by Karen Anders
Instead, he slapped her on her shapely backside and got out of bed. “Oh, I beg to differ on that front, lady. You’ve got plenty going for you.”
She jumped at his playful slap and rubbed her butt. “I think I like waking up in your arms, cowboy. I think I like that a lot.” Her eyes went over him in a slow, heated slide.
He set his hands on his waist and grinned. “Now you’re dealing your blows beneath the belt,” he growled.
She waggled her brows. “I happen to enjoy what you’ve got below the belt, McCord.”
He shook his head, his heart squeezing. “Sassy. So damn sassy.”
She giggled and it sounded so lighthearted.
“Get dressed before I do forget about your reputation and haul you back into this bed.” The sensual threat hovered between them for a moment, and then she sighed.
As he rounded the bed toward the bathroom, she stood up, grumbling, “Promises, promises.”
He changed direction and grabbed her around the waist and hauled her against him. She gasped as his mouth came down on hers, then groaned. They spent another fifteen minutes kissing the stuffing out of each other.
He pulled away and grinned, gave her another quick kiss, then turned her around and gave her a push toward the bathroom. “You can go first.”
He watched her bend to pick up her discarded clothing and cross to the bathroom door, appreciating the rear view, appreciating the lazy, loose-hipped way she moved. He wondered what she would look like pregnant.
Caught square in the gut by that random thought, he clenched his jaw and turned back to the bed, wishing he could punch someone. He knew what was building in him and it was moonbeams and fairy tales if he thought there was any way he was going long term with Alanna, no matter how he felt about her. She was right. There was no magic, only hard, cold reality.
He knew all about that from experience.
Fully dressed, they crossed the stable area with no one but the horses seeing their progress. Up the back road to the quiet and dark house, they climbed the stairs to the back patio, skirting the pool to her suite of rooms. “How did you know which room was mine the other day?”
“I didn’t. I took my chances. I knew you were housed in the left wing. I’m just lucky I didn’t knock on Fowler’s door.”
She laughed at that, finding it extremely funny. “You would have had some ’splaining to do,” she said, wiping her eyes.
They stopped outside the door. “I had a good time, Jake. I will admit rubbing ointment into your shoulders was just a ruse to get inside to talk to you.”
Hooking his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans, Jake watched her, his expression light. “Sassy and underhanded.”
“Guilty.” The longing on her face made his heart trip a little.
“Come here, sweetheart,” he whispered.
She didn’t hesitate and went right into his arms. He shifted, widening his stance, when she slipped her arms around his waist and turned her face against him. Resting his jaw against her head as he began slowly massaging the small of her back, Alanna tightened her arms around him and Jake could detect a light quivering in her, as though she had been braced for pain that hadn’t materialized. Shifting his hold, he cradled her head firmly against him and brushed a gentling kiss against her temple, his expression unsettled.
He didn’t know what in hell was going to happen to them. And if he’d realized anything during the past few days, it was that he wasn’t sure what kind of future they had, if any. He suspected when she found out about why he was there and who he really was, that would be it.
Was he a fool to hope for a different outcome?
Would she see he was just doing his job and everything he’d said and done had been out of a genuine and real respect for her and who she was? Or would she cut him loose, her anger and betrayal too much for her to overcome?
He gave her a reassuring hug and pressed his mouth against her hair. He shifted his hold and turned slightly, keeping her against him for a few more minutes.
Alanna exhaled heavily and reluctantly eased back in his embrace. Hooking his knuckles under her chin, Jake lifted her face and made her look at him, the heavy feeling in his gut intensified when he saw her give him a sweet smile. “You are something. You know that, Jake?”
He held her gaze for a moment, then tightened his hold on her jaw and brushed a soft kiss against her mouth.
“Yeah, and life’s a bitch, isn’t it?” he whispered huskily.
Alanna gave a shaky laugh and stared up at him, the look in her green eyes warm and intimate. “You just figuring that out, huh?”
