by Vella Day
He dropped his gaze and seemed to focus on her face. “Impressive. This actually puts Baltimore to shame.”
Jessie could feel her cheeks burn. Her uncharacteristic reaction to this man was upsetting. She blinked a few times to clear her head, and then looked back at the crowd, hoping, in some small way, she’d have to spend her time using her deputy skills instead of sitting near Dax for the next hour while she mourned Sadie’s loss. Being this close to him took her way out of her comfort zone.
Damn if all the booths and tables weren’t taken. “You mind sitting at the bar?” Jessie yelled over the noise.
“Not at all.”
Two adjacent seats were free, and that in and of itself was a rarity. She was happy they’d found a spot until she realized their arms would touch, and she’d be able to watch the planes of his jaw move in a sexy way, which would send her thoughts where they shouldn’t go.
What had gotten into her tonight? Sadie was dead, which meant her thoughts should only be on her friend and what this would do to Nana—not on being comforted by a man she barely knew. This was not the place to think about total abandon.
As they wove their way through the crowd, a high-pitched laugh caught her attention. She turned and stopped. “Lena?”
Good Lord. The woman’s husband had dumped her less than two weeks ago, and here she was out on a date in full makeup, hair actually curled, and a low cut top that covered barely a third of her breasts. The outfit took rebounding to a new level. Jessie had to admit the woman had guts. At least Lena wasn’t sitting home feeling sorry for herself like Jessie would have been, but her situation had been different. She’d dumped her last boyfriend instead of the other way around.
Her friend rushed over, looking wasted. “Jessie! Don’t you ever rest?”
“Actually, I’m here to relax.” No way would she say she wanted to drown her sorrows. The town didn’t need to learn about Sadie’s death so soon.
Lena touched Dax’s arm. “I remember you from the café.” She let go and turned back to Jessie. “You got something to tell me, honey?” Lena looked up at Dax then back to Jessie and winked.
Oh, boy. This was the last conversation she needed, especially with Dax standing right next to her.
As if he read her mind, Dax leaned close to her ear. “I’ll snag those two seats at the bar for us.”
Us, as in a couple. It had a nice ring, but it was definitely not in the direction she planned to go. “Okay.”
To move past her, he placed a hand on the small of her back, and his touch sent heat through her shirt. She needed to have her head examined. The man was here to do a job—one that was finished as of an hour ago. He’d be gone as soon as Walt repaired his car.
Lena clasped Jessie’s hand and squeezed. “You’ve been holding out on me, Jess.”
She withdrew her fingers from her friend’s grasp and crossed her arms. Details would only lead to other questions. “Dax is helping with an investigation, that’s all.”
“So it’s Dax now, is it?” She giggled. “Whoops. Where are my manners? Jessie, this is Seth Walker. He’s new in town.” The man had sidled up next to Lena the moment Dax left.
Nice looking guy, military fit body, and short-cropped hair. As they shook hands, she made a mental note to keep an eye on him “Welcome to Kerry, Seth.”
If he was in the military perhaps he had some marksman skills—enough to shoot out a tire and a camera lens. If the noise from the bar hadn’t been so loud, she might have questioned him.
“Thanks.”
“Well,” Lena said, “Don’t keep that hunk of yours waiting too long. Good men don’t come by very often.” She turned back to her date and looked all googly-eyed at him.
Jessie let the lovebirds enjoy each other’s company as she headed back to Dax. On the way, a good half dozen people insisted on speaking with her, offering their condolences regarding Clinton’s disappearance. Thank goodness they didn’t know about Sadie. She could only take so much sympathy at once. Breaking down in front of everyone would surely get back to the mayor and kill any chance of her making sheriff.
To push aside all the bad thoughts that were scrambling her brain, she focused on wonderful things, like blooming gardenias, rainbows over waterfalls, and Dax’s remarkable profile. Stop it. She didn’t need to be staring at his Roman nose, strong chin, and his thick, dark hair. She quickly added his muscular body to the list of things she didn’t need to be thinking about.
