Claimed by the Lawman (Lawmen of Wyoming Book 4)

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  “Go right ahead, Sassy. Get it out of your system but you can’t run off and confront people on a whim.”

  “Did Bane get under your skin?”

  “For someone who is so open minded, you sure can be closed off to the facts, Tyler. He isn’t the first one who has brought it to my attention about the rumors flying. I’m taking heat over reopening your sister’s case. I also have a dozen other cases that need my attention. I don’t have time to babysit you. This isn’t your show, darlin’. Save the drama for your theater,” he huffed.

  Her mouth fell open and she blinked in shock. “Babysit me? Is that how you see it? And asking you to do the right thing is drama?”

  Now he wished he could take back the words. “You, throwing all caution to the wind and confronting Bane, is unacceptable. I could have handled it, and I would have after I got all the information. Acting impulsively in your teens is one thing, but acting this way when your older, and know better, is another.”

  “Acting impulsively? What does that mean exactly?”

  “It means you got up one day and decided to run off to New York to follow some hairbrained idea to become a star.” Once he’d said the words he wanted to apologize, but she’d made him angry. Hell, he’d been walking on eggshells since she’d come back to Bohannan.

  “I’m glad you got all this off your chest, Sheriff. You’re still angry and hurt about the past. Well, Kace Cade, I can’t change the past and I certainly don’t want to keep taking that same time machine back to when we were kids. Get over it!” she snapped.

  “Get over it? I’ve been over it. And I’m certainly over it now.” He rode off, leaving her staring at his back.

  “Don’t worry, Kace! I won’t ask you to babysit me ever again! You can bank on that fact!” she yelled, not sure that he heard her.

  Chapter 13

  STARING AT JAKE across the striped tablecloth at the pizza joint, Tyler clasped her hands and realized she should never have agreed to meeting him here for dinner. She felt slightly uncomfortable as she looked toward the door every few minutes expecting…who?

  Kace.

  Although she didn’t agree to this dinner to spite him, he was always in the recesses of her mind. She even wondered what he would think if he saw her here. After their argument at the ranch two days ago, she hadn’t spoken with him and she figured he had nothing good to say to her. She’d lost her temper and said some things she shouldn’t have, but she was tired of men like Bane. Randy was taken to the hospital where he received stitches on the wound to his head. However, he couldn’t identify one of Bane’s men which meant yet again he’d gotten away with something.

  And the man who’d threatened her at the theater hadn’t been found either.

  With each passing day, she was losing hope that she would find closure to her sister’s death.

  Her shoulders naturally slumped. She wanted to excuse herself and run away, but she couldn’t do that to Jake. He was a nice guy, just not the guy for her.

  Jake leaned back into the booth and smiled. He had a nice smile with deep dimples, but it just didn’t do anything for her. “You have barely touched your slice of pizza.”

  “I guess I wasn’t hungry after all.” She picked up her glass and sipped water through the straw.

  “Are you feeling okay?” he asked with genuine interest.

  Why couldn’t she feel something for him? He was handsome with clean cut features, obviously athletic and had manners. So then, why?

  She knew why. This would end like many of the other dates and relationships she’d had over the years. None of the men ever stacked up to Kace. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

  Although she was indeed tired, it wasn’t quite what weighed on her mind. It didn’t seem right that she was here.

  “Thank you again for coming to meet me tonight. A man can’t ask for anything more than pizza, a beer, and a pretty lady on his day off.” He leaned in and rested his forearms on the edge of the table, his smile widening and his eyes glassy. “I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Truthfully, I like you. A lot.” He caught her off guard when he slid his hand across the table and touched her fingers that were flat on the table.

  She pulled away and saw him flinch. She needed to explain to him that she wasn’t interested. That she was in love with another man. Had been for as long as she could remember. The town of Bohannan wasn’t big enough for her to love Kace and be involved with another man. What had she been thinking by coming here, pretending as if she was available?

  Opening her mouth, only to slam it shut again, she sighed. How could she voice her thoughts? Tell him about Kace? Maybe she could just blurt it out because Jake deserved an explanation.

