Runaway Bride

by Hestand, Rita

  Good sense. No use pursuing a man who had absolutely no intention of getting married, and said so. But why? Why did he feel that way? Had he been through some painful experience, or was he just a male chauvinist?

  Darn it, she didn't need to stay here. She was too attracted to Ben Hogg.

  And turnabout was fair play, he didn't trust her any more than she trusted him.

  She had just finished talking with Janet on the phone when the Sheriff came in with a tray full of food. He set it in front of her, and then returned to the kitchen.

  When he joined her a few minutes later, he had his own tray and sat in the chair by the bed.

  "You shouldn't have gone to so much trouble," she exclaimed, adjusting her pillows so she could sit up.

  "No trouble for me, Mrs. Johnson did all the work," he said and smiled.

  Dear God, that smile!

  "I didn't have to be waited on, you know."

  He eyed her before biting into his pork chop.

  "No problem."

  "I'm not very hungry," she protested. He probably already sized her up as totally incapable. A ditz. Maybe she was!

  "You should eat though."

  "Look you've been very kind. But, you don't have to take care of me. I'm a big girl."

  He smiled. "I don't like to eat alone."

  "No, but you live alone, don't you?" She asked nibbling her pork chop now and realizing that no pork chop had ever tasted so heavenly.

  "Yeah, but Little Bit and I eat together every evening." He grinned.

  "Oh, why don't you invite him in here?" she said and her glance slid to his lips, that looked moist and inviting with every bite.

  "Sure you don't mind?"

  "Not at all."

  She was drooling over the man. She had to get a grip. It made her angry to feel so helpless and so vulnerable to one man. This was ridiculous, being attracted to another man only a few days after her planned wedding to Chad. Especially a man who wanted no part of marriage. Wouldn't she ever learn?

  "So what's the story?" he asked as his dog joined his side and contentedly waited for a scrap of food from his master.

  "The story?" She moistened her upper lip, nervously. He wanted details and she wasn't sure she could provide them.

  "Running away from a wedding isn't an everyday occurrence. What happened?"

  "Oh," she blushed, "Chad Huntington II. He's really a great guy. He actually took it very well, as I was leaving. Better than I expected. He simply didn't light any fires, that's all, I recognized it in time. He wasn't for me, and I knew it." the lie coming from her lips tasted sour. She'd never been good at lying; it bothered her, caught up with her

  "Then why did you accept his proposal?"

  How could she go into this without telling him the whole truth? She couldn't do that. She promised Chad she wouldn't say a word to anyone, and she couldn't. No, she'd have to invent the story as she went.

  "When you are accused of being an old maid, it pushes buttons. My two sisters are married, and have children. My brother is engaged. It seemed the thing to do."

  "What was wrong with good ole Chad?" he asked with a chuckle.

  "Nothing. Nothing at all. I just didn't love him, and woke up before it was too late. Our parents thought it was mutually beneficial to get us together. I'm twenty six years old and they pushed it."

  When he kept waiting for more story, she twisted her head, "What?"

  "Indulge me, start from the beginning."

  "Well," she began but the phone rang and the Sheriff answered it. He was talking and nodding at the same time, a frown lining his handsome face. That phone saved her and she was ever so grateful. After all, why should she burden the Sheriff with her problems?

  "Trouble?" she asked as she finished the pork chop.

  "'Fraid so, John and his wife are at it again. Never comes to anything, but if I don't show up they get mad and tell everyone I'm not doing my job, so I go. Sorry, you better try to get some rest."

  "Y-yes, just what I need," she rolled her eyes. She set the tray away from the bed and snuggled into the covers, but she couldn't stop the frowning. Darn it she would miss him, and she shouldn't miss him at all.

  He seemed to sense it and before she knew what he was doing he bent over her, and kissed her tenderly on the lips. His lips felt like soft butter, much different from the way Chad had always kissed her. She wanted to explore this new feeling, but knew better than to go there.