He held her gaze, the corner of his mouth lifting a little. “Quick, aren’t I.”
“So very,” she said as she eased out of his arms and opened the door, slipping inside. She stood there for a moment staring at him. She touched the glass and he raised his hand and pressed it firmly to the pane.
She blew him a kiss and disappeared inside.
Something stirred in him, something that was a direct result of Alanna Colton and her courage and determination. Maybe he should reassess his life? Maybe if he took a look at what he was doing, he would discover it wasn’t something he wanted to continue to do? Maybe he’d been hooked too long ago to know what it was he was getting himself into. Maybe, just maybe, as a result, he could change his life.
His gut clenched with the thought and how it would affect his dad, but maybe it was way past time to have a talk with him about Matt, about how Jake felt about everything now.
He entered the apartment and the sound of a coffee grinder broke the stillness, shattering his thoughts. Ellen smiled at him. “Up early again. Went for a little walk? It’s breathtaking when the sun comes up. The sky has such a way with its good-morning colors.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, if you’re going up. Would you mind telling Dylan that Buck was by? He wants him to help out on the cattle ranch today. They’re going to be shorthanded.”
“No problem.” He headed up the stairs and stopped on the second floor. Walking down the hall toward Dylan’s suite, his boot kicked something metallic on the floor just outside his door and it jingled as it resettled after getting punted. He bent down and picked it up.
It was a wire bracelet with Marceline in diamond-filled gold lettering.
As he stood there, absorbing that information, Henry Swango came out of his room and Jake tucked the bracelet in his side pocket and knocked on Dylan’s door. Henry gave him a hostile look as he turned and headed for the stairs.
Dylan pulled the door open as Henry disappeared from view.
“Hey, Jake.”
“Hey, Buck wants you to head over to the cattle ranch after breakfast. They’re shorthanded today.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks for the info.”
“Sure.” As Dylan went to go back in his room, Jake pulled out the bracelet. “Dylan, do you know Marceline Colton?”
Dylan laughed and shook his head. “No. Like a wealthy Colton would ever give me the time of day.”
“Yeah, right,” Jake agreed. “See you around.”
If she wasn’t hooking up with Dylan, that meant she was here—he glanced at Henry’s door—to speak with Henry? Maybe Marceline’s hands weren’t quite clean. Maybe she had hired Henry to do away with her father. She had no alibi and she hated him. She was one of the prime suspects. He couldn’t help but wonder if this had anything to do with Alanna and how it might tie into this witness allegation.
After all, Alanna seemed to be sure Marceline might be trying to frame her. She also pointed fingers at her stepmother, Whitney, but it wasn’t her bracelet that was found outside a suspected felon’s door.
His cop instincts heightened, he stepped over to Henry’s door. But at that moment he heard voices on the stairs and decided to leave it for now. He headed for his own room to shower and change. He had work to do today. Worry gnawing at him, he entered his room.
If he did this by the book, he would get probable cause to searc
h Henry’s apartment and turn that into the form of a warrant. At this point, he had nothing but his own suspicions to go by and the orders from his boss to let this go for now. He decided quietly snooping around was a good use of his time. Maybe he would get lucky and find something in Henry’s room he could bring to Alanna’s attention and at least get the man thrown off the ranch.
But if Henry endangered Alanna or any innocent civilian on this ranch, all bets were freaking off. He’d blow his cover in a heartbeat and collar the lowlife before he let him harm anyone.
And if he threatened Alanna, he’d kill the bastard outright.
Chapter 11
Alanna strolled down Main Street in the heart of the district. The narrow tree-lined route favored by pedestrians was also home to sidewalk restaurants, basement nightclubs and retail stores, but Alanna was here for a purpose, not to shop. She adjusted her dark sunglasses, her hair tucked under a brown Stetson as she cut through Pegasus Plaza framed by the Magnolia Hotel, Iron Cactus Restaurant, Adolphus Tower and the Kirby Building onto Commerce and walked to a high-rise overlooking the JFK Memorial Plaza.
