by Regan Black
His hands came around her, gliding up her spine, down to her hips, urging her closer still. The kiss filled her with a lightness, an unrivaled joy. Here in his embrace, she found a piece of herself she hadn’t known was missing.
That discovery rocked her emotionally, left her gasping as she pulled back. For a brief eternity they stood there, staring at each other. Her heart pounded so loudly in her ears she couldn’t think.
“I, ah, I won’t stay,” he said into the charged silence.
She wanted to argue, but she was too fizzy from the aftershocks of that kiss. “Probably for the best,” she managed.
He stepped back, his fingers still twined with hers. The next step parted them completely. She locked her knees, braced one hand on the chair for balance.
“Text me if you need anything from town.”
She nodded. If she tried to talk, she’d beg him to stay, beg him for more than a kiss.
She wasn’t sure how long she stood there, lips tingling, body humming, wishing for him to stride back in and overwhelm her again.
That was her first postdivorce kiss. While she was pregnant with Silas, rebound dating hadn’t been a priority. Did every woman have that bone-melting reaction? She was probably just dumping every random emotion on Jarvis’s broad shoulders.
Those shoulders could take it.
She moved to turn out the lights and crawl into her bed when she saw the glint of keys on the table. He had left her his truck. Which meant he was crossing serious acreage on foot, in the dark. She dashed off a quick text message.
Let me know when you’re home safe.
The reply came back within a few seconds.
I’m safe. Go to sleep.
Suspicious, she went to the window. Sure enough, Jarvis was in his truck, the glow from his cell phone highlighting his handsome face.
Relieved that he wasn’t crossing the ranch alone in the dark, she went to bed without inviting him back inside. She curled into her sleeping bag, hoping to dream of Jarvis and his talented hands and mouth.
Chapter 6
Jarvis left Mia’s hideout in the soft gray before dawn. The landscape blurred as he jogged toward the warming hut where her car was hidden. This might have been the worst idea he’d ever had.
Second worst, if he counted that kiss.
No. No, that was all wrong. That kiss didn’t belong in a negative category of any kind. It had been the best kiss of his life and though he’d slept lightly, Mia had been the star of his dreams.
Kissing her was better in real life than any fantasy he’d had in college. No matter how he tried to scold himself for crossing that line, he didn’t regret it. Her big brown eyes had been glazed over with longing when he walked out, beautiful and tempting. He wasn’t sure where he’d found the willpower to sleep outside when he could’ve slept with her.
The most important factor, far more important than slaking his desire, was that he wanted to help her. And as long as she needed his help, he should probably keep his hands and his lips to himself. Neither of them needed more complications right now.
When he reached the old warming hut, he dug her car out from under the various layers hiding the vehicle, grateful when it started immediately. He was already second-guessing his plan to drive it to town later this morning, but it would definitely get him to work on time.
In his room, he showered and changed and started plowing through the day’s task list. As time for the false court appearance neared, Jarvis tracked down Asher and asked for a couple hours off for an errand in town. He also offered to bring anything back for the ranch.
Armed with a short list for a stop at the feedstore, he swapped his dusty T-shirt and boots for a button-down shirt, his good belt and a clean pair of boots. He headed out through the back gate, just to avoid anyone near the main house who might recognize Mia’s car.
The ten-mile drive into Mustang Valley was uneventful, not that he’d expected trouble. Regina had no reason to think Mia was on the Triple R. Jarvis parked behind the courthouse with thirty minutes to spare before the fake hearing, so he decided to drop in on his brother at the police station.
Spencer was just walking out and did a double take when he saw Jarvis. “Look who came home from the range.” He gave Jarvis a one-armed hug. “Bella and I were about to grab lunch down at Bubba’s Diner. She’ll be happy to see you.”
“I need to take a rain check,” Jarvis said. He suddenly didn’t know how to explain himself. He’d wanted to ask Spencer for advice, maybe cajole him into hanging around the courthouse for an hour or so. He had no idea what to do if he was right and Regina showed up with the intention of trapping Mia and Silas.
