by Kylie Brant
“How’d you guess?”
“Years of experience with the pigheaded men in this family. They prefer to be waited on at home rather than getting medical care.”
“She made an excellent nurse,” Jackson said wickedly, with a sidelong glance at Kaly. “She responded to my every...need.”
If Kaly could have, she’d have thrown something at his arrogant head. Since she couldn’t, she did the next best thing—escaped. “Why don’t I go out and fix some lemonade for us all?” she offered, and quickly left the room, with Carrie tagging along to help.
Jackson watched her go, humor alight in his eyes. The little coward, he thought. He knew he shouldn’t tease her like that, but it was so easy to bring that color to her cheeks. How long had it been since he’d seen a woman blush? Had he ever? She was a mass of contradictions—so sure of herself, with a sharp tongue and ready wit, and yet so shy in some ways. When he turned to look at his brother, Jeff was watching him solemnly.
“Sounds like you had an exciting day while we were gone. Did anything else happen I should know about?”
Jackson shook his head. “The sheriff’s coming back out today to look around. We’ll know more then.”
Jeff hesitated, unsure of the reception of his next words. “I hope you’re not riding roughshod over Kaly, Jackson. She’s a damn fine assistant, and I can’t afford to lose her. I won’t stand by and let you make her life miserable while she’s here.”
Jackson laughed grimly. “I can’t imagine Kaly Scott allowing anyone to ride roughshod over her. Maybe you haven’t noticed, Jeff, but Kaly does a hell of a job defending herself. Besides, I already told you. I was just asking her to go out with me.”
Jeff looked disbelieving. “Didn’t sound like your usual suave invitation to me, but what do I know? Do you get pretty good results from women, shouting at them like that?”
Much to Jeff’s interest, Jackson looked distinctly uncomfortable. “We, uh, got off the subject. I guess. She’s already agreed to...go out with me. We were just discussing the time and place.”
Jeff looked serious. “Don’t hurt her.” Jackson’s head swiveled as he locked gazes with his brother. “She’s not your usual type. She obviously hasn’t been around. Maybe you’d both be better off if you’d just steer clear of her.”
Jackson was silent. Hadn’t he told himself the same thing over and over? But it was a hell of a lot simpler to think it than to stick with it. Kaly and he had already made their decision, and it wasn’t Jeff’s business, or anyone else’s, what their relationship was. He respected his brother’s opinion as much as he did anybody’s, but he would not let Jeff dictate his behavior. His voice was terse when he answered his brother. “I’d say that was up to Kaly and me, wouldn’t you?”
The two women returned to the room just then, interrupting them. “Looks like the sheriff’s coming up the front walk,” Carrie announced. “Kaly, would you mind getting another glass?”
Kaly set the tray down and willingly returned to the kitchen. When she reentered the office. Sheriff Dumont was already seated. She greeted him cordially, handing him a glass of the icy drink.
“Sure is nice to see you again, Miss Scott.” he told Kaly jovially as he accepted the glass. “Not every day I get to visit with two such pretty gals as you and Mrs. Roberts here.”
Kaly sneaked a furtive look at Carrie, who rolled her eyes. She smiled. The man was sincere, even though his type of gallantry quickly wore thin.
The sheriff took a healthy swig from the glass he was holding as though unaware of the ill-concealed impatience on Jackson’s face. “Sure does hit the spot on a hot day,” he said, smiling expansively at the women. “My compliments.”
“What can you tell us, Roy?” Jackson came right to the point. “Did you find anything when you went out to look around?”
“Well, it just so happens I did find something interesting, Jackson,” Roy replied. “Found a clear trail of what looks like motorcycle-tire tracks. ‘Pears you were right when you said last night you thought you heard a bike roaring off.”
Kaly looked at Jackson in surprise. “You never said anything last night about hearing that.”
Jackson was still gazing pensively at the sheriff. “Because I wasn’t sure I had. I was pretty dazed for a couple of minutes, and it didn’t make much sense at the time.”
