Gun Shy

by Diane Saxon

  With a final mouthful of coffee, Jack stood. The mild contemplation of his young deputy from his seat across the room stirred that wriggle of annoyance. Why was it all eyes were on him lately as though they waited for him to take the fall?

  Well, there was no way he was falling. Not for anyone. Not even the sexy doctor. He’d simply have to keep his distance.

  He stepped into the sunshine, and his annoyance evaporated. What would she wear when she went to Lou’s Bar? Perhaps he should just check up on her. He would be on duty after all.

  Chapter Five

  Heat and thundering music served to persuade Kate she needed an early night. It was all very well trying to get to know her work colleagues, but there came a time when fourteen-hour shifts caught up. That time had come.

  She didn’t feel sociable. She felt tired, a little homesick, and in all truth she wasn’t in the mood for mild flirtations with good-looking cowboys. There were a number of them, but none of them matched up to the sheriff. It wasn’t as though she was holding out for him. She simply needed to get the image of him out of her head before she could move on. It wasn’t so easy when his whiskey warm gaze cruised over her with the promise of dark passions she’d never had the chance to experience.

  She stepped out into the balmy warmth of the night air. The humidity was high, but it was good to breathe in fresh air rather than the atmosphere of Lou’s Bar, heavy with the scent of beer and perfume and a distinct odor of horses. She tipped her head to stare at the clear night sky filled with bright stars as a languid tranquility stole over her. She wasn’t so very far from home when she could look up and see the same stars. Their positions were a little different, but she was pretty sure she could see The Plough, low on the horizon. She indulged herself for a moment longer. She was in America. They called it The Big Dipper, but it was the same constellation and it made her think of home.

  Her heart warmed as her sister, Lydia, flitted through her mind. She missed her and Lydia’s twins already. It wasn’t easy to speak on the phone with the time difference. Lydia was either just going to bed or the twins were already up and demanding attention. Email somehow lacked the contact Kate needed with her sister. They were close. Closer than most sisters because circumstances had drawn them together.

  Still, she smiled up at the stars. There was something about them that brought the comfort and familiarity she needed. The only thing that would have made it any better would have been total silence, but the dull thud of bass music leaked from the bar to nudge her onward.

  With a sigh, she dragged her attention back to the present and the task of finding her rental car in the parking lot. Still entranced by the beauty of the night, she squinted into the dark. The muffled rumble of music and voices increased in volume briefly, and she glanced over her shoulder as two cowboys stumbled out of the bar behind her. Their wide grins and unsteady gaits hinted at the amount of alcohol they’d consumed. The door slammed shut and left just the muted rhythmic thud to fill the heavy air.

  “Hey, babe.”

  A trickle of apprehension brought her to a stop. She dug her hand into her pocket to grasp her car keys. Concerned she’d look stupid running the twenty paces or so to her car when the guys were probably completely harmless, Kate turned fully to face them.

  “Hi.”

  Both dressed in jeans and plaid shirts, their faces were shadowed even more by the low tilt of their Stetsons. Unused to seeing people wearing hats all the time, Kate squinted at them through the darkness.

  The shorter of the two stumbled toward her. “I hear you’re the new doctor. British.” The white of his teeth gleamed as he bared them at her. “We’re going to Toe Tappers. I hear you Brits like your drink. You want to come with us and let us buy you one?”

  Before she could step away, he took another clumsy lurch forward and snaked his arm around her waist, pitching her back a few paces. Fear clutched at her, and she gripped her keys even tighter, slipping the longest one between her fingers so it poked out when she made a fist. Her brother had shown her how to defend herself. Not that she’d need to do anything so drastic. The man was most probably a harmless drunk, but her pulse rate tripped while he held her tight to his side as he ushered her down the parking lot. His inebriated enthusiasm drove them onward as he leaned his heavy weight on her.

