The Rancher Returns

by Brenda Jackson

  She snuggled closer, needing his heat. Needing a reminder of how much she had been desired. “No apology needed. I liked it.”

  “I was rough.”

  “You were good as usual.” He had needed her, just like he’d said. Layla had felt that need with every stroke.

  “I lost control,” he admitted in a low voice. “That’s never happened to me before. Hell, Layla, I didn’t even take time to put on a condom.”

  She’d noticed. Had exhilarated in the feeling of being skin to skin with him. Had loved the moment he had blasted off inside of her. The feel of his hot release had felt so right. How could she tell him that? But she knew she had to.

  She lifted her face from his chest, met the dark eyes staring down at her. “I liked the feel of you inside me without a condom, Gavin. And don’t worry about me getting pregnant. Although I was never sexually active, I decided to get the birth control implant anyway. Better to be safe than sorry. I didn’t have to think about it, not like the pill where you have to remember to take one every day.” She paused. “And I’m healthy so you don’t have to worry about me giving you anything.”

  He shifted their positions in bed, slipping his arms around her and holding her close. “I’m healthy, too, and you don’t have to worry about me giving you anything, either.”

  He then cupped her chin. “Although I didn’t like being rough with you, I enjoyed making love to you without a condom, too.”

  And then he didn’t say anything and she didn’t, either. She figured he needed the silence. But when it stretched for what she thought was too long, she moved to lie on top of him and stared into the face she loved so much.

  “Talk to me, Gavin. Tell me what you’re feeling.”

  A part of her wondered what right she had to stick her nose into his business, to assume he wanted to tell her anything. But another part of her knew she couldn’t let him withdraw. Just like he’d needed her physically, she wanted him to need her emotionally, as well.

  She knew his eyes well. Just as well as she knew the shape of his mouth and the fullness of those lips that had kissed her earlier. He would try to fight her on this but she wouldn’t let him. He’d been by himself this way for so long she figured it was hard for him to allow another person into his space. Especially a woman. But she had news for him. She wasn’t just any woman. She was the woman who loved him.

  And for some reason, although he’d never given her reason to say the words, a part of her believed he knew how she felt. A part of her wanted to believe that he knew she wouldn’t share her body with just anyone. This wasn’t just an excavation fling for her. It was more. But maybe he didn’t know. Men had a tendency to be dense when it came to the I-love-you stuff.

  “For a minute I felt like a loose cannon, Layla,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “So out of control. I could have snapped and killed Lott with my bare hands. It would have given me pleasure to hear the sound of his neck breaking.”

  His words, spoken with deep emotion, invaded her mind. She had felt his anger and she’d seen how he’d managed to hold it in check after hearing everything the man had said. Of course the sheriff had been there to stop Gavin from taking matters into his own hands. And his SEAL teammates had been there, too, although she wasn’t sure if they would have stopped him or helped him.

  “But now you know the truth, Gavin. Your mother never left you and your dad, after all. She’s been here all this time. Here on the Silver Spurs.”

  She watched his eyes flash with confusion. She explained further. “You remember when you told me how the south pasture was your favorite area and your father’s, as well. How the two of you would often camp out there. How you loved the feel of sleeping under the stars?”

  “Yes.”

  “I want to think that although the two of you didn’t know it, the reason that area meant so much was because your mom was there. She was there, Gavin, and when you were there, without knowing it, you were close to her.”

  She saw the moment when her words sank in. Something broke within him. His eyes might not have been expressive to others but they were expressive to her. Without saying anything, he cupped the back of her neck and brought her mouth down to his. Their tongues tangled in a mating so intense that when he finally released her mouth, she felt light-headed and breathless.

  Layla was glad she had given him something to think about. But she knew he must still feel guilty over what he’d believed all these years—that his mother had deserted him and his father. His next words proved her right.

  “But I didn’t know, Layla. I thought she had gone. I thought she was living another life somewhere without us. I thought—”

  She placed a finger to his lips. “What you thought was understandable. You were only a child when she disappeared. But your dad knew his wife. He knew their love. He always believed she would come back. And she did. In fact, she never left. She’s been here for the two of you the entire time. And I know she was proud of your dad and was just as proud of you. The man you’ve become.”

  He pulled her close, buried his face in her neck. And she held him. Held him tight and near her heart. A part of her wanted to tell him now how much she loved him, but she knew it wasn’t the time. That admission would come later. For now this was what he needed. To know she was here and that he wasn’t alone.

  * * *

  Bane’s ringtone woke Gavin and he glanced out the window as he sat up. It was daybreak. “Yes, Bane?” He nodded. “We’re on our way.”

  When he clicked off the phone, he said, “Let’s get dressed. Both your team and mine are ready. Now they have two treasures to find.”

  A short while later, Gavin pulled his truck to a stop in front of what Layla knew should have been the excavation site. Instead it resembled a crime scene with yellow tape marking the area. Upon hearing the sound of the truck, everyone turned their way. A blanket of snow covered the hillside and forecasters predicted even heavier snow by the weekend. They would need to work quickly.

