“Our father called me.”
Rico tensed when he heard Savannah’s voice. He sat back down and leaned back in his chair. “He called me as well, but I didn’t give him a chance to say anything,” he said, trying to keep his anger in check.
“Same here. I wonder what he wants, and I hope he doesn’t try contacting Jessica. How long has it been now? Close to eighteen years?”
“Just about. I couldn’t reach Jessica today, but I did talk to Chase. He said Jess hadn’t mentioned anything about getting a call from Jeff Claiborne, and I think if she had, she would have told him,” said Rico.
“Well, I don’t want him upsetting her. She’s pregnant.”
“And you have a lot on your hands with a new baby,” he reminded her.
“Yes, but I can handle the likes of Jeff regardless. But, I’m not sure Jessica can, though. It wasn’t our mother who committed suicide because of him.”
“I agree.”
“Where are you?” Savannah asked him.
“Forbes, Texas. Nice town.”
“Are you on a work assignment?”
“Yes, for Megan,” he replied, taking a sip of his beer.
“Is she there with you?”
Rico’s eyebrows shot up. “No. Should she be?”
“Just asking. Well, I’ll be talking with—”
“Savannah?” he said in that particular tone when he knew she was up to something. “Why would you think Megan was here with me? I don’t work that way.”
“Yes, but I know the two of you are attracted to each other.”
He took another sip of his beer. “Are we?”
“Yes. I noticed at Micah’s wedding. I think everyone did.”
“Did they?”
“Yes, Rico, and you’re being evasive.”
He laughed. “And you’re being nosy. Where’s Durango?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Outside giving Sarah her riding lessons.”
“Tell him I said hello and give my niece a hug.”
“I will…and Rico?”
“Yes?”
“I like Megan. Jess does, too.”
Rico didn’t say anything for a long moment. He took another sip of his beer as he remembered the kiss they’d shared a couple of days ago. “Good to hear because I like her, too. Now, goodbye.”
He clicked off the phone before his sister could grill him. Glancing around the restaurant, he saw it had gotten crowded. The hotel had recommended this place, and he was glad they had. They had served good Southern food, the tastiest. But nothing he ate, no matter how spicy, could eradicate Megan’s taste from his tongue. And personally, he had no problem with that because what he’d said to Savannah was true. He liked Megan. A capricious smile touched his lips. Probably, too damn much.
He was about to signal the waitress for his check when his phone rang. He hoped it wasn’t Savannah calling back being nosy. He sighed in relief when he saw it was Martin Felder, a friend who’d once worked with the FBI years ago but was now doing freelance detective work. He was an ace when it came to internet research. “Sorry, I meant to call you earlier, Rico, but I needed to sing Anna to sleep.”
Rico nodded, understanding. Martin had become a single father last year when his wife, Marcia, had died from pancreatic cancer. He had pretty much taken early retirement from the Bureau to work from home. He had been the one to discover information about Clarice’s pregnancy.
“No problem, and I can’t tell you enough about what a great job you’re doing with Anna.”
“Thanks, Rico. I needed to hear that. She celebrated her third birthday last week, and I wished Marcia could have been here to see what a beautiful little girl we made together. She looks more and more like her mom every day.”
Martin paused a minute and then said, “I was on the internet earlier today and picked up this story of a woman celebrating her one-hundredth birthday in Forbes. They were saying how sharp her memory was for someone her age.”
“What’s her name?” Rico asked, sitting up straight in his chair.
“Fanny Banks. She’s someone you might want to talk to while in town to see if she remembers anything about Clarice Riggins. I’ll send the info over to you.”
“That’s a good idea. Thanks.” Rico hung up the phone and signaled for the waitress.
A few moments later, back in his rental car, he was reviewing the information Martin had sent to his iPhone. The woman’s family was giving her a birthday party tomorrow so the earliest he would be able to talk to her would be Saturday.
His thoughts shifted to Megan and the look in her eyes when she’d tried explaining why it was so important for her to be there when he found out information on Raphel. Maybe he was being hard-nosed about not letting her help him. And he had given her fair warning about how much he wanted her. They’d kissed, and if she hadn’t realized the intensity of their attraction before, that kiss should have cinched it and definitely opened her eyes.
It had definitely opened his, but that’s not all it had done. If he’d thought he wanted her before then he was doubly certain of it now. He hadn’t slept worth a damn since that kiss and sometimes he could swear her scent was in the air even when she wasn’t around. He had this intense physical desire for her that he just couldn’t kick. Now he had begun to crave her and that wasn’t good. But it was something he just couldn’t help. The woman was a full-blown addiction to his libido.
He put his phone away, thinking Megan should have arrived at Clint’s place by now. It was too late to make a trip to Austin tonight, but he’d head that way early tomorrow…unless he could talk himself out of it overnight.
And he doubted that would happen.
