by Alice Sharpe
She shouldn’t have opened her eyes. Meeting his gaze brought back the reality of what she was about to sacrifice. Not her body, for it had proven itself more than willing to lose itself in this man’s embrace, to be absorbed and assimilated, protected and cherished.
Not her body, but rather her independence. Her tenuous grip on establishing autonomy. Maybe casual sex could happen with someone for whom she harbored no deep feelings, but that was impossible with this man.
As all this raced through her mind, he lowered his head to kiss the hollow of her throat, to lick her overheated skin. How she wanted to turn off her thoughts. She closed her eyes, once again consumed with everything he did, shuddering as his lips nuzzled her breasts, still covered with satin, the delirious moistness of his mouth just a whisper away and hers for the taking.
He knelt on the mattress, gently laying her atop the plush comforter. Again their eyes met as he slipped his hand under the pajama top and his fingers rubbed her nipples. With his free hand he undid the buttons, and the cloth fell open. He looked at her as though she was a banquet, his desire tripling her own, the groan in his throat reverberating through her body. He trailed kisses across her stomach as his fingers inched beneath the waistband of her bottoms and he murmured her name.
Her name.
“Stop,” she said so softly, it might have been the beat of a butterfly wing. But he heard her, and relief was followed by a stab of regret.
Within a few seconds, he was stretched out beside her, caressing her as he looked into her eyes. “What’s wrong, Faith?”
She sat up abruptly, holding her pajama top closed across her sensitive breasts, ashamed she’d allowed things to go this far. “I just can’t,” she said. “I’m sorry. This is my fault.”
He slowly sat up, his thigh touching hers. “I should have known it was too good to be true,” he murmured.
“I thought I could.”
“I had high hopes, too,” he said, smoothing the hair away from her face. He kissed her lips and her eyelids.
“I can’t turn off my head,” she admitted as she fumbled with her buttons.
“This has to do with what you said last night.”
She nodded.
“I guess I don’t understand,” he told her, sitting expectantly, as though waiting for a better explanation. Which, she figured, she owed him.
“I moved here because of a job, it’s true. Because I have medical expenses to pay, debts to clear. But I also moved here because I had to get away from my father and big brother. Both of them are a lot like you, Trip.”
“I’m not sure how to take that.”
“They’re take-control men—round up the women and children, keep them safe type of men.”
“And that’s what you think I am.”
“That’s what you are.”
“And that’s so terrible?”
“No, that’s admirable. But I’m the kind of woman who wants nothing more than to be taken care of. I don’t like being scared. I don’t like being alone.”
“Then we’re a match made in heaven,” he said with an attempt at a smile.
“I don’t want to be that kind of woman anymore. I know that kind of woman is vulnerable and weak and a victim. She lives in a fool’s paradise, a fantasy world.”
“How did we go from sex to you leaning on me?”
“Because I care about you. Sex with you, for me, well, it wouldn’t be a casual thing, a forget-about-it-tomorrow thing.”
He stood abruptly and stared down at her. “Who says it has to be that?”
“I do.”
“Because?”
“Because I can’t allow myself to need you.”
“God, it’s a vicious circle with you. I don’t honestly think you know what you want.”
“And you do know what you want?”
He looked taken aback by her question. She got the feeling he didn’t worry about things like this very often. He was a man of action, not a man of endless speculation. He finally said, “Of course I do.”
She met his gaze. “You’re a former FBI agent,” she said. “You came in here tonight talking about Neil Roberts, about how ‘we’ll’ get him, like you still work for the Bureau. Face it, you are who you are, and it’s not a rancher. So, why are you pretending?”
He took a step toward her. “Isn’t that kind of obvious?”
“Oh, I know you left the FBI and undercover work for honorable reasons, but couldn’t you have taken a less dangerous job within the organization and stayed doing what you love?”
“This is a family ranch. I have to preserve it for Noelle and Colin.”
“But it’s not how you want to spend your life, is it? You haven’t even made this place your own.”
Now he raised his hands and dropped them. “I don’t have the slightest idea what you’re talking about.”
“You know what I mean. There’s no sign of you in the house. It’s like you’re camping there.”
“I am not going to have this discussion with you,” he said flatly, eyes blazing.
But she was on a roll, and bigger concerns than Luke Tripper and the Triple T forced the next words out of her mouth. “It can’t be good for Colin and Noelle to have you so miserable about living here with them. Wouldn’t they be better off with a happy you, in your world, than a sulking you in theirs?”
She’d seen several expressions on his handsome face the past couple of days. Concern, desire, patience and about everything in between, but she hadn’t yet witnessed the fury that burned in those dark orbs until now. “Sulk? I do not sulk!”
“Glower, then.”
“You’re one to talk,” he said. “I may have given something up, but at least I didn’t run and hide. Talk about sulking.”
Hot tears burned behind her eyes as they stared at each other.
“Don’t think I don’t know why you left half your stuff at that miserable apartment. You want a back door in case you can’t face your own feelings.”
“How dare you!” she said, but his words had the ring of truth.
He shook his head sadly, and with one last piercing glance, turned his back and left.
