by Debra Kayn
Margot’s Lawman
By Debra Kayn
It’s hard to keep a secret in the small town of Pike, Montana, but veterinarian Margot McDougal and sheriff Roy Lee Hanson managed to keep their relationship on the sly for months. Margot cares for Roy Lee, but the last thing she needs is to worry about local gossip while she’s busy running her clinic and dealing with the loss of her beloved father.
Roy Lee can’t wait to tell the world that he loves Margot. He respected her decision to keep their affair quiet—until now. It’s time for everyone to know Margot is his gal…especially Ryan Martin, her new assistant. He’s formed an attachment to Margot and Roy Lee is sure the city boy’s unexplained appearance in Pike means he’s up to no good.
Margot just wants to help Ryan fit in, and Roy Lee’s jealousy soon drives a wedge between them. A wedge that only increases when Margot is roped into Ryan’s secret, too…
37,000 words
Dear reader,
It’s not that I love winter, but I love some of the things that come with winter. Here in the States, February brings some of the coldest temperatures of the winter, but it also brings the promise of spring right around the corner. So I don’t mind hunkering down in my living room next to the fire with a blanket, a kid or a dog on my feet, and a mug of hot chocolate or hot tea (or even a hot toddy) beside me. And, of course, my digital reading device of choice in hand.
There’s something permissive about cold weather that makes it easy to laze away hours at a time reading a great book without feeling guilty, which makes February one of my favorite months. I know I can always indulge in plenty of guilt-free reading time!
This month, Carina Press offers a new selection of releases across the genres to aid you in your own reading-time indulgence. Romantic suspense favorite Marie Force is back with a new installment in her Fatal series, Fatal Flaw. Newlyweds Sam and Nick discover that they won’t get the normalcy they were looking for post-wedding…because someone has other plans for them. Also look for author Dee J. Adams to follow up her adrenaline-packed romantic suspense debut with her sophomore book, Danger Zone, which delivers thrills and action.
Two steampunk titles will get your gears whirling in February. Look for Prehistoric Clock by Robert Appleton and Under Her Brass Corset by Brenda Williamson to take you back to a time altered by steam and clockwork. Also in the science fiction and fantasy realm, author Nico Rosso offers up The Last Night, a post-apocalyptic tale of romance, while Kim Knox takes us into the future with her futuristic science fiction romance, Synthetic Dreams.
And for those of you with a yen for the paranormal, we have several authors joining us for their Carina Press debuts. Blood of the Pride by Sheryl Nantus and Pack and Coven by Jody Wallace hit the virtual shelves in mid-February.
Portia Da Costa will heat up your day with Intimate Exposure, a sexy and intense look into the world of BDSM.
Rounding out our amazing and genre-packed February lineup are books from Claire Robyns, Charlie Cochrane, Debra Kayn, Shelley Munro, Amie Denman, Crista McHugh and Susan Edwards, with everything from historical and contemporary romance to m/m romance to a fun romantic caper. February offers a little something for everyone’s reading pleasure.
We love to hear from readers, and you can email us your thoughts, comments and questions to [email protected]. You can also interact with Carina Press staff and authors on our blog, Twitter stream and Facebook fan page.
Happy reading!
~Angela James
Executive Editor, Carina Press
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Dedication
To my husband—We’ve had some good times down on the farm, and I can’t wait to experience more “firsts” with you. I hope you’ll always laugh remembering how my exercise program for Harley worked better than planned and smile over all the times we stood together at the fence, dreaming about our future.
Harley—That’ll do, pig, that’ll do.
Contents
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Author’s Note
About the Author
Chapter One
“Oh, no you don’t.” Margot McDougal pushed the thigh-high gate against the side of the black-and-white hog, urging him to move back out of the doorway. “Lordy, Harley, you need to go on a diet.”
She leaned against the metal barrier with all one hundred and twenty-five pounds of her, but she didn’t gain an inch against the three-hundred-pound pig. “Ugh…seriously. We’re gonna have to kick up your exercise program to twice a day. Maybe even try out that new fangled Zumba program Ryan says all the fancy city folks are doing to keep their figure.”
The pig grunted, turned up his snout and lost all interest in escaping his enclosure. Margot hurried to latch the gate and shook her head. “You and Roy Lee are two pigs in the making, stubborn as all get out, do you know that?”
For the last eleven months, her boyfriend, Roy Lee, had a habit of leaving his clothes willy-nilly all over her apartment in hope their secret relationship would be found out. Not to mention sneaking kisses out in public when he thought no one was looking.
She picked up the empty bucket she’d used to feed the animals, flung her hair over her shoulder and grinned down at the Yorkshire. “I’ll make a deal with you, Harley. Once you can outrun me, I’ll find you a permanent home where you can have all the female swine you want. Until then, we’re stuck with each other because at this point you’re too big to use as a breeder.”
Harley snorted and turned his slop-covered snout at Margot.
“I know. It wasn’t fair that your previous owners spoiled you rotten, and then had to give you up when they moved. I can’t keep you here forever, and the only way to get you back in shape is with a strict diet. Until then, we’re stuck with each other.”
