.

  “I’m going to drive Jessie back to the house, Hardin,” Cabe said. “Call me if you need anything.”

  Jessie tore her gaze away from Charla locked in the police car. Still, the sight of the dead body on her father’s land sent a shiver through her.

  Cabe took her elbow and guided her to the rental Jeep. By the time they reached her cabin and went inside, a tremble had started deep inside her that made her legs wobble.

  Cabe caught her arm. “You’re shaking, Jessie.”

  “I don’t know why,” she said, hating the quiver to her voice. “It’s over now.”

  Cabe turned her to face him and stroked her arms. “You did great back there, but now the adrenaline is wearing off. It’s a natural reaction.” He pulled her toward the bathroom. “Come on, a hot shower will do wonders.”

  She nodded numbly, the sound of his strong masculine voice so hypnotic that the images of the dead man faded, and memories of what they’d been doing before the explosion returned.

  She welcomed the reprieve from the horror and embraced the hunger that ripped through her. Cabe was here now. He had saved her life.

  He would leave once Charla confessed to the other two murders.

  She couldn’t let him walk away without being with him.

  “Come with me, Cabe,” she whispered.

  His dark brown eyes skated over her, searching. Desire flashed in the depths but also caution.

  “You’ve had a rough night, Jessie. You need rest.”

  Her heart swelled at the concern in his gruff voice. “No, I need you, Cabe.”

  Raw need darkened his eyes, and his breath hissed out. Still, for a moment, he stood stock still, and she thought he was going to turn her down and leave.

  But emotions replaced the mask of control in his eyes, and he pressed a hand to her cheek. “If anything had happened to you,” he murmured gruffly, “I couldn’t have stood it.”

  “Nothing happened,” she said softly.

  A muscle ticked in his jaw. “But I let Charla get to you.”

  She pressed a kiss to his palm. “You saved my life, Cabe.”

  A heartbeat of silence stretched between them, then hunger flared in his expression, and she saw him relent to the heat between them.

  With a sultry smile, she led him to the shower. Muttering her name in a throaty whisper, he reached for her shirt, and slowly unfastened the buttons, then eased the garment off her shoulders.

  His gaze greedily raked over her chest.

  A slow smile twitched at her lips, just before he tilted his head and claimed her mouth with his. Erotic sensations pummeled her as he probed her mouth apart with his tongue and trailed his fingers over her shoulders.

  There were too many clothes between them.

  Heat enflamed her as their movements became more frenzied. Their clothes fell to the floor in a mad rush, but she paused to drink in his heavenly body. Big muscles that bunched in his arms and chest, a smooth, corded torso that tapered to a trim waist and thick thighs. And his sex, huge and hard, jutted toward her in invitation.

  She trembled again, the chill inside her earlier turning into a minefield of hot, explosive aching.

  He paused to stare at her, too, his dark gaze roving from her breasts to her hips and then her heat. A feral gleam lit his eyes, and he made a guttural sound of need that brought erotic sensations cascading across her body.

  “You are so damn beautiful, Jessie.” He trailed his hands over her bare shoulders, then flipped on the warm water and urged her beneath the spray. He reached for the sponge and soaked it, then traced it down her body, pausing to watch her skin bead with the soap bubbles.

  She moaned as her nipples hardened, turning to turgid peaks, then he dropped the soapy sponge and used his hands to tease and explore her. She did the same, her fingers gliding over firm taut muscles, diving into his hair and pulling him close for another kiss. Tongues danced and mated, their bodies slid against one another, and he flipped off the water, grabbed a towel and hastily dried them.

  “I can’t wait any longer,” he said in a passion-glazed voice, then scooped her into his arms.

  Jessie feathered her fingers through his hair, brushing it from his forehead. “Then don’t.”

  In three quick strides, he crossed the room and eased her onto the bed. Desperate to feel him inside her, she reached for him, clawing at his shoulders as he knelt above her and cupped her face between his hands.

  She wanted the moment to last forever. To know that he wouldn’t leave after they made love.

  But Cabe and her long-term was impossible. Men always left. Nothing good ever lasted.

  So she closed her eyes and savored the moment.

  CABE’S HEART POUNDED as he rose above Jessie. She was so damn beautiful and wonderful that he felt humbled that she wanted him.

  Her red hair fanned across the pillow, and her rosy lips were parted in invitation. He drank in the image of her opening to him, of her nipples pink-tipped and pebbled, waiting for his mouth. Her sweet feminine scent sent shards of need through him. And her slick heat lay at the center of her creamy thighs, a home waiting for him.

  Hungry to taste her, he kissed her lips first, deeply, plunging his tongue inside her mouth in a teasing dance. His breath caught at the sound of her excited moan, and he dragged his lips down to her throat, gliding his tongue along the sensitive skin of her earlobe, then paving a delicious path to her breasts.

