“Looking for me?”
She whirled around and found him leaning against the fence post, sipping from his water bottle. His bronzed chest glistened under the Colorado sun, and once again he wore nothing but his sweatpants and a white towel draped around his neck.
“Oh, Mac. Yes, I was. I…didn’t want to interrupt your workout.”
“I’m through,” he said, taking a last sip from his bottle. He set it on the post and approached her.
It was all Jane could do to keep from backing away. Mac stared at her in a way that made her heart race, her nerves jangle and her lips pucker, among other parts of her anatomy. She saw his gaze flicker to her throat, taking in the necklace, then the bracelet and finally catching the gleam of the hoop earrings she wore.
“You look pretty,” he said as he came to stand before her.
She blushed, swallowing hard. Her hand instinctively reached for the necklace. It was the first time Mac had paid her a direct, unabashed compliment. “Oh, um, that’s why I came out here. To thank you. I love the jewelry, but then you must have known that.”
He nodded, and Jane didn’t gush with thanks, keeping in mind what Lizzie had told her. “It was a nice surprise.”
“Jane,” Mac began, staring into her eyes. Her pulse escalated until she thought she’d faint. She waited for him to continue, but when he only stared, she realized it was the first time she’d seen him at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to make of it.
“Did you want something?”
He lifted one corner of his mouth, not in a smile as she knew it, but more a sardonic expression. “Not a good question to ask of a man who wants…”
“Wants? What do you want, Mac?”
As if catching himself for mistakenly revealing a real, undisguised emotion, Mac started to retreat. Jane grabbed both ends of the towel hugging his neck and tugged, refusing to let him go.
She stood toe to toe with him, looking up into his handsome face.
His eyes darkened to nearly black. Then his gaze focused on her mouth.
Swamped with heat, pulsating with desire, Jane parted her lips.
Mac groaned, closing his eyes briefly.
“What do you want?” she asked again, this time as softly as a summer wind.
“Not here,” he said enigmatically, puzzling Jane even more. Then he took her hand, tugged her along with him into the garage and pressed her up against the wall. Bracing his hands on either side of her, trapping her, he lowered his mouth on hers for a deep, long, openmouthed kiss.
Jane moaned, sighing with pleasure. She hadn’t expected this—not anything like this—but she wasn’t complaining. Though it was totally insane, she couldn’t deny Mac this kiss, or anything else he might want.
She stroked his smooth, slick skin, running her hands up and down his chest, curling her fingers into the mass of curling hairs. He was firm and well muscled, and Jane couldn’t get enough of Sheriff Mac Riggs. Her hands slid over him again and again, until he, too, couldn’t get enough. He pressed his body closer, his tight, hard erection rubbing her belly. Jane thought she’d die from the sensations.
“Oh, Mac,” she breathed, willing him to take everything he wanted. And somehow, a moment later, Jane’s blouse was undone, and Mac was there, sliding his hands inside, caressing her sensitive flesh.
He flicked his thumbs over her nipples, back and forth, heightening her pleasure until she wanted to scream out. Mac kissed her again and again, trailing his lips down her throat, licking her skin until the anticipation grew too much. Jane arched for him, offering herself, and he bent his head to take her inside his mouth, hot and moist and slick.
“You’re so damn perfect,” he whispered in a husky voice, lifting up to kiss her again. “I want all of you, honey.”
Jane searched his gaze, finding desire there, a stark, dark desperation in his eyes. She felt the same, and nodded as much. She wanted Mac to make love to her, to find a place inside her and stay until both of them were sated and spent and exhausted. She wanted that connection. To feel. To belong. She wanted all that. And only with Mac.
He moved her along with him, without breaking the connection until he lowered her down onto his workout bench. Within a second his body covered hers, and she noted how careful he was, how much he held back so as not to crush her.
He moved slowly, taking his time now, kissing her, stroking her, his body rubbing hers in all the right places. She ached for him. Everything inside her cried out for completion with this man.
And when he finally reached for the zipper of her slacks, Jane sucked in her breath, making it easier for him.
