TALL, DARK AND TEXAN

by Jane Sullivan

  "Yeah," he said. "I know. The guy's got enough illegal-weapons charges against him to keep him in jail forever."

  "Assuming he eventually ends up back in jail."

  "Don't worry. I'll get him."

  Just then Wendy poked her head out the door of the storeroom and gave Wolfe a big smile. "Wolfe! I thought I heard your voice. I've got a big box of printer paper in here I need to have moved. Would you mind?"

  He got up and went into the storeroom. But the minute he came through the door, Wendy stepped from where she stood along the wall beside the door, grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him all the way inside the room. She backed against the copy machine and boosted herself up, grabbed his shirt again and hauled him between her knees. Wolfe caught the door with the heel of his boot and kicked it shut a second before Wendy's lips landed on his in a blistering kiss. At the same time, she circled her legs around him and pulled him right up against her with a little shimmy that woke up nerve endings he didn't even know he had.

  When they finally came up for air, he gave her a look of sheer amazement. "You really are nuts. You know that?"

  "Yeah. I know. Ever had sex on a copy machine?"

  "Ramona would have us arrested. Capital offense."

  "Okay. Then we'll just make out. I think that's only a misdemeanor."

  God, he was crazy about this woman. Crazy about the way she talked to him, touched him, made love with him. She made him feel alive in a way he never had before. And when he started to think that maybe the copy machine looked pretty good after all, he knew he was going right off the deep end with her, and he didn't even mind taking the leap. At the very least, he decided he'd be the one to ambush her when she got home tonight and drag her straight to bed.

  Suddenly the door swung open. Wendy jumped with surprise, dropping her legs from around his hips. Wolfe looked over to see Ramona standing there, her hand on the doorknob and her mouth twisted with disgust.

  "Funny," she said. "I thought moving paper involved … paper."

  "Ramona?" Wolfe said, turning back to Wendy and smiling furtively. "Don't you have something else you can be doing right now? Wendy and I are a little busy here."

  "Well, let's see. Instead of coming into my own storeroom to get a printer cartridge so I can continue to run my own business, I suppose I could be telling my clerk that she's already had her coffee break for the afternoon and it's time to get back to work."

  Wendy grinned. "Clerk? Does this mean I've been promoted from peon?"

  The phone rang in the outer office, and Ramona gave Wendy a pointed stare.

  "I'm on it, boss," Wendy said, hopping off the copy machine and scooting out the door.

  Wolfe started to leave the storeroom. Ramona put her hand against his chest.

  "Hold it, buster. I want to talk to you."

  She pushed him back inside. She closed the door and leaned against it, staring at him with another one of those unreadable expressions that drove him crazy.

  "Okay, Ramona," he said with a sigh. "What now? Am I going to get detention for making out under the bleachers?"

  "Hell, no. I'm thrilled to death that you've finally figured out what to do with her."

  Wolfe rolled his eyes.

  Ramona folded her arms and took a few steps toward him, her eyes softening. "I'm just hoping you've figured out a way to hang on to her."

  Wolfe didn't want to be reminded of that. For every moment he was thinking about being with Wendy, another moment was spent thinking about her leaving.

  "She's going to Los Angeles. It's just a matter of time."

  "Maybe she'll change her mind about that."

  "No. She'll never change her mind. You don't know what this means to her."

  "What do you mean to her?"

  It was a hell of a question. One he didn't have an answer to. "I'm not sure exactly."

  "What does she mean to you?"

  Wolfe looked away. He couldn't put that into words, either.

  "Have you thought about telling her you're in love with her?"

  Wolfe whipped around. "Hey, I never said—"

  "You didn't have to. I see it in your eyes every time you look at her."

  Ramona was right. She was so damned right that it killed him even to think about it. He was in love with Wendy. It was the word he'd been afraid even to think, but now he had to face it. Somewhere along the way she'd knocked down every defense he had and slipped deep inside him, shaking up his life in a way he'd never imagined. It wasn't just a matter of enjoying her company, or having somebody to talk to, or even great sex. She was the embodiment of every dream he'd ever had, every moment of his life when he'd dared to envision something other than his solitary existence.

