by Lynde Lakes
Chapter Eleven
It was dark outside when Luke stormed into the kitchen and slammed the door. Matt looked up in time to see Molly jump—the dish she’d just removed from the dishwasher slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor.
Luke stared down at the bits of china. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I’m just so damned mad.”
Matt stooped at Molly’s side to help pick up the pieces of broken plate. Bending his head close to hers, he caught the honeysuckle scent of her perfume. “What’s got you so riled up?” he asked his brother, feeling a little disturbed himself—but in a good way.
Luke waved his arms and began to pace. “Connie Lou. How can I fix things with her when she won’t even talk to me?”
His wife. Relief washed over Matt—his brother wasn’t interested in Molly after all.
“I went over to her parents’ place, and they wouldn’t even let me in the door.” Luke’s voice broke and he sounded pitiful. “Wouldn’t even let me see my baby. When I phoned, her dad just hung up in my ear.”
“Don’t give up,” Matt said. “You have to build her faith again. That may take some time.”
Molly met Matt’s gaze with unreadable eyes, then turned her attention to Luke. “Maybe a letter. Tell Connie Lou your plans, how things will be better in the future.”
Luke made a sound of disgust. “She’d probably tear it up without reading it.”
“Write it,” Matt said. “I’ll see if I can get her to read it.”
“You’d do that?”
“Yeah. Just mean what you write. From the heart, bro. Okay?”
Luke nodded. He grabbed a broom and a dust pan to sweep up the residual fragments. “Thanks for the letter idea, Molly. I’ll try not to barge in like a bull in a china shop next time.”
It wasn’t your fault,” Molly said. “I’m a little edgy.”
That was an understatement if Matt ever heard one. He had a hunch that Ramon’s presence on the ranch had been behind Molly’s skittishness. Or maybe it was the ranch in general. She probably wouldn’t feel safe until they left.
Luke shoved the broom and the dustpan back into the pantry.
“I know a cure for jittery nerves.” Matt shook some sugar cubes from a jar and stuffed them in his pocket, then grabbed his Stetson off the hook. “Luke, will you listen for Sara Jane? I think Molly needs to get out of the house for a while.”
Matt guided her to the barn. The familiar smell of hay and horses was reassuring. But maybe not to Molly. She was a city girl. When this was over, would she go back to Dallas and her reporter job? The thought knotted his stomach. How could he lose her and the baby who’d become his little sunshine?
Best to concentrate on the moment, he thought. He had them for now and would stay with them until Del Fuego was behind bars.
Matt led Starlight and Gold King out of their stalls and handed Molly a curry comb. “Nothing clears the head like spending a little time with horses.” If only she’d come to love these animals the way he did. He reached in his pocket and brought out a few sugar cubes. “These will put you in good stead with the lady.”
Molly took the cubes and held one out on her flat palm for Starlight. She laughed as the horse nuzzled her hand.
Matt loved to hear her laugh. They were both worried, wrung out from the funeral and everything else going on, and needed time to relax. “See? You feel better already.”
She stroked the horse’s shiny neck and started combing. She whispered something to Starlight.
“No secrets, ladies.”
“I just told her that she’s a beautiful horse.”
Matt flashed Molly a tender look. “You want her? She’s yours.”
Again, he couldn’t interpret the expression that crossed Molly’s face. “I doubt they’ll let me keep a horse in the Witness Protection Program,” she said.
He combed Gold King’s strawberry coat, soothing himself as much as the horse. “I hope that’ll be behind us soon.”
Molly closed her eyes briefly. “Me, too. But with the string of dead bodies Del Fuego has left in his wake—”
Matt stiffened. Parker was one of the bodies.
“I’m sorry, Matt,” she said softly. “If I could take back that call—”
Matt stopped combing Gold King and drew Molly into his arms. “What’s done is done. The main thing now is to keep you and Sunshine safe and stop the killing.”
