Her Man Behind the Badge

by Stella Bagwell

  For some idiotic reason, Jazelle felt her heart thump just a tad faster. “I remember. You also told me he eats women for breakfast then spits them out before his midmorning snack.”

  Another burst of laughter came over the phone. “I said no such thing! I said he likes women. In the plural sense.”

  “Well, that’s his own business and none of mine.”

  “You thought he was good-looking, huh?”

  No, he was more than good-looking. He was a hot, hot hunk of man. That’s what Jazelle actually thought, but Tessa would be the last person she’d utter those words to. Sooner or later, her friend would tell Joseph and then the paraphrase would eventually be relayed to Connor. And that would be worse than embarrassing.

  “I’m sure most women would think so. I don’t have time for such...things.”

  Tessa groaned. “More like you don’t have the ‘want to.’ Well, in Connor’s case, it’s probably a good thing that you’re gun-shy. I seriously doubt you could tame the man.”

  That stung. And Jazelle figured her friend had meant it to. “Why would I want to?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Could be you’re getting tired of a cold, empty bed. That you’re tired of Raine not having a father to love and guide him. That you’d like to have a man standing next to you.”

  Jazelle frowned. “Tessa, are you pregnant again?”

  Tessa’s chuckle was a bit cunning. “Why are you asking me that question? Am I looking pudgy?”

  “I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks and you looked like your beautiful svelte self then. No, I’m asking because you’re talking crazy—like you’re on hormone overload.”

  Her chuckle turned into a dreamy sigh. “That’s what living with Joe does to me. I can’t wait to have another baby.”

  “And Joe?”

  “He can’t wait to give me one.”

  The tender yearning she heard in Tessa’s voice reminded Jazelle of the feelings she sometimes experienced in the deepest, loneliest part of the night. A longing to be connected to a man she loved. To conceive his baby and see the child gently cradled in his arms.

  Clearing the tightness from her throat, she said, “Then I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you both get your wish.”

  “Thank you, dear friend. And promise me you’ll stay on alert.”

  “I promise. See you soon.”

  Jazelle ended the call and, after placing the phone on the nightstand, went back to removing the damp tangles from her hair.

  Once her hair was hanging smooth against her back, she climbed into bed and turned off the light. But switching off her churning thoughts wasn’t quite so easy.

  You thought he was good-looking, huh?

  The question had caught her completely off guard. It wasn’t like Tessa to mention a man from a romantic viewpoint. Her friend understood just how scarred Jazelle had been when Spence had ended their relationship and gone back to his former fiancée. Jazelle had been brokenhearted, pregnant, and more alone than she’d ever been in her life.

  Living in a small town, she’d felt as though everyone had been pointing fingers and laughing at how stupid and gullible she’d been to trust a drifting cowboy. Even her own mother had turned her back on her. In fact, Della continued to remind Jazelle of all the foolish mistakes she’d made by jumping into bed with a worthless man. And her daughter would carry those mistakes the rest of her life.

  Maybe that was true, Jazelle thought sadly. The stigma of being a jilted woman and a single mother might always follow her. But at least Raine would grow up knowing that his mother loved him more than anything. At least Jazelle could hold her head up and truthfully say that all the choices she’d made since her son had been born had been made for her child’s sake and never her own.

  Looking into Connor Murphy’s eyes and feeling the slightest twinge of attraction was not among the rules Jazelle had set for herself. And she wasn’t about to start breaking those rules now. Even for a sexy deputy with a smile that outshone the sun.

  * * *

  Five days later, Connor and Joseph were sitting at their desks in the small workspace they shared at the sheriff’s office, typing up the last of an arrest report. Earlier that morning, the two men had collared the pair of thieves who’d broken into the Wallace home and had even managed to recover part of the stolen items.

  “I feel damned good about putting those two losers behind bars,” Connor said. “I just wish we’d found Mrs. Wallace’s jewelry among the things we recovered from that toolshed. But I figure the rings and necklaces were the first things to go to a pawn shop.”

