Deadly Desperados

by Lily Harper Hart

  Jake pummeled her with his intensity, loving the ways her eyes rolled back in her head as her second orgasm approached. Nothing in the world would ever make him give this up. It wasn’t just the sex – although that was phenomenal – it was the emotion tied to the sex.

  He was going to marry this woman. She was going to be the mother of his children. She was his … forever.

  They cried out in unison when their second orgasms hit, Jake tugging Ally closer as he released her thighs so she could be more comfortable. Instead of lowering her legs to the ground, though, Ally wrapped them around his waist and pulled him to her chest.

  “I love you, Angel,” Jake whispered.

  “You’re the best Valentine’s Day present ever,” Ally murmured.

  “Oh, Ally, you haven’t seen anything yet.”

  “WHAT are you doing?” James asked, glancing up from the laptop when he saw Mandy loitering next to the bathroom door. She had a funny expression on her face, and it wasn’t one that hinted at sex. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong,” Mandy said, moving her hands in front of her as she stepped into the room. That’s when James noticed the wrapped gift in her hand.

  “Is that your hint that you want your present?” James asked, grinning. “Give me a second. I need to check in with Grady. They found a figure on the camera, but it’s too dark to make out any features. Maverick is trying to clean it up.”

  “Okay.”

  James focused on his task, but he couldn’t help noticing Mandy as she shifted. She kept hopping from one foot to the other. She was nervous. Finally, James snapped the laptop shut and turned to his wife. “You’re worrying me, Mandy. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing is wrong,” Mandy replied. “I want to give you your Valentine’s Day gift now.”

  “You can have one of your gifts without giving me mine,” James said. “I can wait until tomorrow.”

  “I don’t need a gift.”

  James cocked a challenging eyebrow.

  “I really don’t,” Mandy said, shuffling into the room. “After we went overboard at Christmas, I realized that gifts are nice but not necessary. My best Christmas gift was being able to spend the entire day with you without any interruptions or distractions.”

  “I gave you a fifty-thousand-dollar arboretum for Christmas,” James reminded her. “I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m hoping you’re going to love the addition as much as you loved our time together.”

  “No, I love the arboretum,” Mandy said, edging closer. “Don’t think I don’t love it.”

  “What’s wrong?” James repeated, confused. “I’m starting to get nervous.”

  Mandy handed the gift to him. “I didn’t buy you anything for Valentine’s Day.”

  “That’s okay,” James said, eyeing the package curiously. “I don’t need anything. Just out of curiosity, though, what is this?”

  “I made it.”

  “Oh,” James said, understanding dawning. She wasn’t upset. She’d made something artistic for him and she was worried he wouldn’t like it. “Baby, whatever this is, I’m sure I’m going to love it. Let me get your gift.” He moved to get out of the chair, but Mandy stopped him.

  “I need you to open that first,” Mandy said. “Whatever you got me is going to be thoughtful and I’m going to love it. I want you to have that first.”

  “This is important to you, isn’t it?”

  Mandy nodded.

  “Okay,” James said, settling back in the chair. “You need to come here first.”

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re going to sit on my lap when I open this,” James replied. “You’re a ball of nerves. I’m telling you right now that I’m going to love this. I need you to calm yourself and sit here.” James patted his lap.

  Mandy closed the distance between them and rested on the arm of the chair, placing her feet between his legs and watching him expectantly. It wasn’t exactly what James wanted, but he realized she picked that spot so she could watch him without giving him a chance to hide any dislike or disappointment. “Open it.”

  James had no idea what was in the package. He knew Mandy was gifted – even if she was still struggling to believe it herself – but whatever this was had her in a panic. James ran his hand over her back to reassure her and then ripped open the package.

  The item inside mesmerized him. “What … ?”

  “It’s a special board I got,” Mandy explained. “I took some things from our past and kind of decoupaged them into a project. I … it’s stupid. I should have bought you something.”

