“The Ro—”
Gill was too stunned to finish his sentence; horrified, in fact. Once the adjustment of the younger man’s innocently spoken words settled in, he glared across the three feet that separated them, pulled back his arm and punched Saber Patterson’s lights out—as asked.
And that’s when Julia had opened her bedroom door.
Chapter Eight
“Good God, Gill! What the hell did you do to him?”
Julia rushed down to her knees. Saber had slumped to his butt in the hallway. He was groaning while swearing under his breath.
She quickly checked the injured man’s face for any signs of damage or unnecessary bleeding. It had been a quick, painful slug to the jaw, nothing more. But her father’s punch had temporarily trimmed down the lights in his head, and unfortunately had given him a fat lip, too.
Saber was trying to shake off the pain in his jaw when he chose to answer this. “He did exactly what I told him to do.” Each man then watched the other, prey to predator.
“Not inside this house! And not ever will it happen again on my watch. Or no apparent reason. ” Julia rose, storming over to her father’s side. “Just where do you think you have any right to hit this man? ” She was glaring dangerously at her unusually disturbed parent.
The last time she’d given him this look, she’d been eighteen years old and giving him her version of mutiny on letting his future wife temporarily slip out of his grasp. It worked then. She prayed it would work now.
The eldest amongst those gathered in the hallway announced his thoughts loudly. “He’s the one without any rights when inside this house, young lady,” Gill said.
“Don’t you dare call me that!” she warned.
“What? Young lady?” Gill cocked his brow. “I wouldn’t have to call you anything if you would just act your age for a change.”
“M—my age? Jesus! And what age is that, Gill?” Julia was on the verge of tears. “The age of always being considered your baby girl? The age of having no reasonable conscious thoughts inside my head? Or, the age of whatever it is you say, because you dare think you can say it without retribution?”
“Don’t you use that tone of voice with me, Julia Margaret,” Gill warned.
Cody had glided up to his side and was now standing up for their father’s violent actions, with a blueberry muffin in one hand and an apple muffin in the other. The little brat took a bite from both, then smiled with devil’s intent at Julia.
“I warned you about men like this.” Gill’s finger pointed at Saber seated on the floor.
Julia ignored her father’s slanderous comment and took out the rest of her fury on the youngster she had the unfortunate need to call a brother. If Cody was this bad now, she couldn’t wait to see what the second Hillard boy would turn out like. She shuddered.
“And you!” She pointed down, her finger trembling. “You are the most inconsiderate human being on the planet!”
Cody stuck out his tongue. He did that a lot, especially when he knew he could get away with it.
“See what I mean? No manners. Not a single, minuscule speck of any inside that tiny, little twerp frame. If you would’ve punished him from day one, he’d be at least bearable.”
Saber was trying to push himself to his feet. Julia moved to help him gain balance. Her hand held firmly onto his upper arm.
She whipped her head toward the other two, once the rodeo man was upright and could stand on his own.
“I would appreciate it if the two of you just left. Now! Before anyone else gets hurt,” she said.
Gill’s feet planted firmly in the hallway, his sons’ at his side, he looked as if he wasn’t going to budge an inch. “Not until he leaves,” he promised, eyeing Patterson with disgust.
“Well, that’s just too damn bad, Gill. Because, to my calculations, Mr. Patterson will now be staying the week for free, all thanks to your fist hitting his face. And, for no other reason other than an untamed little brat lied to you and has gotten away with it, again.” She glared at the smiling Cody. “Saber is not leaving this house, and there is no particular way that you can make him leave without involving the local police force. So, I would suggest you get used to the idea. Or leave, as I’ve already asked you to. One scene is more than enough for this morning.”
Her threats were turning into a shouting match, but she couldn’t seem to help it.
“Like hell he’s not leaving this house! If it takes Debra to get this man out of here, then Debra it will be,” her father warned.
