She blinked at him, a tiny frown forming between her brows. “So you must be at The Boarding House.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No. Not at all. Some of Matt’s rodeo buddies are staying there, too. And a distant cousin of Mrs. McAllister. You probably know her from before. I can’t remember her name. Anyway, she and her husband left today.”
It took him a moment to figure out why the sudden nervous chatter. “Did you find a place yet?”
“Nope.” She averted her eyes.
“Staying with your uncle?”
“God, no.”
That left only one other place. “The Boarding House?”
“Yep.” She lifted the mug to her lips. “It’s home for now,” she said and took a sip.
“Which room?”
Almost choking on the beer, she lowered the mug. With the tip of her tongue, she swept the foam from the corner of her mouth. Mesmerizing him once again, only this time his cock jumped. “Why?”
“Just curious.”
She eyed him warily. “The owner remodeled a suite for herself, but since she’s living elsewhere, she’s renting it to me.”
“That doesn’t tell me which room.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
“Afraid I’m going to break in? I know a better way to get into a woman’s room.” Ben smiled at her deadpan expression and steady gaze. “I’d be happy to demonstrate.”
“You’re trying to annoy me. It won’t work.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Um, let’s see...because I gave you a ticket?”
“Already forgotten. Come on, let’s go eat. I’m starving.” He wasn’t surprised when she shook her head. “Forget the diner. Kalispell must have some decent restaurants. How about it, Deputy? I promise not to speed.”
She smiled a little. “Nope. I work tomorrow.”
“I’ll get you home early.”
“It’s already late. Go bother Katy.”
“Who?” But then he remembered and automatically looked over at the brunette. She waved. Hell, he wasn’t going to mess with Rachel’s friends. Mostly because he wasn’t interested. He turned his attention back to Grace. “Give that hard-ass image a break. Having a meal with me won’t kill you.”
She let out a little sigh of exasperation. In response, he bumped his knee against hers under the table.
Her eyes narrowed into a glare. “Stop it,” she said, her gaze panning the room. “I mean it. You want to flirt and be cute, I’m sure you’ll have women lining up.”
He moved his leg. She was serious, and contrary to what she thought, he didn’t want to piss her off.
“Ben Carter,” someone bellowed. “You sly dog.”
Ben recognized the voice. He looked around and saw Buster Hadley standing under the archway to the back room. His former hell-raising buddy still wore his sandy-blond hair in the same shaggy style he’d favored in high school. The guy had always been big and brawny, but now he had a gut on him. Ben didn’t bother correcting him on the name. It was pointless. Everyone knew him as Carter.
“Someone told me you were in town,” Buster said, heading straight to him. “I think it was Lenny. You remember Lenny from the Circle K.”
Ben stood and they shook hands. The guy still had a grip like a vise. “How you doing, Buster?”
“Me?” He snorted. “Hell, I’m married, got two kids. Both boys. Worse troublemakers than you and me were, and they ain’t even in high school yet.” He barely stopped for a breath. “You still living out there in Hollywood?” He leaned back to size Ben up and let out a low whistle. “Well, look at you, son. You must be getting laid every night.”
Ben laughed. “I see you haven’t changed. Your wife ever get a word in?”
“Nah, she don’t wanna talk to me.” His face was flushed, his breath stinking of beer. He clapped Ben on the shoulder. “So, what are you up to? Let me buy you a beer, maybe shoot some pool.”
Ben nodded at Grace, who was watching them with curious fascination. “Buster, have you met Grace, the new deputy?”
Buster squinted at her. “Oh yeah...I know who you are. You’re taking the sheriff’s place, aren’t you?”
“I don’t know about that,” she said with a strained smile.
Right. Noah was leaving. Grace moving here finally made sense to Ben. “It’s an elected position, isn’t it?” He directed the question to Grace, but Buster answered.
“Yeah, we gotta vote on it this fall. Good old Wade’s already started sucking up to everybody. He quit on Noah a few months back because he thought Noah was never gonna leave. You remember Wade...” he said to Ben. “The crybaby was a year behind us in school. Always complaining that the coach kept him on the bench.”
Grace fidgeted, likely uncomfortable with the conversation. She was too professional to be gossiping about a coworker. Another reason Ben didn’t see her fitting in here. He’d bet she was overqualified for the job. So was Noah, but he grew up in Blackfoot Falls and understood the culture.
A Keith Urban song suddenly roared from the jukebox’s speakers. Buster said something that Ben didn’t hear because he was too preoccupied with Grace. She’d pushed back from the table and gotten to her feet.
“Hey, man, sorry I interrupted,” Buster said. “I didn’t mean to start flapping my jaws.”
“No problem,” Grace said, smiling. “I was getting ready to leave, anyway.”
Ben waited for her to meet his eyes. “What about dinner?”
“I already ate.” Her gaze skittered away. She was lying. “Nice meeting you, Buster.”
“Likewise.” He sucked in his gut and moved aside to give her room while slyly eyeing her backside. “Hell, you’ll get my vote for sheriff.” He grinned. “A pretty thing like you, I expect you’ll get all the votes you need.”