  “Shut your mouth, wife,” James scolded, studying the myriad of things on display. “Where did you get this photo of us when we were kids?”

  The photo in question was an old one. The snapshot showed a smiling James. He looked about eighteen years old and he had his arm slung around fourteen-year-old Mandy’s neck. It was a totally innocent photo, and yet it made his heart roll.

  “Your mom sent it to me,” Mandy explained. “It’s the only one of just the two of us back then. I know that you didn’t feel anything for me then, but … .”

  “Baby, I felt something for you back then,” James clarified. “I can’t say that I loved you because … it’s gross and creepy … but I always cared about you. I love this photo. I like that you paired it with my favorite wedding photo, too.”

  Mandy pressed her lips together.

  James ran his fingers over the lacquer finish. “What’s this in the center?”

  “It’s from the cover of one of my old notebooks,” Mandy replied. “I used to doodle your name on them. You said a few months ago that you wanted them. I … kind of used one for my project.”

  James chuckled. He couldn’t help himself. There, her teenage cursive flowery and spotted with little hearts in every direction, was a prophecy that came true. “You doodled ‘Mrs. James Hardy’ when you were fourteen years old,” he said. “It came true, baby.”

  “I … do you like it? If you don’t you can tell me. I’ll buy you something. In fact … .” Mandy reached for the gift, planning on taking it away from him and tossing it in the trash out of embarrassment.

  James jerked the plaque away from her. “This is mine,” he scolded. “You can’t take it back. You already gave it to me.”

  “But it’s stupid.”

  “It’s not stupid,” James countered. “Other than your very existence, this is the best thing I’ve ever gotten.”

  “Really?” Mandy’s eyes were shiny.

  James jerked her down so she was fully on his lap, wrapping his arms around her and settling the plaque on her chest so he could study it in more depth. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, his eyes busy as he glanced around at everything else she’d included on the plaque.

  “You really went all out,” he said finally. “You’ve got one of our wedding invitations on here. I see some of the stationary you got when we were on our honeymoon, too. What’s this flower from? I don’t remember ever giving you daisies.”

  “You gave me one daisy one time,” Mandy said, her eyes landing on the yellowed flower.

  “When?”

  “When I was fourteen I was upset one day and I was crying in your front yard,” Mandy said. “You didn’t know what to do, so you picked a flower from your mom’s garden and gave it to me. I pressed it into a book when I got home that night. Do you want to know why I was crying?”

  “I … .”

  “I had just found out you were leaving because you joined the military,” Mandy said, not giving him a chance to answer. “You gave me that flower to make me feel better even though you had no idea why I was so upset.”

  “And you kept it for twelve years?”

  “I thought it was the only thing you would ever give me,” Mandy admitted. “It was my favorite thing ever until you gave me another gift.”

  “What gift?” James was floored. He knew Mandy had a crush on him back in the day, but for her to keep something he didn’t even reme
mber giving her was flabbergasting.

  “You gave me your love.”

  “Oh, baby,” James clutched Mandy closer, gingerly placing the plaque on the table next to his laptop so he could use both arms. He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “You’re my best gift ever. Every single day I thank whatever power is up above that you came into my life. I don’t know how I lived before you. I know that I can’t ever live without you, though.”

  “Are you sure you like it?”

  James sighed. “Mandy, I love it. Now I have to get you a bigger Valentine’s Day gift, though. Mine really sucks in comparison.”

  When Mandy finally got up the courage to meet his gaze, she found his dark eyes swimming with tears. “Why are you crying?”

  “Because I love you so much it overwhelms me sometimes,” James replied. “What you just gave me is more than a gift, baby. It’s our lives and our promise of forever. Don’t you understand that?”

  “I … .”

  James shushed her with a kiss, holding her close and rocking her until they were both calmer and more controlled. James finally pulled back and studied her. “Well, since my Valentine’s Day gift is going to be a bust, I think I need to wow you with sex so you forget.”