  “Probably headed to Maricopa County with it. We’ll check the pawn shops, but you and I both know it would be a long shot to find the jewelry now.”

  “Yeah. About a thousand to one.” Connor punched the save button on his computer then left his desk to pour himself a cup of coffee from the machine stashed in one corner of the room.

  While he stirred in a hefty amount of powdered creamer, Joseph picked up the desk phone and rapidly punched in a number.

  “Are you calling Dan’s?” Connor asked, referring to one of the pawnshops they usually first questioned when jewelry was involved in a robbery.

  “No. I’m calling the ranch,” Joseph answered before directing his attention back to the phone. “Reeva, Joe here. Is Jazelle around?” He paused to listen then said, “Oh, the babies. Yeah, I can imagine. Billy screams like a banshee. Well, can you ring that upstairs phone? I’d like to speak with her directly. No. Nothing is wrong. Everything is good. Okay. Thanks, Reeva.”

  The mention of Jazelle’s name caused Connor to pause in his tracks. For the past five days, he’d been pestered by the image of the housekeeper and her little boy. Against his better judgment, he wanted to see her again. In fact, he’d considered stopping by her place in the guise of a safety check, but had decided that would look far too obvious.

  And, anyway, he needed to steer clear of the woman, Connor thought as he sat in the rolling desk chair and propped his feet out in front of him.

  “That’s right,” Joseph was saying into the phone. “Connor and I wanted you to know—so you can rest easy. Sure. I will. ’Bye.”

  He hung up and glanced over at Connor. “Jazelle sounded relieved that we got the creeps. Frankly, I am, too. Most likely they wouldn’t have targeted her house, but you never know.”

  Connor said, “I noticed there was a hill that hid her house from the road. Makes her place a little isolated. She lives too far from Wickenburg to be protected by the city police. And not close enough to any of the sheriff department’s four command stations to get quick help.”

  “She’s in a vulnerable spot,” Joseph agreed. “Tessa worries about her and Raine. Which is kinda funny... Before we were married, Tessa lived on the Bar X alone and she thought I was being ridiculous for worrying about her safety.”

  “Well, you did suggest that Jazelle get a dog, and she shot down that idea,” Connor replied.

  Joseph shrugged. “Jazelle was right. She stays out at the ranch so much that the dog would practically be living alone. And dogs are like humans. They’re not meant to be alone.”

  “Who says? I’ve lived alone for years.”

  Joseph grimaced. “Yeah, but who says you’re human?”

  “Your wit is sharp today, buddy.”

  Chuckling, Joseph said, “As for Jazelle, my family has begged her to move out to the ranch. Mom even told her they’d build her a little house a short distance from the big house. But she’s very independent and full of pride. She doesn’t want handouts of any kind.”

  Joseph’s description of Jazelle didn’t surprise Connor. He’d noticed the straight line of her shoulders and the proud tilt to her chin. No, he thought, she was hardly the sort to ask for handouts.

  “What about Jazelle’s parents? Guess she doesn’t want to live around them, eith
er?”

  Joseph grunted. “I don’t know much about them. Except that they divorced a long time ago and her father moved away. Her mother lives in Wickenburg. But from what Tessa tells me, the woman is a—Well, let’s just say she’s an unpleasant woman.”

  So other than the Hollisters, Jazelle didn’t have much of a family unit around her. Connor had been in the same situation since he was teenager. “I get the fact that she wants to be on her own. That way she doesn’t have to consider anybody but her and her little boy.”

  Joseph turned away from the computer screen long enough to shoot Connor a pointed look. “You would see it that way.”

  “Look, Joe, we don’t all come from big families like you. It’s different for people like me and Jazelle.”

  Joseph grimaced. “Tessa wants Jazelle to find a good man to marry. She has this romantic notion that everyone should have someone to love. I’ve tried to tell my wife that finding real love isn’t always easy.”

  Connor wouldn’t know about real love. He’d never hunted the elusive emotion. Why bother? Love, if there truly was such a thing, never lasted. It either burned itself to a pile of useless ashes or died a slow, painful death of boredom. And if that didn’t happen, death usually stepped in to end things. No, Connor didn’t need or want that kind of misery.

