by Lori Foster
His frown deepened. “No one you need to know about. I made it clear you weren’t free—like we agreed, right?”
“Uh, right.” Morgan was in a very strange mood, she decided. It was almost as if he was…jealous.
“It’s Nate’s fault. He’s running around telling people we hardly talk, much less act involved.”
“Nate, your deputy?”
“Yeah.” Morgan looked suspicious. “And that reminds me, has Nate been flirting with you?”
Startled, Misty shook her head. She’d met Nate her first day on the job. He was a good-looking young man, not a whole lot taller than she was, with brown hair and green eyes and full of smiles. He’d asked her to lunch during her break, but she’d declined, choosing instead to eat at her desk—an apple and a peanut-butter sandwich she’d packed. After that, Nate usually brought a bagged lunch, too, and visited with her while they ate.
Morgan generally had appointments during that time and ate on the road. The amount of community work he did astounded her.
Morgan gave her a long sigh. “Are you sure?”
She scoffed at him. “He’s only a boy, Morgan.”
“He’s twenty-two years old, Malone, old enough to be my deputy, and only two years younger than you.” Morgan’s tone was exasperated. “Would you even realize it if Nate was flirting?”
“Well, I assume so.”
Morgan put one arm on the wall beside her head. “For some reason, I think you’re just oblivious to the way you affect men.”
“Maybe that’s because, so far, you’re the only one claiming to be affected. That only makes you the oddity, Morgan, not the norm.”
He didn’t look at all insulted by her comment. His large hand spread out over her middle, making her suck in her breath as a shock of awareness rolled through her. His fingertips, angled downward, nearly touched her hipbones. His palm was hot and firm against her.
Very softly he asked, “Now, how can that be true, when I know for a fact at least one other man chased you down? You didn’t get pregnant all by yourself.”
She couldn’t reply. So many feelings swamped her at once, it was difficult to sort them out. In the past, every relationship she’d shared had started because she wanted someone to call her own, because she’d believed women were supposed to share their lives with men. It wasn’t because she found a man irresistible and craved his company.
She no longer felt she needed or wanted a man in her life, and she’d decided she was better off on her own. But how she felt around Morgan was so different from those other relationships. She did crave him, and ignoring Morgan was like trying not to breathe—impossible.
By reflex, she put her hand over his, intending to pull it away, but instead, she held it tighter to her. “Kent…Kent was like most men, saying the right things to get my attention. I wanted to believe that he cared, so I did. But he never really wanted me, not like—” She stammered into silence and blushed.
Morgan gave her a satisfied smile. “You mean, like I do?”
How could he expect her to answer that? “All he really wanted,” she said, ignoring his question and her embarrassment, “was the convenience of being with one woman. He never really cared about me.”
“He was obviously a goddamned fool.”
She looked up at him, then felt snared in his gaze. “Men flirt by nature. It doesn’t mean anything. And it doesn’t matter who the woman is or what she looks like.”
“There’s flirting, and then there’s flirting.” Morgan gave her a small smile. “You can believe I’ve never disabled another woman’s car, or dragged her into a gazebo.”
Misty managed a laugh. “No, probably it was the women dragging you into private places.”
Morgan’s fingers on her abdomen began a gentle caress that made it difficult for her to remain still. “Let’s try this from another angle, okay? Forget Kent—he’s not worth mentioning. And he’s hardly a good example of the male species. Agreed?”
“Agreed.”
“So. Has Nate been hanging around your desk? Talking to you a lot? Has he asked you out?”
She could barely think with his palm pressed so intimately to her body. Her khaki slacks weren’t much of a barrier. And she could feel his breath on her cheek, could smell the delicious scent of cologne and soap and man. His wrist was so thick where she held him, her fingers couldn’t circle it completely. “Um, yes, yes and no.”
He nuzzled his nose against hers. “Yes and no what?”
“Yes, he talks with me, and yes, he stops by my desk. Just about everyone who comes into the station does.”
