The Marshalls Boxed Set (Texas Heroes: The Marshalls Books 1-3)

by Jean Brashear

  She narrowed her eyes and stuck out her tongue, then leaped onto her square of cardboard and zoomed down, landing in a heap at his feet.

  “Oof!” The breath whooshed out of him as she tackled his legs, bringing him down with her.

  He laughed, dragging her over him; they rolled again and again, all the way to the base.

  When they came to a halt, both were laughing so hard they fought for breath. Elena raised her head to look at him, then awareness crept in as her body registered the touch of him all along her own.

  Desire gleamed from his gaze. Slowly, he pulled her up his body, bringing her mouth to hover over his.

  Transfixed, she studied him, the glow of his green eyes…just for a moment, he looked like someone…

  But she lost the ability to think as he slowly lowered her, bringing her down to press firmly against him, seizing her mouth with his own, giving her a taste—

  Of sand.

  Rearing back in surprise, they broke into laughter again. Josh lifted her and stood up, brushing the sand from her face as she brushed his.

  “Come on, princess. We’ve made a real mess here. Let’s brush off what we can, then we’d better find a room for the night. I think we need a shower before we hit the fiesta.” He took her hand while he gathered their boxes, then tugged her toward the car.

  Once they reached it, he halted. Spent a long moment studying her face. “Thanks, pretty girl. I had a good time,” he said softly.

  She wrapped both arms around his waist, reluctant to leave. “Me, too.” She gazed up at him, wondering if how she felt was written all over her face. Never mind that it was hopeless.

  She wouldn’t think about that now. This night was special. She might never have another one like it.

  If she had to pay a price for the night of her dreams, then she’d pay it. But she was through avoiding life out of fear.

  Josh nodded, as if he understood—and approved. “I’m glad you had fun.”

  Maybe she’d get to be Cinderella for only this night. If so, then let it be a night to end all nights. Dreams like Josh Marshall didn’t come along every day.

  Or ever.

  Elena rose to tip-toe, kissing his cheek, hoping the gesture would convey all the words she didn’t dare voice, all the hopes locked up inside her.

  There was no future for them, but she was mortally tired of being careful.

  Tonight, she would dare to fly free.

  When they reached the motel, Josh was surprised at himself. His palms hadn’t been sweaty in years. “Would you, um, do you want your own room?”

  He didn’t want to rush her, didn’t want to push. She’d turned away from him last night, and he still wasn’t sure why.

  But today she’d softened in his arms. Played with him. More and more, she seemed ready to trust him and enjoy their time together.

  Still, that was a long way from his own nearly violent urge to keep her by his side, to protect her from the world. He wanted her in a way he’d never wanted anyone before.

  Heaven help him. He had no idea what was happening to him. He’d eluded some of the world’s most beautiful and determined women. How could one slender, shy woman have succeeded with such ease?

  “What’s your last name?” It seemed urgent that he know, that he have a way to track her if he lost her. It was incomprehensible that she could be so important and he could know so little about her.

  He waited, nearly holding his breath, to see how much she actually trusted him.

  “Kruger,” she answered softly. Then her voice firmed. “No, Navarro. Maria Elena Navarro is my name.” Her chin lifted.

  “Where did the Kruger come from?” His gut coiled as he sensed that this was the man he hated without ever meeting him.

  She studied him for a moment, then responded. “My…husband.”

  Husband. Holy shit.

  “Husband?” he echoed. Another man had possessed the right to lie beside her at night, to hold her, to see the sun rise with her?

  The piercing stab of jealousy astonished him.

  “I want a divorce,” she said so softly he could barely hear. “I’ve wanted that for a long time, but he’ll never let me have one.”

  Josh frowned. “Is he the one who hurt you so badly?”

  “Josh, I can’t—” She couldn’t meet his gaze.

  The pain and fear he saw gave him the answer. “Tell me where to find him.”

  “No!”

  “Why not?”

  “I can’t go back. I won’t.” She wrapped her arms around her middle, looking down at the floorboard. “He can’t find me.”

  “You won’t have to go near him. I’ll take care of it.”

  “No!” She was clearly terrified.

  “Honey, what has he done to you?”

  “Promise me,” she said fiercely. “Promise me you won’t look for him, Josh.” She held him with her stare. “You have to swear it.”

  “Hell, no, I won’t.” He couldn’t believe she’d even ask. “I’m going to make sure he never hurts you again.”

  “No!” She launched herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. “I couldn’t bear it if you got hurt.” She was actually trembling. Clearly she believed what she said, but it didn’t change his determination. For her peace of mind, though, he would back off the subject for right now.

  “Hey.” He held her closer, stroking her hair with one hand. “Sh-h, Elena. It’s all right. I’ll be fine.”

  She gripped tighter, barely whispering. “You won’t. You don’t know him like I do. Please don’t—”

  “Look, there are other ways to deal with someone like him. We can go to the police.”

  “No!” She bolted, clearly ready to run. “He buys police. He buys everyone.”

  Wow. “Elena, I have a lot of money. I know people. I have attorneys. And my brother was a cop, a good one. We can fix this.”