  Kate dug her heels in to slow him down, surprised at the solid arm that held her prisoner and the speed with which he’d managed to propel her. Out of condition and overweight he may have appeared, but his muscles were like iron. Aware of the other cowboy behind her, Kate tamped down her panic. She was used to dealing with drunks. Keep it calm, keep it friendly. Soothe. They’d listen to reason. There was no need to hit him with her key. She might puncture him, but there were two of them, and aggression from her would only escalate the situation. The voice of reason was a better option.

  With a little more effort, she managed to slow them down so she could turn around in the circle of the cowboy’s arm. Calm and cool, she patted his chest, kept her voice low and controlled. “Thank you, it’s really kind, but I’m on duty early and I have to go home now.” The practiced icy stare she gave them would normally have stopped an intern dead in their tracks from ten paces, but the warning signals failed to communicate to the drunk and the dangerous.

  “Hey, honey, don’t be a tight ass, come on with us.”

  Insulted, she raised her chin a notch so she could give a quick scan around. She’d managed to stop their progress, but they’d propelled her a distance from the front door of Lou’s Bar. Too far for her to enlist the help of anyone coming out unless she screamed bloody murder. It all seemed a little dramatic. Drama was something she tried to avoid.

  There was no one there in any case, even if she decided a little drama in her life was a necessity.

  Her heart bumped up a beat as she realized how far into the shadows they’d come. “Boys, I’m sorry, not tonight okay. Maybe another time.” She smiled at them, keeping her tone firm but friendly while she disengaged herself. Relief swept over her as the short guy released her.

  With a tight smile, Kate took two steps back. It was probably much safer to get back inside the club and see if a couple of the nurses would walk out with her rather than make her way deeper into the darkness to her own car.

  The sloppy, drunken smile of the smaller guy didn’t compel her to turn her back on him, but the other guy was too quiet. Kate half turned to check where he was and caught the movement out of the corner of her eye as he tripped and slapped his hand on her shoulder to steady himself.

  Her knees buckled as she staggered back. A pair of hands grabbed her from behind, and a frisson of shock whipped through her as she realized she was trapped between the two men. She drew her hand from her pocket, kept a tight grip on her keys, and jerked her elbows out of the grasp of the man behind her.

  Panic slithered through her stomach as she stared into the cowboy’s shadowed eyes. His sour breath puffed hot and labored over her skin.

  “You wouldn’t want to upset us would you, honey? We’re just trying to be friendly.”

  Nausea threatened as the bitter smell of body odor filled her nostrils.

  “Maybe she doesn’t want your kind of friendship, Buddy.”

  A wave of sick relief washed over her at the unmistakable tone of Jack’s even voice. All three of them swiveled in his direction. Buddy’s drunken sloppiness appeared to evaporate in the face of the sheriff.

  Jack leaned with deceptive casualness against the side of a Jeep, arms folded across the broad expanse of his chest, gaze narrowed. Kate adjusted the hold she had on her keys and held them at the ready by her side.

  “C’mon, Sheriff, you know we’re only having a little fun!” grumbled the tall one.

  Jack’s mouth kicked up at one side, but his dark eyes were flat and emotionless. “Well, Dwain, it doesn’t look to me as though this is the doctor’s idea of fun. So let’s respect her wishes and let her go.”

  “Jack, I don’t see why you
have to butt in.” The shorter guy puffed his chest out and stepped forward, the air a moment ago still, snapped with aggression.

  Jack transferred his piercing gaze to the other man, brows pulled low over dark, dangerous eyes. “Sheriff Swann to you, Buddy.” Jack’s smile was grim as he stepped closer to tower over the smaller man. He didn’t need to puff his chest out—it was already wider than either of the other men’s. He moved his head to look over their shoulders and jerked his chin in the direction of the beat-up old truck. “’Course, you weren’t going to drive in the state you’re in, were you?”

  “No, Sheriff, we were going to ask the Brit to drive us.”

  “The doctor,” he corrected. “I’ll just bet you were.” He huffed out a sigh and jerked his head in the other direction. “Go on back up to Lou’s and call yourselves a cab. One of my deputies is going to be on the exit road up there, so make sure you get a lift.” He turned to walk away, and Kate’s heart hammered at the thought of him leaving her with the two men. As though it was an afterthought, he paused and then turned back again. His gaze raked over her and made her regret her skimpy outfit. It didn’t matter though. He was going to save her. She didn’t have to humiliate herself by running after him.

