The Deputy's Lost and Found

by Stella Bagwell

  Turning slightly in the seat, she studied him instead of the darkening landscape. “Well, to answer your earlier question, yes, I’m sure I didn’t live in a desert area. But I’m fairly certain I’ve been to New Mexico before. It all feels familiar to me now. But then maybe that’s because your family has made me feel so at home.”

  “I’m glad,” he said, then slanted a look her way. “And as for my friends, Lass, don’t worry about them. They’re all just plain folks like us Donovans.”

  There was nothing plain about the Donovans, she thought. Especially Brady. On the surface he appeared to be a lighthearted, easygoing guy, but that was only one slice of the man. She’d seen it that night he’d found her in the ditch, when he’d stood over her hospital bed and held her hand. And last night, when he’d helped her with Tyler, she’d known he was doing it from his heart and not just for effect.

  “I doubt you’ve ever been described as plain,” she said to him. “Why, I even bet in high school you dated the football homecoming queen or the captain of the cheerleading squad, didn’t you?”

  “Me? Not hardly. Those sorts of girls were too conceited for my taste. They’d rather look at themselves than at me.”

  Smiling now, Lass glanced curiously over to him. “I’m shocked. So what sort of girls did you go for? I won’t believe you if you say the studious type.”

  He pulled a playful face at her. “Actually, I did have a studious girlfriend once. She was an honor student. Unfortunately she liked boys as much as she liked getting straight A’s. She was a fickle little thing.”

  “Hmm.” She gave him a furtive peek from the corner of her eye. “So what sort of girls do you like now?”

  “Oh, that’s easy enough to answer. I like the kind of girl who can’t remember her own name.”

  It took a few seconds for the meaning of his words to sink in and then she began to laugh.

  Chuckling with her, Brady reached for her hand and as their fingers entwined, she wondered how she could feel so warm and happy at a time like this. Someone had tried to injure or kill her. She didn’t know who she was or where she belonged. Yet as long as she was with Brady she could laugh and hope and dream.

  She was falling in love with him. To admit it to herself was somewhat of a relief. But to admit it to him would be something altogether different. To reveal her feelings to him now would either draw the two of them closer, or pull them apart. And she was desperately scared of either outcome.

  Thankfully, the party at the Hamiltons’ proved to be big enough that she didn’t have to spend a lot of time making one-on-one conversation with Brady’s friends and acquaintances. Instead, he squired her from one group to the next with hardly a chance to make more than small talk.

  The twins, Jacob and Jason, were a polite, good-looking pair and at the age where they weren’t quite sure if they were still rowdy boys or know-it-all teenagers.

  Clearly, their parents understood them, and after the children and adults had partaken of a big barbecue spread, the twins and their young guests were excused to the barn, where they were going to have their own little party. Penny, their mother, told Lass that the twins’ idea of fun was a bucking barrel, a churn of homemade ice cream and a group of girls to watch while the boys made fools of themselves.

  Later that evening as Lass sat with their hostess on the edge of a large patio, sipping punch from a paper cup, she commented, “It must be a labor of love to raise twin boys.”

  Smiling, the dark-haired woman nodded. “They’re a handful, but more than worth it.”

  Three hours had passed since the party first started and now all the adult guests had departed, except for Lass and Brady. While she and Penny enjoyed the quietness, Brady and the sheriff had disappeared into the house. In spite of him assuring Lass that work wouldn’t be discussed, she figured that’s exactly what the two men were doing. And she wondered if the sheriff might have uncovered something about her case, but hadn’t wanted to say anything in front of her.

  God, she hoped not. Tonight she simply wanted to pretend that her name really was Lass and that she belonged here. With Brady.

  “Brady tells me you’re expecting another baby soon,” Lass said to the other woman. He’d also revealed to Lass that Penny had once been the county judge for Lincoln County, a position she’d held up until the twins had been born. Since then, the woman worked at her own private law practice.

