Her violet eyes darkened and she looked away. “That was right nice of you, Sheriff.”
“Please.” He swallowed. “Call me Noah.”
“Noah.” Her voice sounded husky, different somehow.
The air between them felt heavy, making the small hairs on his neck stand at attention. His blood ran through him in a crazy rhythm, as time seemed almost to stop. The only two people in the world stared at each other. She licked her lips and his body jerked as if she’d scalded him.
“What are you doing to me?” she whispered.
“The same thing you’re doing to me.” He stepped toward her and she stepped back.
“I ain’t ready to be your bed partner.” Rosalyn held up her hands to stop him.
“I didn’t, that is, I don’t… Ah hell, I don’t know what I’m doing.” Noah ran a hand through his hair. “I’m a bit lost here.”
“That makes two of us.” She swallowed and glanced at the plate.
“Maybe I should just take the vittles and go.”
Noah wanted to protest, to tell her to stay, but he didn’t. He truly didn’t want her to feel obligated to him, even if his head, heart and body battled over exactly what he did want.
“You do whatever you need to, Rosalyn.” Noah stood still as she wrapped the biscuits in the napkin and started toward the door.
Rosalyn turned and pierced him with her gaze. “One of these days I’m gonna figure out what’s going on, but for now I say thanks. I, uh, might be back later for supper, if’n you want to eat with me again.”
Noah grinned. “I’ll be here waiting for you.”
She nodded and disappeared out the door, taking Noah’s concentration with her.
It was going to be a long afternoon.
———
“You need to get those wooly bastards offa my property. They’re eating all the grass and my cattle are going to starve this summer.” Shep Seeger leaned over the desk and stuck his face into Noah’s. “Do something.”
Noah controlled the urge to lean back. The rancher had a corncob up his ass about his neighbor, and Noah was the recipient of the temper tantrum. Shep had the look of a man who’d been on a horse most of his life—bow-legged, leathery skin and calluses born of hard work. Unfortunately he also had the arrogance of a man used to getting his way. That rubbed Noah so much he had a hard time keeping his temper in check.
“What do you want me to do, Mr. Seeger?” Noah stood, straightening his vest. “I’d like to settle this friendly-like without bloodshed.”
“Ain’t no being friendly with that man Finley. That bastard is trying to use those fucking sheep to drive me off. I won’t have it.” He slammed his meaty fist onto the desk. “You get rid of him or I will.”
“I’m sure we can come to an agreement. Let me talk to Mr. Finley. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding.” He had no idea who the man was or how to find him, but he needed to calm Seeger down.
“Misunderstanding?” Seeger snorted. “I don’t think so. I tried to help that sheepherder when he came into town, but no more. He’s taking food out of my young’un’s mouths now.” The man’s face flushed an even deeper red.
Noah understood the need to protect your children and some of Seeger’s anger made sense. Not all of it though. He had a gut feeling that some of it was for show.
“You said Finley didn’t speak English well, right? Well, that could explain it.” Noah wasn’t fool enough to believe it, but acting like a smiling idiot who did might be the best tactic.
“Sounds like a shovelful of shit to me.” Seeger’s bushy eyebrows formed a single angry line.
“I promise you, Mr. Seeger, I will get to the bottom of the problem and find a resolution for both of you.”
“You do that.” Seeger’s finger felt like a granite stick as he poked Noah in the chest. “Just get him off my land or I swear to God I’ll kill every one of those fucking wooly bastards.”
Seeger walked toward the door, then stopped and turned back. “What are you doing with that girl?”
Noah had hoped the town hadn’t yet noticed Rosalyn or that he had spent time with her. A false hope obviously.
“I’m helping her.” Noah tried to sound nonchalant, not defensive, his first instinct.
“There’s lots more folks in this town who need help from the sheriff other than that ragamuffin. Like ranchers who pay your salary.”
Noah wondered what Seeger meant about paying the sheriff’s salary. Noah knew he had to step lightly or risk alienating a powerful man. The last thing he wanted to do was end an investigation before it even began.
