This Kiss

by Teresa Southwick

  She folded her arms over her chest. “That might inconvenience you. I’m sorry about that. But my goal is to give her back everything I cost her.”

  He struggled to control his irritation. This wasn’t about him losing a housekeeper. If Polly wanted to leave, he wouldn’t be happy, but he would deal with it. This was about Hannah and the hold those bad memories still had on her.

  “That bastard walked out on the two of you,” he said. “It’s his debt, Hannah, not yours.”

  “It is mine,” she shot back. “If not for me, he would still be around.”

  “That’s not what a parent’s love is all about,” he said. “Ask your mother.”

  “I have.”

  “And what did she say?”

  “That he was too young. That he probably had no intention of settling down with one woman even after saying ‘I do.”’

  “Polly’s smart enough to tell a mule from a racehorse. My guess is that’s where you got your brains from.”

  “She’s told me I shouldn’t feel guilty.”

  “Listen to her, Hannah. The problem is his not yours.”

  “Let’s leave him out of the equation. Facts are facts. Mom took care of me, now it’s my turn to take care of her.”

  Dev rubbed the back of his neck. He finally had the whole picture. He completely understood how deep Hannah’s pain went and why she held herself back and him at arm’s length. Hell, he knew now why she’d been so driven to leave Destiny for a career.

  Hannah was a fine doctor. No question about that. The folks who’d seen her in the office for aches, pains, sniffles and stomach upsets would sing her praises from Destiny to the Red River and the Oklahoma prairie beyond. But her dedication to her career swung to the passionate. And now he understood why.

  She was determined to make up for driving her father away. His intense frustration at that told him he’d apparently harbored some misguided notion that she would give up her big-city dream and stay. He should know better.

  Dev had watched helplessly while the woman he loved raised dust on her way out of town to have a career. Before they married, he hadn’t known of Corie’s ambition. He’d thought they were riding the same trail as far as life goals were concerned. He’d been wrong. Now he was bewitched by another woman bent on success. It didn’t matter that her vocation helped people. Or that she was driven by emotional and unselfish reasons. Or that her goal to pay her mother back would disrupt his life. That was between Polly and Hannah.

  His first priority had to be Ben. Then himself if he was to be of any use to his son. Dev knew he would be a fool to give free rein to his budding feelings. An idiot to ride this path when he saw potholes that would swallow him up. Dumb as dirt to let this attraction go unchecked. Burned once, shame on her. Burned twice, shame on him. Now that he knew how deep her commitment went, no way would he let Dr. Hannah Morgan into his heart.

  Hell of a thing, finding out M.D. stood for Mega Distraction. Major Dilemma.

  My Downfall.

  Chapter Seven

  On the last night of the championships, Dev waited at the far end of the main corral for intermission to end. The crowd had thinned since there were only three events left: chute dogging, pole bending and bull riding. But since he was a pickup man, he still had a job to do and was waiting for the signal that they were ready to start.

  As he stood there, Mitch Rafferty walked by with his arm around Taylor Stevens’s waist. Just a few minutes before, in front of God and all the spectators, they had declared what just about everyone in Destiny was making side bets on: they were crazy in love.

  Taylor was branching out in a new direction with her dude ranch. Since returning to Destiny, Mitch was working with a development company to bring prosperity to the area. Dev envied them and couldn’t help thinking about Hannah. The last time he’d had a Hart to heart talk with her, he’d realized that her childhood memories were not good ones. She’d gone away and made something of herself and was well on her way to a successful life and career in another state. He’d known she was ambitious, but he’d learned how deep it went and why nothing could compel her to stay.

  “Penny for ’em.”

  Dev knew the voice belonged to Grady O’Connor. He glanced to his right where his friend had stopped. “Hey, Sheriff. Penny for what?”

  “Your thoughts. You’re looking pretty grim. Must be thinking about a woman.”

  “Remind me not to plan the crime of the century here in Destiny. Considering your sleuthing skills, I wouldn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell of pulling it off.”