Julia knew it was going to be an unending uphill battle with her stubborn father; the very moment she ignored this threat and pulled the staggering Saber into the sanctity of her bedroom, locking the door.
Her returned argument spoken through the wooden panel settled the deal. “Call Debra. But until you do, Saber stays here, for free.”
Thankfully, unbeknownst to her father, Saber Patterson had already collapsed to the floor inside her bedroom only seconds after spewing this out of her mouth.
Julia did her best to get the cowboy to wake up, tried everything she could think of: slapped him in the face, jabbed his ribs, even went so far as grabbing a full glass of water off her nightstand and tossing it in his face. He was too far gone. And now he was moaning pitifully, his shirt font soaked.
Under the circumstances, she’d be moaning too if not so bloody damn furious with her father.
The only choice she had left was to wait until Gill left the house, which he did ten seconds later and done in an absolute huff. He slammed the door to the front porch and was tearing out of the drive in a rush another minute later; with an eight-year-old tattle-tail riding shotgun in the old red pickup.
Julia dared a quick peek through her bedroom window. She watched the pickup roll down Main Street toward the police station. Crap. For a brief moment, she actually feared her father would involve the police on this matter. But, the pickup kept going. It was then that she heard the tires screech and her father quickly making a U-turn to head back to the police station.
Julia ran straight for the telephone hung on the kitchen wall. First, she dialed Ceril to warn him that her once-again overprotective, overbearing, over-aggravating father was on his way, and what he should do about it. Chief Ceril owed her a favor. She was collecting the debt, pronto.
After the chief finally stopped laughing, he promised her he would take care of it.
She then dialed Liddy Humphrey-Giotti.
Julia told her best friend all about Saber; whose lights her angry father had punched out and who was now sprawled out on her bedroom floor. Liddy promised to come straight away to see for herself.
“And don’t you say a single word about this to Jake. Leave him in the dark for the time being. That way, if Gill asks Jake, my father won’t be able to take it out on your future husband for not telling him all that he knows.”
“I won’t say a word to anyone,” Liddy giggled.
“This is not funny, Liddy!”
“It is to me.”
“Dad’s really mad this time. I mean really, really mad. I’ve never seen this side of him before. And Saber is not coming too. What should I do? I’ve never had a guy pass out on me before; at least not a man who wasn’t drunk or who I hadn’t wanted to pass out. Should I give him something? Am I doing it wrong?”
“Doing what wrong? Good God, Julia! What the devil were the two of you doing in the first place to make Gill so pissed?”
“It wasn’t what we were doing, my darling busy-body best friend. It was what I’d wanted to do to him, that I think has my father so all-fired furious.”
“And what, exactly, was that, Ms. Hillard?”
“If I tell you, will you promise to stop giggling?”
“If I can,” Liddy admitted, snickering.
“Let us just say it was something you probably wanted to do with Jake a time or two. Or have. The guys’ T-shirt caused all the problems.” She told her friend exactly what the shirt said. “God, Liddy
! The man is gorgeous. He is so damn sexy he has my feet sweating. And my feet don’t sweat. Ever!”
“Merciful Heavens! I’ll be right over,” Liddy said.
“I thought you’d say that. But take your time. Perhaps I can get in some alone-time while he’s out cold. Who knows? It might be the most fun I’ll ever have.”
“Please, don’t start having that fun without me,” Liddy warned, clicking off the line.
“Unfortunately, I think I already have,” Julia muttered. Her face flushed, her palms sweaty, she hung up the phone.
There wasn’t a soul inside the boarding house to hear the confession, other than a man who was passed out on her bedroom floor from one very well placed punch to his jaw. And he? He wasn’t placing judgment on anyone.
Julia released her held breath, moving back toward her bedroom. She opened the door and found Saber nowhere about.
“Mr. Patterson?”
“In here.” His voice came from inside her private bathroom.
She moved toward it; waited outside the closed doorway. “Are you all right, Mr. Patterson?” She added a light knock on the wood to gain his attention.