Bells rang.
At first Jane thought it was a school bell. Or the clanging of a fire truck.
Mac stopped midway with her zipper.
He listened.
Then he sat up, and she felt the immediate loss.
“What is it?” she asked.
“My cell phone, Jane. Something’s up. Either at the station or with Lizzie.”
Yet he allowed the ringing to continue. He glanced down at her, and she felt suddenly exposed and vulnerable. But his eyes held hers, telling her in unspoken words that it was okay. And with that one look he vanquished any embarrassment she might have had.
He reached for her hand, lifted her to an upright position on the workout bench and sighed. “Jane, it’s a good thing the phone rang.”
She didn’t agree.
“I didn’t even think about a condom.”
Jane buttoned her blouse, and he watched until she was fully dressed again. She sensed his retreat, the backlash of his actions to follow.
“This is crazy,” he said, standing now, admonishing himself. Mac wasn’t a man to lose control, and Jane figured he’d be blaming himself for this. “I wasn’t thinking, period. How are you going to forgive me?”
She stood then, mustering her courage and tamping down her anger. “Shut up, Mac.”
He snapped his head up. “What?”
“Don’t you dare apologize to me. I’m a big girl, fully capable of making decisions for myself.” Jane turned away so he wouldn’t see her distress. “Don’t you have to see about that phone call?”
“Jane?”
“Just go, Mac,” she said forcefully. Then more softly, she repeated, “Just go.”
“Are you all right?”
Jane wanted to scream “No!” She wasn’t all right. Nothing had been right since she lost her memory. But for a few brief moments this morning, she’d thought that maybe everything would be all right. With Mac. And her.
“I’m fine.”
Mac lifted the cell phone from the worktable and glanced at the number. “It’s the station.”
“So, call them back.”
He glanced over at her, standing there by his workout bench, the place where both of their lives might have changed this morning. “I’m—”
“Don’t say it, Mac. I’m warning you.”
He actually smiled, as if her tone amused him, then turned to make his phone call.
Jane bounded out of the garage, filled with enough emotions to sink a cruise liner. She needed out of here, fast.
And that was exactly what she decided to do.
Leave.
Mac stepped out of the shower, dried off quickly and dressed. He had to get to the station as soon as possible, and he had to speak with Jane. The news he’d gotten involved her, but Mac wasn’t too thrilled to have to spend any more time with her this morning. Hell, what had he been thinking earlier, in the garage? He’d almost made love to her like some smitten, hormone-crazed teen without the sense God had given him.
It wasn’t like Mac to lose control like that. He’d prided himself on his rationality and good judgment. He’d been alone a long time, he told himself. And he was sexually attracted to Jane.
What living, breathing man wouldn’t be?
But he’d thought he could manage having her live under his roof. After all, they had Lizzie as a chaperone. The thought tha
t he needed a chaperone around Jane made him nuts. Where had all his willpower gone?
He’d like to turn his baby sister over his knee just thinking about her obvious ploy to shove Jane at him every chance she could. Lizzie had never been out of the house this much. She’d never had “meetings” or “appointments” in the evenings that kept her out late.
As soon as Jane had arrived on the scene, his sister had made herself scarce.
Mac made a mental note to read her the riot act the next time they were alone. Lizzie didn’t know she was playing with fire. Mac had already been burned once, and though he’d gotten over the searing pain a long time ago, he wasn’t stupid enough to jump into the flames again. And Lizzie’s latest news, about leaving on Sunday to spend nearly a week with Caitlin, wasn’t what he wanted to hear.
“Babies come when they want,” Lizzie had said, “and I can’t help it if this one is coming early. Caitlin had some complications and she needs a C-section. You know, darn well I promised I’d be there, Mac.”
Yeah, Mac had known, but he hadn’t planned on being left entirely alone with Jane for all that time. Still, he couldn’t really fault Lizzie on that one, but he didn’t have to like it.