  Hearing the bell ding above the door, she lifted her gaze and her breath hissed from her lungs. She blinked twice thinking she might be imagining what she was seeing, but he was there. Kace was standing in the doorway. Her gaze clashed with his and she saw the wild, crazed expression he wore, and her heart hitched.

  Their gazes locked and held as Kace headed toward the booth where she sat with Jake. There was something oddly familiar in his expression. Possessive. Anger. Burrowing deep into her bone marrow. She realized he wasn’t happy that she was here with his deputy. Although guilt spread through her, she didn’t owe him an explanation. He’d made it clear that he didn’t like being around her…or rather babysitting her.

  Then she felt a soft caress on her hand. Jake’s thumb was drawing a figure eight on her skin and, at that moment, she saw how Kace’s hardened gaze had narrowed. His jaw tightened as he jerked off his hat.

  Her throat constricted. Her heart lurched. Her body became woozy. Shit was about to go down all because she had agreed to dinner with Jake.

  ~~**~~

  Damn tired and hungry—a hunger that food couldn’t be satisfied—Kace steered his truck onto Main Street and stopped at the red light. He swiped a hand down his whiskered jaw and sighed. Days had passed since he last saw Tyler and he was going stark mad. They’d argued and he was pissed at her, but even pissed at her meant he still wanted to see her—more than ever. Hell, there were a lot of things he wanted to do to her and he’d been nothing but a walking hard on since she’d waltzed back into Bohannan.

  This all must be a cruel joke, testing his control, because he wanted to throw caution to the wind and go to her. Beg and plead if he had to that she should just put him out of his misery

  He wasn’t the begging and pleading type. If he was, he would have tried that tactic to get her to stay fifteen years ago.

  Yet, how much longer could he withstand the aching punishment in his body?

  “Come on,” he quietly said to himself. The light was taking forever.

  He just happened to turn his cheek and look through the large window at the Pizza Paradise and he saw her. The subject of his sleepless nights. And she wasn’t alone. Sitting across from her was none other than his deputy, Payne.

  As if the silent beast Kace carried around with him broke a few chains, he gritted his teeth. Without thinking, he slammed on the gas pedal and sped across the street, getting a blaring of horns in the process, but he didn’t care that he’d just broken a few laws. That’s what she did to him. She made him do things he’d never do otherwise.

  Pulling up in front of the restaurant where he could see inside, he about swallowed his tongue when Jake reached over and laid his hand on Tyler’s. The thought of another man placing his hands on her made Kace’s inner volcano erupt. No, this wasn’t possible. He should pull away and head home. He needed some sleep, but his gaze was glued on the duo inside the booth. He suddenly wanted to rush into the pizza place, grab his deputy up by the collar and punch him.

  He squeezed the steering wheel until he thought he’d break his knuckles.

  Kace battled logic and emotion, and then he could no longer sit still. He slid out of the truck and stomped his way into the restaurant. Tyler noticed him immediately, thei
r gazes connected in such a way he was surprised a fire didn’t break out.

  Her eyes widened some, her shoulders straightened as she watched him looking at her. He knew, without a doubt, that she could read his thoughts, understood his anger at seeing her with Payne. She probably also wondered what in the hell he was thinking by storming in. Fact was, Payne had his hand on Kace’s woman. Yeah, she had no clue that she was his, but he knew at that moment he wouldn’t give up until he had her again.

  Tyler’s mouth opened, but then closed . Did she want to warn Payne that they had company coming their way?

  Kace clenched his hands into fists. Back in the day, if a man pissed him off he’d knock them for a loop, but he couldn’t be the man he once was. He had no right to Tyler, and yet, did he? The way she looked at him now, teased him with the fluttering of her lashes across flawless skin. Pursed, pink pout with tongue sliding over her full bottom lip was a promise of what she could do to him…for him. The sultry light in her pale eyes that could knock a man from his boots. Kace was susceptible to her, vulnerable, and that only made him angrier as he crossed the checkered back and white floor to reach his goal.

