Josh's Justice, Cowboy Romance (Bad in Boots, Book 4)

by Michelle, Patrice

  Josh cupped the back of her neck and gave a low groan as he came on the tail end of her orgasm. Once he stopped moving against her and his heart rate slowed, he shrugged his shoulders and grunted, his smile smug. “Well, hello, Kitty cat.”

  When he dipped his shoulder and she saw the deep red claw marks she’d inflicted, heat rushed to her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Josh.”

  He clasped her chin when she tried to look away, his expression intense. “You didn’t hold back. That’s what I want!” His hold loosened and his gaze softened. “Sabrina, that was…no words can describe—”

  “So let’s not try,” she said quietly as an ache settled in her chest. She didn’t want it to mean more. She already knew she’d be pining after Josh the minute she left Texas. She didn’t need the memory of his heartfelt words reminding her just how spectacular they were together haunting her every thought.

  Josh gave her a puzzled look, then supported his weight on his forearms on either side of her. “Why was my being a firefighter a problem?”

  She shrugged and tried for a light tone, “It’s not a problem.”

  “Not buying it,” he countered, his blond brows slashing downward.

  “Really, it’s fine, Josh.”

  When she tried to slide out from under him, he didn’t budge. “I’m not letting you up until you tell me.”

  He suddenly felt much heavier. He’d meant what he said. He wasn’t moving. Sabrina sighed. “My father was a firefighter. He died fighting a fire. It happened while I was…away at college.” She tried to say the last as unemotionally as possible, but instead, she choked on the last few words.

  By the time she finished speaking, all the color had drained from Josh’s face. He gently cupped her jaw, his own tense. “God, I’m such an ass. I’m sorry, Sabrina.”

  Her chest constricted. She appreciated his concern. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”

  Josh rolled over and pulled her into his arms. Kissing the top of her head, he said, “Do you want to talk about it?”

  She shook her head, then rubbed her nose against his warm chest, soaking in his masculine smell. “There’s nothing to tell.”

  He squeezed her slightly until she met his gaze. He searched her face with a doubtful look, then nodded. “You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

  Sabrina lowered her head back to his chest and absorbed the sensation of his hard muscles under her cheek as he ran his fingers through her hair. “That feels good,” she murmured.

  He lifted some strands, turning them toward the light. “I love your hair; how the sun reflects off the blue highlights in it. I like it best flowing down your back.”

  She tried to turn and winced. Some of her hair had caught under her shoulder. Shifting, she pushed it out from under her, a wry smile on her lips. “Sometimes it can get in the way. My old boyfriend wanted me to cut it.”

  His gaze locked with hers. “I’d love to shake his hand.”

  Her eyes widened and she met his gaze. “Why?”

  “To tell him thank you for being such an idiot. I might never have met you otherwise.”

  “Thank you for the compliment.” She smiled and closed her eyes, loving his tender touch as he ran his fingers from the top of her head all the way to the ends of her hair.

  “As for your hair,” he began, then fisted his hand in the mass and gently tugged until her eyes fluttered open. “Don’t cut it off. I love it long.”

  The seductive look in his gaze made her breasts ache and her body throb all over again. “I won’t,” she said breathlessly.

  “The length has some definite advantages,” His voice turned gruff as he used his hold on her hair to pull her close and steal a kiss.

  Sabrina let out a quiet, swooning sigh against his mouth, amazed by how easily Josh exuded the kind of raw sexiness that made her feel like the most desired woman in the world.

  When his mouth started to slant harder against hers and her stomach rumbled, Sabrina giggled in embarrassment.

  “Are you ready for that steak now?” he teased.

  “Oh, crap, I just remembered,” she said, glancing at her watch.

  Josh frowned. “What?”

  She pressed a light kiss to his mouth. “As much as I would love to spend the rest of the day in bed with you, I promised Nan we’d come for an early dinner.”

  “Tonight?”

  He looked so displeased she couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, tonight.”

  “Doesn’t she know we’re on a date?”

  Her lips quirked and she glanced down at their naked bodies. “Is that what this is?”