“Every citizen of this town deserves my help, including Miss Benedict. I will be investigating your claims, Mr. Seeger.”
“Damn right you will.” With one last glare, the rancher walked out with his bow-legged gait and spurs jingling in the air. A shadow appeared beside Seeger. Just outside the door stood the two men Noah had chased out of Marina’s saloon. Seeger nodded to them, holding up one finger as if to say he was almost done. It somehow didn’t surprise him that the cattle rancher kept company with two men who had nothing better to do than bother saloon girls. That meant Seeger employed the worst kinds of hired hands, which was not a good sign.
Seemed like his first week on the job wasn’t going to be uneventful. Noah kept reminding himself to be impartial, but Seeger’s threats rankled him. He expected Boyton hadn’t been very good at enforcing the law when he was sheriff. Perhaps he’d even bent it or ignored it when the need arose. Noah hated to make assumptions about people but so far he wasn’t impressed with the men in the town.
While Seeger’s complaint brewed, Noah again tried to sort through the papers the older sheriff had left behind. He didn’t have much luck, and eventually gave up, giving his mind free rein to wander.
An hour later the door to the jail slammed open and another man walked in. He was big with wavy blond hair, bearing a strong resemblance to a Viking, and had a jaw he could cut rocks on. The man’s footsteps echoed like thunder.
“You da sheriff?” Even his voice was deeper than an average man.
“Yes, sir, I am. Do you need help?” Noah reminded himself that as an officer of the law, he was not to be intimidated by every man who walked in.
“My name is Finley. You need to get that ijut Seeger off my land and make him stop killin’ da sheep.”
Oh Lord. Here was the other half of that battle. Why was he not surprised they both put in an appearance? Perhaps they planned on using the sheriff to fight their personal battle. “You’re the sheep rancher?”
“Ya. That’s me. You have something against sheep?” He stepped closer and the floorboards creaked.
“No, sir, I don’t. I’m just trying to gather information.” Noah picked up the pencil and paper from the desk beside him. “Tell me everything that happened.”
After ten minutes his hand cramped from writing, yet Finley kept talking. Noah realized the man was repeating the same information and threw up his hand to stop him.
“Okay, I think I’ve got it, Mr. Finley. I will do my best to make peace between you and Mr. Seeger. For now, just stay on your property and try not to shoot anybody.”
Finley left with as much bluster as his cattle-ranching neighbor. The windows shook when he slammed the door. Noah sat down hard in the chair and stared at his notes. Before he forgot all of it, he added the information that Seeger had given him, which wasn’t enough. His first mistake on the job—not getting all the information. He’d have to ride out to Seeger’s ranch and talk to him again.
———
Rosalyn spent the day doing what she normally did, but her mind kept wandering back to him. To the sheriff. To Noah. For a moment there in the jail, she thought he might kiss her. The thought didn’t bother her, in fact, it sent tingles racing through her.
She wanted to kiss him. Odd, the thought about kissing a man had never occurred to her before. She’d shied away from most folks, especially the male kind, and they left her
alone for the most part. Now she was annoyed with herself for thinking about him all the damn time.
What was it about him? He was handsome for sure with brown hair and eyes, but she’d seen prettier men before. He was big, but she’d seen bigger. He was an average man with nothing special about him.
Yet she knew that wasn’t true. There was something very special about him. He made her forget about everything but him. Well, he didn’t make her do it, but just the very thought of him kissing her made her loco.
Rosalyn was used to doing for herself, making her own decisions and following through with them. That was what she needed to do now.
She had to kiss him.
Noah had been daydreaming about Rosalyn when the door flung open for the third time that day. His heart jumped into a gallop at the sight of the object of his dreams framed in the doorway. She kicked the door closed then, without a word, stormed over to his desk and grabbed hold of his shirt. She yanked him to his feet, and with a frustrated growl threw her arms around him and planted her lips against his. Noah flattened his palms behind him, lest he yank her even closer. As it was, her full breasts pushed against his chest and her pelvis cradled his growing erection as if it had been made to.