She walked through the large animal barn on her way to the office. Early mornings were Margot’s favorite time of the day. She had the veterinary clinic and animals to her herself, and it was almost like having her own farm. Except she lived over her workplace and the animals were never hers to keep.
It was hard to believe a whole year had passed since she’d bought the place outright from Doc Adams after completing her internship, and she’d already expanded enough to hire a part-time veterinarian to help out. Every goal she’d set for herself, she’d succeeded in accomplishing on time.
Her daddy, Stuart McDougal, would have been damned proud of her. She swallowed. He was proud, because if anyone had a special view from heaven, it was her dad. There was no doubt about it. If she had one thing to be thankful for this past year, it was having Daddy know she’d completed what she’d set out to do, before he’d passed away.
Margot strolled across the gravel parking lot and entered Double M Veterinary Clinic through the back door. She stopped in the small animal room in the basement and groaned.
A brown chore coat lay over one of the empty dog crates. She snatched it up, shaking her head. Dang you, Roy Lee.
She gazed around the back room for any other stray articles of clothing Roy Lee might have left behind. Now that he
r sisters knew about her relationship with Pike’s sheriff, she probably should let Roy Lee announce they were a couple to the whole town.
To let him go public would force her to face the fact that the one person who should have known, and deserved to know how in love she was, wasn’t around anymore. It was her fault Stuart left the world without the comfort of knowing his daughter had found her true love. The guilt of not telling him ate away at her every day.
A Border collie-hound mutt recovering from her sterilization procedure barked for Margot’s attention. She clicked her tongue and murmured a few babbling sentences until the animals relaxed. The four orphaned barn kittens stopped in midplay to investigate the intrusion.
“Georgia will be in soon, and you’ll all have uninterrupted playtime with your favorite person.” She dimmed the lights.
The older lady who lived next door to the clinic loved to volunteer for a few hours a day while her husband puttered around the farm. Margot climbed the steps into the main part of the building. Georgia had become an absolute godsend the past few months.
Carrying the coat to her office, she shut the door behind her and paused in the privacy of the room. She held Roy Lee’s jacket to her nose and sniffed. A fluttery sensation tickled her insides. The aroma of horses, fresh air and the woodsy scent she associated with Roy Lee clung to the material and left her wishing he were here with her now.
Roy Lee might be Pike’s sheriff, but you couldn’t take the cowboy out of the man, even if he wore a star on his shirt and a pistol on his hip. She hung up the coat on the hook behind her door and sat down at her desk. The new order for the pharmaceutical company was due tomorrow, and she’d left it to the last minute, again. If she planned to catch up on work to free up her evening, she’d better get busy.
Margot opened the top drawer in her desk, removed the papers and a rubber band for her hair and laughed. Two soft squares of caramel sat on top of her prescription pad. Smiling, she hurried to open up the plastic wrapper and pop the treat in her mouth. It was like Roy Lee to hide her favorite candy somewhere for her to find it.
The caramel melted over Margot’s tongue eliciting a moan of pleasure. She closed her eyes and let the sweet smooth goodness flood her senses. She was powerless to turn down the one addiction in her life and Roy Lee knew it. He often teased her over the hidden empty wrappers he found under her seat in the truck or in the pockets of her jeans.
The creamy richness soothed her soul better than any cup of coffee. She sighed in contentment. If ever she had a comfort food, this was it.
The office door banged against the wall. She swallowed the treat, put her hand over her mouth and mumbled, “Aw, shoot a jackrabbit, Roy Lee.”
“What’d I do this time?” Roy Lee shut the door behind him.
She struggled for breath and patted her chest at the same time. “I didn’t know anyone was gonna barge in my office without knocking, and I wasted it.”
“Wasted what?” He hooked his thumbs in the belt loops of his well-worn jeans. His mouth curved. “I thought you’d be happy to see me.”
Roy Lee’s sexier-than-all-get-out smile replaced the disappointment over swallowing the candy. He had a way of flashing a grin that went straight to her womanly spots and made her body temperature rise at least five degrees. All he had to do was lift the corners of his mouth, and she could no more resist Roy Lee than she could the caramel.
She motioned him inside, rounded the desk and met him halfway across the floor. Standing on her tiptoes, she placed her lips on his and gently coaxed his mouth open. His dark goatee tickled her chin.
Roy Lee moaned, and she knew he’d caught a hint of the caramel from the tip of her tongue. She muffled her giggle against his mouth. With her tongue tangling with his, she forgot what had him rushing in the room, or her losing the treat. It was the taste of Roy Lee she craved now.
He held her captive in his arms. She clung to him, not wanting to let go. Raising her leg, she rubbed against his jean-covered thigh. Part of her wanted to continue this way forever, spending every glorious second enjoying each other, and the other part of her wanted to hurry in case they got caught.
Margot dragged him closer, ran her hands down the back of his spine, over his tight hard rear end and pulled him thigh to thigh, close enough a mouse couldn’t wiggle between them. She was almost climbing up his body.
