He squeezed her cold fingers.
How could she be cold in this heat? It was at least seventy-five degrees.
Hudson materialized on her other side. Olivia started, and Jake looked down. Hudson had her hand in his.
“Everyone’s fine. Except Whitty. He’s screaming like a girl getting a bikini wax.”
“How much damage?” Jake asked.
“Just your room, thank the Lord. The sprinkler system came on and doused the flames. It was contained mostly to the bedroom. Looks like whatever device was used was in there.”
“It was a grenade,” Jake said.
Tag looked shocked. He snatched his hat off his head and beat his leg with it a few times. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. I didn’t get a real long look at it, but it was enough. I heard it, too.”
“You don’t forget a sound like that,” Olivia murmured.
The trio shared a strained look.
Tag turned back to the deputy’s car. “Think whoever blew your room did this?”
“Stands to reason.”
“Why?” Olivia asked.
“Darlin’,” Hudson said. “It’s not like Freedom has a problem with violent crime. The last unnatural death we had here was when Arte Kushing accidently blew up Miss Sadie’s prized oinker Piggy Squire.”
She blinked. “Why would he blow up a pig?”
“He was trying to figure out the chemical components of bacon smell.”
“But—”
Jake squeezed her hand. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.”
Taggart headed for the deputy’s car as his hand reached for radio clipped to his shirt. “Dispatch,” he said with a low growl. “Where the hell is Kerr?”
“10-77 two minutes, your royal impatience.”
“Ranger?”
“Stopping at Starbucks. Said he won’t drink the swill you serve.”
“You have a Starbucks?” Olivia asked.
“Hey, we might be small, but we’re not backwards,” Hudson said.
Just then the red-and-blue flash of a light bar crested the hill. The car stopped behind Hudson’s truck and the door opened. A long, tall officer stepped out and surveyed the scene.
Jake squinted. All four vehicle lights were pretty much blazing into one giant cell and made it difficult to discern anything. The officer stepped into the light, and he smiled.
Deputy Samantha Carson. She stood just a shade under five ten with long, flowing brown hair she usually kept in a neat bun at the nape of her neck. She had a willowy but muscled figure. She sported the cool kind of sophistication most women strove for and few achieved.
“Sheriff.”
“Deputy. Took your sweet time getting here.”
Her lips tightened. “I was on the other side of Kerr County. Domestic disturbance with kids.”
The sheriff’s shoulders slumped. “Damn. Everything work out?”
“Yeah, but it was tense.” Samantha looked around. She eyed each of them with such studied intensity that Jake had to resist the urge to squirm like he was back in the third grade.
However, Mrs. Neal had never looked as good in her prim dresses as Samantha did in her tan uniform.
“What do we have?”
Taggart sighed and pointed to the car. “Wallace is dead.”
Samantha jerked like she’d been shot, and for a wild moment Jake could not stop from looking around.
“What happened?”
“Don’t know. I haven’t processed the scene. I was waiting for you. Got your kit?”
She nodded and turned around. Her trunk lid opened as she approached. The deputy bent beneath the lid and emerged moments later with a white toolbox and several paper bags. She set the box down next to the car and peered inside.
Jake heard her soft curse. “He was a good guy,” she said.
“Seems to be the consensus,” Olivia murmured.
Hudson nodded. “He was. Hard worker. Too young. This is going to kill Mary Beth.”
Tag turned to them. “Why don’t y’all head back to Hellfire, and I’ll catch up with you when we’re done here.”
Samantha shot up from the side of the car and came over. “Have you interviewed these witnesses, Sheriff?” Her green gaze flipped from one to the other and settled on Olivia.
Wary suspicion hazed her eyes. She pulled out and opened a notepad. “What’s your name?”
Jake bristled. He was tired. His back and shoulders stung from the minute lacerations, and he could feel Olivia shaking from shock. He wanted to get her home and filled with hot coffee.
Tag bustled over and caught Samantha’s arm. “It’s all right, Deputy. I got this covered. Just process the scene. I want some prints. Soon as you get them, send them to Austin for a rush.”