Molly nodded without conviction. He felt her tremble. He wanted to bring back her smile. “Hey, want to try your hand at bull riding?”
“You’ve got to be kidding!”
Matt laughed. “Are you game?”
“I don’t think so,” she quipped. “But thanks for asking.”
She helped him lead the horses back into the stalls.
“Come on. It’ll be fun.” He took her hand and led her to the bull-riding machine at the back of the barn. It had a body covered in tough leather, complete with a bull rope around the machine’s middle. “I used to practice on this when I was a kid. A motor makes it buck, pitch, and spin like a live bull.”
Molly shook her head. “If you think I’m going to get on that robotic bull, you’re nuts.”
“Aw, c’mon, be a sport. It’s fun. And it’s a good way to develop style without worrying about getting trampled. But of course you’d need practice sessions on a living, breathing animal if you were going to ride a real bull.”
“That’d be a cold day in hell.”
“Get on. I’ll set it on low and be right here to catch you if you fall.”
She hesitated, but he could see that she wanted to. He swung her atop the simulator and placed his hands on her belly and bottom, bringing her into position. Her eyes widened at his touch.
He forced himself to continue as though unaffected. “Tilt your pelvis and lean forward.”
With her astride in that provocative position, and the warmth of her body in his hands, he felt himself swelling with arousal and almost forgot what it was he was trying to teach her.
“Well?” she said.
He handed her his hat. “Here, hold onto my Stetson with your left hand, like this, and put your arm up.” Just so he could touch her again, he positioned her arm. He rested his hand on the switch. “Call out when you’re ready.”
She rolled her eyes. “Just flick it.”
He obliged. When the machine whirled and bucked, Molly’s hair tumbled into her face, but she kept her form and held that Stetson high.
“Hey, that’s not bad!” He was surprised by her balance and instinctive ability. And she hung on to the Stetson like a professional. “Are you sure you haven’t done this before?” “Make it go faster,” she called, almost breathless.
He turned the switch up another notch or two, and then waited for her to fall into his arms. A second later, she was there where she belonged and he kissed her soundly. “Good ride, cowgirl.”
She radiated heat and excitement, and his body responded. He thought of the hayloft, of them entangled in one another’s arms in the sweet fresh hay, secluded in their own little world.
He lowered her feet to the floor, but kept his arm around her. “Hey, want to see my Thinking Window?”
Molly laughed. “Is that like asking a girl up to see your etchings?”
His heart hammered against his chest. “Could be. But it’s also a place I used to go to figure things out.” It would be great if something as simple as looking through a window really could give him the answers he needed. At least, it would give them privacy.
****
Molly watched Matt pull a horse blanket from under the saddles lined up in the tack room and gestured to a ladder. “Ladies first.” The twinkle in his eyes sent shivers up her spine.
She climbed ahead of him to the hayloft. A dim light from the lower level guided their way. Moonlight from an open space near the eaves splayed silver fingers across the straw-covered floor.
“This is your Thinking Window?” It was just the open double-door pa
ssageway to the loft.
“Disappointed?”
She couldn’t restrain her laugh. “The last line’s yet to be written.”
“That’s right, reporters gather all the facts first, don’t they?”
“If they want to last.” She bit her lip. She’d been a thorough, diligent go-getter.
Was her life as a reporter behind her—and did a different future lie ahead? She wasn’t sure what she wanted, or if she’d even have a choice. What if the trial failed to end the danger?
Matt spread the blanket onto a nest of sweet-scented straw near the edge of the opening and drew her down to sit in front of him between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her. His chest was warm and solid against her back. The muffled thud of hooves as horses shifted in the stalls below soothed Molly in ways she was afraid to analyze. She leaned back into the curve of Matt’s body and looked out.
The loft towered above the ranch, and lights flickered in the windows of other buildings, but what caught her attention was the blue-black sky filled with glittering stars. City stars had never been so big, or so bright.
“When you look out, what do you see?”
“I see a transparent and deceptive veil of serenity.” She couldn’t stop a shiver from slithering up her spine.
