Cowboy to the Rescue

by Stella Bagwell

  Sighing, she pulled her hand from his and walked over to a window that overlooked the lawn. He followed, and as he came to a stop behind her, his hands lapped over her shoulders, branding her with tempting heat.

  “Christina, the only way we can get to know each other is to be together.”

  The ache of frustration caused her to close her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose. “Oh, Lex, Mother admitted that the only thing that had drawn her to Dad in the first place was sex. I’ve never wanted to follow in her footsteps. But now I’m beginning to wonder if something in me is just as weak as her.”

  “Listen, honey,” he said gently, “making love to me hardly makes you a duplicate of your mother.”

  Turning, she looked up at him, and as she did, she realized his face had become a dear image in her heart. It was something she wanted, needed to look upon every day of her life.

  “Lex, I think you need to know that I spent four years in a relationship with a fellow law officer. His name was Mike, and I thought—well, I believed—he loved me. He certainly told me that often enough. But they were just empty words. Just like his promises of marriage. It took me a long time to realize that I was wasting my time with the man and a whole lot of willpower to finally pack up and leave.”

  He was clearly surprised, and she wondered what he was thinking of her now. That maybe she was a woman who couldn’t hold on to a lasting relationship?

  “Four years,” he repeated. “That’s a long time. You must have loved the man.”

  Glancing away from him, she swallowed as emotion filled her throat. Now that she’d met Lex, it was plain that she’d never loved Mike. Not the eternal kind that outlives good times, bad times, old age and even death. With Mike, she’d simply loved the idea of being a wife, having children and a family of her own. There was a wealth of difference.

  “I’m not sure I knew what love was back then. But at the time I believed that I loved him. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lived with him.”

  His eyes widened, and she realized she’d surprised him even more. But she couldn’t worry about how he was viewing her now. He needed to understand where she was coming from and where she intended to go. She wasn’t going to make the same mistake with him that she’d made with Mike. Living on hope was no longer enough for her.

  “You lived with him?”

  Christina nodded. “Does that shock you?”

  His head wagged back and forth. “Well—uh, it shakes me more than anything. When you told me that you’d come close to marriage, I thought you’d probably just worn some guy’s engagement ring for a few months. Living together is—that’s commitment.”

  “Not to him,” she said dully.

  Before he could reply, she walked over to her desk and sank into the leather chair. The small space she’d put between them wasn’t enough to ease the trembling inside of her, the ache to rush back to him and fling her arms around his neck.

  Looping his thumbs over his belt, Lex moved in front of the desk and stared directly into her blue eyes. It amazed her that she didn’t see revulsion or disappointment in his eyes. Especially knowing how he admired his parents’ relationship and wanted that same sort of relationship for himself. She was far, far from being a flawless human being.

  “All right, Christina. I’ve listened to what you’ve had to say. Now listen to me. And I’m going to put this in simple terms. I’m not the playboy some people think I am. And I’m not like this Mike you once—knew.”

  Fighting back tears, she said, “It’s wrong of you to ask me to jump into a heated physical relationship with you, Lex! We need to get to know each other better before we make such a serious connection.”

  For long moments, his gaze searched her face, and Christina suspected he was searching for a gentlemanly way to end things between them. But he surprised her when he finally spoke.

  “All right, Christina. For now, we’ll do this thing your way. We’ll go slow and get to know each other better. But just remember that all the while, I’ll be wanting to make love to you. And you’ll be wanting to make love to me. We’ll be wasting time when we could be making each other happy.”

  Maybe he was right, she thought dismally. But her feelings for him had become too important. She needed to know whether the caring he felt for her had a chance at turning into love, or if his desire for her would quickly burn itself out.

  Rising from the chair, she walked around to where he stood and placed a whisper-soft kiss on his cheek. The tiny expression of affection couldn’t begin to describe the gratitude swelling in her heart. “I know you’re not happy with me about this, Lex. But I’m glad you’re willing—for now—to go along with my wishes.”