  Surprise took her breath as he made a slow head turn back to the two men, ignoring her completely. “In fact, I’ll have your truck keys now and you can collect them from me tomorrow up at the jailhouse, when you’ve sobered up.”

  He held out his hand for the keys, his stance easy, his face set and his stare as hard as rock as he waited for them to hand over the keys. The two of them grumbled. Instead of leaving his friend to it, Buddy attempted to pry the keys out of Dwain’s pocket.

  Anxious laughter bubbled up her throat, and Kate muffled it with a quiet cough as the two cowboys tripped over each other’s feet and slapped their hands in childish fashion at each other’s faces.

  The sheriff made it obvious he didn’t share her amusement.

  Jack accepted the keys and slipped a casual hand around Kate’s elbow, his grip firm and reassuring, the warmth of it seeping through her chilled flesh. Relief flooded her, but her heartbeat still raged as she slipped her hand back in her pocket. Her fingers kept a firm grip on the keys. There was no way she would have let him walk away without her, but the mere fact he’d taken control and moved her with him gave her a warm feeling of security. After all, the man had a gun strapped to his hip, and he’d kept the hand nearest it free while he stepped to one side to watch Buddy and Dwain stagger off in the direction of Lou’s Bar.

  It took a full minute before Jack turned toward Kate, his hand tightening like a vice around her upper arm.

  “What in hell’s name were you thinking when you agreed to go off with the likes of them? Don’t you know any better?”

  Shock and fear kicked up her own fury, but her fingers shook as she let go of her death grip on her keys. “I…” Her knees, already weak from her encounter, turned to jelly in delayed reaction. She opened her mouth, but nothing would come out. She could defend herself, knew she should, but fear sapped her strength.

  “Get in the car.”

  She yanked at her arm, insult burning her cheeks, but his grip tightened. He drew her close, dipped his head so when he spoke his breath feathered over her skin. “Don’t argue, for the love of God, Kate.” His voice softened to a husky rasp to confuse her while he raised his other hand to cup her overheated cheek. “Please, just get in the car.” He grazed his thumb over her cheekbone before he dropped his hand back to his side as though the scorch of her skin had burned him.

  He gave a light squeeze to her elbow and guided her into the back seat of the county police car that had crawled up alongside them. Silent, she had nothing to say as he used his hand to protect her head while she slipped inside. His head hit the headrest as he lurched into the front passenger seat and then sat motionless as Bill pulled the car into a full sweep of the parking lot and onto the highway.

  “What happened?” The orange glow from the dash cast an eerie radiance over Bill’s dark features as she twisted around to give Kate a sweeping glance.

  Jack covered his face with his hands and muttered through laced fingers, “Kate was about to get in Buddy’s beat-up old truck with him and Dwain.”

  “You’re shittin’ me.”

  Jack’s low groan accompanied a shake of his head.

  As the gut-wrenching fear subsided, adrenaline kicked in, and the slow burn of fury heated Kate’s stomach. She clenched her jaw and pulled in long slow breaths to control her anger. When she released it, she powered forward to grasp the seat backs. “No, actually. I was not going anywhere with that pair, Jack, as well you know it. You heard me tell them I wasn’t going.”

  “You’d left it a little late in the day to make your objection clear.”

  “It was clear from the outset, they hustled me down that parking lot.” She poked a finger hard into his shoulder and almost earned herself a broken digit. “And where I come from, no means no. No matter how late in the day it’s called.”

  As the car pulled to a stop against the curb, Kate flung open the door and strode with purpose toward her apartment, indignation reaching boiling point. The late adrenaline rush pumped her heart into overdrive. Her skin tingled as heat skittered down her back to stiffen her spine.

  “Kate. Hold on.”

  Fury and fear combined to put speed in her step.

  “Jesus, Kate. Slow down.”

