Suddenly shamefaced, Lucita nodded. “You’re right. I guess I’ve just been so keyed up and worried that seeing all of this was a shock to my system.”
Juliet glanced across the yard to where her husband sat in a lawn chair holding their ten-month-old son, Jess. Her eyes were soft with love as she spoke. “Matt’s been strung tighter than a violin string this past week. He needs this.” She looked back to Lucita. “And so do you, Luci.”
Releasing a long breath, Lucita did her best to give Juliet a bright smile. Her family had sacrificed so much for her, had lovingly gathered her back into their bosom, once she’d come crawling home with a fatherless son and an empty bank account. She already felt awful for disrupting their lives. The last thing she wanted was to cause more unhappiness.
“You’re right. If everything is ready, let’s give the call to eat!”
An hour later, everyone was stuffed with Juan’s delicious supper. The sun had sunk below the western horizon and a southerly breeze was stirring up the humid air.
Marti and Gracia had talked Matt and Juliet into playing a game of boccie ball, so Lucita had offered to keep watch over little Jess while his parents were occupied. At ten months, the toddler had just discovered the art of walking and would quickly become infuriated if anyone tried to keep him in one spot.
Lucita decided the best way to keep the tot happy was to let him walk around the shaded yard and explore. Across the lawn, she could see her father and Ripp sitting at one end of the porch, seemingly engaged in a casual conversation. Every so often Mingo would let out a chuckle and slap his knee. As for Ripp, he appeared more relaxed than she’d ever seen him since this whole nightmare had started.
Maybe this was the beginning of the end, she thought hopefully. If nothing horrible occurred tonight, then perhaps they could count the whole episode with the extortion note as a cruel hoax just to make their lives miserable.
Jess’s whimpers suddenly pulled Lucita’s mind back to the chore at hand. She glanced down to see her nephew was trying his best to reach for a bright red hibiscus bloom, but his stubby little fingers were at the most, a half foot away.
“Sorry, Jess. You can’t pluck the flower. You’d be eating it in about two seconds.”
The baby must have understood she was saying no. He strained harder to reach the flower as his whimpers became all-out cries.
“Okay, little man, come here,” she crooned to the baby as she stooped to pick him up. “Let’s go find something else to interest you.”
To the left of the guesthouse the lawn merged with that of the big house. It was here that Mingo had built a gazebo for his beloved wife, Elizabeth. Down through the years the wood had weathered to dove-gray and the whole roof and one side of the structure were completely covered with a tangle of jasmine and moonflower vines. Inside the quiet hideaway, low benches lined the hexagon-shaped floor.
Lucita placed Jess on his feet and his hands on the top of the bench for balance. Realizing he had a whole new world to explore, the baby bounced on his knees and cooed with pleasure.
“Looks like he’s happy now.”
Ripp’s voice had Lucita suddenly whirling to see the tall, dark deputy climbing the steps to the gazebo. The sight of him never failed to send pleasure spilling through her and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling as he ducked his head and entered the vine-draped opening.
“Well, for the moment.” Lucita glanced fondly down at the toddler. “Unfortunately, he’s like his father. He wants his way and howls if he doesn’t get it.”
Ripp chuckled. “Oh, well, I expect most men are that way.”
She glanced back up at him and was acutely aware that he was standing only inches from her and that the vine-covered sanctuary secluded them from the curious eyes of her family.
“Uh—I thought you and Daddy were having a visit.”
“We were. But I noticed Junior crying and thought you might need a little help.” He gestured to the bench where Jess was patting the smooth wood with both hands. “Want to sit?”
Glad to comply with his invitation, Lucita sat down a short space over from Jess while Ripp took a seat next to her. Her senses went on instant alert and she had to remind herself to breathe normally, to behave as though he was a friend instead of a tough lawman with sex appeal shouting from his booted feet to the top of his black Stetson.
“So tell me, Deputy McCleod, are you familiar with handling babies?” she asked impishly.
