“I can’t believe how happy I am.” She spun in his arms. “I told you. Where’s my kiss?”
He laughed. “Anytime, Kitten.” His face lowered and his mouth captured hers in a scorching, knee-weakening kiss.
Her body sagged in his arms when he came up for air.
“Care if I show you this morning that I meant what I said last night?” One of his eyebrows cocked in a roguish way.
She laughed and glanced at the clock. “I don’t think we have time. Don’t you have a business to run?”
As if on cue Winnie barked and a horn honked.
Zach cupped her butt, pushing her toward the guest room. “Get dressed. I’ll see who it is.”
She turned at the bedroom and watched him walk to the front door in pajama bottoms and bare feet. Her heart did a tumble as she stepped into the room to dress.
*~*
The Tuesday morning visitor had been the woman whose horse they’d doctored. She’d come over to pay the bill and flirt. Kitty still laughed at how round the woman’s eyes had grown when she’d walked out of the house and suggested Zach get dressed. She had a notion the woman had hoped to wrangle a date out of the handsome veterinarian.
If the people of the community didn’t know it by now, they’d know by tonight that she and Zach were a couple. He was taking her to the Sidewinder to dinner and to sing with him. It was hard to believe they had gone from strangers to lovers in a week. She glanced over at him as they headed to a call.
How have I become so lucky?
He caught her watching him. The mischievous grin she’d grown to love flashed.
“A kiss for your thoughts.”
She laughed. “You’re driving.”
“I can pull over.” He cocked his eyebrow and grinned. “You know you can’t resist me, Kitten.”
She loved his nickname for her. He only used it when they were alone, making it all that more intimate.
“This is one time when even a kiss won’t get me to spill my thoughts.” She glanced ahead. “That’s the Gepler place.”
They were on a call to look at a herd of goats. The owner was concerned they all appeared to be losing weight.
He reached across the seat, capturing her hand. “Have I told you lately how happy I am to have you in my life?”
Her cheeks heated from the compliment. “Yes, you tell me every morning when I wake in your arms and every night when we lay down together.” Her heart thudded against her ribs. His openness about his feelings made her feel like a fake. She did love him, but she’d yet to be able to express it verbally like Zach. She showed it when they were wound in one another’s arms in bed.
He turned down the drive and stopped at the barn. A man about Zach’s age greeted them.
“Hi. I’m Adam Gepler. Glad you could come so fast.” He led them into the barn and through the back to a small pen holding a dozen milking goats. “My wife went to visit relatives and left me in charge of her goats.” He shook his head. “They aren’t eating and they’re losing weight.”
Zach conversed with the man a while then had him catch each goat and they took blood and stool samples.
Kitty enjoyed working with Zach. She found being his assistant more challenging and rewarding than cleaning stalls and riding horses. Though she did miss riding.
On the drive back, she noticed Zach was deep in thought.
“A kiss for your thoughts,” she said, studying him.
His lips curved into a smile. “Just thinking about the goats. I’ll run the tests on the samples we collected, but I have a feeling they just miss the wife. Animals are a lot like people. They get used to the people around them and when there is a change in routine, they can get sad, or depressed.”
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Your solemn expression is because you think the goats are sad?”
“That. And it led me to wonder how I’d feel if you left.” He glanced over at her. “Promise me you won’t run no matter what happens.”
She twisted her fingers together. They hadn’t had any problems with Paul the last few days. There was a good chance he’d left the area now that the police were looking for him. She couldn’t see any reason she’d want to run away from the man who’d captured her heart. “I promise. I can’t think of any place that would make me happier than being here with you.”
He grinned, grasped her hand, and pulled her over, kissing her lips.
“Good,” he said when he released her.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Zach couldn’t take his eyes off Kitty. She’d dressed in a pale blue flowing top that accented her breasts and showed off her neck. Her hair was loose, the curls bouncing as she walked. He’d never seen a more beautiful woman and she was his.
He helped her out of the truck and escorted her into the Sidewinder with a hand on her lower back. He wanted to swing her into his arms and kiss her, but he knew better than to make such a bold action in public.
As soon as they were seated, he scanned the bar for Doore. Kitty had been apprehensive about coming, fearing the man might be here. He leaned next to her ear. “He’s not here. Relax and enjoy the evening.”
She smiled. “I intend to. After we eat, want to sing a song or two with me?”
“That was my plan.”
Her smile made his night.
The same waitress as from the week before walked up. Her eyes widened when she recognized Kitty. “What’ll you have?”
“I’ll have a cheeseburger, fries, and a dark beer,” he said, grasping Kitty’s hand.
She squeezed his hand and smiled at the waitress. From the woman’s reaction, Kitty hadn’t been this open before. “I’ll have the same as Zach only make my beer a lite.”
The waitress spun on her heel and headed to the kitchen. Other patrons were watching them.
Kitty started to pull her hand out of his. “Don’t,” he said.
She studied him. “I don’t like to be the center of attention.”
“You aren’t. We are. Haven’t we proved so far we’re a good team?”
