“I’m telling her you said that.” The younger Denning nudged his brother.
“You do and I’ll tell Maggie what you said last week about the new rug.”
Colton clutched his chest in horror. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“Try me.”
The cowboy threw a beseeching glance to Kayla. “Betrayed by my own brother, can you believe the nerve of this guy? Besides, it’s not my fault my future wife has terrible taste in rugs.”
“Now we all heard you say it.”
“You heard nothing.” Colton sent a mock glare around the group.
Ryder chuckled, noting with relief the nervous tension recede from Kayla’s body as the brothers charmed her.
“You folks eaten yet?” Dade asked, ignoring his brother. “We just finished breakfast, but I’m sure Maggie can fix you up something.”
He shook his head. “We’ve already eaten, thanks. Kayla, why don’t you go into the house and let Lizzy introduce you to Maggie while I talk to the guys?”
She hesitated, glancing at the brothers.
Colton smiled. “Go on in. I know my fiancée is dying to meet you.”
With a shaky smile, she headed toward the house.
Once she was inside, the door firmly shut behind her, Dade spoke. “So, Ryder.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I assume you came out here for more than an introduction?”
He removed his hat from his head, running a hand through his long hair. He hadn’t had a chance to braid it for work yet.
“I can’t explain everything,” he started as the brothers stared at him with worried expressions in their identical blue eyes. “Kayla is in some trouble. She’s got a guy after her. A real bad guy.”
Dade’s jaw tightened; Colton’s smile vanished. They both had recent experience with threats poised against their women and would understood his caution. Not that Kayla was his woman. Not yet, anyway.
“He doesn’t know where she is for now, but that might change.”
“You got a name for this asshole?” Colton asked.
“David Tyler. He’s a cop from Chicago.”
“Shit, a bad cop?” Dade swore.
He nodded. “I don’t want to leave her all alone at my place when I’m working. I know it’s an imposition, but could she spend the day here?”
Colton stared at him as if he was crazy. “You really need to ask, man? After all you’ve done for this town, all you’ve done for us? For Maggie and Lizzy? Of course she can stay here.”
“We’ll keep your woman safe, Ryder. That’s a promise,” Dade said in his calm manner.
“Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. I better go say goodbye before I leave.”
Colton grinned. “The women will be please as mares in mating season that you finally found someone. They’ve been planning on pimping you out at the wedding, trying to hook you up with a lady.”
He shook his head. “It’s not like that.” Yet. “I’m just helping out a friend.”
The brothers shared a glance saying he was kidding himself. Maybe, but they didn’t know the whole story.
Yes, he wanted Kayla. Wanted her with a bone-deep hunger that grew with every second of the day. But she wasn’t ready. Right now, she needed him to help her, not hump her. Until he knew she was ready, he had to keep his hands to himself.
He thought of last night, holding her while she slept, kissing her softly that morning…
Okay, mostly to himself. He wasn’t a saint after all.
The loud peals of laughter reached his ears as he entered the house through the kitchen door. The three women were sitting at the table, Maggie and Kayla drinking coffee while Lizzy held a mug of steaming peppermint tea by the smell of it.
“Hello, ladies.”
They glanced up. Kayla smiled brightly at him; Maggie and Lizzy shared a knowing grin behind her.
“I’m going to head into work now,” he spoke to Kayla. “You gonna be okay?”
She nodded with a smile. “Lizzy was telling me about the time she tried to make s’mores and burned her eyebrows off.”
“I had to draw them on.” Strawberry blonde curls bounced as she explained. “It was hilarious. I looked surprised for an entire month.”
The women broke into giggles again.
Ryder smiled, knowing Kayla was well in hand. “I’ll be back around six, okay?”
She nodded, and Maggie spoke up. “You can both stay for dinner.” One eyebrow rose as she eyed him. “You owe us a dinner visit anyway, Ryder.”
He chuckled, knowing full well Maggie was using this as an excuse to determine the nature of his and Kayla’s relationship. Poor Kayla, she’d have to field questions all day. Still, better than staying home alone in his empty house worrying about David.
