Riding Shotgun

by Joanna Wayne

“Then why have an old shed in the wilds?”

  “You’re starting to ask as many questions as Jaci.”

  “Is that your final answer?”

  “Guess not. Back in the day, Charlie built the shed to store feed for the wild animals that came to the pool for water. Mostly he kept corn in there for the deer. But I wouldn’t go in there now.”

  “Do you think it will cave in on top of me?”

  “That’s a possibility. Even more frightening, it’s probably full of spiders, scorpions, wood rats and other creepy, crawling creatures. Might even be a den for an animal.”

  “Yuck. You should tear it down.”

  “Good idea. I’ll put that on my growing list of things on the Double K that need to be demolished or repaired.”

  He walked up and pressed his hand against the rough door frame for the front door that had gone missing altogether. Surprisingly, the structure didn’t collapse.

  He peeked inside to make sure nothing of value had been left there. A gossamer curtain of spiderwebs hung from the ceiling. Using the back of his hand, he brushed them aside to get a better look.

  “Do you see any animals?” Grace asked from her spot well away from the crumbling rattrap.

  “Spiders.” He slapped a giant mosquito against his cheek and stomped on a mean-looking brown spider.

  A couple of cane fishing poles with hooks and lines still attached stood in one corner. A pitchfork with a split handle and a rusting ax leaned against the wall and each other on the other side of a ripped burlap bag.

  Pierce stepped farther inside and lifted the edge of the bag with the toe of his boot. He stepped back when a scorpion crawled out from under it.

  He ground that scorpion into the floor with the toe of his boot, but where there was one, there were probably more.

  He walked back outside and brushed the dust from the old shed off his jeans. Hopefully, dust was all he’d collected. If something started crawling up his jeans or neck, he’d shed his clothes fast enough.

  “Can we ride up to the bluff again or is that too far away?” Grace asked.

  “We can make the ride at a comfortable trot, enjoy the waterfall and still get home in time for supper.”

  Which gave him another excuse for putting off the dreaded conversation about Lacoste. The news might go down better surrounded by the spectacular scenery.

  The wind picked up as they rode toward the rocky ledge. By the time they reached the bluff, the sun was playing hide-and-seek with some dark clouds rolling in from the southwest. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

  “Guess this was a bad idea,” Grace said. “I should have checked the weather report.”

  “Wouldn’t necessarily have helped. Thunderstorms roll into this area of Texas with little warning, like the one the night you arrived. Hopefully, this one will just blow over.”

  Grace poked her hands into her jacket pocket and pulled out some wooly gloves.

  “It’s getting dark and colder,” she said. “I think we should just turn around now and go back to the house. I don’t relish being caught in a thunderstorm after seeing that show the lightning put on the other night.”

  That possibility worried Pierce, as well. They turned around without dismounting. Huge raindrops pelted them as they headed back to the ranch. He could see a cloudburst of rain just off in the distance.

  “Follow me,” he called. He took Rocket to a full gallop and headed for the nearest shelter. By the time they reached it, the temperature had dropped to what felt like freezing and the rain was coming down in sheets.

  Pierce helped Grace from the saddle and told her to make a run for the small tin-roofed hay storage barn. He tied both horses to the lean-to attached to the back of the barn and then dashed for cover himself.

  Water dripped from the brim of his hat as he stepped inside and out of the storm. He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on a hook near the door. He removed his hat to shake the water off, but when he looked up, he forgot the hat, the storm and the temperature.

  His insides quaked. His heart slammed against the walls of his chest. A primal need gripped him, so intense it was crippling.

  Grace stood in the middle of the barn, her gaze locked with his as she slid the straps of her wet bra down her arms. Without breaking eye contact, she dropped the bra onto the pile of wet clothing at her feet.

  Her hands slid inside the waistband of her black lace panties. She peeled them down to her ankles and then kicked them off. They went flying onto the nearest bale of hay.

  “You’re way behind, Pierce. Do you need help getting out of your wet clothes?”

  He nodded and motioned her nearer.

  She took off his hat and tossed it. Then her hands went straight to his belt.

  Thank you, God, for the rain.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Grace struggled to unzip Pierce’s jeans over the bulge that stretched the denim taut. Slowly, she tucked her hands inside his briefs and slid her fingertips down the full length of his erection and then back up again. When she reached the tip the second time, she caressed his bulge with her right hand, squeezing gently.

  Pierce moaned and gripped her shoulders. “Take it slow, baby. I won’t last long at this rate.”

  “Then I may need some help getting you naked.”

  “Enough said.”

  She watched in awe as he wiggled out of his jeans and briefs and made quick work of his shirt. His body was magnificent, broad chested with a cluster of dark hair around his nipples and then narrowing until they skimmed his navel.

  He was muscular in all the right places. His abdomen looked rock hard. His thighs were perfection in every way. He was like a dessert that made your mouth water but looked too good to eat.

  Poor example. Never had her mouth watered for any dessert the way she was growing slick for Pierce now.