He’d made himself a personal vow to keep a safe distance from Jane, but that wasn’t easy when he spent time with her during the day for duty’s sake, and nights with her at home. Hell, there was no use starting up something with a woman who was here only temporarily. He berated himself again for not exercising more caution when it came to Jane.
But when he’d seen her today, looking bright and pretty in her new clothes, wearing the jewelry he thought she’d deserved, something inside him had snapped. A possessive, almost carnal urge had taken hold. The jewelry had glistened on her skin, catching the light and beaming at him, and Mac had found himself at a loss. He’d only wanted one thing.
Jane.
“And look where that got you, buddy,” he said ruefully.
He managed to stop himself in time, but if his phone hadn’t chimed, ringing loud enough to wake the dead, would he have had the good sense to call a halt to making love to her?
“You only managed to confuse her even more,” he said quietly as he stepped out of his bedroom. He knew that the last thing Jane needed in her life was more chaos and uncertainty. And he also knew he’d blown it with her in a major way. He didn’t think he would ever forget that look of hurt and disappointment on her face when he’d come to his senses. Hell, he’d been damn disappointed, too. But he’d never be able to convince Jane of that. She wasn’t too happy with him right now, but he had to face her, to tell her the news he’d received this morning.
“Jane,” he called out, walking through all the rooms in his house. An eerie silence followed.
He heaved a sigh and went searching. Five minutes later, after checking and rechecking the house and grounds, Mac got in his patrol car and slammed the door. His heart beat like crazy as he wondered where she was. The lawman in him hated the fact that because of the way he’d found her—alone, abandoned on that ridge—he hadn’t really ruled out foul play. Had someone come searching for her? Had someone meant her harm?
It wasn’t like Jane to leave the house so abruptly. Mac hated the route his mind had taken. He pressed the gas pedal and took off slowly, scouring the streets of Winchester in hopes of finding a gorgeous blonde with a hot temper.
When he finally found her, he had to tamp down his own raging temper, allowing himself one brief moment of relief. He spotted her on the main street of town, speaking to—no, actually laughing with—Lyle Brody. If he recalled correctly, this was his deputy’s day off, and the fact that he wore jeans and a blue plaid shirt verified Mac’s assumption. They stood in front of Tyler’s Market, Lyle shifting a bag of groceries in his arms.
Mac parked the car ten yards down the street and waited. When neither looked his way, he counted to ten, a precaution he’d learned to take whenever he felt the urge to do something impulsive, then got out of his car.
He leaned against the passenger side door and waited, arms folded.
Whether Jane didn’t see him or just refused to acknowledge him, he couldn’t be sure. After another round of counting to ten, he approached, keeping his stride and his demeanor casual.
“Morning.” He spoke to Lyle.
Both seemed truly surprised to see him standing there, which only added to his irritation. What had been so dang interesting that the two had blotted out the rest of the world?
“Hey, Sheriff,” Lyle said, straightening up and wiping the grin from his face. “Look who I bumped into. Jane and I were—”
“I’m here on official business. I need to speak with Jane,” Mac interrupted. It grated on his nerves, seeing the two of them so chummy.
“Sure thing. I’d better get these groceries put up.” Lyle cast Jane a quick smile. “Nice seeing you again.”
“Same here, Lyle. Remember what I said.”
Lyle nodded, darting a glance at Mac, and once again Mac wondered what the hell was up. “Will do. See you around.”
Jane folded her arms across her middle and stood ramrod still. “Well, that was rude.”
“What’s rude, Jane, is leaving the house without telling me where you were going.”
“I went for a walk, Mac. That’s all. No great mystery here. Sometimes I need to get out and clear my head.”
Mac figured it was more than that. Both had been left anxious and unnerved by what had happened in the garage this morning. And in Mac’s case, filled with sexual energy that he had a damn hard time shutting down. “Next time, leave a note. I’m still responsible for you.”
Jane shook her head. “Listen—”
“I have news about your case,” he said, avoiding what was certain to be an argument coming. “Take a drive with me.”
