The Sheriff Catches a Bride

by Cora Seton

  Damn it, why was he being so gentle? She wanted all of him. Right now. She wanted it so badly she couldn’t wait another minute. Her breath expelled in a rush when he bent his head and took one nipple into his mouth. He sucked it to a stiff peak, then transferred his attention to the other one. Down below, he withdrew from her again.

  Rose whimpered in disappointment and Cab chuckled above her. “What’s wrong?” he asked softly and she opened her eyes.

  “I want you,” she said, brimming with frustration.

  “Like this?” He nudged her a little. She nodded.

  “This?” He pushed inside a little more. She nodded again, her breasts rising and falling with her quickening breaths.

  “What about this?” He pushed into her all the way and Rose arched back. Now Cab held nothing back, stroking in and out of her, crushing her under his weight, surrounding her with his arms as he stoked the fires within her to a raging blaze.

  “Please,” Rose gasped out when she thought he might slow down again. She spread her legs wider, lifted her hips to meet his and cried out when he increased his pace. She’d never felt so filled by a man, so worshipped by one. Never felt so possessed.

  Cab slowed down and timed his strokes long and even. Rose came to herself a little more, opened her eyes and warmed to see him gazing back at her. He watched her watching him as he sped up a little and then a little more. Rose, mesmerized, couldn’t look away. She wanted him to see how utterly open to him she was. Wanted him to know how she felt.

  She kept her gaze locked on his, even when he picked up speed and his strong strokes set her alight. Even when she arched and writhed with each of his movements. Even when one last, deep stroke brought her over the edge and she cried out. Cab was fast behind her, his own grunts of pleasure mixing with hers. He drove into her with unbridled passion and she met him stroke for stroke, calling out again and again until he’d wrung every ounce of passion from her. With a final grunt, Cab shuddered against her, and collapsed on top of her, pinning her to the bed.

  Rose welcomed his weight, welcomed the reminder of how tightly they had joined. She wrapped her arms around his waist and relished the feel of his skin under her fingers. A moment later he pushed up on one arm, allowing her to breathe more freely. “Was that okay?” he asked softly, tracing a finger around one curving breast.

  She shivered at his light touch. “More than okay.”

  “I didn’t hurt you?”

  “No.” A smile curved her lips. “That definitely did not hurt.”

  “Good,” Cab said, and turned on his side, pulling her close against him. As his arm went around her, she relished the solid feeling of his chest under her cheek. She could hear his heartbeat again and it was as strong as last time. Cab was a man to depend on.

  A man she could love.

  He stroked her hair as she stilled and considered that thought. Could she love Cab?

  Should she?

  Hadn’t she just broken off her engagement with Jason? Wasn’t she supposed to take some time to find herself? What happened to all her clear-headed thoughts about spending time alone, finding a new job, devoting herself to her painting, and creating her own life before she became part of a couple again?

  And here she was in Cab’s bed not a full day after splitting up with Jason. Was she one of those women who couldn’t be alone for a minute? What was wrong with her?

  It felt so good to be here, though. So right. Cab wasn’t Jason—he wouldn’t abandon her.

  But he could easily dominate her. Not in a crazy caveman way, but because he was such a strong-willed, powerful man with an urge to keep her safe from the evil that he knew all too well lurked in the world. How could she maintain her boundaries with a man like that? Especially when he was sexy, intelligent, and drove her crazy with longing for his touch?

  As her heart rate slowed and her mind cleared, she realized she was following a very familiar pattern. As soon as she broke free from one strong-willed person in her life, she found another one to step in and take over. If she dated Cab, would his controlling behavior escalate? Would he use his dealings with criminals on the job as an excuse to tell her what to do the way Emory had used his OCD tendencies?

  And what about school? Now that Jason wasn’t in the picture anymore, this was her opportunity to go. All the money she’d saved in an account toward their wedding and home could be put to use securing her education. Would Cab stand in the way of that?

