At some point the realization that he might be hurting her pricked the back of his foggy mind. Yet when he tried to gentle his strokes, her body begged him for more. After that, he allowed her to set the pace, until it became so frenetic he could scarcely breathe and his heart felt as though it was on the verge of exploding.
Certain he was going to die from pleasure, Joseph tried to back off but she wouldn’t allow it. And then, suddenly, it didn’t matter. He heard her cries of relief and immediately felt himself falling over the edge of a deep gorge, spiraling ever so slowly toward a bed of white clouds.
Crying out, he clutched her tightly to him and waited for the incredible journey to come to an end.
Chapter Eight
Making love to Joseph had changed everything.
The thought kept rolling through Tessa’s mind as she lay on her side next to him. His face and upper body were covered with sweat and his dark hair hung in damp, lanky curls across his forehead. He was a beautiful man with a wealth of goodness inside him and as they’d made love, she’d felt some of that goodness spill into her. Having her body connected to his had felt incredibly perfect and right, and unlike anything she’d ever felt before.
Reaching over, she touched her hand to his face and the contact caused his eyes to open and connect with hers. The tender light she saw in the brown depths made her heart ache with longing.
“Are you all right?” she murmured.
A wry smile slanted his lips. “Afraid you came close to killing me?”
With a humorous groan, she rolled close enough to wrap her arm around his waist. “A little thing like me killing you with sex? It’s not possible. But I’d like to try again—later.”
A sexy chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. “Maybe I can manage to give you a second attempt. Let’s finish our lunch and head back to your house. What do you say?”
Smiling, she eased out of his arms and reached for her clothes. “Better hurry,” she teased over her shoulder, “or I’ll eat all the leftovers.”
* * *
Later, on the ride back to the ranch house, they took a different route that led them through open fields of blooming sage and an abundance of grass that somehow managed to thrive in the arid soil. Although Joseph had implied he wasn’t in a hurry, several times he kicked Rascal into a long trot. Tessa had easily kept up with him, all the while wondering if he actually intended to keep his promise of making love to her again or if he was simply in a rush to end the ride.
Once they reached the ranch yard and put the horses out to pasture, Tessa didn’t have long to wonder. Inside the house, he barely gave her enough time for a bathroom visit before he carried her straight to the bedroom.
In the soft, queen-size bed, Joseph made love to her at a slow, delicious pace that lasted through most of the afternoon. When it finally came to an end, Tessa relished the feeling of having her cheek pillowed on his shoulder and her body cradled in the curve of his.
Past the parted curtains, the sun was still bright, but it wouldn’t be long before it turned red and slipped behind the distant hills. She had no idea how much longer Joseph planned to hang around and she wondered what he would think if she asked him to stay the night. Not that she was going to. In spite of the incredible intimacy they’d just shared, it was too early to expect any sort of commitment from him. Even a single night.
“What are you thinking?” Joseph asked “Missing the waterfall and all those pine needles?”
Drowsy and utterly satiated, she rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “Mmm. The spot at the bluffs was so beautiful. I would love to camp there sometime. With just a bedroll and a coffeepot.”
“And me?” he added teasingly.
Groaning, she turned so that her face was nestled against the side of his neck. “Naturally. It wouldn’t be the same without you there.”
With a thumb beneath her chin, he tilted her face up to his. “Maybe we should plan the trip soon. Before you decide to sell the place.”
His comment caught her completely off guard. Obviously he was still thinking she was the here-today, gone-tomorrow type. Or, even worse, he was thinking she considered this day together as just an enjoyable round of sex and nothing more.
Frowning, she asked, “Is that what you’re thinking? That I’m about to put the ranch up for sale?”
He was about to speak when his cell phone began to ring. “Sorry, Tessa, I have to get that. It’s the sheriff’s office.”
“How do you know the call has to do with work?” she asked. “You haven’t even looked at your phone yet.”
“Work is a special ring,” he explained as he threw back the sheet and reached to the floor to fish the cell from his jeans’ pocket.
He answered the call by immediately identifying himself. Then, after a few brief words, ended the connection and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
“I have to go,” he said abruptly. “There’s been some sort of disturbance over at the Fandango and the deputy handling the call needs help.”
As he pulled on his clothes, Tessa hurriedly did the same.
“Fandango? Is that some sort of bar?”
“Bar, grill and dance hall all rolled into one. The place is a few miles south of Wickenburg on the highway to Phoenix.”
“But this is Sunday afternoon!” she exclaimed while trying to tamp down her disappointment. “It’s not even dark yet. People are already drunk and rowdy at this hour?”
“I have news for you, sweet Tessa—people get drunk and rowdy at all hours of the day. Even on Sunday.”
He fastened his belt then jerked on his boots and reached for his hat on the way out of the bedroom. Tessa followed him to the front door, where he paused long enough to place a hasty kiss on her lips.
“Sorry, Tessa, I was hoping we’d have the whole evening together.”
Even though she felt like she’d been doused with a bucket of cold water, his words reassured her somewhat. Doing her best to smile, she said, “Me, too. But we’ve had a nice day together.”