“That I do, Maggie. All right then, see you at six for dinner.”
He tipped his hat to the women and headed out the door. Before it shut behind him, he heard a chair scrape. There was a tug on his arm, and he turned to see Kayla standing there.
She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. “Thank you, Ryder,” she whispered softly against his neck. “For everything.”
She pulled back, and he saw something in her eyes. Gratitude, hope, and if he wasn’t mistaken, desire. The last one sucker punched him. She was making it damn hard for him to be noble.
He stroked a finger down the softness of her cheek. “Call me if you need anything. Everyone here has my number.”
Her head bobbed in agreement. Then, surprising the hell out of him, she rose up on her toes and pressed her lips firmly against his. His shock only lasted a moment before he closed his eyes to savor the kiss. Her sweet little tongue rasped against the seam of his lips, and he opened willingly for her. They had a captive audience so he kept it light, brushing his tongue softly against hers. Tasting her when what he really wanted to do was devour. It was heavenly, blistering, and over too soon.
He pulled back, reluctantly, both of their breathing unsteady. Kayla’s entire face was flushed, the look of a woman needy and ready for more. Damn fine time for her to let him know.
“I’ll see you later.” His voice came out harsh with unsated need.
Ignoring the high-five Lizzy gave Maggie behind them, he turned and headed back out into the cold. The wind stirred, blowing snow from the ground into his face, but he didn’t feel it. After that scorching hot kiss from Kayla, he felt like he was in the freaking tropics. Damn, if she got him that hot over one little kiss, he wondered what was going to happen when they finally made love.
He got in his truck and drove to the station, wondering if he should put the fire extinguisher near his bed tonight.
Chapter 15
Kayla couldn’t believe she just did that.
She’d meant it to be a light, friendly, thank-you kiss. The moment her lips touched Ryder’s, though, all friendly thoughts had flown right out the window. It was like her mouth had a mind of its own, and that mind wanted Ryder.
Oh, who was she kidding? She wanted Ryder, mind, body, and soul. The man was a powder keg of sexual dynamite wrapped in helpful kindness. The dual assault on her emotions and her hormones was too much to endure. Jake Ryder was one amazingly special man.
So she kissed him and let the moment get away from her, who cared? It had been an amazing kiss full of passion and heat. She’d forgotten everything but the feel of his mouth. The man knew how to kiss. It made her wonder what else he knew how to do. Her face warmed as vivid, carnal scenes played out in her mind.
The clearing of a throat caused her to turn. Her face heated even more with embarrassment as she remembered she wasn’t alone in the kitchen. There at the table, Lizzy and Maggie sat with identical expressions of smug satisfaction on their faces.
“Sooooo,” Maggie began. “You and Ryder are…?”
“Friends,” she answered quickly.
Just because she had strong feelings didn’t mean he did. Sure, he said they had a connection, but that didn’t mean a romantic connection. A
nd yes, he slept with her last night, but the key word was slept. Ryder had been a perfect gentleman through the entire night. He never once came onto her or pressured her. Yes, he touched her and kissed her softly every now and then, but they were caresses one might give a close friend or family member. He never once initiated intimate contact like she had only a moment ago.
Doubt began to sink in. What if Ryder just kissed her back to be polite? He was the kind of man who wouldn’t reject a woman in front of others so as to spare her feelings. Oh no, she’d thrown herself on Ryder like a desperate hussy. Talk about embarrassing. After that display, he was probably high-tailing it to work, thankful to get away from the crazy woman. Probably thought she had some hero worship thing going on.
“Friends?” Lizzy scoffed. “No, honey. Ryder and I are friends. And if I kissed my friends the way you kissed Ryder, Dade would be cancelling our wedding before I could clean the spit off my lips.”
Body flushing down to her toes, she returned to her seat at the table. “It’s nothing, really.”
“Yeah, and I’m not beginning to resemble the Pillsbury Dough Boy.” Lizzy snorted out a laugh.