She looked like she wanted to argue, but then Hudson stepped in front of Olivia. He nodded to the deputy. “You know where to find us, Sam. We’re not going anywhere.”
“Fine.”
She turned away and resumed her inspection of the car. “But she looks like a runner to me.”
Jake shared an eye-rolling look of commiseration with Hudson. From the time Samantha Carson returned to Freedom six years ago, she’d been obsessed with people leaving.
“Don’t worry,” Hudson said. “I’ve got this one.”
Jake climbed into the driver’s seat and waited until Olivia was buckled. He watched Hudson haul himself into his truck and peel out.
“Jake?”
He looked at Olivia. “Yeah?”
“I’m done running.”
Chapter Eight
Hudson watched Olivia trudge up the porch steps and flop onto one of the rockers. She hung her head in her hands and exhaled harsh, deep breaths.
He hunkered down in front of her and bracketed his hands on the chair arms. “Hey, you okay?”
She looked up at him with dark, glistening brown eyes. She looked more than shell-shocked. “No.”
The simple word held such a wealth of bewilderment that it bit at his heart. He tugged her into his arms for a close hug. Hudson nuzzled at the mass of black hair and crooned soft, nonsensical words.
He tried not to notice how she smelled of sex and sweat and Jake.
He’d known from the moment they’d bolted out of the truck they’d made love. Hell, he knew from the instant Jake left the ranch it would happen.
Hudson squashed his disappointment. If she made Jake happy, he was glad.
She shuddered and dropped her forehead to his shoulder. “I’ve been in firefights before, but nothing like this.”
Olivia pushed back and stared into his eyes. Hudson struggled to breathe himself. Her effect on him knocked him sideways.
“What was different?” he managed to ask.
“Don’t know exactly. Maybe the surprise element?”
“Ah, I see. The attack brought back memories of the ambush, didn’t it?”
She stiffened, and one hand flew to her mouth. Her brown eyes widened and filled with tears. He cursed himself for pointing out the connection she obviously hadn’t made yet.
“Hey, hey, shh,” he crooned.
Hudson stood and pulled her to her feet then spun around and dropped down. He tugged her onto his lap. She wobbled before crashing to his lap.
“Oomph.”
He couldn’t tell who made the sound. He grinned as he stroked her hair. “Okay, not my finest, most graceful moment, but it served its purpose.”
She wiggled on his lap, and he squelched a groan. Her delectable ass rubbed against his cock, which flared to life instantly.
He knew when she realized what happened, too. She stilled, and her fingers curled into the fabric of his T-shirt. Olivia’s expression held surprise, dismay, and maybe a hint of interest?
Hudson figured that was probably his own wishful thinking. She’d made her choice.
“I should get up,” she said. Her husky contralto rippled lushly in his ears and he shook his head.
“No, stay. This is me offe
ring comfort and friendship.”
She shivered again, and goose bumps rose along her bare arms. He rubbed her chilled flesh and pulled her close. “Relax, Olivia. Want to talk about it?”
She remained stiff for a long moment before she sighed, and the tension started to leave her limbs. She didn’t exactly melt against him, but she wasn’t a plank of wood either.
“I think you’re right about the ambush connection. That has to be what’s freaking me out so much.” She plucked at the drawstring of her borrowed sweats. “I do not fall apart under fire.” She laughed. “Literally.”
The screen door squeaked open, and Hudson held his breath then looked around Olivia to meet Jake’s shadowed gaze. He held three beer bottles and a bag of barbecue chips. Their eyes held for several long moments. Hudson struggled to keep his expression calm and impassive.
The door slammed as Jake moved onto the porch.
Olivia jerked at the sound and tumbled off Hudson’s lap. She landed in a half-crouch, fists raised defensively.
“Whoa, sweetheart, whoa.” Jake set the bottles and bag on the table and approached her.
She rose with sinuous grace before he took two steps. Her hair swung wildly as she shook her head and lifted her palms. “Jeez, I’m sorry. A bit on edge.”