“More than nice. I’ll see you later.” He planted another swift kiss to her lips then hurried out the door.
Tessa walked onto the porch and crossed the yard to stand in the shade of a cottonwood. By then, Joseph was already gunning his truck down the drive toward the main road. As she watched a cloud of dust swallow up the fast-moving vehicle, uncertainty crept over her. Joseph was a lawman. The fact rarely left her mind. But not until this very moment had she allowed herself to really consider everything his job entailed or how it would always affect his life.
Could she live on constant alert? Never knowing when or if he’d be called away to deal with a dangerous situation?
You need to grow up, Tessa. Just because Joseph had sex with you doesn’t mean he’s thinking of wedding bells. Or even love. This thing with Joseph is just temporary. Just like your life here in Arizona. The Bar X is just a place and Ray Maddox was just a man. The best thing you can do for yourself is to forget everything and go back to Nevada where you belong.
The recriminating voice made her feel even worse about Joseph’s abrupt departure and, as she walked back to the house, Tessa did her best to shake away the negative thoughts. Yet as soon as she entered the living room and faced the big leather recliner with the faded headrest, the doubts and questions returned with a vengeance.
Ray was more than just a man to her, she thought. If not for the late sheriff, it was highly unlikely she would’ve ever met Joseph. But whether her relationship to the deputy was going to bring her great happiness, or an abundance of sorrow, she could only guess.
* * *
Nearly a week later, on Saturday evening, Joseph left his bedroom and descended the stairs to the ground floor of the ranch house. As he passed the open door of his mother’s study, she called out to him.
“Joe, is that you?”
Pausing, he backed up a few steps and entered the large room furnished with a massive mahogany desk, a couch and matching armchair in cordovan leather, and bookshelves that lined two whole walls. The study had once been his father’s office and Joseph could easily recall the many nights he’d spotted Joel working late, pouring over the endless paperwork that went along with running a ranch the size of Three Rivers. His father had loved the ranch and, up until the day he’d died, had dedicated his life to it and his family.
Walking over to the desk, where his mother sat beneath a small pool of lamplight, Joseph could see billing statements and receipts scattered in front of her. The sight caused a pang of regret to slash through him. His father should still be alive, managing the ranch and enjoying his wife and children. But that wasn’t to be. And after five long years, Joseph was beginning to doubt the mystery of Joel’s death would ever be unraveled.
Clearing his throat, he asked, “Did you need to speak with me, Mom?”
Leaning back in the desk chair, the weary smile on her face depicted the long hours she’d already put in today. “Not about anything specific. You’ve been away so much lately, we’ve only had a few minutes to talk at the breakfast table.”
Joseph had always liked to think he had an especially close relationship with his mother. Not that she loved him more than his siblings. She loved all her children equally. But, rather, she seemed to understand Joseph had taken the loss of his father especially hard and she’d tried to compensate and give him as much of an anchor as possible.
Resting a hip on the corner of the desk, he said, “Sorry, Mom. We’re short-handed at work, so all of us deputies have been putting in extra hours.” He paused and attempted to clear the uncomfortable thickness from his throat. “And I’ve been seeing Tessa as much as I can.”
She leveled a pointed look at him. “Yes, that’s what Blake has informed me. And if it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have known that much.”
The tone in his mother’s voice had Joseph feeling like he was back in junior high school and was about to get a lecture for a miserable test grade.
He said, “Well, it’s a cinch I can’t talk to Holt about seeing a girl. He’d have the news spread all over Yavapai County. And Chandler is so busy, I rarely have time to say hello to him.”
She let out a resigned sigh. “I guess the days when you could talk with your mother about such things are long past.”
His mother was a tough cookie. She never played the sympathy card. Her uncharacteristic remark had him wondering if something else was going on that had her worried. God only knew what a heavy load she carried.
“Mom, nothing with you and me is long past,” he said gently. “To be honest—I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me dating Tessa. The night of the dinner party I got the impression you liked her. But...”
Frowning, she leaned slightly toward him. “What are you saying, Joe? That you’re getting serious about her and were worried about how I would react?”
Was he getting serious about Tessa? This past week he’d been desperate to spend every spare moment he could with her. Which had him wondering if he was simply suffering from a bad case of lust or something far deeper.
“I don’t know how to answer that. Tessa has become very important to me. But I—”
His tangled emotions prevented him from going on. There wasn’t any way he could explain the doubts that had been going through his mind. Or the fear that he was falling in love with a woman who had plans for a future that didn’t include him.
“You what?” she prompted. “Aren’t really sure she’s someone you want to be around on a long-term basis?”
Joseph mindlessly adjusted the bolo tie positioned near the collar of his white shirt. “She’s only been here for two weeks, Mom. That’s not long enough to make that sort of decision.”
Amused with his reasoning, she said, “Two weeks. The first time I met your father, I knew for certain he was the one.”
“Yes, but you women have intuitions that tell you such things. Men have to take their time and figure them out. And I don’t exactly have a good batting record with women.”
