by Verna Clay
As for her "assignment" from her Seattle editor to uncover newsworthy secrets of the many famous residents of the town, she'd completely ignored it, and although she'd made discoveries that would have sold newspapers, she wasn't about to disclose anything. Soon she would leave Paxtonville, hand over a generic article about Small Town, USA, and quit. After that she'd swallow her pride and forgo living in her car by moving in with her mother until she found employment. Her career as a reporter would be over after Barry Lombard blackballed her from the industry. Maybe she'd try real estate.
She sighed and took the exit indicated by her GPS. Her hotel wasn't far from the rodeo grounds, so she decided to check in first. Unfortunately, the clerk had no record of her reservation and she'd forgotten to bring the printout after deleting the email.
As she continued toward the rodeo grounds she stopped at every motel, but their rooms were booked because of the popularity of the event. Finally, she had to face the fact that she had two choices: drive toward Denver to find a vacant motel or sleep in her car. She glanced at her watch. The rodeo gates had already opened and she didn't have time to worry about that now.
Justin couldn't keep his mind on his job. Tilly had called in sick so he'd asked Phoenix to work on her day off. She'd been a good sport and was now running the cash register.
Since the night they'd almost made love, he'd avoided her as much as possible. Just looking at her put his heart and body into turmoil. Long ago he'd committed his body only to the woman he married, but Phoenix sorely tested that decision. After the age of thirty he'd decided that a wife and children may not be in the cards for him, and he'd adjusted to that. But Phoenix reawakened longings and made them stronger than ever, which was beyond frustrating. They were such opposites that it was laughable. She wanted to climb the corporate ladder of success, while he loved his job and had no desire to climb any ladder or gain recognition, although if his secret were known, he would become an instant celebrity among academicians. He shuddered at the thought.
Phoenix glanced his way, caught his gaze, and hesitantly smiled. He loved her smile. He had considered telling her to forget the last payment on her car because he'd paid it off the week she'd bought it and Burley was transferring the payments into a trust for her, but the thought of her leaving early broke his heart anew. Knowing that he would no longer wake to her laughter and sometimes crankiness in the kitchen, or her zest for life, or her dry humor, or her off-the-wall responses to his mundane questions, or everything that was Phoenix, put a lump in his throat. But there was no way he would return to a life of fame and no anonymity.
Harris gave a spiel welcoming rodeo fans, contestants and sponsors, and finished by saying how awesome it was to be a commentator for the event. He then called out the names of the event coordinators, thanked them, and asked the chairman to say a few words. The old cowboy of some renown gave a short speech peppered with anecdotes about the history of the sport, but rather than hand the mike back to Harris when he finished, he called the president of the association forward. The tall and lanky cowboy who had once been a champion bull rider, thanked Harris for his service to the sport and his charitable work with veterans' and children's organizations, and then introduced a well-known saddle bronc rider that Harris had often competed against. A mild roast of Harris was given by his competitor before he welcomed him back to the circuit. Finally, the rodeo queen, a beautiful and curvaceous blonde wearing skin-fitting black jeans and a sparkly red low-cut tank top, stepped forward to present him with a kiss and a framed certificate. And although his heart wasn't in it, he played up to the crowd by bending the girl backward over his arm in a classic gesture. As he raised his head he spotted a familiar face and his heart leapt—Lucinda. When their eyes met she quickly lifted a camera to snap a picture and then hastened away.
Since the rodeo was about to kick off he had to refocus or risk being unable to keep up a running commentary. However, he often caught himself scanning the crowds for her.
During a break, the rodeo queen approached him, stood on tiptoe, and whispered in his ear, "I'm in the pink RV. Look me up and we'll have some fun." Inwardly, Harris groaned. The woman was as shallow as a tiny tot's plastic pool. Rather than express his repugnance at the invitation, he merely said, "Darlin' you can do much better than me," and walked away before she could counteract his response.