Five
“I can’t eat a single thing more,” Megan said, as she looked at all the food Alyssa had placed on the table for breakfast. It wouldn’t be so bad if she hadn’t arrived yesterday at dinnertime to a whopping spread by Chester, Clint’s cook, housekeeper and all-around ranch hand.
Megan had met Chester the last time she’d been here, and every meal she’d eaten was to die for. But like she’d said, she couldn’t eat a single thing more and would need to do some physical activities to burn off the calories.
Clint chuckled as helped his wife up from the table. Alyssa said the doctor claimed she wasn’t having twins but Megan wasn’t too sure.
“Is there anything you need me to do?” she asked Alyssa when Clint had gotten her settled in her favorite recliner in the living room.
Alyssa waved off Megan’s offer. “I’m fine. Clint is doing great with Cain,” she said of her three-year-old son, who was the spitting image of his father. “And Aunt Claudine will arrive this weekend.”
“How long do you think your aunt will visit this time?” Megan asked as she took the love seat across from Alyssa.
“If I have anything to do with it, she won’t be leaving,” Chester hollered out as he cleared off the kitchen table.
Megan glanced over at Clint, and Alyssa only laughed. Then Clint said, “Chester is sweet on Aunt Claudine, but hasn’t convinced her to stay here and not return to Waco.”
“But I think he might have worn her down,” Alyssa said, whispering so Chester wouldn’t hear. “She mentioned she’s decided to put her house up for sale. She told me not to tell Chester because she wants to surprise him.”
Megan couldn’t help but smile. She thought Chester and Alyssa’s aunt Claudine, both in their sixties, would make a nice couple. S
he bet it was simply wonderful finding love at that age. It would be grand to do so at any age…if you were looking for it or interested in getting it. She wasn’t.
“If it’s okay, I’d like to go riding around the Golden Glade, especially the south ridge. I love it there.”
Clint smiled. “Most people do.” He looked lovingly at Alyssa. “We’ve discovered it’s one of our most favorite places on the ranch.”
Megan watched as Alyssa exchanged another loving look with Clint. She knew the two were sharing a private moment that involved the south ridge in some way. They made a beautiful couple, she thought. Like all the other Westmoreland males, Clint was too handsome for his own good, and Alyssa, who was even more beautiful while pregnant, was his perfect mate.
Seeing the love radiating between the couple—the same she’d witnessed between her cousins and their wives, as well as between her brothers and their wives—made a warm feeling flow through Megan. It was one she’d never felt before. She drew in a deep breath, thinking that feeling such a thing was outright foolish, but she couldn’t deny what she’d felt just now.
As if remembering Megan was in the room, Clint turned to her, smiled and said, “Just let Marty know that you want to go riding, and he’ll have one of the men prepare a horse for you.”
“Thanks.” Megan decided it was best to give Clint and Alyssa some alone time. Cain was taking a nap, and Megan could make herself scarce real fast. “I’ll change into something comfortable for riding.”
After saying she would see them later, she quickly headed toward the guest room.
* * *
One part of Rico’s mind was putting up one hell of an argument as to why he shouldn’t be driving to Austin for Megan. Too bad the other part refused to listen. Right now, the only thing that particular part of his brain understood was his erection throbbing something fierce behind the zipper of his pants. Okay, he knew it shouldn’t be just a sexual thing. He shouldn’t be allowing all this lust to be eating away at him, practically nipping at his balls, but hell, he couldn’t help it. He wanted her. Plain and simple.
Although there was really nothing plain and simple about it, anticipation made him drive faster than he should. Slow down, Claiborne. Are you willing to get a speeding ticket just because you want to see her again?
Yes.
He drew in a sharp breath, not understanding it. So he continued driving and when he finally saw Austin’s city-limits marker, he felt a strong dose of adrenaline rush through his veins. It didn’t matter that he still had a good twenty minutes to go before reaching the Golden Glade Ranch. Nor did it matter that Megan would be surprised to see him, and even more surprised that he would be taking her back with him to Forbes to be there when he talked to Fanny Banks.
But he would explain that taking her to meet Fanny would be all he’d let her do. He would return Megan to the Golden Glade while he finished up with the investigation. Nothing had changed on that front. Like he’d told her, he preferred working alone.
He checked the clock on the car’s dashboard. Breakfast would be over by the time he reached the ranch. Alyssa might be resting, and if Clint wasn’t around then he was probably out riding the range.
Rico glanced up at the sky. Clear, blue, and the sun was shining. It was a beautiful day in late September, and he planned to enjoy it. He pressed down on the accelerator. Although he probably didn’t need to be in a hurry, he was in one anyway.
A short while later he released a sigh of anticipation when he saw the marker to the Golden Glade Ranch. Smiling, he made a turn down the long, winding driveway toward the huge ranch house.
* * *
Megan was convinced that the south-ridge pasture of the Golden Glade was the most beautiful land she’d ever seen. The Westmorelands owned beautiful property back in Denver, but this here was just too magnificent for words.