  "Maybe if she knew how you felt—"

  "No," Wolfe said. "That wouldn't make a bit of difference. I'd just end up making a fool of myself."

  "I don't think so. Tell her how you feel."

  "I can't."

  "You have to."

  "I don't have to do a damned thing."

  Ramona pointed her finger at him. "Don't you dare give up on this, Wolfe. She's the best thing that's ever happened to you. Don't you dare let her get away without so much as a—"

  "Damn it, Ramona! Don't you think I want her to stay?"

  Wolfe turned away, feeling out of control and hating it. Before Wendy had shown up in his life, nothing had ever made him lose his temper. But nothing had ever made him open up his heart, either. They were flip sides of the same coin—surges of emotion he'd never felt before—and he just didn't know how to deal with it.

  "I've known from the beginning that this was only temporary," Wolfe said. "She's never even hinted at anything else. What makes you think she'd want to stay here?"

  "Because she loves you."

  Wolfe froze, the air between them quivering with words he couldn't fathom. "She told you that?"

  "Not in so many words. But I can tell."

  Wolfe let out the breath he'd been holding. In spite of Ramona's legendary intuition, he refused to believe what she was telling him. Couldn't make himself believe it.

  "I didn't mean to jump all over you," Ramona said. "But if you let her leave, you're going to regret it for the rest of your life. And I care too much about you to see that happen."

  He closed his eyes, knowing she was right.

  "Wolfe," Ramona pleaded. "Tell her."

  Maybe he could. Maybe tonight.

  They were just going to have a quiet evening at home.

  Maybe somehow he'd be able to work up the nerve, to find the words to tell her how he really felt.

  The very thought of it terrified him.

  But what if he said it, and she looked back at him with those beautiful brown eyes, that gorgeous smile, and somehow everything was as he'd always imagined it could be? Wasn't that worth the risk?

  Suddenly he heard Wendy's voice. "Wolfe! Oh my God. Wolfe!"

  She was calling his name so urgently that he turned and rushed out of the storeroom. As he entered the office, she spun around in her chair, her face full of excitement.

  "You'll never guess what just happened!"

  She leaped up and launched herself into his arms. Shocked, he held her for a moment, then set her back down on her feet. Her eyes were glowing with excitement.

  "Wendy? What?"

  "That was my agent on the phone. He's got an inside track about a new network television show about three kick-ass female, private investigators. They want to cast a talented unknown in one of the lead roles. He sent over my head shots and my résumé, and the casting director says I've got exactly the look they want. I'm getting an audition!"

  "An audition? In Hollywood?"

  "Yes! This may be it. The break I've been waiting for!"

  She fell into his arms again, hugging him tightly, her whole body quivering with excitement.

  And Wolfe wanted to die.

  * * *

  Chapter 16

  « ^ »

  Wendy was s
o excited she thought her heart was going to burst right out of her chest. A prime-time series. This could be it. The big one. The one that would propel her to stardom.

  Wolfe pulled away and took her by the shoulders. "That's great, sweetheart. But I didn't think you were ready to go to Los Angeles yet. When do you have to be there?"

  "They won't be casting for six weeks. Fortunately, my agent has some contacts, so he got an early heads-up. But I need to be there way sooner than that."

  "Why is that?"

  "My dark hair works for them. But there's a problem with the rest of me." She stared down at herself. "Let's just say that men don't watch this kind of series for the intellectual content."

  Wolfe frowned. "Wendy, please tell me that you're not really going to have that surgery. Why aren't you just happy with yourself the way you are?"

  "I am happy with myself. If not for my career, I wouldn't even think of doing it. It's just one of those sacrifices I know I have to make to get where I want to go."

  Wolfe looked away, sighing with disgust.

