She felt herself seduced by this touch, this taste, and couldn’t resist playing, just a little. Her tongue stroked Clay’s closed lips and when he sighed, when he opened them, she dove headfirst into the most incredible happy place she’d ever found. Kissing had never been so wonderful before Clay and Gord decided to court her. The door to the spa opened and Tasha didn’t even care that she and Clay were engaged in a public display of affection.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Doesn’t commitment mean anything to you?”
The words became a cold-water shock on her emotions. Before she could react, she found herself behind Clay’s back. He’d put himself between her and this unknown woman. She felt his leashed fury vibrate through him, and for the first time, fear crawled into her belly.
“Who the hell are you?” Clay demanded.
“That was going to be my question!” the woman replied.
Silence stretched, only seconds long but seeming a vast and unfathomable canyon. And into that silence, Rebecca giggled. Giggles turned into laughter so hearty that she had to grab her sides.
Tasha peeked out from behind Clay. The three of them—her, Clay, and this unknown blond haired, brown eyed woman—just stared at the spectacle of Rebecca laughing almost hysterically as if the sight mesmerized them.
Finally Rebecca straightened, wiped her tearing eyes, and drew in a lung full of air. “Nancy Jessop,” she said, “the conclusion-jumping queen of Lusty, Texas. May I introduce you to Clay Dorchester and Tasha Garwood. Welcome home, cousin.”
* * * *
Matthew Benedict stood off to the side of the farm to market road on the very outskirts of Lusty. Luckily, this single vehicle accident had been a minor one. He’d seen it just as he’d been about to turn back toward town on his regular patrol. It didn’t matter that technically the accident was outside his jurisdiction. He went to see if he could be of help, not as a sheriff’s deputy, but as a citizen.
The driver of the pickup, a farmer from just outside of Gatesville, wasn’t hurt, fortunately. His truck, on the other hand, looked to have a broken axel.
Matt chatted with the man after he’d contacted the farmer’s son for him. Also fortunately, his son worked the farm with him, and was already on his way. It didn’t take long for that young man to arrive in another, newer pickup truck. Accompanying him was a family friend driving a tow truck.
Matt stayed at the scene to keep an eye out for oncoming cars while the men loaded up the old farmer and his not-quite-as-old truck. There wasn’t a great deal of traffic on this weekday morning, and only a handful of vehicles ventured past. Matt stopped one car just as the tow truck driver was about to pull the damaged pickup back onto the roadway. As soon as the tow driver had winched the truck, Matt saw that his original analysis had been spot on—the broken front axle was quite apparent.
The driver of the stopped car, a bookish-looking young man with round glasses and a crew cut, rolled down his window and gestured to him. Matt ambled over to see what he wanted.
“Good day, officer,” the man greeted. “Gee, I hope no one was hurt here.”
Matt smiled at the man. “Naw, just a little dust up. The truck threw an axle, but the driver is fine.”
“Well, that’s certainly a relief, that no one was hurt. Say, my car’s been making a bit of a funny sound off and on these last few miles, and I was wondering, do you know of a mechanic in the area? I don’t want to take the chance of driving too much farther without having it checked out. I’d just hate to be stranded, or worse, get into an accident like that chap.”
Matt looked at the man, trying to place his accent. He didn’t sound Texan, despite the fact he was driving a car with Texas plates.
Then Matt mentally shrugged. Folks had been flocking to Texas from all over the United States and hell, even from parts of Europe, ever since this latest oil boom had begun. The economic recovery was well underway in the Lone Star State.
He turned his attention back to the moment. This man needed directions to the closest mechanic, and Matt was pleased to provide them. “Actually, if you continue on this road for another couple of miles and then take the next left, you’ll see Jessop’s garage about a quarter of a mile down. Gord Jessop is a genius when it comes to finding what’s wrong with a motor, and he’s an honest man.”
“Gord Jessop. He sounds like just the man I need, then. Thank you very much, officer. Have a nice day.”