“Yes.”
“Then let them gawk and talk. We know what we have.”
The waitress returned with their beers.
As they ate their burgers, he asked Kitty about the people in the bar. She knew quite a bit about each of them for not socializing. They’d just finished off their burgers, when Julie and Barry walked through the door.
He waved them over. “Have a seat. Kitty and I were just deciding what song we wanted to sing.” He didn’t miss his sister’s raised brows or Barry’s narrowed eyes. They could think what they liked. He knew for a fact that he wanted Kitty in his life. She’d need some more time to come to grips with her feelings and when she came out and said she loved him, he’d ask her to marry him. It was as simple as that. He didn’t need his family’s blessing to know what made him happy.
They waited until three people had sung before they walked to the stage hand in hand and picked up the microphones. He knew their voices would be an even better blend now that they were no longer strangers.
The song started. Kitty’s voice soared. He watched her, adding his voice to the chorus. They ended the song standing so close he could feel her heat and stared into one another’s eyes. As the last notes dissolved on the air, he wanted to kiss her. The explosion of clapping and hoots pulled him from the trance he’d been in.
He bowed to the crowd and grasped Kitty’s hand, leading her off the stage.
She stopped before they started to zigzag through the tables. “I need to use the restroom.”
He released her but kept an eye on her all the way to the women’s restroom door. With one eye on the restroom, he wandered to the bar to order two more beers.
*~*
Kitty used the toilet and then stood at the mirror, holding her hair up off her neck and staring at the woman in the mirror. She looked alive and vibrant. Being in love had changed her from a frumpy, closed-down woman to an attractive, smiling one.
The co
nnection she felt with Zach when they sang was almost as strong as when they made love. He’d brought her to life— mind and soul.
She let her hair fall back around her shoulders and exited the restroom. Zach was at the bar talking to Mr. Gepler. She made her way to the table where Julie and Barry sat with their heads together.
“Don’t worry. You said he’s always been one to pick up strays. He’ll get tired of her and move on.” Barry’s voice carried to her.
She stopped and listened close.
“True. He always knows when to let the strays he helps go. He’s helping her get self-confidence then he’ll ease out of the relationship. She’s not as sophisticated as his ex-fiancée.”
Kitty didn’t even glance toward the bar. She had to get out of here and think. She pushed through the door and wound her way through the parking lot.
Stray. That’s how Julie and Barry referred to her. His sister said he always let the strays go.
Tears burned the back of her eyes. How have I been so stupid to think a man like Zach would love me? Her heart shattered thinking how she’d believed every word he’d said.
“Where’s your body guard now?”
She started at the voice.
Paul stepped out from behind a car.
She started to run, but he grabbed her belt, hauling her back against him.
Her scream was cut off by a hand clamping over her mouth.
*~*
Zach strode to the table. Kitty should have been out of the restroom by now. “Have you seen Kitty?” he asked Julie and Barry.
The waitress walked up as he asked. “Seen her head out the door a couple minutes ago.”
He shot out of the bar at a run. He heard a scream cut off and headed in the direction of the sound. Rage tore through him at the site of Doore hauling Kitty toward his pickup. She was squirming and kicking like a wild woman.
The man was so busy trying to handle the woman, he didn’t know a thing until Zach reached around his neck, putting him in a choke hold.
“Drop her now!” he demanded, his heart pounding with fear for Kitty.
The man didn’t let her go, he put his hands around her neck. “I vowed to get even with her for the day she cracked my balls.”
“Let her go!” Zach tightened his hold on the man’s neck. He’d never killed anyone but he was coming close to not caring.
Sirens rang through the evening air.
“Let her go. The police will be here soon.” He tightened his hold, hoping it would make the man loosen his.
Kitty’s body went limp.
“Damn you!” He jerked the man’s head backwards and his body went limp.
Police, Barry, and the occupants of the bar gathered round as Zach shoved his way out from under the man and grabbed Kitty up in his arms. A faint rise of her chest took him from despair to hope.
“Get an ambulance!” he shouted.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Kitty woke up in a white world. She heard voices, footsteps, and beeping.
“I’m here.”
She gazed up into Zach’s concerned eyes. Tears trickled down the sides of her face.
He brushed them away. “I thought I’d lost you.” His voice was husky with emotion.
“Where am I,” she croaked. Her throat felt like she’d swallowed glass.
“The hospital. That damn Doore nearly choked you to death. I tried to stop him, but he—he was an angry man.” He kissed her forehead, and she saw tears glisten in his eyes.
She reached up and cupped the side of his face. “You saved me.”
“I couldn’t let him kill the woman I love.” He leaned in, kissing her.
He loved her. She knew that. Why did it feel freeing to hear him say it?
“Why did you leave the Sidewinder without me?” The sorrow in his eyes took her breath away.
She shook her head. “I don’t remember.”
“Did someone ask you to go outside with them?” He studied her closely.
“No. I came out of the restroom.” She gulped and squeezed her eyes at the pain in her throat.
“Sip this.” He held a straw to her lips.