  Suddenly, Cab’s muscular body half-draped over her felt confining. She wiggled to create some space between her and Cab, but he just snuggled her closer. She wiggled again. “Cab?”

  “Hmm?”

  “I need to go.”

  He shifted a little. “Bathroom’s just down the hall.”

  “I know,” she said, but she took the opportunity to slide out from under his arm and off the bed without clarifying what she meant. Glancing around, she realized she had no clothes in here; she’d left them in the billiard room. She grabbed one of Cab’s flannel shirts that hung from his closet doorknob and threw it around her shoulders. Its tails fell practically to her knees. Scooting out the bedroom door, she retraced their steps to the billiard room and stopped in the face of their earlier games. Most of her clothes were still piled on the armchair. The rest were scattered about the floor.

  Cab had bent her over that pool table. She’d knelt over there beside it and taken him into her mouth.

  She blushed a little to think how she’d bared herself entirely to him and how the whole experience had thrilled her to the core. She liked Cab a lot and she wanted to explore a relationship with him. Still, she needed him not to overwhelm her newfound independence.

  She dressed herself in a few moments, moved out into the kitchen and collected her purse. She hesitated, not knowing what to do next. If she returned to Cab’s bedroom she had a feeling she’d find it hard to ever leave. On the other hand, she had to say good-bye and tell him clearly what she wanted. To date. To get to know him. Maybe more.

  It occurred to her now that so far she and Cab had done everything out of order. First she needed to make a plan for her life and get over Jason. Then they should date a while. Only after they’d spent time together should they tumble into bed.

  Too late.

  “Where are you going?” Cab leaned against the doorway to the kitchen. He’d found his jeans, or maybe grabbed a new pair, but his feet were still bare. So was his broad chest.

  “I… don’t know,” she said. “I need to… do something.”

  He waited for her to go on and when she didn’t, he said, “Did we just ruin things, Rose?”

  “No!” She hadn’t meant to blurt it out like that, but she didn’t mind when Cab smiled.

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “You remember what I was talking about with Autumn and Claire and Morgan the other day?” She twined the strap of her purse in her fingers anxiously.

  “About attracting people who boss you around?”

  “Yes.” It warmed her that he knew exactly what she meant. Cab was observant, and it seemed he’d been observing her for a while. “It’s because I don’t know who I am yet. I don’t have my boundaries set up.”

  “And that’s why you’re leaving?”

  She nodded. “So I can work on setting them up.”

  He scratched his chin. “I don’t suppose you’ll let me help you, either?”

  “That’s kind of the whole point of boundaries,” she said. “To keep people on the other side.”

  “I’m glad you let me inside your boundaries just now,” he said, the corners of his mouth turning up.

  “Yeah, well… I’m glad, too,” she said softly.

  “Come here.” He straightened up. Rose went to him and leaned against his bare chest as he enfolded her in an embrace. “You really do attract people who tell you what to do, don’t you?” He chuckled. Rose swatted him.

  “If they tell me what to do and it’s what I want to do anyway, then I don’t mind
doing it.”

  “Spoken just like a woman.” He leaned back to get a better look at her. “Do you really have to go? I could be up for another game of pool.”

  “I just bet you could.” Rose gave him one last kiss and pushed him away. “I really have to go.”

  “When will I see you again?”

  She glanced around, realizing she had another icy cold night ahead of her in her tree house, and she’d have to rush to get more supplies down the highway if she wanted to get back before dark. Should she just stay here with Cab and forget all about establishing her own identity?

  No. What Autumn said was true. First she had to find herself. Then maybe someday she could give herself heart and soul to Cab.

  ‡

  Chapter Eleven

  Fila was disappointed when Catherine left the bus in the wee hours of the morning to head back to her college. She missed her company. She envied her, too. From her descriptions, Catherine’s life sounded like a heavenly mixture of learning and carefree playtime. She attended classes, studied in her afternoons, then went dancing, or to concerts, or to plays or to dinner. A whirlwind of parties and social occasions.