  One hand twisted her left nipple between his fingers while his lips sucked her other one into his mouth. She bucked, rubbing her foot along his calf, her body quivering as he suckled her. He laved both breasts, his hunger mounting at the feel of her soft skin brushing his, her hips undulating beneath him.

  She threaded her fingers into his hair, then clutched his shoulders, urging him to enter her. But he wanted to prolong her pleasure, so he dove south toward the heart of her femininity, licking her belly, then he parted her legs and swept his tongue over the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs.

  “Cabe…”

  A smile curved his mouth at her breathy sound, and he licked his way toward her heat, then over her swollen nub, teasing her until her body began to convulse with her orgasm. The taste of her honeyed release sent erotic sensations assaulting him.

  He had to have her.

  Groaning her name, he rose above her again, then guided his erection toward her damp chamber. She lifted her hips, her body trembling, begging for him to fill her.

  Enflamed by her hunger, he reached for his
pants on the floor, grabbed a condom, ripped it open and sheathed himself.

  She was fumbling to help him, stroking his shaft, urging him to hurry. Heaving a breath to control himself before he burst, he kissed her again, then thrust inside her.

  She was so small, tight, her insides clenching as he pounded inside her. Panting, she wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing him even deeper access. Excited by her throaty moans, he stroked her over and over, cupping her hips in his hands and building a frantic rhythm until her body quivered, and she climaxed again. Her cries of pleasure triggered his own release, and his own orgasm built, powerful and intense.

  His chest clenched and spasms rocked his body. He’d made love to a lot of women, but never had he felt so connected, as if he’d lost his heart and soul in the moment.

  The thought sent a lightninglike bolt of fear through him. No, he couldn’t fall for Jessie. Couldn’t allow himself to feel anything but the pleasure of the moment.

  They belonged to two different worlds. She was a Becker. And he was a Texas Ranger, not a man with a woman in his future.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jessie curled into Cabe’s arms, her body still humming from the aftermath of their lovemaking.

  Lord help her, but she didn’t want him to ever leave. She wanted to have him in her bed every night, holding her, making love to her, groaning her name as he came inside her.

  The fear that she’d fallen in love with the Ranger gnawed at her, threatening to ruin the moment, but she pushed it away.

  Nothing mattered now except that she was safe, that Cabe was holding her, that they’d finally found the killer tormenting Comanche Creek.

  Content with his big body beside her, she fell into a deep sleep. Dreams of Cabe filled the night.

  The two of them were riding across the pasture on horseback with the wind whipping through her hair. His Stetson was cocked to the side, giving her a glimpse of the sexy smile that he saved only for her. The grass was green, wildflowers dotted the hill, and the air smelled of honeysuckle and spring.

  They galloped over to the pond, then climbed down, and Cabe suddenly knelt in front of her and took her hand. Tears pooled in her eyes as he removed a velvet ring box from his pocket and opened it. A stunning engagement ring glittered up at her.

  “Oh, my God, that’s beautiful.”

  Moonlight highlighted his bronzed skin, and he suddenly looked nervous. “Will you marry me, Jessie?”

  Pure joy flooded her chest. “Yes, of course, I will. I love you, Cabe.”

  His hand shook as he slid the ring on her hand, then swept her into his arms and kissed her. “I love you, too.”

  Suddenly the shrill ringing of her cell phone jarred her from the blissful dream. Jessie sat up, searching the bed for Cabe, but he stood at the window, his back to her.

  “Cabe.”

  He slowly turned toward her, and her heart clenched at the turmoil in his eyes. He’d tugged on his jeans, but hadn’t buttoned the top button and they hung low on his hips, making him look sinfully sexy. Her gaze was drawn to his bare chest, then the bulge in his fly, and she ached to beg him to come back to bed.

  But her phone trilled again, and the hunger in his eyes faded as his look turned brooding and dark.

  “Your phone is ringing.” His hooded gaze raked over her breasts where the sheet had fallen down, and her body tingled. She wanted him, needed him. But he didn’t make a move to come back to her.

  Feeling vulnerable, she jerked up the sheet, then scrambled to reach her phone on the nightstand. “Hello.”

  “It’s Lolita, Miss Jessie. Your father…he had a rough night. I think you should come. I’ve called the doctor.”

  Worry immediately knotted her shoulders. “I’ll be right there.”

  Cabe’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”

  “My father had a bad night,” Jessie said, reaching for her shirt. “I…want to talk, Cabe, but—”

  “You have to go,” he said matter-of-factly. “And so do I.”

  She tugged on her shirt and pulled it together, then walked over to him. The remnants of her dream taunted her. “Cabe, about last night—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “We both know I’m leaving Comanche Creek, Jessie.” He gestured outside. “This ranch is your home. I don’t belong here.”

