It’s what made her take another bottle of water from the cooler and walk over to him.
She handed him the bottle.
“Thanks.” He grinned, sexy and flirtatious.
She couldn’t stop from feasting her eyes on his bare chest, lightly haired and fit.
That sheen of sweat...
She would love to be on top of him, and for the cause of his sweat to be from her.
The heat that tormented her radiated as she met his gaze, her own eyes shaded by her hat, a much more feminine one, blue-and-white and wide-brimmed.
She wanted him so much. The only thing stopping her was respect for David. And even that was beginning to weaken.
He stepped toward her, the lure too great to ignore. At least she wasn’t the only one suffering.
“Hot today.” His small talk gave him away further.
She drank some water, seeing his gaze drift hungrily down the front of her.
He had to stop doing that. She powered the bottle, and their gazes drank each other instead.
Temptation was too much. She breathed her anticipation as he stepped even closer, angling his head to dip his beneath the brim of her hat, his bumping hers as his mouth touched hers. The fact that a dozen or more men worked around them didn’t matter. She had a fever for this. For Brandon.
Gently, he caressed her, tasting and savoring, satisfying a gnawing urge. Eliza trembled with desire for more, like an itch that never stopped itching. It felt good to scratch, but it wasn’t enough to ease the irritation.
She pressed him for more. He kissed her harder. Their hips came together. She clenched his hair in her hand. Parting their mouths, his plundering eyes bore into hers.
“I want you right now,” she whispered.
He actually began looking around for a place to take her. The camp table would do just fine for her. Hell, the ground.
But he saw with her that several of the men had stopped to watch them.
Flustered, she stepped back, knees shaky, sweatier than she had been before, an ache between her legs.
Spinning around, she put the bottle of water on the table and walked briskly toward the pasture. She’d seen Willow there before. The mare saw her and walked to the fence, eager for food or a ride. A ride she’d get. Eliza had to get away from Brandon.
All the new tack she and Brandon had picked up was in a temporary shed that had been delivered yesterday. Seeing Brandon back to work, she contemplated going for a ride. She could use the break.
Going to the shed, she found a bridle and decided against a saddle. That would take too long.
Hopping the fence, she fit the bridle on Willow’s pretty head.
“What are you doing?”
The terse demand could only be from Brandon. He stood on the other side of the fence, arms dangling over the top, cowboy hat shading his handsome face.
“Going for a quick ride.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“No,” she answered sharply. “I need a break. I won’t be long.”
He hesitated. The fire hadn’t died. If he went with her, she’d take him to the yurt where she could be alone and naked with him. And they’d lock the door this time.
He didn’t stop her as she climbed up onto Willow’s bare back. She reined the horse toward the open pasture and sent her into a canter. She was so hot she might have to go for a swim in the stream.
At last she was out of sight of Brandon. Her nerves began to loosen. Tension eased from her back. Breathing the fresh air helped, too.
As she came upon the yurt, she wished Brandon had accompanied her. But then she saw an all-terrain vehicle parked there. Someone was there, using the yurt for shelter. In an instant, she realized it was the ATV she’d seen in the stable. It hadn’t been there when she’d gone to free the horses from the fire.
Who could it be? Everyone was working on the stable.
Just as fear sprang up in her, the yurt door opened and Brandon’s father appeared. He was using the yurt as a hideout.
He chuckled, low and dark. “This isn’t how I had it planned, but I can be flexible. How nice of you to come alone.”
Eliza reined Willow around and gave her an urgent tap with her heels. The horse charged into a run. Eliza stayed low on her back, tapping her again.
Willow strained into a full run, eating up the ground.
The sound of the ATV put a ball of panic in Eliza’s throat. She’d have rather dragged Brandon into the house with all the men watching than risk this.
The ATV caught up to her. Brandon’s father veered toward the horse, frightening the animal. Willow jerked in another direction, nearly throwing Eliza. She clung to the horse, kicking her harder. The horse needed no urging. Willow was as frightened as she was.
The ATV came up on Eliza’s other side, getting ahead of Willow. The horse dug into the ground and headed in another direction. Brandon’s dad was herding her.
The stream curled through the pasture, and she and Willow were coming up on it. Eliza reined the mare to run along its bank. Ahead, there was a fallen tree. Brandon’s dad would have to go around it. She’d gain some ground if she could jump it.
“Come on, Willow.” She urged the horse to give more.
At the tree, the horse shied a little, running into the water, splashing wildly with her speed. She lurched with the jump.
Eliza lost her balance on her back.
“No!” She sailed off the horse’s back, landing hard on her backside, her feet in the stream.
The buzz of the ATV circled the tree as she’d anticipated. Struggling to breathe, Eliza crawled to her hands and knees.
Dizzily, she saw Willow galloping away. She was heading for the house. The ATV stopped on the other side of the stream, and Brandon’s dad climbed off.
“It’s tough to do a jump like that bareback.”
He walked with slow confidence toward her, heedless of the water.
Eliza pushed herself up and stood, unsteady, head swimming. “What do you want?”
“I think you already know.”
