His hazel eyes glittered in the faint moonlight, and only the sound of their combined breathing broke the silence of the night around them. “Looks like I’ve walked you home,” he murmured, and Theresa was surprised to realize her cabin was just around a curve in the gravel path.
So close, and for a split second, she let herself think of what might happen if she invited Jarrett inside. “I’m only here for another few weeks.”
She intended the statement as a warning, a reason for them to take a step back, to slow down. But the longing behind the words—and the heat in Jarrett’s shadowed gaze that followed her as she walked those last few yards to the cabin alone—only made them seem like a reason to hurry...
Chapter Eight
“You Jarrett Deeks?”
Jarrett glanced over his shoulder at the deep voice behind him. He unclipped the lead from Duke’s bridle, turned the horse loose in the corral and swung the gate shut with a reverberating clang before answering, “I’m Deeks.”
He’d been honest with Theresa about his past and occasional run-ins with the law. He’d put those days and that recklessness behind him, but he still had a healthy respect for the law as well as an ability to spot a cop.
The guy standing a few feet away definitely had the look. Close-cut dark hair, a relaxed yet ready bearing that screamed either police or military. Though he couldn’t see behind the other man’s reflective sunglasses, Jarrett had a feeling the other guy was sizing him up. He didn’t know for sure that this guy was a cop, but if he was, he was out of his jurisdiction. This was no deputy on the local force.
“I’m looking for one of your guests, Theresa Pirelli. Can you tell me what cabin she’s in?”
On a cold day in hell, Jarrett thought.
This wasn’t the golden-boy doctor Theresa brought with her on her last visit, but even if Jarrett had recognized him as one of her boyfriends, he wasn’t about to make it easy on the guy.
“Sorry.” He braced a hand against the top bar of the corral’s fence. “Company policy not to give out information on our guests.”
“Right, because this place is so five star,” the other man murmured.
Jarrett didn’t let the sarcasm get to him. Instead, he hid a grin as the other man took an awkward step to avoid a pile of manure Duke had left behind.
City boy, he thought, only to remember that Theresa—despite her gift with horses—was very much a city girl. Which probably made last night’s kiss a mistake. Even if it was the best mistake he’d ever made.
Her lips had been cold but sweet and warmed quickly beneath his, adding a hint of spice to the sweet, an addictive combination that left him wanting more.
I’m only here for another few weeks.
A simple-enough statement at face value, but he’d stayed up half the night trying to read between the lines. Theresa would only be in town for a few more weeks, so those few kisses were all they’d share? Or she’d only be in town for a few weeks, so they needed to make the most of the time they had?
For a man known for his patience when it came to the horses he rescued and trained, Jarrett battled the urge to rush, to push. He knew better. That was the fast track to failure. Whatever happened—or didn’t happen—between him and Theresa would be up to her. She was the one with a life waiting for her back in the city, and Jarrett wanted her to return without any regrets.
He might not know everything about her life in St. Louis, but he could count on one thing. Theresa wouldn’t have kissed him if she’d been involved with anyone. He took a closer look at the man in front of him—the dark hair, the shape of his brow and stubborn set of his jaw—and suddenly saw the resemblance. Not so much between him and Theresa, but of the guy and Drew and Nick. This was a relative; he’d bet on it.
Relaxing a little, he drawled, “I can ring her room if you’d like.”
“I’ll tell you what I’d like...” The man all but growled only to be interrupted by a female cry.
“Alex! Oh, my gosh, Alex!”
Both men turned to see Theresa approaching. She looked fresh-faced and beautiful with her dark hair caught back in a simple ponytail and wearing the standard jeans and sweatshirt Jarrett had seen her in since she arrived...until last night. Last night, when a ripe-cherry-red sweater and black leggings hugged her curves, when makeup emphasized the mysterious midnight of her eyes and, God help him, made her lips irresistible.
At first her blinding smile and the spark in her brilliant blue eyes were solely for the new arrival. But after that quick second, her gaze cut toward Jarrett. The moment caught and held as his heart thudded in his chest, the rapid beat seeming to count down the limited time they had left.
Only a few weeks...
Theresa greeted Alex with a hug. “I can’t believe you’re here. When I talked to Mom last week, she didn’t know if you’d be able to make it to the wedding.”
Alex shrugged. “Things changed and...here I am.”
“You’re here and— Oh, have you met Jarrett?”
“Not officially,” the man said, giving Jarrett the feeling that he’d just as soon have the official meeting take place in an interrogation room somewhere.
“Jarrett, this is my brother Alex.”
“Pleasure,” her brother said as he shook Jarrett’s hand with a grip more suited to arm wrestling than a simple handshake.
But Jarrett had never been one to back down from a challenge, and it would take more than her big brother to keep him away from Theresa.
* * *
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Theresa exclaimed as she looked her brother over. His undercover work took him away for months at a time, and the whole family worried during those long stretches when he was out of touch. “Are Mom and Dad—”
“Coming in right before the wedding. They know how busy Aunt Vanessa and Uncle Vince are going to be leading up to the big day. They don’t want to add to the pressure of them having to worry about entertaining family.”