  It didn't last long enough to amount to anything, but Savannah felt like a big ball of mush nonetheless. She pinked then asked him, "So what was that for?"

  He shrugged, "My momma used to say a kiss made it better."

  With that he tipped his hat and left her.

  It was hours before he returned, but he didn't come into her room. She listened intently as he moved about the house.

  Late that night, she snuck into the kitchen for a glass of milk and was about to tiptoe back to bed, when she ran into a big, hard, shirtless, chest.

  She gasped; the light from the hallway lit him into a shadow in front of her.

  "I was...just getting a glass of milk," she explained. "I'm having trouble going to sleep."

  Her hand, the empty one was on his chest, and it seemed to melt into that hard wall of man. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, and couldn't move away. Her fingers immediately sent a message to her brain. This was another unexplored territory and best left alone.

  Without a word, he took the glass of milk from her, put it on the kitchen table, then turned around and took her into his arms.

  She wasn't thinking, just feeling as his lips came down to meet hers. Her body instantly moved towards him. He seemed to suck in breath between nibbles of her lips and cheek. "I've been thinking about doing this all day..." he whispered.

  "Me too..." she barely managed between sighs of contentment. The feelings were so new to her, she knew she was in over her head, but what could she do?

  "You're so damned sweet..." he murmured.

  There it was! That word. Why did everyone think of her as "sweet". Why couldn't he have said, "Charming", "alluring", anything besides, "sweet"? It irritated, and stopped her from making a big fool of herself.

  "I think I should go to bed..."

  He stopped dead cold.

  She staggered backwards and he caught her to him again. "Go to bed, Savannah, before I take you there...." he whispered, his lips grazing her ear, as his breath blew against her. She shivered.

  She stared at him through the darkness and then slipped down the hall quietly to her room as though nothing at all had happened.

  Falling against the door, she closed it and held her breath till she heard him close his.

  What had just happened?

  Had she completely lost her mind? Standing there in the dark, kissing a man that was nearly a stranger. Not only that, but responding to his kiss like she had. She felt clueless to her own emotions. But what must he think of her?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  The welts had subsided after two long days without much company, and her car was fixed, so why was Savannah still dragging her heels the next morning. Couldn't be that the handsome Sheriff had actually gotten to her, could it? No, she chastised herself. He'd practically ignored her since he kissed her so thoroughly.

  That should tell her something, shouldn't it? He was no more interested in a relationship than she. Right? Right! He wasn't the marrying kind, and he had been a gentleman to let her go.

  The Sheriff was merely being nice and she shouldn't make anything of it, she told herself. But oh those soft lips lingered in her memory a little longer than the law allowed. The way he had kissed her....

  It had been a mistake! Thank God they had stopped. Just in time! For had he pursued it, she would have been willing. This knowledge scared her witless. She'd never let any man have his way with her. She'd always been completely in control. So had Chad. Chad never had stirred such feelings. What did it mean? She had loved Chad, hadn't she?

/>   That one kiss had her re-evaluating her entire life.

  Dragging her camera and suitcase back to the car, she stowed it in the backseat and turned to find the Sheriff standing just in front of her. Everything inside her went to jelly. Oh, she was so attracted to him, she couldn't stand it, just looking at him made her want him.

  "Leaving so soon?"

  "I've imposed long enough."

  "No imposition, really. Guess you're headed for that dude ranch now?"

  "Guess so, if you're not charging me with theft, that is?"

  He smiled, "I checked your story."

  Her shoulders slumped.

  "It's my job, Savannah. Your id matches, of course. But I had to be sure. It's my responsibility you understand. You will have to rent a car though. They want theirs back it seems. They wanted to come out and pick you up, but I advised them it might be best to give you a little time. I told them about you staying with your Aunt, so they wouldn't worry about you. And you need to get your license taken care of as soon as possible. I've procured a temporary one from the judge here in town. He, like me thought it best, under the circumstances."