Even after the sun had gone down and the crowd dispersed, Harris was still being waylaid by rodeo officials, staff, and competitors wanting to welcome him back and engage him in conversation. Eventually, exhaustion had him waving goodbye and he was halfway to his RV when he heard his named called. He groaned and turned around. Sidewinder, the gatekeeper and ticket-taker, was sauntering toward him. His irritation evaporated because the old cowboy was a dear friend. Harris held out his hand for a shake. "Howdy, Sidewinder."
"Howdy, boss. It shore is good to see ya a'gin. I was worried when Devil-fer-Hire kicked the sheeit outta ya, but I never doubted you'd saddle up a'gin."
Harris grinned. Sidewinder had a drawl that even he found disconcerting. He chuckled. "Yeah, I'll saddle up, but only time will tell if I can regain any momentum." He shrugged. "If not, I've had a great ride."
"You'll hit yer stride a'gin, Harris; I feel it in mah bones." He hesitated. "Ah, I saw Lucy takin' pictures this mornin' and I'm kinda surprised she's here. You talk to her?"
Harris felt his throat constrict. "Nope."
Sidewinder scuffed his boot heel on the ground. "I know she done ya wrong, but I was the one who took her to the hospital after you was thrown. In fact, for what it's worth, she was 'bout outta her mind with worry. If ya ask me, she was actin' like a woman… ah…hell… I'll just say it. She was actin' like a woman in love. So's that's why I was shocked when that newspaper crap come out."
Harris scuffed his own boot heel in the gravel. "Well, Sidewinder, all that's in the past and I'm moving on."
The old cowboy pushed his Stetson back exposing some wisps of gray hair and placed a hand on Harris' arm. "Then I guess ya don't wanna know that she's sleepin' in her car over yonder." He jerked his head toward the fence marking the edge of the parking area.
"What! Why?" Harris squinted in the direction indicated because it was farthest from the overhead parking lamps.
"When I was checkin' the lot for stowaways wantin' a free pass for tomorrow, I seen her spread a blanket in the backseat and crawl in. So's I knocked on her window. She said somethin' 'bout all the motels bein' booked and not wantin' to drive miles to find one. Then she asked me to please not toss her out." He scratched his wiry gray whiskers. "Hell, how could I toss her out on her arse? I–"
"You did the right thing, Sidewinder. I'll go talk to her and see if there's a better solution than her car."
An expression of relief lit the old timer's eyes. "Thanks, Harris. Now I can sleep without thinkin' 'bout Lucy all cramped up in her car."
"Don't worry. I'll take care of her. You have a nice night." Harris started across the gravel parking lot.
"Thanks, boss," Sidewinder called.
It didn't take long for Harris to spot Lucinda's car. He'd seen the Buick Rendezvous several times in Paxtonville. It was difficult to see into the back seat, though, because of the location she'd chosen. When he was standing next to the driver's side rear door, he wasn't sure how to proceed without scaring her. He was reaching to knock lightly on the glass when he saw movement and the window rolled down a little.
"Are you tossing me out?" she asked softly.
"No. Sidewinder just told me you're here because all the motel rooms are booked. Why didn't you reserve one?"
She pushed her eyeglasses higher up the bridge of her nose and then rolled the window down farther. "I did, but they lost my reservation. But don't worry about it…not that you are. I know Sidewinder should have kicked me out and I don't want to cause him or you any trouble, so I'll leave."
Harris stepped backward as she opened the door. "We're not asking you to leave. We just don't want you slee
ping in your car." He sucked a quick breath. "You can stay in my RV until tomorrow."
Lucinda paused in the motion of stepping from her car and jerked her head upward, and although her face was in shadow, Harris knew that her eyes were the color of melted milk chocolate and her eyelashes long and silky. He fought the urge to remove her glasses and graze a finger over those lashes.
"I can't put you out like that. I'll just drive until I find a motel."
"No. It's late and you're alone."
"No–"
"I insist." He tried to think of some way to convince her. "If you refuse, I'll have you barred from entry tomorrow."
"What! You wouldn't! Ward sent me here and–"
Harris hooked a thumb under his belt buckle. "I'm not changing my mind, Lucinda. Grab what you need and let's go."