Jeff was frowning in puzzlement. “It still doesn’t make sense. A motorcycle? I know you found tire tracks at the Blanes after their stock was stolen. But what could anyone do on a motorcycle?”
“Wait, there’s more.” The sheriff pulled a copy of a bill of sale out of his pocket and held it out to Jackson. “Bad news, I’m afraid. Seems some of your missing cattle have been sold over in Alberdeen. A small buyer bought them before receiving our notice to be on the lookout. Went back and checked the brands again.” He pointed to the signature on the bill.
“Robert Rowe,” Jackson read grimly.
He shot a look at the sheriff, who shook his head. “Already had it checked out. The name’s a fake, same as the address and phone.”
Jackson cursed. “That’s a three-hour drive from here.” He raked his hand angrily through his hair.
“We probably ought to start sending notices out even farther,” Roy mused. “Looks like the thieves are a little lazier than we first thought. Didn’t even bother to change the brands on the cattle. They’re willing to drive far enough that your brand won’t be recognized.”
The mood of the group grew grim. It was almost impossible to catch rustlers unless they were caught in the act. Once they had the cattle, it was a fairly simple process to drive out of state and sell them to a buyer, using a fictitious name.
“Did the buyer remember anything about the guy at all?” Jackson asked, without much hope.
“All he remembered was that he was wearing a black leather jacket with a bunch of chains hanging all over it. Said he remembered it because he wasn’t dressed really like a rancher,” the sheriff told him. “Of course we’re checking that out.”
Roy didn’t need much urging to stay for supper that evening. As he lingered longer and longer into the evening, Kaly excused herself to go work in her room. She labored with total concentration over her paper for some time before wearily readying for bed. She had barely slipped between the cool sheets before her mind emptied and exhaustion overcame her.
Chapter 11
“Loafing on the job?” Jackson’s voice jolted Kaly in mid-yawn as she was leaning back in her desk chair. Eyebrows raised, he strolled into the office and over to her desk, tsking at her inactivity. “It’s so hard to hire good help these days.”
Kaly smiled at the glint in his eyes and met his lowering head halfway to return his welcoming kiss. “I think you’d find the help you want in the employment columns, under ‘S’ for slave,” she retorted huskily.
He moved slowly away and pretended to mull over her response. “I do like the sound of that. Especially if you were the slave and I the master. I can think of several interesting scenarios.”
Kaly shook her head in mock sadness. “Your fantasy life really borders on the unhealthy, do you know that?”
“What’s unhealthy is the way I feel after the past four days with little more than a stolen kiss from you,” murmured Jackson as he picked up one of her hands and played with her fingers. “But I think the planning sessions with the sheriff and ranchers are over.” He continued, his voice lower, “I have an appointment I can’t get out of this afternoon, but I’ll make it back in time to take you to dinner. We can drive to Albuquerque for a meal and dancing.”
At her silence, Jackson lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed his lips to her palm. “You promised me a date. Remember?”
She thought with real longing of spending an evening with Jackson. They hadn’t been alone in the four days since Carrie and Jeff had come home. All of Jackson’s free time had been spent in meetings, discussing the investigation. Seeing Jackson and talking with him only on the most casual b
asis had been difficult for her, too. She felt the most intense craving to be alone with him. He was getting to be an addiction, and she needed her fix.
Jackson lowered his face till it was level with hers. “What do you say, Kaly? Want to go out for a little while with me? I made reservations for eight o’clock tonight.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Pretty sure of yourself, weren’t you?”
“The only thing I was sure of was that I had to get you out of here before I attacked you in full view of my brother and sister-in-law,” he asserted, only half joking. “Unless you want to take the chance of being ravished on this desktop—” he slapped the said piece “—you’ll take pity on me and say yes.”
Kaly’s gaze dropped to the desktop before she consciously reined in her rampant imagination. Her gaze was trapped by the hungry look in his eyes. She answered throatily, “For the sake of the order of my desk, I guess I have to agree.”
“I guess you do. I have one condition, though...”
“I thought you didn’t like conditions.