  “Then let me impress you some more. Would the lady perp happen to be Hannah Morgan?”

  “Cuff me and run me in,” Dev confirmed.

  “What’s with you and the pretty doc?”

  “Not a blessed thing.”

  “But not because you’re not interested,” the lawman guessed.

  “Doesn’t matter. She’s going back to California.”

  At least now he knew why she was so determined to achieve financial security. For the second time in as many minutes, Dev remembered that day in the medical trailer when she’d told him about breaking her arm and the resulting fallout. He almost smiled at his in-poor-taste play on words. But nothing about the situation was funny.

  Grady rested his forearms on the top rail of the fence. “Maybe you could change her mind about leaving.”

  “Not a chance.”

  And how pathetic was that? The first woman who’d interested him in longer than he cared to remember, and she only had eyes for a career. Even if he could let himself compromise his hopes and dreams, Destiny, Texas, would never offer her enough. It didn’t do any good to wish things were different. He’d wished as hard as he could that Corie wouldn’t walk away from him and Ben. And he’d learned an important lesson. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

  Grady nudged his hat up with a knuckle. “So you are interested.”

  “Did I say I was interested?”

  “No. But more important is what you didn’t say.”

  “Such as?” Dev demanded.

  “You didn’t say you didn’t want to change her mind about leaving, just that there was no chance. It’s what you don’t say that means the most.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “Because I’ve known you since high school.”

  “Then you know I’m not the type to howl at the moon. The lady’s leaving. End of story.” Dev let out a long breath and stared at the corral where the tractor was smoothing the dirt for the upcoming events.

  “For the record, significant others don’t grow on trees,” Grady pointed out.

  Dev slid him a wry look. “That was profound. You missed your calling. Writing a column for one of those lovelorn ladies’ magazines would be right up your alley. Not to mention your track record with women would give you the proper credentials.”

  “I have no track record or credentials,” Grady commented equably.

  “My point exactly. So who died and put Cupid’s bow and arrow in your shoulder holster?”

  “Just trying to be a friend.”

  “I appreciate that. And let me return the favor. I saw you with Jensen Stevens earlier. Is Destiny’s small-town rodeo queen turned up-and-coming Dallas family attorney planning to stick around for a while?”

  The sheriff’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t ask.”

  “Because you don’t care?” Dev wondered how Destiny’s finest liked it when the pistol was on the other hip.

  “Doesn’t matter whether I do or not. It’s common knowledge that she’ll never get over Zach.”

  “He’s been gone for, what is it now?” Dev thought for a moment. “Seven, eight years?”

  “Nine.”

  “That’s a long time to carry a torch for someone,” he said. “Sooner or later she’ll be ready to move on. Maybe you can give her a nudge in the right direction.”

  “Even if I was so inclined, which I’m not, I’ve got bigger fish to fry.�
�

  The ragged tone got Dev’s attention and he half turned to study his friend. The lines on either side of Grady’s nose and mouth seemed to deepen. Tension rolled off him in waves. He’d known Grady O’Connor since high school. The sheriff was rock solid and unflappable. One look at his face said there was something really wrong. For the first time, Dev noticed an envelope sticking out of the sheriff’s khaki uniform shirt pocket.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “It’s no big deal—”

  “This is me, Grady. What’s going on?”

  The sheriff rested his booted foot on the bottom slat of the fence. “I’m being sued.”

  “What? Why? Some disgruntled perp?”

  Grady shook his head. “Custody of the girls.”

  “You’re joking.” That shocked Dev more than anything.

  “I wish I were.”

  Grady O’Connor was a good father, good sheriff, good friend. Dev wasn’t sure which order he’d put the last two in, but being a father definitely came first with Grady. As far as he knew, there wasn’t anyone to challenge his custody of the kids. Grady’s family had no cause and wouldn’t do that. His wife had passed away and she’d had no other relatives. So who could possibly file a suit with any merit? There had to be something he was missing, or details his friend wasn’t sharing.