  “You know what I mean.” His brow furrowed and he ran a finger down her chest and along the curve of her breast. “I want you all to myself.”

  His touch sent butterflies scattering through her belly. “I’m pretty sure you’re going to be subjected to intense scrutiny of your intentions toward me, Nan style, so be prepared to dodge and segue like a champ. I think with Elise gone, she’s adopting the ‘look out for Sabrina’s well-being’ role.”

  When he sighed heavily, she shrugged. “Don’t sweat it. I’m not, but I did promise her, so we’re going.”

  “What do you mean, ‘you’re not’?”

  She swept her hair over her shoulder and set her chin on his chest. “Just that I’m a big girl. I don’t need anyone to worry about my feelings.”

  When she moved to get up, Josh clasped her arm and yanked her back down and across his chest until they were nose to nose. “What if I want to know about your feelings?”

  Was he being sincere or teasing her? She mentally shook herself, thinking she must’ve read more into his comment than he meant. Pulling back a little, she rolled her eyes and patted his chest. “Don’t worry, Josh. I absolve you of the burdensome responsibility of safeguarding my heart.” She gave a sly smile and traced her finger along the light hair that ran down his abdomen. “But I’ll happily give you the key to my chastity belt later. “So come on, lazybones. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back.”

  * * *

  While Ace followed the path through the woods that led to the Lonestar, Josh was thankful for the shade the trees provided. That way he didn’t have to put a hat on Sabrina’s head to protect her from the heat. Selfishly, he wanted her as close as he could get her and a hat’s brim would just get in the way.

  Pulling Sabrina against him, he breathed in the floral scent of her shampoo and her natural sweet smell and was surprised at the way the scent made him feel. He felt content, happy and horny—in that order. Sabrina seemed more at ease riding this time, and he was sure the fact she had changed back into a comfortable pair of jeans for their ride helped.

  As Ace walked down the wooded path, the underbrush crunching under his hooves, Sabrina laid back against his chest, sighing in contentment. With the flashes of sunlight streaking through the trees, adding to the beautiful silence in the forest, Josh couldn’t resist kissing her temple as a feeling of rightness settled over him. Sabrina was everything he wanted in a woman—sexy, uninhibited, responsive, strong of heart and challenging.

  When she told him about her dad, he felt a familiar stab in his chest. The memory of Nick came rushing back as if it were yesterday, making his heart twist and his gut knot in regret. They’d had so much fun that late fall day, trying out their new Halloween costumes. He and Nick had played into the early evening, until their parents had called them home. Promising to meet at their fort the next day, like they did every day, they’d gone home. Nick never made it to the fort the next day.

  Josh shrugged off the melancholy memory. Instead he focused on the sexy woman in front of him and just how much she’d come to mean to him in such a short time. When he was with Sabrina, he didn’t feel the driving need to be at the fire station at all hours. No woman in his past had ever done that to him. With her in his arms, his sense of duty, which he’d never been able to turn off before, shifted to the back of his mind for a while.

  What he felt for Sabrina went f
ar beyond anyone he’d ever been with. He couldn’t believe how protective and possessive he felt about her. Damn. He knew he was jumping the gun. For all he knew she didn’t feel the same about him. No doubt they were sexually compatible, but he wanted more than just a few days with her. He wanted to give them a chance. Would she? One thing he knew for certain…he had a hell of a hurdle to jump with her past.

  How could he overcome her reservations about dating a fireman? The loss of her father in a fire was a damned hard memory to overcome. And at the same time, he knew he couldn’t give up what he “needed” to do. Firefighting meant a lot to him.

  The thought that she might leave and he’d never see her again made his chest burn. As they entered the Lonestar property, he wrapped his arm tighter around her waist.

  They’d just started down the Lonestar drive when a black truck drove past them, kicking up dust behind its wheels as it sped along the driveway toward the house. Josh tensed. He recognized Jackson Riley’s truck. His presence on the Lonestar only spelled trouble. “Hold on,” he said in a low voice in Sabrina’s ear, then kicked his heels in Ace’s side so the horse would pick up his pace.