The driver rolled up his window, and Matt was distracted for a moment as the tow truck, and the pickup with the farmer’s son at the wheel and the farmer in the passenger seat, pulled out, waving their thanks, driving off toward the north. It was only habit that had Matt gazing back at the departing motorist and memorizing the plate number of the black Toyota.
He got back into his cruiser, and made a couple of quick notes for the call log, just to record the stop. Mr. Gentry’s pickup had suffered a mechanical malfunction, making the vehicle careen hard right, off the road and into a fence. The farmer said he’d been driving slowly—the gentleman claimed he rarely went over thirty, and Matt believed him.
Even if this spot was within his jurisdiction, there were no charges to be laid, and likely, the pickup—a twenty-two-year-old farm vehicle that despite its age seemed in pretty good shape—would be repaired and on the road again within the week.
Matt executed a U-turn and headed back toward town. Just coming up to the noon hour, he’d spend an hour or so on paperwork—not just for the minor accident, but updating the alerts and notifications put out by the state boys. And then he’d head on over to Lusty Appetites for lunch with his pretty wife. Adam would take the next driving patrol in another hour or so. In the interim, Colt and Ryder along with Morgan and Peter and his dads were dispersed through the town, on the lookout for any unfamiliar females.
The sheriff of Lusty looked up as Matt stepped into the office.
“Everything good?” Adam asked.
“Appears to be. Anything new?”
Adam chuckled. “Yep. Hurricane Nancy is back in town.”
“No kidding? I bet Aunt Anna was surprised.” Matt knew if his aunt had known her only daughter was coming home from DC, she’d have told everyone in town, twice over. Then he saw the smile on Adam’s face. “What’s so funny?”
“Apparently she showed up at the Lusty Glow Day Spa, just in time to witness a hot, steamy kiss between Clay and Tasha—only she thought the man was kissing her new, not-as-yet-met cousin-in-law, Chloe. She gave them both a blast, apparently.”
Matt laughed and shook his head. “One of these days our cousin is going to conclusion jump her way into a real disaster.”
Adam grinned. “Don’t I know it? As it is, and all things currently happening in our small town considered, it’s a good thing that Rebecca was right there to identify her and that Tasha listened to reason on Sunday and followed through with her promise to not carry a gun to engage Clay’s stalker, because, of course, neither Clay nor Tasha knew Nancy.”
Matt actually felt the blood drain from his face. “Oh, fuck. Hell, that could have been Nancy’s jump too far.”
“I was thinking.”
For the next half hour, Matt worked on his various bits of what they sometimes referred to as “housekeeping.” There was a range of law enforcement journals that the sheriff’s department received online, and they were required reading. While Lusty was a small town with a very minimal crime rate, he was still a duly sworn deputy, an officer of the court, and a professional. He and Adam as well as Jasper Jessop, their cousin and perennial grave-shift devotee, not only kept up on all the latest theories, studies, and technologies. They also kept their training up to date. This meant attending upgrading courses sanctioned by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Once a year, as well, they all had to be recertified in the use of their handguns.
Matt smiled as he thought to himself that the average civilian would be amazed if they understood just exactly how boring the life of most rank and file law enforcement officers truly w
as.
Officer. That dude in the black Toyota called me officer, not sheriff. Matt pushed away the mental non sequitur. He needed to focus.
His stomach growled.
“Go to lunch,” Adam said. “Before the vibrations from the growling in your stomach begin to erode the brickwork of this building.”
“Smart-ass. Hey, we were thinking of having a big cookout at the ranch in a few weeks. Is there anything special you’d like Kelsey to make for you? Anything that you’re particularly missing, lately?”
“Now who’s being the smart-ass?”
Matt just grinned, but waited. The entire town knew that Ginny had put both Adam and Jake on a heart-healthy diet a few months back. She’d been so determined to see to it her two men began to eat healthier, and neither man had the heart—no pun intended, Matt thought—to tell her no.
