Lasso That Cowboy

by Lynde Lakes

  Although Amber found handling a rope wasn’t as easy at it looked, she wouldn’t give up. After an hour she managed to get the lasso air bound. She tried to help Alicia, but the rope was too heavy, and the child kept getting herself tangled in it.

  “I must go now,” Roberto said, “but I can come back every day for a short lesson until you get the hang of it.”

  “Great!” Amber said, and then swore him and Alicia to secrecy. “We want to surprise your daddy,” she told Alicia.

  ****

  Luke returned from the auction earlier than he’d expected, and his heart soared when he heard laughter coming from Alicia’s room. Darned if the day hadn’t turned out well after all. He’d made a great deal on the bull, and got home early enough to tuck his daughter into bed. It couldn’t get much better than that.

  The door to Alicia’s bedroom stood ajar, and he tiptoed in. The room was strewn with toys, dolls, and stuffed animals. A puzzle on the table was half completed. Amber and Alicia sat in the rocking chair, Alicia curled up in Amber’s lap holding Raggedy Ann and listening to Little Red Riding Hood. Both of the ladies wore pajamas and light cotton robes. The room smelled of soap and shampoo.

  “What’s this word?” Amber asked, pointing to the page. Her still damp hair fell across her face in loose waves.

  “Wolf!” Alicia said proudly.

  “Right,” Amber said, her voice a little breathless and animated from laughing at some joke they’d shared.

  Luke stepped closer, eager to get in on the fun.

  Alicia looked up. “Daddy!” She slipped from Amber’s lap and raced to him.

  He swung her up in his arms. “Hi, Rosebud, my little brainchild.”

  Luke winked at Amber and held Alicia closer, drinking in her just bathed scent, reveling in her spunky little girl innocence.

  Amber rose from the chair, smiling, and handed Luke the book. “It’s your turn, Daddy. I’ll go make us a bedtime snack.”

  “Make it hot chocolate,” Luke and Alicia said in unison.

  Luke took Amber’s place in the rocking chair, hugging Alicia close. He kissed the top of her head and traded the Little Red Riding Hood book for The Three Bears. After he finished reading the story they both knew by heart, he hummed to Alicia, soothing her, soothing himself.

  Amber returned with a pitcher of chocolate and three mugs on a mesquite wood tray. She looked radiant, happy. Damn. He’d promised Matt he’d talk to her tonight.

  After the three of them shared mugs of chocolate with plump marshmallows floating on the top, he laid Alicia in her picket fence bed and turned on the clown music box.

  Amber put the empty mugs back on the tray. “I’ll say goodnight now.” She blew Alicia a kiss and turned to go.

  “Wait!” Luke’s throat felt dry. “I need to talk to you in private before you race off. It’s important.”

  Apprehension flickered in her eyes. “Er…all right. I’ll wait for you in the kitchen.”

  He swore under his breath; he’d ruined Amber’s happy mood. He didn’t want to do the same thing to Alicia. He sat beside her, tucked the sheet around her pixie face, and kissed her on the nose.

  “Sing to me, Daddy.”

  He brushed a curl of golden hair from her cheek and sang, Where Has My Little Dog Gone in French—the only French he knew. He had learned the song in second grade and had never forgotten the words. Maybe because that year he’d fallen in love for the first time—with his beautiful teacher, Miss Duval.

  When Alicia’s eyelids fluttered closed, he lowered the lights and tiptoed out of the room.

  ****

  Amber had listened outside the bedroom door and had been surprised when she heard Luke singing in deep, resonant French. He certainly didn’t fit the mold of the typical South Texas cowboy—or any mold for that matter. He was a one of a kind man, and seeing him with Alicia played havoc with her emotions. She had been as thrilled as Alicia to see him walk in the door, and she’d had to restrain herself from following Alicia right into his open arms.

  Whatever he wanted to talk to her about sounded serious. Had he found out something about her? Was she about to get fired?