“Brandon’s done nothing to you that you didn’t deserve.” She stepped backward as he reached the other side of the stream.
“I deserved?” He stopped, putting his fingers against his chest. “I deserved to live without my wife? I deserved to be sent to prison?”
Eliza kept quiet. Jillian wasn’t as crazy as she thought. This man was far more dangerous. She should never have underestimated Brandon’s suspicion.
“David got off easy. Brandon won’t be as lucky.”
“Brandon isn’t here.” Why was he after her? Clearly he’d been the one to send her the notes. He’d targeted her all along. But why?
“I’m going to take from him what he took from me.”
What was he talking about?
As he reached for her, she pivoted and ran up the slope. He was taller and had longer legs. He caught her in a tackle.
The sound of a gunshot got him off her quickly. He sprinted to the still-running ATV.
Eliza looked upstream and saw Brandon on a horse, charging for her. He fired his gun again.
The bullet spat up the dirt right beside the ATV’s rear tire. Brandon’s dad looked back and then revved the motor, racing across the stream and up the bank toward the protection of the trees.
Brandon fired again as he reined his horse to a stop beside her. He jumped off.
“I couldn’t let you go alone.” He breathed hard and his eyes were wild with worry.
She touched his face, so glad to see him. “He was in the yurt.”
“We don’t keep it locked.”
He’d been staying there all along.
“Oh, Brandon. He’s the one sending the notes. He’s after me.” It wasn’t Jillian. “He thinks killing me will hurt you.”
His breathing stopped for a few seconds. Then he said, “It would.”
Chapter 13
This time when Zimmerman came to talk to Eliza, he believed her. The marshal was
with him. Brandon led them all into the living room, where Eliza sat on the sofa and Zimmerman took his seat on the chair. Marshal Dodge stood opposite the coffee table, and Brandon went to sit beside Eliza. He felt drawn to her now. Not only to make sure she was safe, but in other ways he hesitated to explore.
His attraction to her had nearly resulted in her demise. Kissing her at the pasture fence had driven her to get away from him. That was a mistake. He chided himself for not considering the possibility that his father would be watching, that he’d be near. He never imagined he’d use the yurt to hide. And wait for a chance to pounce.
Brandon still couldn’t accept how his father thought killing Eliza would be the worst possible punishment. Anyone dying because of his father would be devastating, but why did his father think Eliza mattered to him enough to single her out as his victim? His next victim, if he had killed the others.
Brandon turned to Eliza, finding it more and more impossible not to. She was poised and equitable despite the detective’s opinion of her up to this point. Her long hair was draped over her shoulder, her shorts and blouse dirty from her struggle. Slender and neither too large nor too small in the chest, she had a flat stomach and filled out her clothes perfectly. She wasn’t short, but she wasn’t tall. And her profile captured him the same as it had when he was eighteen.
Physically they’d been compatible. That hadn’t changed. Or had it?
Listening to her talk to Zimmerman about his kids revealed her prowess in communicating with people and her integrity. Zimmerman had targeted her as a possible suspect in David’s murder, and yet she didn’t hold a grudge. She was confident. Self-assured.
The way he’d felt when he’d seen his father chasing her stayed with him. No matter what, he couldn’t leave her alone. Not until his father was captured. That’s why he hadn’t complained when she’d crawled into bed with him last night. He just had to find a way to keep his hands off her.
Kissing a woman had never felt so all-encompassing. Afterward, he only craved her more. Each taste fueled a deeper desire, one he feared to let out of his control. He felt pulled in a direction he shouldn’t go.
“Enough about me.” Zimmerman grinned in admonishment. “I came here to talk to you.”
“I’m just trying to soften the blow. You were wrong, and I was right.”
Zimmerman chuckled. “Jack Reed is trying to kill you. Yes, you do win that one. I still need more on the rest.”
Eliza gave him a charming answering smile, though her brow line said she felt time would tell.
“We searched the yurt.” Zimmerman looked at Brandon. “Reed wasn’t expecting anyone to come along when you did. I doubt he was expecting Eliza to show up when she did. In fact, I doubt he expected anyone to catch him at the yurt. He left some personal items behind. Toiletries. Snack food. Water. That sort of thing. But we also found a business card from the man who tried calling David on his cell. The one you gave us.”
Brandon exchanged a look with Eliza, as stunned as her by this news. How else could his father have gotten the card if he hadn’t been in contact with David?
“Then you think it’s possible Jack killed David and the others,” Eliza said.
She wanted so much for him to believe her. Brandon wasn’t sure if she really worried she’d be charged with a crime she didn’t commit or if she was determined to win. Her social etiquette worked in her favor, but only because Zimmerman had proof she’d been attacked. Witnesses had seen her ride off, and there was real evidence inside the yurt.
“We’re still not convinced on motive for the other two.”
* * *
Ryker had forgotten that he’d been looking at colleges when he met Aegina. All of the application forms were in a box. None of them filled out. In lieu of going out of his mind and chasing after her again, he’d come up to the attic to go through their old photos, the ones they had from before they’d bought a digital camera. He’d been thinking a lot about the day he met his beautiful wife and the months that followed, and he began to wonder when he’d taken the bitter path of resentment.