Maureen shot him a droll look. “Joe, you need to be thanking God for not allowing you to end up with Candace or Willa. Both women would have been a mistake. As for Tessa, maybe you should ask yourself how you would feel if she suddenly went back to Nevada—to stay. Because that will most likely happen.”
Joseph could understand his mother’s concerns. She’d watched her eldest daughter suffer through a divorce. She’d seen Blake hurting over a shattered romance and little Camille was so heartsick over a man, she’d left the ranch completely. It was no wonder she might be worried that Joseph was headed down the same miserable path.
“I’m very aware of that, Mom.”
“So this is just a temporary thing?” she asked. “You two are just enjoying each other’s company while she’s here.”
It had already become far more than that, Joseph realized. But he wasn’t going to heap that worrisome detail onto his mother.
“You could put it that way,” he said. “She’s still very much interested in finding out about Ray and his reasons for willing her the Bar X. I’m trying to help her with that.”
The expression on his mother’s face turned curious. “Oh. And how’s that going?”
He grimaced. “I might be a decent deputy, but I’m not a detective. So far all I have is suppositions. I’ve been wanting to ask you what you thought of contacting Dottie’s relatives back in South Carolina. Do you think they could give me any helpful information?”
Maureen’s short laugh was mirthless. “You’d never hear the truth out of those people. They hated Ray and turned their back on Dottie because she wouldn’t leave him.”
Joseph had figured as much. But he was rapidly running out of leads. He had to try any and every angle.
He said, “Tessa gave me a couple of snapshots of her parents the day they got married. When I showed them to Louella and Connor, they both thought the man might possibly be Ray.”
Maureen left her seat and walked around the desk to stand in front of him. “Joe, is this some sort of joke? Where are these photos, anyway?” she demanded. “I want to see them!”
The fact that his mother was angry and shocked over this revelation didn’t surprise Joseph. Ray and Dottie had always been close friends to the Hollisters. To accuse the man of infidelity or bigamy was the same as accusing a family member.
“Sorry, Mom, I don’t have the photos. They’re at the crime lab. They were shot with a disposable camera about twenty-four years ago. Benjamin’s trying to clear them up.”
Her jaw dropped with disbelief. “Well, obviously Louella and Connor need their eyes examined. Ray was married to Dottie twenty-four years ago. Could be Tessa’s father resembled Ray. That’s the only reasonable explanation. And why would you even go down this path, anyway, Joe? I don’t have to tell you that Ray was a good man.”
Joseph stifled a groan. “Yes, Ray was a good man. But he was human and none of us is perfect, Mom. As for me going down this path, when a lawman works a case, he has to look in all directions, otherwise he might miss the truth. Think about it. Why would Ray give everything he had in the world to Tessa? A man has to have a concrete reason to do such a thing.”
Maureen’s head swung back and forth. “Ray adored Dottie. He would’ve never been unfaithful to her. There has to be another reason.”
Ray might have adored Dottie in the spiritual sense, Joseph thought. But she’d been severely handicapped for the majority of their marriage. She couldn’t have met Ray’s sexual needs. But Joseph wasn’t about to point out that possibility to his mother. She was already eyeing him like he was some sort of family traitor.
Biting back a sigh, he said, “It’s just a theory, Mom. Nothing for you to get upset about. Anyway, I’ve got to be going or I’ll be la
te.”
Her gaze flicked over him. “You look very handsome tonight, son. Obviously you’re not on your way to work.”
He grinned. “I’m taking Tessa to a nice dinner in Phoenix. She’s never been there and I thought she might enjoy something more than a night in Wickenburg or cooking a burger on her patio.”
For a moment Joseph thought his mother was going to give him a few more words of advice. Thankfully she must’ve decided against it, because she smiled and patted his arm.
“I’m sure she’ll enjoy it. Go and have a good time.”
“Thanks, Mom.” He kissed her cheek then gestured to the desk behind them. “And if I were you, I’d put that stuff away and go relax with a glass of wine.”
Chuckling softly, she looped her arm around the back of his waist. “You know, that’s sounds like a good idea to me. Come on, you can walk with me to the patio on your way out.”
* * *
“Joseph, you’ve been staring at me ever since we’ve sat down at our table. Is anything wrong? Do I have lipstick on my teeth or something?”
A wry expression on his face, he reached across the beautifully set table and wrapped his hand around hers. “I apologize for staring, Tessa. It’s just that I’ve never seen you looking as gorgeous as you look tonight.”
When Joseph had told her yesterday that they’d be going to Phoenix for dinner tonight, Tessa hadn’t hesitated to drive into Wickenburg and shop the little boutique Emily-Ann had told her about. In the end she’d spent more than she’d planned on a lacy dress of pale pink. The circle skirt stopped just a fraction above her knees, while the fitted bodice showed off her slender waist. She’d found a pair of nude, high-heeled sandals to go with it and a rhinestone clip for her hair.
Last night she’d been wondering if her splurge on the outfit had been foolish. But now as she saw the appreciative gleam in Joseph’s eye, she decided it had been worth every penny spent. Especially now that they were sitting in this elegant restaurant situated on the top floor of a four-star hotel.
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