It hurt to drink, but the cold water and the time it took to swallow gave her a chance to think about the events. She shoved the straw away as her memory grasped the reason.
“I walked…Julie and Barry. They,” she swallowed another sip of the cold water. “Talking…I …another stray…you’d release…gained self-confidence.” She witnessed the concern in the depths of his eyes blaze into anger.
“You aren’t a stray. They had no right talking about you like that.”
She put her fingers on his lips. “Shhh. Didn’t want to sit…them. Wanted…to think.” She’d put herself in harm’s way. “Walked out…bar. Sorry, you…rescue me.”
“Were you running? You’d promised me you wouldn’t run away.” He peered at her as his hand grasped the one that had stopped his words.
“No. Promise…wasn’t running. Thinking.”
His face softened. “I never considered you a stray. Only a challenge. One that I love.”
Tears slipped out of the corners of her eyes. This time they were tears of happiness. “I love you.”
His eyes widened and heated with desire. “I’ve been waiting for you to say those words.” He leaned down, capturing her mouth in a kiss.
“Ahem.”
Zach ignored the sound, finishing the kiss. There was no one who would come between him and Kitty again. When he straightened, he found the doctor and the deputy standing at the foot of the bed.
Kitty’s cheeks brightened to a nice bright red when she spotted the two men.
Holding her hand, he nodded to the men. “When can she get out of here, Doctor?”
“I came to check her over. If everything is stable, she can go home.” The doctor moved to the head of the bed and studied her neck.
The first time Zach saw the bruises, he’d wanted to get his hands on Doore again.
“When the doctor finishes, I have a couple of questions,” the deputy said, drawing Zach’s attention from the marks marring Kitty’s pretty neck.
“For me?” Zach asked. He hadn’t left Kitty’s side since climbing in the ambulance with her.
“Both of you.”
He still held her hand. She gripped his tighter.
“Young lady, you’re going to have a time swallowing and talking for a while, but the damage to your larynx will heal over time. Everything else looks good. I’ll go fill out your release papers.” The doctor left the room, and the deputy took his spot near the head of the bed.
“Miss Baxter, why did you leave the Sidewinder alone?” The deputy didn’t wait to start up a conversation.
“Overheard something…wanted…think.” She sipped the water and winced.
Zach squeezed her hand.
“You knew there was a man after you and you left the premises alone?” His tone said he didn’t believe her.
“She told you why she went outside. We hadn’t seen a thing of the man for days. What she’d overheard upset her. She wasn’t thinking straight.” He wasn’t about to let this man think Kitty willingly went out there knowing she’d meet up with Paul. Her fear of the man was clear.
“I see. And you. Why did you go outside?” The officer turned his suspicious stare on him.
“When the waitress said she saw Kitty leave, I went looking for her.” He told the story as it had happened. “When I saw the man had Kitty by the throat and said she was going to die, I tightened my hold on his neck.” He peered into Kitty’s eyes. “I wasn’t going to let the bastard take her away from me.”
Her cheeks colored at his comment.
“If the man had died, you’d be in custody,” the deputy said, drawing Zach’s attention back to the officer.
“But Kitty would be safe.” That was all that mattered to him. He hadn’t asked about the man’s condition. He didn’t care. And if he had killed the man, he hadn’t wanted to think about it.
/> “When you’re feeling up to it, Miss Baxter, you’ll need to come to the station and give a statement.” The officer turned to him. “You need to come in as soon as possible and give your statement.”
He nodded.
The deputy nodded to Kitty and left the room.
“You…almost…killed him?” Kitty asked, her eyes wide.
“When I saw you slump to the ground, I thought he’d killed you.” He sat on the bed and gathered her into his arms. “I never want to be that scared again.”
“Me either.”
The nurse walked in. “You are free to go. Your clothes are in that cabinet. When you’re ready, ring the desk and I’ll bring a wheelchair.” She exited, closing the door behind her.
“Want me to help you dress?” Zach asked, as Kitty swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
“Please. Still…woozy. Want…home. Winnie?”
He kissed her. “She’s fine. I want you home.” He helped her dress and rang for the nurse.
Forty minutes later they pulled up to the house. His sister’s car sat in the drive.
Winnie ran around from the backyard. She barked a welcome and lunged into the vehicle when he opened the door.
“Hey girl.” Kitty said, as the dog licked her and whined. “I’m fine.”
“Come.” Zach commanded the dog. She leapt out of the truck, and he helped Kitty out.
Julie and Barry walked around the side of the house. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to demand they leave or make them apologize.
“What are you doing here?” he asked, not holding back any of the anger he felt toward the two.
“We’re here to apologize.” Julie stepped forward taking Kitty’s hands. “I’m sorry if you overheard us talking. We didn’t mean anything. We were just trying to figure out how Zach could have fallen so hard so fast.”
Kitty nodded, but he could see she didn’t know what to say.
“For the record, Kitty isn’t a stray. She’s a strong woman who has helped me find myself. And as soon as she’s ready we’re getting married.”
Cowboy Six Pack Page 41