Morgan dropped his forehead to hers. “I need to put a paper sack over your head. I hadn’t realized it, but I’d have been better off hiding you away here at the house.”
Misty couldn’t help but smile. “No, he hasn’t asked me out. He invited me to lunch once, but that hardly counts as a date. That was just a friendly visit between employees. I think he gets lonely at lunchtime, because now he usually eats at the station with me.”
Morgan looked at her like she was a simpleton. “He’s flirting, Malone.”
“No, he’s not.”
Morgan drew an exasperated breath and shook his head at her. “I’m going to put a stop to it.”
“Jesse and Howard are always there. And don’t you dare suggest they’re flirting, too.”
He tipped his head back and groaned. “I’m surprised every single male in the area isn’t there hanging on your damn desk. From now on, I’m going to make sure I’m around to take you to lunch. And stop shaking your head at me!”
“Morgan, you’re being unreasonable.” But deep inside, she was pleased by his jealousy. She had to admit that maybe, just maybe, she was fighting a losing battle.
“I want to make sure you eat right.”
“Uh-huh. I can tell that’s your motivation.” Misty quit denying him. “If you want to take me to lunch, that’s fine with me.”
“Then it’s settled.” Triumph shone in his gaze. “And about damn time, too.”
“You know, Morgan, if everyone found out I was pregnant, that’d likely put an end to any interest—imagined or otherwise.”
Morgan kissed her brow, then her nose. “Don’t count on it. It didn’t do a damn thing to make me want you less.”
He was about to kiss her again, and she was about to let him, when Sawyer emerged from his bedroom and glanced at them.
“A little rendezvous in the hall?” he asked.
Misty felt like kicking Morgan. How did she always end up in these awkward situations when he was around? “Did we wake you?”
“Nope, I had early appointments this morning. The honeymoon is over now that a flu bug has started making the rounds.”
That sounded innocuous enough, and Misty sighed. “Well, I need to get going, anyway. I was just on my way out.”
Morgan tipped his head. “Didn’t you need something from your room?”
She closed her eyes. She’d come to her room just to escape him, but she wouldn’t admit that in front of Sawyer, who showed no signs of giving them any privacy. With a weak smile, she said, “Whatever it was, I’ve forgotten.”
She darted around Morgan and made a beeline past Sawyer. She was almost out of hearing range when Sawyer said, “You’ve got her on the run, Morgan. I just wonder if that was your intent.”
MORGAN GLARED at his brother. “I know what I’m doing.”
“And what exactly is that?”
They both left the hall in the direction of the kitchen. The smell of coffee was tantalizing, and Morgan needed a shot of caffeine to boost him. Unfortunately, Jordan was still there, the cat on his lap.
“You,” Morgan said, effectively distracted, “were ogling Misty when I walked in.”
Jordan shrugged, then said to Sawyer, “She’d climbed under the desk to get the cat for me.” His grin was unholy. “She has a damn fine bottom.”
Morgan felt ready for murder. “Keep your eyes off her bottom.”
Sawyer filled his coffee cup then sank into a chair. He blew on the coffee to cool it, showing no interest in Jordan’s gibe.
Which of course didn’t stop Jordan. “Yep, I think he must be sick. Half the time I see him, he’s got this glazed look in his eyes. And once or twice, I’ve actually caught him smiling.”
Sawyer laughed. “No! Morgan smiling? That’s absurd.”
Morgan came half out of his seat, and Jordan held up a hand, grinning. “No, don’t throttle me. I’m on my way out the door right now. I just hung around to tell you…goodbye.” He stood, the cat tucked under his arm, and grabbed his keys hanging by the door. “I’ll see you all later.”
As the door closed behind him, Morgan muttered, “Good riddance.”
“Quit being such a grouch, Morgan. I survived, so I’m certain you will, too.”
“Survived what? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Falling in love.” Sawyer added quickly, “No, don’t give me all your excuses. I’ve heard them all and even made up half of them. It’ll do you no good.”
