The Arizona Lawman

by Stella Bagwell

  Not wanting to answer the question sounding off in her head, Tessa grabbed up her coffee cup and promised herself she wasn’t going to give the sexy deputy another thought. At least, not until tomorrow night and she stepped into the Hollister home.

  Chapter Three

  The next day Tessa grappled with the urge to drive into Wickenburg and shop for something special to wear to Three Rivers Ranch. Yet each time she came close to grabbing her handbag and truck keys, she talked herself out of the notion. It was foolish of her to try to look extra special for Joseph Hollister, or any of his family, she’d argued with herself.

  Now, as she stared at her image in the dresser mirror, she wished she’d made the trip into town. The black-and-white-patterned sheath was neat, but it was hardly glamourous, and the strappy black sandals on her feet looked like she was going to a picnic in the park instead of to dinner with a prominent family.

  Sighing, she picked up the silver-backed brush and tugged it through her straight hair. Since it was almost time for Sam to pick her up, it was too late to do anything about her lackluster appearance.

  Minutes later, as Sam helped her into the cab of his old truck, Tessa said, “Thank you again, Sam, for going to this dinner with me. I hope you’re not dreading the evening.”

  As he drove the truck down the dusty dirt road, a slight grin cracked the wrinkles on his face. “It’s been a long, long time since I carried a gal to dinner. I’m not dreading it.”

  Tessa smiled back at him then turned her gaze out the passenger window. As the pickup headed away from the Bar X and on toward Three Rivers, the land opened up into wide valleys dotted with rocks, standpipe, blooming yucca and prickly pear. The grass that covered the lower slopes was short but very green.

  When the simple barbed-wire fence running next to the road suddenly changed to one of painted white pipe, Tessa asked, “Are we seeing Three Rivers land now?”

  “That’s right. Just a little stretch of it butts up to the Bar X. Most of Three Rivers stretches on east of here—toward the old ghost mines around Constellation and north toward Congress.”

  She doubted Three Rivers would come close to covering as much land as that of the Silver Horn, but it was clearly a prominent ranch. Not that the size, or the wealth of the Hollisters, mattered to her. She’d already decided that even if Joseph wasn’t already attached to a woman, he was out of her league.

  Minutes later they reached a fork in the road and Sam steered the truck to the left where they passed beneath a simple wooden plank burned with a 3R brand. Another two miles passed when they topped a rocky rise and the Hollister homestead spread majestically across a wide, desert valley.

  As they drew closer, Tessa could see a large, three-story house with wooden-lapped siding painted white and trimmed with black. The structure was surrounded by massive cottonwoods and smaller mesquite trees. A hundred yards or more to the right of the house was an enormous work yard with several large barns, sheds and holding pens, all of which were painted white.

  “Here we are,” Sam said as he pulled the old truck to a stop in a driveway that curved along the front of the house. “Quite a spread, wouldn’t you say?”

  “It’s beautiful,” she agreed, then added, “but I happen to think the Bar X is beautiful, too.”

  Sam chuckled. “Sheriff Ray is smiling right now.”

  Even after they’d departed the truck and walked onto the ground-level porch running the length of the big house, Tessa was still thinking about Sam’s comment. If not for Ray Maddox, Tessa would never have been in this part of Arizona, much less be meeting these people. That fact multiplied her questions about the late sheriff.

  At the wide door, Sam ignored the brass knocker and rapped his knuckles against the white wood.

  After a brief wait, a young woman with a dark blond ponytail and a red, bib apron tied over her shirt and jeans answered the door.

  “Good evening.” Pulling the door wide, she gestured for them to enter. “Please, come in. Mrs. Hollister and the others are out back having drinks. I’ll show you the way.”

  Tessa and Sam followed her into a short entryway and through a spacious living room with high ceilings and sand-colored tongue-and-groove walls. A mix of leather and cloth furniture was the kind that invited a person to take a seat, while the cowhide rugs scattered over the oak parquet were a reminder that the ranch had been built on cattle.

  At the back of the room, the maid opened a pair of French doors and gestured for them to precede her onto a large brick patio.

  “Mrs. Hollister is there by the fire pit,” the maid said. “And if you two would like anything to drink that isn’t out here, just let me know.”

  Tessa thanked the woman then focused her full attention on the group of people sitting in lawn chairs and standing around. Since the men had their backs to her, it was impossible to tell if Joseph was among the group, but the idea was revving her heart to a sickening speed.

  Sam must have picked up on her nervousness. With his head bent slightly toward hers, he said in a low voice, “Don’t worry. These folks won’t eat you.”

  The two of them had hardly taken two steps before Maureen spotted their arrival and hurried over to greet them.

  “Tessa, welcome. I’m so glad you could come.” Instead of shaking Tessa’s hand, the woman gave her a brief hug and then turned and pecked a kiss on the old cowboy’s cheek. “And, Sam, if you hadn’t showed up, I was going to come fetch you here myself. Come on over, you two. I want Tessa to meet everyone.”

