“That you’re not over him?” Ria opened her mouth to argue her sister’s point, but what could she say? “See what I mean.” Kora sniffed loudly.
“It’s not how you make it seem. I don’t love him any longer.”
“No, he has made you scared to jump back into the saddle again.”
Again, she couldn’t disagree. Instead, she downed her drink. Within minutes, the waitress was at their table asking if they wanted another. Ready to say ‘no’, Kora beat her to the punch. “Yes, bring us both another.”
“You do realize I can’t drive if you get drunk.”
“I’d never put you at risk.” There was a sadness to Kora’s voice that opened a door to the past.
“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean—”
“I know you didn’t. I’m drinking Coke tonight.”
Ria tilted her head. “It’s your birthday and you’re not having a drink, and yet I am?”
“Let’s just say, I’m getting my sister out of the house and that makes me happy. Now about Jamie and Mary Beth…”
“Yeah, who was it who introduced them?” Ria said, tapping the table with a fingernail. As a massage therapist and blind, she kept them cut short. Low maintenance was necessary.
“I introduced them, sure, but I didn’t rent them a motel room. He was a financial analyst and she had some questions about her finances. How was I supposed to know they’d wind up screwing in the bathroom and falling in love? Question is, how does a man with a little penis get all the pretty girls?” Realizing how her words must have stung, she sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re right. About everything. He made a choice and it wasn’t me. Better that he realized he wanted something else before we married.”
“Enough talk about assholes. I know something else I want for my birthday.”
“A tall, sexy cowboy with a voice like Jason Aldean? I’m afraid that’s out of my capability.”
“Trust me, sis. I can manage that without help.” There was laughter in her tone. “I want you to dance tonight. Just one dance.”
The waitress brought their drinks and Ria waited until her footsteps faded. “Are you forgetting that I won’t be asked?”
“You’re blind, not dead. Stop acting like men aren’t interested. You keep shoveling road blocks in their paths.”
“I’m your sister. It’s your job to make me feel better.”
Kora snorted. “Babes, you’re beautiful.”
Not only did Ria consider herself a woman that men didn’t notice, but she’d been blessed with her mother’s genes. Short and lacking in large enough breasts to take a man’s attention off the fact that she couldn’t see. Unlike her sister who had somehow been gifted with a perfect face and perfect figure. The chance of having a man ask Ria to dance was next to impossible. “Fine. If a man asks me to dance, I’ll say yes.” That should mollify Kora enough.
She squealed in delight and Ria laughed. At least one of them should have romantic notions for her love life.
“Don’t look now,” Kora whispered. “There’s a cowboy at six o’clock heading our direction.”
“Are you being funny?”
“I wouldn’t joke when it comes to a cowboy.”
“Ma’am, care to dance?” the deep voice brought Ria’s chin up. Who was he asking? “I’m not dancing tonight.” Kora shuffled.
“Yes, you are.” Ria kicked her sister’s foot under the table, then whispered, “I don’t need a babysitter.” One of them should have some fun tonight. “Go on.”
“Are you sure?” Kora didn’t sound convinced.
“Yes, I’m positive.”
“And don’t forget the promise you made me,” she reminded Ria.
Once she was sitting alone, Ria listened to one slow country song after another, tapping her foot to the beat and almost jumped out of her boots when the rich, husky voice said, “Looks like you could use a dance.”
She lifted her chin, nervously clasping her hands. “Me?”
“Yes, you. Would you like to?” The slight quiver in his tone told her he was humored.
“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Why?” he persisted.
“Did my sister put you up to this?”
She heard a scuffling of boots. Did he leave?
“I’m going to be honest—”
“Because you’re not at other times?” She lifted a brow.
He made a low growl and she swore she heard him prance. “That didn’t come out right. What I’m trying to say is that my buddy made me an offer. If I find someone to dance with, he’ll shut up about my personal life…you know, the lack of one. He just doesn’t get that I’m happy with being single.”