Dax wasn’t looking at her when she slid onto the stool next to him. In fact, he didn’t even seem to notice she’d arrived. He was definitely lost in thought, and she wondered what had captured his attention.
Bruno rushed over. “Evening, Jess. What can I get you?” He smiled as he always did when she stopped by. The man was eternally hopeful.
She noticed Dax had nothing in front of him, so she touched his arm to get his attention, and powerful muscles bulged under his long sleeved shirt. “You don’t want a drink?”
He turned to her as though startled. “Yeah, I do.” Dax nodded to Bruno. “But getting service around here ain’t easy.” He furrowed his brows.
Whoa. She hadn’t seen him lose his cool before.
Tension jumped to Bruno’s face faster than a spreading wildfire. “Can’t you see I’ve been busy?”
Jessie held her breath. The last thing she needed was a bar fight, especially between these two. Bruno must be upset because she was sitting with Dax, but he needed to get over the fact she didn’t want to go out with him.
“I’ll have a Guinness,” Dax said relaxing back against the chair.
Relieved he hadn’t made a scene, she wrinkled her nose. “Ale’s too bitter for me. I’ll have a scotch on the rocks—and make it a double.”
Bruno’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? You’ve never ordered anything stronger than a beer.”
“Tonight’s different.”
“Okay, you’re the boss.”
Dax turned his seat toward her. “I’m sorry about Sadie.”
Before she could answer, Bruno returned. “Here ya go.” He set down the drinks. “I’ll put these on your date’s tab.”
The man definitely had unresolved issues. She’d have to set him straight when she wasn’t with Dax. Too exhausted to squabble over the check, she let it slide for now. Tomorrow, she’d slip Dax some cash.
He peered into his beer, looking sad, distant, and quite troubled. She wanted to reach out and touch him, but she couldn’t handle any more problems tonight. He then swiveled around and faced her, opened his mouth then shut it. She figured he wanted to talk about what had happened, but she didn’t—or rather she couldn’t. Thinking about Sadie’s withered skin made her gag. God, it had been so awful.
Jessie grabbed the tall tumbler. To hell with it. Tonight, she needed to drink. It wasn’t everyday she found her grandmother’s best friend brutally murdered.
She was halfway through her scotch when a hand reached out and tipped the glass downward.
“Easy there. I thought you didn’t have to rush home?” Dax said.
Damn him. “I don’t. Just leave me alone, will ya?” She turned her shoulder to the side. She shouldn’t have snapped at him, but she was barely holding it together. Hopefully, he understood that she was hurting and not angry at him.
Jessie polished off the rest of her scotch, not caring that she was drinking it too fast. She needed to blot out seeing the body that had been limp, discolored, and lifeless. She hiccupped and slapped a hand over her mouth. If Nana were here, she would be horrified to see Jessie drunk, especially while in uniform.
She motioned for another scotch. When Bruno didn’t magically appear, she turned around and faced the crowd, searching for him.
People moved and mingled, and she finally spotted the owner leaning over Seth, Lena’s date. Bruno looked ready to kick some ass, and she tensed. The owner usually tried to please his customers, not antagonize them. Then she remembered the man with Lena was a newcomer, and Bruno didn’t
do well with them. When he finally moved back to the bar, she motioned him over. “Something wrong?”
“Hell, yes. That guy with Lena? He’s supposed to be working tonight, not socializing with the clientele. He doesn’t get paid to get women in the sack.”
Too much information for her, though if Bruno had hired Seth, he must have checked his references. “Okay. May I have another, please?” She waved her glass.
He looked at her hard then moved his gaze to Dax whose fingers wiggled. Too bad she couldn’t tell what kind of hand signal he was giving Bruno. The last thing she needed was his controlling behavior tonight.
A moment later, another double scotch arrived. Well, maybe he’d indicated he’d be the designated driver. Someone had to make sure they arrived home safely, and tonight Jessie wasn’t sure she was capable.