Saber yanked open the door and grinned shamelessly at her face. His dimples were deep and dangerous. “I’m just peachy keen, Little Darlin’. But I thought I should wipe some of the blood off my fat lip if your friend is coming over here to check me out.”
“Y—you, um, heard?” She grew crimson under his amused scrutiny, the heat flushing throughout her body exponentially.
“Every single syllable,” he promised. “But don’t you worry your pretty little head about any of it.” A light tap made on her chin with his knuckles. “I’ll just go lie back down on that floor of yours and pretend I’m out cold. Once she gets here, that is. No sense starting the party earlier than need be.”
“This is not funny, Mr. Patterson!”
“No? Well, neither is being punched in the jaw by a woman’s Pa just for being a good guy, funny. Or, getting kicked in the shin by what I can only assume to be her evil little brother.”
“I’m really sorry about that. Cody can be…,” she started, then paused when his brow arched.
“A real pain in the ass?” he interrupted. “A bit of a spoiled brat who needs the sharp end of a switch?”
Unconsciously, Julia nodded. Yes. Cody was all that, and so much more.
“I take it the little he-devil gets to do whatever he wants?”
Saber leaned his testosterone-induced frame against the door jamb of what she’d always thought of as her private sanctuary—until now.
“Yes, pretty much.”
“And you don’t.” A declaration she hadn’t ever wanted to hear.
Julia took a deep breath and eased her gaze from his. He was making a very factual statement that grated her teeth. The moment she looked away, his hand snaked up, his fingers set against her chin.
“When is he going to realize you’re a grown woman with a mind of your own?”
He didn’t need to elaborate. She knew exactly what he meant. When was she going to stand up to her father?
She tried to ease her chin out of his grasp, but Saber moved closer still. His breath fanned her face, drawing out the gooseflesh on her arms.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “Soon?”
Instead of adding more, he leaned down and kissed her again, quite passionately. This time he left little to the imagination of what his intentions were.
Satisfied with himself, he pulled back. “I’ve wanted to do that for the last ten seconds, Little Darlin’.”
“Why?” Julia licked her moist lips.
“Damned if I know,” he rued, frowning. “Might have something to do with your father thinking the two of us were caught in the act.”
“In a way…we kind of were,” she conceded, reliving the moment in her head; and shamefully enjoying every single second of it.
“No we weren’t.” He smiled. “If we’d been caught in the act, it would’ve certainly involved more of my doing…”
He lowered his head to her left ear and finished this sentence.
When her eyebrows rose in shock and a slow smile formed at the corners of her mouth, he added further intentions. “And then, doing a little of…”
He spoke the remainder of this into her other ear.
Julia’s whole body inflamed as the words sunk in. Her eyes widened in shock.
She’d never done that before. Nevertheless, there was always a first time for everything—as game as anyone for trying something new in a very stagnant life.
“But when I do that,” he promised, “it’ll certainly be worth the punch to the face. And I hope that my lip won’t be so damn painful, that when I kiss you, it won’t hurt so bloody hell much.”
He raised the back of his hand to his lip and groaned; a lip that seemed to be getting bigger, not better.
Without thought, Julia boldly rose to her tiptoes and very gently kissed his swollen mouth. “I’m really sorry my father did this to you.” She then ran her index finger over his bottom lip to help ease some of the pain.
“So am I,” he ruled, grabbing her by the wrist. “So …am …I.”
Chapter Nine
Saber’s brain was working out the logistics of being able to stay in the Tressle Boarding House, free of charge. Not exactly what he’d wanted when first arriving in Preacher’s Bend, but staying without loss of funds was certainly a bonus when it came down to it. And to stay at Julia’s requesting? Well, that was the icing on every man’s cake.
She was indeed scrumptious to look at. All that gorgeous red hair! He’d never been with a woman with so red of hair. Julia’s fiery tresses were tempting his moral principles to the hilt.
