She wasn’t their mother, but she was the closest thing to one they had now, and she knew it. She’d never take that responsibility lightly. They’d probably be the closest things to children of her own she’d ever have.
Phoebe couldn’t see any man willing to take on a family like hers. Nor did she see abandoning her family by marrying someone. And she didn’t exactly go too many places to meet men who weren’t her cousins. The last attractive men she had met…well…the eldest was walking toward her past her little yellow flowers at that very moment. “Sheriff, what can I do for you today?”
“I stopped off at the school to have a word with your brother. He wasn’t there.”
“Why do you need him for?” She stared at him, wishing the hat didn’t shade his face from her. Wished she could see his eyes, try to figure out what he wanted now. “He do something?”
He looked at her solemnly. “My drug investigation, Phoebe. I really need to speak with him.”
“I see. Anything I can help you answer?” She refused to worry about her brother. Phoenix had made his own bed, it was time he learned to lie in it. Harsh as that may seem, her father was right. They had coddled him too much since the accident. Tried to make him see that it wasn’t his fault. Not really.
Perci was very adamant on that, even though the accident report said Phoenix had swerved into the other woman’s lane. Perci still insisted that it was the other way around and that Phoenix was driving carefully. Tom Rutherford’s wife was the one to strike them.
Phoenix wouldn’t talk about the wreck at all. But who was she supposed to believe? She’d always believe her sister first. If Perci said it was Rutherford’s wife, then it was Rutherford’s wife, and that was the end of it all for her.
“His names came up in my drug investigation, Phoebe. I need to speak with him, alone. As soon as possible.”
“He’s not here, Sheriff. He’s not. We haven’t seen him in days.”
“I need to see his room.”
Now, she wasn’t stupid. He didn’t have a warrant. Anything he found in Phoenix’s room could be used against him. As much she wanted her brother to face his own problems, she wasn’t about to make it easier on the sheriff. Her brother was still her brother, and he was just a confused kid. “You don’t have a warrant, Sheriff.”
“No, I don’t.” He stepped up onto the porch. He surprised her when he wrapped those big hands of his around her arms and just stood there, holding her. One of his thumbs caressed the soft skin of her inner elbow, and she shivered. Phoebe looked up at him.
This man confused her on so many levels. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do next. “I can’t let you in. Not like this.”
He nodded. “I understand, honey. But I will have to get a warrant. It’ll get all over town why. We both know how it works around here. Either you give me permission to go in, or I do that. And people around here will know…”
“I — I…” She looked back toward the house, where four sets of blue eyes were staring at her. Staring at him, through the open door. What was she supposed to do? She shifted closer to the big man in front of her. Her fingers splayed over his chest. Phoebe felt his heart beating up against her hand. It wasn’t fair that a man like him be built like this.
Joel Masterson had it all going for him; handsome, successful well-off, the man wanted for nothing. And now he was asking her to willingly let him violate the safety of her home. How was she supposed to do that? What kind of example was it giving to the boys?
Yet if Phoenix had done something, did she really want the boys to see her covering it up for him? Or did she want them to see her going to bat for one of them? She wished her father was home, instead of off somewhere selling some cattle. “You get five minutes in his room, you can look, not touch. And I’ll be in there with you. But you’re not going to find anything; he took all of his possessions up to the line shack. He’s not here, Sheriff. He’s not.”
“Just let me look, and I’ll be satisfied. And then I’ll drive up there. Have words with him myself. How’s that, sweetheart?”
Sweetheart? Honey? Well, honey she could understand. A lot of the men around here still called women honey, even if it wasn’t appreciated. But sweetheart seemed far more intimate. More intimate than she wanted to think about. It was then that she realized she was practically in his arms again, for all of her brothers and Pan to see. Phoebe jumped back. “I’m… Phoenix’s room was the last one down the hall. Mine is right next to it. The twins are across the hall, Pan has attic access through their room. Pip is going to be moving into Phoenix’s room this weekend when we have time to paint and move her stuff. I don’t think she’s done any cleaning in there, yet. We just haven’t had the time.”
He followed her down the narrow hall. She was aware of his footsteps behind her, every step they took.
Hell, maybe she did need to start going to town more? It didn’t have to be Masterson, either. There were other towns just as close. They even went to church just over the county line. That’s what she needed to do. Meet people, meet men, so that this one didn’t overwhelm her so much every time she saw him.
Of course, she had met his brothers recently. None of them had made her feel quite like this. No, so it must just be the sheriff that did it. That disconcerted her so much. She opened the door to what had been Phoenix’s room and waved him in. “This is it. It’s not much. And you’re not going to find anything.”
He stepped into the room, and she knew what he thought. Phoenix’s narrow twin bed, with the outdated headboard and footboard that had most likely come from a yard sale back when she was too young to remember, dominated. The walls were dark blue. Pip had planned to paint them a lighter blue paint that they had gotten at the discount store a few days earlier. It hadn’t happened yet. There was only one other piece of furniture in the room, a battered old dresser. It still had the peeled backs of stickers stuck to it from where Phoenix had placed Power Ranger decals years earlier. It wasn’t much. Probably nothing at all like what the sheriff was used to.
