High Noon

by Debra Webb

Once she had the coffeemaker set, he moved up behind her and whispered in her ear, “I couldn’t take my eyes off you tonight.”

  She turned to face him, trapped between his body and the counter. “I hope your boss didn’t notice.”

  Lucas had stopped by for a few minutes. Then he’d gone back on the prowl for his prey. Clare Barker and Tony Weeden had seemingly fallen off the planet. Lucas was having no luck finding the first sign of the two in Beaumont.

  “I think every male in the house tonight was watching you, my boss included.”

  She smiled, her lips trembling. “Is that one of your old player lines or is that a true compliment?”

  So the lady needed some convincing, did she? Well, he was way past restraint. No matter that she was his principal and this was business, there was no going back. He was in this for the long haul.

  He leaned down and nuzzled her neck, loving the feel of her silky hair against his jaw. He lavished her ear with his tongue then whispered, “You are so beautiful.”

  “It’s been a long time,” she murmured. “I’m not so sure this will be as easy to fall back into as kissing.”

  “We’ll take it slow.”

  She searched his eyes. He showed her with his that she had nothing to fear from him. That he wanted her so, so much. He recognized the moment she made her decision. The worry that had furrowed her brow eased away. Her gaze drifted down to his mouth. He kissed her, softly, slowly. His body reacted instantly, hardening with the need to show her just how beautiful it could be between a man and a woman. He wanted her to know that beauty. To feel all those other emotions and sensations beyond simple lust and desire.

  She sidled out of his reach and hurried into the hall. He trailed after her. She made a stop at the linen closet and retrieved a big colorful quilt. She glanced back at him in invitation and he followed her to the living room. He liked following Laney. The view never got boring.

  She spread the quilt on the floor. Its once-vibrant hues of red and blue were faded with time. She toed off her boots, rolled off her socks and clicked off the table lamp, leaving nothing but the moonlight filtering in through the windows to guide their way. There was the slightest tremor in her movements. As much as she wanted this, she was still nervous.

  He removed his boots and socks, then reached for the clip from her hair and threaded his fingers through that luxurious mane. After tossing the clip aside, he tugged her T-shirt from the waistband of her jeans and peeled it off her slim torso. He had to look at her a moment before continuing. Her body was perfect. Tall, lean but with a nice slender hourglass shape.

  She reached behind her and unfastened her bra, allowing it to fall away as he watched. His breath stalled in his lungs as he took in her creamy, high breasts. He reached out, closed his hands over those lush mounds. She gasped. He massaged her breasts, paying special attention to her taut nipples. Then he let his hands glide up her shoulders and gave the same treatment there. Her shoulders and arms were likely tired from making and serving drinks all night. He wanted her completely relaxed. He wanted her to enjoy every moment of this special time between them.

  With prompting she turned her back to him and he lavished her neck and upper back with just the right rubbing and squeezing and soft pressure with his fingers. By the time he finished she was moaning with his every touch. He moved his body up against hers, loving the feel of her bottom nestled against his pelvis. With his arms around her, he released the fly of her jeans, but instead of pushing them down, he reached inside and found that hot, damp spot that made her whimper with need. He stroked and teased until she quivered in his arms, her screams of pleasure barely restrained.

  He turned her around to face him and he dropped to his knees. First he kissed each breast, nipped at her nipples, then he slid those tight-fitting jeans down and off.

  Slowly, he kissed every part of her. He traced her ribs with his tongue and explored her bellybutton while he kneaded her bottom with his hands. Her fingers fisted in his hair and she quivered with the pleasure building inside her. He restrained his own, refused to give in to the urgency until he made sure this was worth the wait for her. Three years was a long time to wait.

  When her breathing became more and more frantic, he slid a hand between her trembling thighs and stroked her some more. Her hips undulated with his movements and then her body tensed. He felt the waves of completion crashing down on her, her inner muscles flexing and contracting around his fingers.

  He had to have her soon.

  He stood and began to unbutton his shirt.

  She opened her eyes and stared for a long moment, watching his methodical movements. Then she came at him.

  * * *

  EMBOLDENED FROM A powerful orgasm, Laney ripped his shirt from his body. She would buy him a new one. Right now she just needed him naked so she could feel his hot skin. She clawed at his belt and fly until they were open. As still as stone and every bit as hard, he watched her every frantic move with an intensity that made her shiver. She wanted him to watch. But more importantly, she wanted to do to him what he had just done to her. She dragged off his jeans. She sat back on her heels and stared at his naked body. He looked amazing. Strong, lean lines. Sculpted muscles. Perfect. She leaned in, inhaled deeply of his masculine scent, then she started to lick. She teased him with her mouth and tongue until he trembled. He tangled his fingers in her hair, begged her to slow down. When she felt him start to throb she drew away. He was heavy with need and she wanted that weight inside her.

  Laney fell back onto the quilt she had inherited from her grandmother and opened herself to him. He came down on top of her and filled her in one forceful thrust. She climaxed instantly. His body shook with restraint as he brought her once more to that place. He urged her on until, their bodies shuddering, they found release together.