  Penny’s eyes glowed as she smiled at Lass. “That’s right. I gave birth to the twins shortly before Christmas during a snowstorm.” She patted her slightly rounded tummy. “This one is supposed to arrive a little after New Year’s and I’m hoping that this time a blizzard won’t come with it.”

  How wonderful that would be, Lass thought, to be having a child with a man you were madly in love with, to plan together for its arrival. Instinctively her hand settled against her own flat midsection.

  Now that she’d had plenty of time to think about it, she believed Bridget that she’d never gone through the miraculous experience of childbirth. Yet she knew that having a child was something she’d always longed for. But had there been a man to make that wish come true? No. She refused to believe she’d been madly in love with a man before she’d met Brady. As far as she was concerned, Brady was the first and the last man to step into her heart.

  “Do you know if you’re going to have twins again?” Lass asked.

  Penny laughed. “Oh, dear. That’s something Ethan and I have been thinking about. Ethan wants a pair of girls. But the doctor says he can’t yet discern whether there are two.”

  Smiling, Lass told her, “I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you’ll get those girls.”

  Playfully wrinkling her nose, Penny leaned forward and said in a low, conspiring tone, “To be honest, I wouldn’t know what to do with little girls. I love having rough and tumble sons. But I guess I could learn how to tie ribbons and fix ponytails.”

  The two women shared a chuckle and then Penny said in a more serious voice, “Brady tells me you’ve been helping Dallas at the stables.”

  “That’s right. And I’m loving every minute of being with the children,” Lass admitted.

  “Then I’m sure that someday you’ll be like me,” Penny replied. “With a house full of kids and more on the way. “

  Could Lass allow herself to dream about such things? she wondered. And more important, would Brady want to be a part of those dreams?

  You’re being very foolish, Lass. Brady is thirty years old and from what his family says, he’s shown no interest in getting married or having children. He’s not even been engaged. He’s not thinking of you in those terms. Besides, you might already have a husband somewhere. A husband who wanted to hurt you.

  Doing her best to push away the dark, mocking voice in her mind, she smiled wanly. “I hope you’re right, Penny. But until that day comes I’m happy helping Dallas. Kids and horses. It’s a combination I can’t resist.”

  She couldn’t resist Brady, either, Lass thought with a heavy dose of unease. From the moment she’d opened her eyes and seen his face hovering over hers, she’d felt a sudden connection. And with each day, each hour that passed, that connection continued to deepen.

  How soon would it be, she wondered sickly, before that man in her past, the man with the repulsive kiss, showed up on the Diamond D and put an end to all her hopes and dreams?

  Later that night, on the way home, Brady was mostly quiet and Lass was content to lean her head back and let her thoughts stray to nothing in particular. But by the time he turned the truck onto Diamond D property, she was beginning to get the sense that something was wrong.

  “Brady,” she asked, as he let the two of them into the house, “have I…done something wrong? Did I embarrass you in some way tonight?”

  He curled his arm around the back of her waist as they began to climb the long wooden staircase. “Are you kidding? You were perfect. Everyone loved you. Why would you think such a thing?”

  “You haven’t sai
d much since we left the Hamiltons’,” she reasoned.

  “I’m sorry, Lass. I’ve been a little distracted.”

  A little, he thought ruefully. Why the hell couldn’t he be honest with her? He was downright troubled. And not just because her identity was still a mystery. Tonight, while she’d stood next to him, her slender arm resting casually on his, he’d felt something he’d never felt before. He’d experienced a sweet connection, a contented ease with her company. Those sorts of feelings about a woman had never struck him before and the whole thing had left him more than a little dazed.

  “You and Ethan disappeared into the house for a long while. You were talking work, weren’t you?”

  He released a guilty groan. “I confess. We did talk a little work. Mostly about you.”

  “Oh, Brady,” she wailed under her breath in order not to disturb the sleeping household. “I’ve been nothing but a headache to you. If I had any sense at all, I’d leave here and let you and your family get some peace.”

