by Diane Saxon
Kate found herself smiling in response to his direct gaze and confident grin. “As long as they don’t get mixed up and accidentally marry a cousin.”
The smile dropped from Jack’s face. He pushed his plate away and cupped the mug in his large hands, making her squirm just a little. Perhaps she’d said the wrong thing, maybe someone had married their cousin.
“Not much chance of that happening. We’re virtually an all-male family. With the exception of Bill.”
“Bill?” It sounded like a man’s name to her.
“Yeah, she’s my deputy. The one who pointed you in my direction.”
“Ah, the really tall lady, looks like she belongs on a catwalk.”
Genuine bewilderment flickered over his features. “Bill? Nah, she’s just one of the boys.”
“Really? Okay. She’s very beautiful though.”
Jack gave a careless shrug and leaned back against the red leather seat.
“There’s not much family resemblance.”
His eyebrows shot up, and she realized it was the second time she’d insulted him in as many minutes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry too for mistaking you for a stripper.”
She almost choked, and so did the old lady who’d crossed the room to fill their cups again.
“You thought this lady was a stripper? How in hog-tying hell did you manage to make a mistake like that?”
Jack smacked his forehead into the palm of his hand and screwed his face up. “Because, Martha, as you well know from your afternoon tea meetings with my grandmother and aunties, I’ve been besieged by women lately. Some of whom seem to think if they whip their bras off, I will instantly shove a ring on their finger and wedding bells will chime.”
With a gurgle of laughter, Kate dipped her head to study the old lady’s fingernails. He wasn’t the pervert she’d believed he was. She cast him a sly glance. Except for maybe his predilection for pink pasties.
A wheezy chuckle squeezed its way out of the old lady’s wrinkled lips, and she leaned on the table while she tried to get her breath back. “Well someone has to do something about it. You turned thirty this year, boy, and you’re not getting any younger. So far, you haven’t managed to pull a girl in long enough to propose.”
The last few words came out as a breathy whisper, enough to convince Kate she may need a crash team at any minute.
Jack knuckled his fingers into his forehead while he ground words out from his tight lips. “Nor do I intend to. I’ve absolutely no wish to get married, even less of a wish to have children. I think the Swann population is more than healthy enough without me feeling obliged to add to it.”
It was probably an opportune moment to leave the two of them to discuss Jack’s love life, or by the sounds of it, the lack thereof. If she could slink away, she could find a hotel where they would put her up just until the morning. She could offer to leave her passport in their safekeeping until she managed to get some money to pay for her board.
She slipped from the booth, leaving the two of them engrossed in their conversation. But as she reached for the handle of her suitcase, the old lady’s scratchy voice rang out.
“Are you just going to let this young lady abscond without paying her bill, Sheriff?”
Kate turned just as Jack twisted around in his seat to stare at her, one dark eyebrow raised. A wild grin slashed his features and then disappeared just as quick.
“Did you intend leaving without paying for your food?”
Speechless, her mouth dropped open as the two of them stared at her as though she were a thief. She wasn’t a thief. Jack had offered to buy her dinner. Hadn’t he? “But, you offered…”
“No, ma’am. I offered to buy you coffee. You ordered the food.”
He was right, she absolutely had, but she’d been ravenous and her brain hadn’t functioned properly.
“But…”
Sure he snickered behind his coffee cup, Kate narrowed her eyes at him while he unraveled his legs and slipped from behind the table, his lips twitching upward at the edges. “I won’t tell anyone about your petty larceny, if you keep quiet about the little incident in my office.”
“What incident?” Martha butted in.
“The one where I mistook her for a stripper, when in fact she’s only a thief.” This time he failed to repress the chuckle. “And I will pay your check, Doctor, if Martha keeps quiet too. Then she won’t have to take you to court to get her money.”
“My lips are sealed,” the old lady grumbled as she hobbled off back to the counter. “But you’re no fun anymore, Jack T Swann. None at all. I wanted to hear the full stripper story.”
