The Judge And The Heiress (A Salvation Texas Novel)

by Cheryl Gorman

  “Hey, cowboy. You okay?”

  The sound of her voice brought him back to the present. “Yeah.”

  “You sure? Your eyes glazed and you were smiling. And neither one of us has even had one sip of alcohol yet.”

  He cleared his throat. “I’m fine. Really.” Only he wasn’t fine. He didn’t think he’d ever be fine again until he found out the style and color of her underwear.

  Later, Linc and Kinley left the bar and drove back to Laid Back Ranch. The moon was a sliver in the sky, stars crowding the black in pin points of light. As soon as she stepped out of his truck she was in his arms, his lips on hers, his arms pulling her close so he could feel the warmth of her skin, her bones, her muscle and let the scent of her consume him. One kiss blended into another until they heard some whistles fill the air. They broke apart. Lilly and Ethan stood in the doorway grinning.

  Linc stepped back, his breathing heavy, a hard on like a steel pole in his pants. His skin was tight and hot and his muscles bunched, like a race horse at the starting gate. He was ready to fly, ready to run, ready to take whatever Kinley offered.

  Kinley didn’t take her eyes off him. “Lilly, if it’s okay, I’ll pay you tomorrow. Ethan, Linc and I are taking a stroll to the river. Go ahead and get ready for bed.”

  A stroll to the river. He’d rather stroll inside the barn and find a nice, fluffy pile of fresh hay.

  Moonlight glistened on the water, fireflies signaled each other in the bushes and grass. The llamas hummed in the distance. When they stopped at the water’s edge, Linc pulled Kinley in close, kissed her and reveled in the feel of her, letting her warmth and apple scent melt into his bones.

  Slipping out of his arms, she jerked off her hat, her top and her skirt leaving her standing before him in nothing but her bra, boots and God help him, a bright red thong. Her skin glowed in the moon’s rays, her hair like red gold. Before he could wrap his mind around the gorgeous woman before him she took off her bra, giving him a view of her breasts, breasts he remembered in detail from the day they met and he’d caught her floating nude down the river. Like quicksilver, she shimmied out of panties, kicked off her boots and sashayed to the river. She stepped into the water and let it cover her once inch at a time. When she reached the middle, she lowered her body under the rippling surface until only her shoulders and head were visible. Her hair billowed around her head like one of those Greek statues.

  “Well, what are you waiting for?” she said with a teasing lilt to her voice. “Take your clothes off and get in here.”

  Suddenly, he forgot he used to be an upstanding judge and was now an upstanding attorney in Salvation, had a sterling record as a gentleman, had his feet firmly planted in the community and a good head on his shoulders. A man who never did anything without thinking it through first, weighing all the options, making a plan, looking and studying every angle to make sure the decision he made was absolutely the correct one. He threw every scrap of logic away, stripped down and headed for the river.

  The night was warm and humid but when he stepped into the water his skin didn’t register that the water was cool. Looking at Kinley waiting for him seemed to have affected his nerve synapses. He was hot but hot with desire for the woman before him. When Linc reached her side, he pulled her up into his arms and laid his mouth over hers. She tasted like cinnamon and home and everything that was good in the world but at the same time she tasted like something forbidden but irresistible to a man.

  And she was definitely irresistible.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and plastered her wet, toned body against his. Her perfect breasts pressed into his chest and the evidence of his desire against her abdomen. Her mouth gave under his, persuasive and sweet and enticing. His hands roamed over her silky, warm skin before settling on her fanny. He kissed his way over her cheek down her neck to one of her breasts, sucked her nipple into his mouth and listened with male satisfaction as she moaned her pleasure. He moved to her other breast to give it his undivided attention. Her nipples peaked in his mouth as he rubbed them with his tongue and against the roof of his mouth. Her head fell back and a guttural moan issued from her throat.

  He started to wrap her legs around his waist when he remembered. His eyes flew open, his blood screamed for him to continue, to keep going until he was inside her but he’d forgotten one tiny detail in his lust to have her. If he had been thinking clearly he would have made preparations ahead of time. He would have considered every angle before he left home but he didn’t. She had thrown his life into a tail spin from the moment she set foot in it. He straightened and pulled slightly away from her. She looked up at him heavy-eyed with wet lips. “What’s the matter? Why are you stopping?”