  By now they had reached her bedroom door and he caught her by the upper arms and turned her to face him. “Is that what you really want, Lass? To go off somewhere—to be a charity ward of the county?”

  “I’m not helpless. I can work and support myself,” she shot back at him, then groaned with regret. “I’m sorry, Brady. I’m sounding very ungrateful and I don’t want you to think that. I—” Her hands gently rested against his chest. “No. I don’t want to leave here. But I’m—”

  “Look, Lass, I haven’t mentioned this to you, but after I got the call from the jockey, I made a decision to flood several Texas newspapers with your photo and story. That was early yesterday. Now a few calls and tips are starting to come in and we’re trying to sift through them as quickly as we can to see if any are legitimate. So far you’ve been identified as everything from an elementary teacher in the Texas panhandle to a PFC in the Texas National Guard and a sales clerk at a Neiman Marcus in Dallas. It will take us a while to confirm if any of the callers actually know you or your family. But I have a gut feeling I’m going to have some answers for you soon.”

  She looked up at him and through the dim lighting of the landing, he could see turmoil swirling in her gray eyes. To his wonder, she looked exactly the way he was feeling inside.

  “And how do you feel about that?” she whispered.

  He groaned, then, bending down, he pressed his cheek against hers. “I feel torn, Lass. I don’t want anything or anyone to come between us,” he murmured against her ear.

  She pulled her head back to look at him and as his gaze settled on her lips his gut twisted with a need so great it was almost painful.

  “Do you really mean that?” she asked.

  “I can’t believe you have to ask me that, Lass. Since you’ve came into my life everything has changed. I’ve changed. You and me together. That’s the most important thing to me now.”

  Without saying more, he angled his head to kiss her. She tasted soft and sweet and giving, and when her arms slipped up and around his neck and her lips unfolded beneath his, he felt more than pleasure, he felt totally and strangely happy.

  Quickly, he deepened the connection of their mouths and just as instantly passion fired, then exploded like flint against rock, flame to dead grass. From somewhere in the core of him, heat spread, then raced outward, downward until desire was gripping his whole body like a red-hot vise. The need to make love to her was searing a hole in his brain, turning every scrap of common sense into useless ashes.

  Somehow, he managed to tear his lips from hers and as he sucked in deep, ragged breaths, he caught her by the hands and tugged her toward the end of the landing, where his bedroom was located.

  She followed his lead, but whispered as they went, “Brady, what are you doing? My bedroom is…behind us.”

  Opening a carved wooden door, he flipped a switch and a small lamp at the head of the bed instantly shed a shaft of soft yellow light across a dark blue spread.

  “But this is where we’re going,” he explained. “To my room.”

  She didn’t say anything until they were standing inside the dark room and he’d locked the door securely behind them.

  “Brady! This is risky! What if someone comes to your room?”

  With his hands against the back of her waist, he groaned and pulled her close. “In the middle of the night? No chance. No one ever disturbs me. Besides, the door is locked. The two of us are finally alone and together.”

  “Together,” she repeated wondrously, then shyly pressed her cheek against his. “Oh, Brady, I do want us to be together.”

  Her softly spoken words filled him with an urgency he could hardly contain. Swiftly, he picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed. After he’d laid her in the middle of the wide mattress, then stretched out beside her, he framed her face with his hands and simply gazed at her, letting his eyes fill with the lovely sight of her.

  “Why are you looking at me like…I’m strange?” she whispered.

  The corners of his mouth tilted, his eyes gentled. “Strange is the wrong word, Lass. Try special. I’ve never seen a woman lying in my bed before. I didn’t realize it would look this good. Feel this right.”

  Between the loose hold of his fingers, her head twisted back and forth. “Don’t talk to me as though I’m naive, Brady. I know you’ve had other women in your bed.”

  One hand slipped to the back of her neck and pulled her face forward so that their eyes and lips were level and only scant inches apart. Her heart was pounding and she must have forgotten how to breathe because her lungs were burning almost as much as the rest of her body.