  While she stood agog, Pierce turned, picked up a pitchfork and made a mattress of loose, sweet-smelling hay. He grabbed a Mexican blanket from a stack near the back of the storage building and spread it over the sweet-smelling hay.

  Then he walked over and let his gaze travel from the top of Grace’s head to her toes and back up again.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Inside and out. And I’m going to go stark raving mad if I have to wait much longer to make love with you. So please tell me this is not a tease.”

  “I want you, Pierce, the way I’ve never wanted any man before. I want all of you and I want you now. In my mind and in my heart, this will be my first time to make love.”

  She would not let the horrors of the past steal any of the joy of making love with Pierce.

  He picked her up and carried her to their bed. He kissed her hard, ravaging, claiming her entire mouth with thrusts of his exploring tongue. She melted into the passion of his kisses, into the thrill of Pierce.

  His lips trailed her neck past her cleavage, kissing and nibbling on each nipple in turn while his hands caressed and massaged both her breasts. She arched toward him, so aroused her body begged for more.

  His kisses moved lower, down her abdomen, sinking into the wet, writhing cradle of her womanhood. She was weak with the hunger for him. She craved all of him. Deep inside her so that they were one.

  He pulled away.

  She trembled. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “I don’t think you could if you tried.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “Protection. Like a damn fool, I didn’t bring any. I thought we were only going to the horse barn and corral. I’m guessing you’re not taking birth control.”

  “No, but give me a minute.” In the heat of the moment, she’d never given protection a thought. Pierce’s concern for her only made her want him more.

  Dizzy from interrupted passion, she
could barely stand. She managed to stagger the few steps to her wet jeans and pull a condom from her right pocket. She tossed it to Pierce, who caught it with one hand.

  “You’re amazing,” he said. “When did you get this?”

  “I found it in the top drawer in my bathroom. I presume it was left by a previous guest.”

  “Whoever that was, I owe him big-time.”

  She climbed back into their bed of hay while he pulled on the condom.

  “Just so you know, I’m crazy about you, Grace. I’ve never felt the way I feel about you for any other woman. This is the real deal for me.”

  “And for me.”

  And that was enough. She didn’t want or need any promises of forever. She needed this moment in time and somehow she’d make the afterglow last forever.

  Pierce straddled her and drove his erection deep inside her—over and over again, the rhythm building in intensity until they both erupted in a mind-blowing orgasm.

  Pierce had been right to wait. The hay, the sound of rain on the tin roof, even the confusion over the condom—it was all unique and perfect. A night she’d remember and treasure for the rest of her life.

  * * *

  THE RAIN STILL drummed against the tin roof. Pierce would have been content spooning his body against Grace’s until morning—or until the wanton desires took over again. But he figured he’d put off the inevitable long enough.

  He forced himself to disentangle from her shapely legs and slide off the hay. Unraveled from Grace, an icy chill seeped deep into his bones.

  Pierce grabbed two clean blankets, threw one across his bare shoulders and unfolded the other and draped it across Grace’s legs.

  “I’m not encouraging you to cover any of your magnificent body parts, but just in case you’re cold.”

  She tugged the blanket up to her chin.

  He picked up their wet clothes and spread them over the stacks of hay bales so hopefully they’d dry out a little before they had to put them on again.

  He did fine until he got to Grace’s black panties. His libido jumped right in and he had to turn away from Grace before she noticed his bulge.

  “It’s still raining,” Grace said.

  “I know. I like the sound of it on the tin roof.”

  “So why did you leave me all alone in our love nest?”

  “So that I can try to get my brain in gear.”

  “It’s not your brain I’m interested in right now.”

  “Nor am I. I would love to come back to bed with you and taste every inch of your scrumptious body.”

  “And the reason you’re not?”

  “We have to talk.”

  “You want to talk? This is about Tom, isn’t it? You changed your mind about wanting me around your daughter. You don’t have to apologize. I told you I should leave.”

  Grace was trying to sound brave, but Pierce could hear the hurt in her voice. “You know you really should stop trying to read my mind. I’m not that complicated. I say what I mean. I’m here for you and always will be.”

  “Then what is it and why do you look like you’re dreading what comes next?”

  “Because you are not going to like what I’m about to tell you.”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “I don’t mean to, but I don’t want to sugarcoat anything, either. I did some investigating this morning. It seems your monster ex is no longer in prison.”

  She jerked to a sitting position. The blanket fell away, exposing her perfect, perky breasts. She didn’t bother to cover them again.

  “There must be some mistake. Tom was sentenced to consecutive life sentences without even a chance of parole for twenty years.”

  “A judge in Louisiana reversed that.”

  “Based on what?”

  “An illegality in the way the evidence was collected.”

  Grace stood and made a sarong of her blanket. She paced the room, holding up the ends of the blanket so she didn’t trip. “Are you telling me that Tom is back on the streets so that he can start killing again? And some judge ordered that?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “How long has he been out of prison?”