  “Who would sue you for Kasey and Stacy?” Dev asked.

  “I’m not sure,” the sheriff admitted. “The petitioner is William Robert Adams.”

  “Related to Zach Adams?”

  “More than likely.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to need a lawyer. Jensen offered to help.” Grady met his gaze with a shuttered expression. “I turned her down.”

  “How come? I hear she kicks some pretty impressive legal butt.”

  “You know why I can’t ask her, Dev.” The sheriff looked at him again and the intensity in his gaze was unmistakable. “She’s the last person who should get involved in this.”

  “I’ve got a bad feeling this has something to do with that night at the lake ten years ago.”

  The muscle in Grady’s jaw tensed and released. “I’ve got the same bad feeling.”

  Dev nodded grimly. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “If there is, I’ll let you know.”

  “Just say the word.” He thought for a moment. “I saw Jack Riley.”

  “Me too, with Maggie Benson.” Grady grinned fleetingly. “Did you see him jump into the stock pen after Faith fell in? Maggie’s daughter sure is a pistol.”

  Dev smiled. “Yeah. If anyone could use help parenting it’s Maggie.”

  “No kidding. Do you know who Faith’s father is?”

  “You’re the star detective,” Dev shot back. “Don’t you know?”

  “Some things are just beyond my investigative skills.”

  “I don’t think she’s ever told anyone. If she had, it would be all over Destiny in thirty minutes.”

  “It’s water over the dam now anyway.”

  Dev nodded. “I heard Jack was recruited by an elite army force ten years ago, right out of boot camp. Bet he’s had some interesting experiences. I’d sure like to hear any stories he has to tell.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ve had weird vibes all night,” Dev commented. He was remembering that night at the championships ten years before. It was the last time the four of them had been together. “Ever since Mitch showed up… It’s as if the past is reaching out and pulling us back.”

  Grady nodded. “The last time I saw Jack was five years ago. He was here just long enough for his father’s funeral, then gone again. Like a covert operation.”

  “I wonder if he’ll stick around a while this time,” Dev said. “You could ask him to put all that military training to practical use and take out whoever is behind the lawsuit.”

  “As an officer of the law, I’m going to forget you said that.” Grady smiled, but the warmth didn’t reach his ice-blue eyes.

  “Okay.” Dev thought for a moment. “Still, the weird vibes won’t let up. It’s been ten years since the four of us were together in Destiny.”

  “If you use the word ‘cosmic,”’ Grady said, a warning in his tone, “I’m going to turn my ladies’ magazine column over to you.”

  Dev laughed as he shook his head. “Only if you think the ladies will want an update on the current beef prices.”

  Grady shook his head. “The four of us back together again. How about that?”

  “Yeah. You know, I’m sure Jack and Mitch would want to know if there’s anything they can do. About the lawsuit, I mean.”

  “I’ll let you know,” Grady agreed. “In the meantime, I’ll figure out how I want to handle this. I need to decide how to beat the creep at his own game.”

  “What creep? What game?” Hannah asked. “You two look deep in conversation. What’s going on?” Wearing her white lab coat, she stepped on the bottom slat beside him and looked from Dev to Grady.

  “Nothing much,” the sheriff said. “The usual. How’s it going, Hannah? Saved any lives recently?”

  “It’s been quiet,” she answered. “How about you?”

  “I was just about to go keep the peace—or something like that.” Grady settled his hat low on his forehead. “See you two later.”

  “Later,” Dev said as his friend walked away and disappeared into the darkness beyond the floodlights.

  “He was certainly preoccupied about something,” Hannah commented, her head turned as she watched the sheriff until the dark swallowed him.

  “He’s got good reason to be.”

  Frowning, she met his gaze. “Why?”

  “You’ll have to ask him.” No way was Dev going to tell her what was going on. It wasn’t his secret to share. To distract her, he touched the circular end of the stethoscope looped over her shoulders. “Nice necklace. Fashion statement?”