  “We forgot something. I don’t have a condom with me.”

  She smiled, a sleek, tempting smile. “Hold on one sec.” In a moment she was back holding up a small packet. “I was a girl scout.”

  “Thank God for the girl scouts.” He ripped the condom open and slid it over his hard length. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist. He sunk to the hilt inside her. He heard her gasp or was it him gasping. He’d never felt anything so glorious. Together they sunk down into the water, he cupped her fanny and started to move, his toes pressing into the sandy bottom of the river for purchase. Fire licked through his body, his mind whirled with the pleasure she was giving him but he wanted most of all to give her pleasure. He wanted to see her face when she came. He looked into her half-closed eyes and said, “Open your eyes, sweetheart, I want to see you fly over the edge.” She opened her eyes, they were glazed with pleasure. He thrust harder, faster until the orgasm almost took him but he held back waiting for her. “Let go for me, Kinley. Let go.” She clenched and lifted him out of reality. Without sliding out of her, Linc hugged her close and breathed in the scent of her never wanting to leave this spot for the rest of his life.

  “Hey, Kinley! Linc! Come quick! Astrid is sick.”

  They turned toward the sound of Ethan’s urgent voice then untangled themselves. Thankfully a cloud moved over the moon and shielded Linc as he climbed from the water, his body still humming from making love with Kinley. “We’ll be right there,” Linc called back. They dressed and headed toward the barn.

  ***

  Kinley’s mind reeled, her skin warm and sated from being in Linc’s arms. She’d never experienced anything so profound with a man. She’d never felt so treasured. She wanted time to drink it in, let the memory fill her but Astrid needed her.

  Ethan was by Astrid’s side when Linc and Kinley entered the barn. The puppies sat next to him waiting. She was lying down, her sides moving slowly in and out, her eyes at half-mast.

  Kinley knew what was about to happen. Sadness welled up inside her but she needed to be strong for Ethan. The boy was on his knees, crooning to the old mare, stroking her neck. “It’s okay, girl. We’ll make you well,” he said in a husky voice. Without taking his eyes from Astrid he said, “Did you call the doctor?”

  She exhaled a shaky breath, tears burned her eyes. “A doctor can’t help her, honey. She’s old, it’s her time. All we can do is try to make her comfortable and be with her as she passes.”

  Ethan’s frightened, disbelieving gaze darted from her to Astrid and back again. He shook his head. “No, she isn’t dying. She can’t be. She was fine this morning.” He reached into the first aid kit beside him, withdrew the stethoscope and handed it to her, his hand trembling. “Listen to her heart. Please. She’s just sick. We have to help her,” he pleaded in a raspy voice.

  Kinley laid a hand on his shoulder but he shrugged it off. “She wasn’t fine, Ethan you know that. She hardly ate any food last night and nothing today.” The old mare’s breathing slowed even more then finally stilled. Everything blurred as tears trickled down Kinley’s cheeks and her heart split in two. She placed the stethoscope on Astrid’s chest. Nothing. Just silence. “She’s gone,” Kinley said her voice breaking on a sob.

  “No,” Ethan cried
grasping the old mare around her neck and resting his cheek on her gray mane streaked with white. “Wake up, Astrid. Please. I love you.” The corners of his mouth turned down, tears flowed and a cry of grief ripped from his throat.

  Kinley wrapped her arms around the boy and sobbed. “I’m so sorry, Ethan.”

  He pushed her away, jumped to his feet and raced from the barn.

  Chapter Eight

  Kinley covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Her cries shredded the air turning the once happy night to sadness. Pulling her into his arms, Linc held her while she cried. A few minutes ago she was full of passion and fire and now hearing her ragged sobs sliced him up inside. He wanted to fix everything, to bring the old mare back to life, to turn back time. He’d grown accustomed to her smile and the twinkle in her eyes, hearing her laughter, listening to her tease him. And he wanted that Kinley back.

  Now.