She dismounted her horse and, after tying him to a hitching post, she gazed down in the valley where it seemed as though thousands upon thousands of wild horses were running free.
The triplets, Clint, Cole and Casey, had lived on this land with their Uncle Sid while growing up. Sid Roberts had been a legend in his day. First as a rodeo star and then later as a renowned horse trainer. Megan even remembered studying about him in school. In their uncle’s memory, the triplets had dedicated over three thousand acres of this land along the south ridge as a reserve. Hundreds of wild horses were saved from slaughter by being shipped here from Nevada. Some were left to roam free for the rest of their days, and others were shipped either to Montana, where Casey had followed in her uncle’s footsteps as a horse trainer, or to Denver, where some of her cousins and brothers were partners in the operation.
Megan could recall when Zane, Derringer and Jason had decided to join the partnership that included Clint, their cousin Durango, Casey and her husband, McKinnon. All of the Westmorelands involved in the partnership loved horses and were experts in handling them.
Megan glanced across the way and saw a cabin nestled among the trees. She knew it hadn’t been here the last time she’d visited. She smiled, thinking it was probably a lovers’ hideaway for Clint and Alyssa and was probably the reason for the secretive smile they’d shared this morning.
Going back to the horse, she unhooked a blanket she’d brought and the backpack that contained a book to read and a Ziploc bag filled with the fruit Chester had packed. It didn’t take long to find the perfect spot to spread the blanket on the ground and stretch out. She looked up at the sky, thinking it was a gorgeous day and it was nice to be out in it. She enjoyed her job at the hospital, but there was nothing like being out under the wide-open sky.
She had finished one chapter of the suspense thriller that her cousin Stone Westmoreland, aka Rock Mason, had written. She was so engrossed in the book that it was a while before she heard the sound of another horse approaching. Thinking it was probably Clint or one of the ranch hands coming to check on her, to make sure she was okay, she’d gotten to her feet by the time a horse and rider came around the bend.
Suddenly she felt it—heat sizzling down her spine, fire stirring in her stomach. Her heart began thumping hard in her chest. She’d known that she would eventually run in to Rico, but she’d thought it would be when she made an appearance in Forbes. He had been so adamant about her not coming to Texas with him that she’d figured she would have to be the one to seek him out and not the other way around.
Her breasts began tingling, and she could feel her nipples harden against her cotton shirt when he brought his horse to a stop beside hers. Nothing, she thought, was more of a turn-on than seeing a man, especially this particular man, dismount from his horse…with such masculine ease and virile precision, and she wondered if he slid between a woman’s legs the same way.
She could feel her cheeks redden with such brazen thoughts, and her throat tightened when he began walking toward her. Since it seemed he didn’t have anything to say, she figured she would acknowledge his presence. “Rico.”
He tilted his hat to her. She thought he looked good in his jeans, chambray shirt and the Stetson. “Megan.”
She drew in a deep breath as he moved toward her. His advance was just as lethal, just as stealthy, as a hunter who’d cornered his prey. “Do you know why I’m here?” he asked her in a deep, husky voice.
Megan she shook her head. “No. You said you wanted to work alone.”
He smiled, and she could tell it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “But you’re here,
which means you didn’t intend on letting me do that.”
She lifted her chin. “Just pretend I’m not here, and when you see me in Forbes, you can pretend I’m not there.”
“Not possible,” he said throatily, coming to a stop in front of her. Up close, she could see smoldering desire in the depths of his eyes. That should have jarred some sense into her, but it didn’t. Instead it had just the opposite effect.
Megan tilted her head back to look up at him and what she saw almost took her breath away again—hazel eyes that were roaming all over her, as if they were savoring her. There was no way she could miss the hunger that flared in their depths, making her breath come out in quick gulps.
“I think I need to get back to the ranch,” she said.
A sexy smile touched his lips. “What’s the rush?”
There was so much heat staring at her that she knew any minute she was bound to go up in flames. “I asked why you’re here, Rico.”
Instead of answering, he reached out and gently cradled her face between his hands and brought his mouth so close to hers that she couldn’t keep her lips from quivering. “My answer is simple, Megan. I came for you.”
He paused a moment and then added, “I haven’t been able to forget that kiss and how our tongues tangled while I became enmeshed in your taste. Nothing has changed other than I think you’ve become an addiction, and I want you more than before.”
And then he lowered his mouth to hers.
He knew the instant she began to lose control because she started kissing him back with a degree of hunger and intimacy that astounded him.
He wrapped his arms around her waist while they stood there, letting their tongues tangle in a way that was sending all kinds of sensual pulses through his veins. This is what had kept him up nights, had made him drive almost like a madman through several cities to get here. He had known this would be what awaited him. Never had a single kiss ignited so much sexual pressure within him, made him feel as if he was ready to explode at any moment.
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