  She rolled her eyes, firmed her lips and looked at him. "I guess I should thank you." She said reaching for the paper in his hands. Her fingers grazed his and she nearly jerked the paper from him. "But I might have known, my parents would be livid. I'll take care of it today, if there's a rental in town."

  "Sure, just head south on the highway, you'll see it, on the right. Leave this car there, I'll pick it up this evening, bring it out here, so no one will tamper with it. A car like that, draws interest in these parts."

  "Thanks. I thought I'd kill a little time in town, shopping for some clothes."

  "You're welcome to stay ..."

  "No thanks Sheriff, you've been very accommodating, and I'd like to thank you for everything. I'll leave your sister's clothes at the store, if that's okay?"

  He nodded.

  She couldn't see his eyes for the sunglasses, and she so wanted to see them. She wanted to know he wasn't mocking her. Now she'd never know exactly what he thought of her.

  She extended her hand, and he took it. They shook and she got in the car and drove away from the one man that made her toes curl, her blood zing, and her mind a total blank.

  Flipping on the radio, she listened to a country and western station, imitating their twang. She rolled down the window and let her hair fly. She did everything to distract herself from the image in her rear-view mirror.

  As she ran her hands over the jeans in the small clothing store in town, she told herself that it was all for the best. She didn't need the Sheriff. He didn't want a woman and he made that clear. Still that kiss lingered in her mind. It wasn't just a kiss, she told herself. He was making love with his lips. Would there ever be a man that kissed her like that again, that wasn't marriage shy? She doubted it. Besides, it was only a kiss.

  Had she blown it up, bigger than it was? Was it her imagination that his kiss was a little more than interested? Surely she had. It seemed all her emotions had been going wild lately. Perhaps being dumped by another man did hurt her ego?

  She paid for a stack of clothes, changed into a pair of tight fitting jeans and western shirt. She grimaced at the image in the mirror. She filled out her jeans well enough, but without make-up she looked ever so plain, and just a little younger.

  Then she asked the sales lady if there was a place to get a soft drink.

  "Sure, the "Done That" saloon is just two doors down."

  "Saloon?" She questioned. "Oh, I meant a café or something."

  "Well, it's a bar, honey, but the cafe doesn't open till five." The saleslady smiled at her.

  "I see, well, would you see that the Sheriff gets these clothes back. They belong to his sister and he was kind enough to let me borrow them."

  "Of course, just leave them in the dressing room."

  "Thanks." Savannah shrugged. The bar sounded interesting enough to try. She paid for her things and headed down the boardwalk for the saloon.

  The door swung just like an old time movie saloon, and she almost giggled. The bar was long and solid oak, a beautiful work of art, Savannah sighed as her fingers ran over the edge. There were benches lined up and a few cowboys scattered in a couple of booths. Two men were shooting pool, and glanced up as she came in.

  One winked.

  Harmless, she thought.

  She headed for the bar and tried to ignore them. But something had her looking again. There went those crazy emotions again. What had happened last night in the dark, scared her, and thrilled her all at once. She shouldn't be so attracted to a man when only days ago she was supposed to marry Chad. But it also didn't mean a thing. And even the handsome Sheriff had called her "sweet". That should have been enough right there to break any spell he might weave. Maybe the Sheriff thought she kissed men all the time.

  If only he knew. He'd have a good laugh. But she had to forget that kiss, and the man behind it. The Sheriff wasn't looking for a lady. And the kiss was meaningless to him. Maybe he kissed lots of women like that. He'd never know that it was a once in a lifetime for her.

  Thinking about the kiss, and about the almost marriage to Chad, she felt something inside her rebel. She wasn't good enough, or woman enough for Chad, or perhaps she might have kept him on the straight and narrow, and she wasn't enough to change the Sheriff's mind either. So just where did she stand as a woman?