She was inexperienced at kissing, but she was a quick learner. Her fierce kisses led to softer ones that made him forget what day it was. After an extra minute of delicious heaven he wouldn’t trade for anything, he finally pushed her away. His breath gusted out and he realized he’d been holding it. She’d turned him into a blubbering idiot.
“Why did you do that?” His voice came out ragged and hoarse.
Her reddened lips matched the pink flags on her cheeks. He didn’t know if it was embarrassment or arousal. Noah figured it was a little of both.
“I just wanted to kiss you, I guess. Just to see what all the fuss was about. Ain’t nobody ever kissed me before.” She put two trembling fingers to her lips. “I guess it was okay.”
Noah trembled too, with desire and confusion. “It was more than okay, but we can’t do that anymore. If you want folks to respect you, then you need to act respectable.”
“Respectable folks don’t kiss?” She snorted.
“They kiss their wives and husbands, not the sheriff.” He smiled through his need to grab her and kiss her until neither one of them could breathe.
“Sounds stupid to me.”
Noah shrugged. “I guess. Now I have a few things to do. Will you stay here and keep sorting the papers?”
Rosalyn folded her arms across her chest. “You running away?”
“A little bit, but I do need to go. I’ll be back by supper and we can eat together, okay?” Eating with Rosalyn had been such a relaxing, natural thing to do, he found himself looking forward to doing it again and again.
“Why can’t I come with you?”
He hadn’t expected that. “Do you know how to ride a horse?”
She fiddled with the small scrap of lace on the cuff of her dress. “No, but I’m a fast learner.”
“Not that fast. If you really want to learn, I’ll teach you, but not today.” He rubbed his thumb on her cheek. “Can I count on you to stay here or will you be gone when I get back?”
Rosalyn scowled, then nodded. “I’ll fix up the papers some more.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her on the forehead, cursing his own impulse, but unable to stop himself. Rosalyn was already in his blood, and he had a feeling it was too late to get her out.
Rosalyn was disappointed it hadn’t gone any further than kissing, at least she thought she was. After the initial few moments kissing him, she realized it wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it was downright amazing. His lips were soft but firm and the man could kiss like an angel.
She’d been telling the truth when she’d told him nobody had kissed her before. They’d done worse things, but never kissing, leastwise not on the mouth. Now she knew what all the fuss was about and she found herself wanting more of it.
Too bad he’d be gone the rest of the afternoon. With a sigh, Rosalyn went to work on the papers. She had no idea how much time had passed when the door opened. Fortunately she’d taken Noah’s advice and was sitting at the desk instead of on the floor. The pretty blue dress was too nice to get all dirty.
Marina, the dark-haired lady from the saloon, walked in. She’d always been kind to Rosalyn, unlike lots of other folks in town. The surprise on the older woman’s face told Rosalyn that the sheriff had not shared the news of his new deputy with Marina.
“Rosalyn. I didn’t expect to find you here and you’re…clean.” Her cheeks colored. “I mean, you look pretty today.”
Rosalyn laughed. “You can say it. I ain’t been clean in a while, but the sheriff paid for a bath down at Clara’s.”
Marina’s eyebrows went up. “Clara let you in?”
“Not quite. The sheriff made sure she let me in.” Rosalyn shrugged.
“He said a deputy needed to be clean.”
“A deputy?” Marina finally closed the door behind her. “What do you mean, a deputy?”
Rosalyn tried not to get angry, but it was hard. “You don’t think I’m good enough?”
“No, that’s not what I said.” She stepped toward the desk, her eyes full of concern. “Mayor Dickinson isn’t going to like a woman deputy, no matter who she is.”
Rosalyn hadn’t considered that before. Most folks paid her no mind, no matter what she was doing, although some kicked her around a bit. It was hard to believe that the mayor, a man she didn’t know, could make a decision about her life.
“Is Dickinson the fat bald man who eats double portions at Elsa’s?” Marina chuckled. “Yep, that’s him. He considers this town to be his personal property, and that includes the people who live here.”
“That’s crazy talk. I don’t belong to no one.” Rosalyn’s heart fluttered at the possibility that someone would make her leave the jail, and Noah. “He can’t make me leave.”