“You think?” Hudson asked drily. He grabbed two bottles and twisted off the tops. He handed her one. “Here.”
She took the beer. As her fingers grazed his, Hudson felt another electric tingle zip through him.
Damn.
Jake opened the chips and his beer. He sank onto the table and nodded toward the empty chair. “Sit, Livvie.”
She lifted a brow. “Woof?”
Hudson smothered a snort.
“I’ve been trying to get her to relax since we got home,” he said to Jake. “But she’s tighter than a frog’s butt.”
“Yeah, she’s always been that way.”
“Bite me,” she muttered.
I’d love to. Hudson took a long pull on his beer. He looked at Jake, who bore a grim expression. “So, what do you think happened?”
The mood on the porch chilled immediately. Jake picked at the label on his bottle. “Whoever killed Shag is here.” He pinned Olivia with a fierce stare. “He was after you.”
She licked her lips and nodded. “Yeah.”
Hudson studied her. “You don’t seem too surprised. Or upset.”
“I expected him to come after me. I was just hoping he wouldn’t find me until I’d returned to DC.”
“Why?”
She frowned. “Why what?”
Hudson stifled his growing frustration. They were used to this cloak-and-dagger bullshit, but it was damn hard on his nerves. “Why would you hope he would find you? And after you left here?”
Olivia’s frown deepened. “I didn’t want to bring any sort of danger back into Jake’s life, but coming here was a necessity. Apparently Shag figured he was the only one who knew the significance of that statue.” She looked at Jake, but he remained quiet. Olivia sighed. “I rented the SUV and motel room with aliases. I was hoping to create enough red tape that he’d be cutting through it for a few days, but that didn’t work out.”
“No shit,” Jake drawled.
Hudson nodded. “Why would he try to blow you up instead of just shooting you?”
Olivia shifted on the rocker and set up a slow, easy motion. “He must have thought I had the package with me. He probably wanted to destroy it.” Her gaze flew to Jake’s, and she stopped the rocker. “He’ll come here next.”
Jake nodded. “Yep.”
Hudson raked a hand through his hair as he stared into the darkness. The cattle sounded restless. The insects weren’t humming. The night was bleak and oppressive. Or maybe that was just his imagination.
He remembered Deputy Wallace’s stiff body and shivered. It was definitely not his imagination.
“Why kill Wallace?” Olivia asked.
Jake tapped the beer bottle. Hudson could sense the roiling anger in his friend. He’d lived with that tension for three years. But it felt much stronger now.
“I don’t know. Maybe Wallace ID’d him or something? Might have stopped him for a traffic violation?”
“Maybe,” Olivia said. “You need to be prepared, Jake. Call Tag in and have some deputies stake the place out.” She bit her lip and sniffled a little. “I can call Cap and have someone sent from DC, too.”
“Tag only had Wallace. He borrows from Kerr County, though. I bet Sam would help out.” Jake scowled. “And I don’t want any Feds.”
She rolled her eyes. “Too damn bad. Whoever is behind this tried to kill a federal officer. As soon as Cap hears about this, he’ll roll them out himself.”
Hudson leaned forward. “Do you have to tell him?”
She gave him a dumbfounded look. “Of course I do.”
He shrugged. “Okay, do you have to tell him about it now?”
“What are you suggesting?” Jake asked.
Hudson kept his gaze firmly on Olivia. “I think you should stay with us for a few days. You and Jake can go round and round on this and try to figure it out.” He swung toward the brooding cowboy. “You already have an idea.” He held up his hand. “Don’t try to bullshit me, Jake. I know you. I saw it on your face this evening when you glued the damn thing back together.”
“What is he talking about?” Olivia asked. “You know where that statue is from, don’t you?”
Jake’s sigh was long and hard. He rose and stretched then set his bottle next to the untouched bag of chips. “Maybe. That’s why I came to the Queen to see you. But, uh, I was distracted. I want to do some more digging before I say anything for certain.”