“And Max and Tony?” she asked of their brothers, figuring she already knew the answer.
“Max, yeah.” Alex didn’t even mention their black-sheep brother’s name. Tony avoided just about all family events like the plague. Throw in that the wedding was in Clearville and no way would he step foot in the small town. “But I wanted to come in a few days before the wedding since I missed the last two.”
Alex had been on assignment when both Nick and Sam got married, and though the family was accustomed to his absences, Theresa couldn’t help wondering if her brother wouldn’t someday look back with regret at all he’d missed. Still, she said what everyone in the family always did. “I’m just glad you’re here now.”
“You didn’t seem so thrilled a few minutes ago.”
“What? You mean when you were acting all macho?” She hadn’t missed the death-grip handshake he’d exchanged with Jarrett. She would have been more embarrassed by his behavior if Jarrett hadn’t taken the challenge head-on. Instead of wanting to separate them, she’d been tempted to crack both their heads together.
“Give me a break—I wasn’t acting.”
Theresa couldn’t help laughing at the arrogant look Alex shot her. Her brother was a tough guy, no doubt about it. When he grew his hair out for undercover assignments, he looked every bit the hardened criminal. And when his hair was cut short, as it was now, he was very much the hardened cop. But either way, he was still her big brother and, at least from her point of view, more pain in the ass than badass.
“You were being a jerk.”
“I was looking out for my little sister.”
“Who isn’t little anymore and doesn’t need your protection.”
“Hey, if you’d listened to me about Michael—”
“Seriously? You’re going there?” She stopped abruptly, her mild annoyance at his attit
ude sharpening toward anger.
Alex turned to face her, a muscle working in his jaw as he held back everything she knew he wanted to say. If you’d listened to me then...
Alex and the rest of her family had never totally approved of Michael. Oh, sure, as a handsome, successful surgeon, he had all the credentials of an amazing catch. But he’d never warmed to her loud and loving family. She’d tried to explain that Michael was simply overwhelmed by the boisterous Pirelli clan, but her brothers especially had seen the doctor as cold and unbending.
That they’d been right didn’t make their I told you sos any easier to swallow.
And proving he was a better man than her ex, Alex had the grace to apologize. Exhaling a breath, he said, “You’re right. The past is the past, and I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I’m sure you’ll appreciate this even more,” he said with a grimace that pretty much guaranteed she’d feel the opposite. “Mom wanted me to remind you that you need to get going on the paperwork if you plan to start school during the next session.”
“I’ve told her I’m not interested, but she still keeps pushing.” Theresa sighed, her frustration tempered by the knowledge of how much her mother loved her.
“It would help if you’d push back.”
“How? I’ve already told her—”
He shot her a knowing look. “Actions speak louder than words, sis. You need to get back to the ER.”
“I haven’t been cleared to return to work.” The words were the truth, but they left the bitter aftertaste of a lie in her mouth. Physical limitations and the need for medical clearance weren’t the only reasons she hadn’t gone back to the hospital.
Alex waved aside her protest, and Theresa knew it would take more than doctor’s orders to keep him away from his job. “Show them you’re ready. Go back to the hospital and prove it. You’re not the desk-job type. You’re too much like me, needing to be part of the action.”
Theresa wished she could believe she was as brave and fearless as her brother. That she’d be able to pick up the pieces of her life and her career as if the car accident had never happened.
Caring about people isn’t something you do, it’s who you are.
Jarrett’s voice was still whispering through her thoughts when her brother demanded, “So what’s with the cowboy?”
Squelching an automatic and guilty-sounding denial, she shrugged as she said, “He owns the place and runs a horse rescue, as well. I’ve been helping out at the stables.”
“Let me rephrase the question,” Alex said, sounding more like a lawyer than a cop. “What’s with you and the cowboy?”
“He owns the place. I’m helping out at the stables,” Theresa repeated, refusing to give in to the blush inching up her cheeks or to look away from her brother’s penetrating gaze. She wasn’t a kid anymore, and she certainly didn’t need her big brother warning off any guys who might be interested in her.
Alex gave a short laugh. “Yeah, right. Try again.”
“Is this the part where I should plead the fifth?”
“You’re not under oath.”
“Call for a lawyer?”
“I’m not interrogating you.”
“Really?”
Alex shot her a look, but she could see the smile he was trying to hide. But his expression sobered as he said, “I’m worried about you.”
“I just need some time to figure out my next step.”
“Taking time is a good idea, but your next step is about two thousand miles away.”
Back to St. Louis... Back to the ER...
“Any moves you make out here are only going to be in the wrong direction.”
Theresa shook her head at the warning in his voice. “Alex, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve only known Jarrett for a few days.”
But he’d known her for much longer... Or at least he’d been aware of her enough to recall the day at the diner and an incident that had taken place months ago. It was pointless to play what-if games, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself from wondering what might have happened if she, too, had noticed Jarrett that day...