Matt drew her closer. “Look again. It’s not a veil. It’s a shield. Until we leave, I’ve ordered everyone on high alert.”
“This means we’re probably being watched right this minute.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, they’re still there, all right, but they know when to give a man and woman some privacy.”
“I know Sara Jane is safe and that you’ve taken every precaution, but there’s this warning signal in my brain whenever she’s out of my sight.”
“Some degree of residual trauma from when Del Fuego kidnapped her is normal.” Matt’s deep voice lulled Molly, mesmerized her. “What you need, little darlin’, is a massage. And that happens to be my specialty.”
He put slight pressure on her back with his palms, and she leaned forward a bit. He began to knead her back, digging his fingers into her flesh, finding and eliminating tension-filled spots.
Guitar music filtered from the bunk house. Someone was singing “Como Hace Calor?” It was aptly a song about heat, since Matt’s touch was sending flames coursing through her veins.
“So how does this Thinking Window work?”
“When I was a boy, I’d come up here and look at those big, fat stars, and my confusion would clear and I’d know the right thing to do.”
She felt his warm breath in her hair, his lips moist on the side of her neck. “And what are the stars telling you to do now?” The huskiness in her own voice surprised her.
With a quick movement, he lifted her, and she ended up beside him. Before she could catch her breath, he laid her back on the blanket and leaned over her. “This,” he said and touched his lips to hers. The kiss caught fire like straw touched by flames. She wound her arms around his neck and drew him closer while inhaling his clean, desert scent and teasing his probing tongue. He lowered himself onto her, and his arousal pressed hard against her thigh. Need shot through her, and she didn’t fight it.
They would part soon enough, and history would repeat itself. In the end, she would suffer hurt and disappointment, but she’d have this memory. She’d learned the hard way that life was empty without memories.
Hot desire raged between them. Matt fumbled with the buttons of her shirt then unhooked her bra. His strong, warm hands caressed her breasts, then moved on to unfasten her jeans and slide them over her hips.
She laughed and rolled away. “My turn. Two can play this game.”
Molly rose to her knees and grabbed the collar of his chambray shirt and yanked. The snap buttons gave; the material parted. He shrugged out of his shirt. She ran her hands over Matt’s chest muscles, reveling in their smooth hardness. Seeking more of him, she lowered her hands and unbuckled his belt, unzipped his Levi’s. He struggled out of the body-fitting denim, kicking it into a tangled heap.
Breathless and nude, they tumbled to the blanket, and he slid a hand down to her thigh. She gasped when he stroked between her legs. She inhaled and tried to relax, but she couldn’t—the excitement in her began to build again. She arched into his cupped hand.
The smell of hay and their mingled body scents wafted in the air around them. The muted music in the distance slowed, but its soothing tones failed to calm her racing heart. Her core throbbed with arousal. “Now, Matt. Now.”
“We’re going over the moon,” he murmured, while extending the pleasure, stretching it.
When she thought she couldn’t bear it a second longer, he took her higher than the stars glittering down at them. Then, he slipped inside her. She closed her eyes, and they began to move together in perfect oneness. The slow tempo increased until fireworks exploded in her head. Then she and Matt soared past the moon, skyrocketing higher and higher—to the zenith. She cried out his name, gasping.
Matt collapsed beside her, both of them glistening with sweat, and he held her tight. They floated in warm unity. Blissful silence wrapped around Molly like velvety petals of a closing rosebud.
Matt kissed her temple. “Can we stay like this for a while?”
She laughed softly. “I couldn’t move if I had to.”
He kissed her eyelids. “Take a short nap. I’ll keep watch and try to get my Thinking Window to work.”
At least he didn’t say they’d made a mistake. Why would he? For an instant, she almost remembered something familiar, something important—then it was gone.
