“Once again I lucked out,” he said as the door of the ambulance opened. Vic saw the sheriff deliver the suitcase.
“I’ll return the gun to its owner. Great job you Rangers did today. The casino has been closed and the management is in custody pending a thorough investigation. A lot of shady business has gone on there.”
That meant Ruban was no longer a threat. Vic couldn’t wait to interrogate him. “That’s music to our ears. We couldn’t have done this without your department’s help.”
“You rest now. You’re being driven back to the inn in Luckenbach to meet up with your crew.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.”
“Thank you.”
Soon they were on their way. Vic sat on the side of the bed to talk strategy with Kit. So many loose ends to clean up kept them occupied until they reached the hotel. Vic thanked the paramedics and got out of the ambulance, taking his suitcase with him. Kit followed with the vest. The long wig dangled from his other hand. He started to head for the surveillance van when he heard a voice he’d know anywhere. “Dad!”
Vic swung around to see his son come running toward him. Claire was right behind him. What a glorious sight. But they both stopped short before reaching him.
“What did you do to your face?”
“You should see him in this wig. Here, Vic. Put it on and show them.” Kit handed it to him.
At this point he was speechless and did as Kit said.
“Whoa, Dad—”
Kit was grinning. “Jeremy? Claire? Allow me to introduce you to Eskaminzim, a spokesman for the Lipan Apache tribe. He’s better known as Big Mouth.”
Claire walked all the way around him, eyeing him with stars in her eyes. “Big Mouth, huh? I think I like you even better than I liked Jim. You kind of resemble your famous ancestor Victorio Eskaminzim.”
His heart was giving him fits. “How did you know to come here?”
“Your son makes a terrific spy. When we read your note and knew you’d gone undercover on a sting, he called Clint and found out you were in the other room with Sandra. When it was all over the news about a shooting outside the casino, we decided we couldn’t wait, so we drove ninety miles an hour to get here and talk to Clint. And here you are...” Her voice cracked with emotion.
“Here I am.” He rushed toward them and wrapped his arms around both of them, hugging them so hard Jeremy let out a yelp.
“What’s the matter?”
“Your hair’s in my face and I can’t breathe.”
Kit burst into laughter.
Claire looked up at Vic with those divine gray eyes pouring out her love for him. “You can get your hair in my face anytime,” she whispered for his ears alone.
Chapter Ten
A night breeze coming from the open terrace doors wafted through the hotel room adjoining Jeremy’s. Claire burned with love for Vic as she waited for him to come to bed. This was the fifth night of their honeymoon in Montego Bay. Tomorrow they’d be flying to Orlando.
Between the air filled with the scent of frangipani and the palm trees along the beach silhouetted in the moonlight, she understood the meaning of intoxication. Tonight they’d eaten around the pool and were entertained by a local reggae artist and band. Claire still felt the beat of the music in her veins. Jeremy had been in heaven and got to talk to the band members who let him try to play their instruments during the intermission.
He was so cute as he sat there sipping Shirley Temples with a girl his age named Trisha, who was there on vacation with her family from California. The family resort offered everything for children and adults, making their vacation a paradise. While the children had fun, Claire clung to her husband as they danced the night away.
Vic was a terrific dancer and had a sense of rhythm that made it exciting to follow his lead. He was full of surprises that thrilled her to the very core of her being. Though it had seemed as if she’d waited forever for him to tell her that he loved her, she wasn’t sorry. They’d grown to be best friends first. Jeremy’s kidnapping a month ago had swept them into the depths of agony, but their marriage had brought them ecstasy.
Vic slid into the bed after his shower and reached for her. “He’s asleep.”
“I’m not surprised. Jeremy has had the time of his life so far.”
“What about you?” His lips roved over her face kissed by the Caribbean sun before finding her mouth.
“How can you even ask me that question?”
“I guess it’s because I’ve wanted you for so long. Now that I can have my way with you, it’s sort of hard to believe.”
“l have the same problem. Make love to me, Vic. Again and again.”
“As if you need to ask.” He kissed the base of her throat, where she could feel the pulse of her heart against his lips. “I intend to satisfy your every whim.”
Claire’s breath caught. “Every time with you is like the first time.”
She’d never had a lover, but she couldn’t imagine making love with anyone but him. He took her to heights that made her feel immortal. The days here in paradise were spent with Jeremy, but the nights were for her and her husband. They took full advantage and slept little, before starting the whole heavenly process all over again several times during the nights they’d been here. The world would infringe again, but not for a while longer.
As the tint of dawn distilled over their love nest, Claire studied her gorgeous Texas Ranger, who’d fallen into a deep sleep. Their legs were intertwined, but his arm had relaxed, giving her a little room to enjoy his rugged features.