“To tell you the truth, aside from the occasional pang when I encounter the smell of bacon, I’ve kind of gotten used to this new diet. We do get to have a free Sunday once a month, and that’s when we indulge in big, thick, juicy steaks. But otherwise, it’s not that bad—and, both Jake and I have been feeling better lately than we have in years. We’ve each lost a few pounds, but more—we both feel healthier. And Ginny is very happy about that.”
“I’m both delighted, and sorry to hear that.”
“Do you know, I understand you completely? And I do believe that Ginny has been telling Kelsey about the success she’s had with us, too.”
“Well hell. There may be more salads and less red meat in my future.” Matt sighed, just dramatically enough that Adam would know he was kidding. The truth was that if Kelsey made it, he and Steven would eat it. “I’ll go to lunch in a bit. Steven’s driving in from the ranch with Mandy, and Kelsey’s going to desert the kitchen and join us, so I have to wait until one. Besides, I want to get through the latest BOLOs, first.”
“Suit yourself. I just hope they don’t have to dig us out of here as a result of your delay. Be a shame to dodge death in the line all these years only to be crushed in a building collapse.”
Matt wadded up a piece of paper and threw it at his boss. Adam caught it midair and threw it right back.
Matt downloaded the latest file from the state and scanned through the new alerts issued for Benedict and neighboring counties. There were always a number of cars, guns, and pieces of jewelry stolen and listed. Sometimes there were really interesting things on the list, too—horses, cows, and once in recent memory, a Porta-Potty.
The list today wasn’t that long or even that interesting, consisting this time mostly of cars. Matt knew that most of the vehicles stolen ended up being “chopped” for parts. Some got transported out of state and sold, and still others were stolen, only to be used in crimes.
One car on the list stood out from the rest, and it took Matt a moment to figure out what it was that nagged him about the vehicle. Then he remembered and his heart literally thudded in his chest. He’d memorized one particular make, model, and license plate earlier, and there it was on the list. The car had been stolen earlier that day from a mall in Waco.
“Fuck. We might have a problem.”
“What is it?” Adam’s expression serious, he got to his feet.
“One of the cars on this list. I just saw it.”
“And?”
“And the driver asked me where he could go to have his engine checked.”
“You sent him to Gord?”
“Yeah.” Matt used the landline on his desk and dialed the garage. It rang several times, and then Gord’s answering machine came on. “Gord, it’s Matt. Call me, ASAP.”
Adam held his cell phone to his ear, and after a moment, shook his head. “He’s not answering his cell phone, either.”
“I don’t have a good feeling about this, Adam,” Matt said.
“Neither do I.” Adam reached for his hat. “Come on, let’s go check on him.”
Chapter 19
“I really am sorry about barging in on you and going off like that.”
Tasha looked up at the pretty woman who, now that she’d had a chance to really look at her, held a very strong resemblance to her mother, and Carol’s mother-in-law, Anna Jessop.
Nancy Jessop had been having lunch with her cousin Rebecca at another table, and had suddenly gotten up and come over to them.
She and Clay were nearly finished eating. Tasha had tried to reach Gord when they’d first arrived at Lusty Appetites, but hadn’t been able to get through to him. She’d left him a message on his cell phone, and then focused on the business of enjoying Clay’s company.
Turning her attention back to Nancy, Tasha noted that her face lacked the smooth roundness of her mother’s. She didn’t know if that was a physical difference between the two women, or if it was a question of different life philosophies.
Anna Jessop usually appeared to be worry-free, always smiling. Her daughter looked like she worried far too much.
Tasha smiled. “That’s okay. It was an honest mistake.” She nodded to Clay. “He kind of dwarfs me, so you didn’t see me at all.”
Nancy looked a bit sheepish. “Actually, the way Rebecca introduced me pretty much sums up my character. I do tend to jump to conclusions.”
Clay tilted his head to one side. Tasha saw no judgment in his expression. “I imagine you’ve been right just enough times to make that a hard habit to break.”
Nancy smiled. “Actually, you’re right, I have. Though I don’t really consider it a hard habit to break, because I’ve never really tried to. But every once in a while, when I take that wild leap off the end of a short pier, I consider trying.”