  After a while her sobs lessened and her breathing grew easier. She lifted her face from his chest and swiped the pads of her fingers on her wet cheeks. Her lashes were spiky and clumped together, makeup dripped around her eyes and her skin was blotchy. She gave him a watery smile and heaved a shaky breath. “I knew she was old and would pass soon, but I couldn’t help loving her.” Her voice broke again, tears pooling again in her eyes. Her raw emotions pushed at him, grappling for a hold like vines wrapping around a tree. Slowly, he extricated himself from Kinley’s arms then gently draped Astrid’s blanket over her.

  Kinley gazed at the dead horse then turned to Linc. “There’s an old picture in Aunt Maddie’s trailer of her and Astrid standing next to some willows down by the river. I’d like to have Astrid buried there. Will you help me?”

  Thank God, something he could fix. “Of course, we have a back hoe at the Rocking M and a wench. I’ll call the ranch then go find Ethan and talk to him.”

  “Thank you.”

  He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “You sure you’re okay now?”

  She nodded. “I’m okay. I’ll stay with Astrid while you talk to Ethan.”

  After phoning Rafe at the ranch and making arrangements for Astrid’s burial, Linc found Ethan by the river. Rocky lay at his feet in the grass but as soon as he sensed Linc near he jumped to his feet, barked in greeting then ran toward Linc with his tail wagging and his tongue lolling. Ethan glanced behind him when the puppy started to bark then faced the river again.

  The boy swiped a hand over his eyes and turned his face away when Linc him squatted next to him. Linc had a brother and had lost animals before. He was sure he could fix this. “You okay?”

  Nothing but Ethan’s sniffles mingling with the night sounds. “It’s hard when an animal dies. I know how you feel.”

  “You don’t know anything,” Ethan said on a ragged breath. He continued to cry, his breaths mushy and uneven.

  “I lost a horse when I was fifteen. Her name was Star on account of she had a white spot on her forehead. She had two white stockings and the rest of her was deep reddish brown. One day when we were out riding she stepped in a gopher hole and broke her leg.” Linc paused not wanting to dredge up the memory but he had to try for Ethan’s sake. “My dad put her down. I can still here the echo of that gun shot.” A long buried emotion yanked at his heart as he pictured Star in his head. “I’d just ridden her in the rodeo and we won first place. I was on top of the world one minute and the next Star was gone. So I do know how you feel. Like your guts have been yanked out and tied into knots.”

  Ethan turned his head slightly to the side. “What did you do after she died?”

  Now he was getting somewhere. “I bawled my eyes out. We buried her in a stand of trees. I went out to her grave every day and talked to her like I did when she was alive. I told her dumb stuff like how my brother Rafe was a pain, about a girl I had a crush on, about the weather…”

  “I bet you got a new horse.”

  Linc nodded. “Yeah, I did. One of the mares foaled and I still have Jax to this day. He’s a Palomino. Do you know what color that is?”

  “No and I don’t care.”

  He was losing him. He had to turn this around. “You could have your own horse someday.”

  Ethan smirked. “Yeah, right. Like that’s going to happen. You have a family and money and a ranch and stuff. It’s easy for you. Everything is easy for you.”

  “No it isn’t. Nothing is easy. You just have to make a plan that’s all and I can help you with that.”

  Ethan stood and glared at Linc. Moonlight poured over the boy’s face illuminating his misery. He sneered, his eyes full of pain and contempt. “Plan? You think I can have my own horse if I make some stupid plan? I’ve heard the same crap from people before. ‘Oh, Ethan, you can have a better life if you just believe in yourself and stay out of trouble, blah, blah blah,’” he said in a high-pitched whiny voice. “They were full of it and so are you. Now leave me alone.” Ethan scooped up Rocky and stomped away.

  Damn it! Linc heard the sound of the back hoe and wench coming up the drive. Time to help Kinley.

  In an hour, Astrid’s grave was dug and her body laid gently inside with her blanket covering her remains. Ethan was nowhere in sight. Kinley stood at Linc’s side, snuffling, tears rolling down her face as they waited for the horse’s grave to be filled. Once it was done, the hands left with the equipment and when the sound of the motor’s faded, Kinley grabbed a fist full of dirt and tossed it on top of the mare’s grave. Then she murmured a prayer that quietly slashed Linc’s heart into bits.

