The Green-Eyed Doll

by Jerrie Alexander

  Quitting the Saddleback sounded better and better. JC always escorted her out and made sure she drove away safely, but what if her car broke down on the way home? That was a real possibility. Catherine mentally counted her savings. Can’t give up this job. Not and put her old heap in the shop. Besides, she made more on the weekends in tips than Susan paid her for three days.

  “You get any last minute orders?” JC removed the empties from her tray and tossed the cans into the recycle bin.

  “A few.” Catherine passed her list over to him and rested one hip on a stool for a minute. She checked the banjo shaped Miller Lite clock on the wall. In twenty minutes, she’d start clearing tables. If she worked hard, she’d get off her feet for the night in less than an hour.

  The band kicked off a waltz, another indication the night was winding down. Marty insisted they play a few slow love songs at the end of the night. She theorized it helped gear down the crowd and made chasing them out easier. Did Matt dance? Stop. He popped into her head at the strangest times. Maybe watching the couples sensuously moving in sync with the music reminded her of being in his arms. The rhythm and words made her wish she were.

  “Earth to Catherine.” JC tapped her on the arm. “Better deliver these and collect your money. It’s getting late.”

  “Sorry. I’ll be right back. Maybe we can get out of here early.” When she reached for the tray, JC put his hand on hers.

  “Want to run into Curry with me after we close? The Righter Truck Stop serves breakfast all night.”

  “God, no. My feet are killing me. Thanks anyway. I’m going straight home.” Catherine had delivered her second order when a thought hit her. JC hadn’t mentioned asking Marty or anyone else to go eat. Had he meant the two of them? Alone? He hadn’t asked her for a date. Had he? No way. They were friends. He knew that.

  She’d finished her last drink delivery and had restocked one beer box when the house lights came up. Marty walked out on the stage to thank the crowd and the band for a successful evening. She did her usual Dolly Parton impression and loudly announced, “Ya’ll come back now. Ya hear?”

  Catherine started the process of loading her tray with glasses and empty cans, all the while doing her best to ignore the drunks and their comments. Most were jokes. A couple of the guys offered to take her home for a night of good loving. She smiled, shook her head no, and said goodnight.

  “Let’s go home.” Marty finally declared the place clean and flipped the master switch sending the colorful beer signs behind the bar into darkness. A lone nightlight lit the path to the door. “Good Lord, three-thirty in the morning and it’s hotter than hell,” she complained as they walked outside. JC’s big red pickup with its oversized tires roared to life first, but as always, he waited. He’d be the last to drive out of the parking lot.

  Catherine waved, blinked at the heat inside her car, and hit the gas pedal. She rolled down the driver’s side window and let the wind blow.

  The driveway was fully illuminated when Catherine got home. Emma never ceased to amaze her, and Catherine loved her more every day. After hearing about the stalker, Emma paid an electrician to string a row of overhead lights from the back of the main house all the way to the front porch of Catherine’s place.

  Purse over her shoulder, keys in one hand and mace in the other, she wasted no time getting inside. As always, she checked the windows and doors. After she’d performed her safety check, she felt safe enough to relax a little.

  Boots off and resting on the bed, she smiled when her cell phone played “Love Me Tender,” an old Elvis tune. She’d programmed the special ring tone for Matt.

  “Why are you up this late?” she asked in lieu of her usual ‘hey.’

  “For some reason, I woke and noticed it was four o’clock. I gambled you might be home and still awake.” His sleepy, raspy voice rumbled through the night, sexy and inviting.

  “I’m inside, safe and sound. Thanks for worrying about me.” With all he had going on, he’d thought about her. Hard to keep a guy like him from staking a claim on your heart.

  “I wouldn’t worry if you were here with me.”

  “Stop tempting me. You have enough on your mind. I can’t imagine how trying today must’ve been.” Catherine punched speaker and set her phone on the bed. She grabbed her robe and stripped off her blouse. The zipper on her jeans was half down when Matt groaned. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “You’re undressing, aren’t you?”

  “How’d you know?”

  “I’m a cop. I heard the rustle of clothes. Now I’ll never get back to sleep.”

  “Well, since you’re awake.”