“A rain check?” Spencer froze. “What’s going on with you? Did you—” His cell phone rang from his pocket, cutting off the query. “It’s the US Marshals office. Let me take this.”
Jarvis was grateful for the reprieve. He wasn’t in the mood for another lecture on what Spencer and Bella called his delusions of cowboy glory. Without Mia’s permission, he couldn’t give any details about why he was in town. So he stood there, listening to his brother’s end of the call.
“No record at all?” Spencer scowled at the street in general while he listened. “What about the other name, Luella Smith?” A pause. “Yes, I know what witness protection means. And I’m sure you know what interagency cooperation means.”
Jarvis tried not to listen too closely while he watched for any sign of Regina.
His brother shook his head, frustration stamped on his face as he ended the call. He shoved his phone into his pocket. “Don’t repeat this,” he said, donning his sunglasses. “I’m working to verify what I suspect is a bogus line Micheline Anderson fed me.”
Jarvis recognized the name. Anderson had founded the Affirmation Alliance Group and transformed a ranch near town into a retreat with a self-help focus. Rumors were swelling that the AAG was actually a cult, bilking members out of their money instead of offering a beneficial service. So far Spencer hadn’t found anything definitive, but for Jarvis, his brother’s suspicions was more than enough confirmation.
Spencer nodded, his brow puckered over the sunglasses. “She’s doing all the right things and the group has been a big help in the community, especially after the earthquake. But I have a bad feeling.”
“Then something’s wrong,” Jarvis said. His brother’s instincts were as dependable as Boris, his chocolate Lab K-9 partner. “Did you learn anything helpful?” he asked.
Spencer knew Jarvis would never blab about anything. Though the parts of the conversation he’d overheard raised questions, he wouldn’t press. The triplets shared a unique and innate trust. One more reason why he felt awkward keeping Mia’s dilemma to himself.
“I hope so,” Spencer replied. “Time will tell. Positive thinking is great, but I still can’t make the pieces of the AAG fit together into a wholly legitimate business model.” He clapped Jarvis on the shoulder. “Come on. Bella will chew me out if I’m late, unless you distract her. Get her talking about wedding stuff.”
Jarvis chuckled. “Not this time. I have my own crazy to-do list today.”
Spencer eyed him with an expression Jarvis figured he’d learned at the police academy. “Asher sure is leaning on you.”
“I’m reliable,” Jarvis said with a smile and a wave. He jogged backward a few paces. “Tell Bella I’ll call.”
He circled around to the side door of the courthouse, wondering what in the hell he’d say if he ran into Regina. Nothing, obviously. Although he could recognize her from local publicity as Norton’s wife and the videos Mia had shared, Jarvis was a stranger to her. And what were the odds she was even here? From what Mia had shared, he supposed Regina was bold enough to ambush Mia directly, but he didn’t know.
His stomach knotted. In about a week he was going to walk into a party hosted by the very woman he was spying on tod
ay. Suddenly, this felt like the dumbest idea in the world. If she noticed him here and then recognized him at her party, it would be a short leap for her to guess Mia was hiding at the Triple R.
His bravado drained away, leaving him with a void that quickly filled with uncertainty. This wasn’t some lark. A woman’s life was on the line, and the future of her baby, too. But he was here and committed to the effort. He had to follow through.
He took the stairs to the second floor toward the courtroom specified in the email. There was no sign of Mia’s ex, or anyone else. The hallways were way too quiet for any court to be in session. The pervasive hush was worse than in a library. He turned a corner, following the only sound—a low, impatient voice. Her body was silhouetted against the light pouring through the window at the other end of the hall, making it impossible to verify that it was Regina.
Sitting on a bench near an open office door, Jarvis pulled out his phone, pretending to text while the woman fumed aloud in hushed tones as she paced the width of the hallway.
