Outlawed!

by BJ Daniels

  “What are you talking about?” Ty asked irritably. “I could care less about any will you might have.”

  “Then what were you looking for?”

  Ty shook his head. “Give me a break. I ransacked your office, then took a nap on your couch to wait for you? Brilliant.”

  Delaney swore and leaned the rifle against the wall before she shot Ty in simple frustration. He was still standing in the living room, looking lost. “What do you want, Ty?” she asked, noticing the front door was still open as a subtle invitation for him to leave.

  “I didn’t even notice your office was in a mess,” he said, frowning at her. “The front door was open when I got here. I just left it the way I found it.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe she didn’t trust him.

  Delaney eyed her brother and thought he might be telling the truth. He didn’t seem the observant type, she had to admit. “All right, Ty, you didn’t search my office,” she said. “What did you want to see me about?” As if she couldn’t guess.

  “You got the results of the test, right?” he asked.

  “Right.” He appeared ill at ease, and she suddenly realized that maybe he wanted her to welcome him into the family. He had to be kidding. “Ty, I’ll concede that we’re related. But there is something you have to understand. I’ve worked this ranch since I was a kid. I’ve put sweat and blood and heart into it. My grandfather taught me to love the land. He taught me about the satisfaction of hard work over material rewards—” She could tell she was boring him.

  “The point is,” she said, trying not to raise her voice. “All you seem interested in is money. You don’t care about this land, this ranch or this family. You don’t want to work the ranch—you don’t seem to want to work at all. This ranch has been in the family now for more than sixty years. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  “I need money. Now.”

  He sounded scared, but at the same time threatening.

  “If you could just give me some money against what you owe me—”

  “That’s just it, Ty. I don’t feel I owe you anything,” Delaney said carefully. “That’s why I intend to fight you as long as it takes. Whatever it takes.”

  “This ranch is mine,” he said angrily. “I have the will, dated three days before Hank died. You have no will, and even if you did find the one you said he wrote leaving you everything, it would be worthless. My lawyer says mine should supersede any others.”

  His lawyer. Delaney took a deep breath, trying to keep her anger in check.

  “You aren’t going to drag this out,” Ty said, his voice dangerously low as he moved toward her. “I’m our father’s only son. And he wanted me to have the ranch.” Ty smiled; he knew how much that hurt her. “And I’m through waiting, Delaney.” He stepped closer.

  “Don’t threaten me, Ty,” Delaney said, standing her ground. Ty was bluffing. He just didn’t strike her as a killer. Too lazy. “You’ll never get this ranch by threatening me-I don’t scare easily. And even if you killed me, you’d never get away with it. You’d be the number one suspect. Even Jared would know you did it.”

  Ty swore. “You have it all figured out, don’t you? Well, I’m going to take what’s mine and you’re not going to be able to stop me.”

  “I think you’d better leave,” Cooper said, suddenly filling the open doorway.

  Ty looked up in surprise. “Stay out of this, McLeod. It doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

  Cooper stepped into the room. “You’re upsetting my boss, so I’m making it my business.”

  Ty laughed nervously, looking from Delaney to Cooper and back. “Getting involved in this could be fatal, cowboy. For both of you.” He stomped past Cooper, slamming the door on his way out.

  COOPER PULLED Delaney into his arms, needing to feel her safe in his embrace. On the way back to the ranch, he’d realized just how dangerous this all had become. Rattlesnake Range would push harder now, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. He feared what extremes they might go to. Then there was Ty. And Angel in the picture. The Rockin’ L had become a powder keg about to blow.

  “I’m glad you showed up when you did,” Delaney murmured against his shoulder.

  “Are you all right?” He pulled back to caress her cheek, his gaze on her face.

  “Ty sounded a little too desperate for my liking,” she said. “And someone ransacked my office. I guess I’m going to have to start locking my door.”