BY CONCENTRATING ON RANCH duties, Trip managed to put the episode in the cabin out of his mind until the next morning, when he looked out the kitchen window and saw Faith walking toward the house. His eyes drank in a black coat belted around her trim waist, knee-high boots supple around shapely legs, her limp barely noticeable, her hair floating about her shoulders.
She looked young and beautiful and untouched by the real world. He knew that was an illusion; she wasn’t a child, she wasn’t an innocent, she was a woman—and she made his blood boil in more ways than one.
He opened the door before she could knock and held up his coffee mug.
“No, thanks, I already had breakfast. I was wondering if you found a car to lend me. I’ll rent one later and return yours when I come back tonight to pack my things.”
“Ah, the big retreat,” he said. “You’re good at those.”
“Don’t start,” she warned.
He took a deep breath. “Listen, tempers got the best of us. Maybe something more than tempers. Anyway, we don’t have to be best friends to uphold our bargain, do we? I still need help finding a babysitter, you still need a place to stay. We’ll keep it impersonal.” He produced the keys to his sister’s vehicle from his pocket and offered them to her.
She stared at the keys for a moment. He could tell she wanted to tell him what he could do with them, but she was also stuck out in the middle of nowhere with no car. She finally took the keys, closed her hand around them, then looked up at him, obviously searching for the right words.
Noelle burst into the kitchen behind him, making a beeline for Faith. His niece wrapped her arms around Faith and smiled up at her, her backpack slipping off her shoulders.
“Morning sweetie,” Faith said, straightening the backpack. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she added, “How’s Buster?”
&nb
sp; “He’s still asleep,” Noelle whispered back, as Mrs. Murphy bustled into the kitchen carrying Colin. The moment the baby caught sight of Faith, he kicked his legs and squealed, reaching out to her.
Trip thought of what Faith had said, that he was just going through the motions on this ranch and, by implication, with the children. Was it true?
Colin never drooled all over himself when Trip entered a room. So what did Faith do that he didn’t?
Mrs. Murphy tried to contain Colin, but Faith stepped past Trip, Noelle trailing behind, and took the baby into her arms, kissing his cheeks as he grabbed handfuls of her hair. She quickly disengaged his hands and kissed him one last time before handing him back to the housekeeper.
Okay, she kissed Colin a lot, and she hugged and smiled at Noelle, so maybe that was it—maybe he needed to get more physical with the kids. Talk to them more. Play games. Frolic, for God’s sake.
Gazing up at Faith, Noelle asked, “Can I ride to school with you?”
“Not today,” Faith said, brushing Noelle’s bangs away from her forehead. “I have an early meeting with Principal Cooper. Tomorrow is the last day of school before Christmas break. How about we go together then?” She glanced briefly at Trip and added, “If it’s okay with your uncle.”
“Sure,” Trip said, wondering if it was safe for Noelle to be alone with Faith in case David Lee tried something. Well, there was no law against Trip tailing her, was there? He was pretty damn good at that, even on deserted roads. Great skill to have as a rancher.
Of course, if she caught him there’d be hell to pay. There was nothing to be done about it but tell her the truth. Tonight.
Noelle nodded vigorously as Faith went back outside.
“It’s the red sedan in the second garage,” Trip called out.
“Where’s the second garage?”
That gave him an excuse to go help her. Maybe a few more sentences would further diffuse the tension between them. “I’ll get my coat—” he began, but just then George Plum and Eddie Reed appeared around the corner of the house.
Faith immediately asked them about the location of the second garage and to his surprise, Eddie Reed was the one who responded. “I looked through all the outbuildings when I got here early this morning,” he said.
“Then you know where the red car is.”
“Sure. Come on, I’ll show you. Be right back, Mr. Plum.”
As George tapped out his pipe before entering the kitchen, Faith and Eddie walked off toward the second garage. Why was he so disappointed he wasn’t the one escorting her? Why couldn’t he seem to stay angry with her?
His mind flashed back to those few blissful moments when she’d let down her guard, when he’d felt the ripeness of her body beneath the silky pajamas and then the sight of her beautiful, firm flesh. The taste of her skin, her softness…
And then all the crap that followed.
Behind him, the sounds of morning exploded, as Colin wailed about something, Noelle chattered to Mrs. Murphy and George Plum poked at the fire on the hearth. Trip closed the door. He’d go into the newspaper office after taking Noelle to school, put an ad in the classifieds, see if Sheriff Torrence was hanging around the diner so he could pump him for information about David Lee, then come back home to work on ranch business.
It occurred to him he shouldn’t ask about Lee. He’d been told to back off.
Well, screw that.
Chapter Nine
There was a world of difference between work that day and the day before. Faith no longer felt on edge, at least not about roving murderers. She no longer glanced out the window or started every time someone passed the open doorway of her room. The children were so excited about the coming vacation that they were rowdy and wild and she gave up trying to do anything more than just have fun with them. Even Noelle seemed to enter into the spirit.
She watched through her window as Trip picked Noelle up after school. She didn’t want to face him again, dreaded another conversation of almost any kind. Hadn’t they said quite enough last night?