  He rolled onto his side and held her, their bodies still entwined. She snuggled against his chest and listened to the frantic sound of his heart beating. She felt sated and safe.

  Eventually she would need to shower and pull on a gown so that she could go to her room and snuggle up to her son. But for now she wanted to be held just like this.

  He stroked her hair, kissed her forehead and cheek. She couldn’t be sure but she sensed that their lovemaking had affected him as deeply as it had her. She hoped so.

  He tipped her chin up to look in her eyes. “You okay?”

  She smiled. “I’m better than okay.” The truth was no one had ever made love to her like that.

  “Yes, you are.”

  Tears burned in her eyes and she wanted to kick herself for getting all weepy but there was no stopping it. He had made her feel special and she’d needed that so much.

  He caressed her cheek. “I don’t know about you but I think an early breakfast is in order.”

  “As long as I get to make the biscuits.”

  He laughed. “I figure that’s a good idea.”

  They helped each other dress, kissing over and over again. Her lips would be bruised tomorrow, he had kissed her so many times. She decided to forego her jeans, and rushed off to the kitchen in her T-shirt and panties. That she didn’t feel the need to cover herself completely in his presence with the lights on was new for her. She’d had a baby and had the marks to prove it. The proof of motherhood hadn’t bothered him.

  In the kitchen, he was in charge of the eggs and she made the biscuits the way her grandmother had taught her. It felt real, it felt right. Every move was accompanied by a smile or a kiss.

  When the biscuits were in the oven, he sat her on the counter and kissed her some more. Each time was somehow different from the last. The way he cradled her face or touched his tongue to hers. Then he lifted her T-shirt to admire her breasts.

  He leaned her back against the cabinets. She arched her back, forcing her breasts to jut upward. He explored each one with his fingers and then his mouth.

  She tried to hold back from losing herself to his touch, but she couldn’t. He had her on the brink of r
elease all over again. He lifted her into his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He fumbled with his zipper until he was free, then, pushing her panties aside, he guided her down onto his erection.

  He lifted her over and over, each time letting her slide down that rigid length until they both moaned with release.

  Moments later, without even setting her down, he turned off the oven and carried her to the bathroom. They made love again in the shower. Afterwards, he washed her body and she washed his. She learned every part of him. They toweled each other off, went their separate ways to dress and rendezvoused in the kitchen for soggy eggs and hard biscuits.

  “Your coffee is amazing,” he said after finishing off his cup.

  She kissed him and smiled. “One of these days I plan to serve breakfast at the saloon.” She loved to cook and she had imagined making beautiful pastries and gourmet omelets to go with the unique blends of coffee she would offer.

  “I think that’s a brilliant idea.” He pulled her against him and settled onto a stool with her in his lap. “You’d need a much bigger staff. Your location is perfect for those morning commuters on the long drive to Houston.”

  It pleased her immensely that he thought her plan was a good one. “I want to keep the western theme but give it a slight sophisticated quality for morning hours.”

  “With those biscuits and that coffee, it’s a sure success.”

  “Then maybe I can find the right person to manage the place at night so I can spend more time at home with Buddy.”

  They talked for a long time about her plans and how she could make those dreams come true. At some point she fell asleep, but was roused as he tucked her into her bed next to Buddy. He smiled down at her and her lips immediately responded.

  “Good night.” He brushed a kiss across her cheek.

  “Night.”

  When he would have turned away she caught his hand. He stared down at her and her breath left her at how handsome he was. A fact she had noticed over and over since he’d first swaggered into the High Noon.

  She peered up into his eyes. “Thank you for protecting us and for making me feel alive again.”

  He squeezed her hand and smiled before walking away.

  Her last thought before she drifted off was of him and how much she wanted this to be real…not just a dream.

  Chapter Fourteen

  2:00 a.m.

  Clare watched longingly as the last of the lights went out in Lisa’s home. The man from the Colby Agency had seduced her. Even from the road Clare had been able to see them come together before the lights went out in the living room. Two vague forms falling into each other’s arms. She had known that kind of desperation once.

  But it had been a mistake… . Except for the three beautiful daughters that had come of that tainted marriage. Fury and misery stormed inside her. She wanted him and all who had helped him to pay for stealing her life… . For taking her babies.

  For ruining everything.

  Soon they would all know the truth.

  No one could stop her now.

  “We should take the boy.”

  Clare turned to her son. “He’s beautiful, isn’t he?”

  Though she couldn’t see Tony’s fury in the darkness, she could feel the creeping thickness of it. He was angry for her. No one else save him understood what she had been through… . What she had lost.

  For years she had sacrificed so much to keep him happy. And he had turned on her, used his silence to make her appear the guiltiest one.

  Now he was only three weeks from being a dead man.

  Joy shimmered through her. She closed her eyes and prayed that the devil would take him straight to hell.

  “We should take him,” Tony repeated.

  Clare shook off the wonderful thoughts of her husband burning for all of eternity and turned to her son. “He is very smart, too.” Perhaps if she ignored Tony’s comments he would let the idea go.