She hesitated, but finally said, "All right. But I'll be out of your hair at dawn."
An hour later, Harris was lying on the narrow bed in the tiny second bedroom of his custom RV and staring at the ceiling. He'd insisted that Lucinda stay in the main bedroom and, of course, she'd refused. He'd then made it clear that he wasn't backing down, and finally, she'd agreed. Now he couldn't sleep after listening to the shower and imagining her in it. Then he'd heard the squeak of the bed when she lay down.
He turned onto his side and willed remembrances of playfully coercing her to shave the stubble on his face after his accident, and the kiss that had followed, to go away. He groaned and squeezed his eyes tight. In his entire life he'd never met a woman so infuriating and yet so tempting. The sum of Lucinda—personality, appearance, expressions, humor, emotions, were irresistible. Yet when he dissected her into separate parts, she was pushy, ambitious, sometimes taciturn, and other unflattering adjectives. However, fused together she drove him crazy with desire. He groaned again and willed himself to change his thoughts to the next day's schedule of events.
Just as he was drifting to sleep something startled him. He listened to the slight rustle of wind against the RV and rolled onto his back.
He heard the same sound.
He sat up and waited. The third time it happened he recognized it for what it was. He placed his head in his hands and willed himself not to move. When it happened again he wanted to stick his fingers in his ears. He didn't want to hear muffled crying. Instead, he jumped to his feet, quickly pulled on his jeans, and walked the short distance to the main bedroom door. Softly he knocked and said, "Lucinda, are you okay?"
He heard movement and then, "Oh, yes, I'm fine."
She wasn't fine and he knew it. Against his better judgment—or maybe it was his better judgment—he slowly cracked the door open and peeked around it. Lucinda was sitting in the middle of the bed with the covers pulled to her chest and looking so forlorn that he stepped inside the room.
In the filtered moonlight from the skylight he watched her eyes widen and a flood of tears course down her cheeks. With jerky movements she swiped at them and rasped, "I'm so sorry, Harris. I tried to stop the release of that article…" She inhaled a shuddering breath. "But they wouldn't listen." She repeated, "I'm so, so sorry."
Harris didn't think, couldn't think, refused to think, he only reacted, and a moment later was on the bed with her, cupping her cheeks and tenderly kissing her. She placed her arms around his neck and he lifted them both to their knees. He was incapable of rational thought. All he knew was that he loved Lucinda and had to possess her body and her emotions.
He groaned deep in his throat when she opened her mouth to his and their tender kisses turned erotic. Lucinda had surrendered to him.
The warmth against Lucinda's back was confusing, but then flashes of the night before brought her wide awake. She didn't move as she relived her night with Harris. It had been the most glorious experience of her existence. She'd always known he would be a passionate and imaginative lover, but never had she imagined how much.
When he'd brought them both to their knees and kissed her wildly, she'd responded in like manner. She'd never felt so uninhibited and free and clutched him to her body. He'd laid her across the bed and quickly stripped out of his jeans; then he'd pulled her nightgown over her head, flinging it to the ground and staring at her body in the moonlight. With his chest heaving he'd whispered, "I love you, Lucinda," before lowering his mouth to her belly. It was unexpected and she'd sucked in her breath as he covered her stomach with feather kisses, occasionally nipping and licking. She'd released her breath on a moan as he began slowly working upward. At her breasts, his teasing had driven her crazy with desire. Finally, drawing him upward until his mouth was on hers again, she'd kissed him with all the love in her heart, repeating over and over, "I'm sorry…I'm sorry," until his kisses finally convinced her that she was forgiven.
They had made love for hours and he'd spoken words of adoration that brought her to tears. Even as Harris entered her body, he'd gently kissed her tears away until so consumed by passion, they had both given themselves over to fulfillment and release in each other's bodies.
"Are you awake, Lucy?" Lucinda felt the words breathed against her ear.
She grinned. "I might be. But why are you calling me by a name I loath?"