His eyes were unexpectedly provocative as they roamed her face and their touch warmed Lucita’s cheeks with color.
He grinned. “Not really. But I can carry and jostle and usually stop them from crying.”
“That’s a start,” she said. “But at the moment Jess seems to be content. Let’s hope it stays that way for a few minutes.”
Ripp glanced from her to the baby and back again. “You seem very good with him.”
Lucita started to laugh, but the sound that passed her lips was more like a strangled groan. “It’s been a long time since Marti was this age, but I guess a mother doesn’t forget.”
He must have picked up on the wistfulness in her voice because he continued to study her in a way that made Lucita feel as though he was slowly peeling away the layers of her thoughts.
“You—uh—never wanted more children?”
There had been other people who had asked her the very same question, but it had never affected her like this. Long-hidden emotions were suddenly lodged in her throat, making her words a strain to get out.
“I would have liked three or four—even five. But Derek insisted one child was all we needed in our lives. I could never change his mind.” Sighing, she looked away from his probing gaze. “The way that things worked out I suppose it’s best that I didn’t get pregnant again.”
Ripp looked over at Jess, who’d now decided to get down on all fours and crawl his way to the other side of the gazebo. The boy was the image of his father and Ripp couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to see a child stamped with his own features and traits, to know that the child was the result of shared love.
“Sorry I asked, Lucita. I didn’t mean to bring up sad memories. It’s just that you obviously love children—you chose to be a teacher.”
Shrugging, she gave him a wobbly smile. “What about yourself? Would you like to have children someday?”
His gaze pulled away from the baby and back to her. “Me? Well, I don’t know.” Searching awkwardly for the words to answer her question, he stretched his long legs out in front of him and rubbed his palms down the thighs of his jeans. “It’s not something I think about too much. I guess there have been times I’ve imagined how it might be to have a son or daughter. But in the end, it’s hard for me to envision some little soul calling me daddy. You know what I mean?”
He’d hardly gotten the question out when Jess suddenly made a sharp U-turn and scampered straight toward Ripp. The moment he came into contact with his cowboy boots, the baby sat back on his haunches and reached for the dusty soles. Ripp immediately pulled his feet back and stretched out his hand as an aid for Jess to stand.
As the baby gurgled and patted Ripp’s knees, Lucita said gently, “I think you’d make a wonderful father.”
With his eyes fixed on Matt’s son, Ripp said, “I’m thirty-seven, Lucita. It’s getting late for me to be thinking about having a family.”
Lucita frowned. He was young, strong and virile, a man in the very prime of life. Yet he talked as though he was in the sunset of his days.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Ripp. You have plenty of time left. That is, if you want to make the most of it. Or maybe you don’t want to be a—family man.”
Swinging his head toward hers, she was surprised to see a look of true loneliness on his face. “Heck, Lucita, I don’t even have a woman in my life. And even if I did, living with a deputy isn’t easy. Pam couldn’t take it. She eventually found someone else.”
Lucita pursed her lips to a censuring line. Maybe s
he didn’t know Ripp McCleod inside and out, she silently conceded. But she knew enough about him to see that he was a morally upright person, a man that cared about people. He deserved more than a woman cheating behind his back.
“Then that’s her loss.”
His eyes widened with surprise, then with a shake of his head, he sighed. “Thanks for that. But I don’t think you understand, Lucita. I—being a deputy is—well, we just don’t have normal lives. And that’s what most women want. Stability. Security.”
Yes. That’s all she’d ever wanted, Lucita thought. A man who came home to her every night, a love so secure that the vow “till death” stood true.
“All lawmen don’t live as bachelors. There are plenty of women out there who could deal with your job,” she softly suggested. “You just haven’t found the right one yet. That is—if you want to look for her.”
There was a long, pregnant pause during which little Jess moved farther into the V between Ripp’s legs.