  “She’s a whore.”

  Clare surveyed the dark house, the turmoil inside her taking on a sharper edge. “She’s a good mother.” Clare had been a good mother to her daughters…but not to her son.

  She had expected him to want to punish her for what she had done so long ago. Instead, he had offered to help. He had prepared for her release and had welcomed her with open arms. She did not deserve his forgiveness.

  “Is she a good mother?”

  Tension coiled through Clare’s body. “She is.” Perhaps her son had decided she needed to be punished after all. “She was stronger than me. She kept her son and raised him despite having no one to help.”

  “She was not raped,” Tony rebutted.

  Clare wished she could see his eyes. This was the first time they had discussed that part of the past. Had he truly forgiven her? “I was young. Terrified and alone. I didn’t know what to do.” Though most of her life was a lie, that was the God’s truth.

  “You had her.”

  Rage rose to an instant boil. Her sister. Janet had done nothing but hurt her since the day Clare was born. She had learned the truth about her sister. But by then it had been too late. The damage was done.

  Tony had paid a heavy price.

  Clare had, as well. But now they would have their revenge on them all.

  Rafe thought he had won by hiring this illustrious agency to help him. But he had not. Far from it. She was here. She had touched their grandson. She had seen all three of their beautiful daughters.

  He would not win. Clare hoped he was afraid. That he lay in that tiny cell at night and wept at the idea that she was free and could do whatever she pleased. There was nothing he could do to stop her the way he had last time.

  He was helpless, just as she had been twenty-two years ago. She had trusted him just as she had trusted her sister.

  If only dear Janet had realized the error of her ways and run, she might still be alive. But she had remained, steadfast in her certainty that no one would see her lies.

  She had gotten what was coming to her, though Clare doubted she had suffered nearly enough. She, too, would burn in hell.

  “Yes,” Clare said finally in response to her son’s comment. “I had my sister.” Again Clare wished she could see his face more clearly. “And look what she did to us.” She touched his right shoulder. Agony twisted inside her.

  “It was my fault.”

  How could he say that? He’d been a mere child when the accident happened. “She should have been watching you more closely.” How could he blame himself?

  “She was working and I got in the way.”

  Tony had told her that Janet had been chopping wood and he’d wanted to help. But Clare sensed that there was more he wasn’t telling her. If he told her she would only feel more guilt. He suspected as much and wanted to shield her from it.

  What a sweet man he had grown into despite what Clare had done to him. She should have kept him. What good had it done her to return to college and finish her degree?

  None.

  She had left Tony with Janet with the intention of coming back for him when she could support him. But then she had met Rafe and everything had changed.

  Rafe had seemed such a deeply religious man she hadn’t dared to tell him about the rape and her illegitimate son. Then she’d fallen so madly in love that she could see nothing but Rafe and the life he offered.

  Janet hadn’t spoken to her again for years. She had taken Tony away and Clare had been relieved.

  Now she had the opportunity to make all of it right. All her past sins would be assuaged.

  She sent one last longing look toward her daughter’s home. Lisa had done all this on her own. She had been far smarter than her mother. Far stronger. Sarah was the same. Strong, hardworking. Clare had not located Olivia yet, but she was not giving up.

  Soon they would all be together for the finale.

  “We should go now,” she said to Tony.

  Ever obedient, he started the car and drove away. He waited a safe distance
before turning on the headlights.

  Clare sighed. Her plan was coming together, bit by bit.

  She would not fail.

  “We’re being followed.”

  Clare jerked around to stare at the headlights far behind them. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” Tony insisted. “It’s that man who has been looking for us all over town. The one from Copperas Cove.”

  Another from the Colby Agency. Lucas Camp. Clare knew they were trying to stop her.

  Fury tightened her lips. She would stop their meddling. Didn’t they realize they were working for the devil himself?

  “Make sure you lose him.”

  Tony floored the accelerator, and the car leaped forward. “We need to be rid of him for good.”

  Clare said nothing. Just a few more days…and it would be done.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Lucas accelerated. Clare Barker would not elude him this time. He had her in his crosshairs.

  The road wound through the countryside that separated Laney’s home from the city of Beaumont for some fifteen miles. At this hour he should have no trouble staying on their tail even once they hit the city limits. Traffic would be negligible.

  He had known Clare wouldn’t be able to resist returning to watch Laney. The new security system had prevented her from getting too close to the house. Instead she and her accomplice had parked on the side of the road and watched from a distance.

  And Lucas had been waiting.

  The white sedan took a hard right, the vehicle nearly spinning a hundred and eighty degrees before barreling down this new side road.

  Lucas made the same turn, his rented sedan fishtailing with the change in momentum, tires screaming in protest.

  He wrestled the steering wheel and forced the accelerator to the floor. The car lunged forward, gaining on his mark.

  Victoria would be furious at his hazardous driving. But he could not lose Clare again. She’d gotten far too close to Laney and her son and that was on Lucas.

  Another sharp turn, this one to the left. Lucas rode out the precarious maneuver, the smell of burning rubber accompanying the squealing tires.