by Lise Fuller
He tossed the menu aside. The woman’s hand jutted in front of him and snatched it. Her fingers were long, graceful and slender. He could fit his hand around her wrist, probably twice.
“Are you ready to order?”
He looked at her and paused, thunderstruck. So this is Marie. Blood rushed to his groin. His pulse picked up speed. He looked away to get a grip on himself. Cal was right. Her skin reminded a guy of fresh cream, soft and smooth. And her face, God, she looked like an angel. He cast a side glance a mite lower and took in the detail of her form. Her lush, well-proportioned body was made for a man to fuck.
He gulped to suppress his baser urges. When he managed to get control, he looked at her again. She’d tied her dark hair in a bun. Her high cheeks had a flush about them.
But her eyes were what held him. The gold flecks in those deep green pools could mesmerize a man, yet something more reflected in her gaze. Fear?
She ran her tongue across her full lips then nipped the flesh. Jake seriously wanted to ask her if she’d do that to him.
He cleared his throat and thought better of it. It’d been several years since he’d been wild and stupid. Besides, a question like that would be out of line for a man in his position. “You must be Marie.”
Her hand jerked. Her eyes narrowed. She pressed her lips together as a flash of unease breezed across her face. “How did you know?”
“Honey, we don’t get too many strangers—well, except for this time of year—but they wouldn’t work in the diner. News of your arrival spread far and wide across the valley.”
Her eyes clouded. The fear came back, Jake thought as he sipped his coffee. He wondered what had caused the dainty downturn of her mouth. “You got a last name?”
“Ah…” She stalled. “Taylor.”
“Taylor. Well, welcome to Bridger Valley. You picked a hell of a time to come.”
Her lips twitched. She allowed herself a small smile. The act brightened her whole face. “Yes, well, the tips are good and I need the money.”
Nodding, he questioned if Taylor could be her real name. “I’ll take my eggs over easy with toast. Tell Gus it’s for Jake Colder. He’ll know the rest.”
She licked her lips again before she walked away. He watched. Her full hips swayed with every step. He liked that. Not too thin. Beautifully proportioned.
And probably not his type.
He bit his tongue and looked away. Jesse’s mother had been like that. Lush body, well shaped…
And loved men.
Jake huffed and swigged some of the black brew. He’d been in the army then. His tours of duty had been long and he’d been gone most of the time. Jake ran his fingers along the hot cup, deep in thought. The army had been hard on both of them. When Jesse came along, it’d been even harder.
Jake had tried. He’d given up his special ops post to work as a military policeman. The change hadn’t helped. Christy wanted out. She wanted opera, ballet…life.
On his pay, he could only offer love and a warm body to sleep next to.
Then she told him about the other men.
In the end, Jake and his bruised ego gave her everything she wanted. Everything.
He bowed his head and swallowed hard. He saw the pain again in Jesse’s face. The boy knew she’d never be back. Her departure devastated his son, the fact she hadn’t wanted him either.
“Here’s your eggs, Sheriff.” Katie bent low to expose her generous cleavage. “Special delivery.” The corners of her mouth curved upward in a playful tease. She batted her eyes.
“Thanks, Katie.”
“Sure thing, lover.” She whispered the last word and winked at him.
He smirked. Better the devil you know than the one you don’t. “Honey, it still won’t get me anywhere near your place.”
“Well, then maybe it’ll get me near yours.”
He picked up the toast and buttered it. “You’re not afraid of Gramps? I’ve lost more than one housekeeper ’cause of him.”
“Humph.” She straightened. “Crazy people. I think it’s a rumor but even if it isn’t, I’m not afraid of an old ghost.” Her eyes devoured every detail of Jake. “Sugar, if he’s anything like you, we’ll get along just fine.”
Jake shook his head as he stabbed a bit of egg. He shot a glance at Marie. She walked around with a pot to warm up the customers’ coffee. “So tell me about the new girl.”