  “Isn’t that the officer from the hospital speaking to Nan? Officer O’Hara?” Sabrina asked as they approached the ranch.

  “There they are,” Nan called out from the porch as Josh stopped Ace and slid off his back. He kept an eye on Jackson as he wrapped the reins around the porch post, then helped Sabrina down.

  The older man with salt and pepper hair climbed out of his truck and put on his black Stetson. “Hey, Josh.” He nodded as he walked past them and stood at the bottom of the stairs staring up at Nan.

  “What is it now, Jackson?” Nan asked in a curt tone.

  “I came by to see what all the commotion was about last night.” Jackson slid his gaze to the partially burned stables then back to her with a raised eyebrow. “I heard the fire trucks. What happened?”

  “Someone attacked Miss Gentry last night and set the stables on fire,” Renee answered matter-of-factly. “Did you happen to see any strangers lurking around your property last night, Jackson?”

  Jackson eyed Sabrina for a second, then shook his head. “Nah, tried to go to bed early, but all the blaring sirens woke me up.”

  Renee gave a firm nod, then turned to Sabrina. “How are you feeling today? Have you remembered anything?”

  Sabrina touched her head and sighed. “I’m still a bit sore back there but, I’m sorry. I don’t remember what happened.”

  “You were attacked here last night?” Jackson turned to them, his expression surprised.

  Sabrina nodded.

  “Who attacked you?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “I don’t know. It all happened so fast.”

  Putting out her hand, she smiled. “I’m sorry. I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Sabrina Gentry, here visiting my friend Elise.”

  Jackson stared at her for a second, his brown eyes assessing her before he grasped her hand and shook it. “Jackson Riley. My property neighbors the Lonestar land.” Looking around, his brow furrowed as he shrugged his stocky shoulders and dug his hands deep in his back pockets. “Speaking of the Lonestar…when’s Colt coming back?”

  “He and Elise are due back tomorrow,” Josh lied. He knew Jackson didn’t have a sincere bone in his body. He didn’t trust the man, nor did he want him to think the owner of the Lonestar was going to be absent for long.

  Acknowledging Josh’s answer with a grunt, Jackson looked at Sabrina once more, squinting against the bright afternoon sun. “You Elise’s sister?”

  Sabrina shook her head. “No. Just a college friend.”

  “As Josh said, Colt isn’t here, Jackson. If you wish to speak with him, call ahead next time,” Nan interrupted in a dry tone, letting him know she wanted him to leave.

  While Jackson’s lips tightened at the abrupt dismissal, Josh didn’t bother holding back his grin at Nan’s blatant dislike of the man. The older woman never was one to mince words.

  Jackson stared at her for a second, then turned on his booted heel and headed for his truck. As he got in his vehicle and drove off, Nan mumbled, “Pain-in-the-ass old coot.”

  Renee nodded her understanding. “There’s always one in the bunch.”

  Josh turned to Renee. “Did the escapee confess yet?”

  She pulled a notepad out of her back pocket and said cryptically, “No. But I have a few more things to follow up on. By the way, what time is Colt due back tomorrow? I’d like to ask him a couple of questions.”

  “They aren’t due back until day after tomorrow.”

  When she gave him a questioning look, he shrugged. “Their arrival time is none of Jackson’s business.”

  She glanced at Sabrina as she pulled the pen from the spiral and jotted down a number. “If you remember anything, here’s my cell. You can call me direct, okay?” When she finished, Renee tore off the piece of paper.

  Sabrina stepped onto the porch to take it from her. “Thanks, I will, Officer O’Hara.” As she started to shove it in her pocket, the note fell out of her hand and the wind blew it across the porch’s floorboards. The paper skidded and came to a halt as it hit a railing, spun, then fell off the edge right behind the bushes that butted up against the porch.

  When Josh started to go after the note for her, Sabrina said, “No, I’ll get it.” She quickly took the stairs down to the ground and went around to the front of the bushes. “It’ll be easier to reach from under here, I think.”