  “Delaney,” Cooper said, hating what he had to do. He let his gaze run the length of her. His body stirred with desire. But the only thing on his mind was worry. About Delaney’s safety. She didn’t stand a chance against the people who wanted her ranch. He’d realized that on the way back from town. Ty Drummond was probably the least of her concerns. Cooper just couldn’t stand the chance that something might happen to Delaney. “I think you should consider selling the ranch.”

  She looked up in surprise. “Not you, too.”

  He’d let her down; it showed in every line of her body, in the bright glint of her eyes as she pulled away from him.

  “You can’t win,” he said quietly. “The odds are too great.”

  She raised a brow, her gaze locking with his. “How do you know that?”

  “I’ve seen it happen on other ranches. Believe me, I know.”

  She shook her head at him. “You’re a runner, aren’t you, McLeod? Things get a little tough and you take off.” Her gaze was rock hard and just as steady. “Well, I’m a fighter. And that’s what I intend to do. With or without you.”

  He looked into those dark eyes, seeing a strength that made him feel weak, a determination that more than matched his own stubbornness, a fight that reminded him of himself a long time ago. What a pair we’d have made, he thought with regret.

  “You’re right,” he admitted. “I’ve always run.” He smiled, knowing that’s exactly what a smart man would do now. Run. And not look back. Only he didn’t want to run anymore. He couldn’t run—and leave Delaney alone to fight this battle by herself. “But even us weak-kneed cowards have to take a stand sometime.” He shook his head as he realized how good he felt, better than he’d felt in years.

  She smiled at him. “I thought you said I don’t stand a chance?”

  “We don’t stand much of one.”

  “’We’?” She laughed softly. “And with those odds, you’re still willing to help me?”

  He laughed, thinking how beautiful she looked standing there. Thinking how much he wanted her. “No one ever said I had any sense. See you in the morning.”

  As Cooper walked into his camp, he spotted Crazy Jack dragging his feed sack around again. “Don’t you ever think of anything but food?” he demanded, giving the horse a friendly slap on the rump as he took the sack away. Crazy Jack turned to throw him a look that made Cooper laugh.

  “I don’t think about women all the time,” he told the horse, but found himself glancing back at the house as he scooped out some oats. No, he hardly ever thought about women anymore, he realized. Just one woman.

  He smiled to himself as he made dinner, cold beans right out of the can. Even with rocks and bullets flying, it surprised him how comfortable he felt here. For the first time in his life, he felt at home. The thought came as a shock. The last thing he needed was to feel content here, because it was just a matter of time before he’d have to move on. Settling in was a bad idea. And yet his gaze wandered again to the ranch house. He saw the light come on in Delaney’s bedroom as he rolled out his bedroll and lay down. Just the thought of her made him ache in his loins—and his heart. A dangerous place to hurt, he realized with regret, because Delaney Lawson was the one woman he didn’t dare believe he could ever have. And he’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted her.

  He closed his eyes, letting sleep numb desire, memories of Delaney soothe his growing need for her.

  Her scream brought him upright. The gunshot right after the scream brought him to his feet, pistol in h
and. He raced toward the house. The light was still on in Delaney’s bedroom, the house eerily silent.

  He hit the unlocked front door, throwing it open. “Delaney!” No answer. He bounded up the stairs, two at a time, his heart in his throat. Fear made his chest hurt with each ragged breath. Fear of what he’d find. Fear that he’d just lost something he’d never really had, never even tried to have. But desperately wanted. Now more than ever.

  Pistol ready, he burst into Delaney’s bedroom.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Delaney stood in her nightgown at the side of the bed, a .45 clutched in her right hand, as she stared down at a huge rattlesnake coiled in the covers.

  Cooper lunged forward, ready to kill the rattler, only to find it had already been blown away in one fatal shot. Relief rushed through his veins, making him weak. He fought to still his pounding heart as he tucked his pistol into the back of his jeans. He gently took the .45 from Delaney’s trembling hand and pulled her into his arms, realizing as his chest made contact with her thin nightgown that all he wore were his jeans.