“News? About me?” Jane’s expression changed, her blond brows lifting and her blue eyes gleaming with hope. At the very least he had managed to get her out of her sour mood. He only hoped that once he took her to the scene, she would remember something. Part of him wanted Jane to regain her memory and leave Winchester for good, while the other part struggled with the idea of her leaving.
When he’d found her gone this morning, he’d worried about her for professional reasons, but he’d also worried about her for personal ones. And those sentiments could get a man like him in big trouble.
“C’mon.” Mac began walking toward his patrol car.
“They’re waiting. I’ll fill you in on the drive out of town.”
“So this is it,” Mac said, parking the car on the bank of Cascade Lake. “Looks like our timing is perfect.”
Jane glanced around, her nerves frazzled from all that had happened this morning. Now maybe she had a chance, a clue as to her identity, and though Mac had warned her on the way up here not to get too hopeful, she couldn’t quite help it. “It’s beautiful,” she said, staring out onto the lake. Deep blue waters glistened under the Colorado sun, tall trees in springtime hues lined the far shore and the last vestiges of winter snow tipped glorious Pike’s Peak in the background.
“There’s a lot of history here,” Mac said. “This was one of the first places to be settled in the West.”
But the grind of heavy machinery marred the moment, and both she and Mac turned their heads toward the sound.
“Looks like a red Mustang.”
A team of local lawman stood on the sidelines as the car was dragged out of the lake.
They exited the patrol car, Mac coming around to stand beside her. “All you have to do is take a look. See if it sparks your memory in any way. It’s a long shot at best, Jane. But, since we believe you were driving a car that we have yet to find, this could make sense. We’ve found two other cars this way, stripped of any identity, no registration, no license plates, but we’ve managed to find one of the owners.”
“Were the cars stolen?”
“Yeah, we think it’s nothing more than joyriders, since they don’t strip the car
s for parts. We have an idea about who’s doing it, but what we don’t have is proof.”
“So, you think that someone might have stolen the car I’d been driving?”
Mac shrugged. “It’s a possibility. Let’s get closer to take a better look.”
Jane reached the vehicle, with Mac standing right beside her. She stared at the Mustang, which was drenched, and coated with debris from being at the bottom of the lake. She looked long and hard, then shook her head. “Nothing comes to mind, Mac. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this car before.”
Mac pressed the small of her back and urged her forward. “Take a look inside.”
She did. She glanced inside to see a soaked, yet barren interior, devoid of any signs that might give her a clue. She shook her head again.
“We still have the trunk. One of the cars we found like this had nothing inside to help us out, but the other did. We found a few items along with a grocery receipt lying on the floor of the trunk. From that, we were able to locate the owner. They’ll tow the car in and check the trunk at the station.”
“When were the other cars found?” she asked.
“This month. The investigators believe that there’s a gang of teenagers out for some fun. Troublemakers mostly, and not the kind of kids you’d want to have around. We’ll find them. It’s only a matter of time.”
Jane faced the car once more, studying it with intensity. Again, she shook her head slowly, not seeing or feeling what she’d hoped. “I don’t think this is my car, Mac.”
“Probably not, but we’ll find out for sure once the trunk is opened. If it is yours, there might be luggage or other identifying items in there. We can rule out the other car we found, since it showed up well before you landed in Winchester.”
“What now?”
“Give me a minute. I have to speak with Sergeant Meeker with the Pueblo PD.”
“Okay.”
Jane watched Mac head toward the hub of lawmen huddled together at the rear of the Mustang. She stared out onto the lake, breathing in fresh, crisp air, enjoying the scenery once again and allowing the calm serenity to dip inside and soothe her nerves. She couldn’t recall ever having seen such a lovely spot, not that she would, of course. But Cascade Lake was something special. The surrounding wildflowers in lavender, blue, pink and yellow made a colorful array against the water. She walked a little along the bank, away from the crime scene. She thought she’d like to come here again one day, when there wasn’t so much tumult in her life. She’d like to simply sit by the water’s edge and drink in the view.
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