“Keep looking,” she said. “Yes, I’m sure that’s her car. I told you she is not up here.” She paused, rushed back to the window, her high heels clicking across the marble floor. “What do you mean, it’s not there? There’s a bracket thing. In the back seat.”
She’d snarled those last words and Jarvis knew he was watching and listening to Regina. As they’d thought, this custody hearing was a trap for Mia. He kept his head down, angling his hat to hide his face. Not that Regina would’ve registered anything outside of her current tantrum.
“She didn’t just disappear.”
Oh, but she had, he thought once the sound of her heels faded. He walked toward the window where Regina had been and looked down at the parking lot. He couldn’t see anyone showing too much interest in Mia’s car. But the rear tire was flat on the driver’s side. A hot spike of temper slammed through him. Regina was showing every sign of being too desperate. Spencer would call this “escalating.”
Pressing the panic button on Mia’s key fob, he was quickly rewarded as Regina’s glossy updo rushed into view. Following her movements, he identified the person who was most likely helping her by the car while Regina had been on the lookout up here.
Though Jarvis wasn’t eager to take another look at the indiscretion Mia had caught on video, he would have to so they could verify if the man down in the parking lot was the same man Regina had been with at the country house. In the meantime, he had to do something about Mia’s car. And he needed a lift back to the ranch, by way of the feedstore. Thankfully, he knew exactly where to find his sister and brother.
He hurried down the street to the diner, pleased to find Bella and Spencer still at lunch at a table near the window. He ordered a sandwich to go so he wouldn’t delay their meal and then sweet-talked his sister into driving him back out to the Triple R.
“Only if you’re buying,” Bella said, though she couldn’t suppress her smile.
“Deal,” Jarvis agreed.
“What happened to your truck?” Spencer asked.
“I was borrowing a friend’s car, but it has a flat. The garage is taking care of that and I’ll get a ride into town after work to pick it up.” He was sure one of his siblings would call him out on the fib, but Spencer was distracted by someone or something outside.
Bella and Jarvis exchanged a look. When Spencer was in cop mode it was hard to break through with normal conversation. While they waited for his sandwich, he dutifully admired her sparkling engagement ring and urged her to fill him in on her fiancé, Holden, and the initial wedding plans.
“It’s still weird to think of you getting married.” He raised his chin toward Spencer. “Both of you.”
Spencer continued to be preoccupied, but Bella wiggled her eyebrows. “Maybe we’ll rub off on you.”
Jarvis laughed. “Not a chance. Cowboys don’t get married, we just ride off into the sunset with the woman of the moment.”
Bella elbowed him, hard. “Have you seen Ainsley around the ranch?”
“Not much,” he said. “It’s a working ranch. I’m not there to plan a family reunion.”
Bella slumped in her seat, deflated, and he felt like a jerk. His sister had always longed to be closer to their Colton Oil cousins and had recently bonded with Marlowe over her newborn. Payne’s dismissive remarks about their parents and grandparents never seemed to faze her. Probably because she’d been saddled with two ornery brothers and a fractured home life. He could tell her the grass wasn’t really greener on the Colton Oil side of the family tree, but why wreck her fantasy of having cousins who’d always cared? “Marlowe, Ainsley and Asher are all right,” he said. “They’ve never treated me like a leech. Maybe you should reach out.”
“Are you well?” She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead and he swatted it away. “Sorry,” she said, though she clearly wasn’t. “You’re not sounding like you.”
Admittedly, Mia was rubbing off on him more than his siblings. Watching her cope with an unthinkable scenario on her own made him face uncomfortable facts. Bella and Spencer had partners and love now, and assuming all went well, they had someone to lean on in tough times. Despite all they’d been through, it would be natural and right for their spouses to come before him. It didn’t mean he wanted a wife and kids, just that he should probably cultivate friendships with people other than his sister and brother. Eventually. Today his plate was full enough.
On a low grumble, Spencer shoved out of the booth. “Excuse me a second.”