  Wanting to put Ben out of her head, she decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. This was a perfect opportunity to prove something to her bruised ego. A little flirting could go a long way for a girl. It was all in fun, she told herself. In fact, it was exciting. She needed to feel something other than this constant buzz around the Sheriff. He wasn't interested in getting married and he'd been up front about it. She shouldn't be the least interested in him, either. After all, he'd cuffed her, hadn't he? Had she forgotten that? Obviously she had. Well, even Chad had confused her. To the point of thinking she knew absolutely nothing about men!

  What would it hurt? Innocent flirting, after all, she was long overdue for an adventure. Not attracted to either man, she knew this would be an innocent adventure in womanhood.

  Sauntering with her soft drink in one hand and her other hand on her hip, she batted her eyes playfully at the youngest of the two. Maybe she was pouring it on too thick.

  "Can I play too?" Her voice was deliberately husky.

  "Why shore honey. Can you shoot?"

  "A little," she teased with a smile, glancing at the youngest man with exaggerated interest.

  "Well hell fire honey, let's see what you can do." The other one said looking at her from head to toe.

  Savannah edged closer to the younger one, thinking he might be a safer bet than this oversized stud.

  "You wanna lag?" The youngest chimed in, moving closer.

  She smiled, took a big deep breath, causing her chest to expand and the cowboy's eyes dropped to the first button of her shirt.

  "Ladies first," said the older cowboy with a grin, and a quick lick of his lips.

  Savannah summoned all her courage and brazenly strutted to the table, she took the younger cowboy's hat and put it on her head, then she took the cue and chalked it good, as her brother taught her.

  She was about to rack the balls when the bigger cowboy obliged and the younger man took both her hands in his and caressed each finger with added chalk.

  "Suppose we make this interesting," she cleared her throat and stared into the young cowboy's eyes. He was handsome, but he didn't hold a candle to the Sheriff. She had to quit thinking about the Sheriff, he wasn't interested in playing games nor getting married. Stamping out the Sheriff's image, she smiled and nodded.

  "Sure, I win, you buy dinner, how's that?" She crooned playfully.

  "Ah now honey, we can do better than dinner, can't we?"

  "It's a date," she agreed, Just because she'd never played this game of cat and mouse, didn't mean she could
n't act.

  "Rack 'em, Leroy," The youngest cowboy said staring straight into her smiling and unsuspecting face.

  "The lady breaks 'em." Leroy nodded.

  Savannah moved herself closer to the young cowboy, and extended her body over the table. Even though her daring display had caught the eye of everyone in the saloon,

  She took the cue stick and leaned into the table, stretching herself in an exotic pose. Then she heard the break of the balls and heard one drop into its pocket. Leroy whistled.

  She glanced up at him and smiled, the younger cowboy pulled her up against him. She smelled the beer on his breath, saw the desire in his eyes and knew she was in the biggest trouble she had ever been in.

  Why oh why was she playing with such fire? Just because the only man she had ever almost married preferred male company to hers, didn't mean she had to prove to the world she was a woman. Did it? Well, maybe it did. Maybe her ego had been hurt more than she thought. Maybe she wasn't sure how to handle Chad's problem or her own.

  Even though her brother Jarod had taught her to play pool and play well, these cowboys wanted much more than a game and she was flirting with sure disaster. A bet was one thing, what these fellas wanted was not flirting. And she suddenly knew it. She swallowed hard. She'd been the one to start this, somehow she had to get herself out of it. But how? She'd never dealt with a half drunk cowboy before.

  A prayer went up, but she remained confident as the second ball found a pocket. The young cowboy pulled her to him and kissed her on the lips. He was more immature at kissing than talking and she bit back a retort when he tried to nuzzle her neck. Sweat peppered her upper lip. Her hands trembled, but she ignored the silent threat that lay between her and these men. Somehow she had to use her head and get out of this. But how?

  This was simply flirting, and she could handle a couple of red-neck cowboys, couldn't she?

  She poised herself for another shot, bent to take aim, and heard Leroy let loose with a big boast.