“Let’s get you some allergy meds.” Kade nodded toward the house. “And I think I smell Mom’s tacos. They’re the best in the West. Hell, the best anywhere.”
They headed back to the house and sure enough, tacos it was for dinner. It amazed Kade how comfortable Kelsey was with his family. After dinner, she insisted on helping clean up, and he joined her in washing and drying the dishes.
“I’m going to sleep like a baby.” She put her hand over her mouth and stifled a deep yawn. Trent was tucked in bed, and Sadie and Chuck had retired for the night. “Those allergy tablets made me a little drowsy.”
“I’ll call it a night, too.” Kade kicked off his boots at the front door, next to Trent’s. “Back to work tomorrow.”
Kade checked her out as she walked ahead of him. Definitely one sexy ass.
She stopped before the door of the guest room, looking at him with those sensual brown eyes that made him burn. “There is a lock on this door, isn’t there?”
He slid his hands into his front pockets and studied her face, remembering how soft she’d felt in his arms the night before. How delicious her lips had tasted. His voice was husky as he replied, “You’ll be glad to know that I have the only key.”
“Kade.” She narrowed her gaze and gave him a mock frown.
He moved closer to her. “The door locks from the inside.” A strand of her honeyed hair fell forward, and he brushed it behind her ear. Just the slightest touch of his fingers against her skin made him want her even more. “You have one hell of an effect on my self-control,” he whispered, his lips nearing hers.
“Dad.” Trent’s voice shattered the quiet, and Kelsey jumped. The boy peeked around the corner of his room. “I can’t sleep. Will you read me a story?”
Kade stepped back and nodded to his son. “Sure, kiddo.”
“Good night, Trent.” Kelsey smiled at Trent. She turned to Kade and blushed.
He made his words low enough that he was sure only Kelsey could hear. “Sweet dreams, darlin’.”
“Ah, right.” She backed up and closed the door in his face. He heard the lock click and he grinned.
Chapter 5
Emotions raged within Kelsey, holding her on the edge of sleep. She couldn’t stop thinking of last night when Kade had kissed her. His earthy, enticing smell. Her fingers against his muscled chest, and his lips burning hers... so sensual. Everything about him was sensual.
Kelsey’s eyelids fluttered.
Kade’s arms, holding her to him... the hammer of his heartbeat against her chest... wanting him, so much. Such warmth. Fire, burning her skin wherever his lips trailed. Her breasts aching beneath his slow and deliberate touch. Kade’s mouth on her nipples, his tongue swirling across one and then the other. His naked body pressed against hers, his arousal melting her resolve.
She surrendered, losing herself-—
Kelsey woke with a start, her heart pounding an uneven rhythm. She took a deep breath and blinked away the sensual dream and stared up at the ceiling. Moonlight and shadows flickered and danced across the white textured surface.
Lose myself. That was exactly what would happen if she surrendered to any man, and exactly why she couldn’t allow it to happen with Kade.
And yet, she wanted more of him.
Damn. Even her dreams betrayed her.
Kade’s words whispered through her mind. I’m not lying, and I’m not your ex or your father.
“I can’t believe I slept so late,” Kelsey told Sadie as she sat at the breakfast table in the copper and verdigris-green kitchen. The aroma of baked bread and cinnamon met her nose, and her stomach growled. “It must have been those allergy pills.”
“You probably needed the sleep.” Sadie handed Kelsey a glass of orange juice. “Nothing like country air to give you a good night’s rest.”
“Thanks.” Kelsey took a long drink, then set the glass on the table. “Must be true. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so relaxed. Where are Kade and Trent?”
“Kade left early for work.” Sadie grabbed a set of oven mitts, opened the oven door, then pulled a shallow pan out of the oven.
A strange wave of disappointment flowed through Kelsey. Why should she care that Kade left before she could see him? She didn’t need an adolescent obsession and she refused to think about him another second. Not one.
“Trent’s feeding the pigs.” Sadie set a pan on the stove and nodded toward the window. Kelsey looked out to see the sunshine warming a rose bed and willow branches dancing in a breeze.