  “Welcome to Pizza Paradise,” the fuzzy fake parrot hanging from a swing squealed as Kace walked by.

  The noise brought Payne’s attention upward. Surprise engaged his expression.

  Kace stopped beside the table, seeing red, but reminding himself that he was Sheriff, sworn to uphold the law, not break a man’s jaw. He had a hard time focusing as he forced a smile to his lips. Possessiveness swirled like good and evil through his body, making him dangerous. He didn’t like feeling this way—didn’t like feeling so…what? Jealous? In love?

  Jake stared up at Kace, at first confused, but then a genuine smile came over the man’s face. “Hey there, Sheriff. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Yeah, we didn’t expect to see you here,” Tyler piped in. There was a noticeable tightness to her tone. Was she afraid of what Kace would do? He realized he wasn’t doing a very good job at keeping his emotions under wraps. This was unlike him.

  “You didn’t finish your paperwork, Payne,” Kace said the first thing that came to mind. Although he wasn’t lying, he wouldn’t normally bust in and break up a date and chastise his deputy for not doing his work right. Kace wasn’t sure why he felt so threatened by the other man. He wasn’t much to gauge if a man was good looking or not, but he guessed Payne’s ‘boy next door’ looks would entice quite a few women. But when it came to brawn, Kace had nothing to worry about. The guy wasn’t a threat.

  Yet, what if Tyler liked the man? That put a whole new spin on things.

  “Kace! We’re sharing a pizza. Can’t it wait?” Tyler stared at him angrily.

  He saw the shock in her expression. Her eyes were wide and her tongue darted out to smooth across her bottom lip. It triggered something below his belt and he had to suck in a breath to keep his body in check.

  “No. It can’t. Take it with you,” he growled.

  Payne blinked, maybe even flushed a little. “I’m sorry, Tyler. Maybe we can see each other again.”

  “Wait.” Tyler touched Payne’s arm to still him. Kace rammed his hands into his front pockets before he did something stupid. He was acting like an idiot, and yet, if he didn’t talk to Tyler he would explode. “You should eat dinner.”

  Looking like he was caught between a rock and a hard place, Payne looked green around the edges.

  “If you’ve forgotten, Tyler, I’m the boss,” Kace said in a low voice. Payne stood, pulled out his wallet, but Kace stopped him. “I’ll take care of the bill.” It was the least he could do.

  Payne took his leave and Kace took the available spot.

  “Don’t sit there,” she seethed.

  “It’s empty."

  “Thanks to you. Could you be any ruder? What in land’s hell are you doing?” she snapped, keeping her voice down because they’d already received a few stares and glances from other patrons.

  “You and I need to talk.”

  “Like hell we will!” She slid out of the booth and started for the door.

  He caught up to her in a few strides and grabbed her hand, and together they walked toward the exit, oblivious to the fact that now everyone was staring and whispering.

  Once they were outside, he led her over to his truck and he opened the passenger door. “Get in.”

  She blinked. “No. I don’t know who you think you are, but this caveman attitude isn’t acceptable.”

  His heart was pounding so hard and fast and the blood was rushing through his veins like the flow of a river. She dragged her hand from his and he growled. “We need to talk. Better inside my truck than out here for everyone to hear.”

  “I think it’s a bit too late for that. You made sure of that when you barreled into the restaurant and demanded that Jake do your bidding. If that’s how you treat your employees, then maybe you and Mansfield have more in common than I thought.”

  “I’m Payne’s boss, Tyler. It’s my job to make sure he does his job correctly. He left a pile of paperwork unfinished and I sure as hell don’t have the time to do it for him.”

  “Because you have to babysit me, right?”

  “Tyler…”

  “What the hell, Kace? You can’t complain and then come here acting like you’re my caregiver.” She was breathing so hard he could see the rise and fall of her chest, her beaded nipples pressing against the thin blouse. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen. He almost felt empowered knowing that he made her feel this way.