  “I am that.” His voice, soft and low, whispered.

  “Do you have any experience at phone sex?” Shivers shot through her. Her face heated. God, she’d embarrassed herself. She’d become a sex-craved monster.

  “None. But I’m a fast learner.”

  “I’m sorry. Selfish and thoughtless. I should take a shower and get to bed. And I’m babbling.” She inhaled deeply then pushed the air out in a rush. She’d lost her mind. Completely. “You’ve got to be up in a couple of hours.”

  He was silent. Had he dozed off? She looked at her cell to check the connection. He hadn’t hung up. “Matt? Say something.”

  “Be there in twenty.” The line went dead.

  “Yes!” She pushed End, grabbed her robe, and raced for the shower.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Saturday, August 26th, 7:30 a.m.

  “I have to get going.”

  Matt’s sleepy voice barely penetrated the recesses of her mind as she drifted on the edge of slumber. Catherine registered her protest with a groan and reached for his warm body in an effort to keep him close. He brushed her tangled hair off her neck and kissed her softly. She turned over when his weight left the mattress. The plan was to watch him dress, but instead her heart clenched at the sight of the angry scar on his back. She’d wanted to ask him about what had to be a bullet wound but always chickened out. He’d never mentioned being shot. Maybe it was something he couldn’t talk about.

  He glanced over his shoulder, his blue eyes darkened with desire and sent all reasonable thought skittering under the covers.

  “You’re looking at me like I’m a smorgasbord and you’re starving. Stop licking your lips and go back to sleep,” Matt said, reaching for his clothes. “Before I forget I have to go to work.”

  God, his broad shoulders and narrow hips caused a hungry sensation to spread south. Was she totally insatiable? She pushed herself upright, causing the sheet to fall, uncovering her breasts. Odd, she felt no shame or embarrassment around him. “I’ll fix breakfast. You can take time to eat.”

  His face turned all sexy and soft as his gaze raked across her, blistering her skin with lust. “Get some rest. You’ve slept about thirty minutes.”

  “You didn’t exactly nap. The least I can do is fix you some coffee.” She slid into her robe and tied it on the way to the bathroom.

  “Next.” Matt was dressed except for his bare feet and waiting when she emerged.

  “I left a new toothbrush on the counter for you.”

  “Did you? Were you planning ahead?”

  “No.” She rolled her eyes and lied blatantly. “They were buy one get one free.”

  “Thanks. I didn’t think to bring one. I left the house in a bit of a hurry.” He kissed her on the forehead and closed the door behind him.

  A few minutes later he stepped into the kitchen and sniffed the air. “Man. That smells good.”

  “I opened a fresh can of coffee. If you promise to return Emma’s cup, you can take it with you.”

  “Don’t expect me to turn down an excuse to come back.” He sat at the table and slid on his socks and boots. “If you’re out and about early enough, call me. I’ll bring Ash and make him buy lunch before you go to work.”

  “I’d like that. You heard we had two fights at the bar last night?”

  “Yeah. Ash and I wer
e still in the office when the calls came in.”

  “Everybody’s jumping at the silliest things. A look or the wrong word and all hell breaks loose.”

  “I’m afraid it’ll only get worse.”

  “Not to be nosey, but do you have any clues? You know...leads?” She turned and leaned back against the counter.

  Sitting in the chair, wearing a black Go Rodeo T-shirt, jeans, and alligator boots, the last thing Matt looked like was a sheriff. Bull rider? You bet. Maybe a cattle rancher. But the one question about the murders changed his demeanor and posture. The shift from sexy, adorable hunk to serious, defender of the public was instantaneous. Catherine was back to licking her lips.

  “I wish I could say yes. Truth is every female in the county is in danger. Married or single, it doesn’t seem to matter. I believe both women knew this man. Maybe not friends, but they recognized him. He could be the mailman, the guy at the gas station, anybody.”

  “Even JC?” He’d befriended her, and she hoped Matt’s answer was no.

  “Maybe.” He dragged his hand across the dark stubble on his face. “He had a relationship with Julia Drummond, and he knew Annie.”