Maggie placed a hand on the other woman’s arm. “Sweetie, you look beautiful.”
She did. Kayla marveled at the expectant mother’s ability to look like one of those pregnant women you see in fashion shoots. Lizzy’s hair was a beautiful strawberry blonde, her makeup applied perfectly, and her clothing stylish while accentuating her growing bump.
“Thank you, Maggie. Dade keeps telling me the same thing. It’s just weird watching my body change. Things keep getting bigger and bigger. I swear my ass has grown two sizes. I had to buy new underwear! How come none of the pregnancy books mention that?” Rubbing a hand over her belly, the mother-to-be smiled. “Still, it’s pretty wonderzing.”
Maggie shook her head with a smile. “That’s not a word.”
“It should be. Wonderful and amazing. It describes pregnancy perfectly.” Lizzy wrinkled her nose in thought. “If you don’t count all the nausea and heartburn.”
Watching the two close women interact was comforting and heartbreaking at the same time. It reminded Kayla of her and Jen. They’d been so close. Some nights they would stay up for hours talking about their hopes and dreams. Over the years, they shared heartbreak, joy, and every aspect of their lives with each other. Now, she suddenly had no one; she still couldn’t believe Jen was gone.
And I’m being blamed for it.
“Enough about my ever expanding waistline. We were discussing Kayla and Ryder.”
“Yes,” Maggie turned to face her. “So, exactly how friendly are you and our sheriff?”
“And by friendly, she means have you doinked him yet?”
“Lizzy! That is not what I meant, and who over the age of twelve says doinked?”
The beautiful blonde shrugged, taking a sip of her tea.
Kayla pulled herself out of her dark thoughts to respond. “It’s not like that, really.” The two other women shared a knowing glance, and she continued quickly, “He’s helping me with some…trouble I’m having.”
She watched as their sunny smiles disappeared. Maggie leaned toward her, placing a hand on her arm like she had done moments ago with Lizzy. The gesture was so sweet, it brought a tear to her eye. Damn, she missed her best friend. These two were so kind. Jen would have liked them.
“Is someone trying to hurt you?”
She couldn’t help her eyes widening in shock at the correct assumption.
Lizzy smiled sadly. “Ryder helped Maggie and me out with some trouble we were having. Trouble being people who wanted to make us disappear.”
“As sheriff, that’s his job, but Ryder goes above and beyond the call of duty when it comes to protecting the people he cares about,” the smaller woman added with a squeeze to her hand.
“He barely knows me.” The soft confession slipped out.
“That may be true, but the way he looks at you…” Lizzy reached out, grasping her other hand. “There’s something there. We can tell.”
She hoped they were right. These feelings she had for Ryder kept growing and growing. It would be crushing if they were all one sided.
Then again, stupid to even be thinking of starting a romance with all that was going on in her life right now. She was on the run, being framed for murder for goodness sake. That kind of life did not lead to happily ever after and white picket fences.
Feeling confused and out of her element, she forced a smile at the women, pulling her hands away to grasp her coffee cup. Maggie and Lizzy smiled back, but didn’t press for more. Sipping deeply from her coffee, grateful the women were letting the matter drop, she decided to change the subject. “So, tell me more about your dual wedding. Is it hard to agree on things?”
The women shared a glance she could not decipher.
“We may be best friends, but our tastes tend to run in opposite directions.” Maggie laughed around a grimace.
Kayla sat, enjoying her coffee while listening to the two bantered back and forth, amiably, about their upcoming wedding. They joked about fashion and taste in décor. The menu being the one thing they seemed to agree on. Both women loved food. It made sense, seeing as how they owned a bakery together.
“The men are being smart and letting us handle most of the planning,” Maggie told her.
“Yep,” Lizzy chimed in. “The only request Dade has is he be allowed to wear his cowboy boots. I told him that was fine as long as he wore them in the honeymoon suite.” She smiled devilishly. “His boots and nothing else.”
“Lizzy!”