  Layla saw her students standing in a huddle. They’d probably heard what was going on and were trying to figure out how they’d slept through it all. She also saw Ms. Melody standing close to Caldwell, the man’s arms wrapped protectively around her. Nothing discreet there. If anyone hadn’t realized they were a couple before, they sure knew it now.

  Roy was talking on the phone and Gavin’s teammates stood next to the digging equipment. She wondered if they’d gotten any sleep, although they looked wide-awake and ready for any action that might come their way.

  She’d been so busy observing everyone that she’d failed to notice that Gavin had gotten out of the truck until he was opening the passenger door. He leaned over her to unsnap her seat belt and then effortlessly lifted her out of her seat. “Thanks,” she said, when he’d placed her on her feet.

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Taking her hand, he walked to where the others were standing. His grandmother left her place by Caldwell’s side and walked over to Gavin. He released his hold on Layla’s hand and pulled Ms. Melody into a big hug. Giving the two some privacy, Layla joined her students. She figured they would have a lot of questions.

  After talking to her team, she returned to Gavin and his teammates. Coop explained how they’d fingered Sherman Lott as the bad guy. “After you told us about the footprint and how it was apparent more pressure was being placed on one foot than the other, we knew we were looking for someone with a leg injury or some kind of impairment and who was wearing worn shoes. When we saw Lott’s shoes and saw him rubbing his leg more than once, I got suspicious. I offered him my chair so he wouldn’t have to stand. I told him that I noticed his leg seemed to be bothering him. That’s when he said it occasionally did and was the result of a horse riding accident years ago.”

  Coop then nodded for Bane to continue.

  “Last night afte
r everyone had gone to bed,” Bane said, taking up the tale. “Mac and I decided to go to Lott’s ranch and snoop around, to see if we could find the kerosene can. Imagine our surprise when we got there and saw him loading up a kerosene can onto his truck, with plans to head back over to your place to burn down the shack. We called Coop and told him to contact you and to call the sheriff. Lott was caught red-handed about to pour kerosene around the shack to torch it.”

  Roy approached with an angry look on his face. “What’s wrong, Roy?” Gavin asked.

  “One of the disadvantages of a small town is not having manpower when you need it,” Roy said, drawing in a deep breath. “I talked to the sheriff in Palmdale and he said it would be four to five days before their dive team could get here.”

  Gavin nodded as if he wasn’t concerned with that news. “Is there any reason we can’t start digging?” he asked.

  Roy frowned. “Yes, there’s a reason. This is a crime scene.”

  Gavin shook his head. “Technically it’s not. Although I believe everything Lott said, until I find my mother’s body there’s no proof a crime has been committed. Besides, I’d rather be the one to find her, Roy. And those students over there are entitled to their treasure hunt.”

  Roy didn’t say anything for a minute and then nodded. “Okay, but I will stay here to help and step in if any evidence is found.”

  “Absolutely,” Gavin assured him.

  Roy drew in a deep breath and ordered one of his deputies to remove the yellow crime scene tape.

  * * *

  Less than an hour later, the remains of Jamie Blake were found. And within twenty feet of where she’d been buried, a strongbox filled with gold pieces—Jesse James’s loot—was also recovered.

  Deciding not to wait on the dive team from Palmdale, Flipper had jumped into Lott’s lake without any diving gear. When he hadn’t resurfaced in five minutes, Roy became worried. Gavin and his other teammates had not. They explained that although the water was icy cold and Flipper had been under longer than normal, Flipper was far from ordinary. They were proven right when a short while later Flipper resurfaced with the license plate he had removed from the car. The license plate was identified as that registered to Gavin and Jamie Blake.

  The charges against Sherman Lott were changed from suspicion of murder to murder.

  Eighteen

  Layla stood at the window. It was snowing and what had begun that morning as small flakes was now huge and covering the earth in a white blanket. Four days had passed since the dig, and activities on the Silver Spurs were returning to normal. Once Gavin’s mother’s remains had been unearthed, the town’s coroner had been called and the yellow tape had been reerected. But not before Jesse James’s strongbox filled with gold bars had been uncovered.

  The Silver Spurs became the focus of two big news stories—a decades-old murder and the first recorded discovery of Jesse James’s loot in the state of Missouri. No-trespassing signs had been posted when the media had converged on the ranch.

  Gavin had given his one and only statement regarding the recovery of his mother’s remains. “I am glad the truth about my mother’s disappearance was discovered and I hope Sherman Lott rots in hell.”

  A news conference had been held regarding the discovery of Jesse James’s loot, which was making international news. Dr. Clayburn arrived in town and tried to claim the university was associated with the dig. Layla refuted his statement since she had documentation in the form of an email from both Dr. Clayburn and the president of the university advising of her termination prior to the dig. The following day, the two men were in even more hot water when photographs surfaced of the two of them involved in illicit affairs with female students. Not surprisingly, Tammy was in many of the photographs, arriving and leaving various hotels with both men.

  Layla didn’t have to guess where the photographs had come from. Apparently Donnell and some of the other students had exposed the sordid activities. Within twenty-four hours of the photographs being splashed across the front page of the Seattle Times and making the national news, the two men, along with a few other faculty members, had turned in their resignations.

