“Yes.”
He leaned against her bedpost. “And how did you know that?”
She chuckled. “Mark, I’m your assistant. I’m supposed to know these things. Besides, I asked you once when Mrs. Gallant wanted to bake you that pie for giving those self-defense classes to the ladies at that senior-citizens center the first of the year. Don’t you remember me asking you about it?”
He shook his head. “No.” Evidently, that had to be one of those times when he’d been concentrating on her and not on what she’d been saying, he thought.
“Will you be available Tuesday for Erika’s doctor’s appointment?”
Her question jarred his attention to her. He raised his eyebrow. “Erika has a doctor’s appointment?”
“Yes, the doctor’s office called last week as a reminder. It’s for her routine checkup.” Alli smiled. “She’ll be celebrating her first birthday next month.”
Mark sighed. Had it been nearly three months already? Erika had been a bouncing eight-month-old baby when he had flown to California to get her. “I’ve never gone to her doctor appointments. Mrs. Tucker always took her and afterwards told me what the doctor said. I prefer doing things that way.”
Alli nodded. She knew it was another technique he was using to keep a semblance of distance between him and his niece. “I would think you’d want to meet her pediatrician and hear what he has to say about Erika’s health.”
Mark frowned. “Why? You think there might be something wrong with her?”
Alli heard the panic in his voice. She wondered if he was hearing it. “No. Like I said it’s a routine checkup. She’ll probably get a vaccination of some sort.”
Mark nodded. “Then there’s no reason for me to be there. I’m sure you can handle things.”
She opened her mouth to push the issue, then decided not to push now. She would push later. If nothing else, she was determined to make him see just how deeply he cared for his niece.
Mark continued to gaze at Alli, getting turned on by the minute just looking at her. She was wearing the tank top and cutoff jeans she’d had on earlier, which meant she hadn’t taken her bath yet.
Deciding that he was a man of action, he walked across the room to stand in front of her. “If I can’t interest you in eating a slice of pie with me, can I interest you in something else?”
He could tell that her curiosity was piqued when she lifted an arched eyebrow. “Something else like what?”
“A bath.”
She chuckled as she slumped back against the windowsill. “Are you suggesting that I need one?”
“No,” he said, taking a closer step to her. “I was suggesting that you take a bath. With me.”
A smile curved her lips. “And just what will I get out of such a venture?”
He shook his head, chuckling, remembering. “Do you have to ask after last night and this morning?”
Mark saw an intense look appear on her face and he knew she was reliving the memories just as he was. “So, are you game?”
Alli knew she was more than game. She was becoming putty in his hands and she didn’t have any regrets. “You’re going to have to convince me it’s something that I should do,” she said, knowing she was giving him a challenge—a challenge he wouldn’t hesitate in meeting.
“Convincing you is no problem, Alli,” he whispered softly, reaching out, taking hold of her wrist and pulling her closer to him. His hands slid under her tank top, finding her bare, just as he thought. He hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her chest while eating, seeing how the tips of her nipples were pressing against her top. He’d known that she was braless.
He watched her eyes as he caressed those same nipples, rubbing his fingers over the protruding tips, feeling them harden. “Remember how my mouth was on them last night, Alli, and how my tongue teased and tasted them?” He continued to let his hand fondle her, making her feel what he was feeling, getting her as aroused as he was. “Do you remember?”
“Yes, I remember,” she answered in a raspy voice.
He liked the sound of it. “And do you remember how I kissed you and the number of times I kissed you?”
“Yes.”
“Good, because I want to kiss you now. Part your lips for me, Alli, and let me in.”
The moment she parted her lips, he leaned closer and his tongue slid heatedly over hers and the moment she released a deep moan, he went inside her mouth, kissing her with a hunger that she felt all the way to her toes. Pulling her closer to him, she couldn’t help but cradle her thighs against the hardness of his aroused body.
She shuddered when sensations seeped through her pores, blood gushed through her veins and her pulse escalated to a point that had her sighing in pleasure. He kept kissing her until she was almost weak in the knees. It was only then that he pulled back.
He dropped his hands to his side. “Now will you take that bath with me?”
They stared at each other. Alli knew what her response would be, but she decided to show him rather than tell him. She leaned closer, framed his face with her hands, then kissed him with the same intensity that he had kissed her earlier.
Suddenly he broke off the kiss and he led her by the hand out of her bedroom into his. The first thing she noticed was the wood blazing in the fireplace. It had been warm earlier that day but the night had brought in cooler air.
He didn’t stop until they reached his bathroom. She watched as he began running the bathwater in the tub that could fit two people easily. He turned to her, and without saying a word, began removing her clothes. When she was completely naked, she eased up to him to get some of his heated warmth. He gently lifted her and placed her in the tub.
She watched him remove his own clothing as his gaze locked on her with restrained hunger. She eased into the bubbles, thinking they might offer relief for her overheated body. She raised an eyebrow when he placed several condom packets on the edge of the tub.
“Lesson number two,” he said, as his smile widened. “We have the freedom of making love at any time and any place on this ranch as long as we’re protected from prying eyes.” He joined her in the tub, grabbing the scented soap and lathering up his hands.