  She caught both ends with her hands and pulled on it. “Habit. I feel almost naked without it.”

  He’d like to see what she looked like almost naked. The idea heated his blood and sent it racing through his veins, mostly to points south. He needed a distraction. He wished she’d be merciful and do something to take his mind off the sensuous thought. When she didn’t, he said the first thing that came to mind.

  “You’re almost home free,” he commented.

  “And by that you’re implying that the championships are nearly over, meaning I lucked out and haven’t had to handle a trauma?” Her words were challenging, but the sting was removed when she smiled.

  The beauty of that smile made him feel as if he’d just been tossed off a horse’s back and had the wind knocked out of him.

  “Yeah, just a couple more events,” he managed to answer. “Bull riding is last.”

  Worry lines marred the smooth skin of her forehead. “That one gives me the willies. There’s something not natural about anyone trying to stay on a ton of solid turning, twisting muscle that doesn’t want him there.”

  “It scares the you-know-what out of me, too,” he admitted.

  “I knew you weren’t just another pretty face,” she said. “Unlike one of the teenagers I treated yesterday.”

  “What happened?”

  “Up until then, I didn’t have to deal with anything more complicated than scrapes, bumps and bruises. But this particular idiot-in-training happens to be a bull rider. His name is Ronnie Slyder and he sliced his hand open on a giant staple.”

  “Come again?”

  “The kids were having squirt-gun fights. He got one of those gigantic ones and the packaging gave him more trouble than an ill-tempered bull.”

  “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. All week the kid successfully rides a ton of ticked off bull and he injured himself on a staple?” Dev clarified.

  She nodded. “But there’s more. After I put six stitches in his palm, he said it could have been worse. I thought he meant that he was lucky he hadn’t sli
ced anything that would impair flexibility in his hand.”

  “He didn’t?”

  “Nope. He said if the injury had been to his other hand he would have been really upset.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s his rope hand. Since it’s okay, he’s still planning to ride tonight.”

  “Is it medically dangerous?”

  “I wouldn’t want to do it,” she admitted. “But when he explained how it all works, and I checked with Commissioner Rafferty, I couldn’t come up with a medical reason to scrap him. Especially when he said he needs to ride. He’s hoping for a college scholarship.”

  There was an announcement over the public address system telling the spectators that the last of the events were about to begin.

  “That’s my cue,” Dev said.

  “For what? Aren’t you a little old to be competing?”

  “I’m a pickup man.”

  “So what else is new?” she asked, a teasing smile making her blue eyes sparkle.

  That look turned him inside out and upside down and landed his backside in the dirt. But Dev knew he had to hide his reaction. There was no point in letting her know what she did to him because pretty soon she would be gone and couldn’t do it anymore.

  “You know, Dr. Morgan, you should come out of your clinic more often.”

  “It’s a trailer, Dev. And why would you say that?”

  “Because if you had, you’d know that I’m one of the rodeo’s unsung heroes.”

  “Is that so? Pray tell, why?”

  “The pickup man rides—” he held up his hand “—I mean gallops, at great personal peril, into the arena. He pulls the contestant off his irate horse or bull, whichever the case may be, also at great personal peril. Then gets them to safety as fast as possible.”

  “What we in the medical profession call stat.”

  “Okay,” he said.

  “In that case, you are definitely a hero.”

  Before he could stop himself, he leaned down and touched his mouth to hers. “For luck,” he explained. “Gotta git. See you later.”

  Hannah hung on to the fence as tightly as she was hanging on to her heart. Why had he done that? Ben was home in bed asleep. There was no good reason for him to do that. And now, damn him, her lips tingled. From the slightest brush of his mouth. A touch that probably didn’t mean a thing to him. But, for the life of her, she couldn’t work up a really good mad as she watched Dev walk away. How could she get angry at a man who looked that good in denim? Heck, that good from the rear.