  Donnell, Wendy and Marsha had joined Layla at the news conference and were acknowledged for their participation on the dig. The Missouri Archaeological Society had authenticated the loot as that stolen by Jesse James from the Tinsel Bank.

  Already offers of employment from numerous universities had arrived for Layla, in addition to offers of book deals and television interviews. Yesterday she’d received a call from her grandmother and one from her parents. She had been surprised when her parents told her how proud they were of her. They’d even said she’d done the right thing by following her own dream and not theirs. They invited her to spend the holidays with them in DC.

  She drew in a deep breath and moved away from the window to sit on the bed she’d just left a few moments earlier. She had awakened to find Gavin gone. He must have left to check on the ranch with his men. Even with the no-trespassing signs clearly posted, a couple of reporters and their camera crews had encroached on the property only to have Gavin’s men run them off again.

  The coroner had released his mother’s remains and yesterday morning a private memorial service had been held. Jamie Blake had been reburied beside her husband in the family cemetery. Layla had stood beside Gavin along with his grandmother, Caldwell and Gavin’s teammates. Even his commanding officer had flown in to attend the service.

  After dinner, Gavin’s teammates left to return to their various homes, but not before each one had given her a huge hug and told her how glad they’d been to meet her. She had gotten to know the four well and could see why they and Gavin shared such close relationships. Bane, Coop, Flipper and Mac were swell guys who were fiercely loyal to each other. She couldn’t thank them enough for their part in recovering Jesse James’s loot.

  Now that the dig was over, Layla could feel Gavin withdrawing from her. She had tried ignoring it but she knew something was bothering him. She thought it was related to his mother but, to be totally honest, she wasn’t sure.

  There was no reason for her to remain on the ranch any longer and she had mentioned that she would be leaving in a couple of days to return to Seattle. She had hoped he would ask her to stay but he hadn’t. Instead he’d merely nodded and hadn’t said anything else about it. Was that his way of letting her know she had outstayed her welcome?

  The thought that he wanted her to leave his ranch had tears welling up in her eyes. She’d known when she fell in love with him that there was a big chance he wouldn’t love her back. So why was the thought that he didn’t breaking her heart?

  The time they had spent together on the Silver Spurs had been special but now she had to move on.

  * * *

  Gavin placed his coffee cup on the table, stared at his grandmother and then asked, “What did you just say?”

  Melody Blake smiled brightly. “You heard me right, Gavin. Caldwell asked me to marry him. This was his third time asking and I finally said yes. We don’t want to make a big fuss about it and Reverend Pollock agreed to perform the ceremony next weekend. I’ll be moving into Caldwell’s place afterward.”

  Gavin didn’t say anything for a long moment. He was happy for his grandmother and Caldwell. It was about time. “Congratulations. I’m happy for you, Gramma Mel. Caldwell is a good man and I believe the two of you will be happy together.”

  “Thank you. What about you? What are your plans regarding Layla?”

  He lifted his coffee cup and took a sip before saying, “What makes you think I have any?”

  His grandmother frowned. “Don’t try pretending with me, Gavin Timothy Blake III. You love Layla. You’ve admitted as much. I would think you’d want to take the next step.”

  Yes, he had admitted it to her and he didn’t regret doing so. “So
metimes taking the next step isn’t always possible.”

  “Why not? I’d think you’d want something permanent between the two of you.”

  He shook his head. “Layla and I are very different. Dad took Mom out of a big city and brought her here and she was miserable. Layla is from Seattle. She’d be just as unhappy and miserable here as Mom was.”

  “Have you talked to Layla about it? Have you asked her how she feels?”

  “No.”

  “Then maybe you should. You’re basing your opinions on assumptions. I know for a fact Layla loves the Silver Spurs. She said as much.”

  “But that doesn’t mean she loves me. If she doesn’t love me, then there’s nothing to hold her here. She’s gotten a lot of job offers from a number of big universities, including Harvard. All we have in Cornerstone is a small college. Why would she settle for that?”

  “Well, I think you’ll be making a big mistake if you don’t talk to her about it, tell her how you feel. Let her decide what she wants to do. You might discover that she loves you as much as you love her.”

  * * *

  An hour or so later, Gavin entered the party house. He removed his hat and shook off the snow from his jacket before hanging both items on the rack.

  The first thing he noticed as he headed for the kitchen was that the curtains were still closed. Everything was just as he’d left it at daybreak, which meant Layla hadn’t gotten up yet. Placing the box containing the breakfast his grandmother had prepared on the table, he moved down the hallway to the bedroom. Opening the door, he stuck his head inside and saw Layla curled up in bed still sleeping.

  The bad weather had pretty much dictated that everyone stay inside. He knew his men had a card game going and he could certainly join them. But he much preferred staying here and joining Layla, right in that bed. What if Gramma Mel was right? What if Layla wanted to stay on the Silver Spurs with him? Would it be fair to ask her to stay when a call from his commanding officer meant he would drop everything for a covert operation? Would she want that?