  Mandy laughed, lightening the mood in the room with one exquisite smile. “You already gave me my gift when you didn’t laugh at my gift.”

  “Oh, baby, that’s not even close to all you’re getting tonight,” James said, scooping her up and moving toward the bed. “Get ready for a thunderstorm of special gifts, baby. You have no idea what’s coming your way.”

  Nineteen

  “What is everyone doing today … and why do you all look so shiny?” Mary asked the next morning, her eyes sparkling as she placed a platter of French toast at the center of the dining room table.

  “Well, I’m taking Ally on a picnic,” Jake said, rubbing her hand on top of the table. “I promised to chase her through the meadow and pretend we’re in Little House on the Prairie times.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to get a case of the vapors, Ally?” James asked, his mood bright as he teased his sister.

  “Ha, ha,” Ally said, her eyes narrowing as she studied Mandy and James. “You gave him your Valentine’s Day gift last night, didn’t you?”

  “What?” Mandy was surprised.

  “You did,” Ally said. “He’s all gooey and you’re much more relaxed. I told you he would like it.”

  “What was it?” Jake asked. “Wait … do I even want to know?”

  “It wasn’t anything kinky,” Ally replied. “Mandy took a bunch of stuff from over the years and put it on this really cool board she found and made a remembrance plaque for him. Mom even found a photo of just the two of them when they were younger.”

  “Oh, that sounds sweet,” Mary said.

  “It is sweet,” James said, massaging the back of Mandy’s neck. “It’s so sweet that I’m taking Mandy into town this afternoon so I can try to find a better Valentine’s Day gift for her.”

  “No,” Mandy said, immediately shaking her head. “I didn’t buy your gift. I made it out of things I already had. Whatever you got me is fine.”

  “You didn’t get your gift?” Ally was scandalized. “He owes you after flirting with the waitress.”

  “I don’t need a gift,” Mandy countered. “I’m perfectly fine. He bought me forty gifts for Christmas and I’m getting a fancy arboretum. I’m good.”

  “Oh, you’re getting a gift today,” James muttered. “We’re going back to that general store and we’re not leaving until you find something you like.”

  “I already found something I like,” Mandy said, planting a kiss on his cheek.

  “Oh, everyone is basking in the afterglow,” Mary said, shaking her head. “Do you remember those days, Ben?”

  “Remember? Who says I’m not basking in the afterglow today?” Ben’s eyes twinkled.

  “Uncle Ben,” Jake groaned. “You’re going to freak me out if you don’t stop that.”

  “That’s my intention,” Ben said. “So Jake and Ally are going for a picnic and Mandy and James are going shopping. Do we have any updates on the case?”

  “Just one,” James said, wiping his hands off on a napkin and gesturing to Mandy. “Baby, let me have your phone. I want to show that photo to Ben.”

  Mandy did as instructed, pulling up the photo before handing it over. James tilted the screen so Ben could study it.

  “Do you know who that is?”

  Ben’s face slackened as he studied the photo, taking the phone from James so he could see it up close. “I do.”

  “Who is it?”

  “Jessica Stanford.”

  “And who is she?” James prodded.

  “She was Charlie Dawkins’ fiancée,” Mary supplied, her smile slipping as she looked at the photo over her husband’s shoulder. “Are they holding hands?”

  “They were very lovey-dovey,” Mandy replied. “I … what does this mean?”

  “That’s a pretty good question, baby,” James said, digging in his pocket for his own phone. “I need to add a name to Grady’s search list. He keeps banging into walls and he’s not happy about it.” James typed out a text and sent it, waiting for confirmation from Grady that he got it before pocketing the phone again. “What can you tell me about Jessica?”

  Ben shrugged as he set the phone on the table. “She hasn’t been in town for very long,” he said. “I would say she hit Lakin about six months ago.”