Then again, the Tyler ranch wasn’t much to look at, though they were working hard to make it that way again. It was home. And to Phoebe, it always would be.
Chapter 17
He wondered if she realized that she was close enough for him to practically breathe her in. It was the time he admitted it—Joel was more than just fiercely attracted to the fiery woman next to him. She drew him more than any woman he’d ever met.
He was even starting to dream about her at night. The things his subconscious wanted to do to her…Well. His mother had raised him to be a gentleman, so he shoved those thoughts away for a moment. He jammed his hands into his pockets, not to keep himself from touching anything in the room, but to keep himself from touching her. The idea that her room was just right there nearby… “Can I open the drawers?”
“Do you honestly think if my brother was doing something, he’d leave it in the drawers for one of us to find? Phoenix is highly intelligent. Something you need to keep in mind, Sheriff.”
Damn it, he didn’t want her to just see him as the sheriff. Not any longer. “It’s Joel, Phoebe. Not just Sheriff. My name is Joel, and I am a man. Use it.”
“Why? You tell everyone you’re searching their house to call you by your first name? Or am I just the lucky one?”
It was the snark in her tone that did it. Did she even hear it? She had to, right? He checked quickly, to see if any of her brothers had followed them. None had. Joel wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted. And then she was eye-to-eye with him. He had a foot and four inches on this woman. At least one hundred and fifty pounds.
He had a strange feeling she could knock him to the floor with very little effort. All she had to do was smile again, smile right at him. He was fast losing all control, and it all centered on her. “Why? Because I want to hear you say it. I want to know that you’re looking at me and not just seeing the damned sheriff. You need to understand something, Phoebe Kate; even as the sher
iff, I have nothing against your family. Nothing against you. Yes, we met under a pretty crappy circumstance. I won’t deny that. Yes, your brother’s made things difficult for us. But that doesn’t stop the fact that when I’m near you, I want your eyes on me. I want you seeing me, the man. Not the stupid badge. Can you do that?”
“Why?” She didn’t want to sound like a broken record, but she had no idea what the man wanted from her. What did he expect? Almost every time she had seen him had been because of something her brother had done, or something that was done to her family.
None of what he wanted made sense. If she could even figure out what he wanted in the first place. She had to admit, her experience with men was limited. She wasn’t a virgin, but she wasn’t exactly experienced, either. A man like Joel Masterson—he overwhelmed and confused her just by breathing. “Why is it so important to you?”
“Because of this.” He put her back on her feet. Then he reached out with one hand and quietly closed the bedroom door. His other hand slipped behind her, going around her waist. He pulled her up against him. Her hands went across his chest. Once again, she felt the steady thump of his heart against her fingers. Felt the muscles beneath his denim shirt, felt the strength in him as he held her.
Phoebe didn’t like feeling this vulnerable.
Too many times in her life she had felt exactly like that. First as a small child who could barely hear. Then as a woman faced with the prospect of raising five siblings after the death of her mother. And as a Tyler. She’d been looked down on by some, including the former sheriff, her entire life simply because of her last name. Just another reason she preferred her goats to town.
Add in the fact that most adults were larger than she was, and it was a powder keg of vulnerability. One that she had yet to escape.
Now here was this powerful, strong, determined man looming over her, wanting something from her that she didn’t quite understand. It was hard for her to figure out.
And then, it was hard for her to even think.
The sheriff leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. For real this time. Not just a quick little brush like before.
Chapter 18
Kissing her again had been the biggest mistake of his life. He knew that now. But damned if he wanted to stop. She’d left her hair loose for the day. He took advantage of that, burrowing his fingers under the soft auburn mass. She wasn’t very experienced, that was evident in the tentative way she kissed him back—but she was kissing him back. That gave him hope.
He’d never been attracted to petite women before, but having this one trembling against him so small, so delicate, so… everything he wanted at the moment…
Did she realize that?
Her mouth opened beneath his and he took advantage. Nothing threatening, nothing overwhelming, nothing that would frighten her. He just wanted to taste her, to kiss her, and hold her. It had been a long while since he’d been this attracted to a woman. He didn’t know where it was going to go, or even if he wanted to go anywhere. But the possibility did exist.
He forced himself to back away from her; she was inexperienced and vulnerable. He was nine years older than she was, and worlds’ more experienced. World-weary, even, in a way that she obviously wasn’t. And there were three children in the house. He wasn’t about to take advantage of her now. Or at all. So he kissed her one more time and then pulled away. “Do you understand now?”
“I…” She stared up at him, her hands still spread across his chest. “Why did you do that?”
“Because I have been thinking of nothing else for days. Every time I see you, the desire to do that just gets stronger and stronger. I figured we better get it out of the way before we can tackle the problem that is your brother.”
“He’s not a problem, he’s just a confused and hurting kid who went through a hard time.” Fire went through her blue eyes. Like he had expected it would. Joel cupped her cheeks with his fingers. And brushed his lips against hers again. And then he kissed the flush in her cheeks before deliberately putting some space between them.