Had it been when Eliza left Vengeance? He’d just met Aegina and fallen madly in love in a matter of days. So had she. He remembered how they’d matched each other that way. He didn’t think he cared all that much when Eliza left. It wasn’t until after his two sons were born that he began to feel stagnant, and thoughts of her abandonment had injected him with negativity. He didn’t like taking care of his mother. He loved her, but he didn’t like the responsibility.
He and Aegina had talked about where they’d live. She’d expressly stated she wouldn’t leave her family. She’d also told him that she wouldn’t fault him if he decided to go to college. His heart had been so full with her that it hadn’t taken any thought at all. His place was wherever she was. He’d given up his dream for her. He’d stayed in Vengeance for her. And it had been worth it. If he had a chance to do it all over, he wouldn’t change a thing,
A new kind of purpose compelled him. He felt refreshed. Alive. Ready to start over. With Aegina.
He took the blank application forms with him downstairs. As he picked up his keys, the doorbell rang.
Jillian was here...at his house?
“Hello, Ryker. I’m sorry to bother you at home.” Her long, dark hair swayed as she brushed past him to enter.
He shut the door as she removed her sunglasses to reveal her pretty blue eyes. “How did you know where I lived?”
“I looked you up.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I need to talk to you about Eliza.”
What the hell...?
“I need your help.”
“My help.” This had a bad feel to it. What could he possibly do to help her?
“Yes. I know that you aren’t happy with her for leaving you to take care of your mother. And with her husband dying and all, it doesn’t look good for her to be with Brandon. I was wondering if you’d talk to her for me. Tell her what a mistake she’s making being with him. Tell her she belongs in Hollywood.”
She actually thought he’d go talk to his sister about that? “Eliza made a mistake marrying David, Jillian. She also made a mistake leaving Vengeance. Not just because our mother needed us, but because she loved Brandon. She walked away from that love. She ran from it. If she and Brandon end up together now, it’s because it’s meant to be. You need to leave them alone. Move on. Find a man who loves you the way I’m starting to think Brandon has always loved Eliza. Love isn’t something you have to fight to get. It just happens.”
Her face was white with what Ryker could only call fear, and that was weird. Why did losing Brandon matter so much to her?
“But...you told me Brandon would love no woman.”
“He wouldn’t love any woman who ran from him. And Eliza ran.” Saying it gave him a nudging thought that he’d been a little too harsh with her. If that was the real reason she had left, he should have been more understanding.
“Then why is she trying to get him back now?”
“Why are you trying to stop her?”
Her head moved back as though shocked by the question. “I’m the right woman for him. We have a lot in common. More than Eliza has with him. She’s all wrong for him.”
“And you aren’t?”
“Why are you on her side now?”
Whose? His sister’s? “Look, Jillian, I meant it when I told you that you are a beautiful woman. You can have any man. Just not Brandon. If there is any woman he’ll ever let down his guard to love, it’ll be my sister.”
“No.” Jillian stepped back. “That can’t be.”
“Let it go. He doesn’t want you.”
She shook her head. “You’re wrong.” Moving backward again, she had to catch her balance when she came to the porch step. “He’ll love me, not her.”
She couldn’t make Brandon love her. Ryker saw the crazed look in her eyes. “Are you all right?”
“You’re all on her side.”
&n
bsp; “Do you need me to call someone to help you?” Like a van from a mental institution? He’d be sure and call Eliza after this. There was no telling what the woman would do next.
* * *
Ryker knocked on Aegina’s parents’ door after no one answered the doorbell. No doubt her mother had seen him and ignored it. At last the door opened and Aegina appeared. He took her in. She was wearing jean shorts and a Dodge T-shirt he’d given her. He’d kiss her if they weren’t having so many problems right now.
“Ryker.”
“Can I talk to you? It won’t take long. Just a few minutes.” Behind her, her mother scowled at him from the living room.
She glanced back and stepped outside, closing the door. He went to the swinging bench on the front porch and sat down, the application forms rolled in his hand.
Aegina sat next to him, eyeing the papers and then his face.
“You look good,” he said.
“Thanks. So do you.” She pointed at his Dodge T-shirt with a smile. It was different than hers, but it was still Dodge.
It warmed him that she’d noticed.
“How’s Eliza?” she asked.
“Good.” He supposed. He hadn’t talked to her.
“You heard, didn’t you?”
“About what?”
She sat straighter on the bench, facing him some more. “You haven’t heard.”
“What happened?”
“Brandon’s father attacked her.”
He listened while she told him the details and what was going around town. Her mother was one of the queens of gossip in Vengeance. Anything that happened at the police department quickly spread. Brandon’s father blamed his sons for their mother’s suicide, but he had particular hatred for Brandon.
“Does he mean to kill her?”
“He told Eliza that he’d make Brandon suffer the way he had.”
His sister was in a lot of danger. “Has Brandon’s father been caught?”
“Not yet.”
And then there was Jillian. Ryker would call her as soon as he left.
“You should really talk to your sister more, Ryker.”
“I will.” She may have left him with the care of their mother, but she was still his sister.
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