When he pulled her to face him, curving her legs around his waist and began rubbing the bubbles all over her, she let out a sigh. “We do?” Her breathing escalated at the way he was rubbing his soapy hands over her stomach, arms and breasts.
“Yes, we do,” he whispered. His gaze held hers so she could see the intense desire in his eyes. “Now let me prove it.”
And it didn’t take long for him to do so.
Sheriff Gavin O’Neal glanced around the table, meeting the gazes of all the men present. Their Texas Cattleman’s Club meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, but he thought he should share the lab’s report with everyone as soon as possible.
“As all of you know, Mark found a syringe on the Windcrofts’ ranch. The lab report came in today and their findings indicate it contains traces of potassium chloride, the same drug used to kill Jonathan.”
It was Jake who spoke. “That makes Nita Windcroft a prime suspect.”
Gavin nodded. “Yes, but I’m also looking at the possibility that someone might be framing her.”
Logan leaned in. “Who?”
“Whoever is responsible for killing Jonathan. What could be better than to plant evidence on a major suspect? And if that’s the case, then the person who put it there expects us to fall for it.”
“And when we don’t?” Connor Thorne asked.
Gavin met his gaze. “Then there’s the likelihood they’ll try again to make it seem like Nita did it.”
Mark sat back in his chair. “Shouldn’t we tell Nita so she’ll know what to expect?”
Gavin shook his head. “No, because for now there’s still a chance she might be guilty and want us to think she’s being framed.”
Mark sighed deeply. “Just so you’ll know, last night Alli asked me about the rumors that are going around that N
ita might be responsible for Jonathan’s death. Alli went with me out to the Windcroft ranch and got to talk to Nita. According to Alli, Nita has heard the rumors and maintains she is innocent. Alli knows her better than I do and she believes her. She says there is no way Nita could have done it.”
Gavin nodded again. “Then it is up to us to catch the right person and prove Nita Windcroft’s innocence. This is a listing of all Nita’s clients,” he said, passing copies of the list around the table. As you can see she has plenty of them. I want all of you to take a look at it and at our next meeting we’ll discuss anyone who we might want to add to the suspect list.”
“Hey, Jake, I see your opponent’s name on the list. Can you believe Gretchen Halifax owns a horse that she keeps boarded at the Windcrofts’ farm?” Connor said, chuckling. “I thought the lady-who-wants-to-be-mayor was too dignified to mount a horse.”
“Yeah,” Logan said, joining in. “And can you believe her horse is named Silver Dollar?”
Mark shook his head, smiling. “Figures.”
Gavin shifted in his chair, deciding to bring the meeting back to order. “There’s another reason I called this meeting tonight. The map has been returned.”
“What?” The exclamation was uttered by five men.
“Yes, I got a call from Aaron Hill, the director of the Royal Museum. Hill says the map mysteriously returned today with a note.”
“What note?” Thomas Devlin asked.
“A handwritten note of apology.”
“Did the person say why they stole it in the first place?” Jake asked, shaking his head.
“Yes, the reason given was to keep it out of the hands of the real thieves,” Gavin replied, placing the note in the middle of the table.
Logan chuckled. “At least we know for certain the person who stole it was really a woman. Only a female would see the logic in that.”
The other five men at the table nodded in agreement.
“I had the handwriting on this note compared to those threatening notes that have been sent to Nita Windcroft. According to the lab, this note was definitely written by a woman and the notes Nita received were written by a man.”
“Is there anything you need for us to do, Gavin?” Mark asked, checking his watch. He was looking forward to spending time with Alli again. He was still having memories of the bath they had shared last night and the lovemaking that had followed.
“No, that’s about it other than to keep both your eyes and ears open and report anything. I won’t rest until the person responsible for Jonathan’s death is brought to justice.”
“And just so you guys will know,” Connor said, looking around the table. “I’m leaving to go out of town for a while. I have business to take care of in Virginia, but I hope to be back in a few weeks.”
Gavin rose. “Well, that ends tonight’s meeting.” No sooner had he said those words, Mark was out of his chair headed for the door.
“You’re in a hurry tonight, aren’t you, Mark?” Jake called out.
“Yes, I guess you can say that,” Mark replied over his shoulder without stopping or looking back.
Mark swung around and faced Alli, his eyes locked on hers. “What do you mean you can’t take Erika to her doctor’s appointment this morning?”
He tried not to notice how much of her thigh he saw when she crawled out of his bed and how her hair was tumbled around her face. When he had gotten in from the meeting last night, Erika had been asleep and Alli had been awake waiting for him…in his bed. And this was the first opportunity she’d had to get out of it.
“I know this is last minute and I do apologize, but I got a call from the bank yesterday reminding me that I needed to be there first thing this morning to sign those loan papers.”
He lifted an eyebrow as she passed him on her way to the bathroom. He hurried after her. “What loan papers?”
She stared at him before walking into the bathroom where she intended to have a few private moments. “I’m getting Kara a used car. She could use one to get around on campus. Nothing fancy and definitely something I can afford since the payments on my new one will be low thanks to your friendship with that car dealer.”