Obliged to tilt her head back as he approached, she had no idea whether to laugh or smack him in the shoulder with her fist when he winked at her and whispered, “It’ll be our little secret.”
His warm breath stroked her ear, and she froze as he leaned down, his face almost grazing hers before he relieved her of the weight of her case. A fast shot of embarrassment heated her skin, sure he’d been about to press his lips against her cheek. She dipped her head. The quick flare of anticipation sent a little ripple of confusion through her. How could she find the cowboy so attractive? Her preference was normally the skinny, cerebral type. She peered at him from beneath her lashes. The man certainly wasn’t skinny, and she suspected his sense of humor was a little wicked for her liking, his manners a little too rough.
His dark gaze twinkled at her and made her wonder if he had any idea what went on in her mind.
He opened the door and signaled for her to precede him outside. She waited for him to close it before she tottered beside him on her wobbly heel. “Where are we going?”
“Back to the jailhouse.”
“You’re going to arrest me?” She had no fear he would.
“Nah, I’m going to find you somewhere to stay tonight.”
“I was hoping for a nice hotel. I can pay them tomorrow, if they’ll wait for me to sort out some finances.”
“Well, as there isn’t a hotel within twenty miles of here, never mind a nice one, I thought you could bunk with me tonight…” He grinned down at her, and her pulse gave a little flutter of anticipation. In the darkness, all she could see was the wolfish show of his teeth. “Of course, I mean there’s always a spare cell available in the jailhouse if you prefer. I wouldn’t want anyone to stay at my house in its current state.”
It appeared the sheriff was quite the joker.
“I imagine you have to think of your reputation.”
His low rumbling laughter sent a wave of warmth through her chest.
“We’ll speak with Bill and get something sorted for you at her house, until we get ahold of the Medical Center Administrator. ’Course it’s Friday night now, I don’t think we’ll find the administrator until Monday, but at least you’ll be safe and comfortable with Bill.”
She trotted alongside him trying to keep up with his long-legged stride as he headed back to the jailhouse.
He nudged open the door with his hip. A deathly hush fell over the place for a split second before quiet snickers followed, but Jack never seemed to notice. “Bill, the doctor needs a place to stay tonight. Any chance you can put her up?”
Bill’s liquid brown eyes studied her for a moment before she addressed Jack. “Wouldn’t your grandma take better care of her?”
“Funny.”
Bill’s shark-like grin made Kate wonder if any of them took anything seriously.
With the warmth of his hand on the small of Kate’s back, Jack nudged her into the room, dipping his head so his lips grazed the top of her ear to send pinpricks of anticipation over her flesh. “Knowing Grandma, she’ll have you in a wedding gown by morning.” He smoothed his hand over her shoulder, sending a line of heat to chase the trail of it. “No offense, but I don’t intend to get married—ever.”
“None taken, Sheriff, but for the record, I hadn’t asked.”
His laughter barke
d out as he slipped inside his office, returning with an armful of paperwork. “If anyone wants me, I’ll be home. See you all bright and early in the morning.” He grabbed her case again with so little effort and left her no option but to follow him back outside into the dark.
At a loss, Kate trotted behind him and stopped when he did by the side of a huge, black pickup truck.
“I’ll take you to Bill’s because you wouldn’t want to ride a Harley wearing a skirt. In fact, you possibly would never want to ride Bill’s Harley, just so you know.”
He lobbed her case with ease into the back of his truck, opened the passenger door, and offered his hand to assist her. The renegade she’d first met had strains of gentleman running through him. His huge hand enveloped hers as he helped her up into the cab, his touch light on her waist still sent a shot of warmth through her.
By the time he’d rounded the hood of the truck and slipped inside, she’d brought herself back under control.
“How far is it to Bill’s?” She glanced out of the window as a Harley Davidson with a leather-clad driver tore past them onto the open road.