  She eased back from him before her arms could turn traitorous and fling themselves around his neck.

  With a reluctant grin, he rubbed the spot she’d just kissed. “One of these days—and soon—you’ll be planting a kiss on my lips instead of my cheek. But only when you’re ready. I promise you that,” he murmured huskily. Then, before she could guess his intentions, he lifted the back of her hand to his lips and took his time pressing a kiss against the soft skin. “So, why are you going to San Antone this time? Another case, or Dad’s?”

  Relieved that he’d changed the subject, she said, “Your father’s. I’m going to try again to catch up to Paul’s old friends. I want to hear with my own ears how they recount the day your father died.”

  Worry chased everything else from his face, and he quickly clasped both her hands between his. “Christina, we’re not entirely sure these guys were being truthful about Dad’s accident! That puts them all under suspicion! I don’t like the idea of you seeing them. Not one bit.”

  “I have to interview them in person, Lex. That way, I can see if they’re hiding something. And more than anything, I need to catch them off guard.”

  “I can understand that. But if these guys actually did have anything to do with Dad’s death, they might be dangerous. Especially to you, since you’re digging open the case.”

  Did his show of concern mean anything? she wondered. Only minutes ago he’d admitted that he cared for her, but did that sort of caring warrant this much worry?

  Don’t let yourself start believing the man actually loves you, Christina. He’s already said that heartfelt emotion wasn’t for him. Remember that.

  Emotions knotted her throat, making her voice husky when she spoke. “You’re forgetting, Lex, that I worked as a law officer for several years. I know the danger signs to look for, and I know how to be careful. Besides, this is what your mother hired me to do.”

  The scowl on his face said her words hadn’t assured him all that much. She had to remind herself that if he was the one putting himself in danger, she wouldn’t like it. In fact, she wanted to make sure, before this was all over with, that he didn’t get anywhere near Paul’s old friends.

  Tossing his hands up in a helpless gesture, he said, “Well, I can’t tell you how to do your job. Just like you couldn’t tell me how to go out and rope a wild bull that might gore me or my horse to death.”

  The image of his words sent a shiver down Christina’s spine. City folks like her never stopped to appreciate the constant dangers of a cowboy’s life. Everything about Lex was opening her eyes. And her heart. But what good was that going to do her if his own heart was closed to love?

  “I’ll be very careful, Lex. I promise.” Then before she could stop herself, she gave into the overwhelming need to touch him. She stepped closer and lifted her mouth to his. He instantly took the initiative, and for long moments, his lips searched and coaxed until she was moaning deep in her throat and wrapping her arms around his waist.

  By the time he finally lifted his head, Christina’s cheeks were on fire. One more minute and her vow to resist him would have crumbled. The worst part was the smug grin on his face that said he knew she’d been on the verge of melting.

  “When I said you’d soon be kissing me on the lips, I didn’t realize it was going to be
in a matter of minutes.”

  “That was a goodbye kiss,” she said, with as much dignity as she could muster.

  His chuckle matched the sexy glint in his eyes. “I can’t wait to see what your hello is going to be like when you return.”

  Turning her back to him, she bit down on her lip and blinked at the mist in her eyes. She wasn’t like Retha Logan. She wasn’t even that same young woman who fell victim to Mike’s charming lies, she told herself. But, oh, it was going to be very lonely while proving that to Lex. And herself.

  Three days later, on her way from San Antonio back to the Sandbur, Christina drove to the riverside area where Olivia’s law firm and Christina’s own working office were located.

  As suspected, Olivia was still at her desk, even though it was far past time for the doors to close. The black-haired woman, who was only two years older than Christina’s thirty-three years, looked up in surprise, then smiled with pleasure when she spotted Christina standing in the open doorway of her office.

  “Chrissy! You’re back!” Jumping to her feet, she rushed around the wide desk and hurried over to give Christina a hug.