Marina sat on the chair next to the desk, the old wood creaking. “I’m afraid he can, or Noah could lose his job. It’s true that Sheriff Boyton had permission to pick his replacement, but the town pays Noah’s salary. He has to do what the mayor tells him to.”
That was not good news. It made her stomach flip and bile rise up her throat. She’d just found a place where she felt safe and a man she was beginning to trust. Rosalyn didn’t want to leave, a fact that surprised her a bit. She hadn’t depended on anyone for a long time and wasn’t ready to start.
“What should I do?” In this area, Rosalyn was at a loss. She didn’t want Noah to lose his job because of her.
“For starters, I wouldn’t go around telling people you’re a deputy. Are you staying here with him, alone?”
Rosalyn’s guard slammed up again. “Not really. I slept in the cell a couple times but I had the keys. Noah slept upstairs. We ain’t doing no bed sport.”
“I believe you, but others might not. Just be careful.” Marina laid a hand on Rosalyn’s, the heat from her slender fingers contrasting with the icy chill that had taken hold of Rosalyn. “If you ever need help, please know that you can come to me. In fact, you can live at the saloon if you’d like. I have a spare room next to mine.”
It was tempting. Staying with Marina would keep Noah out of trouble with the town and that fat mayor. In the few days she’d known Noah, there hadn’t been one moment they spent together that she didn’t remember.
“Thanks, but I’m going to stay here for now.” Rosalyn refused to lower her gaze or be ashamed of the fact that she chose to stay.
Marina squeezed her hand. “I understand. He’s wonderful, isn’t he? If I were fifteen years younger, I’d probably fall in love with him, too.”
Rosalyn started to protest that she wasn’t in love with him, but the words caught in her throat. He was the first man to be kind to her, to show her respect and treat her as a lady instead of a nuisance. He was wonderful and she wanted to hold onto that wonderful for just a bit longer.
/> ———
Noah was going to ride out to Seeger’s ranch first, but decided to visit Finley instead. Something about Seeger struck Noah as wrong, and he didn’t appreciate the fact that the rancher had threatened him the first time they met. He’d bet everything he had, which was basically what he was riding, that Seeger was the source of the problem, not the sheep-herding Finley. The rivalry between cattlemen and sheepherders had become a big problem in the middle of cattle country where sheep were considered a plague.
The warm spring breeze lifted his spirits, as did the memory of Rosalyn’s kiss. He’d probably remember that for the rest of his life. It wasn’t as if Noah hadn’t been kissed before, or been with a woman. Uncle Trevor had made sure of that. The way Rosalyn approached life, and the absolute honesty in how she dealt with everything struck a chord, as did the haunted look that lurked deep in her violet eyes.
After an hour of mooning over the woman he’d made into a deputy, Noah heard and smelled sheep. He rode up on a rise and found a bowl-shaped valley with a herd of the wooly beasts milling around on the green grass. Three dogs circled the herd, keeping their charges in check with a bark now and then. He didn’t see any people.
A rifle cocked behind him. “You have good reason to be on my land, ya?”
“Mr. Finley, it’s Sheriff Calhoun.” He didn’t want to alarm the man so he didn’t reach for his pistol, which had been his first instinct.
“Sheriff? You come see me, then?”
After a rustling in the trees behind him, Finley rode out on an enormous gray horse that had to be eighteen hands high. The blond giant kept his pistol up and ready.
“Yes, I came to see you because you filed a complaint against Mr. Seeger. I’m here to investigate your problems.” He hoped like hell it would be a simple misunderstanding, but life was never simple.
“Ya, good. You come down and see what happen this week.” Finley released the hammer on the rifle and slipped it back into the holster on the saddle.
Noah rode behind the rancher, scanning the valley for any movement. He’d let his guard down because he’d been obsessing over Rosalyn. Noah knew he couldn’t afford to let that happen anymore. Finley was a simple sheepman, but no doubt there were other, less respectable men out there. Maybe even watching them now.
The Legacy Page 6