She tucked her head against his shoulder. She felt safe in his arms, boneless, relaxed. Her eyelids became heavy, and she let them flutter closed. Sleep claimed her, then plunged her into a dream…“As much as I want you,” Matt said in a ragged voice, “making love is a mistake. I have to leave. Probably forever.” She touched his lips with her fingertips, quieting his protests. Then, she wantonly seduced him, certain she could persuade him to stay…
Molly awoke in Matt’s arms troubled and not sure why. Vaguely, she knew her uneasiness had something to do with the dream she’d just had, but she couldn’t bring the memory forward.
“You really zonked out for about fifteen minutes,” Matt said, “then you cried out, ‘No.’” He gently touched her face. “Are you okay?”
“Just a…troubling dream.”
“Want to tell me about it?” Matt asked as they struggled back into their clothes.
She forced a smile. “It’s vanished. I can’t seem to bring it back.”
He gave her a long, searching look that made her lower her eyes. They finished dressing in an awkward silence.
Matt went ahead of her down the ladder. Before she reached the bottom, he grasped her waist and swung her to the floor. She should say something. Her mind whirled. Matt put his arm around her and led her out of the barn into the moonlight. Even the bunkhouse and fences looked shimmery and beautiful in the soft brightness. Suddenly, she felt exhilarated and a little foolish for letting a dream depress her.
When they reached the ranch house, Luke was waiting in the living room. “Sara Jane never made a peep.” He bid them goodnight with a knowing smile and headed out the door.
Molly frowned. Was there a sign hanging around her neck announcing that she’d just made love? That was ridiculous, of course. “I had the feeling Luke knew what we did.”
Matt looked at Molly for a moment, then withdrew a piece of straw from her hair. “If we don’t want anyone to know, maybe we shouldn’t leave evidence in your hair.”
Molly groaned but had to chuckle. “What must he think of me!”
“Should we call him back and ask?”
“No!”
“Luke knows I love you, so forget it. We need to discuss your safety.”
Molly shivered. “I’ve been thinking about that and keep coming up with the same answer. No place is one hundred percent safe. Del Fuego’s gang has already killed two guards, A
rnie, your brother, and only God knows how many others.” She sighed. “Too bad your Thinking Window didn’t work.”
He gave her a small, sad smile. “Oh, but it did. While you lay in my arms getting your beauty sleep, I thought it all out. We can slip away before dawn and fly to Mexico. Dr. De La Fuente has a sister in Taxco.”
“Taxco?”
“It’s a charming place—off the beaten path. There’d be no connection to leave a trail, and we could disappear until the trial. The only drawback is that Del Fuego might go underground, too, and we could lose him.”
“If it weren’t for Sara Jane, I’d be your bait, Matt, but—”
“That’s never been an option. The coins were our big break. We have agents closing in on Del Fuego’s villa now. If he’s there, this could be over soon.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get packed and be ready to go at a moment’s notice, then try to get some sleep.”
A puzzling sense of urgency rose in her, and she followed him down the hall. “What about you?”
“I want to talk to our FBI guests, then make some arrangements of my own.” Matt stopped at the nursery and tiptoed inside.
Arrangements? The word pounded in her head. “Don’t wake Sara Jane.” Packing would go faster if the baby stayed asleep. It was then Molly heard cooing.
“Oh, hot damn,” Matt said. “Sunshine’s turning herself over.”
When Sara Jane finished the roll, she lifted her head and kicked her feet, as though delighted with herself. Matt touched the dark auburn hair on the back of the baby’s head. “Is this kid a genius or what?”
Molly smiled. Even Sara Jane’s real father couldn’t love her more. Molly swallowed past the lump in her throat. Dared she hope that they could become a family?
What if the real father surfaced? Arnie and the witness protection guards were dead. What if her baby’s father was someone other than one of them? Please, God, let me remember…
Matt played with Sara Jane for a few minutes. “I could stay here all night, Sunshine,” he told the baby. “But I’d better get going.”
“Yes, go.” Molly had an urge to shove him and get him moving. “And hurry back.”