  “You didn’t get bit?”

  She shook her head against his bare chest.

  “Who—”

  “It doesn’t matter,” he said, holding her tighter. Like hell, it didn’t. When he found the person who did this-”All that matters is that you’re all right.” He held her until her shaking stopped, until her breathing became slow and controlled again. He leaned back to look into her face.

  “I hate snakes,” she said, her eyes still wide, still full of fright, her face pale.

  “I know. Come on. You can’t stay here.”

  Cooper wasn’t sure where to take her, but he wasn’t about to leave her alone. He led her out to his camp.

  “The camper’s a mess, but if you wait just a minute—” She shook her head. “Or I could take you into town.” Again she shook her head, but this time her gaze came up to meet his.

  “Couldn’t we just sleep under the stars tonight? Together.”

  He nodded as he stepped to her. Rubbing his hands along her bare shoulders, he pulled her to him. “Are you cold?” Why hadn’t he thought to grab her a robe or some clothes. He hadn’t noticed just how sheer her nightgown was until this moment. “I could get you a jacket—”

  “Cooper.”

  He met her gaze. “I can’t do this without telling you the truth about me.”

  “The look on your face when you burst into my bedroom, told me everything I need to know,” she said, drawing him to her. “Whatever you have to tell me can wait.”

  “Delaney.” She silenced him with a kiss. He swept her up into his arms and carried her over to his bedroll. Trailing kisses from her lips down her neck to the hollow between her breasts, he lowered her to the sleeping bag. The moon peaked over the mountain, covering them in silver. He pulled back to see that her nipples had hardened into dark tips beneath the thin silk of her nightgown. He covered one and then the other with his mouth, teasing both to hard points with his tongue, nibbling gently with his teeth. Delaney moaned and arched her full breasts against him. He slipped one strap from her shoulder, then the other. As he pulled down her gown to expose her bare breasts to the moonlight, desire coursed through his veins, so strong it stunned him.

  “You are the most amazing woman, Delaney Lawson,” he said, caressing her cheek. “And the most beautiful.” She traced her fingers along his chest, feathering his nipples to hard peaks before she raised her mouth to each. He felt longing ripple through his body. He kissed her, relishing in the sweet lushness of her mouth, the sensuous ripeness of her lips.

  “Oh, Cooper,” she whispered as he cupped her breast in his hand and lowered his mouth again to its hardened bud. Watching her face, he saw her eyes ignite with a passion that made him groan. She buried her hands in his hair, molding her body to his, then ran her fingers down his bare skin, over his taut nipples to his jeans. He groaned with a desperate need as her fingers sought out the buttons on his Levi’s.

  THE MOONLIGHT bathed his body in silver as Delaney freed Cooper of his jeans. His body was just as magnificent as she’d envisioned it would be and just as filled with desire as her own. Kneeling over her, he slipped her nightgown down over her hips and tossed it away. For a moment he just explored her body with his eyes, a yearning in his expression that fired her blood and warmed her skin. He ran his fingers over her breasts, through the hollow of her stomach, to gently touch the swollen need between her legs. She reached up to him, aching to feel his bare skin pressed against hers. Aching to feel him inside her, buried deep within her. She opened her thighs to allow his touch to explore her. He groaned as if just the sight of her and her obvious desire for him would be his undoing. His touch brought pleasure. And the desperate craving for more of him.

  “Please,” she whispered, arching her body up to tempt his.

  He smiled as she reached for him. Slowly he lowered himself to her, kissing her, teasing her. She felt his skin, hot and smooth, then the hard fire of his desire. She cupped his buttocks with her hands, urging him deeper inside her. He filled her with heat, fire, strength and power. He looked down at her, wonder in his eyes. And love. Delaney wrapped her arms around him, pressed her breasts to his chest and let him fill her with satisfaction, again and again until the moon reached its zenith and she felt him come to her, hot and sweet and fulfilled. She lay spent in his arms, staring up at the stars overhead, breathing in the sweet night air, smiling.