  While Joseph turned his attention to back to the computer, Connor contemplated the idea of Jazelle falling in love and getting married. For some reason, his brain revolted against the image. She didn’t need some creep hanging around, taking advantage of her soft heart. And that little boy of hers damned sure didn’t need a jerk who didn’t know the first thing about being a father.

  Like you, Connor? Yeah, you have memories of your father and they’re all good. But you were just a kid when he died. What you learned from him was not enough to prepare you for family life. No, the only thing you’re good for is a laugh and a good time.

  Frustrated with the annoying voice in his head, Connor rose from the desk and walked over to the open doorway. Outside in the wide corridor, deputies and other personnel were going to and fro, while a cacophony of ringing phones and voices overpowered the sound of the rattling air-conditioner vent above his head.

  Turning away from the doorway, he watched Joseph continue to type at a slow, steady pace. “Are you writing a saga? I’m getting damned hungry. We haven’t eaten in eight hours. And we’re supposed to be back on the road in thirty minutes. We’ll have to eat in the truck. Again.”

  “Patience, Deputy Murphy. I’m nearly there.” Joseph tapped the last few words of the report then directed the information to its proper destination. “Okay. Finished.”

  Connor grabbed his hat from a hall tree and levered it onto this head. “Hallelujah! I’m finally going to get to eat.”

  Joseph put the computer on sleep mode and pushed back his chair. “Um, before we go, Connor, I have a favor to ask.”

  Connor frowned. “Since when did you ever have to ask me for a favor? Whatever it is, I’ll do it.”

  “This isn’t just any favor,” Joseph warned. “I want you to come out to the ranch tomorrow night.”

  Normally on the Saturday nights he wasn’t on duty, Connor drove out to the Fandango Club for drinks and dancing with the prettiest available women. It was his favorite way to blow off steam. But if Joseph needed him, he could forgo the Fandango this once.

  “The ranch?” Connor asked. “You mean your ranch, the Bar X?”

  Rising from the desk chair, Joseph shook his head. “When I say the ranch, I still mean Three Rivers. It’s engrained in me.”

  Connor was a bit surprised. “What’s going on that I need to be there?”

  “I wish I could say we’re having a party, but actually, it’s a meeting with my brothers and Uncle Gil. We’re going to discuss some of the options we have about finding Dad’s killer.”

  Killer. Joseph had often talked to Connor about his dad’s death, but he’d never used that particular word before. “Killer? Guess you’ve finally reached the point where you’re going to call your father’s death a murder. Aloud, I mean.”

  “I reached that point some time ago. I just don’t go around saying the word in front of the womenfolk of the family,” he said then added with wry sarcasm, “As if that’s going to spare them the pain of the incident.”

  About eight years ago, Joseph’s father, Joel Hollister, had been found on the range, one boot stuck in the stirrup while the remainder of his body lay bloodied and mangled on the ground. No one knew exactly how far the ranch patriarch had been dragged across the rough terrain. Nor did they have any idea why the trusty steed would’ve bolted with his rider dangling from the saddle. During the years since, Joseph had worked tirelessly to gather clues to determine what had actually occurred to cause his father’s untimely death.

  “I’m happy to help. But your family might think I’m butting in on your private business,” Connor pointed out.

  Joseph frowned at him. “Wrong. They’ll be happy to know you’re working with me on this,” he said. “And, if it will give you some incentive to make the trip out to the ranch, Reeva will be serving dinner to all of us.”

  Over the years, Joseph had often boasted about the Hollister family cook. And, though he’d never met the woman, he had eaten a few delicious meals that she’d prepared. But suddenly Connor wasn’t thinking about feasting on a rich dinner. His mind had already leaped to the ranch’s housekeeper.

  What in heck is wrong with you, Connor? Jazelle has two-story house, white picket fence and a baby cradle written all over her! She’s the last woman you need to be eyeing!

  In spite of the sarcastic warning going off in his head, Connor said, “You can count me in, Joe.”