  All that had been taken from Fila when she’d left for Afghanistan. She hadn’t attended school since she was twelve. She knew she must be as ignorant as a child compared to someone like Catherine. Would she someday go to a college or university? She didn’t see how; first she’d have to catch up with all the other students who’d graduated from high school. Traveling across North Dakota, the gray skies outside her window matched the fears and sorrow within her heart. What if this was all for nothing? What if no one in Montana would help her? What if the United States wasn’t her home anymore?

  What if Wahid found her?

  At a small station in Dickinson, North Dakota, a new bunch of passengers boarded the bus and a man in a tan cowboy hat paused in the aisle next to Fila’s row, stowed his duffel bag on the rack above them, sat down heavily in the empty seat beside her and rested his hat in his lap.

  Fila cringed away from the cowboy. It was the first time a man had done such a thing since she stepped onto the AirTrain at JFK airport. She’d always tried to sit near other women, and when she hadn’t, no man had taken the empty seat next to her. Now what should she do?

  A quick glance around the bus told her she had no options. There were only a couple of empty seats left, situated next to men who looked less trustworthy than this one. She inched as far away from him as she could get in her seat and clasped her fingers tightly together in her lap. There were still almost five hours to go on this trip. Could she survive that long sitting next to this… man?

  “I don’t bite,” he drawled, startling her. He cocked his head and looked at her. “I mean it. I don’t bite. You can relax over there. In about five minutes I’ll be asleep and the only thing you’ll have to worry about is if my snoring keeps you awake.” He smiled at her and it wasn’t the lascivious grin of a man with mischief on his mind. It was a friendly smile, although he looked somewhat strained. Like maybe he hadn’t gotten much sleep recently. Fila relaxed a little bit, but only a little bit.

  “I’m heading to Billings,” he added. “After that you’ll be quit of me.”

  “That’s where I’m going,” she said, then bit her lip. Why had she suddenly developed this bad habit of blurting out facts no one else had the right to know?

  “Usually I drive myself, but my truck’s in the shop, and I couldn’t wait anymore.” His face fell and he smoothed the brim of his hat with a thumb and forefinger. “Nope, need to go home and see things for myself.”

  “Your home is in Montana?” Fila asked, surprising herself. When was the last time she’d questioned a man? Her Taliban relatives in Afghanistan wouldn’t stand for it.

  He nodded after a moment. “My father is there. So is my fiancée. My ex-fiancée, I guess.” He sighed heavily. Looked her way again. “Name’s Jason. Jason Thayer.” He put out his hand.

  She shook it uncertainly, almost paralyzed when she couldn’t remember the proper etiquette for this situation. Did American women shake hands? Of course they did. Right? Yes.

  Jason’s hand enveloped hers, warm and dry and strong. He shook her hand and let it go, as easy as that. Fila felt a resurgence of confidence.

  “And you are…” Jason prompted.

  “Fila.” Surely this close to her goal she could use her name without fear. Or maybe not. Had she just compromised herself?

  “What sends you to Montana? Family?” He seemed eager to talk. Perhaps eager to distract himself from thoughts of the woman who was no longer his fiancée.

  “I’m going to meet someone who’s been very special to me. Someone who helped me,” she said.

  Jason sat back. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”

  She allowed herself a small smile. “There is. Unfortunately I can’t share it.” Did his shoulders slump? Had he wanted to know more about her? Somehow the idea of catching a man’s attention thrilled her just a little bit. Scared her, too. Back in the village men ignored her utterly, or if they didn’t, it meant trouble. “I’m not sure if the woman I’m going to see wants me to tell it.”

  “Fair enough.”

  She searched for something else to say. “Tell me about your fiancée.”

  It was the right question to ask. Jason launched into a detailed description of a woman named Rose Bellingham, his high school sweetheart. “We grew up together in Chance Creek. I’ve known her since I was five years old…”

  Fila didn’t hear any more past Chance Creek. This man was from Chance Creek. He was going there now. As long as she stuck close to him she’d reach her destination.