Katie shrugged. “Her name’s Marie. Don’t know much ’cept she’s a nice girl. Good manners and such.” She looked from the woman to him and arched her brows. “Drives an even nicer car.” Katie pulled out her ordering pad when another customer walked in. “But I can tell you this…” Her mouth turned down, the lines tinged with worry. “She won’t spend any money, even on a little makeup. She must really be hurtin’ for cash.”
To a woman like Katie, that kind of thriftiness said something. Jake took another bite and studied the unknown woman. “Where’s she staying?”
“Right here in the motel. Gus is lettin’ her sleep in one of the old rooms and takin’ the charge out of her pay.”
Jake lifted his brow. “The ones without a deadbolt?”
“Hey,” Katie held up her hands, “she wanted something cheap. She got it. It’s fine with her.”
Jake scowled. “What kind of car does she drive?”
The waitress twisted her mouth as she thought. “Oh, one of them fancy ones. I cain’t remember.” A customer of Katie’s waved her down. “Gotta go. Jesse left your loincloth with me. It’s in my truck. You can get it when you’re ready.” She turned and moved on.
Jake drained his cup. He set it near the edge of the table as Marie approached. She reached for the mug, her eyes downcast.
“So what brings you to Fort Bridger?”
“Huh?” Her hand jerked the pot. Hot coffee spilled into his lap.
“Sh—” Jake sucked in a breath and jumped up. He brushed off his clothes before the coffee completely scalded him.
“Oh…” The woman set the pot on the table and wiped his stomach with her dishcloth. “I’m so sorry. I…you…” She lowered her hand to follow the wet stain and wiped his legs.
It took her two full seconds to realize what else she’d been rubbing. His throat went dry. His cock jumped in his pants.
Their eyes met. He felt the erotic tension tighten between them.
“Oh my God.” She dropped the dishtowel on the table and slapped her hand over her face. Her cheeks flushed as she peeked through her fingers. “I’m sorry.”
The room erupted. Jake even heard the cook heehaw in the back. He looked at Marie and gave her his sexiest come-on grin. “It’s okay, honey. I’m sure everything still works.” The guffaws came louder. Jake would have given anything to ask her if she’d like to see for herself.
“Your clothes.” She picked up the rag and wrung the cloth in her hands.
“Don’t worry.” He eyed Katie who stood in the back. “I need to change anyway.” He covered the certain growing discomfort in his groin with his hand and sat down. “You know a lot of people come here from the big city. You don’t have to be nervous about it.” He didn’t mention that after a few months of cowboy life, they didn’t stay. “You are from the city, aren’t you?”
Her hands trembled as she poured him a fresh cup and set the pot back down. “Yes.” Her brows knitted as she wiped her palms on her apron.
Jake held off asking any more questions before she bolted and the whole carafe fell on his lap. He looked into her troubled eyes. This woman needed help and a place to stay. He made up his mind. “Marie, do you do windows?”
“What?”
“I live alone with a nine-year-old son. I need a housekeeper and a babysitter. I have an extra room in the back of the house. We could trade services. Cleaning for a room and board. Plus some babysitting from time to time. You keep spilling the coffee and it seems to me you might soon need another line of work.”
Her lips thinned, he suspected with worry.
&nbs
p; Jake lifted a brow. “It’d give you some extra money now and then and it’s a free place to live. You can still work here if you want.”
“But you don’t know me.”
Her voice wavered. He liked the soft feminine sound. “Nope. You don’t know me either.” He stood and threw a few dollars on the table then put on his hat. “Think about it.” He swerved and left her and the coffeepot.
The screen door banged as he walked out. He sucked in a labored breath. Not so much from the hot coffee as from the surge that blistered through him when she’d rubbed his dick. He shook his leg to dry his pants, tried to ease his friend back down. He was glad the contest wasn’t until the afternoon. It wouldn’t do for his pecker to be standing in salute while wearing a loincloth.
Jake circled around back and went to Katie’s pickup to pull out the skimpy leather. Glancing up, he spotted a black BMW by a small motel room. The mud-splattered car sported District of Columbia plates. “Nice,” he whistled. The auto must be Marie’s. How could a waitress afford something so rich?