“And that’s lunch,” Bella said, shaking her head. “Remember to leave a good tip.” She patted Jarvis’s cheek and followed Spencer.
Jarvis took care of the bill, tipping well like his sister would do, and then grabbed his take-out bag. Bella had followed Spencer, standing a few paces away while he spoke with Micheline and her assistant, Leigh Dennings. The pair were finishing lunch at an outdoor table at the bistro across the street. Considering the phone call he’d overheard, he assumed spotting the women had diverted Spencer’s attention.
“What do we do?” Bella asked under her breath.
“What we do best.” He winked at her. “Stick together.” He strode right into the conversation, greeting both Micheline and Leigh with his best smile as he propped a hip on the railing that framed the outdoor seating area. His sister followed suit and soon the five of them were conversing.
“Jarvis Colton.” Leigh sighed. “I haven’t seen you around town lately,” she said. A blush flowed over her cheeks at the admission and Jarvis heard his sister snort. Leigh and Bella had competed in the Ms. Mustang Valley pageant recently while Bella was researching a story on pageant culture. Leigh, as the winner, still seemed to shine with the victory.
“I’ve been busy on the Triple R,” he explained. “The cowboy life works better for me.”
She fanned herself. “It does work. You look great.”
Jarvis inched closer to Bella, using her as a conversational shield. On his other side, Spencer angled himself to block Micheline from the chatter, though Jarvis could still hear them clearly enough.
“I’ve made some calls, Micheline. You probably won’t be surprised that the US Marshals Service doesn’t have any record of you or Luella Smith as protected witnesses,” Spencer said.
Jarvis struggled not to react to that while he kept up the conversation with Leigh and Bella. During his investigation, Spencer had learned that the person “Micheline Anderson” had only begun to exist at the same time that Luella Smith, the woman who switched her baby for the real Ace Colton, disappeared.
“Well, of course they wouldn’t tell you anything,” Micheline said after the waitress picked up the bill and her credit card. “That would defeat the purpose. Not that any of it pertains to me, though I appreciate your thorough concern.”
Jarvis caught Spencer’s scowl and knew Micheline had struck a nerve. He continued to di
stract Leigh, with Bella’s help, even as he listened to his brother. “I’d like it if you would make time to speak with me.”
“For private coaching, just call Leigh and set up an appointment,” Micheline said, her tone warm and smooth as honey as she handed him a business card. “We’ll be happy to help you find your most productive mind-set.”
Spencer accepted the card, responding in kind. “A few minutes at the station would put my mind at ease about recent events that intersect with you and the AAG.”
“This is bordering on harassment, Sergeant Colton,” she added with more bite than barbed wire. She signed the receipt and shoved her copy into her purse. “If you’ll excuse us.” Micheline stood and urged Leigh to do the same. “We must be going.”
“Where to?” Spencer asked.
Leigh hefted a full tote over her shoulder. “Micheline is delivering our popular Be Your Best Self seminar to the local chapter of the Arizona Insurance Council,” Leigh gushed. “Those events are life and career changing.”
Jarvis could only marvel at the pride rolling off the young assistant. Her cow-eyed devotion was a bit unnerving.
“It was a pleasure to see you, Jarvis.” Leigh fluttered her fingers and scampered away.
Behind him, he heard Bella snickering. “Stop,” he muttered under his breath.
“Hey, Micheline!” Spencer called out. Both women turned. “Is AAG a cult?”
Jarvis whistled softly. His brother was clearly frustrated with Micheline’s convenient answers for everything. The investigation must be taking some worrisome turns to push him to such an aggressive tactic.
Leigh gasped and pressed her fingers to her mouth. Micheline smiled, the expression brittle and cold. “Of course not, Sergeant. Good day.” She turned on her heel and marched down the block, Leigh trailing after her.
“You okay?” Bella asked.
“I don’t know,” Spencer said, his gaze still locked on the two women. “I’m missing something.”