“Save a horse, ride a cowboy. Am I right?” The feisty woman lifted her mug in a toast.
Her friend smiled indulgently, lifting her mug as well.
Caught up in the warm cheer of such wonderful friendship, Kayla found herself joining in. “Yeehaw,” she cheered along with them, and they all clinked their mugs.
They talked a little more, discussing the wedding, Lizzy’s pregnancy, and the shop. For the first time in days, Kayla felt normal.
“Speaking of the shop…” Maggie glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s time to head into work.”
“You want to come with us?” Lizzy asked, rising from the table. “It will be a lot more exciting than hanging out here. Cupcakes beat horse poop any day.”
It would be nice to spend the day with these lovely women. They were so kind and friendly. Though the reminder of what she’d had with Jen made her a bit melancholy, they also gave her hope she might find some form of friendship again. “Sure, I’d like that.”
“You’re gonna like it even more once you taste Maggie’s cupcakes. I think most of the baby weight I’ve gained has been in cupcake form.”
She laughed, the lighthearted joking a welcome change from the stress and sadness taking over her life lately.
Maggie ran outside to tell Colton they were heading into town. The cupcake maker also said she would send Ryder a text, letting him know. At the reminder of why she was really here, some of Kayla’s joy dissipated. She had to remember she wasn’t really in town visiting Ryder like Maggie and Lizzy thought—she was on the run from a murderer who was trying to frame her and keep her quiet
A sinking feeling entered the pit of her stomach. If these women found out who she really was, why she was really staying with Ryder, would they still welcome her? Or would they turn her in? As much as she wanted to befriend these two lovely women, she had to stay vigilant. At the moment, she couldn’t trust anyone but Ryder. And even then, she could trust the man with her safety…but could she trust him with her heart?
Chapter 16
“Hey, Sheriff?” the deputy yelled across the small police station.
“For pity’s sake, Jason. Don’t shout at the man. Walk the thirty feet to his desk and speak in a civilized tone,” Mrs. Billings admonished.
The young man blushed, ducking his head like a school child being sent to the principal’s office. Ryder felt a bit sor
ry for the kid. Mrs. Billings was a no-nonsense woman who believed in good manners and wasn’t afraid to speak up when she felt the need. He may be the sheriff, but everyone knew she ran the office on a tight watch. Heck, the old lady even yelled at him a time or two. Mostly scolding him for his swearing. Which he tried not to do very often, but some cases caused a man to curse.
“Sorry, Mrs. Billings,” Jason mumbled, keeping his head down as he navigated his way around her desk and through the room to Ryder.
He tried to wipe the smile from his face as the young deputy came to stand in front of him. No one liked to be yelled at by someone who reminded them of their sweet, little old grandma. No sense in kicking the kid while he was down.
“What is it, Jason?”
The skinny young man placed a stack of papers on his desk.
“These faxes came through for you. Also, I got a call from Len Miller. He says someone busted his fence again and some of his cows got loose.” Jason shifted on his feet. “He was pretty upset about it. Seems to think some of the neighborhood kids did it as a prank. He wants us to round them all up and, his words not mine, ‘throw them where the sun don’t shine.’”
Ryder shuffled through the stack of papers with a sigh. Len Miller was the very definition of grumpy old man. The guy was a pain in his ass. He had a new complaint almost every week, and half of them revolved around the youth in this town and how out of control they were. His fence was old and broke with a strong gust of wind. Maybe the guys at the hardware store could donate some time and supplies to help build the old timer a new one. He made a note to check into it.
He glanced down at the faxes in his hands. A notice on this year’s hunting permits and regulations from the Department of Wildlife. A winter storm advisory from the National Weather Service—oh what a surprise, more snow headed our way. A few local faxes from citizens reporting problems or concerns. Most called or emailed, but a few still faxed in their complaints.
Sifting through the papers, Ryder saw something that made his heart skip a beat. His pulse quickened and his mouth went dry. There in the middle of the stack was an APB from Chicago Illinois:
Love on the Risky Side Page 10