  “Tell me, have you heard of Aria Cruz?” she interrupted him, all thoughts of keeping her plan secret fleeing from her mind. “Do you know her daughter?”

  “Claire? Sure, I know Claire. And Morgan, too.”

  Fila began to cry.

  “What gives with you and Rose?” Jamie said. He, Cab and Ethan stood beside a corral on the Cruz ranch, blowing on their hands and watching Rob put a gelding through its paces. Jamie usually took first crack at the new horses they acquired, but this one was meant for the rodeo, and the rodeo was Rob’s department.

  “We’re friends,” Cab said. He tried hard to suppress a grin. Failed.

  Ethan chuckled. “More than friends, maybe?”

  “Maybe,” Cab conceded. He wasn’t one to kiss and tell, but this one time he wished he could. What a story he had. Better than any of the tall tales Rob and Jamie had swapped over the years.

  “Not that it’s any of my business, but what about Jason?” Jamie said, resting a boot on the lowest rail of the corral.

  “That’s over.”

  “Happy to hear that. It’s about time you found yourself a woman.”

  “Are you all talking about Cab and Rose?” Rob shouted from atop the gelding. He reined it in to a stop. “Don’t talk about Cab and Rose without me!”

  Here it comes, Cab thought.

  Rob urged the gelding closer to the fence. “Jason’s going to have something to say about the two of you when he gets home.”

  “He’s not coming home,” Cab said. “Rose broke up with him.”

  “You sure about that? It’s almost Thanksgiving. Jason might stay away the rest of the year, but he’s always home for Thanksgiving.”

  “How the hell do you know that?” Jamie said, cocking his hat back to reveal his untidy dark hair.

  Rob tapped a finger to his temple. “My mind is like a steel trap. I remember everything.”

  “You remember everything?” Ethan said, straightening. “You sure about that?”

  “Positive.”

  Ethan held up his left hand, tapped his watch. “Remember what time you’re supposed to meet Morgan?”

  Rob glanced at his own wrist. “Shit. Jamie, take over.”

  Jamie climbed the fence with alacrity and dropped into the corral. A minute later he sat atop the horse and Rob joined them
outside the enclosure. “If Morgan calls, I’m on my way,” he said and slapped Cab on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. If it comes down to a fight between you and Jason, my money’s on you.”

  “Thanks,” Cab said as he and Ethan watched him take off toward the driveway in a loping run. Soon his Chevy pulled out into the lane in a cloud of dust.

  “My money’s on you, too,” Ethan said. “Not in a fight, but as the better man for Rose.”

  “That right?” It meant a lot to him to have Ethan on his side.

  “She belongs here, not in some oil town in North Dakota. Besides, I’ve seen how she looks at you.”

  Cab glanced at him in surprise. “Looks at me?”

  “Yep.” Ethan grinned.

  “The thing is,” Cab said, willing to discuss this only with Ethan; not with Rob or Jamie. “She keeps talking about needing to find herself. She says she doesn’t want a man who’ll tell her what to do.”

  Ethan rested his elbows on top of the fence and considered this for a moment. “Uh oh.”

  “Uh oh?” Cab was taken aback.

  “In my experience, when a woman starts talking about finding herself, she’s ready to make a break for it.”

  Cab figured he was talking about Lacey Taylor, the woman who’d broken his heart before he met Autumn. “If she’s ready to make a break for it, then why’d she hook up with me at all?”

  “That’s a good question,” Ethan said. “Autumn was talking about something the other day.” He squinted as he searched his memory. “Right. She was worried about Rose going straight from Jason to you. I didn’t think much of it at the time.” He shrugged. “I figured Rose spotted the better man and switched horses mid-ride.”

  “Autumn thinks Rose should have taken a break first? Spent some time on her own?”

  “I reckon that’s about the size of it.”

  Cab heaved a sigh. He wanted Rose right now. He wanted her in his bed tonight and every night. He didn’t want to wait while she discovered herself. She could do that right alongside of him.