“I would have loaned you the money for that,” he said as if he were in the habit of making car loans.
“Yes, well, I thought it best if I went to a financial institution, Mark, considering everything.”
“Everything like what?”
“Our relationship. When Mrs. Tucker returns or when you find a permanent babysitter things between us will go back as they used to be. Besides, all I’m asking is for you to take Erika over to the doctor’s office. Once I sign those papers I will join you there and take over. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.” She closed the bathroom door behind herself.
Mark’s jaw tightened and his hands balled into fists at his side. He knew he was handling this badly, but he couldn’t help it. First of all, he didn’t want Alli reminding him that their relationship would be changing in a month or so. Secondly, he didn’t want to take Erika to the doctor’s office. He didn’t want to sit in the waiting room with all those other people who would be parents and have them assume Erika was his daughter when he didn’t know the first thing about being a dad. What if they tried making small talk about stuff he was supposed to know?
Damn, he wasn’t looking forward to this particular assignment.
Mark sat in the doctor’s office holding Erika in his lap. There were only a few people there and so far no one had been talkative. One woman had commented on how cute Erika looked. He had glanced down and noticed her pink coveralls, pink socks, white sneakers and the pink bows in her hair and had smiled proudly. She did look cute.
He glanced at his watch. Alli had said that she would be arriving around ten and it was almost that time. He hoped she got there before Erika’s name was called.
“Erika Hartman.”
“No such luck,” Mark muttered quietly, glancing at the door beside the reception station and seeing a nurse standing there holding a patient’s chart. “Looks like we’re up, kid,” he whispered softly, standing and holding Erika tightly as he maneuvered the diaper bag onto his shoulder.
“We’re here,” he decided to call out so the nurse wouldn’t think they had disappeared.
The woman smiled when she saw Erika. “Well, hello little Miss Hartman. How have you been?” She then offered Mark her hand. “Hi, I’m Laurie, Dr. Covert’s nurse. I don’t think we’ve met.”
And we wouldn’t be meeting now if I’d had my way, Mark thought, accepting the woman’s handshake. “No, we haven’t. I won’t be here with her long today. Her nanny is on the way.”
Laurie nodded as she took Erika from Mark. “All right, but we can go ahead and get started. Follow me to an examination room.”
Moments later, Mark stood on the sideline as Laurie undressed Erika. “She’s such a happy baby,” the nurse commented. “I remember the first time Mrs. Tucker brought her in here. The poor thing was crying so much we had to calm her down before we could check her and that was only a few months ago. You’ve done well in helping her to adjust.”
“Thank you.”
Mark turned around when the examination-room door opened, hoping it was Alli, but instead an older man he knew to be the doctor walked in. “Good morning, I’m Dr. Covert, and I understand it’s time for this little lady’s physical.”
Mark continued to stand to the side and watched Erika get placed on a scale to be weighed, get her lungs checked and her head measured. “She seems to be developing nicely,” the doctor said smiling.
The only bad moment was when the nurse had to give Erika a measles vaccination. She let out a loud wail but her tears quickly dried up when Laurie gave her a rubber ball to play with.
“Hmm, let’s see,” Dr. Covert was saying. “She’s eleven months old so she should be standing alone—or at least trying to—responding to simple instructions, taking a few steps and saying mama and dada to the correct
parent.”
“She’s not doing that,” Mark decided to say.
The doctor lifted his gaze from Erika’s chart and met Mark’s eyes. “She’s not doing what?”
“Saying those things correctly.”
“She’s not?”
“No.”
The older man lifted a bushy eyebrow. “She’s calling you mama and your wife dada?”
“No, I don’t have a wife, just a nanny. And Erika’s calling me dada but I’m not her daddy, I’m her uncle.”
The doctor smiled. “That’s natural. She sees you as a father figure, the one person who is constant in her life. Whenever she calls you dada just tell her your name, or the name you want her to call you.”
“I’ve been doing that,” Mark said, glancing at his watch again.
“Then just continue. She’ll eventually catch on. Within the next month she’ll start forming other sounds and I’m sure she’ll start calling you by your name or at least she’ll make attempts to do so. Just be patient with her.”
Mark nodded. “What else will she try to do?”
“She’ll try responding to simple instructions.”
Mark chuckled. “Hey, she’s doing that now.”
“Then you have a very smart girl on your hands.”
Mark beamed proudly. “Yes, she sure is that. What about walking? She’s standing alone and has even tried taking a couple of steps while holding on to something. Is there anything I can do to motivate the process?”
Dr. Covert chuckled. “Try not carrying her wherever she wants to go, that will usually work.”
Mark nodded. “All right. Is there anything else?”
“No, that’s it. Your niece seems to be in good health and after her visit next month we’ll only need to see her every six months.”
“What about foods? Is there anything she shouldn’t have?”
The doctor spent the next few minutes explaining what foods were the best for Erika to eat and how they aided in her body’s development, as well as those foods Mark should avoid giving her.
The examination-room door suddenly opened and Alli breezed in. “Sorry I’m late.”
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