Sadie blew a strand of chestnut hair out of her face as she wrapped up a square of cooled coffee cake and added it to a growing stack. “Would you like some Polish coffee cake?”
“I’ve never heard of Polish coffee cake, but it looks wonderful.”
Kelsey’s mouth watered as she breathed in the aroma. “It smells heavenly.”
Sadie handed her a plate with a thick slice. As soon as Kelsey tasted it, she realized it was more than heavenly. Thin yeast bread with anise seeds baked in, then a cinnamon, sugar, and butter topping crumbled on top, and another topping drizzled over that.
“It’s to die for.” Kelsey sighed around a mouthful of the treat. “I’m going to gain ten pounds just from the smell of your cooking.”
Laughing, Sadie whisked off her apron. “I wouldn’t worry about pounds around here. Lots of walking. Good for the body—and the mind and soul. What’re your plans for today?”
Kelsey swallowed a delicious bite before answering. “I’d like to start with interviewing you.”
The woman plopped a wide-brimmed hat on her dark curls. “Let me know when you’re ready. I’ll be in the garden.” She grabbed a metal bucket from the counter. “I’m dumping these scraps in the compost heap. Nothing goes to waste here, so don’t throw away any leftovers.”
“No danger of a crumb of this going to the compost.” Kelsey smiled and rubbed her stomach. “Only problem is, it’ll be going to my waist.”
“You’ll see how much exercise you get, just hanging around this place.” Sadie laughed and headed out the back door with the scrap bucket.
Kelsey couldn’t help like Sadie, not to mention Chuck and Trent. What a wonderful family Kade had.
Her heart gave a twinge. A family... she’d had a family, too, before her parents and sister were taken away. And if Davis loved anyone besides himself she could have had her own family. If he’d been the person she’d thought he was.
A son like Trent, energetic and bright. They might have built a tree house, played soccer, and every Christmas made construction-paper rings for the trees. He would have hugged her each night, after a bedtime story. Mommy, I love you...
Enough. It was better that they hadn’t had children. The divorce would have been an even greater nightmare, and no son of Davis’s could have grown up healthy.
Kelsey decided to start with a shower and in the bathroom she discovered Kade’s apple-scented shampoo. She smiled. No wonder he smelled of apples.
While she washed her body her mind went places she hadn’t intended, imagining what it would be like to have Kade soaping her, touching her.
With a groan, Kelsey sagged against the wet tile behind her while warm water sprayed on her chest. Fantasizing about Kade was the wrong direction to take. If she let herself go, how would she manage to keep her hands off him during her stay at the ranch?
After showering, then dressing in jeans and a blouse, Kelsey headed to the den. The country air certainly did relax her, as if there was no hurry in the world to get to work. That’s probably what Theresa had in mind when she’d agreed to giving Kelsey the assignment.
Kelsey sank into a swivel chair in front of a rolltop desk. She slid on her glasses and skimmed the latest news headlines on the Internet. The only sound in the room was the ticking of the wagon wheel-shaped clock, and the click-clack of her laptop keys.
Outside, chickens clucked and Rain Bird sprinklers went ch- ch-ch-ch. A wave of memories washed over Kelsey. The lazy sound of the sprinklers took her ba
ck to her childhood, when she and her sister, Naya, would run, in their panties, through the water sprays from sprinklers in their backyard. Kelsey could smell fresh-cut grass and feel water splashing her legs.
She rubbed the scar on her thigh as she stared out the window. How she missed Naya, and her mother. If only...
Kelsey jerked her attention away from things that couldn’t be changed and downloaded her e-mail. She wanted to turn off the computer as soon as she saw the hundred-plus e-mails that had accumulated in the two days since she’d last checked.
Several were responses to her recent feature on the former California governor, a couple were from friends, three from her editor, and the rest were spam. She deleted all the unsolicited mail and responded to the others.
After she finished her replies, Kelsey leaned back in the swivel chair and closed her eyes. Her thoughts turned to Kade. His was a powerful presence, yet he was so gentle with her. Definitely a man she could lose her heart to, and it would make it all the harder when it was time for her to head home.
