by Leann Harris
“Do you ever miss Midland?”
She gave him a startled look.
“This morning you told Billy you were from there,” he explained.
“Oh, yes. The conversation you overheard.” Her index finger moved back and forth over her lips as she considered her answer. “Yes and no.”
“A decisive answer if I’ve ever heard one.”
She laughed. “It’s hard to separate the place from the memories.”
He couldn’t help but ask, “Bad memories?”
“Uh...not really.”
His brow shot up.
“My dad is a wonderful man. But he is a very forceful personality. Most of the time, he and I didn’t agree on things and argued. Don’t get me wrong, I love and adore him. It’s just that I can’t live in the same city with him. And to me, Midland and he are synonymous.”
Now she’d really piqued his interest. “Who’s your father?”
She hesitated. “George Anderson.”
The information slammed into him like a Mack truck. “George Anderson,” he muttered. Billy had really bought them trouble. George Anderson, legendary oilman and maverick, had the reputation for being a hard-nosed businessman who didn’t tolerate dishonesty. Not too many men went into a fight with George and came out the winner. And if Alexandra decided to fry their bacon, she didn’t have to report them to the state attorney general. All she had to do was tell her father and it would all be over.
“A bit overwhelming,” she added, a twinkle in her eye. “Isn’t it?”
“He’s a formidable opponent,” Derek answered diplomatically.
She touched his arm. “I fight my own battles, Derek. I don’t ever let my dad do it for me.”
He didn’t doubt it. She had a sturdiness of character that came from conquering her own foes.
“But,” she cautioned, “I will need to call my sister J.D. in Dallas and let her know I’ve been delayed. If I don’t, my father will start calling folks, from the governor on down, to send out search parties for me.”
That’s just what Derek needed, every police agency in the state coming to Saddle and inquiring why Alex had been hijacked under his watch. “By all means, first thing you do when we get back to town is call.”
She turned to look out the window, but he caught the grin curving her lips. Alex might fight her own battles, but he had the sneaking suspicion that she enjoyed people’s reaction to her impressive parent.
And something told him that this apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree.
Chapter 4
It had to be the cop in him. The little niggling doubt flitted around in his brain. Something didn’t add up. “Tell me, if your father is George Anderson, why is your last name Courtland?” He glanced at her left hand. No wedding ring.
Alex’s head jerked around and she stared at him. Even in the dim light of the car dash he could see the pain darkening her eyes.
“Are you always this suspicious or am I a special case?”
“I’m a cop, Doc. It’s my job to catch inconsistencies.”
His answer didn’t mollify her. He didn’t think she was going to answer him when she said, “If you’ll recall, I was the one minding my own business and didn’t ask to be thrust into this situation. I haven’t tried to hustle anyone out of anything.”
“I know,” he quietly answered.
She took several deep, slow breaths. “I’m sorry. You asked a valid question. I’m a widow. My husband was a fellow med-school student. He was killed almost five years ago in a car accident on our second anniversary.”
Derek felt lower than a dog’s belly, bringing up an obviously painful memory for her. And although he’d needed to ask the question, the rationale brought him no satisfaction.
Maybe if he explained why he’d asked, she’d feel a little better. “In answer to your earlier question, yeah, I’m always that suspicious.” He glanced at her and saw he had her attention. “I guess it’s an occupational hazard for lawmen. We’ve been lied to countless times, by countless people. When you’re used to seeing the bad, your brain automatically comes up with the worst-case scenario.”
“I can understand that.” Her words were touched with infinite sadness, and Derek felt her understanding had come from firsthand experience.
The lights of Saddle appeared as they topped the hill. “I’ll need to stop and pick up Sarah. Then we can go on to my house.”
“Your house? You mean you expect me to stay with you?”
“It’s the only logical place, since I have a spare bedroom.”
“Couldn’t I stay with Mabel?”