  She stabbed the key into the lock, the trembling in her fingers competing with the wild flutter in her chest as Jack caught up with her. His warm hand encircled her icy one, and he had no difficulty in turning the key so the door to her apartment burst open with the combined weight of them leaning against it.

  It was dark in there, but neither one of them reached for the light switch. Kate’s breath heaved in her chest, and she leaned weak against the wall.

  “Kate.” Voice low and gruff, Jack leaned into her.

  She whipped her head up, met the dark glitter of his gaze. “It wasn’t my fault.” The quiet tremble of her voice disappointed her. She’d wanted to rail at him, but the strength adrenaline had supplied rapidly dwindled. “You made it sound like I invited them, but I didn’t. I said no, loud and clear from the start.”

  “I know, I know, I know.” He wrapped his arms around her, drew her in tight against his chest until he almost smothered her. He pulled back to place a kiss on her forehead, her nose, her cheek. “I never meant it that way. I know you never invited it. Goddamn.” He pressed his forehead against hers, whispered into the dark. “Women should be able to say no and their wishes respected, but we know it doesn’t always happen. You’ll have seen it in your job and I sure as hell have seen it in mine.” She knew it, understood it, and had borne witness to it. “You wouldn’t have to give any encouragement to Buddy. The man’s evil. If I could keep him in jail, I would, because something bad is going to happen soon with him, he’s a train wreck waiting to happen.”

  His breath shuddered out of him while he skimmed his hands up to her hair, cradled her head in one palm and swept her hair back from her face with the shaky fingers of his free hand. “My heart almost stopped when I saw where you were all headed. If I hadn’t been looking for…” His voice stumbled to a stop, and he drew in an unsteady breath. “If I hadn’t seen you, Kate, God knows what might have happened.”

  Desperate to lighten the tone, she dredged up a smile for him. “I could always have killed him with my shoe.”

  His quiet puff of laughter wafted over her cheek, and in the dark, only the warmth of his skin heating hers hinted at how close he was. “I’d have had to arrest you for murder with a deadly kitten heel.”

  “Stiletto.”

  “You carry a knife?”

  “No, I’m wearing stiletto heels.”

  “Ah.”

  The silence hung heavy in the dark curtain surrounding them. The only sound their whispered breaths. He tangled his fingers in her hair, gave a gentle t
ug to her scalp as he tipped her head back.

  “I should go now. Bill’s waiting.”

  Closer than she realized, her lips feathered across his skin as she nodded her agreement. She froze.

  “Kate?”

  When she didn’t move, he slid his hands around to cup her face, his thumbs dipped into the corners of her mouth, and he leaned forward until his lips met hers once in a soft, enquiring touch before he withdrew.

  Disappointment had her puffing out a jerky sigh. His smooth, firm lips broke into a smile as he bowed his head and stole her breath. He kept the contact light, gentle, and teasing until she raised her hands and held onto his waist. With a gentle tug, she edged him in closer.

  As her body melted against his, she wound her arms around him, splaying her fingers wide across his muscular back. Mindless, she clung to him, opened her mouth to let his tongue slide against hers as he took from her. Not just a kiss, but a piece of her heart.

  Unwilling to let him go, she dug her fingernails into his flesh and moaned her desperation into his mouth while he held her tight and deepened his kiss. Licks of passion fired through her stomach and exploded out in a profusion of wild fireworks to skim through her veins and ignite her blood.

  He drew in closer, trapped her between his solid body and the wooden door. The hard evidence of his erection pressed between her thighs as he flexed his hips letting out a deep, husky groan of his own.

  The heat of his hand on her backside scorched through her clothes and turned her flesh to molten liquid. Her knees gave way, and she sagged against him.

  “Christ,” he muttered, huffing out a breathless laugh as he withdrew from her with one last little squeeze of her ass.

  She didn’t move. Didn’t have the strength to. He’d melted her resistance.

  Her eyes glazed over as she tried to make out his handsome features in the dark, while he swiped his fingers through his hair and stepped back. Her mind emptied of everything except the thought of Jack.