That sounds familiar. “And you decided the blind woman would be desperate enough to say yes? Or the easiest?”
“Wow. This is going downhill fast.”
“Did you expect anything else after you told me I’m the lucky winner of your wager?” Sure, her fangs were showing, but she knew men like this. They thought because she was blind, she would be a good listener. Hell, they were right.
“I didn’t ask you to dance because you’re blind and I definitely didn’t think you seemed desperate. I thought you were the only one who didn’t look like she was trying to pick up a man, and seemed about as awkward in this place as I am. It’s pretty pathetic, I know, for a grown man to agree to a wager.”
What he had going for him was his honesty, but it was also his ruin. Or was this a reverse-psychology come-on? Did she really care? No.
If she sent him away, she’d never hear the end of it from Kora. Was that what Ria wanted? She’d made a promise.
“Sorry I bothered you, ma’am. Have a good evening.”
“Wait, if the offer still stands, I’ll take you up on it. I’m not too fond of sitting here all alone.” Three long seconds ticked by. “If you’ve changed your mind—”
“Not at all. Do I need to help you up?”
She cringed. Ria couldn’t count the number of times people mistook her physical disability as incapability. After the accident and then learning to live without her sight, she’d recovered stronger and more independent than ever. “May I take your arm?”
When he touched her hand, she jerked, not used to the touch of a stranger. Gaining her senses, she stood, reached out, and brushed her fingers over his thick arm. He was warm and had short, crisp hair covering his skin.
“Let me guide you.” He took her hand into his and gently placed it on the crook of his elbow. The tenderness in that simple action made her breath still. His rolled-up sleeve exposed his muscular forearm. She pressed her fingers into the coiled muscle, liking how it tightened under her grasp.
“I think you should know I’m not much of a dancer,” she admitted, thinking it better to let him know before they reached the dance floor and she started stepping on his toes. If he was one of those people who didn’t like scuffed shoes things could get ugly fast.
“Then you won’t mind finding out that I have two left feet,” he said with a chuckle. “I don’t usually do this.”
Without the ability to see his expression, she had to rely on the cues in his voice to tell her what his emotions were. He sounded sincere. “Okay. Then we’ll be rusty together.”
He led her across the room as she counted twenty steps out of both necessity and habit. When they stopped he took her hand again, but this time he held it as he directed her around to face him. His warm, callused fingers were an interesting contrast against her softer ones. Instantly she wondered what he did for a living. Ranching? A worker at the local paper mill? Although expecting he’d have to place his other hand somewhere on her body, when his touch settled at the dip of her waist she gave a little jerk. If that wasn’t enough to scatter her skin with goosebumps, he entwined their fingers, palms touching. The intimacy of the touch intrigued her, weakening her defenses. Being blind meant she had to be aware of everything around her for safety, physical and emotional reasons,
but her trained instincts weren’t warning her that she should be cautious of him. In fact, she felt comfortable—at ease. He kept enough respectable distance between them, but a fascinating warmth developed where her hand rested on his wide shoulder. She could feel the thick muscle under her palm. Her imagination went wild, wondering how tall he was. At least six foot tall from what she could tell. What did he look like? If his voice was any indication of his appearance, he was brawny and masculine. What color was his hair? This, she had no clue. And then she put the reins on her wayward curiosity. This was one dance, and only one.
They eased into the slow song, and although she could hear the low chattering and laughter of other dancers and patrons sitting at the tables, her mind stayed on the man who held her in his amazingly strong hold…and moved smoothly.
“You lied,” she said.
“About?”
“You said you couldn’t dance. I disagree.”
“I’m trying to be on my best behavior.” He laughed. “You never did tell me your name.”
“Did you ask?”
“I guess I didn’t.”