Grace’s smiled wavered briefly. Most people wouldn’t have noticed, but Ben had been watching her too closely to miss it.
“Oh, I don’t know, I’m not sure if hanging out with Ben helps or hurts my cred around here.” She kept her tone light, but he had the feeling she might really be concerned. “Something tells me I should stay as far away from him as possible. What do you think, Buster?” she asked, her eyes staying on Ben, her lips lifted in a slight challenge.
Oblivious to the undercurrent between them, Buster chuckled. “You might be right about that. Ben always had a knack for finding trouble.”
Ben smiled. “Would that be you, Grace? Are you going to bring me trouble?”
She blinked, and the fight seemed to leave her. He’d turned the tables on her and expected a witty comeback. She just sighed. “I hope not,” she said. “I truly hope not.”
* * *
GRACE DIDN’T KNOW why she’d bothered rushing to the Food Mart before it closed. Her appetite was gone. And even if she got hungry later, she still had cheese and apples in the small dorm-size refrigerator in her room.
The Boarding House halls were narrow, just as they’d been in the early 1900s. Beth, the owner, had put a lot of thought into the renovations, keeping much of the architecture and decor original, and Grace appreciated the old-time feel to the place. Halfway to her room, she shifted the groceries to her other arm and dug in her pocket for her key. The bag was heavy. She’d bought way too much. Normally, she wasn’t a mindless shopper. But she’d been too busy thinking about Ben and how he confused her.
“Let me give you a hand with that.”
“Jesus.” She jumped at the unexpected sound of his voice, and would’ve dropped everything if Ben hadn’t caught the bag. “You scared the hell out of me.”
“Sorry. I thought you saw me.” The back of his knuckles grazed her breast as they wrestled over the brown paper sack. “I’ll hang on to this while you find your key.”
&
nbsp; “Hang on to... Oh.” She suddenly felt disoriented, all her focus centered on her tightened nipples. Had she come down the wrong hall? She glanced at the number on the door. No, this was her room. “What are you doing here?”
“That’s my room right there.” He nodded at the next door. “Don’t give me that look,” he said with a lazy smile. “I didn’t ask for a particular room.”
“You could’ve switched,” she muttered and stuck her key in the lock.
Ben’s low, rumbling laugh sounded too sexy for her peace of mind. “You must think you’re pretty damn irresistible.”
Heat surged to her cheeks. “Thank you. I’ll take the bag.”
“You are, you know. Irresistible.” He refused to let go, and she refused to look at him. He was too close. She could feel his warm breath on her face. “Grace?”
She gripped the bag only to hear the paper tear. Voices and laughter carried from the tiny lobby. The inn was small. Any moment, someone could come down the hall.
“Invite me in,” Ben whispered.
The voices grew louder.
Grace turned the key and pushed open the door. She spun around to take the bag from him. He’d already slipped in behind her, so she stepped back, and he shut the door.
“I figured you wouldn’t want people thinking I’d just left your room,” he said as she flipped on the light switch in time to see that oh-so-charming smile of his.
“How considerate of you.”
He moved closer, smelling faintly of mint and warm male flesh. “Shall I put this by the fridge?”
“I’ll take it.”
Again, his fingers lightly brushed her breast, and she jerked a look at his expressionless face. It obviously was an accident, but that didn’t stop the tingling from going all the way down to her thighs.
She set the groceries on the small oak table and noticed the four-inch gap between the green brocade drapes. Great. Anyone driving down Main Street curious enough to look could see them. She pulled the two sides of the fabric together until they overlapped.
“Much better,” Ben said, his tone laced with amusement. “It’s nice and cozy in here.”
“Too bad you won’t be staying.”
“I will if you ask nicely.”
Grace ignored him and listened for voices in the hall. A door closed. Otherwise, it was quiet. “Where’s Buster?”
“At The Watering Hole.” Ben eyed the small love seat and side table that wasn’t much wider than the base of the lamp it held. The kitchen consisted of a short counter, sink, minifridge and microwave. “I might have to give him a ride home.” He looked at the closed door to the adjoining room. “The bedroom?”
She nodded, hating the edgy feeling she couldn’t shake. Somehow Ben seemed bigger, taller, his shoulders broader in this small room with its pint-size furniture.
She folded her arms across her chest. “The rooms are all the same except this one is set up like a parlor.”
“It’s not bad for a short stay.” He glanced over at her, his gaze lingering for a moment on her tightly crossed arms. “Are you looking for a house?”
“I haven’t really thought about it. I doubt I’ll have much of a choice. There aren’t many rentals available.”
“What about Noah? Is he renting a place you could take over?”
“The sheriff’s compensation package includes a house. If whoever is elected doesn’t want it, I bet the county will rent it out.” She could barely think about Wade getting the position. “So maybe I’ll end up renting it...” She trailed off, sighed.
“I can’t see you sticking around as a deputy.”
“You don’t even know me.”
His gaze briefly drifted down the front of her blouse before returning to her face. “I know enough.”
She wasn’t sure how to interpret that, but it made her step back. “If Buster’s too drunk to drive, should you really leave him to his own devices?”