He shut the creaky truck door and folded his arms as he leaned against the battered side. “Interesting.” His brows knitted. At first, he hadn’t seen the mark because of the thick mud. Now he stared and came closer. He ran his hand over the dirt on the back window behind the driver’s seat. The cracked glass had a small hole drilled in the corner. He rubbed his chin then put his little finger through the puncture. He’d seen too many bullet holes not to recognize one.
Scowling, he made a mental note of the license plate number and remembered what Gramps had told him that morning. Trouble’s comin’. And in a right purty package too.
Now he knew what Gramps meant.
Chapter Two
“Marie, come on. If you’re gonna live with the guy you oughta know what he’s like.” Katie dragged Marie through the tepees and the bustling crowd full of weekend mountain men. Buckskinned hawkers called at them from the booths. Marie wanted to stop for a drink of water but Katie drove her forward.
“Katie, I will not live with him. He wants me to be his housekeeper.” It was three o’clock and the lunch crowd had died. Gus, the cook and owner, had let them go to watch some contest Katie insisted on, but first Katie wanted Marie and Sheriff Colder to meet for real, whatever that meant. Marie wanted to tell her the farther she got from the sheriff, the better. The man made her nervous. Besides, Marie needed to keep a low profile from any law enforcement, stay away as much as possible—especially from a guy who looked like that. God. The morning’s interlude had been enough contact with the sexy hunk of a sheriff, thank you very much. Her nerve endings were still singed from the carnal contact.
She felt the blush in her cheeks again—and the rush of hormones to her other parts. She snarled under her breath. Her body’s reaction to the man was not welcomed by her common sense. She sure as hell didn’t need some kind of domestic relationship with the guy. She sat in enough hot water as it was.
Or maybe she should say enough hot coffee…
Good lord… She sucked in a breath, reminded of how stiff the man’s cock grew in her hand, how dark his blue eyes got when they drilled her with lust.
Her clit thrummed as she thought about it. She groaned to chastise herself. She needed to stay away from him. Jake Colder was the law in town. Who knew what connections he had? His presence should have made her nervous. He was the first police officer Marie had met since she’d been on the run. But hell, just the sight of the sheriff made her want.
She puffed her cheeks. She couldn’t believe she’d spilled coffee on him, much less…
She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to ease her embarrassment, her personal torment from the combination of sexual hunger and anxiety the man instilled. Blast it. Why was the yearning she had for the sheriff so strong? Yeah, he was a damned good-looking man, but Marie had been with handsome men before. She pressed her lips together. It was probably the fact she was horny as hell. She’d been damned busy the last several months. She hadn’t found the time for a relationship where she could get laid—not by someone she wanted.
A shiver shot through her as she thought of Bill and his attempted rape, his thefts, why she was in Fort Bridger to begin with. It was bad enough he’d stolen from the company. Why did he have to try to rape her? No way, no how would she have ever been interested in Bill. Never, ever.
She forced the thought of her dead partner away as Katie ducked into a throng. The crowd jostled them. Marie glanced at the faces that rushed by her as she analyzed herself. She wasn’t wanton. Never had been. But Jake Colder fired her libido like no other. She screwed up her lips. Maybe it was some Freudian thing, something about having a strong man to protect her, especially when she was this deep in trouble. Yeah, that had to be it. She huffed, felt smug about her conclusion. But the torrid sense still nagged her because, given the opportunity, she wouldn’t mind having Sheriff Colder’s naked body next to hers.
“Besides, Marie, look at where you are,” she muttered. With a body like Jake’s, women all over the valley probably clamored for the man. Look at how Katie acted. Still, the sheriff’s reaction to her had been quick and hard. “Forget it,” she mumbled to herself. It would never happen.
“What did you say?” Katie commented over the noisy crowd as she nudged past a few men from the Sheriff’s Department. Marie froze and stared at the men, relieved when she realized none of them had been the sheriff.
“Here we are.” Katie squeezed her hand.
Several women gathered around a gray-haired, statuesque man in buckskin who stood in front of a tepee painted with handprints and buffalo. “Ladies and gentlemen.” He cleared his throat. “Well, mostly the ladies.” The crowd chuckled. He bent around to look into the entrance to the wigwam and shouted inside, “You guys will be glad to hear that.”