  He exhaled roughly. He’d almost forgotten that he was still holding his hat and smashing it against his thigh. This wasn’t how he usually acted. Normally level headed and controlled, he realized things were getting out of hand. However, when it came to Tyler, all bets were off. He couldn’t forget that he once loved her so deeply that he’d given anything to make her his. Well, his feelings now were quite similar, and it angered him. Knocked his world off its axis.

  “Let’s talk.” He stared into her eyes. She stood there, not making a move.

  “We certainly have a lot to talk about, but I’m not sure now is the time.” She inhaled sharply and glanced back at the restaurant. Thankfully, everyone had gone back to their dinner.

  He couldn’t blame her if she told him to fuck off.

  He deserved it.

  If she only knew, though, how much restraint he’d used in not kicking Payne’s ass when he touched her.

  “You can’t act like this,” she said when she brought her eyes back on him.

  “And my deputy needs to get his work done. I’m not picking up the pieces,” he growled.

  “Drop the work excuse. We both know this had nothing to do with paperwork and everything to do with the fact that you didn’t want me to be here with Jake.”

  What could he say? He’d gone into Pizza Paradise all hell bent on breaking up the too comfy duo. “Guilty as charged.”

  She stared as if she had to get a grip on the fact that he’d admitted to the truth.

  Her bottom lip pouted, and he wanted nothing more than to draw her into his arms and hold her, kiss her, tell her that he wanted her more than his next breath. Instead of following his heart, he curled his fingers into fists, feeling fire race through his veins.

  No matter what happened. No matter how many years passed, he’d never get over Tyler. She’d always own his heart and he wanted to own hers. Wanted to make her his for the rest of his life. And that was a dangerous game.

  Chapter 14

  “NOW CAN WE get in and talk?” Kace pointed at the passenger seat.

  Her heart was beating so fast that it echoed in her ears. Her palms were sweaty and she had no clue why Kace was acting like a caveman. Could he really be this jealous?

  Was she just hoping?

  “Kace—”

  “Get inside the truck, Sassy.” He smirked which sent a new frustration through her.

  “Is that any way to ask?” She crossed
her arms over her chest and stomped her toes.

  “In case this should come as a surprise, I’m not exactly calm right now. So get in the truck or I’m going to have to pick you up and put you there.” His gaze was harsh and full of pent up emotion.

  “Kace!”

  “He touched you. I saw it with my very own eyes.” There was so much accusation to his voice as if they were married and she’d betrayed him.

  Glancing back at the window of the restaurant, she saw that now people were staring again, and because she didn’t want to be the crux of rumors, she heaved a sigh and slid into the truck.

  Kace slammed the door, came around to the driver’s side and slid in.

  “He touched my hand and you act like you caught us in bed,” she said with a shaky voice. Why did she feel guilty? She had no reason to feel this way.

  “You’re doing this to push my buttons,” he growled. His gaze was unwavering.

  “What?” She twisted around to face him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She laughed, but it sounded weak to her ears.

  “Really? You don’t think dating a man I work with might be a little too close for comfort?” He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  “You’re not being reasonable or fair. You’re acting like an insensible kid with a temper.”

  “I might be unreasonable, I’ll admit to that, but maybe you should step out of the bubble and think about things.”

  “There’s nothing between Jake and me. We were just having dinner.” Why did she cave? It wasn’t caving as much as just being honest. Although she was angry with Kace, she didn’t want him to think there was something going on with Jake. She didn’t want to make things awkward between the two men.

  “I don’t think Payne got the memo,” he growled and her heart pounded in her chest.

  “I was going to tell him until you barged in like the Titanic.”

  “If you only understood how difficult this has all been.” He took his hat and laid it on his knee.

  “How difficult what has been?” she asked, breathless. Would he admit that he still cared for her? Oh, how she wanted to hear it, and yet it scared her, real emotions outside of wanting sex. Once they voiced their emotions there would be no stopping the avalanche. When he didn’t answer, she sighed. “What are you talking about, Kace?” She could hear the fluctuation of tempo in her voice, matching the seesaw sensations in her body. Tyler wanted to push him, provoke him into explaining what was going on inside of him, but what if she was disappointed?