“There she goes!” he hissed through his teeth and shook his head. “You can thank me for saving you from the journey through hell. That girl’s a goddamn nuisance to my department.” He smacked the heel of his hand on his forehead. “If I catch her speeding again, I’m going to have to issue her a ticket.”
Kate dipped her chin so he didn’t catch her smiling.
“I’m going to have to kick her ass.” He ran his hand through his thick hair.
Her throat tightened as she watched the dense fall of it flop back into exactly the same place it had been. It was long, longer than she would have expected from an officer of the law. It fell down his collar with a slight messiness, as though he’d just been ruffled up. The thought had her tightened throat drying and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. The man oozed sex appeal. His raw musky scent lingered in the cab to mix with the smell of leather and horses. Not something she’d considered attractive, but the combination of it kicked her hormones into overdrive.
“You asked something?”
His eyes appeared even darker in the orange glow of the dashboard lights.
She bravely unhooked her tongue while she wracked her brain to remember the question and then stuttered it out. “Bill’s. How far?”
“Five miles outside of town, just past my place. There’s mine now.”
Kate gazed into the tarry black night. There was nothing to see, not even a flicker of a light to indicate there was anything out there. Hypnotized by the dense nothingness, her eyelids drooped as the rock of the cab soothed her.
Vaguely aware of Jack slowing the truck as he turned it off the main road, Kate struggled to keep her eyes open while black clouds washed over her and the soft sound of country music lulled her to sleep.
“Kate.”
“Hmm?” Warm and cozy, she struggled to open her eyes.
“Kate.”
Her eyes focused on the masculine mouth, so close in the dim light of the cab, she could make out the black stubble on his upper lip. With a sigh, she allowed her eyes to close again, his handsome face captured in her dream until she was scooped out of her soft, warm seat and into a pair of strong muscular arms.
She snapped wide awake, fear bumping her pulse into overdrive. “What the hell are you doing? Put me down, immediately.” Shock raced across his features and in his hesitation, she gave a sharp poke of her forefinger to his chest and found the flesh there far harder than she’d expected.
A flicker of confusion crossed his face as he cautiously allowed her legs to slip down the length of his and her feet to touch the ground. “You were asleep. I called you three times, but you never roused. I thought it was better to carry you in.”
“I’m quite capable of walking myself.” Yet the smooth slide of her body against his sent a shocked thrill through her system, punching aside the jetlag.
He took a wary step back, holding his arms wide in apology.
She raised her chin. Evidently, the man didn’t understand the meaning of personal space. She pushed her shoulders back, took a step forward, and her heel gave up its fight to remain connected to her shoe. She sucked in a sharp breath and let out an embarrassing squeak as she lurched sideways into the solid form of the sheriff. She slapped her hand on his chest as he snaked his arm around her waist to stop her from sliding to the ground.
“Careful how you go. Bill’s yard isn’t for the faint hearted, and that kitten you’re wearing seems eager to cause someone damage.”
“Kitten heel,” she corrected. More comfortable now that the heel had departed her shoe altogether, she took a hesitant step toward the lights from the house, aware of the warm curl of his arm still supporting her.
It would have been nice to have been warned about the two enormous German Shepherds who suddenly bounded around her like she was their next meal as Jack guided her through the door of the house.
“This is Ralph.” Jack scrubbed the top of one beast’s head and then chucked the chin of the darker one. “And Bruno. Be gentle, boys.”
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” She offered her hand, palm down for the dogs to sniff, relieved to see the happy wag of their tails. Unable to resist, she hunkered down, dug her fingers in their thick pelts, and scratched their heads as they vied for her attention, bumping each other out of the way.
Already changed into casual joggers and T-shirt, Bill leaned against the kitchen counter, coffee in hand, dark eyes narrowed while Kate felt the burn of her slow perusal.