  “A little over a week.”

  “Then you can bet he’s looking for me right now. He won’t give up until he finds me and makes me pay. It’s the way he operates. The judge’s decision just reinforces what I’ve always known. The Lacostes always win.”

  “Tom won’t win this time, not if he expects to hurt you.”

  “You still don’t get it, Pierce. How could you? You didn’t watch him murder his best friend in cold blood. You didn’t hear the threats he made to me on a daily basis.”

  Pierce reached for her hand. She jerked it away.

  “It wasn’t your grandfather he murdered and you weren’t sitting in that courtroom when he shot daggers at me with his cold, murderous eyes and screamed at me that I would pay. If it was the last thing he ever did, he would make me pay. You weren’t there, so you can’t possibly grasp the evil Tom is capable of.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to insinuate that I understand him the way you do. But I have learned a few things about him today.”

  “That he’s rehabilitated. That prison’s changed him. You can’t change an evil heart, Pierce. And he’s evil to the core.”

  “You’re putting words in my mouth again. I had a long talk with my friend Andy Malone, who works for the FBI.”

  “Don’t you think I should have been the first one you talked to about this?”

  “Probably, but I knew you’d react like this and I wanted to be able to give you facts and not just nail you to the wall with bad news. Look, you can lash out at me if it makes you feel better, Grace. I can take it. But at least listen to the rest of what I have to say.”

  “Okay.” She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I’m listening.”

  “I thought there might be a chance the FBI had Tom under some kind of surveillance, so I called Malone. He got back to me. As it turns out, they are tracking him.”

  “Why?”

  “Over twelve million dollars’ worth of street drugs went missing at the time the arrest warrants for the Lacoste family members were issued. Neither those drugs nor the money they would have brought in the open market have ever been accounted for.”

  “And they think Tom will lead them to the drugs or the money?”

  “They definitely think he’ll go after that before he tries to settle scores with you or anyone else.”

  “Do they know where Tom is now?”

  “Staying with a wealthy friend from the old days in Miami. The friend is supposedly going straight now, but he was a drug runner in his younger days. He and the Lacostes were supposedly friends.”

  “And they think he’s helping Tom reclaim the family losses.”

  “Or that Tom thinks his friend ended up with the money. Once Tom gets his hands on that, they expect him to skip the country. Gone from the good old USA for good unless they arrest him on new charges regarding that money.”

  “Who is the friend?”

  “A man named Calvin Grange. Have you ever met him?”

  “Not that I recall, but the name sounds familiar.”

  Grace hugged her knees and readjusted her blanket. “That all sounds good, but they’re just suppositions, not facts. The FBI has been known to make mistakes.”

  She was still worried. He understood it, but he hated seeing her have to deal with this all the same. He reached for her hand again and this time she didn’t pull away.

  “I know this is disturbing, Grace, but I don’t want you to do anything rash. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. I promise I will never let Tom Lacoste lay a hand on you again.”

  “I
t’s not me I’m worried about. It’s you and Jaci and Esther.” Shudders shook her body and she seemed to dive back into her frustration and fear. “He’ll kill you all, Pierce. If he gets a chance, he’ll kill you all to get back at me, the same way he did in my nightmare. He murdered all three of you. I saw your bodies and heard him laugh.”

  She’d seen them all dead in her nightmare. No wonder he’d found her in such a disturbing state.

  “It was only a bad dream, Grace. You know it’s not real.”

  “But it could become real. I can’t let that happen. You must see that.”

  He scooted closer and put his arm around her shoulders. “Tom’s been out of prison over a week. He’s in Miami, not New Orleans and not Texas. He’s not likely to ever be in Winding Creek. If he shows up, I’ll take care of him. You have to trust me.”

  “I trust you. But I know what Tom is capable of.”

  “And it’s time you know what I’m capable of. I didn’t earn those medals in a Ping-Pong tournament.”

  “I know that, but we should call Esther. Call her now and make sure she and Jaci are safe.”

  “I’ll call, but there’s absolutely no reason to think they’re not safe.”

  He punched in Esther’s number. The call didn’t go through.

  “It won’t connect,” Pierce explained. “The storm must be interfering with service.”

  “We have to go back to the house now,” Grace said. She started pulling on her wet clothes. “It’s almost stopped raining and we can’t get much wetter anyway.”

  It was killing him to see her that frightened. If only he could get his hands on Tom Lacoste. But his biggest worry now was that Grace would take off like a deer in the headlights and end up running scared for the rest of her life.

  He couldn’t let that happen. He couldn’t lose her to her fears of a madman. Pierce’s dreams had to be stronger than her nightmares.

  His dreams all involved Grace sleeping in his arms every night for the rest of their lives.

  * * *

  THEY RODE HOME in their sticky wet clothes, bundled in blankets that offered little protection against the wind and cold. The only thing going for them was that the rain had given in to a light mist, the worst of the thunderstorm having moved on.