  Amber poured another cup of hot chocolate and plunked down at the kitchen table. She heard Luke’s footsteps coming her way. She clasped the mug so tight her knuckles lost all color. She looked up when he entered the room. It unnerved her how little she could read in his eyes.

  “May I get you another cup of chocolate?”

  ****

  Luke shook his head. The concern in Amber’s voice hummed through him, touching him in tender places he’d thought were dead, making what he had to do even more difficult. He swallowed. “That trucker you rode in with, Elmer, he’s—” Luke’s throat constricted and he tried again. “Something’s happened.” He was botching this, but the look on Amber’s face told him she hadn’t just hitched a ride with the man—she’d connected with him on some level and his death would hurt her.

  Amber stood. “An accident? Is he all right?”

  “He’s dead, Amber. Murdered.”

  Amber’s face went white. She closed her eyes. “No, please.” When she opened her eyes again, they were brimming with tears. Her reaction seemed strong. Luke hadn’t pegged Amber as the emotional type, and he had a hunch Elmer’s death wasn’t the only thing behind her tears. No matter the reason, she was hurting.

  Luke knew it was a mistake, but he drew her into his arms and held her close. She rested her head against his shoulder, dampening his shirt with her tears.

  After a few seconds, Luke lifted Amber’s chin so he could look into her eyes. “Did you know Elmer before you hitched a ride with him?”

  “No,” she murmured, her lip quivering. “He was just this big, sweet teddy bear.”

  Luke stared at Amber’s lips. Before he could stop himself, he was kissing her hungrily. She pushed against his chest. He started to release her, but she quit struggling and her mouth went all soft, responsive and fiery against his. He tried to tell himself he was merely consoling her in her grief, but his pulsating hardness called him a liar. He grappled for a trace of sanity. A pulse throbbed in his temple. Was it just a year ago Connie Lou had filled his arms and his heart? Having Amber here under his roof stirred passions he thought he’d buried for good. Damn, he was supposed to be questioning Amber, not seducing her.

  He held her away. “I’m sorry, Amber. I shouldn’t have done that. But you looked so sad, so sweet.”

  Face flaming, she laughed without humor. “I didn’t exactly discourage you. But we can’t let it happen again.”

  “Right.” He cleared the huskiness from his throat. “Back to Elmer. You were one of the last people to see him alive. Did he mention anyone threatening him—any enemies—any trouble of any kind?”

  Amber looked, sad, dazed, maybe even a little disappointed. “No. He just talked about his family.”

  “What did you tell him about yourself?”

  “Just that I was coming here for a job. He did most of the talking.”

  Luke could believe that. She was an expert at shifting the conversation from herself. “You told him your name?”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why are you asking about me?”

  “Because if others asked him about you, I need to know what he could tell them.”

  She stiffened, and then stared at him with an expression of stunned comprehension. “You think he was murdered because of me?”

  Chapter Five

  Amber raced to her bedroom with Luke following on her heels. She grabbed her suitcase from the top of the closet and slammed it down on the bed.

  Luke’s voice, hard and demanding, penetrated the shroud of fear that had formed in her brain. “What are you doing?” His enormous shadow dwarfed her.

  “What does it look like?” Breathing heavily, she yanked clothing from drawers with trembling hands and stuffed them into the open suitcase.

  Luke grabbed her by the arms and turned her to face him. Heat swept through her at his
touch. She got a whiff of leather and sweat, and the pleasant, strictly male odor deepened her awareness of him and the danger to her heart.

  “Talk to me, Amber. What kind of trouble are you in?”

  “I don’t know,” she said. She squeezed her eyes shut to force back tears of frustration begging for release. What would make an innocent woman run? Fear of my own guilt? Or did I see the killer and instinctively fear I might be next? Fighting the shadows lurking in her mind, and her heightened sensitivity to Luke’s presence, she tried to twist free, but he was too strong. She lifted her chin. “You’re the one who apparently has inside details on this. You say Elmer was murdered and someone tortured him—” She gave a quick shake of her head to force away the unbearable image before finishing her sentence. “—maybe to get information about me.”