  "Look," she said. "I know you think it's not necessary, but my agent says it's a must. If I had anything at all, it might be different, but…" She looked at her chest again, shaking her head. "I'm going to be in competition with women with perfect bodies. I mean, perfect."

  "Your body is perfect."

  "To you, maybe, but not to the gazillion other men in America. So somehow I'm going to have to get the money to do it." She put her hand to her forehead and started to pace. "Okay. This isn't insurmountable. All I have to do is think a little. I've saved some money, but I still need…" She took a breath. "Oh, wow. At least four thousand dollars."

  Damn. Why couldn't this have happened three months from now? If only she hadn't gotten stranded in Dallas, she'd be in Los Angeles right now, ready to follow the greatest opportunity she'd ever had in her life. Sometimes the brass ring came by only once. She had to grab it now. But how?

  Then all at once she knew the solution.

  She strode to Ramona's desk and dug through a stack of files, finally spying the one she wanted sitting out by itself. She yanked it up and flipped it open.

  "Yes. This is it. This is how I can get the money." She glanced at Wolfe. "But I'm going to need your help."

  "My help?"

  "I did some calling around this afternoon and found out that this guy is hiding out in his brother's house, and he's always alone during the day. All we have to do is—"

  "Whoa," Wolfe said suddenly. "Stop right there."

  "What?"

  "There is no 'we' here."

  "Why not? I tracked him down, and I can help you lure him out. I'd say those things are worth you splitting the money with me, aren't they? And it's a big enough bounty to get me the amount I need."

  "No way," Wolfe said, shaking his head. "You're not going anywhere near that guy."

  She held up her hand. "Okay. I know why you're saying that. Because of the Mendoza thing. But I always learn from my mistakes. I won't screw it up, Wolfe. I'll do everything you say, when you say it. I swear I will."

  "That has nothing to do with it."

  "Then what?"

  "Don't you get it? This guy isn't some shoplifter, or even a burglar. He's an arms dealer, probably in possession of every kind of illegal weapon known to mankind."

  "It doesn't matter."

  "What do you mean, it doesn't matter?"

  "You'll be there. Just like last time. If something goes wrong—"

  "If something goes wrong with a guy like that," he said sharply, "you could end up dead. And I care too much about you to let that happen."

  I care about you.

  Wendy froze, turning those words over in her mind. Every moment she'd spent with Wolfe over the past several weeks came back to her in a rush of emotion. She remembered how he'd picked her up off that street and kept her warm and safe. How he'd given her a place to stay. How he'd watched over her and protected her and made love to her in a way that no man ever had before. And how, every time their eyes met, he looked at her as if the sun rose and set for her and nobody else.

  Then another image came to mind. She saw the factory where she'd worked. The gray walls. The pumping machinery. The hundreds of people lined up like robots, performing their mundane tasks. For four years she'd stood on that assembly line, and every day she'd experienced that same terrible feeling of obscurity, the one that had slithered inside her, wrapped itself around her lungs and squeezed the life out of her. The only thing that had saved her from going completely out of her mind was her dream of stardom, the dream she'd promised herself that someday she'd achieve.

  "Wolfe, listen to me. This is a television series. Prime time. Do you know what the odds are of getting a break like this? I need that four thousand dollars!"

  "Why? So you can screw up your body and eventually get your face on a few magazine covers? Don't you see how stupid that is?"

  Stupid?

  She felt as if he'd slapped her, and she recoiled for a moment until the sting subsided.

  Then anger set in.

  "So that's what this is really about, isn't it? It's not about the danger. It's about what I'm going to use the money for. You think my wanting to be an actress is stupid. You've always thought that. That's why you're refusing to help me."

  "If it takes messing up your body to get what you want, then it isn't worth having."

  "It is worth having! It's what I've wanted since I was eighteen years old!"

  "Then go to Hollywood. Let some plastic surgeon change you into something you're not. But if you're willing to do something that drastic now, what will you be willing to do later when the next role comes along?"

  "Whatever it takes. That's what I'm willing to do."