But she could see that Ripp’s attention wasn’t on the movements of the curious baby. His gaze was riveted to Lucita’s face and as her eyes locked with his, she felt a jolt all the way down to her toes.
There were questions in his eyes; soft, needy questions that couldn’t be answered entirely with words. Her racing heart screeched almost to a halt as his head slowly dipped toward hers.
“I am looking for her, Lucita,” he murmured. “I’m looking right now.”
Sensing what was coming, she tried to speak his name, warn him in some way that what he was about to do was fruitless, that she wasn’t ready to enter into a relationship. But, except for a tiny gasp of much-needed air, nothing would pass her lips.
Numbly, she realized she could duck her head or jump to her feet and run like a scared rabbit. But those fleeting thoughts didn’t stand a chance against the delicious anticipation zipping through her veins. And instead of resisting, something deep within had her leaning toward him, tilting her head so that her lips were totally available to his.
When his mouth finally made contact with hers Lucita was certain she’d jumped into a whirlwind. All she could hear was the roar of her pounding heart. All she could feel was the hard plunder of his lips as they coaxed and tasted and teased until she finally groaned with surrender and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Somewhere in the back of her mind she could hear her family tossing comments back and forth across the lawn, could sense little Jess moving about their tangled knees, but everything else was quickly fading as she began to sink and drown in a pool of desire.
Chapter Seven
It was Jess’s fussy whimpers that finally entered Lucita’s awareness and reminded her that the kiss had gone on far too long. In fact, it could no longer be called simply a kiss. It was an all-out heated embrace and her face felt scorched as she disengaged her fingers from the back of his neck and eased her mouth away.
“I—uh—” She gulped for air and looked down at Jess, who was tugging at the hem of her shorts and beginning to cry with frustration. Obviously the child was tired of being ignored. “I think Jess needs to find his parents.”
Quickly, before Ripp could make any sort of reply, she rose to her feet. But as she bent to lift the toddler into her arms, he brushed her to one side.
“Let me,” he said huskily. “He’s a hefty little guy.”
Ripp picked up the boy and adjusted the baby’s weight in the crook of one arm. Immediately Jess was pacified and his tiny hand went straight to the shiny badge pinned to the left pocket on Ripp’s shirt.
While the baby amused himself, Ripp turned his gaze to Lucita. Even in the gloaming of the evening he could see she’d been shaken by what had just taken place. Her hands were trembling as she attempted to smooth her tangled hair and the muscles in her throat worked as she swallowed not once, but twice.
“Lucita,” he said softly. “I hope you’re not upset with me.”
That swung her gaze up to his and he watched a somewhat comical frown pucker her forehead. “Upset? Ripp, I—” She stopped, drew in a long breath, then released a strangled laugh. “I wasn’t exactly trying to get away, now was I?”
The fact that she wasn’t trying to be coy or evasive encouraged Ripp and assured him that he’d not mistaken the taste of hunger and longing on her lips. Yet knowing that wasn’t enough to ease the awkwardness of the moment. He felt like a very young man, bowled over by a sudden rush of tender emotions and not doing very well at hiding them.
“Lucita,” he said her name again, this time even softer. “I want you to know that I…didn’t plan for that to happen. But I—I couldn’t stop myself from showing you how I feel.”
Her features took on a strained look as she continued to gaze up at him. “And how do you feel, Ripp?”
How did he feel? In truth, he could hardly contain himself. He wanted to jump up and down and shout with sheer joy. He wanted to pull her back into his arms and kiss her until they were both drunk, to hold her against him and feel the warmth of her body giving life to his. But Jess was wedged between them and with the rest of her family only a few feet away, he could hardly do any of those things.
With a short shake of his head, he said, “I don’t know—I just know that I care about you, Lucita. Maybe more than I should.”
Pressing her lips together, she glanced away from him and wiped a shaky hand over her face. “I care about you, too, Ripp, but I—”
Sensing she was about to go into a laundry list of why they shouldn’t get involved with each other, he reached out and closed a hand over her shoulder.