  “Lass, my little Lass, you misunderstand. Yes, I’ve had a woman in a bed before. But not my bed. This bed. Since I was a small boy, this is where I’ve always slept. It’s my private place where I rest and dream and, these past few weeks, pictured you in my arms. Now here you are and I can’t look at you enough. Can’t touch you enough.”

  He closed the last bit of space between their lips and as the connection deepened, she groaned softly and rolled toward him. With his mouth fastened hungrily to hers, he gathered the front of her body close to his, then his hands went on a reckless exploration across her back, down her hips, then up to the small curve of her breasts. The dress she was wearing zipped in the back and his fingers trembled as he searched for the handle, then slowly tugged the fastener downward.

  Beneath the tough pads of his fingers, her skin felt like satin and when he slipped the piece of fabric off her shoulder and bent his head to the curve of her neck, it tasted like smooth cream sweetened with sugar.

  As a lawman he’d always thought of himself as a protector, but with Lass in his arms the feeling intensified a thousand times over. He wanted to shelter her, worship her, bind her to him so closely that nothing or no one could touch her or tear her from him.

  Savoring the fine texture of her skin, his lips moved across her throat, then upward to the tender spot beneath her chin. He could feel her soft sighs brushing his cheeks, the beat of her heart pounding against his, her hands gliding over his shoulders and across his back.

  The need to feel those hands against him, to have her slender fingers playing over his bare skin, was so fierce he drew back from her and quickly began to deal with the buttons on his shirt. Lass followed his cue and while he shrugged out of his shirt, she pushed her dress over her hips and allowed it to fall to the floor.

  The sight of her wearing nothing but pink lace caused blood to pound in his ears, his loins. His body was screaming to make love to her, yet at the same time his mind was gearing down, commanding his hands and lips to linger, to investigate and memorize every curve, every inch and every pore of her heated skin.

  Up until this moment, Lass hadn’t really understood what being lost meant. With her lips consumed by his, her body turning to soft putty in his hands, she was as lost as a raindrop falling into a wide, dark ocean. He was her only anchor and she clung to him, her mouth a willing prisone
r to his as he kissed her over and over, while his tongue tangled, plunged and teased.

  By the time he pulled away from her and began to deal with the rest of his clothing, Lass’s body had become a heated coil, winding itself tighter and tighter until every cell in her body felt as though it would explode.

  Shamelessly, her breaths coming hard and fast, she removed the last flimsy remnants of her clothing and waited for him to rejoin her on the bed. When he finally turned back to her, she could see that he’d already taken care of protection and for one split second, the reality of what they were about to do whooshed like a chilly breeze through her mind. But that one brief second ended as soon as his hands reached for her, then pressed her back upon the mattress.

  Stretching next to her side, he spoke against her cheek. “From the first time I kissed you, I’ve wanted you like this.”

  Her hands left his shoulders to gently frame his face and he paused to gaze into her eyes.

  “And I’ve wanted you,” she murmured.

  A soft, inviting light flickered in her eyes and he felt something in the middle of his chest jerk, then like a broken fountain, emotions flowed unchecked, drowning him, terrifying him with their intensity.

  “Lass,” he uttered hoarsely. “My Lass.”

  It was all he could say as his throat closed together and his arms instinctively tightened around her.

  Tilting her head back, she offered her lips up to his and this time when he kissed her, his body won the war over his mind. He could no longer slow this trip they were taking. He needed her. All of her. Nothing else could quench the violent force driving his movements.

  Beneath him, her legs parted with invitation, and with one smooth thrust he sank into her soft wetness. As her warmth surrounded him, pleasure such as he’d never experienced wrapped around him, snapped his head back and momentarily paralyzed his movements.

  And then he felt her hips thrusting toward his, her back bowing, crushing her breasts against his chest. With a guttural growl of desperation, he began to move inside her and with each exquisite thrust he felt himself falling, tumbling to a place he’d never been before.