Olivia stood, too, and caught his arm as he turned toward the house. “Don’t shut me out again, Jake. I need you right now.” She cast a furtive glance down at Hudson, and he looked away, pretending to study the honeysuckle vine wending along the porch rail. “Forget the other stuff. Just like last time—we pretend it never happened.”
Hudson caught Jake’s sudden stiffening from the corner of his eye.
But like the idiot he was, his friend remained silent.
“We find out who is behind this and why. It all rests on that damn statue. So whatever ideas and maybes you have running through your muleheaded brain, you’d better freaking share. I don’t want anyone else hurt.”
A cricket chirped a couple of times.
“Shit,” Jake finally said. “You’re right. But we’ve been through enough tonight. Let’s go to bed. You can bunk in the guest room. We always keep it made up.”
“Yeah, his mom likes to drop in. A lot,” Hudson said. He was glad the tension seemed somewhat broken and that Jake wasn’t going to be a hard-ass about letting Olivia into his head. One thing about Jake was his inability to trust or rely on anyone. Even him, to some extent.
But Jake was the closest thing he had to family, and Hudson had no intention of losing him to some whack job with an agenda.
He stood and gathered up the bottles. “Come on, Olivia, I’ll show you to the room. We’ll go into town tomorrow and find some better fitting clothes.” He raked her with a smoldering glance and winked when he met her blush. “Not that you don’t look finer than frog hair split four ways in that get up.”
“Finer than…? What the hell does that mean?”
“I have no idea,” Hudson admitted. “But it sure rolls off the tongue.”
She laughed and shook her head. “I knew you were a buttload of flirting from the moment I met you.”
“Damn straight.”
“Let’s get inside,” Jake snapped. “We shouldn’t have been sitting out here exposed like this.”
Hudson rolled his eyes, but he headed toward the house. “Don’t you think if he knew where you were he’d have been here already?”
“Probably,” Olivia said.
“Inside,” Jake repeated. “Now.”
They trooped inside, and Hudson emptied the rest of his beer in
to the sink then tossed the bottles into the recycle bin. He closed up the chips and stashed them in the pantry.
Jake and Olivia stood in the foyer. Their bodies were close but not touching. He felt the simmering awareness arcing between them.
He turned back to the pantry and looked blindly inside.
He heard Jake shuffle toward the back of the house.
“Looking for the secrets of the universe?” Olivia asked softly.
Hudson shut the door and swung around. He forced a grin. “Nah, the answer is forty-two. Everyone knows that.”
She looked puzzled. “Okay. Sure.” She cast a quick glance over her shoulder. “I’m going to call Tag and see when he can get some protection out here.”
“You said you’d wait.”
“No, I said I’d wait to call Cap. I don’t like the idea of us being isolated out here. Too many opportunities and no one would know what’s going on for days.”
Hudson could see the worry and stress she was holding. “Not true,” he said. “We have men who come in to help work the cattle on a regular basis as well as a housekeeper who’s here once a week.”
“Oh, okay, that’s better. So, should something happen they’ll find our bodies sooner rather than later.”
Hudson laughed and moved closer. He cupped her shoulders and squeezed. “Funny girl.”
She tried to shrug, and his hands slipped to her elbows. His fingers grazed the outer edges of her unbound breasts through the thin T-shirt she wore.
He didn’t move his hands.
“Hudson,” she said then fell silent.
He edged closer until he crowded her personal space and inhaled the musky scent surrounding her. “I’m glad you weren’t hurt, Olivia.”
“Me, too,” she whispered. Her hands lifted and pressed to his chest, but she didn’t push him away.
Confusion raced in her eyes, chased by a sensual awareness she couldn’t disguise.
“One kiss,” he murmured and lowered his head.
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head. “No, I can’t.”
“Just one,” he whispered. He pressed his lips to hers and groaned at her softness. Her mouth trembled beneath his. Hudson scattered light, butterfly kisses all along her full bottom lip. He kissed the corners of her mouth, the tip of her nose, and then covered her mouth fully. He caught her waist and wrapped his fingers into the folds of her borrowed T-shirt.
Two Cowboys in Her Crosshairs [Hellfire Ranch] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) Page 12