Morgan felt like an elephant had just sat on his chest. He wheezed, then managed to say, “I am not in love.”
“No? Then what would you call it? Lust?”
“What I’d call it is no one’s business but my own.”
“I think Honey might disagree with you there. She loves her sister more than you can imagine. I think they spent the longest time with no one but each other. Right now, Honey’s convinced you’re an honorable, likable gentleman. But if you hurt Misty, she’ll take you apart. And I can tell you right now, there’s not a damn thing I could do about it.”
“I keep telling you that you should control your wife.”
“Spoken like a true bachelor.”
“Besides, I’d never hurt Malone.”
“Oh? You think having an affair with you won’t hurt her? She’s been through enough, Morgan. Did you know she went to her father and he offered not an ounce of comfort? Honey told me about it. It seems he was more disappointed with her than anything else.”
Which, Morgan assumed, pretty much guaranteed she wouldn’t bother him with her arrest and conviction. She’d known without asking that her father wouldn’t assist her, or even take her side. Morgan shook his head, feeling that damn pain again. Misty had come to the only person she could really count on: her sister. And thank God she had.
Sawyer frowned at him. “She needs some stability, Morgan, not more halfhearted commitments.”
Morgan downed half his coffee, burned his tongue and cursed in the foulest of terms. Sawyer never said a word. “Look, Sawyer, she doesn’t want a commitment, all right? She told me that herself. She’s sworn off men.”
“Hate to break it to you like this, Morgan, but you’re a man.”
“That’s not what I meant! What we feel—well, it’s mutual. Only she doesn’t want to get overly involved.” Almost as an afterthought, he added, “Any more than I do.”
“I thought you wanted to get married?”
He shook his head, wondering if Sawyer was rattling him on purpose. “I want a wife like Honey.”
Sawyer spewed coffee across the table. Morgan gave him a look then handed him a napkin. “I said a wife like her, not Honey, herself. I want someone domestic and settled and sweet….”
“You don’t think Misty fits the bill? What, she’s not sweet? She’s got a nasty temper?”
“I never said that,” he ground out between clenched teeth. He thought Misty Malone was about the sweetest woman he’d ever met, even if her temper rivaled his own. Or maybe because of her temper. He almost grinned. “You keep forgetting, Misty doesn’t want to get married. She’s told me that plain as day.”
Suddenly Sawyer’s eyes widened. “Good God. You’re afraid.”
Morgan slowly stiffened, and he felt every muscle tense. In a low growl, he asked his brother, “Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?”
Sawyer waved a hand, dismissing any threat. “You’re afraid you’ll ask her and she’ll turn you down.”
Even his damn toes tensed. “You’re a doctor of medicine, Sawyer, not psychology. There’s a good reason for that, you know.”
Sawyer started to laugh. “I don’t believe this. Women have been chasing you for as long as I can remember, and now here’s one you’ve got cornered, keeping her as close as you can get her, but you’re afraid of her.”
“Honey’s not going to like you much with a bloody nose.”
Morgan hadn’t actually raised a hand in anger toward any of his brothers since his early teens. He assumed that was why Sawyer so easily ignored his warning.
Sawyer was still laughing, and Morgan decided it was time to change the subject. “She’s taken another job.”
That shut him up. “Misty quit working for you?”
“No, she took a second job. But should she be doing that in her condition?”
“Her condition isn’t exactly debilitating,” Sawyer pointed out, then with curiosity: “What job did she take?”
“She’s working at the diner.” Morgan knew he sounded disgruntled, but damn it, he didn’t want her working two jobs. And he sure as certain didn’t want her out there where anyone and everyone from town would be able to look her over. The woman didn’t know her own appeal. Before she’d even be aware of it, she’d find herself engaged again. Morgan wasn’t about to let that happen.
“From what she said, I gather she plans to work there an additional six or so hours, all in the evening. I think it’s too much.”
Sawyer frowned in thought. “She’s a healthy young woman, and her pregnancy is still in the early stages, so it probably won’t bother her right now. But when she gets further along, there’s a good chance her ankles will swell and her back will hurt if she stays on her feet for that long.”