“Sadie has his keys.” Ben smiled. “Are you trying to get rid of me, Grace?”
“I never invited you in to begin with,” she said, irritated when all he did was laugh. “Look, if you need a plaything while you’re in town doing whatever it is you’re here to do, then I suggest you find someone who—” She stopped, confused by the sudden disappointment in his face.
“And here I thought you were above gossip.”
She’d hit a nerve. Unintentional, but nevertheless. “You’re right. I don’t gossip. I was speaking in general terms.”
“General terms?”
She shrugged. “Someone who leaves home and stays away for fifteen years usually has a reason.”
The amusement was back in his eyes. “You mean like someone who moves to a Podunk town in the middle of nowhere for a job she can do in her sleep?”
She resisted the impulse to strike back. “Touché.”
“That’s it?”
Grace smiled. “That’s it.”
“Then you’d better do something about that leak.”
“The what?” She turned to the sack of groceries. Vanilla ice cream seeped from the corner of the brown paper. “Oh, great.”
She grabbed the bag and moved it to the sink. A stream of ice cream ran down the inside of her forearm. Ben was right behind her with the roll of paper towels. He mopped the drips off the floor while she salvaged what she could from the bag.
Stepping aside so he could use the sink, she licked the stickiness from her fingers. “Thank you,” she said, trying to keep out of his way. “I can finish.”
“Wait.” He caught her arm, trapping her between him and the counter.
She held her breath as he leaned close, his face inches from her own. “Ben.” She gripped the counter behind her, watching his eyes darken. “What are you doing?”
He touched the side of her mouth with his thumb, showed her the trace of ice cream he’d swept away, then brushed it across her lower lip. Her tongue slipped out to blot the sweetness. He watched the movement with an expression of utter fascination.
Grace hadn’t consciously moved closer, but her left thigh pressed against his right one and her palm rested on his chest. She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry.
“Relax, Grace. I won’t hurt you.”
As if he could, she thought with a scratchy laugh that only exacerbated her desperate need to swallow. “Ben,” she whispered.
“Yes?” he murmured against the side of her neck, his warm lips setting off sparks of excitement.
She felt his hand at the back of her head releasing her hair from the clip. “You have to leave.”
“You sure about that?”
She closed her eyes as he nipped at her lobe. Want and panic battled inside her. To let him continue was asking for trouble. No way could she rationalize this behavior. Not with her future at stake.
With a gentle finger, he lifted her chin, tipped her face up and placed his mouth over hers. He teased her lips, slow and deliberate, tasting and testing, then firming as she responded. One hand moved down her back. The other skimmed the curve of her hip. Want surged under his touch, and she pressed into his aroused body, opening her mouth to his insistent tongue.
He yanked her blouse from her jeans, and she went for his belt. She couldn’t make her clumsy hands work. The fumbling and frustration cooled her off some, allowing reason to break through the fog. What the hell was she doing? Too much was at stake for her to veer off the path even for a minute. Ben had a murky reputation, and he’d be gone soon anyway.
She stepped back, caught her breath. “Ben,” she said, drawing his name out into an apology. “I can’t.”
He stared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes briefly. “Pity,” he said, retucking his shirt. “You were doing just fine.”
6
THE NEXT MORNING, Ben tried to reach his partner for the third time. Not only was Lena not picking up, she hadn’t returned his calls. She was in between boy toys and probably still angry with him for leaving and not accompanying her to the fund-raiser she’d cohosted. That wouldn’t surprise him. They were friends, in loose Hollywood terms, and he never minded standing in as her escort, so she often counted on him. But pulling this petty crap in the middle of a business deal? That wasn’t like Lena.
He left another message, then drove out to the Sundance. On the way, he thought about calling Grace and asking her out tonight. But he figured she wouldn’t take his call while on duty, and leaving a voice mail would be stupid. Too easy for her to ignore him.
Deputy Grace Hendrix was going to need some coaxing. If he caught her off guard, he might have a shot at opening up negotiations. He smiled, thinking that was exactly what it would take with her.
Grace was something new. Not just a challenge, but a bit of a mystery. She wasn’t just some small-town gal from the Arizona desert like she’d have him believe. The woman had steel in her spine. Her reaction to Buster last night had been something to watch. She’d processed and evaluated his sexist remark in the blink of an eye and let it go.
A woman with her iron self-control might have something interesting to hide. He had to give her props, though, for doing it well. He imagined she did a lot of things well.
She’d shut him down last night, but the two of them, they were going to tango.
His certainty didn’t come from arrogance. It was their kiss, her soft breathy moans as she’d slid her arms around his waist and clung to him. It was the startled look in her eyes that told him she hadn’t expected her own response. No way things between them could end there. Not for him. Not for either of them.
Last night had left him feeling restless, edgy, as if he had unfinished business that needed to be settled. The sensation wouldn’t go away. Halfway to the Sundance, Ben almost gave in and called her cell. Something made him glance at the speedometer, and he immediately lifted his foot off the accelerator. He wanted to see her, but not while she wrote him another ticket.
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