***
“They’re not suffering, Kade,” Don Mitchell said. “Just a bit of dehydration, and we’ve been making sure they’re getting plenty of water.”
Kade nodded and wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. The merciless sun cooked the desert as agents rounded up a group of thirty-three undocumented aliens at the Ford Ranch, at the foot of the Mule Mountains. Men, women, and children made up the miserable group, but they were too beaten by the heat to do more than crouch in the dust and wait to be processed.
Ford had reported the group when they stopped at his ranch for water. The rancher was a good man, and had allowed the UDAs to drink from his irrigation hose.
The stench of sweat and body odor was almost unbearable, and the heat only intensified the smell. It was obvious they’d been on a long and difficult journey, not uncommon for illegals trying to cross the U.S. border. Kade was not usually called in on a routine process, but one of the UDAs had claimed to have information on a key smuggler Kade was after.
In Spanish, Kade questioned Juan Dominguez, who’d insisted he knew the smuggler.
“Gordo,” Juan said. He continued rattling in Spanglish, the border version of Spanish and English. The coyotes had left the UDAs to die, and Juan was angry. Gordo was the name the coyotes had called the smuggler. Juan gave Kade a description that matched what Kade knew of the man.
“Gordo,” Kade muttered as he pushed his Stetson back and scratched his head. The name kept coming up, and in his gut he knew he was closer to tracking the bastard down.
Sal Valenzuela strode toward Don, looking like he was sweltering in his rough-duty uniform. “The kid on the end says an old guy couldn’t keep up and they had to leave him behind. I’ll call it in.”
Don Mitchell radioed for a transport van after he and Sal determined that all the members of the group were indeed UDAs. They advised the men and women of their administrative rights and took down their personal information.
While they processed the UDAs a helicopter was utilized to help search for the missing man. Agents located him where he’d crossed Sweetwater, the ranch of the former county sheriff John “Bull” Stevens. The UDA was to be evacuated to Douglas Hospital, but he died from dehydration before the copter took to the air.
Kade tossed his hat into his truck as they got ready to leave the ranch. “Damn polleros.”
“To hell and back.” Don scowled. “Those coyotes deserve to die in the desert, instead of the people they leave stranded.”
Sal gave a short nod as he looked over his shoulder at the UDAs. Kade rubbed his hands over his face, trying to wipe away some of the exhaustion and frustration. “Only getting worse.”
With a shrug, Don walked back toward the group of UDAs. “The coyotes run people and drugs. Both are profitable enough to be worth the risk.”
“Need any help here before I take off?” Kade asked.
Sal shook his head. “We’ve got it handled.”
“Then I’ve got to head on home.” Kade climbed into his truck, lowered the window, and slammed the door.
“How long is that pretty reporter staying with you?” Sal’s dark eyes gleamed.
The possessive feeling that grabbed Kade surprised him. “Not long enough.” He buzzed up the window, his friend’s low whistle fading as the glass rose.
***
Kelsey settled with her laptop computer at the dining room table for her interview with Kade’s mother.
Sadie stretched a block of fabric across a hoop. “I hope you don’t mind if I quilt while we talk.”
“Not at all.” Kelsey pulled her cell phone out of her bag and set it on the table after she’d prepared it to record.
She admired the furnishings, including an oak china cabinet filled with crystal glasses, goblets, and decanters. It surprised her to see crystal on a ranch, one of her many preconceived notions of life in the country to be shattered since meeting Kade’s family.
Margarita glasses caught her attention. Heat rushed through her at the memory of what her last margarita had led to. Kelsey shoved thoughts of Kade from her mind, praying his mother wouldn’t notice the flush in her cheeks. She ran her hand over a quilt block, admiring Sadie’s work.
“Incredible.” Kelsey traced one of the circles designed with small blocks of cloth. “I love the materials you’ve chosen and the way the rings loop together.”
“You’re sweet.” Sadie slipped on a pair of half-glasses, adjusted the hoop, slid a thimble on one finger, and started stitching. “It’s a wedding ring quilt, and the materials are hand-dyed.”
Kelsey picked up a corner. “The circles do look like wedding rings intertwined.”