“Maybe you should try talking to her.” Morgan thought it was a terrific idea, and his mood lightened. “You’re a doctor. She’d listen to you.”
“I’m not her doctor, so it’s none of my business. Come to that, it’s none of your business, either.”
“Hmm. She hasn’t mentioned seeing a doctor at all. And shouldn’t she be taking vitamins or something?”
Sawyer gave it up. “Why don’t you ask her about it. I can give her the vitamins, but she should have regular checkups with an obstetrician. Being she’s new in the area, I could recommend someone.” As an afterthought, Sawyer asked, “How far along is she?”
“I think she said around three months. Why?”
Sawyer finished his coffee and stood. “No matter.” He looked his brother over carefully. “I’ve got to get to work. Are you going to be okay?”
Morgan immediately frowned again. “I’m fine, damn it.”
“Just asking.” He turned to go, but hesitated. “Morgan? At least think about what I said, all right? If you wait too long to figure things out, you could blow it. And I can only imagine what a miserable bastard you’d be in that case.”
Morgan watched him go, thinking that marriage had made Sawyer more philosophical than usual. Then he thought of Misty at the office, with Nate and Jesse and Howard all sucking up to her. He saw red.
Howard and Jesse were old enough to be her grandfathers, and she was right when she said Nate wasn’t much more than a kid.
It was a sad day when he got jealous over the likes of them, but Morgan admitted the truth—he was jealous. Viciously jealous. He didn’t want anyone looking at her, because he knew good and well that any red-blooded male, regardless of his age, would be thinking the same erotic things he thought.
Jealousy was new to him. He’d been dating women since before he was Casey’s age, and never once experienced so much as a twinge. If a woman wasn’t interested, he moved on. If she was, they set up ground rules and had some fun. The twist w
ith Misty was that she was interested, but she’d rather deny them both because she’d been burned and she didn’t want to get involved. Morgan had thought that the promise of an uninvolved relationship might suit her, but so far she’d turned that down, too.
Was Sawyer right? Was Misty only trying to protect herself from being hurt again? He knew having a record wasn’t something she’d ever be able to accept, so he’d set things in motion on that front. He didn’t believe she was guilty, but he had a hunch who was. He’d hired a few men to check into it, and now it was only a matter of waiting to see if he was right.
Maybe once that was taken care of, she’d stop holding back on him. If he could only get her to see how good things would be between them…. What? He’d get her to marry him?
Morgan thought about that, then nodded. Life with Misty would be one hell of a wild ride. He grinned with the thought. She was spicy and enticing and sweet and stubborn, and he wanted her so bad he couldn’t sleep at night.
Morgan stood and picked up his hat, then snatched his keys from the peg on the wall. It was well past time he got a few things clear with her. Tonight, when he took her to his house, he’d stake a claim. He’d show her that they were a perfect match and when she got used to that, he’d reel her in for the permanent stuff.
In the meantime, he’d shore up his cause by showing her how gentle and understanding he could be. He’d even make a point of not frowning and maybe, just maybe, she’d stop fighting him so hard and then he could quit feeling so desperate, because he sure as certain didn’t like the feeling one damn bit.
9
MORGAN’S better intentions were put on hold when he found a woman with a car full of kids and a flat tire waiting on the side of the road. She’d been on her way home from grocery shopping when the tire blew. Unfortunately, her spare wasn’t in much better shape. Morgan called in to Misty, told her why he’d be late and asked her to postpone his morning meeting with the town trustees.
She’d sounded a little frazzled when he called, but he didn’t have time to linger and find out why. He bundled the woman, her children and her flat, as well as her worthless spare, into the Bronco and drove to her house. The kids, ranging in age from one year to twelve, had screamed and yelled and generally enjoyed the excitement of being in the sheriff’s car. Morgan wondered if he ought to make that a regular part of the Blackberry Festival. He and his deputy could take turns giving the kids a ride around the town square.