She could still see him in his disguise after Kit had told Vic to put on the wig. It amazed her that he had so many looks depending on the moment. Every so often he’d worn his white hat for some event honoring the Rangers. Then there was what she thought of as his PI persona with the sunglasses. And whenever they went riding, he looked the part of a genuine cowboy.
The memory of him standing at the altar of the church as her beloved bridegroom in a stunning dark blue suit always made her breath catch. In front of a small group, with both their families and the Famous Four in attendance, she’d pledged her love and devotion to him.
But his Lipan Apache look had to be her favorite. When he’d climbed out of the ambulance several inches taller due to the lifts in his cowboy boots, she had been blown away. Against his bronzed skin, his eyes glittered like black obsidian. Once the black wig was on, he became the warrior whose genes he naturally possessed on the inside.
There was a stature and magnificence about him that had astonished everyone that day, even Jeremy, who’d felt his imposing aura. Claire loved every part of this man, whether he was waking, sleeping, talking, eating, worrying or laughing. But she would never forget the night his son went missing. She’d felt and heard his deep sobs.
Yet there was still another part of Vic, the loving part she’d been introduced to on this unforgettable honeymoon. Her fate was sealed. She was now Mrs. Stephen Victorio Malone, and she loved her new role with a passion.
Once when she’d asked him about his first wife, he’d told her she’d called him Stephen because that was how they’d been introduced. But after his buddies in the field learned his middle name was Victorio, they’d nicknamed him Vic and it had stuck. She couldn’t think of him as Stephen and was glad he could safeguard that special memory of him and his wife.
He was Vic to Claire. When she next came awake, she called out his name with longing. “I love you so much I don’t know what to do about it.”
Vic pulled her over on top of him. “Leave it to me to handle this, Elaine. I’m an expert.”
She chuckled. “You certainly are.”
“I love you, Claire. The last thing I want to do is leave today.”
She groaned. “I don’t want to leave either.” She kissed him hungrily. �
�We’ll have to come back here again soon.”
“The captain would have given us another week off, but since I’d already taken one week to get my temper under control he—”
“I know.” She shushed him with her lips. “He needs you back to finish up the Waters-gate case with Kit.”
Vic chuckled. “That’s what it is, a Watergate scandal, Texas style.”
“You know what Sam Houston said about us. ‘Texas has yet to learn submission to any oppression, come from what source it may.’”
“Ma’am, if you aren’t speaking the truth.” Another heart-stopping kiss followed his teasing.
She was finally able to catch her breath. “It appears Waters found that out the hard way when he went up against you, darling.”
A knock sounded on the door to the adjoining room. “Dad? Claire? Are you up yet?”
They smiled at each other. “We kind of are,” he called out to his son.
“Can I go for a swim?”
“Not without us. We’ll be up in a minute.”
“No, you won’t.”
“Jeremy Malone? What did you say?”
“It always takes you so long.”
“I promise we’ll hurry,” Claire broke in.
“Promise?”
Vic shook his head no, but now that Jeremy was up, they had to hurry.
After saying “I promise,” Claire rolled away and got off the bed on the other side, eluding the hand that tried to stop her.
He frowned. “Where are you going?”
“To the shower,” she called over her shoulder. “This time I’m locking the door!”
“There’ll be a price to pay for that,” he growled.
“Goody. I’ll be ready for any sentence you wish to pronounce once we’re in the hotel in Orlando. And that’s a promise I intend to keep.”
* * *
“GOOD HEAVENS, JEREMY! You filled a whole pillow case with candy.” Claire had spread out a quilt on the family room floor where he dumped his Halloween cache. Vic stood behind him grinning. She could tell her husband had enjoyed himself going trick-or-treating with Nate’s dad and the boys. The two men wore identical Sabretooth masks.
“I know. You should see Nate’s bag. His dad took most of his peanut butter cups.”
“My dad always took my licorice candy.”
“Yuck. I hate licorice.”
Vic swooped down and picked up a couple of York Peppermint Pattie candies.
“Hey, Dad—those are my favorite!
“I left some for you,” he said after chomping down on them.
“What do you want, Claire?”
He was her thoughtful boy. “Hmm. I don’t think anything right now. I ate too much stuff while I stayed here to give out candy to all the kids who came to the door. They were so cute, but no one was as cute as you are in your Wolverine costume. I’m glad I got some pictures of you before you left.”
“I saw another kid with the same costume on.”
“That doesn’t surprise me, honey.”
Vic darted her a loving glance. “There was a big crowd out tonight.”
She nodded “You can say that again. All our candy is gone.”
“That’s okay,” Jeremy said. “We have mine.”
“You could open a store, sport.”
Jeremy laughed. “No, I couldn’t. You’re funny.”
“Remember the rule. You can eat one piece of candy now, and then you have to go to bed.”
“Umm, I think I’ll have a cinnamon gummy bear.” He took off the wrapper and popped the jelly candy in his mouth.