“Sure, but you’d have to sleep on her love seat. And I doubt you’d be able to sleep past five when she gets up. She lives above her restaurant, and I’ve heard she makes a real racket in her kitchen. Roosters take their cue from her.”
“Isn’t there somewhere else I could stay?”
Her attitude was quickly becoming annoying. She was acting as if he was going to try to seduce her. He had a daughter, for Pete’s sakes. Did she think he was going to chase her around with Sarah in the house? Never mind that the good doc did a number on his libido and that he found her more attractive than he’d found any other woman for a long, long time.
“You could try to stay at Doc Talbot’s old place.”
“That sounds fine,” she responded a little too quickly.
“‘Course, I can’t guarantee that anything in the house will work. Or for that matter, I have no idea what the inside of the house looks like. The place has been closed up for nearly a year and a half.”
“Oh.”
“We can try it if you like. But I got to warn you. Although it’s May, the nights around here get cool. You might need a heater.”
She sighed. “I don’t want to make more work for you than necessary. Thanks for the offer.”
Odd, she didn’t sound thankful. Well, come to think of it, neither was he.
* * *
The first glimpse Alex had of Sarah was when she stumbled out Mabel’s front door. The twelve-year-old was tall for her age, with long, golden hair that whipped around her face as she walked to the car. Derek opened the back door for his daughter and in the harsh overhead light, Sarah looked pale and tired. It was past midnight, Alex argued to herself, and the girl had probably been sleeping.
“Hello,” Sarah said shyly.
Alex felt a tiny edge of her frozen heart soften. “Hi, Sarah. I’m Alex.”
“I know.” The girl’s eyes were deep brown, just like her father’s.
Derek slid behind the steering wheel. “Our house is on the next street.”
“It’s not hard to find,” Sarah said, an odd note in her voice, “since there are only three streets in this town.”
Alex looked over her shoulder. “Then I guess it’s hard to get lost in Saddle.”
“Yeah.”
“At least there’s no traffic,” Derek said, pulling into the driveway of his house.
“You’re lucky,” Alex replied, getting out of the Jeep. “My drive from the hospital in Houston to my town house should only take ten minutes. It rarely does.”
Alex felt Derek’s unvoiced question again asking why she stayed. Once inside the house, Sarah turned to her father. “Is Alex going to stay here with us?”
In the warm light cast by the living-room lamps Alex could see what a beautiful woman Sarah would one day become. “Your father has graciously offered me your spare bedroom until my car is fixed. I hope you don’t mind.”
The girl brightened. “No. I think it will be nice to have you here. Dad, you want me to show Alex to the guest room?”
“I’ll do that, sweetheart,” Derek answered. “Why don’t you go on to bed. You have school tomorrow.”
Alex saw the disappointment in Sarah’s eyes before she quickly hid it. “All right. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She kissed her father on the cheek, smiled at Alex and disappeared down the hall.
“Would you like a cup of coffee before turn
ing in?”
Alex sensed there was more to the offer than just a nightcap. “Sure.”
She followed him into the small kitchen, noting that the white countertops and appliances were a marked contrast to the dark wood cabinets. Derek grabbed the shiny teakettle from the stove and filled it with water.
“Do you have decaf?” she asked.
He gave her a horrified look. “That’s like buying an impotent bull. Why have him?”
A chuckle bubbled up her throat and although she tried to suppress the sound, it escaped. It was odd, Alex thought, to hear her own laughter after so long a time without it.
He grinned in response and his reaction sent a jolt of awareness down Alex’s spine. Here she was, alone with this man, in the middle of the night, in his house, five hundred miles from her little condo. This was no time for her body to start having lustful impulses.
“So I take it you don’t have decaf?”
“You got it. But the offer for real coffee is still open.” His mouth curved into a sexy grin.
“If I have a jolt of caffeine this late, I’ll be awake all night. I was pushing it with that cup at the Blue Moon. Would you happen to have some herbal tea?”