“Let’s not go into buts, Lucita,” he said gently. “It’s clear that you have a lot on your mind now. And so do I. My main concern is you. And keeping you and your family safe.”
His kiss hadn’t felt like that of a guardian, Lucita thought unsteadily. Oh God, her knees were still threatening to buckle and her lips burned with the imprint of his. She’d been kissed many times before in her life, but not one of them had tilted her world as this one had.
It’s pure chemistry, Lucita. The man is good-looking and drenched with sexuality. It’s natural that he stirred you up.
If it hadn’t been for the soft, gooey feeling in her heart, the arguments in her head could have won the reasoning war. But at the moment that tender spot in her chest was dictating all her thoughts.
“And that’s why you’re here.” She murmured the reminder more to herself than to him, but he obviously heard it. The hand that was curved possessively around her shoulder now slipped upward until his fingertips were brushing temptingly against her cheek.
“You think this is part of my normal duties as a county deputy?”
How could she think? How could she answer anything when his touch was warming spots inside her that she’d believed had long turned to ice?
“No.”
Her one word was enough to curve his lips with a faint smile.
“Good.”
She smiled back at him and as their gazes merged and lingered, she felt her heart leap, her breath catch in her throat. If he kissed her again, she’d be totally lost.
But apparently kissing her had left his mind. Instead, he moved his hand to the middle of her back and urged her toward the opening of the gazebo.
“We’d better get back to the rest of your family,” he told her. “Or they’re going to come looking for us.”
The next day passed in an anticlimactic way for everyone on the Sandbur, especially Lucita. Thankfully, nothing seemed to have happened in lieu of their decision to keep the million dollars out of the mystery bank account. Undercover officers had kept a continual watch in and out of the bank. Hired guards had been posted at the lone front entrance to the Sandbur and Frank, the wrangler, once again took up his vigilant task of driving behind Lucita back and forth to work. Nothing strange or even remotely suspicious had happened and for the first time since her car accident, Lucita began to relax.
Thursday passed and then Friday. By the time Saturday r
olled around even Matt had begun to smile and when he and Juliet asked if Marti could attend the rodeo at Victoria with them and Gracia, she didn’t hesitate to give her son permission to go.
Even though her son hadn’t exhibited any signs of undue stress, she knew a night of relaxation with his cousin would be good for him. And seeing all the horses and excitement at the rodeo would be a perfect tonic.
Later that evening, Marti stood in the doorway of her makeshift office, thoughtfully regarding his mother while Lucita worked on lesson plans.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go, Mom? Uncle Matt says there’ll be some dandy bull riders there. And there’s supposed to be some sort of trick act where a dog rides on the back of a horse.” His mouth twisted with disbelief and he shook his head. “I don’t believe it. Ain’t no horse in Texas gonna let a dog on its back, that’s for sure.”
“There isn’t a horse,” Lucita automatically corrected his grammar. “And Texas is a mighty big state. There might be one horse who likes to carry a dog on its back.”
“Shoot, I won’t believe that until I see it.”
Smiling, Lucita looked up to see that Marti had changed into clean jeans and shirt and had pulled on his best cowboy boots, but had chosen to wear the most crumpled straw hat he owned.
“Marti! Your grandfather just bought you a new hat a few weeks ago. Why aren’t you wearing it?”
He tilted his head from side to side as he considered her question. “Well, Gracia says she’s wearing her old hat ’cause she don’t want to look like some greenhorn dude. Especially if any boys look at her.” He stopped long enough to roll his eyes. “She wants to be cool.”
“What about you?”
He hung his thumbs in the belt loops on the front of his jeans and spread his legs in a stance that resembled an Old West gunfighter. “Well, I don’t want to look like a tenderfoot, either.”
The smile on Lucita’s face deepened to a teasing grin. “Especially if some girls just happened to take a look at you?”
Her Texas Lawman Page 9