“Get on with it, George,” a deep voice from inside yelled. The ladies twittered. The sound reminded Marie of a bunch of birds.
The mountain man straightened and raised his hands. “Do we have our judges?”
“Here’s one.” Katie thrust Marie’s arm into the air.
“No,” Marie protested and struggled to free herself but Katie pushed her forward.
“Go on.” Katie waved at her.
Marie rolled her eyes and stepped into the circle. The two deputies looked at her and Marie grew uneasy. One officer bent toward the other and whispered then they both broke out in gales of laughter. Small town. She was sure word had gotten around about her faux pas that morning. Blood rushed to Marie’s cheeks.
Soon, two other women joined her and someone brought chairs for them all. The rest of the ladies made a wider berth as the mountain man, George, walked around and shooed them back. When he seemed satisfied, he cleared his throat again. “Judges, well, ladies, it’s up to you to pick out the best, ah, er…loincloth.”
Loincloth? Marie spun around to look at Katie. The waitress giggled behind her hand then whirled her finger in a circle to tell Marie to pay attention.
“Remember, study its construction, both natural and man-made.” The crowd of women erupted with bawdy calls. “Our first contestant is Seth, all the way from Montana.”
Marie gasped as a blond man with the body of Adonis walked out of the tepee clothed in nothing but the leather breechcloth. It didn’t cover much, just the essentials. Marie covered her mouth as she watched him pose and flex. He turned around and lifted his back flap. His hard butt bulged in all the right places. What a terrific view.
She closed her eyes and got the first good laugh she’d had in weeks. Soon one man after the other left the tepee, each arrayed in different shades of leather. For once Marie enjoyed herself.
“And for our last contestant, we have one of our own.” George winked. “Say howdy to Sheriff Jake Colder.”
At this, the women screamed. Several in the back jumped around to get a better look. A few even whistled and shouted certain acts of love.
The tall dark man stepped out. “Oh no.” Marie slid dow
n the metal chair and wanted to crawl under the seat. The crowd went wilder. Even the deputies shouted. The sheriff turned toward his men and glared. With a brisk jerk of his head, he nodded at the uniformed officers, who doubled up and hooted in response.
His mouth pressed into a thin line. Ignoring his crew, Jake raised his hand and waved at the ladies. His pecs and abs tightened. A six-pack. Oh hell.
Lust zoomed along her raw nerves. Her insides screamed at her to look on. She eyed him, took in every detail she could. Her jaw dropped. Did her chin hit her chest? Omigod. She knew he was a big man—she’d felt that for herself. Don’t do this. She grimaced and tried not to think of how well her hand fit against his hard penis.
She shook off her reaction then stared at him—and his fit body. God, the man was built. Talk about Adonis…
She gulped. Yeah, big, brawny. Wow. She’d known he stood a good head taller than her five feet six, but what she didn’t realize until now was how much the uniform hid. “Oh. My. God.” She covered her mouth as she stared at the rock-hard muscles that gleamed in the sunlight. From his shoulders to his calves, the man was sculpted like a statue. That uniform hid a lot.
“C’mon, Jake. Let’s see ’em,” Katie called over the rest.
Marie spread her hand over her face as he turned in her direction. For the second time that day, she stared through her fingers at the town’s sheriff.
When he saw her, he put his hands on either side of his washboard waist and focused his blue eyes on her. The look he aimed could have seduced any woman. Marie licked her lips and rolled her eyes. Hell. A half-naked Casanova for a sheriff? Whatever happened to mother and apple pie?
The sheriff watched her as he stretched then flexed his muscles. He stood, curled his arms. The two boulder-like biceps peaked. Then he turned, grabbed his hands behind him. As he tensed his triceps his whole backside—from his shoulders to his glutes, grew more pronounced.
Marie’s mouth dried, her hormones flashed into hyperdrive.
He turned like a large cat—power, stealth in every move—and posed to emphasize the cut of either his chest or his legs. Marie choked. The man was sex in motion. When he waved to the women again, he circled and tucked the back flap into the waistband.