She was mostly through her next drink, when Dax leaned over and whispered in her ear, causing her senses to explode. “Would you like to dance?” he asked in a slow, sexy way that had her pulse racing. For the briefest moment, she forgot where they’d spent the last few hours.
She moved her head to see if he was kidding and their lips nearly collided. “D-dance? I don-don’t dance. And how can you ask me to enjoy myself when Sadie’s dead?”
He took her hand, and she didn’t pull away since his warmth calmed her.
“Would Sadie want you to sit around and mourn, or enjoy yourself?”
That was an unfair question. Of all the people she knew, Sadie loved to party the most. “The woman liked nothing more than to dance.” A pleasant memory surfaced and the briefest of smiles lifted her lips. “She sure could run circles around the best of them.”
“Dancing will take your mind off the pain. Trust me.”
Dax tapped his leg then stood. Before she could protest, he had her on her feet and was pulling her through the crowd. Dear Lord, she felt like she was back in high school with Brian at their first dance. She thought she’d erased that from her memory banks, but apparently, she hadn’t.
A Clint Black melody ended and an even slower song began. She started to make an excuse as to why this wasn’t a good idea, but her lips wouldn’t move. Her feet weren’t doing such a good job either. Without warning, Dax wrapped a strong arm around her waist and was clasping her right hand in his. Her breasts were plastered against his amazingly hard chest, causing her pulse to race and parts of her body she long thought dead to wake up.
For some reason, the security of his arms did more for her than all the scotch she’d had. She thought she heard someone snicker, but she didn’t want to look at anyone but him. Dax was glancing down at her with a dreamy look on his face too. It was as though he was remembering something from the past. Soon, the slow, sensual music made her muscles relax, and the alcohol forced her mind to block out the scene in the woods.
“You okay?” he asked.
She looked up and saw two heads resting on his broad shoulders. “Sure.”
Had it not been for the crush of people, and Dax’s strong arms around her, she might have dropped to the ground since her knees were having trouble holding her up.
Oh, shit. She was actually drunk. Jessie couldn’t even remember the last time she had so much alcohol in such a short period of time.
She reached up and touched his cheek. “Your face feels like sandpaper. Did you know that?” She prayed her words didn’t sound as slurred to him as they did to her.
He grabbed her hand and slid it around his neck. “That happens sometimes.”
“I think I’ve had too much to drink.”
He smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll watch out for you.”
“No, I really am drunk. I think it’s time we head to bed.”
Chapter 10
Several people whistled as Dax half dragged Jessie out of the Coal Mine Bar. She stumbled on the entrance mat, but he caught her before she fell. Poor thing. Her reputation did not need this kind of scrutiny.
The moment they stepped outside, his ears stopped ringing from the blaring music, and the cold wind evaporated the sweat from his forehead.
Jessie stood up straighter and grabbed his arm. The fresh air seemed to have woken her up. “Ohmigod, if the City Council thinks I can’t handle my liquor, I’m toast. Did you know those ba-astards gave me only three weeks to solve four crimes? Or was it five?” She shook her head. “I’ll be damned if I can remember. We partly solved one tonight, so that should count for something.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The City Council doesn’t want me to be sheriff. They want a stinking man.”
He refrained from chuckling. “You’re kidding.” He had a hard time believing anyone in the twenty-first century would say that. If those men had been in Baltimore and mentioned the reason she couldn’t have the position was because of her sex, they’d have had a lawsuit waiting for them before they got back to their office.
Dax walked with his arm around Jessie’s waist, but she didn’t seem to notice how much he was holding her up, touching her, enjoying the—
“I wish I were kidding,” she said, her words a little slurred. “Can you believe it? They said if I wanted the job, I had to p-prove myself.” The fear and depression in her voice made him ache for her.
When they reached her cruiser, Dax took the car keys dangling from her fingers, opened the passenger side door, and eased her in. He couldn’t wait to take her away from prying eyes.
After making sure she was buckled up, he took off. He’d barely reached the edge of town when her soft snores filled the cab. He was quite impressed that in all her grief, she’d actually fallen asleep. The alcohol and stress must have done her in.