  Unexpected tears burned the back of Christina’s eyes as she held her friend tightly. “How are you, Ollie?”

  “The same as usual. Going crazy with a stack of work in front of me and not enough time to do it all in.”

  Slipping an arm around the back of Christina’s waist, Olivia urged her over to a long leather couch positioned in front of a plate-glass wall overlooking the River Walk. This building was located in a beautiful area of town. Part of the office was furnished to the hilt with expensive antiques from the estate of Olivia’s parents, who’d passed away ten years before in a plane crash. Losing her parents wasn’t the only misfortune Olivia had faced. Olivia had become a partner of the reputable firm at an absurdly early age, but not without a price. She’d lost a husband along the way. But whether that was from Olivia’s long hours at work or his roaming eye for the women would be hard to say. Their shared problems with love was just one of the many things Christina and Olivia had in common.

  “Sit down, honey,” she said to Christina. “Want some coffee? I’ll call Mimi and have her make us a pot.”

  Christina rolled her eyes. “You mean you’re making your poor assistant stay after hours? Really, Ollie, when are you going to slack up on this pace?”

  Olivia’s arms lifted, then fell uselessly to her sides. “I can’t ever find a stopping place. But Mimi is being paid well, and she doesn’t mind the extra hours, thank God. I really don’t know what I’d do without the woman. It’s a good thing she decided to come out of retirement.” She sat down next to Christina and affectionately patted her knee. “Now tell me what you’re doing here in the city. I thought you were making hay down on the farm.”

  “It’s a ranch, Ollie. Remember? Just one of the biggest in the state of Texas. And I’ve been working on a case, not making hay.”

  Olivia laughed. “That’s too bad. The way you described Mrs. Saddler’s son, I thought things might be—” She broke off as she saw a pained look skitter across Christina’s face. “Oh, don’t tell me that I’ve actually hit a nerve.”

  Sighing, Christina said, “I don’t want to talk about Lex Saddler right now. I came by to take a short breather before I make the trip back to the Sandbur. I’ve finished interviewing two of the three men that were with Paul Saddler the day he drowned.”

  Olivia’s expression turned serious. “Oh. Did you glean anything from them?”

  Wearily, Christina leaned her head against the back of the couch. She didn’t know why she was so exhausted. Normally, she thrived on this part of investigating, but for some reason, leaving Lex and the Sandbur behind had been even harder this last time.

  “I believe the men I spoke to are telling the truth about what they saw that day of the accident.”

  “So you couldn’t trip them up—get them to change their testimony?”

  “No. Oh, they both wavered a little from the initial facts they’d given twelve years ago. But I’m mainly going on their behavior as a whole. They both seemed genuinely sorry that Paul was gone.”

  “Hmm. Well, you ought to know. You’ve always had a canny knack for reading people.”

  Christina grimaced. She hadn’t read Mike’s true colors. And she wasn’t sure she was seeing the real side of Lex, either.

  “What about the third one?” Olivia asked.

  “Lawrence Carter,” Christina said. “Unfortunately, he’s still out of town on business. And he’s actually the one I wanted to talk to the most. So the meeting with him is on hold for right now.”

  Olivia’s eyes narrowed. “Does he have a wife?”

  Christina nodded. “He’s got one now, but the one he was married to at the time of Paul’s death divorced him not long afterwards. Whether there was some sort of connection there, it’s impossible to say. I’d like to talk to that particular woman, but from what I can gather, she’s moved to California. Anyway, he’s currently married to a loud woman, who’s beginning to get suspicious about me coming around asking to see her husband.”

  Olivia suggested, “Perhaps you should fly out to California and find the first wife. I’m betting she could tell you plenty.”

  Squaring around to face her friend, Christina sighed. “I still have a bit of work to do on Paul’s things before I take that step. Besides, the only thing Lawrence Carter might be guilty of is taking a fishing trip with his friends.”

  Olivia nodded, then reached over and briefly squeezed her hand. “I’ve never seen you looking this tired, Chrissy. Haven’t you been feeling well?”