His expression was priceless. “Doc, I’m a cop. I drink hundred-proof, unadulterated coffee, period.”
He struck her as that type—an alpha male. The poor man wouldn’t be caught dead drinking herbal tea. He probably also ate fried foods, liked red meat and had real butter on his bread. She would love to do a cholesterol screen on him. “What does Sarah drink?”
He leaned his hip against the countertop and folded his arms across his wide chest. More of those little sparks of awareness danced over Alex’s skin.
“Sarah drinks milk and soft drinks. You’re welcome to either one.” He motioned toward the refrigerator. “Take a look inside and see if anything appeals to you.”
Alex had no intention of searching through his refrigerator. Somehow it seemed too intimate an activity. “How about some hot milk?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. “Are you sure?” From his tone it was apparent he thought she’d taken leave of her senses.
“I’m sure.”
He shrugged and pulled a pan from the drawer at the bottom of the stove. As she watched him pour the milk, Alex remembered the call she needed to make.
“Would you mind if I used your phone to call my sister?”
He glanced at his watch. “It’s after midnight. You sure you don’t want to wait until morning?”
“I’m sure. J.D. was expecting me to call tonight after I got home. She’ll be worried. Also, we’ll all sleep better knowing my father won’t have reason to be concerned.”
“Why not call him?”
Apparently the deputy hadn’t had to deal with her father in person. “Derek, you’ve never met my dad, have you?”
He shook his head.
It was hard to explain her relationship with her father. “Well, let’s just say I want to sleep after the call. If I talk to him, I’ll spend the night worrying that he’ll show up here in the morning, wanting to know what’s going on.” She gave him a smile. “I don’t think either of us wants that, do we?”
“You’ve got a point.”
“I know.” She picked up the receiver on the wall phone in the kitchen and dialed her sister’s number in Dallas.
“Hello,” a sleepy male voice answered.
“Luke, this is Alex. Can I talk to J.D.?”
“Are you all right, Alex?” Luke’s voice became clear and pointed.
“I’m fine.”
After a moment of silence J.D. came on the line. “Alex, are you okay? What happened? I’ve been worried sick about your safety. You should’ve been home a couple of hours ago.”
Alex bit back the desire to laugh. Her sister was a force to be reckoned with, more than an equal match for their father. “I’m sorry I didn’t call sooner, sis. I had car trouble.”
“Where are you?”
Alex glanced at Derek. “I’m in a little town called Saddle in Brewster County. The water pump on my car went out. It’s going to take several days to get it fixed.”
“You need someone to come get you?”
“No. I just wanted to let you know where I was. Also, if Dad calls and asks you where I am, you can tell him.”
“Okay. Is there anything else? Are you sure you’re all right?”
Leave it to her sister to pick up the note of exasperation in her voice. “Everything is just fine, sis. The deputy sheriff and his daughter have offered me a room while I’m here.”
In the pause that followed, Alex knew her sister was stewing over the tone of her voice. Alex just prayed J.D. would let the matter go. “Give me the number where I can reach you?”
Alex put her hand over the mouthpiece. “What’s your phone number?” she asked Derek.
He gave her the number and she repeated it into the phone.
“If you need anything,” J.D. said, “call me.”
Alex breathed a sigh of relief. “I will. Give that baby of yours a kiss for me.” She hung up and turned to Derek.
“Is your sister as bad as your dad?”
A laugh burst from her lips. “How’d you know?”
“Your face showed it.”
He stood by the table, the mugs of coffee and milk before him, and held out a chair for her. After all this time, it was odd to have a male show such chivalry. It felt good. He seated her, then sat beside her.
They drank their hot drinks for several moments before he spoke. “What do you think about Sarah?”
“What do you mean? Do you mean do I think she’s a beautiful young woman? Yes, I do. Or are you asking about her health?”
“Do you think she’s sick?” The tone of his voice and the expression on his face told Alex this man cared deeply for his child.