Clay grinned. “For about five minutes?”
Nancy laughed. “Pretty much.”
“When you think of it, this time was not really such a short pier,” Clay said, his grin quick, “Once we realized you weren’t our crazy stalker chick—and the fact that none of us is trigger happy—it was all good.”
“That’s why I wanted to apologize to you both again. Rebecca just filled me in on the situation. No wonder you looked so fierce when you spun around and faced me. From what I can tell, though, the town’s got your back. Hopefully Adam and Matt will figure things out, and that chick will be apprehended soon.”
“We hope so, too,” Tasha said. “How long are you in town for, Nancy? You should make an appointment at the spa before you leave.” Tasha couldn’t name all the emotions she saw cross the young woman’s face in those few seconds before she answered.
“Actually, I’m not leaving. I’ve left DC. I’m home, for good. And I do plan to visit the spa, first chance I get. Well, I’ll let you get back to your lunch. Thanks for accepting my apology.” Nancy nodded, and then headed back to the table she shared with her cousin, Rebecca.
“She seems awfully tense,” Clay said.
“That’s what I thought, too. It’s why I got so scared when she called us out. I could feel all that anxiety and anger coming off her. For just a moment, that energy felt threatening. I also sensed a deep well of unhappiness in her.” That sensation was even stronger, now. Tasha shook her head. Whatever was wrong with Nancy Jessop, she’d bet Lusty would soon fix.
I wouldn’t have had such a whimsical thought even a year ago. But since coming here, knowing these people, and living and working among them, she’d changed.
They were both nearly finished with their lunch, and it was almost time for Tasha to go back to work. But there was one more thing she wanted to say to the man sitting across from her. She thought back again to that moment at the spa when Nancy Jessop had arrived. She turned her attention back to Clay. “You moved so fast. When Nancy burst in on us the way she did, you put yourself in front of me so fast, I swear I didn’t even see you move. Thank you, Clay. Thank you for protecting me.”
Clay met her gaze, and the expression in his eyes was one she’d never seen before. “You don’t have to thank me for that, sweetheart. What kind of a man would I be if I didn’t protect the woman I love?�
�
Tasha blinked. The air around her stilled and her heart thudded heavily in her chest. The words had finally come, longed for and yet at this moment, so unexpected. She held his gaze, and as she watched, his smile bloomed—slow, sweet, and the most beautiful smile she had ever seen.
Did she really hear those words? Or had she heard just what she’d wanted to hear? “What did you just say?”
Clay reached forward and took her hands in his. He stroked the backs of them with his thumbs, and though his expression turned serious, it wasn’t a scary kind of serious.
“I said I love you, Tasha Garwood. I was so sure I wouldn’t be able to love again. More, I was afraid to love again—afraid to lose someone I loved, again. I thought that Gord and I could win you, and it would be all right, because I knew he fell in love with you almost at first sight. I reasoned that it would be enough if he loved you and I simply respected you.
“But I’ve discovered that I do love you, after all. Thinking of you in danger chills me to the bone. The thought of losing you damn near stops my heart. But imagining not having you—that would be a very real tragedy. I love you, Tasha.”
“I love you, too.” Tasha grinned, her heart light and happy. When his grin matched hers, that happiness grew. Gord was right. He said Clay would come around. He believed it even when I didn’t. She wished he was there with them right now. Maybe if she called him, they could meet at his house and celebrate this moment. She opened her mouth to ask Clay what he thought of that idea. Motion on the sidewalk snagged her attention.
A sheriff’s department car had just pulled up to the curb in front of the restaurant with a squeal of brakes. Adam emerged, and even before he came into the restaurant and headed toward them, Tasha knew something was wrong.
Adam sat down at their table, and when Ginny approached, rather than asking her husband if he wanted anything, she stood close to him, concern on her face.
“What’s happened?” Tasha asked.
Adam looked from her to Clay, and then faced her again. “Gord is missing.”
Love Under Two Introverts [The Lusty, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 19