Over the years she’d grown familiar with being vague, not being dishonest exactly, but not giving too much information about herself to strangers. She’d been told enough by her family and friends of the dangers that could ensue. “Maria.” Giving her full name would suffice, although she hadn’t been called anything other than Ria since she was in diapers. It wasn’t as if they’d ever see each other again. She could be anyone she wanted to be.
“You can call me Cade. Everyone does that’s not blood related.”
“You have siblings?”
“Four brothers. One sister.”
“Where do you rank among them?”
“I’m the oldest.”
“Ah, birth order says a lot about a person,” she said.
“Really? What does being the oldest say about me?”
“Well, you’re protective. You work a lot, although your friends and family pressure you to have more fun…maybe date more.”
He chuckled. “You got all that from birth order? Or, did you figure that out because I confessed that my buddy pressured me into this dance?”
“I admit, I did, but the way you took my hand told me you’re protective.”
His hand at her waist shifted a few inches and each of his wide fingers pressed into her skin. The material of her silk shirt was no protection against the heat he stirred in her body. The ambush of sudden tingles confused her, yet enlightened her. She’d never in her entire life been bombarded with such a whirlwind of sensations…by a stranger of all people. Jamie had never caused such a thing in her. Cade must have felt her stiffen because he drew back. “You okay?”
“I’m fine. Do you come here often?” she asked, wanting to detour her thoughts onto something less threatening than her physical needs.
“No. I’m here tonight because my buddy, Tate, owns the place. I haven’t seen you here before. Do you live in Abbie?”
“I grew up here, but moved away for a while.” She’d leave out the gory details of why she came back.
“Most people that leave never come back. They get sucked in by the bright city lights. Gourmet coffee shops on every corner. Business opportunities. How about you? What drew you in?”
“Love, or so I thought it was.”
“Ah, and that. Past tense means you kicked him to the curb?”
“More like he did the kicking,” she said without humiliation.
He gave a gasp of shock. “I didn’t expect that one.”
“Well, neither did I. But he kept it in the family.” He stiffened, and she smiled at his reaction. “My cousin. They’re getting married in fact.”
“Wow. He’s one of those men then.”
“Those men?”
“The type who has a good thing and can’t see it. I’d like to believe karma catches up to people like that.”
Ria wondered if he was teasing her. “Sometimes things happen for a reason. He stuck around a few years after the accident, but I knew the change was difficult for him too. He knew me before and I was different.”
“So, you haven’t always been blind?”
“No. I was in a car accident five years ago. I hit my head and the impact did damage to the optic nerves. I was in a coma for a few weeks and when I woke up, I had vision loss which slowly turned into complete blindness over several years. Eye specialists did everything they could because sometimes the damage can be corrected, but this was the hand that was dealt to me.”
“Is there anything else they can do?”
“I’ve been told the miracles of medicine are ever-changing and who knows what tomorrow will bring, but for my own peace of mind, and sanity, I try not to wish for something that might never happen.”
“I’d expect anger, but you seem accepting.”
“Oh, I wasn’t at first.” She relaxed into his hold, liking the easy conversation as much as his warmth seeping into her bones. It had been a long time since she’d been intimate with a man, and even something as innocent as dancing could stir the need in her. This man smelled exceptionally nice. An intoxicating scent of leather and soap that triggered her mind to imagine what making love would be like.
The instant zing in her chest baffled her. The moisture building between her legs was all new.
A shout followed by the crashing sound of breaking glass to her left made her take a wide step. Cade pulled her protectively toward him, wrapping one arm around her waist, her soft curves meeting his solid lines. Her nipples tightened, and she sucked in a breath, forgetting about the noise—about anything but the man who reminded her that she was all woman.
“The waitress dropped a tray of empty beer bottles. Are you okay?” he whispered next to her ear.