“It’s impossible to say at this point. First we need to establish if Norma has TB. Has Sarah been sick?”
Derek rubbed his forehead, than ran his fingers through his hair. “She had the flu this winter and a couple of colds, but nothing out of the ordinary.”
“What about this last month? Has she had any complaints?”
“No. She’s appeared just fine.”
“Then let’s wait on Norma’s test results before we worry.”
His broad shoulders relaxed. “Drink up, Doc. Six-thirty rolls around mighty quick, and you’re looking like you need a good night’s sleep.”
“You’re not looking so great yourself, Deputy.” But even as she said it, Alex knew that in spite of his haggard appearance, he was a fine-looking man.
He laughed. “A guy sure isn’t going to get a swelled head around you, is he?”
“I call ‘em as I see ‘em.”
“Ouch,” he said with a pained expression. “C’mon, I’ll show you to your room.”
Derek put their mugs in the sink and walked into the living room. He picked up her leather bag and led the way down the hall, pointing out the bathroom and then her room. “It’s not fancy,” he explained as he opened the door and flipped on the light, “but the mattress is a good one.”
She stepped into the room and looked around. The blond bedroom set had simple lines and a white chenille bedspread covered the double bed. There were no little knickknacks, plants or pictures on the dresser or nightstand. But despite the barrenness, Alex appreciated having a real bed. Anything was better than Bosnia.
“This is fine. Thank you.” She turned and found herself nose-to-nose, or really nose-to-chest, with him. Suddenly it was hard to catch her breath. His warm, hard chest filled her field of vision. The top button of his shirt was open and Alex fought a sudden urge to touch the tanned, smooth skin of his chest. Why could a uniform make a man look so masculine?
Unconsciously her tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips. Slowly she tipped her head back to say good-night but the words died in her throat when her gaze collided with his. His brown eyes had turned nearly black with he
at.
For what seemed an eternity they were caught in an erotic web where every sense came painfully and gloriously alive. Alex’s mind was swamped with images of this man, of touching him, of loving him.
Fear and caution cut through the clingy tendrils of sensuality, bringing her back to reality. “Good night.” The words were a mere whisper, but they were all she could do at the moment.
Once behind the safety of the closed door, Alex leaned against the solid strength of the wood. What was wrong with her to be fantasizing about Derek like that? Had she really gone off her rocker? She walked to the bed and sank onto its softness, stretched out without taking her shoes off and pulled a pillow to her chest.
What was happening to her? After her husband had been killed, Alex had never really dealt with the pain but instead buried herself in the practice of medicine. There had been no “Alex” outside her job. When she had volunteered to go to Bosnia with the Red Cross, she’d wanted to give to those hurting people. But there had been too many she couldn’t save, and too many she couldn’t help. She had tried to ignore the emotional pain as she’d done before, only this time it didn’t work. Medicine was no longer her refuge, as she had discovered when she’d stepped back into the emergency room. This past month she had felt as if her heart had been frozen, because all her emotions seemed cold and colorless.
So why all of a sudden was she behaving like a giddy, pubescent girl?
Alex clutched the pillow harder and pressed her face into the softness, fighting the tears that threatened, because she knew if she started to cry, she wouldn’t stop.
* * *
The sound of running water woke Alex the next morning. Her eyes fluttered open and she tried to remember where she was. Derek Grey’s house in Saddle, Texas. Rolling onto her back, she moaned at the crick in her neck and realized she’d fallen asleep in her clothes and shoes. Her mouth tasted as if it was coated with a thick layer of west Texas dust.
The water shut off, leaving her room quiet.
With care Alex sat up and spied her suitcase sitting beside the door where Derek had left it last night. Retrieving fresh clothes and her toothbrush, Alex hurried to the bathroom. As she reached the door, it opened inward and Derek stood there, bare to the waist and freshly shaved.