Fortunately, he remembered the way to her house, but locating her hidden, dark drive was another matter. She needed lights at the entrance to help guide people in as he missed her drive twice.
Once he found it, he wove his way along the dirt road, the front porch light glowing like a beacon. The inside, however, was pitch black, which was probably a good thing. Margaret wouldn’t have to see Jessie drunk or be able to question her on what she’d found at the cement plant.
He shook her shoulder. “Jessie?”
She groaned, opened her eyes, and smiled. “Hi.”
Dax came around to the passenger’s side. “Let’s get you inside.”
He helped her out even though she swatted his hands away. “I can walk just fine.”
O-kay. He followed behind in case she stumbled while admiring her nice ass. She managed to make it up the porch steps all right but then couldn’t open the front door—a door that wasn’t even locked. He made a mental note to speak with Margaret tomorrow about security.
After letting them in, Dax wrapped an arm around Jessie’s waist again. This time when she swatted his arm, he ignored her. “You want some coffee?” he asked. “It might sober you up.”
“Coffee? Hell no. It’ll keep me up. I want to sleep forever and maybe when I wake up, Sadie will come back to town.”
He hoped she didn’t believe that fairytale. Denial was common, but if she thought the dead would rise again, she was delusional. Then again, she was drunk.
Somehow he managed to get her up the stairs and to her bedroom without incident. “Can you take it from here?” he asked. The last thing he needed was to have to undress her, see her perky naked breasts, soft round hips, and long trim legs.
Stop it.
Before he had a chance to step out, Jessie threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. Whoa! Every male instinct jumped to attention and her soft lips and dreamy eyes made him lose all control as he walked her backward and pressed her against the wall. When she ground her pelvis into his erection, she felt so good, so right, so incredible that he didn’t want to stop.
Then as if his hand had a mind of its own, he slipped a palm over her plump breast, and she sucked in a breath and widened her eyes. Not believing it was even possible, she moved closer, and when she eased her tongue through his slightly parted lips, need exploded
through him.
Then, dammit, that stupid little man inside his head told him to step away. Jessie was drunk, grieving, and unaware of what she was doing to him.
“Good night, Jessie.” She’d regret the action tomorrow if he let her get carried away. She was upset, and this was probably her way of coping.
“Goodnight? Oh. Right. Goodnight.” She reached up to touch his face, but he stopped her in time. His level of nobility couldn’t take any more temptation.
Guilt slammed into him at her forlorn expression, but damn, he didn’t want to hurt her. She couldn’t know that if she’d touched him again, he’d have to give in, and Jessie wasn’t the type to have casual sex. If a man made love to her, she’d consider them a death-do-us-part couple, and Dax was anything but a steady man with way too many issues.
When the aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the room, Jessie opened her eyes and pushed up on her elbows. “What are you doing here?” she asked, immediately pulling the crocheted afghan over her chest. No man had been in her bedroom before—other than Doc—and Dax last night, and even then he’d only made it in a few feet.
Dax waved a tray. “I come bearing breakfast.”
The pain behind her eyes pounded, stabbed, punched, and squeezed her head. Now she remembered why she rarely drank. Besides losing control, alcohol gave her a wicked migraine, but hopefully, the caffeine would help.
Jessie rubbed her temples, but the ache didn’t ease. She remembered awakening around three in the morning from the nightmare of seeing Sadie’s body covered in dirt. The lack of sleep and the strain of learning about her death caused the tension to wring all function from her brain.
“Thank you, but you shouldn’t be in here.” She grabbed the coffee mug off the tray and took a sip. “Ah, just the way I like it, thank you.” She leaned over the steaming liquid and inhaled the wonderful rich bean scent. Heat from the steam eased the throbbing around her eyes. “Absolute heaven.”
“After that kiss you gave me, I figured I was given an open invitation to be in here.” He smiled broadly as he placed her breakfast tray on her bed. While the buttered toast tempted her, the scrambled eggs did not.