“Okay. Now it’s time to get this show on the road.”
Claire loved it. Both she and Vic were dying to be alone. He was trying to hurry things along. “You’ll need a quick bath first, honey. Don’t forget to brush your teeth. I’ll come in when you say your prayers.”
“Do I have to go to bed right now?”
“Yes,” they said at the same time. “It’s late.”
“Do you think Comet and Daken would like a Tootsie Roll?”
“I don’t think so,” Claire murmured. “Go on.”
“Oh, heck.”
While the boys were gone, Claire found a basket to put all the candy in and threw the pillow case in the washing machine. She could hardly wait until Jeremy was down for the night. After locking up and turning off the lights, she hurried to the bedroom and got dressed in a nightgown. She pulled on her navy toweling robe, the one with the pockets.
Pretty soon Jeremy called out that he was ready to say his prayers. The three of them knelt at the side of the bed while he blessed everything and everyone, drawing things out to the nth degree. She peeked once at Vic and discovered he was watching her with a huge smile on his face. She had to admit this was a little bit of heaven.
“Amen.”
In Claire’s mind she could hear Vic saying a much louder amen. She struggled to hold the laughter inside.
Once Jeremy was under the covers, she and Vic gave him a kiss and said good-night. When they left the room, Vic reached for her in the hall and gave her a hungry kiss. “Good news. I don’t have to go to work tomorrow. We can sleep in.”
When they reached their bedroom, he untied her robe and threw it over the chair so he could feel her body. “Have you decided if you’re going to take that part-time job at the lab in Austin? That offer has been out there for a few days. I’ll support you in anything you want.”
“I know that. You’re wonderful, but I’m thinking I want to stay home for a while longer. Jeremy needs me.”
“You’re not just saying that because you think it will make me happy? Because honestly, Claire, I want you to be happy.”
She put her hands on his chest and looked up at him. “I’ve never been so happy in my life. Tonight, watching Jeremy in his cute Halloween costume, made me realize that this time is precious while he’s still growing. I don’t want to miss any of it.”
“If you’re sure.” His black eyes had a sheen that told her how thrilled he was by her decision. He started rubbing her arms as a prelude to making love.
“Oh, I am. In fact I’ve been so sure, I emailed them this afternoon that I was declining their offer. That’s because of something else that happened today.”
He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“Well, why don’t you feel in the right pocket of my robe.”
His brows met together before he picked it up and felt inside. He pulled out the home pregnancy test and stared at it. Vic was in shock, just as she was. His head reared. “This says positive!”
“Yes. I took the test this afternoon because I realized I’d missed my second period.”
He dropped it on the chair and clasped her upper arms. “We’re pregnant!”
“Yes, darling. Next year at this time we’ll have to dress up our little warrior girl or boy in a genuine Lipan Apache costume. Can you believe it?”
“Sweetheart—” He picked her up and whirled her around. “We’re going to have a baby!”
“I know. I’m so excited I think I’m still in shock.”
He set her down gently. “How do you feel?”
“Fine.”
“You mean it? You’re not hiding anything from me? Cy’s wife, Kellie, was so sick in the beginning she couldn’t perform at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas.”
“I know. She told me while we were all at the picnic in Bandera over Labor Day.”
He gathered Claire to his body and rocked her. “Jeremy’s going to get a little brother or sister. It will be so good for him.”
“I agree. That’s why I want to be home and make him completely secure before our child comes into the world.”
He buried his face in her h
air. “What did I do to deserve a woman like you to come into my life? You saved me and Jeremy, and then you saved us again when you found him. I can’t find the words to tell you what you mean to me. All I can do is show you.”
“You keep doing that, my beloved Texas Ranger. You are my beloved.”
* * * * *
Watch for the next book in Rebecca Winters’s
LONE STAR LAWMEN miniseries,
THE TEXAS RANGER’S FAMILY, coming May 2016, only from Harlequin American Romance!
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE COWBOY’S CONVENIENT BRIDE by Donna Alward.
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The Cowboy’s Convenient Bride
by Donna Alward
Chapter One
Tanner Hudson was getting sick of the bar scene.
Unfortunately, the other option was hanging out at home, which was nearly as bad. Particularly when his older brother, Cole, and his girlfriend, Maddy, always sat around making googly eyes at each other.
Tanner lifted his glass and took a sip of his Coke, listening to an old George Jones song on the jukebox. He scanned the room for a friendly face. The last thing he wanted this evening was a woman. His lips curved in a wry smile. He was sure that no one would believe that for a second. He knew his reputation. Cole was the steady, reliable one. Tanner was the younger brother who worked hard and played hard and liked the ladies. He set down the Coke and scowled at it. On the surface, people were right. But deep down, well, that was another story. He was pretty darn good at keeping up appearances.
The Texas Ranger's Nanny Page 17