She entered the building, stopped at the front desk and smiled at the receptionist. “Daisy Martin to see Rebecca Stratton.”
The woman gave her a bright smile and consulted her computer as Daisy, aka Alanna, signed in. “She’s expecting you. Go right on up.”
Alanna headed for the elevator and went to the correct floor. As the doors opened a large sign in metallic letters read Rebecca Stratton & Associates. She made her way to the door with Rebecca’s name engraved in gold, then gave a cursory knock and entered at the request. A woman in her late forties with deep red hair and a still-trim figure in a dove-gray suit rose when she saw Alanna, her eyes widening.
Alanna closed the door and smiled.
Rebecca’s voice a sultry alto, she said with a quirk of her brow, “I wasn’t expecting you. Are you my ten o’clock?”
“Yes. Sorry for the secrecy and the alias, but I want to make inquiries and the Colton name makes everyone sit up and take notice.”
Rebecca came around the desk as Alanna experienced a rush of adrenaline and the thought: Was she really going to do this? At this point, she was just going to look. There wasn’t a commitment. She took off the hat and sunglasses. “Well, you are being so dramatic about it, it’s making my day. I feel like I’m in a spy novel.” She hugged Alanna then indicated a seat.
Becca watched her with an indulgent maternal look, then gave her a feral smile. “Don’t tell me you want to sell Colton Valley Ranch?”
“Ha!” Alanna’s stomach jumped and the knot that had been there ever since she made the decision to come into Dallas and talk to her father’s real estate agent and friend about changing her life and taking a chance...on herself. “No. I couldn’t even if I wanted to.”
“I’m so heartbroken over Eldridge. He is one of my dearest friends and quite the character. Has there been any news?”
“He’s very fond of you, too, Becca, and no. He’s still missing.”
Rebecca stared at her for a moment, her expression intent. She sat back, the panoramic view of the city behind her through the large windows. “What can I do for you?”
Alanna looked away, trying not to let her throat cramp up. It took a minute, and then she answered, her voice as strong as she wanted it to be. “I want to look into midsize properties that have either stables already on the property or lend themselves to building stables.”
“Oh my God, you’re going out on your own? Good for you! I take it Fowler has been throwing his weight around now that he’s completely in charge?”
She couldn’t keep the surprise from her face. “Yes, and nothing is going to change and I’m tired of being second-guessed and discounted.”
Rebecca had a deep, throaty laugh. “My dear, I’ve known that boy since he was in diapers. He’s a damn tyrant.” She reached out across the desk and opened her hand. “Let’s talk about your price limit and the location.”
Alanna never hesitated. Jake was right. It was time for her to make a stand. She would make sure she had a backup plan before she made her ultimatum. But if Fowler didn’t listen to her and give her the respect she was due, she would walk. She leaned forward, a smile sliding across her face as Rebecca’s eyes lit up and she placed her hand in Rebecca’s.
An hour and a half later with her hat and sunglasses in place she was once again traveling down Commerce Street. In the distance the early lunch crowd was milling about and all of a sudden Alanna saw a bald head bob in the crowd and her heart skipped a beat. She froze on the sidewalk, staring at the place where she’d seen him.
There was something endearingly familiar about the man’s short, skinny frame. Could it be?
She surged forward as the man faded into the crowd. She hurried and passed the place where she’d seen him. Stopping to catch her breath and search Pegasus Plaza, she whipped around looking for that shiny pate.
She saw him again, but he ducked past a planter and she lost sight of him. Taking off again, she raced across the plaza and made a sharp turn around the planter, almost running over a woman with a baby in a stroller. She apologized quickly, searching again as the man exited the plaza onto Main Street, disappearing around the corner of the building.
Her mouth dry and her heart pounding, she sprinted and came around the corner at a fast run only to run right into him as he was searching his pockets. He caught her against him and they stumbled around in a little off-kilter dance until they caught their balance.