  “You’ll catch him. I know it.” Her gut coiled at the thought Matt had been injured. Should she ask about the scar? They’d discussed a few personal issues, but the last thing she wanted was to push him. “Can I ask something that’s none of my business?”

  “Sure. Coffee’s not ready.”

  “The scar on your back. What happened?” He shifted his gaze away from her, and his back stiffened. She regretted giving into curiosity. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  He turned his head slightly and relaxed his shoulders. “No. It’s all right.”

  “It must’ve been bad.” A chill skated over her arms.

  “There’s no reason you shouldn’t know. Bullet barely missed the aorta. My partner was recognized, blowing our cover. We’d been working on a drug delivery coming in through the port in Houston. Some bastard she’d arrested years earlier got out of jail, and we didn’t know he’d rejoined the cartel. They beat us both pretty bad, but Elena...being a woman.” He stopped talking, rubbed his temple for a minute before continuing. “They raped her while forcing me to watch.” His eyes filled with agony coated heavily with hate. “When they finished they shot both of us. Dumped us in amongst some trash and rocks. I lived. She didn’t.”

  “Matt. I’m sorry.” She extended her hand. He wrapped his fingers around hers. They sat in silence, the only sound was the laboring sputter of her Mr. Coffee machine. She wanted to say something, to offer comfort. He was tied in knots over the murders and her stalker. Catherine felt inadequate when it came to finding words to sooth him. Pulling away from him to get the coffee was hard to do.

  “Coffee’s ready.” Before she finished pouring, he stood directly behind her.

  “I haven’t told that story to many people.”

  He brushed her hair aside and kissed the side of her neck. She turned into his arms to give him better access.

  “Thank you for telling me.”

  He moved her away from the hot coffeepot. Then as if she weighed nothing, he lifted her onto the countertop. “I worry about you here alone.”

  “Is that why you came over last night? To check on me?” She spoke into his lips pressing against hers. If this was his way of changing the subject, she was fine with it.

  He pulled the tie on her robe loose and pushed it off her shoulders. “No. I came to check on this.” He kissed his way down to one breast and tugged the tip into his mouth. “And on this one.” He moved to the other side and circled her rigid nipple with his tongue.

  “Take me back to bed and do that again.” Catherine slid to the edge, but Matt’s warm hands on her bare waist held her in position. He stepped closer and pressed his body between her legs.

  “Uh-huh. I like you right here.” He dropped down to his knees, lifted her legs, and then slipped her thighs over his shoulders. With a devilish smile, he ducked down and stroked his tongue across the soft skin between her legs.

  “Good. God,” she gasped. Her body involuntarily bucked toward his face. Exquisite sensations rocketed through her blood. Heat exploded from his mouth and shot straight to the top of her head. All rationale left. Slide after slide. Soft. Hard. Invading. He couldn’t stop. Not with her this close to heaven. She’d die if he did. A blast of fire built and built until she thought her skin would melt off the bone.

  He moved a millimeter back and murmured, “Cat. You taste like honey.” His warm breath blew across her hypersensitive flesh.

  She wrapped her fingers in his midnight black hair and pulled his mouth back to her burning flesh. He laughed or she thought he did. Whatever he did, the vibration detonated a reaction she’d never felt. Her entire body convulsed, shuddered as if she were having a seizure. If not for Matt’s strong hands, she’d have fallen from her perch. Heaving, panting, her body a piece of Silly Putty, she settled back to earth. Oh. God. Had she really pulled his hair? Suddenly, she wished for a place to hide. Finding none, she had no recourse. She laughed a nervous, silly sound.

  Matt kissed his way up to her face then gently helped her back into her robe. His strong hands clasped her at the waist and set her feet on the floor. When her knees failed to support her weight, he lifted her onto a chair.

  “Hmm.” She intended to say thanks but that word didn’t come out.

  “My pleasure,” he said.

  Maybe she had said thanks, or maybe he hadn’t noticed her acting like a woman whose house had been on fire.

  “Coffee?” He calmly poured two cups and placed one in front of her. Holding the other, he sat across the table and smiled. “You should rest a few hours before heading to work tonight.”