“I’m fine.” And she was more than fine being here with him. Ria liked the feel of his hard muscles, the strong curve of his arms and his breath sweeping across her cheek. She’d been right to believe he was a man with broad shoulders and wide chest. His large belt buckle brushed her stomach and she wanted to touch it, feel the cool metal, but she resisted. She liked how he’d protected her when the bottles had broken. Although she prided herself on being independent, on rare occasion it would be nice to lean on someone—someone outside of her sister who suffocated Ria. Kora reacted out of guilt because she’d been the one driving the night that Ria lost her vision.
“I’m going to lead you a little further to the opposite side of the dance floor,” Cade said. “I don’t want you stepping on any of the broken glass.”
Ria nodded and allowed him to guide her easily to the other side. He could have led her down the plank of a ship and she would have gone with a smile. She was lost in admiring the feel of his body, until she felt a familiar grip on her shoulder.
“Are you taking care of my sister?” Kora asked.
“He doesn’t need to take care of me,” Ria corrected. The last thing she wanted, or needed, was for a man to feel obligated to keep her safe again.
“Fine. I’ll rephrase that, sis. You two having fun?”
“Lots,” Cade answered.
“Hey there, Cade. Haven’t seen you out in a long time.” Another man’s voice said.
“Don’t get used to it.” Cade brushed his cheek against hers at the same time he easily swung her around. “Let’s leave those two. They seem to be having a great time together.”
“You know the man Kora’s dancing with?”
“Yeah. He’s a good guy. Topher James. Known him all my life.”
The song ended and another started. Neither made a move to part. She’d completely forgotten what she was doing because she realized she’d drifted her hand to his bicep and was squeezing. Quickly moving her hand to his shoulder, her inner thighs trembled, and this feeling puzzled her. She took a short step back, returning some of the space between them.
“So, what’s your story, Cade?” His name dripped like honey from her lips. She liked it.
He cle
ared his throat. “I’m a simple man, Maria.”
His thumb drew a figure eight on her back, making it difficult to think or breathe normally. “Come on. I told you mine. Now it’s your turn.”
There was a long hesitation and she believed he wouldn’t tell her, but then he said, “I’ve lived here in Abbie most of my life. I love football, fishing, and coffee, but I don’t think that’s what you’re wanting to know, is it? I have my gory baggage as well. Her name was Katy and we were married for a short time until she decided she wanted more than I could offer. End of story.”
“This explains a lot.”
“It does? Is this the birth order thing again?”
“No. The wager. Your friend trying to get you to forget the past and jump back into the saddle too?”
There was a long hesitation. “Pretty much. He and his wife both.”
“That one dance he pressured you into has turned into two. Have you realized this?”
He exhaled loudly. “Damn, did I really use that word ‘pressured’?”
“Yes, you did.” She laughed.
“Why are you still dancing with me? Are you taking pity on the unfortunate fool who keeps sticking his foot in his mouth?”
“I was thinking you were taking pity on the sad woman who looked very lonely sitting by herself.”
“Darlin’, what I was thinking, or feeling, had nothing to do with pity.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but the end of the song stopped her.
Neither of them made a move to sit down. The next song was another slow tune and she was forever grateful so they could continue to dance. Ria liked talking to him and didn’t look forward to going back to the table just yet. Very seldom did she find someone who engaged her as much as he did.
CHAPTER 2
PHOENIX WATCHED THE woman’s face, not wanting to take advantage of her considering she didn’t know he was staring, but he couldn’t help himself. She was adorable from the way she worked her bottom lip and her delicate, almost flirtatious, laughter, and because she had no clue that he was Sheriff made things even better. He didn’t like being devious, and he wasn’t ashamed of his career, but a lot of women he met only saw the badge and not the man. He’d never had a problem getting a woman and he couldn’t count the number of times he’d had women flirting unabashedly to get out of a ticket or trouble, but he’d found it important to keep the lines drawn between personal and professional. The line was not only there, but as thick as a steel wall. He saw men he’d graduated with in tech school who got caught up in messy situations. Phoenix refused to find himself involved in something out of his control.
Protected by the Lawman Page 2