  “Dear Lord, please look after Astrid up in heaven and help her find Aunt Maddie so they can be together again.” Her voice broke on a sob, her shoulders and back hunched into her grief. It was then Linc caught sight of Ethan standing a ways down the river in the shadows watching, the puppy in his arms. If he was back in court he could call for a recess or end the day’s session so he could go home and leave the grief and pain behind. But he couldn’t do that now.

  He had to comfort Kinley.

  Again.

  Linc stepped forward and drew her into his arms. After listening to her sobs for a moment he said, “Let me take you back to the trailer. A good night’s sleep and you’ll feel better in the morning. You have a bunch of llamas, a couple of horses and a new foal to look after. They’re counting on you.”

  She nodded and gave him a tremulous smile. “You’re right. She’s gone and there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t look after her anymore, but I have other animals that need me.”

  Her emotions embraced him like a second skin. They seeped into his pores, made his stomach clench, his skin tight and hot and itchy. They nudged at his heart trying to find a weak spot so they could waltz in and take over. It took all his strength to keep them out. He took her hand, her fingers closing around his, the warmth of her skin, the light rub of callus on her fingers. Even as he fought to keep her out of his heart the emotions washed over his fears of losing control, easing him like he would a fractious filly but he couldn’t let it happen. He’d failed with Ethan. He’d failed to help the kid as he desperately wanted. He wasn’t good at emotions. His stomach twisted into one giant knot. He took a step wanting to run away from the chaos of the evening but he couldn’t. So much for order and calm in his life.

  Together they walked back to the trailer both of them silent with the night sounds flowing around them. Linc glanced over his shoulder and saw Ethan slowly making his way to the horse’s grave with the puppy still in his arms. He turned back around and let the boy alone with his grief.

  Linc waited at the breakfast table while Kinley showered and changed. When she stepped into the doorway of the kitchen the sight of her nearly took his breath. Her hair was wet, her face scrubbed clean. Her skirt and sexy top had been exchanged for pajamas with horses on them. She’d wrapped a blue robe around her body and on her feet were white socks. “Feeling better?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” She headed for the freezer and pulled out a quart of chocolate ice cream. Afte
r rummaging for two spoons she sat at the table, removed the top of the ice cream container and dug her spoon into the frozen confection. “This is definitely an ice cream night.” Kinley slid a spoon over to him. “Care to join me?” A side of her mouth kicked up despite the sadness in her eyes.

  “Sure,” Linc said and grabbed the spoon. After a couple of spoonful’s she looked at him, her green eyes calm, no longer teary. Thank God. “What happened with Ethan? Were you able to talk to him?”

  He could feel them, the tendrils of her emotions like kudzu trying to ensnare him, to wrap around him. He couldn’t let them. He had to get out of here, away from her, away from the emotions threatening to stampede over him so he could think straight and get himself under control again. “Yeah, nothing to worry about.”

  She straightened slightly. “What did he say? What did you say?”

  Linc stood and reached for his hat.

  “Where are you going?”

  “It’s late. We both have an early start tomorrow.”

  “We always have an early start. Talk to me. Tell me about Ethan.”

  “There’s not much to tell. He’s upset but he’ll be okay. I saw him by Astrid’s grave as we were walking back to the trailer.” Linc started for the door.

  “What’s wrong? Why are you shutting me out?”

  He stopped. She was doing it again. Trying to draw him back in but he couldn’t let her. He couldn’t. He knew what happened when emotions were allowed to run rampant. Without looking at her he said, “I’m not shutting you out. I’m just tired.” And hoped she believed him. He’d opened himself up, he’d gone dancing with her, had sex with her and then shared the death of Astrid and the aftermath. What more did she want from him?

  “Are you sorry we made love? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”

  How could he regret being with the most beautiful woman he’d ever met? How could he regret the way she’d made him feel, the privilege of touching her skin, kissing her, holding her and giving her pleasure? He couldn’t. No matter what happened he never would. But he’d given all he could give tonight. He needed a break. He’d failed with Ethan and he didn’t want to fail again with her. He glanced at her over his shoulder. She sat still at the table, the ice cream forgotten. Her hair was starting to dry and curl around her face. Her eyes were full of waiting, waiting for him to tell her the truth.