  “Your trigger reaction to run proves you’re holding out.”

  “What are you, some kind of cowboy shrink? I told you I don’t know anything about this, but I’m not waiting around for a mysterious killer to show up.”

  Luke’s gaze bore into hers. “Why would a killer be after you?”

  “Are you deaf? For the third time—I don’t know!”

  Luke drew her closer, and that damnable erotic male scent rose between them and enveloped her. “I won’t let you go,” he said. “You need protection.”

  “You can’t keep me here.” Or could he?

  “I have to try.” He plunked down on the bed and drew her down beside him in an unrelenting hold, his arm around her shoulder, his hip pressed against hers, his heat firing her heat. “I’ll get the sheriff to lock you up if I have to.”

  Frustration tightened in her chest. Oh God, not the cops. If they learn she was a suspect in a murder, they’d throw away the key. “On what charge?”

  “Self-endangerment, for starters.”

  Their determination to out-stare each other only made her more aware of the physical attraction sizzling between them, ready to explode into flames. She’d only known him days, and already their lives were linked by something so powerful it frightened her. She wanted to stay in his arms, and it terrified her that her need rose from emotions beyond fear and desire. “Why are you doing this?” Her heart skipped erratically.

  “Because you’re too bullheaded to face that you need help.”

  “My independence has gotten me this far.”

  “It’s landed you on a killer’s hit list. Can’t you see it? You’re safer here at the ranch with me than running helter-skelter with no plan.”

  Maybe he was right. Her mind churned in a whirl of confusion, and she needed help, but once she admitted her amnesia and told her story, there would be no going back. “Why are you looking at me like that?” It was the same look he’d had just before he’d kissed her. Luke’s silence seemed to last forever. Her heart pounded. “I can’t let myself rely on you,” she said.

  His eyes, the color of rich earth, softened. “You can. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

  Right or wrong, it was clear Luke believed he could protect her. The sincerity in his tone confirmed it. She closed her eyes.

  Taking her vulnerability as an invitation, his mouth closed over hers so lightly, so tenderly, she thought for a moment she was imagining it. The kiss was warm, comforting, and brought a glimmer of hope to her heart. Dear God, she desperately wanted to trust Luke. Was it fate that had sent her running straight into his arms?

  When he ended the kiss, she said, “We weren’t going to do that again.”

  “Things have changed.”

  She took a shaky breath. “What things?”

  “Don’t try to distract me, Amber. Level with me.” His voice was low, hypnotic. He brushed a wisp of hair back from her face. “Please.”

  She felt her resolve shredding. “Will you keep it to yourself—no matter how bad it is?”

  “What did you do, kill someone?” His tone was light, obviously unaware how close his statement could be to the truth.

  “Just promise.” She hated the waver in her voice, hated the way his expression immediately darkened.

  “Anything,” he said. “Just get on with it.”

  She related what little she knew, watching his hard-etched face for signs of disapproval. He got up and paced the room like a caged cougar. She could almost see his brain cells sparking. He had asked her the same questions she’d been asking herself.

  Once she had convinced him she wasn’t holding anything back, he sat down beside her again. He took her soft hands in his callused grip. “Okay,” he said, “we’ll take this one step at a time. We need to find out who you are, and who the dead guy was, to figure this out.”

  “No hesitation? Why are you so willing to believe me? To help me?”

  “Let’s just say I know what it’s like to have the odds stacked against you.”

  His willingness to accept her story had to be more complicated than that, but she decided not to press it.

  He grinned. “Besides, nannies are hard to come by out here in the boondocks.”

  She wanted to reward his attempt at humor with a smile, but her heart wasn’t in it.

  He cleared his throat. “Back to your problem. First, you should see a doctor.”

  Things had gotten completely out of hand. She’d crossed the line and kissed her employer—twice—then foolishly confided in him. “No. No doctors!” She was afraid of the physician’s questions—afraid the doctor might call the police.