  “I’m fine. It’s been—hectic this past week, and the weather has been so darn hot. What about you? Has the Miers case gone to trial yet? I know you’ve been worried about it.”

  Olivia said, “It starts tomorrow morning. That’s why I’m here and probably will be here until twelve or one tonight. I’m not ready by any means. I can’t find one witness to corroborate my client’s alibi. Hell, I can’t even find one person willing to be a character witness. On the outside, he appears to be a scumbag, but on the inside, I think he’s just a scared little boy that got caught up in the wrong crowd. But that’s another story.” She smiled brightly as she ran her gaze up and down Christina. “Tell me where you found that sexy dress. I love it!”

  Christina glanced down at the blue dress that Lex had given her. The garment was special to her, and she intended to enjoy it, even if she didn’t know if their relationship would end as soon as Paul Saddler’s case was finalized.

  “Oh, I—picked it up down in Corpus this past week,” she said as casually as she could.

  Olivia continued to study her as though she were on the witness stand. “So you’ve been to Corpus, too. You’re a lady on the move.”

  Christina shrugged. “Unfortunately, this case covers a lot of area.”

  “Well, I’m sure Mrs. Saddler is taking care of all your expenses. How do you like her?”

  Christina’s smile was genuine. “I like her very much. She makes no bones about speaking her mind, and that suits me. But I hardly ever see the woman.”

  “And her son?”

  Groaning loudly, Christina rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “I told you that I didn’t want to talk about him.”

  “That’s exactly why I do want to talk about him.”

  “Why do you have to be such a—lawyer?” Christina countered. “You think you have to cross-examine everyone that gets near you.”

  A wan smile touched Olivia’s pretty face. “Only the ones I care about.”

  Olivia did care, Christina realized. She was one of the few people who would always be there for her through thick and thin, no matter what.

  Restless now, Christina left the couch and walked over to the plate glass. The scene below was beautiful, with the narrow river lined with tropical trees and plants. Currently, people were gathered around park benches, cooling themselves in the shade. This city had always
been her home, and she loved it, yet she was already yearning to head south to the Sandbur. To Lex. How could she have changed so much in such a short time?

  “Okay, I’ll just come straight out and tell you that I—I think I’ve fallen in love with the man.”

  Olivia’s loud gasp had Christina turning to face the other woman.

  “In love!” Olivia sputtered. “Are you serious? I was just hoping you’d been having a little fun with the man. And you hit me with something like this!”

  Christina groaned again. “I realize it sounds crazy—”

  “No, not crazy. Just unexpected,” Olivia interrupted. “I mean, since you left Mike, you’ve been so determined to remain single and independent.”

  A chilly hand touched her heart, and she quickly looked back toward the river so that her friend couldn’t see the pain on her face. “I figure I’m still going to remain single and independent.”

  “Why?”

  She swallowed. “I don’t think Lex Saddler is the marrying sort. And I’m stupid to let myself feel anything for him in the first place.”

  “Oh, honey, we don’t let ourselves feel anything. That just happens whether we want it to or not.”

  Frustrated tears burned the back of her eyes as she looked over her shoulder at Olivia. “If that’s true, then why do I have to feel things for the wrong kind of man? You would’ve thought Mike had taught me a lesson,” she said, with a great deal of self-directed sarcasm.

  Leaving the couch, Olivia walked up behind her. “Let’s forget about your past for a minute. What about Lex? Why are you so sure he’s not the marrying kind? Has he already been burned by one marriage?”

  Christina shook her head. “No. As far as I know, he’s never so much as had a fiancée. Just a string of girlfriends a mile long.” Shoving a hand through her tousled red hair, she looked at Olivia. “He cares very much for his family and the ranch, but he says he’s never been in love, and frankly, I don’t think he ever will be.”

  Olivia frowned. “Honey, you could be wrong about him. I can’t see you falling for a man that is incapable of loving.”