  “But you said she and Charlie were engaged,” Jake reminded him. “They couldn’t have dated for very long before Charlie popped the question if that’s the case.”

  “Charlie said it was love at first sight,” Ben replied, his expression thoughtful. “Jessica came to town in the middle of summer. Her car broke down on the road between Charlie’s farm and town. He stopped to help because it was sweltering … and they were inseparable after that.”

  “Well, I hate to say it because I’ve never met this woman, but that sounds like a classic ruse,” Jake offered. “Did you see her with Charlie?”

  “I did,” Ben acknowledged. “They seemed genuinely in love. I was never suspicious of her … until now.”

  “And when you look back on their relationship now, what do you think about it?” James asked, sliding a slice of bacon from his plate to Mandy’s without her asking. He was so in love with the gift – and her – he would consider butchering a pig to keep her in bacon at the present moment.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Ben said. “I never saw anything nefarious about her actions when they were dating. Now that I know this, though, I can’t help but wonder if all of it was an act.”

  “It could have been innocent, right?” Mary asked, shuffling toward her chair. “Maybe she was upset and Mark was trying to console her. Mark might’ve been trying to feel her out about the lie we told about the farm being offered to Ben first.”

  “That’s a possibility,” James conceded. “I wouldn’t put it past Mark to go after a woman who is grieving to get what he wants. My problem is that the woman in that photo does not look like she’s upset … or grieving. Mandy and Ally said she was giggling and having a good time with Mark.”

  “Well, this just makes me sick to my stomach,” Ben said, pushing his plate away. “I can’t believe Jessica would use Charlie like that.”

  “If Jessica was trying to get her hands on the property, wouldn’t it make sense for her to marry Charlie before he was killed off?” Ally asked. “Do we even know if Charlie left anything to her in his will? He probably wasn’t planning on changing it until after the wedding.”

  “Ally has a point,” Mandy said. “If James had died when we were engaged but before we were married I wouldn’t have been entitled to anything of his. That’s the way it should be.”

  “Well, in our case, that’s not entirely true, baby,” James said, shifting uncomfortably. “After I was shot and before we found out who was stalking me back then … well … I
had my will changed to make you the sole beneficiary a full week before the wedding. Charlie might’ve done something similar in case of a farm accident or something. We would need to see his will to know for sure.”

  Mandy’s mouth dropped open. “You changed your will before we got married?”

  “Baby, you were already my wife in my heart,” James replied. “If something happened to me, I wanted you taken care of. I don’t regret it, and I’m not apologizing for it.”

  “But … that means you thought there was a legitimate chance you were going to die on me.”

  James’ face softened. He thought she was going to pull one of her patented “I need to work for my own money” arguments. Now he realized she was upset at the possibility of him dying, not the reality that he wanted to take care of her.

  “Baby, I did not think I was going to die,” James clarified. “I knew there was nothing in the world that would stop me from marrying you. It’s just … there was also nothing in this world that would stop me from taking care of you. I needed to make sure your future was safe.”

  Mandy pressed her lips together, her mind busy. James knew she was deciding how angry she wanted to be.

  “You can’t be mad at me today, wife,” James said, opting to go for broke. “It’s Valentine’s Day. Not only that, it’s our first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. If you’re angry with me you’ll ruin the day forever.”

  “Oh, nice,” Ally said, wrinkling her nose.

  James shrugged. “I hate it when she’s mad at me.”

  Mandy blew out a sigh. “Fine. I’m not mad.”

  “Thank you,” James said.

  “I’m going to pick out a really expensive gift, though,” Mandy said.

  “I can’t wait.” James kept his gaze on her for another minute, making sure there wasn’t some meltdown he was missing in their future, and then turned back to Ben. “We can’t be sure that Charlie didn’t change his will to benefit Jessica before his death. We need to find out if that’s the case.”

  “I know Charlie’s lawyer,” Ben said. “He’s an old friend. He’ll tell me.”