  Hurt knifed through Jessie. The scent of his skin, of their sex, clung to him, making her belly clench. She finally understood how her mother could become so enamored with a man that she’d throw herself at him. The thought of never seeing Cabe again terrified her even more than the thought of getting hurt.

  Had she become like her father over the years, closing herself off to relationships because she couldn’t face rejection?

  Maybe it was time she stopped allowing fear to rule her life.

  Inhaling a deep breath for courage, she decided to be honest with herself and with him. “I…love you, Cabe. We could make it work if you wanted.”

  He shut his eyes for a moment, but his posture stiffened, and he clenched his jaw.

  When he finally looked at her again, regret shone in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Jessie. You want this ranch, a family, Comanche Creek as a home. Things I can’t give you.”

  Pain rocked through her. She’d given him her heart, yet he didn’t love her.

  “Now, go to your father. I need to interrogate Charla, and tie up the loose ends to the investigation.”

  Without another word, he grabbed his shirt, his gun and jacket, then pulled on his boots, and walked out the door.

  Jessie waited, hoped, prayed he’d look back, but he didn’t.

  WALKING OUT OF JESSIE’S bedroom was one of the hardest things Cabe had ever done.

  Last night had been so damn…erotic.

  Emotions he’d never thought he’d feel had crowded his chest while he’d watched Jessie sleep. Curled in his arms, she looked like an angel. He’d felt himself sinking into fantasies, falling for her, needing her.

  He didn’t want to need anyone.

  Yet, for a brief moment he’d imagined sleeping with her every night. Making love to her every day.

  Sharing a life with her that would last forever…

  But that was impossible. Their two worlds divided them.

  Loving someone meant risking losing them just as he’d lost his mother and brother years ago.

  He never wanted to endure that kind of pain again.

  Still, part of him wanted to go with her to see her father, wanted to help shoulder the burden of his illness and any other problem she encountered.

  Dammit. He had to go. Finish tying up the case.

  Jessie was tough and strong and would survive just fine without him.

  I love you, Cabe…

  No, she didn’t love him. She couldn’t. She’d just been through a terrifying ordeal, and he had been close by to comfort her. She would forget him after he left, find another man to hold her, comfort her, make love to her.

  Anger shot through him at the thought, protective and possessive instincts surfacing.

  Dammit. He had to let her go.

  Daylight shimmered off the drive as he slid into the Jeep, jammed the key into the ignition and peeled from the drive. He forced thoughts of Jessie from his mind as he left the ranch and drove to the jail.

  Sheriff Hardin was already in his office, and gestured to the coffeepot so Cabe helped himself to a cup. “Have you been here all night?” Cabe asked.

  Hardin shook his head. “No, I left one of the deputies here to guard Charla.”

  “Did you get Charla’s official statement?”

  “No, she was so hysterical I had to call the shrink who worked with her at the pysch ward when she was admitted before. He came over and gave her a sleeping pill to calm her.”

  “You think she’ll try to plea out on an insanity charge?”

  Hardin shrugged. “Either way, we have to make sure she stays locked up. She might have killed the first victim out of panic, but the others were prem
editated. And using that clay to glue the victims’ eyes shut to imitate a ritualistic burial, that was damn near cunning.”

  “I agree. Call her doctor back and tell them we need a blood sample to confirm that it was her blood in the paint used on the victims’ faces.”

  Hardin nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

  Cabe adjusted his Stetson. “I’d like to question her again. I want her confession in writing.”

  Hardin glanced outside. “Jerry Collier is on his way. He’s representing Charla.”

  Cabe shook his head. He still didn’t like the sleazy lawyer. He could have his own agenda—he probably wanted to make sure Charla didn’t implicate him in the phony land deal.

  Hardin strode down the hall to escort Charla to the interrogation room. Just as he’d said, Collier arrived, clutching a briefcase in his hand, a pompous look on his face.

  “Ranger Navarro, have you questioned my client without me?”

  Cabe silently cursed. “Isn’t this a conflict of interest for you, Collier?”

  “Absolutely not. Now take me to Charla.”

  Cabe retrieved the tape recorder from his crime kit along with the case folder, and he and Collier met Hardin and Charla in the interrogation room.

  The normally flamboyant woman looked disheveled and withered as she sank into the straight, hard chair. Her face was pale, makeup smudged, and purple bruises darkened the skin beneath her bloodshot eyes.

  Cabe pulled out a chair and faced her. “Charla, let’s start from the beginning.”

  She stared up at him with glassy eyes. “I told you everything last night.”

  Cabe removed a picture of Lattimer and Phillips, pointing out the way their eyes were glued shut. “You lured these men out to the Becker land and killed them, then used clay from Jonah Becker’s land to make the ochre to glue their eyes shut.”

  Her mouth tightened as she studied the grotesque photos of the men. “Yes, I told you I did. They wanted to expose me and the deal I made with Jonah.”

  “Did Jonah know the land belonged to the Native Americans?” Cabe asked.