“Only the ones I make,” he joked, before turning serious. “I want you to wear your hair down like you did at the party.”
Kaly didn’t answer right away. She was remembering his fixation with her hair the night they’d made love, the way he’d unbound it and played with it. She felt desire begin to hum through her veins at the memory, until his voice jarred her from her reverie.
“Will you?”
She silently nodded.
“Good.” Jackson took both her hands in his, pulling her to her feet and into his embrace for a brief, but thorough kiss. He lifted his head to whisper rawly, “I’d better get out of here while I’m still able. We’ll leave about seven, okay?” He brushed one more kiss across her mouth before putting her away from him deliberately and heading for the door. A heavy sigh escaped him. It seemed a hell of a long time until seven o’clock.
“This is lovely, Jackson,” Kaly exclaimed after the hostess had seated them. The back wall of the restaurant was solid glass, and their table was placed where they could gaze out at the stunning skyline. The setting sun gilded the city in a stunning orange-pink glow.
“Yes, it is,” he murmured, his eyes not moving from the vision in front of him. She’d done as he’d requested, leaving her hair unbound, held away from her face with a headband of hammered brass. Her sundress and matching jacket were almost demure, but that didn’t alleviate the desire that had been sizzling in him all the way over here. He shifted uncomfortably. Not even the arrival of the white-jacketed waiter with their steaming entrées disturbed the sexual tension that was growing more palpable by the second.
Jackson watched, his eyes alight with interest as Kaly tasted her crab dipped in hot butter, her eyes closing as she savored the treat. As she delicately licked the shiny butter from her lips, she opened her eyes to find Jackson’s fixed on her, hot and avid.
A tiny drop of butter remained, caught in the corner of her pink lips. He leaned slowly across the table, and Kaly sat motionless under his heated gaze, mesmerized. Jackson slowly wiped the drop off with one finger, tracing a trail across her lips.
When he sat back in his chair, she made a conscious effort to calm her labored breathing. Her hand trembled slightly as she reached for her glass. It became increasingly difficult for her to concentrate on her meal. Each time she looked at Jackson, the hunger in his eyes made her forget what she was saying or thinking.
Kaly became intensely aware of the flavor and texture of each bite she tasted, her senses almost unbearably heightened. The slippery sensation of the butter on her lips, the act of tearing the crabmeat from its shell, were almost erotic. Lifting her fork to her mouth, she locked gazes with Jackson, who watched hypnotically as she parted her lips and took the morsel between her white teeth. Candlelight flickered as they became totally immersed in each other.
The interruption of the waiter jolted both of them. “May I bring you anything else?” he inquired politely.
Jackson shook his head and signed the bill. He leaned across the table to growl in Kaly’s ear, “Let’s go to the lounge for a dance.”
She shuddered at the low timbre of his voice. She remembered with clarity that it got lower the more aroused he became, until it was a raw guttural rasp. They rose, and when he closed his hand on her elbow shivers shot across her already sensitive skin.
Jackson murmured. “Are you cold?”
Kaly looked up at him and almost forgot to answer. His pupils were dilated, his nostrils flared, signs of his rising passion. She could only manage to shake her head mutely to his question. A hard smile tilted the edges of his firm lips as he accurately guessed the reason for her nonverbal response.
They found a table in a shadowy corner and listened for a time to the mellow jazz tunes. Without a word, Jackson stood up, his hand extended to Kaly. For the first time that evening she slipped off her dress jacket, hanging it over the back of her chair, before stepping toward him and allowing him to bring her to his side. As they walked the short distance to the dance floor, the hand at Kaly’s waist slid up and touched the bare expanse of her back. Jackson reacted as if he had been scalded.
“God almighty, woman, what do you have on?” he muttered before dropping behind a step to gaze at the backless dress. The jacket had successfully hidden the garment’s cut, and his heated look directly affected the strength in Kaly’s limbs.