  “You can’t.” Her eyes were glazed over with horror. “If you won’t drop it, I have to go. I mean it, Josh. I’ll leave. I should have anyway.” She reached for the door handle.

  “All right, all right.” He made his voice calm, though he had no plans to forget one word she’d said. “We won’t talk about it, okay? I’m sorry I upset you.”

  First chance he got, he was calling Quinn.

  “You don’t know what he’s like. He’s…evil. And he masks that behind charm and money and—” She was trembling. “He takes pleasure in hurting people. He gets away with it. No one can stop him.”

  “Look at me.” When she clung, he pulled back slightly. “I’m not afraid of him.”

  “You should be.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” She shoved at his chest, trying to break away.

  “Hey, easy now…” He held on and soothed her. “Let me just say this one thing—he’s a coward at heart, or he wouldn’t be picking on a woman.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you, Elena. Are we clear on that?”

  She didn’t answer, just studied his eyes.

  “Now let’s not ruin our fiesta talking about a creep like him.”

  She still didn’t look reassured.

  He sighed. “Another deal?” he suggested, arching one eyebrow.

  He didn’t get a smile this time. She really must be worried. Who was this guy?

  He went on as though she had answered. “I promise I won’t go after him yet, all right?”

  Relief warred with caution in her expression. “You swear you won’t do anything until I’ve told you everything you need to know?”

  He nodded.

  She had a cagey look that he suspected meant she thought she could prevent him, but she didn’t know the wiles of Josh Marshall. Let her think she stood between him and revenge, if it made her relax.

  She held out her hand to shake.

  He grinned, “Nuh-uh. No more handshakes on our deals, reme
mber? It’s a kiss or no deal.”

  She hesitated, studying him for the lie.

  But at last she came into his arms.

  “Deal.”

  Elena was in the bathroom, but she could hear Josh speaking in the room. “No, I’m not telling you where I am, Alan. I’m not due back for almost three weeks. I’ve earned this jailbreak.”

  A long pause.

  “I don’t care if God himself arranges the financing, I’m not coming back until then. You can leave all the messages you want, but that doesn’t mean I have to answer.” A shorter pause. “Yeah, I know. But I’m worth it.”

  By the time she was ready to emerge, he’d disconnected. She still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to share a room when there were options, even if there were two beds. That was as far as daring went with her.

  The dance would start soon, and she wished desperately she had something beautiful to wear.

  Josh looked up with a guilty expression and stepped away from one bed.

  Her gaze caught on the garment spread behind him.

  A dress. A beautiful dress. White eyelet lace, with a full, flowing skirt.

  “What’s that?”

  He held his hands out before him. “Don’t get mad, okay? I know I wasn’t supposed to buy you anything, but, damn it, that’s not fair. You’re denying me the pleasure of giving you gifts when you have to know I can afford it.” His voice rose with his indignation.

  She was surprised to find that she wasn’t upset that he’d expressly gone against her wishes. She was learning that he didn’t expect to bind her with gifts, that he didn’t seek to own her or subject her to his will.

  He wasn’t Richard.

  It was fear that had led her to hold him to their deal. Fear had ruled too many of her actions. She’d known fear better than anything else.

  But now, as she walked slowly toward the bed, never taking her eyes off the lovely confection, Elena opened a little more of her heart to this man. She relaxed, trusting that gifts were simply that to him—presents to please her.

  Not to own her. Not to bribe her. Not to bend her to his will.

  Just to give her pleasure. And pleasing to him to do so.

  And with that realization, she took another step toward freedom.

  “It’s beautiful, Josh.”

  “Now listen here, Elena, just—” He jerked his head back to stare at her. “What did you say?”

  She smiled. “I said, it’s beautiful.”

  “Does that mean you’ll accept it?” His gaze intensified.

  “I shouldn’t.”

  His face lit up. “But you will?”

  She hesitated.

  He grabbed her arm and began waltzing her around the room. She giggled helplessly. “She will…she will…” he hummed as they danced. “My lady has said that she will…”

  His voice…it sounded so familiar, but she’d never heard him sing, had she?

  He halted. “What’s the matter? Don’t like my singing?”

  Elena tossed away her questions and instead focused on the moment. “I do like your singing, but…”

  “But…?” One eyebrow arched.

  Elena smiled. “But go get your shower and let me try on the dress.”

  His stunning smile flashed. “Can I watch?”

  She wasn’t that brave yet. “No,” she murmured, then she took a deep breath for courage. “No, but you can take me dancing in my new dress.”

  Josh pressed a quick, hard kiss on her lips and strode to the bathroom. “You better make it fast—this will be the quickest shower on record, just you wait and see.”

  Elena was still smiling when the door closed.

  Josh emerged from the bathroom, turning up the cuffs on the white shirt he wore with jeans and boots.

  The he spotted her standing in the center of the room, her expression uneasy as she waited for his verdict.

  Wow.

  “I think I might have swallowed my tongue,” he finally managed. “You make that dress look…amazing.”

  Elena’s cheeks went rosy. She dropped her gaze.

  “Thank you for accepting it.”