“Yes, he is. And he’ll have to be dealt with. But there is also something between us, honey. So we’ll deal with your brother first. Before anything else. Because no matter what he is messed up in, I don’t want it to have anything to do with us. You and me.”
“I hate to sound like a TV cliché, sheriff, but there is no us. There is me, my family. That’s all I have time for; that’s all I want. And that’s all that I’m going to do. My family, me. What do you really want from me? Or are you just trying to confuse me?”
He laughed. He couldn’t help himself. His hands were still around her waist, and he used that to his advantage now; it was so easy to lift her. He’d wrestled bigger calves than this woman. He sat her back away from him. As much out of arms’ reach as he possibly could. “I’m not going to search in here any longer. If need be, I’ll deal with your brother separately then I will deal with you.”
“Can’t you send out a deputy? I’m not sure I want you here anymore. You’re… too confusing. I’m not one to lie, Joel. You overwhelm me; I don’t think I can deal with that right now. I’ve got too much on my plate. Surely you understand that?”
Yes, she did have too much on her plate. Too much for any one person, whether she shared it with those sisters of hers or not. Surely she realized that? He certainly did. But maybe by dealing with her brother, he could help ease her load. Just a little.
“I am the one responsible for keeping you safe. No deputy. Unless I absolutely have to. I’m not going to pressure you, Phoebe. We can take it as slow as you like. But when—if—you ever decide how you want to handle me, you just let me know. I’ll be right here, waiting. Something to keep in mind.” He ran a hand down her cheek lightly. Something about this woman made his hands itch to touch. Hell, they’d itched to touch her from the very beginning, hadn’t they? “Something you have to consider. I’m going to get going now. Lock your doors behind me. Keep them locked until your father gets home. Promise me that.”
Chapter 19
It was early the next morning when she saw him again. His brother Matt—the nice one—had come and gone yesterday, taking the two geldings and giving them enough cash to pay the newest hospital bill looming over their head, and to give them enough for several months of groceries, barely.
When combined with the beef their father had had slaughtered, and the chickens in the back yard, the eggs from those chickens, and the vegetables she and her sisters put back each year, they would be ok for three months or so.
She and her sisters had spent a few hours over the past few days trying to juggle the budget. They needed to find the money to fix the car that had inexplicably broken down on Perci’s way home the night before and still have enough for their groceries. It was going to be a real tight squeeze.
They were going to delay some of the bills to stock up the pantry. As far as Phoebe was concerned, bills—they would always have, but they had child mouths to feed. And that was far more important than paying the hospital for the three days her mother was in a coma two years ago. They had been paying that bills close to two years now, and it was damned near beggaring them. She wasn’t about to let it starve them, too—or let her father file bankruptcy like he’d suggested just after his heart attack eighteen months ago. Which had just added more bills to their pile.
The hospital would get paid. One day. But until then, her brothers needed to eat.
She and the twins headed into Masterson, both to get Perci’s car to the mechanic—who’d agreed to take part of the repair bill in trade for some of her mohair yarn, thankfully—and to stock up on the groceries. Pan was off somewhere, cleaning extra houses to help with buying gasoline for those cars. It was a never ending cycle, wasn’t it?
It had been a while since she and Pip had been into town, other than her trip to the ER. It had been even longer since the three of them had been into town together—without the boys trailing behind them.
Perci treat
ed them with her share of her paycheck to lunch in the Masterson Diner. They were just finishing up when the front door opened. Perci groaned—loud enough for even Phoebe to hear. Phoebe followed her sisters’ gazes.
The Sheriff of Masterson County and two of his equally handsome younger brothers stood in the doorway.
Pip took a French fry from Phoebe’s plate. She used it to point to the trio of cowboys that had drawn attention when they’d entered. “Now those are the kind of men Mama warned us about. See how pretty they look? It just isn’t fair.”
Phoebe snickered, but she saw exactly what her sister meant. They eclipsed other men around them, didn’t they? Long, lean, and handsome, all three. Made that brute Tom Rutherford and his pals look like thugs sitting there by the window.
“Mama also said pretty is as pretty does. That doesn’t leave much room for Dr. Masterson, I’m afraid. The guy is a total jerk.”
“His brother seemed ok. He knows horses.” And for Pip that mattered. Her sister was far more at home with the animals than she was real people.
Phoebe was no better. She preferred goats, after all. Goats were just so much easier to understand than men like the sheriff.
The sheriff who hadn’t yet spotted them. He and his brothers stopped off at the counter to give their orders. It was the only chance she and her sisters had to escape.
Phoebe looked back at her sisters. Perci was already gathering their trash. Pip grabbed their bags.
“Hurry,” Phoebe whispered. “I don’t want to talk to him right now.”
The Masterson brothers hadn’t noticed them in the back booth yet. She just hoped they wouldn’t until she and her sisters made their escape.
Seeking the Sheriff (Masterson County Book 1) Page 6