  "God, Wendy! Can't you see what you're doing? You're chasing something that's never going to make you happy! So what if thousands of people adore you? At the end of the day when you go home alone, what difference does all that make?"

  Wendy stared at him evenly. "You're a fine one to talk about going home alone."

  Wolfe's jaw tightened. "I like my life the way it is. And I have no intention of changing it."

  "Fine. You can waste your life away if you want to, but don't expect me to do the same."

  Wolfe raised his chin, glaring at her, his body quivering with anger. And all at once it was as if she was looking at a stranger.

  "I hope you get what you want, Wendy. And for your sake, I hope it really does makes you happy."

  He turned and strode out the door, slamming it behind him. The impact rattled the door in its frame, the sound echoing through the office. After a moment, the echo died away, and silence filled the room.

  Wendy bowed her head, suddenly feeling as if she was going to cry. The last thing she'd wanted was to fight with Wolfe.

  "Just for the record," Ramona said, "Wolfe knows how important your acting career is to you."

  She lifted her head. "He does?"

  "Of course he does." Ramona paused. "More important to you than he is."

  Wendy felt a pain in her chest that just might have been her heart breaking. "Don't do this to me, Ramona. Please don't lay a guilt trip on me. I care about Wolfe. You know I do. But if I don't find a way to do this now, I'll die wondering what might have been. And I just can't do that. I can't."

  Just then the door opened. Wendy looked over to see Slade saunter into the office. Oh, God. She couldn't deal with him right now. She just couldn't.

  "Hey," he said, nodding back over his shoulder. "I just saw Wolfe leaving. And boy, did he look pissed."

  Ramona glared at him. "Beat it, Slade."

  Slade looked back and forth between Ramona and Wendy, a sly smile playing over his lips. "Uh-oh. Something's up." He sat down in front of Wendy's desk. "Trouble in paradise?"

  Wendy wondered if it would be a crime if she strangled somebody who really, truly deserved it. She thought maybe there had to be commendations for such things rather than prison sentences. Sl
ade was an obnoxious, smart-mouthed, sexually fixated jerk who she truly wished would disappear from her life forever.

  Then she had another thought.

  He was also a bounty hunter.

  She froze, turning that concept over in her mind. She thought her only chance of getting the money she needed to pursue her dream had walked out the door right along with Wolfe.

  Maybe not.

  "Slade," she said suddenly. "I need your help."

  Ramona snapped to attention. "Wendy—don't even think it."

  "Oh, yeah?" Slade said with an expression of sudden interest. "How's that?"

  "I need four thousand dollars, and I need it now." She slapped the file down in front of him. "Arms dealer. I know where he is. I can lure him out. All I need is the muscle to take him down. We team up, split the bounty fifty-fifty. What do you say?"

  Slade eyed her suspiciously. "Why aren't you asking Wolfe to help you?"

  "None of your business. Will you do it or not?"

  "Now wait a minute, Wendy," Ramona said. "You seem to be forgetting that I'm running the show here. It's my discretion whether to send somebody after that guy, and I'm choosing not to. Even if you pick him up, I'm not paying either one of you. Do you hear me?"

  "Come on, Ramona!" Wendy said. "It's in your best interest if we get him. If you let him go, you'll have to forfeit the entire bond!"

  "No, I won't. There's still time on this one. Wolfe will pick him up for me."

  Wendy knew Ramona was right. Damn. What was she supposed to do now?

  Slade sat back in his chair with a smug expression. "Don't worry, baby. It's not a problem. You need my help? I can help you."

  Wendy sat up suddenly. "What do you mean?"

  "Ramona's not the only bail bondsman in town, you know."

  Ramona's eyes narrowed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Slade looked at Wendy. "I've got a line on a high-end drug dealer for Al Bail Bonds. Carl Braddock. An informant of mine spotted him at Red's. It's a crappy little sports bar where he's been the past two nights watching basketball playoffs. There's another game tonight. But he's always surrounded by his compadres, and they're not the kind of guys who go anywhere unarmed."