Kate came to her feet and conjured up a smile as Jack slipped back outside. “Thank you so much for letting me stay here tonight.” She swiped the hairs from her hands and glanced down at her limp black suit, covered in dog fur.
“No problem.” Bill gave a careless shrug and raised her cup. “Coffee?”
“No, thank you, if I have any more caffeine, I’ll be awake all night.” A little self-conscious, Kate offered up another smile. “You weren’t exactly given a choice, but I do appreciate it.”
Bill’s unladylike snort wasn’t exactly the response Kate had expected. Bill stared for a moment longer before she twitched a small smile. “Just for your information. Nobody twists my arm unless I allow it. If I hadn’t wanted you here, you wouldn’t be here.”
Kate didn’t doubt it for a minute. The woman emanated power in every understated move she made.
»»•««
Back in his truck, Jack tried to control the wild hammering of his heart. If they’d told him yesterday he was about to meet a woman who sent his pulse racing, he would have told them to have their heads examined.
Dangerous, that’s what she was. With her clipped English accent and expectation to have her commands obeyed. And he had obeyed them. He’d had nothing but admiration at her bravery when she’d taken him on with only a kitten heel at her disposal. It made him want to laugh, but at the same time, he knew she’d have used it if he’d gotten any closer.
He took his hand from the wheel to give his aching chest a rub. Yeah, definitely dangerous. A woman to be avoided. She’d caught him at a weak moment—he was tired, overworked. He just had to keep his head down for a while, rest up, and let the feeling pass.
The quiet strains of country music wound through his tired mind conjuring visions of wheat-colored hair to tease at his conscience as he turned onto the main road and headed for home. For the first time he felt a flutter of regret that the place would be in darkness, with no one there to greet him.
Disgusted with his weakness, he reached out, flipped the station on the radio, and pumped up the volume on the hard rock, letting it blare out of the open window and blast away the brief moment of insanity.
It was cool. Everything was cool.
Chapter Three
Muted voices and the aroma of bacon and fresh coffee teased Kate out of her deep, exhausted sleep. Her stomach persuaded her she could eat. Scratchy and swollen from the long
day before, her eyes fought against the idea of opening.
She could roll over and go back to sleep, but the day was already heating up, and she presumed the noise she could hear meant everyone else in the household was awake. She’d not asked who else lived there. By the time she’d fallen into bed the previous night after a bone-soothing bath, she’d been too weary to care.
Kate rooted through her suitcase to pull out clean underwear, a pair of smart black pants, and a sleeveless, fitted cream silk shirt. They’d traveled well, all things considered, but she was convinced she’d lost much of the contents of her case in the depths of the airport. It certainly felt far lighter than it had when she’d set off.
Impressed with his biceps, she’d thought the sheriff was really strong the way he’d tossed it around as though it weighed nothing.
Kate zipped it up and leaned over to haul it upright, letting out a loud grunt. It was heavy. The sheriff was strong. And gorgeous, but with his penchant for pink pasties and fear of commitment, she’d give him a wide berth. It wouldn’t be too difficult.
She slipped on a pair of sensible black shoes and left her case by the side of the bed so she could find the food and coffee that called her name.
Stunned by the view as she wandered into Bill’s kitchen, Kate stared out of the huge windows which looked across miles of crop fields. Shades of gold swayed in the sunlight, and she squinted her eyes against the glare.
Ralph and Bruno tore through the yard in a play fight which coaxed a smile from her as she rested her elbows on the kitchen counter, cupping her face in her hands, content just to watch.
Bill stepped inside to lean casually against the kitchen doorframe while she watched the dogs play. She cradled a mug of coffee in her hand and took a sip. “You’d never believe they’d just been on a five-mile hike, would you?”
Kate chuckled as the dogs wrestled each other to the ground. “They’re gorgeous.” She scanned the landscape, amazed by the difference in light quality. Back home it was layered with greens and blues, but here it was striking gold. “What a fabulous view. You must feel very lucky waking up to this every morning.”