  She made a graceful curtsey. “It’s really beautiful, Josh. Thank you.”

  “Oh, honey, it’s not half of what I’d like to give you, if you’d let me.” He swallowed around a lump in his throat.

  Her honeyed skin shone against the white fabric. Her slender waist tapered to the fullness of her long skirt, while the tender curves of her breasts barely peeked from the lace at the neckline. Long dark hair flowed over her back, loose and free. He noticed, with no small emotion, that she wore the bracelet from the gift shop.

  He wished he could give her pearls for her dainty ears and drape more around the slender column of her neck.

  “Just a minute,” he said, pulling out his wallet. He searched a hidden compartment and drew out a slender chain with a fragile gold cross hanging from it. Replacing his wallet in his hip pocket, he approached her.

  “Turn around, please.”

  When she complied, Josh carefully draped the necklace around her throat, his fingers clumsy as he tried to fasten the delicate chain. When he finished, he looked in the mirror they both faced, answering her unspoken question.

  “It belonged to my mother,” he said quietly.

  He saw the glimmer of tears as her slender fingers touched the cross. He tightened his grip on her shoulders. She covered her mouth with three delicate fingers while she shook her head.

  “Please don’t say no.” Though Josh couldn’t believe he was sharing with her something he’d never shared with another woman, his most precious memento. “I wish it could be something fancier, but I know my mother would be happy to see you wearing this.” He pinned her gaze with his own. “And I know I am.”

  One solitary tear tracked down her cheek. He caught the tear with his finger and lifted it to his mouth, touching the tiny, salty drop to his tongue as if it were communion.

  Their eyes held in the mirror, and it seemed, for that one endless moment, that they knew all that was important about one another.

  In that instant, Josh felt a sense of grace, a timeless span in which he almost thought that he could see the two of them reflected in countless mirrors, down endless pathways, their lives tangled in the ribbons of eternity.

  Elena’s lips parted on a breath as she, too, stood mesmerized in his gaze and let go of the doubts and the terrors of the past. Something about Josh spoke to her deepest self, and the cross around her neck seemed a benediction to that bond.

  Yearning led her to turn to him, to seek herself in the depths of his strong spirit. She rose to her toes and sealed the surprising bond with a soft, serious kiss.

  And when Josh wrapped his strength around her, sheltering her in the safety of his arms, Elena knew peace once again. As she melted into his kiss, she yielded to this man all that she had to offer, knowing that somehow, despite what she’d been told for so long, who she was…was enough.

  Though the future remained a dim, treacherous course lined with danger and uncertainty, for this night, Elena knew that the beauty she found here would remain a part of her forever. Though their paths would separate, she would be stronger. Their lives would diverge, but she would carry within her the knowledge that something of Josh Marshall, having nothing to do with fame or fortune, would live within the heart of Elena Navarro evermore.

  It wasn’t everything she longed for.

  But it was all she could have.

  And she would make it enough.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The music spilled out over the parking lot, and Elena’s feet itched to dance. This night felt like a dream world, a time away from time spun out from those precious moments in the room when she felt so close to Josh, so in tune with him. And though he’d gently disentangled them and led her away to this dance, she had the sense that those moments traveled with both of them.

  They made her feel not so alone.

  Josh would go back to his g
lamorous life, of course—of that she had no doubt. And she would have to figure out how to make her own place in the world—but she would do it as a stronger person, one who was starting to believe she wasn’t pathetic and powerless, as she’d been told over and over. One who remembered the girl she used to be, the woman she might have become.

  Elena touched the cross at her neck as a talisman. A sheen of tears threatened. She would give it back, naturally—it was far too precious to Josh for her to keep.

  But she’d never forget the feel of it, first settling around her throat. Or the look in Josh’s eyes. The sensation of sharing something…more.

  Deep within her, something stirred in recognition. She cast a quick glance at the man beside her, feeling again that strangeness which followed her dreams.

  If only she could remember…

  Josh looked down at her, his smile staggering in its wild beauty, his green eyes flashing delights to come. “Ready to dance, sweetheart?”

  “Absolutely.” Let it all go. Tonight, you’re Cinderella. Tomorrow will come soon enough.

  Josh swung her into a lively jitterbug to a rendition of a Los Lobos tune. She’d loved to dance as a child, but dancing was another experience forbidden her by Richard, so it had been a long time.

  She should have known Josh would dance as well as he did everything else. The same easy grace of his walk was there in his dancing and soon he had her at ease, too. His sparkling eyes and quick laughter brought a lightness to her own heart, and she remembered that once she’d been graceful herself.

  Before long, he had her loose and lively, leading her into ever-more daring steps. He spun her out and when he reeled her back in, Josh leaned closer so she could hear over the music. “Hang onto my shoulders, Elena. Trust me?”

  She nodded, her smile spreading.

  His hands clamped on her waist, and he lifted her above his head, then did the fancy swoops she’d always wished she could try, first to one side, then back up, then to the other side before he set her back on her feet.

  She gasped. Her heart raced. “Again!” she demanded.

  Josh’s face creased in that big, million-dollar smile of delight. “You got it, beautiful. Hang on!”