Roy Lee leaned his head back. “You’ve been sneaking candy again.” He licked his lips. “How ’bout we try doing a little more tongue lovin’? I skipped breakfast this morning…”
He lowered his mouth again. She turned her head. “Wait.”
Pausing, she strained to hear what grabbed her attention, but no door click, phone or voice calling out for a doctor reached her ears. “Did you hear something a second ago?”
“I didn’t hear anything.” He nibbled her neck. “Have I ever told you how much it turns me on to see those blue eyes of yours looking up at me when you’re put out with me?”
“You like when I’m angry?” She laughed.
“Mm…angry, happy, silly…it’s all good. You keep me on my toes, Margot Lace.” He sucked on her neck and gave a big smack.
The woodsy scent she smelled moments before on his coat now circled her head, intoxicating her, and it took all her control not to snuggle in and drown herself. Last night wasn’t enough. She wanted him. Here. Now. Always.
She sighed and closed her eyes. “I missed you last night after you left.”
“Mm hm.” His lips were caressing the sensitive skin under the curve of her jaw. “You know what I think you should do…” The warmth of his breath on her skin had her shivering. “Move in with me and we don’t have to miss each other.”
Margot leaned in to Roy Lee. She moved her lips, but the words died away. His tongue glided over her earlobe, and she melted. She couldn’t help herself. Roy Lee had enough seduction skills to last two lifetimes.
“Margot?”
Her body stiffened.
“Hello?”
“Dammit.” She stepped out of Roy Lee’s arms and brushed her hair behind her shoulders.
“What’s he doing here?”
“I don’t know.” She wrinkled her nose. Ryan Martin, the veterinarian she hired, wasn’t due in until this afternoon. “Do I look okay?”
The corner of his mouth lifted. “Lovely.” His thumb stroked the base of her neck. “Especially here.”
“Roy Lee…stop. That tickles.” She wiggled away from him.
His brown eyes danced with pleasure. “You’re wearing the Hanson brand, sweets.”
She gasped and covered her neck with her hand as if to deny it. “You didn’t.”
“I did.” He stepped back, leaned against the corner of the desk and crossed his arms. Darned if he didn’t puff his chest out prouder than a sexually sated bull.
She fluffed her hair in front of her shoulders and glared. “Stupid, childish, thick-headed—” Margot stopped, inhaled and let the air out slowly through her mouth. “I can’t believe you think this is funny. Sometimes you can be so…so…canine-ish. Next thing you’ll be doing is lifting your leg and pissing around the doors to the clinic, marking your territory.”
“Margot?” This time her name accompanied two knocks at the door. “Dr. McDougal, are you here?”
“Just a second, Dr. Martin. I’ll be right out.” She threw her arms up in the air and focused on Roy Lee. She raised her left eyebrow, lifted her chin and stared him down in true McDougal fashion. “I’m not done with you yet, Sheriff. You’ll pay for giving me a hickey later.”
“Bring it on. I can’t wait.” The dark stubble along Roy Lee’s jaw twitched. He narrowed his eyes and growled. “You’re my girl. Doesn’t matter what others think.”
“I know. You’re mine too. Just don’t push me…about that. Please.” She reached up on tiptoe and gave him a kiss. Smoothing the frown off his mouth, she whispered, “Sorry, I can’t ignore him.”
Roy Lee gazed at her lips, his eyes softening. Takin
g pity on him, she kissed him one more time. “It wouldn’t be right. I’m at work. You’ll have to be patient.”
“Somebody needs to tell him he doesn’t have to trail after you twenty-four/seven like one of those small sissy dogs.” He swatted her butt. “Go get rid of ’im.”
Her stomach fluttered. “I can’t. He’ll figure out—” She clenched her teeth together. She didn’t want to talk about outing their relationship at this moment. Not with Ryan right outside the door.
Roy Lee closed the distance between them and leaned down. “Your secret’s out, sweets. Your sisters are champing at the bit to spread the rumor.”
“They wouldn’t. Chantilly had them swear, and unless she gets permission from me, they’d never do that behind my back. It’s a law in our family.”
He tilted his head, motioning to the other room. “Maybe it’s time for you to come clean with Cityboy in there too before he gets a broken heart.” He gave her a pointed look, bent down and pecked her forehead. “If you could come out to the ranch after work, I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes…of course, I’ll come.” She rubbed his stomach. “I’ll even bring takeout from Val’s bar. Angus burger and fries?”
“Perfect.” He swatted her backside before strolling out of the office.
Margot slumped against the doorframe. She gazed after him until he’d rounded the corner. For such a hot looking guy with a heart of gold, he sure could be stubborn when he set his mind to it.
There should be no time limit on their relationship. No real reason to let others in on the fact they were in love, except to bring more attention to themselves. She straightened up. Once the secret was out, everyone in Pike, Montana would be involved in their private life and after the last nine months of dealing with her dad’s devastating illness, she wanted to keep things quiet and the attention off her.