  “Hmm.” That was it? She could produce only one single word. Her brain started working again, and she tried to remember another time in her life when she’d been that overwhelmed. She sipped her coffee and watched the most amazing man in the world do the same. Yep. Taking him off the Never list ranked right up there with the invention of electricity. It was world changing.

  “I wish I didn’t have to go. Ash and I are talking with some of the shop owners this morning. Yesterday nobody remembered seeing anything, but sometimes a day later, things come back.” He refilled his cup and knelt down in front of her. “Take care of my girl. Watch her back. Okay?”

  “Yeah. Okay.” She found her legs and followed him to the door. “Sorry, I went off the deep end.”

  “I’d have been disappointed if you hadn’t.” He pulled her into his arms, kissed her hard and hot, and then strolled away. He got into his black truck, snapped the seat belt over his black shirt, pushed a lock of gleaming black hair off his forehead, and backed out of the driveway.

  Catherine clutched her robe to her chest and watched until he drove out of sight. “God, I love the color black.”

  ****

  Saturday, August 26th, 10:00 a.m.

  What a way to start the day. More than Matt’s thumb and fingers still tingled. He’d left Catherine speechless, run home for a shower, grabbed a bag of donuts from the bakery and was about to disturb his best friend. Matt pounded on Ash’s apartment door while wondering if the smile on his face was permanent.

  “It’s about time.” Ash answered the door fully dressed, ready to leave. “I thought you wanted to get an early start.”

  “We still can. Relax.” Matt pushed past, shoving the sack in Ash’s arms. “Eat first. And I need more caffeine.” He understood Ash’s sense of urgency. They were all going nuts trying to figure out where the killer would strike next.

  “Thanks to Sue, I don’t have to worry about a lack of sweets.”

  “Why?” Matt called out from the kitchen. “She’s not giving you my apple pie. Is she?”

  “Not yet. But thanks for telling me. Her friend Dotty lives in the unit across from me. She brought me cupcakes at eight this morning.”

  “That’s nice.” Matt strol
led back to the small living room and looked around. Sue and a friend had provided a small brown leather couch, one end table, and a maroon recliner. A small TV sat in one corner. It was better than nothing. Overall, not bad for temporary housing. Matt stretched out in the easy chair.

  “Yes, I’ll have another cup, thanks,” Ash muttered on his way to the small coffee pot. When he returned, he sat across from Matt and studied him in silence for a minute. “What gives?”

  “With what?”

  “Don’t start that shit. You’re never this flip or casual. Remember me? You’re always wound tight as a gnat’s ass. It’s always gotta go, balls-to-the-wall with you.” He strummed his fingers on his knee. “You didn’t go home last night. You dog. Tell me.”

  “Where do your stupid ideas come from? Eat or do without.” Matt’s stomach growled. Damn, he was ravenous. Cupcakes, donuts, it didn’t matter. His system demanded food, like his body demanded Catherine. He’d had his share of women, before and after his marriage. None had dominated his thoughts and emotions the way Catherine did.

  “This woman’s turned you into a blithering idiot, and I still haven’t met her.” Ash snapped his fingers. “You ran a background check. Didn’t you?”

  “Hell no.” He hated that Ash could read him so well. “I got as far as entering her name. Sat there for five minutes watching the cursor blink. Couldn’t do it.”

  “Awww. An honorable man.” Ash’s mouth curved into a smirk. “Glad you took my advice.”

  Matt tossed back the last of his coffee. “Screw you. You can be a smartass on the way to the park. I can’t sit around waiting on you all day.” Matt crumpled the empty sack, tossing the bag in the trash as he headed for the door.

  “Want to let the top down and go in your car?”

  Ash looked at him as if he’d dropped in from outer space. “In this heat? In this dust? She’s a high-class, high-dollar automobile. Your pickup is used to it.”

  Matt pulled out of Ash’s apartment complex thinking the tenants were lucky to have covered parking and flashed back on Catherine whose car sat in the sun. The temperature on the bank across the street read ninety-nine degrees, and it was still before noon. The occasional lawn where the owner watered daily was a visual shock in comparison with the dead and dried grass that surrounded them. Yesterday, the fire department had issued a burn ban and restricted watering. Soon, nothing would be green. Matt was beginning to wonder if they’d ever see a break in the weather.