“I’ve been working on it for years, off and on. I keep hoping Kade will find a young lady he wants to settle down with, so that I can give the quilt to him and his bride as a wedding gift.” She glanced up and smiled. “There’s been no shortage of women who’ve been interested in Kade. He’s just never fallen in love with anyone.” Kelsey snatched her hand away as if it had been scalded. An image of Kade’s kiss came to mind and a furious blush engulfed her to the soles of her feet.
“Can you tell me about your ranch?” She tried to keep her voice steady as she steered the conversation to safer ground.
Sadie quilted with deft strokes as she spoke. “Since Kade had no interest in going into the ranching business, a couple of years ago when we retired, Chuck sold off all the commercial cattle. We keep enough livestock for personal use, and raise most of our own vegetables and fruit.”
Kelsey shifted her computer as she jotted down notes. “Do immigrants travel through your land?”
“We’re fortunate that illegals don’t cross our property as often as they cross the Carters’, or the Grands’.” Sadie adjusted her glasses and continued stitching. “Then there’s the Mitchells’ ranch—why, Don estimates five hundred or more go through their back pasture every night. Like a highway. Kitty put bars on her back window ‘cause she’s worried for her granddaughter.”
She sighed and shook her head. “That’s why Alex Grand bought himself a shotgun. Shoots up in the air—away from them, of course—just to scare them. I don’t agree with his tactics.”
“By Carter are you referring to Trace Carter’s family?” Kelsey asked.
Sadie nodded. “One and the same gal who arranged for you to stay here.”
Kelsey smiled. “Trace is a terrific friend. I’m going to miss seeing her while I’m here.”
“Trace took off for Texas with her husband, Jess,” Sadie said.
“Yeah, that’s what she told me in her last e-mail.” Kelsey tapped her fingertips on her laptop. “She won’t be coming back until Christmas.”
Sadie clipped a loose thread and started to rethread her needle. “Do you have any more questions about illegal immigration?”
“A few.” Kelsey glanced at her notes again. “Do you come in contact with these people—the UDAs—often?”
&nb
sp; “The illegals we get, most of them just want water,” Sadie said. “Not too long ago, we discovered a hole cut into our fence beside a water trough. Rather than reaching over the fence to get water, they cut right through the wire.”
Kelsey tapped her stylus. “I wonder why they do that.”
Sadie twisted her lips in obvious disapproval of the practice, but for the woman it was still a mild expression that fit her personality.
“Sweetwater Ranch has sustained the most damage that I know of.” She adjusted the quilting hoop in her lap. “Bull—that’s John Stevens, who owns Sweetwater—lost thousands of dollars in cattle when coyotes tore down his fence to run illegals through.”
Kelsey frowned and stopped taking notes. “Coyotes?”
“The smugglers,” Sadie said. “Also called los polleros, who are paid to sneak illegal immigrants into the U.S.”
Kelsey’s thoughts whirled. “What do you do when illegals stop by?”
Sadie glanced over the rims of her glasses. “Usually my husband gives the immigrants water while I call the authorities.”
Kelsey looked at the dog at her feet and smiled at the large sad-eyed rottweiler. “I’m sure Roxie is a good watchdog.”
“Nothing like a rottweiler to keep people at a distance.” Sadie smiled. “ ‘Course she’d as likely slobber all over your shoes than bite you, but we’ll keep that to ourselves.”
Kelsey and Sadie talked for about an hour longer. Sadie explained how deep passions ran among people when it came to the subject of illegal immigrants, no matter which side of the issue the person might be on.
“When does Kade get home?” Kelsey asked when they finished the interview. He’d been gone since at least six a.m. It was closing in on a full twelve hours from the time he’d left the house until this moment.
“Anytime now.” Sadie glanced out the front window. “Looks like he’s here.”
A low thrill invaded Kelsey’s belly, and when Kade walked through the door her senses ran sky-high. His presence filled the room and the tired smile he gave her made her knees quiver.
“Mom. Kelsey.” Kade hung his Stetson on the hat rack, then kicked off his boots and left them beside the front door. He wore a faded blue shirt over a black T-shirt and snug jeans.
Kade: Armed and Dangerous Page 5