  “That was…incredible,” Cooper said beside her.

  She kissed his bare shoulder. “Unbelievable.”

  He laughed and raised himself up on one elbow. His fingers gently circled her nipple. “Unbelievable.” His fingers stopped. His gaze found hers and held it. “I’ve never felt anything like that. Ever.”

  She smiled, as shaken as he was by what had happened between them tonight. But equally afraid to admit just what it had meant to her. When she looked away, he turned her, spooning her against him, his arms wrapped around her.

  “Sweet dreams, Delaney Lawson,” he whispered against her bare neck.

  She snuggled against him and closed her eyes, pushing aside any thoughts of the future, savoring instead the happiness she felt just being in his arms in the moonlight.

  Delaney awoke in Cooper’s arms to find the sun coming up over the Big Belt Mountains. She lay there, looking up at the blue sky through the pine boughs overhead with a contentment she had never felt before.

  “Good morning,” Cooper said next her.

  She smiled over at him. “Good morning.”

  His kiss was sweet and sensuous, stirring emotions in her like a melting pot. She felt his strength and his tenderness, the smoothness of his naked skin and the roughness of his beard. The breeze stirred her hair, teasing the back of her neck as he had done with his kisses. His lips explored her body. She came to him with a willingness that made him laugh with pleasure. He smiled down at her as he satisfied her fantasies, as well as her desires, in the early-morning sunlight.

  “IS THERE ANYTHING I can say to make you change your mind about riding in this rodeo?” Delaney asked later as she leaned on one elbow and looked down into his handsome face. Memories of their lovemaking felt as warm as the morning sun that now streamed through the pines.

  “I can’t think of anything.” He grinned and kissed her nose. “But I wish I could.” She thought he wasn’t as cocky as he normally was. Maybe he had the sense to be worried about this ride today. But not the sense to cancel it, she reminded herself. She brushed back her hair from her face in frustration.

  He gazed up at her. “I hope you won’t be there to see me make a fool of myself.”

  She glanced at the horizon, now golden in the sunlight. “Don’t worry, I gave up rodeos years ago. Along with cowboys who ride in them,” she said, eyes narrowed.

  He raised an eyebrow and pulled her to him. “I thought maybe a good night’s sleep would help your disposition.”

  “You mean the way a good night’s sleep
helped your good sense? And there’s nothing wrong with my disposition, either!” But she gave in to his embrace, letting him mold his body to hers, relishing the feel of him, the scent of his skin, the taste of him.

  He grinned at her. Sometimes she forgot how handsome he was, and it startled her that just looking at him could elicit so much feeling within her. His gaze grazed her face as lightly as a kiss. He thumbed her nipple to a hard, throbbing point, then sucked at it for a moment, sending waves of desire racing through her again. Could she ever get enough of this man? She doubted it.

  “Delaney, we need to talk,” he said, letting go of her to gaze into her eyes.

  “Buck could come up the road any minute,” she lied as she pulled away from him to pick up his flannel shirt. Turning her back to him, she pulled the shirt on, hugging herself against what he might want to talk about. She’d seen the seriousness in his eyes and knew in her heart, it wasn’t going to be good news.

  When she glanced over her shoulder, Cooper was watching her, a frown on his face. And that’s when she noticed the scar on his thigh. It seemed more like a bull had gored him than a bronc had stomped him. But either way, the scar was just another reminder of who Cooper McLeod really was. A rodeo cowboy.

  “And you have to get to the rodeo if you’re going to find that barred-shoe horse.” She didn’t like the edge to her voice but couldn’t seem to control it. Just the thought of Cooper riding Hell’s Fire brought back memories of the rodeos her mother used to take her to when she was a child.

  “I once loved seeing my father ride,” she said quietly, not understanding her need to tell him about her secret pain. “Then one day I saw him get gored by a bull. It was the first time I understood why my mother was often sick to her stomach before Hank’s rides.”