Nothing, of course, because she’d been engaged at the time and in love with the man she planned to marry.
But a part of her still wondered...still wished she’d had the chance to meet Jarrett when she was at her best. When she’d felt strong, confident, ready and willing to take on the world. That was the woman she wanted Jarrett to see when he looked at her now. She hated feeling so uncertain, so vulnerable.
And yet, she hadn’t felt that way at all when she’d kissed him, had she? Or as if he was making any comparisons to the woman she’d been before.
No, that kiss had been very much in the moment, very much a part of the here and now without looking at the “what might have been” of the distant past and instead focusing very much on the “what could be” in the very near future.
“It doesn’t matter how long you’ve known each other,” Alex argued. “I know when a guy is interested.”
“Well, you are very attractive,” she pointed out, years of pulling his chain making it so easy for her to find a firm handle, even if her thoughts were still on Jarrett’s kiss and the moves Alex didn’t want her making. “But I honestly don’t think you’re Jarrett’s type.”
“I meant, I can tell when a guy is interested in a woman,” he gritted out.
Careful to keep the smile from blooming across her face, Theresa asked, “And what did Jarrett do to make you think he’s interested in me?”
“It was the way he got all...protective. Wouldn’t tell me what cabin you were staying in—”
“So, you’d like it better if he gave out information to total strangers?”
“I’m no stranger.”
“Did Jarrett know that?”
“No, but—”
“So in other words, he was just doing his job, and you are the one getting all bent out of shape and overprotective?”
Her brother met her arched gaze for a moment before he shook his head. “I think I need that lawyer.”
This time Theresa didn’t bother hiding her smile.
* * *
Her brother’s early and unexpected arrival was a cause for celebration. Her aunt and uncle had invited everyone over the next day for dinner despite Alex’s protest that they had enough on their plates already with planning for the wedding.
Aunt Vanessa waved aside his concern. “The wedding is still three days away,” she said as she loaded down the large table with a juicy pot roast, garlic mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, “and we all still need to eat.”
“Speak for yourself,” Debbie said wryly, making everyone laugh. Like most brides, Debbie was trying to lose a few pounds prior to the big day. But when Drew leaned close and whispered something to his fiancée, bringing a blush to her cheeks, it was clear he thought the woman he loved was already perfect.
The chance to spend time with her extended family had been wonderful, but Theresa exhaled a sigh of relief as she drove back to the peace of Jarrett’s property. It was amazing how each of her cousins had found their soul mates within the past year, and she couldn’t help feeling a bit overwhelmed and, well, lonely in the face of all those loving couples.
Oh, she hadn’t been the only single one there. Alex was a die-hard bachelor. Die-hard... Not the best description she could use, knowing part of her brother’s determination to stay single was because of the risky work he did and his concern about leaving a wife and child behind.
But if Alex felt the least bit out of place as the other single member in the group, he hadn’t let it show. He’d joked around with Nick, Drew and Sam and flirted shamelessly with his cousins’ significant others. And at the end of the evening, he’d
stopped Theresa at her car and tried to talk her into staying in town.
“The wedding reception’s at The Hillcrest,” he said, naming the Victorian mansion that had been converted into an elegant hotel. “It makes more sense to stay there.”
“Um, and it costs a lot more cents, too,” she pointed out. “I’m not just staying for a few days like you are. I’m here another few weeks.”
The phrase echoed in her thoughts, but Theresa no longer knew the meaning behind the words. Was it a protest...or a promise?
Alex scowled at her, and she had to force herself to steadily meet his gaze. Her brother couldn’t know the temptation Jarrett Deeks posed or the possibilities that teased her thoughts and dreams of how the two of them might spend those weeks.
“You need to get back home, Theresa. Running from your problems only delays solving them. Staying here—this thing with the cowboy—”
“There is no thing with the cowboy,” she protested. Uselessly, it turned out, as Alex talked right over her denial.
“It’s just a distraction.”
“Alex, you don’t know—”
“You think I haven’t done the same damn thing? After a tough case or an undercover assignment I thought would never end, do you think I haven’t tried losing myself one way or another? It doesn’t work, Theresa,” he said flatly. “Your problems will still be there waiting for you if they aren’t already dogging your heels.”
Theresa still felt the ache in her chest at her brother’s words. For Alex and the darkness he’d witnessed, and for herself, knowing that he was probably right. But she still hadn’t given in to moving to the hotel.
She was driving past the stables on her way to the rental cabin when she spotted Chloe racing toward her. In the faint moonlight, Theresa couldn’t clearly see the girl’s features, but her wildly waving arms were enough to make Theresa slam on the brakes.
She was already climbing from the car by the time Chloe reached her. Worry gave way to relief as the girl dropped her arms to her sides. “Oh, thank goodness you’re back! There’s been an accident.”
Romancing the Rancher (The Pirelli Brothers) Page 9