She looked up into his face, her breath caught in her throat only to discover it wasn’t her father. Deep disappointment washed through her, fighting to contain the nearly unbearable ache in her throat and her chest.
It wasn’t her father, but an elderly man who stared down at her with a kind, fatherly smile on his face.
“You all right there, miss?”
“Yes,” she said as he let her go, stepping back and swallowing against the awful feeling of distress. She shivered and cupped her hands on her upper arms, trying to hold everything in. “I’m so sorry.”
“That’s quite all right,” he said, then started walking away from her down the street.
She’d held all the fear and worry at bay, sure that something would turn up, but it had been too long since her father had gone missing and it was unlikely...without the ransom note... Oh, God, she felt the tears and the grief rising in her as she went in the opposite direction. When she reached her car, she climbed inside and pressed her head to the steering wheel, working hard to keep the dread and the reality at bay.
He wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be.
But if that was the case, where was he? Why hadn’t they been contacted?
What the hell had happened to her father?
It was then that she acknowledged how much she loved him, regardless of the rumors of his background, regardless of how he treated her like a little girl when she was a grown woman. He was her dad and she was worried sick and she wanted him back.
She hit the steering wheel several times, the tears starting to fall in silent tracks down her face.
She wanted him back, now!
Hard on the heels of grief for her father came the one sure fact that twisted her up even tighter.
Would Jake stay? Would he brave her family and her status and her wealth to remain with her? Would he deal with her family for the rest of his life? Could she hold on to what they had, or as a Colton heiress would that mean she’d have everything but the one thing she wanted?
Love.
And she could so love him. It would be so damn easy. He pushed her out of her comfort zone, he made her think, grounded her. Oh, God, she caught her breath on a soft sob. He grounded her.
Yet, she could only think about what the risk was to her heart. Had to assess that to remain sane. Last night was so beautiful. His dark gaze filled with need, his hand sliding up between her legs, and all she could do was watch his face—so striking, his hair so silky
beneath her fingers, his eyes so deep set, so thickly lashed, so intensely focused on her.
She was on the verge of giving him everything...all her secrets, all her heart. And that was the risk, wasn’t it?
She was already sliding, had really moved over the halfway mark and was going downhill fast.
She had no idea if he would stay and that was the biggest risk yet.
Could she ask him?
Could she go so far out on that ledge to risk a terrible, terrible fall?
*
It was after lunch when Alanna finally showed up at the arena, and it only took one look at her face to know something serious had happened. She tried to pull off that she was just fine, but there was something about her that made Jake’s gaze narrow. She met his glance when she first came in, and the hollowness in her eyes made his gut clench. It was heartache he saw—deep, gut-wrenching heartache. That glimpse dazed him, and as he stood on the concrete walkway, his hand resting on the low wall, he felt like someone had just clipped his legs out from under him.
Without thinking, he went after her. Grabbing her arm from behind, he hauled her into an empty stall and into the corner where no one could see them, then caught her by the back of the head and she wrapped her arms around his neck. After getting rid of her hat and tossing it aside, he wrapped her in a tight embrace. He didn’t say anything; he just held her tightly. It took a while, but finally the rigidness left her body, and she drew a deep, wobbling breath and loosened her arms around him slightly.
He pressed a kiss against her neck, then snuggled her closer to his warmth. He knew better than to ask her what was wrong. Alanna was like a horse that was green and real jumpy—he didn’t want to do anything that would make her pull back. Resting his jaw against her head, he rubbed his hand against her firmly muscled hips.
She murmured, “You’ve got being a good guy down pat.”
“Doesn’t make me a hero, darlin’.”
She gave a shaky laugh and slid her bare hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “Oh, yes, it does, McCord.”
He mimicked her hold, then leaned back and grinned at her. “If you say so, boss lady, but why do I always have these wicked, wicked thoughts in my head.”