  Stretching her arm under the thick hedge, she felt for the crumpled paper and stood up smiling as she shoved it in her jeans pocket. As she stared up at Renee on the porch, she grimaced. “I just wish I could help more.”

  Renee gave a rare smile. It made her look much younger than her thirty-one years. The kindhearted smile she gave Sabrina certainly didn’t mesh with the tough investigative officer reputation she’d built over the years. But seeing her smile like that made Josh realize just how attractive she was. No wonder Dirk was pissed at him.

  Renee walked down the stairs and put a hand on Sabrina’s shoulder. “It’ll come to you. Don’t push it.”

  After Renee left, Josh and Sabrina had dinner with Nan. While they ate, Nan poked and prodded Josh several times, but Sabrina kept steering their conversation back to the Tanner brothers, Nan’s favorite subject. Nan entertained them with stories of Colt and his brothers’ antics. He knew some of these stories, but not all. Her tales made Josh grin; not only were they amusing, but he’d absorbed tons of future ribbing material.

  Once the meal was over, he and Sabrina walked back outside on the porch. She put her small hand in his and looked up at him with a smile on her face. Damn, she tugged at his heart already.

  “Ready to go home? Uh, I mean back to my house?” he asked. Why did it feel so easy to think of it as their home?

  Without skipping a beat, she said, “Yes.”

  Yep, he was a goner. Now he needed to make sure she fell just as hard.

  Chapter Eight

  “So what’s the deal with Nan’s dislike of Jackson Riley?” Sabrina asked as Josh pulled himself up behind her on Ace’s saddle.

  He put his arm around her waist and nudged the horse into a walk back down the driveway toward Double K land. The warm Texas sun beat down on them, making her squint and appreciate the fact she’d braided her hair to keep it off her neck. He pulled her closer and said in a low tone, “I’m glad I didn’t put a hat on you. Gives me an excuse to pull you close so my hat can offer some protection from the sun.”

  Sabrina chuckled at his excuse to hold her close, but appreciated the bit of shade his cowboy hat provided.

  “In answer to your question, Jackson has spent a good portion of his life making Colt’s family miserable for daring to own the land Jackson’s father lost in a poker game.”

  “What land?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

  “Colt’s land. Colt’s uncle and dad bought the land from the winner of the poke
r game that Jackson’s dad lost. That land is where the Lonestar ranch now stands. For years Jackson tried various ways to drive Colt’s daddy and uncle apart; they each owned half of the land. Then there’s the unexplained batches of bad water for the animals, maimed bulls and cattle, and several downed fences have occurred over the years.”

  “Um, I’m no rancher, but doesn’t all that stuff happen sometimes on a ranch?”

  She felt him shake his head behind her as he urged Ace into the woods back toward his property. “True, but not with the frequency that Colt has experienced it over the years. Did you know Elise inherited Colt’s uncle’s half of the Lonestar land when he died?”

  Sabrina nodded. “Yeah, Elise told me Colt wasn’t too happy when his uncle didn’t leave the land to him as he’d promised he would.”

  Josh nodded. “I heard Jackson tried to buy the land from Elise, but then she met Colt. I’m sure their marriage annoyed the hell out of Jackson.”

  Sabrina snickered, then frowned as she considered Jackson Riley. Leaning back against Josh as Ace started to climb uphill, she asked, “Why hasn’t Jackson been arrested for all that he’s done?”

  Josh snorted. “His last name should’ve been Wiley instead. For all the mischief he’s caused, he’s never been caught doing any of the things I mentioned. So it’s just Colt’s word against his.”

  “Man, that’s got to suck for Colt,” she sighed. “That’s such a shame to have a neighbor like that. To never feel like he won’t ever give up.”

  “He hasn’t done much in a while,” Josh mused. “Maybe he finally gave up once Elise married Colt. Because by doing so, she finally brought the two halves of ownership of the land back together after all these years.”

  Josh’s hand slid up her waist, then grazed the side of her breast before his thumb traced her nipple lightly through her clothes. “Enough talk about Colt. There’s only one man I want you thinkin’ about,” he said, his voice husky, insistent.