He pulled her into his arms and they moved slowly to the music. Jackson’s hand caressed her bare back before moving to her derriere, pulling her closer to him. His mouth touched her hair, her ear, her neck. Kaly felt lethargic and fluid as they moved, leaning heavily into him. The band played one song after another for over an hour, and Jackson and Kaly never drew apart. So engrossed were they in each other that it took them a moment to notice when the music stopped. The musicians were going on break.
“Ready to go?” Jackson asked.
Kaly looked up at him. His eyes were glittering sapphire slits, his desire easy to read. She nodded mutely. Almost since they’d entered the restaurant, the sexual tension had been building until she felt as tautly strung as a wire. They retrieved her jacket, which she threw over her arm as they headed toward the door.
Inside the car, Kaly felt uncomfortable separated from Jackson. She reached over to rest her hand lightly on his upper arm. She felt the tautness of his rigid muscles before he turned to her and leaned over to press a hard kiss on her mouth. They reached blindly for each other, desire fanned instantly. But after only a moment. Jackson pulled reluctantly away. Determinedly, he turned the key in the ignition and started the drive back to the ranch.
The ride home was quiet, but the awareness between them seemed to grow with each mile. Jackson was not silent by choice. It took all his willpower to keep his mind on the road, rather than on the woman at his side. He clenched his teeth tightly to rein in the thrill he felt as her hand caressed his arm. Never had he felt this way with a woman. The anticipation made the final culmination of desire even more satisfying, he knew, but he’d never felt as though he would explode at a mere touch. His much touted control was nil, his fuse shorter and his hunger wilder.
He glanced at her briefly and saw that she had fallen asleep. Her lips were parted slightly, and Jackson shifted uncomfortably, arousal riding him hard. He briefly contemplated pulling over to a private spot, but forced himself to continue driving. He didn’t want to take Kaly in the front seat of his car, dodging the gearshift and steering wheel. He wanted to be able to spend all the time she needed to feel comfortable and to respond in the way he knew she could. He’d manage to wait till they got home. Somehow.
It seemed only minutes to Kaly before Jackson was lightly shaking her.
“Wake up, honey. We’re home.” He pressed a light kiss on her sleep-softened mouth. Still somewhere between sleep and consciousness, she responded completely, her lips parting, and Jackson could not prevent himself from giving her a deep, passionate kiss. Kaly made a sound of pleasure a
nd moved closer to him, coming completely awake under the expert tutelage of his mouth. Her hands reached for him and framed his face caressingly, stroking his hard cheeks as she sought to get closer and closer to his lips. This was what she had dreamed of since they’d made love. Kissing him, touching him, wanting him.
Loving him.
The acknowledgment of her feelings brought a bittersweet joy along with the pain that came from knowing there was no future for them. Her attraction for him was only physical, she knew. He wasn’t heartless; she was sure he would feel guilty if he knew how emotionally involved she was. She’d been aware from the beginning that she lacked the capability of protecting a part of her inner self from him, even as she gave him her body. Loving, for her, involved the whole person, and she didn’t know how to keep one part separate from another. Jackson, on the other hand, was an expert at just that. He wouldn’t want her love; he was obviously wary of entanglements. But she had been unable to deny herself the time she could have with him, even knowing how it would end. For the first time in her life she had departed from her carefully planned future, and she couldn’t bring herself to care. She would deal with the pain later, when Jackson turned his masculine intentions to another. But for now, she would grab all the moments she could, to be hoarded miserly for the time when memories were all she had left of him.
The answering sweetness of her lips was mind-drugging. Jackson broke away with difficulty, his breathing ragged. “God, sweetheart, you go to my head faster than any wine,” he gasped, laying his forehead against hers as they both struggled to control their breathing. He pressed small kisses next to her eyes. “Kaly.” He waited until her eyes opened and looked at him. “Come with me. I want you in my bed. I can’t wait any longer.”
She was shaken by the depth of the emotion in his voice, which was echoed in her own heart. “Yes,” she whispered, barely getting the word out before he captured her mouth with his once more.
He came around the car and opened her door, helping her out. Kaly was grateful for his support. Her knees felt wobbly and she wasn’t sure at first they would hold her.