  “I know just the guy to help us,” he said, ignoring her protest. “I have a hunch what we’re dealing with here. Molly went through something like this a while back.”

  Amber felt like screaming. It was comforting that Luke wanted to protect her, and it would be so easy to let him take over, but something deep within didn’t want to be bridled. “You’re not listening.”

  “I heard you, loud and clear.” He put his arm around her waist and gave her a squeeze. “I understand your hesitation. But this will be perfect. The doc is in Mexico, far from here. He can examine you and make a diagnosis. Maybe even give you medication to help you remember.”

  Her heartbeat quickened. It was starting to sound good. She would give anything to get her memory back.

  “The trip will get you out of harm’s way. After we see the doctor, we can go straight to the charity rodeo at Buck’s place. From there, we’ll hit the rodeo circuit and stay on the move. In the meantime, I’ll find out about you and the murdered guy.”

  If only he could. She clenched her hands. “How?”

  “My brother has an in with the FBI.”

  Her heart sank. “I thought so! He has cop eyes.” She could hear the prison doors clanking shut. “No. No. This is just between us. Until I remember what happened, you mustn’t tell anyone. Damn it, Luke, you promised.”

  “But Matt could find out everything we need to know.”

  “No!”

  “Why are you so damned stubborn? You’re making this harder than it has to be.”

  “You trust Matt. I don’t.”

  Luke swore under his breath. “Okay. We’ll try another course. Matt’s working on Elmer’s murder on his own and could turn up something that’ll help us. I’ll get him to keep me informed.”

  The worry that Matt might learn things before she did sent knots to her stomach. She should run. But she’d have to get past Luke. She considered his broad shoulders, his strength, and more dangerous, the bond she felt with him. She had to face it. Now that Luke knew everything, they were locked in this mess together. “If I go along with this doctor idea, when would we leave?”

  Luke glanced at his watch. “It’s too late to do anything tonight. I’ll set things in motion in the morning.”

  “Meaning?”

  “I’ll make an appointment with the doctor, get the Cessna ready. Groundwork like that.”

  She hesitated. She still wasn’t sure about this, but if there really was a medicine to unlock her memories… “What can I do to help?”

  “Pack a suitc
ase for Alicia, then relax.”

  “Sure. If I can forget a killer’s after me.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll stake out a couple of vaqueros to watch the house.”

  “To protect me, or stop me from leaving?”

  He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. “Both,” he said, then rose and left her sitting on the edge of the bed, praying she hadn’t added another mistake to her list of blunders.

  ****

  Amber heard Luke leave the house before sun up. She’d planned to make breakfast for him so they could talk again, but after tossing and turning most of the night, worrying whether confiding in him had been a mistake, she’d failed to hear the alarm.

  She made breakfast for herself and Alicia, then together they packed two bags for the child. She put them by the front door next to hers. “We’re going on an adventure,” she told Alicia in answer to her question.

  At the knock on the door, Amber stepped outside to greet Roberto, Alicia following her.

  “Ready for your lasso lessons, señoritas?” He handed Alicia a shortened rope, then set up a stand with a foot-high, sawed-off pitchfork handle protruding from the center.

  Amber gestured to the rope and stand. “You made these?”

  He lowered his gaze and dug the toe of his dusty boot into the dirt. “Si. Alicia’ll learn faster with gear that’s small and easier for her to handle.”

  Amber smiled. Roberto was a good kid after all.

  “Watch me, Amber,” Alicia called in her sweet, little girl voice. With tiny arms, she circled her child sized rope until it whirred lopsidedly over her head. She threw it outward and yelled in delight when the loop closed over her special stake.

  Amber hugged Alicia. “Good roping, Rosebud.”

  Alicia beamed. “Now you do it.”

  Sure, Amber thought. Piece of cake. Too bad she didn’t have child-sized props. She groaned when her try failed.

  Alicia giggled.

  “You don’t have to look so darned pleased at my goof, Rosebud,” she teased, then yanked the rope back and got in position to try again.