“When do I have to lie down on the floor and play dead?” he asked, drawing back from diving headfirst into sexual hot water.
Playing opossum would be a lot of fun. The most fun he’d had in long time.
Life had been much too serious for him. Perhaps it was time he let things go, unplanned.
Julia smiled, the corners of her delicate mouth turning up. “About ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes, huh?” He allowed a crocked smile slide across his mouth.
“Liddy lives on the other side of town, down Roundabout Road. It will take her about ten minutes to get here, unless Debra beats her to it.” Her quick grimace made at the thought. “Because I am quite certain that once my father gets in touch with Officer Wesley, you’ll be seeing a pair of red and blue lights flashing in the driveway sooner than expected. As mad as he was at what happened, I wouldn’t put it past him. Nor put anything past Officer Wesley to correct what she feels as a wrong. She tends to enjoy making people suffer for their sins. I do believe she gets a real high from having the authority.”
Saber turned very serious by these words. Regrettably, he was playing with fire, but couldn’t seem to help himself. “What did happen out there, Julia?”
When she pulled her sight away and she ignored the question altogether, he tried another approach: light teasing, to ease the seriousness of their situation.
“Gee, Ms. Hillard. Whatever can we do in ten minutes—just to kill time?” He was allowing Julia the opportunity to adjust to what did happen out there. Moreover, adjust to what they could no longer ignore: deep attraction, strange, strong, and horribly out of control.
His dimples formed, then held, Saber waiting for what may or may not come his way.
Julia turned her face to grin back, shoving him toward her unmade bed. “I haven’t the foggiest idea, Mr. Patterson. Some might say ten minutes as not nearly long enough for what I have in mind.”
**
Was she dealing with the problem directly? Of course she was. Slightly different than she was ten years ago, older, wiser, more seasoned, she still had game left inside of her.
She held onto that little bit of what she once was with both hands. She’d been called a tease before and survived.
What the hell are you d
oing, Julia? This isn’t you…
Saber Patterson was a very stunning individual. Not to mention, not all that bad to look at. After all, he was the one who started playing the music in her head, the one who suggested this very thing into her ear, the one who came to her doorstep at the worst possible moment in her life. And somehow all that escalated into this.
“What’s this about Ms. Hillard? Are you planning to take advantage of me?” He fell backward and had somehow pulled her along with him.
She hadn’t figured on falling on top of him or land up on his chest as she had. Now that she was there, looking into deep silver storm cloud eyes, she could barely get the rest of her body cooperate. She knew she had to get off the man, but her limbs wouldn’t cooperate with the desire to propriety.
“If I can.” A strange, husky tone set in her voice. “But honestly? I planned on baking an apple pie this morning.”
The man’s blond brow rose in unexpected interest. “That’s a new one. Don’t think I’ve ever before heard it being called ‘baking an apple pie’.”
His fingers slipped into her thick hair, Saber trying to pull her face toward his. His every intention to kiss her was mirrored in his gaze.
To stop this, Julia poked her finger at his chest. “Oh, don’t you be so smug, Mr. Eight Second Wonder. We are not doing whatever it is you think we might be doing. I’m telling you the truth. I planned to bake an apple pie before you showed up on my doorstep unannounced. It wasn’t my fault you got punched in the face by my angry father.”
She shoved against his chest and got nowhere for the effort, because Saber had held on tight. His fingers wrapped around her lower back.
“Dear Lord, if it wasn’t your fault, then who’s was it?
“Please Mr. Patterson, let me up?”
“No, Little Darlin’, I like you exactly where you are…until you answer the question.”
“Liddy is coming over here only to help me getting you to wake up, and now that you have, I should call her and tell her not to bother, don’t you think?”
She was trying to organize her feelings, as the heat of his touch coursed throughout her body and went haywire.
Seduction of Saber (Saving the Sinners of Preacher's Bend #3) Page 6