With time to herself, she parked the red sedan downtown and joined the Christmas shoppers. She’d already sent small gifts home to her family, but now it appeared she’d be at the Tripper house for Christmas. It was fun choosing something for Noelle and Colin and even Mrs. Murphy. Trip was different. What did a woman buy a man who attracted her and angered her the way this one did?
She didn’t have the faintest idea.
She paid extra to have the store wrap the three gifts she did buy. They were very modest presents, but it still took half her available cash. Maybe by next Christmas, she’d be able to see a light at the end of her debtor’s tunnel.
She’d just come out of the store and was digging for the car keys in her purse when someone slammed into her. Packages went flying as two hands grabbed her. She looked up into the eyes of David Lee.
In one instant, her mouth went dry. Even the cheery Christmas music piped on to the sidewalk seemed to fade as she tried to tear herself away from his fierce grip.
But he wasn’t having any of it. He pinned her in place, eyes narrowed, face flushed with deadly excitement, inches from hers. She looked over his shoulder, hoping another pedestrian would notice her predicament, but the sidewalk was empty. She was on the verge of screaming, in hopes someone inside the store would come to her aid, but no sound could make its way up her throat.
Where was everyone? It was like the earth had suddenly emptied and they were alone.
“You bitch,” David said, his voice a thin hiss, his breath sour and hot.
“Let…let go of me,” she stammered, finally finding her voice. Once again she struggled to escape, but David was solid as a rock with vise grips for hands.
“Now I got the sheriff breathing down my neck,” he continued. “I should have come back and taken care of you when I had the chance.”
“Then you admit you ran me off the road,” she said.
“I don’t admit nothing.”
“Let go of me,” she repeated.
“Not before you get a little taste of what I’m going to give you next time I find you alone, baby.” His lips curled as his head dipped toward hers.
Fear was suddenly replaced by rage. Bracing herself on her left leg, she sharply drew up her right knee and forced it smack dab into David Lee’s groin.
He screamed, released his grip, doubled over and clutched himself. In the next instant, another man shouted. That was all Faith noticed as the impact of kneeing David jolted her injured leg and blinded her with pain. She sagged as someone supported her elbows.
She managed to make out Eddie Reed’s concerned face. “Do you know that guy?” he said. “I saw him grab you.”
She nodded, shaky but oddly proud of herself. Over Eddie’s shoulder she could see David’s hunched form staggering away down the sidewalk, one shoulder hunkered against the buildings he passed to keep from falling over.
“His name is David Lee. You’re about the same age. I’m surprised you didn’t go to school with him.”
“I went to school in Laxton,” Eddie said, gesturing vaguely eastward. “Did he hurt you?”
“Not as bad as I hurt him,” she said, and despite everything, smiled.
Looking at his hands wrapped around her sleeves he said, “Are you steady now?”
“Sure, I’m good.”
After stuffing a small hardware bag into his coat pocket, Eddie helped Faith pick up her scattered packages. The pungent aroma of lilies suggested Mrs. Murphy’s cologne was history.
“Thanks,” Faith said, testing her leg. It throbbed, but at least it supported her weight.
“You didn’t need my help,” Eddie said. “You aren’t as dainty as you look.”
She put Mrs. Murphy’s present in the outside trash can. “Thanks for helping out, I appreciate it.”
“No problem. I’ll give you a ride back to the ranch. You live out there next to Mr. Tripper, right?”
“Yes. I don’t need a rid
e, though.”
“I don’t mind…it’s no trouble.”
“I have a car, remember?” she said, nodding toward the red sedan a spot or two away. For the first time, she noticed it seemed to be sitting a little funny, as though she’d parked it on an incline.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot,” Eddie replied.
The reason the car looked funny was that it was tilted. And the reason it was tilted was because all four tires were flat.
“Oh, man, look what that jerk did,” Faith said, her heart dropping as she calculated the cost of towing the car and repairing four flats. She twirled around to see how far David Lee had stumbled, ready to somehow force him to pay for it, but he’d disappeared from sight.
“Don’t worry, my ride is in front of the hardware store,” Eddie said. “I’ll come back and fix your tires after I take you home.”
Faith wasn’t sure how to proceed. At that moment, a truck pulled up in the loading zone. It came as little surprise when Trip rolled down his window. Faith couldn’t figure out why she’d expected him, but she had.
He looked from the car, so obviously askew, to Faith to Eddie and back again. “Faith, come with me,” he said.
“No, thanks,” she said, hoping she sounded breezy. “Eddie is going to help me.”
“Please,” Trip said, and something in the tone of his voice caught Faith’s full attention. She looked at him carefully for the first time. Something was wrong.
“Thanks anyway, Eddie,” she said as she unlocked the red sedan and retrieved her book bag. She heard Eddie assure Trip he’d get the garage to look at the tires right away. As Faith slid into the truck beside Trip, he pulled out into the traffic.
“What happened to the car?”
She fastened her seat belt and said, “David Lee. He accosted me on the sidewalk and apparently slashed the tires or let the air out of them or something.”
“Accosted you?” he growled, followed by a swift glance. “Did you call the police?”
“Not yet.”