  Joseph settled his cowboy hat onto his head and nudged Connor toward the door. “Thanks, buddy. I’ll be sure to tell Mom to have Jazelle set another plate on the table.”

  So that meant she would be there, Connor thought with a spurt of excitement. And suddenly he didn’t give a damn about missing a night at the Fandango. He was going to see Jazelle again.

  Chapter Three

  “Jazelle, why don’t you let Raine come upstairs and spend the evening with Andy and Abby while you help Reeva? Once dinner gets in full swing, you’ll be too busy to keep a close eye on him, and the kids love to play together.”

  Jazelle looked away from the sink of dirty pots and pans over to Blake’s wife. The tall brunette was as beautiful and slender as the day she’d married the manager of Three Rivers Ranch and was still just as kind and lovely on the inside, Jazelle thought.

  “Oh, thanks for the offer, Kat,” she said doubtfully. “But you already have your hands full with the twins. And, anyway, it’s not your place to babysit my son.”

  Katherine swatted away that argument with a short laugh. “Why not? You babysit the twins every day. So don’t argue. Little Joe and Spring are coming, too, so I’ll let all the kids have a little picnic on the floor. They’ll love it.”

  At the industrial-size cookstove, a tall, slender woman with a steel-gray braid hanging down her back, stirred a large pot of carne guisada. The seasoned meat had been simmering for hours and the delicious aroma now permeated the large kitchen located at the back of the big three-story ranch house.

  “Better listen to her, Jazelle,” Reeva said. “You know how it is when a bunch of men get together. Want, want and want some more. You’ll be running your legs off.”

  Knowing from experience that Reeva was right, Jazelle gave in. “Okay, Kat. I’d be grateful if you’d take Raine upstairs with you. But if he starts giving you trouble, just call down here to the kitchen. I’ll come after him.”

  Katherine shook her head. “No chance. If I can’t corral three children at once, then I need some mothering lessons. Besides, Vivian and Sawyer are bringing Nick home this evening from the reservation. He and his cousin, Hannah, will help me with
the kids.”

  Jazelle went back to washing a set of round cake pans. “Oh, good. I’ll get to see the twins.”

  Vivian, the middle daughter of the Hollister siblings, had married fellow park ranger, Sawyer Whitehorse, a little more than two years ago. At that time Vivian already had a thirteen year old daughter, Hannah, from a prior marriage. Since marrying Sawyer, Vivian had given birth to identical twin boys named Jacob and Johnny. With thick black hair and brown eyes, the one-year-old boys closely resembled their handsome Apache father. And because they’d both started walking at ten months, they were quite a handful.

  “I hope someone has put up anything that isn’t bolted down,” Reeva said. “Otherwise, those two little rascals will have the place in shambles.”

  Laughing, Katherine said, “Roslyn is doing that right now and I’m going to go help her. The two of us will make sure everything is put away and out of reach of little hands.”

  Katherine departed the kitchen and Jazelle glanced at the large clock positioned above the breakfast booth. “As soon as I finish here, I’ll go set the table,” she told Reeva. “Do you know if Tessa and her kids are going to eat downstairs tonight?”

  “No. She and the little ones are going upstairs. So are Vivian and the twins,” Reeva answered. “And Nick and Hannah are going to eat here in the kitchen with me. Oh...and Emily-Ann is coming, but she’s going upstairs with the other women. So that should mean you need nine place settings for the dining room.”

  “Nine?” Frowning, Jazelle began to count on her fingers. “I’m getting eight, Reeva.”

  The cook dumped a large can of hominy into a saucepan and switched on the burner. “Oh, I forgot to mention that Joe’s bringing a guest tonight. His partner. I think his name is Connor.”

  Jazelle felt like Reeva had just thrown a bucket of ice water in her face. She stood frozen in her tracks, her mind whirling. Connor Murphy was coming here tonight for dinner? She couldn’t believe it. In all of the seven years she’d worked at Three Rivers, she’d never once seen the man in this house. But then she often had to run errands away from the ranch, she reasoned. Or he could’ve visited on her days off.