Harris edged closer until she felt his erection against her backside. "Because I want you to get so angry that you pummel me, and then I can pin your arms above your head and kiss you senseless, or at least until you forgive me."
Taking Harris by surprise, Lucinda quickly turned over and pushed him onto his back. Then she pinned his arms above his head and taunted, "How about I do to you what you want to do to me."
A slow smile spread across his face and his body relaxed. "I'm all yours, darlin'."
Chapter 19: Research
While preparing a Razzle-Dazzle for Peggy Suzette, Phoenix surreptitiously glanced at Justin. Since the night of their kisses she'd pondered his declaration that he would only sleep with the woman he married. Did that mean he was a virgin? Surely, a man as charismatic and attractive as Justin, albeit a cowboy geek, wasn't untouched. Hell, he was in his thirties.
She messed up Peggy Suzette's Razzle-Dazzle by adding cream instead of nonfat milk and silently cursed as she started over.
By the end of her shift she was in a funk and rather than return to Justin's apartment, decided to stroll the park to clear her head. She followed a winding pathway until she reached the gazebo and climbed the stairs to sit inside the ornate structure. In four or five weeks she would make the final payment on her car and leave Paxtonville, but for some reason that knowledge wasn't comforting. She had actually come to love her job, the townspeople, and…Justin. Did she love him as a friend? Yes. As a boss? Yes. As a man? Yes. And therein lay her problem. The thought of never seeing him again was giving her untold anxiety. Every time she envisioned climbing into her car and waving goodbye it made her heart hurt. She'd come to love the cowboy who had rescued her. As for her life at the university, she'd never particularly enjoyed it. It was simply the means to an end. It was the means to achieve success. But what was success? Justin had caused her to think in ways contrary to what she wanted. Over the past weeks she'd done a lot of soul searching, which included reassessing her childhood. Being raised in a trailer park aggrieved her. But why? She thought about her parents. Had they been happy? Were they happy now?
Remembering her phone conversations with her mom and dad a couple of weeks previous, she knew the answer to those questions were a resounding yes. Then she thought about her brother and sister. Were they happy? Yes, as far as she knew, and yet, neither of them had white collar jobs.
Phoenix rubbed her temples. The future she had created in her mind was crumbling, but rather than think about it, she returned her attention to Justin. Although he was honest and good, he was hiding something. She was sure of it. But how could she discover what it was? She absolutely refused to sneak into his bedroom to pilfer through his belongings. That would be immoral. But the note she had discovered and a phone conversation she had unwittingly overheard, confounded her
. On the phone he had talked in the lingo of mathematical equations that was mind boggling.
There had to be some way to discover what was going on. Was he a high tech spy? Her mind went crazy with speculations.
Unexpectedly, Lucinda popped into her mind. Her friend had worked for a big newspaper before coming to Paxtonville and companies like that had amazing investigative resources. She could ask Lucinda if she knew anyone at the paper who could inquire into Justin's background. Maybe they'd do it as a favor to Lucinda or quote a price for the research. She decided that when her friend returned from her assignment in Denver, she would ask. Heck, maybe Lucinda could do it herself.
Chapter 20: Viola
The weekend and the rodeo were over and Lucinda had never spent a happier two days. Harris had forgiven her! She loved him and he loved her, and he wasn't afraid to show it. After leaving the commentator's box, he'd kept her with him as he went about his public relations work of meeting with officials and entrants, and speaking with reporters. And judging by the stares of the reporters she was a curiosity. They were all wondering why Harris was so friendly with the woman who had betrayed him. One reporter went so far as to pointedly and rudely ask, "Harris, what's with you and Judas."
For a moment Harris had looked like he was about to tackle the guy, but he'd responded with, "She's a reporter, the same as you, and she's doing her job. In fact, she's doing it so well that I've given her exclusive access." He hadn't explained further and ignored the reporter's incredulous response and follow-up question by walking away.
As for the cowboys and cowgirls Lucinda had met during her previous traveling stint with Harris, they accepted his acceptance of her and were again friendly. As Sidewinder had bluntly put it, "If Harris can forgive you, so can I."