  As they approached the group, Tessa saw five men rise from their chairs. Except for one, all had varying shades of dark hair and all were dressed in jeans and Western shirts. Even so, there was no mistaking Joseph. He was standing near one of the smooth cedar posts that supported the overhanging roof.

  Her gaze briefly hesitated on his face before she forced it to move on to the remaining people gathered on the shaded patio.

  “Sam is an old friend, so he doesn’t need any introductions,” Maureen said, then with a hand on Tessa’s arm, drew her forward. “Tessa, this is my family.”

  “Wrong, Mom. Matthew isn’t family.” One of the dark-haired men spoke up in a joking voice. “He just thinks he is.”

  Laughing, Maureen pointed out a tall, blond man at the back of the group. “That’s Matthew Waggoner. He’s the Three River foreman. A very good one, I might add. And since he’s been around here for quite a few years, we consider him a part of the family.”

  The man called Matthew lifted a hand in acknowledgment and Tessa smiled in return.

  “Now, over here to your left—the guy with the sour look on his face—is Blake. He’s my oldest son and manager of the ranch. Next to him is Holt. He’s a middle kid and the opposite of Blake. He’s always smiling.”

  “That’s because he’s been bucked off so many horses he doesn’t know any better.”

  This came from a very pretty woman sitting on the edge of a redwood lounger. Her shoulder-length hair was a shiny chestnut color and her long, shapely legs were showcased in a pair of tight jeans.

  Everyone laughed, including Holt.

  “Thanks, sis,” he told her. “I’ll remember you at Christmas.”

  “Holt is the ranch’s horse trainer,” Maureen explained to Tessa. “And he has suffered a few buck-offs, but I don’t think the falls have addled him yet.”

  Maureen gestured to the young woman on the lounger. “This is my oldest daughter, Vivian. She’s works as a park ranger at Lake Pleasant.”

  “Hi, Tessa,” Vivian replied with a warm smile.

  Tessa returned her greeting before Maureen finished the last two introductions.

  “That’s Chandler with the yellow kerchief around his neck. He’s the doctor of the bunch. He has a veterinary clinic just outside of Wickenburg.”

  The stoutly built man with coal-black hair and startling
blue eyes lifted a hand in greeting. Though Tessa gave him a nod of acknowledgment, every cell in her body was already buzzing as she turned her attention to Joseph. From the moment she’d walked up to the group, she’d been fighting the urge to stare at him. Now she had a reason to let her eyes rest on his familiar face.

  “And the very last one standing by the post is Joseph—Joe to all of us. But, of course, from what he tells us, you two have already met.”

  He looked different out of uniform, Tessa decided. The sleeves of his olive-green shirt were rolled back on his forearms and instead of a gun belt and weapon, a brown leather belt edged with buck stitching was threaded through the loops of his blue jeans. This evening he didn’t look like a deputy. He looked like a rancher. A very sexy one, at that.

  “That’s right. Joseph was kind enough to help me with all my luggage. Hello again,” she said to him then wondered if her voice sounded as husky to those around her as it did to her. Oh, Lord, she had to control herself. It would be worse than embarrassing if any of them figured out she’d come down with an instant crush on him.

  With a slight grin he said, “Hello, Tessa. How’s the Bar X?”

  “It’s lovely. Especially with Sam to help me.” She reached for the old cowboy’s hand. “He’s been showing me around the place.”

  “That’s good.” Holt spoke up. “Just don’t believe any of Sam’s stories. He’s good at telling whoppers.”

  Vivian turned a pointed look on her brother. “Remember, you’re addled, Holt. So Tessa shouldn’t believe you, either.”

  Laughing now, Holt went over to his sister and gently tugged her hair in retaliation.

  Shaking her head, Maureen said to Tessa, “Overlook them, please. Some of my children have chosen not to grow up. Now, what would you two like to drink? I think Sam probably wants whiskey. And you, Tessa?”

  “Oh. A soft drink—anything is fine.”

  “You need something stronger than a soft drink to put up with us,” Vivian told her. “Try the peach-flavored wine. It’s good.”

  “And, as a doctor, I can promise, Tessa, if it makes you act like a fool, you won’t care in the least,” Chandler joked.

  Tessa laughed softly. “I can do that without the aid of alcohol.”

  Maureen left her side to go fetch the drinks at a portable bar set up on the far side of the patio. Once the woman moved away, the entire group of Hollisters, plus their foreman, gathered around to shake Tessa’s hand and extend their welcomes.

  After Maureen had served her the wine and the group began to return to their chairs, Joseph wrapped a hand around her bare arm.

  “Come with me, Tessa, and I’ll show you our new family additions.”

  She glanced around to Sam, only to find that Holt and Chandler had already hauled the older man to the other side of the patio.

  “It doesn’t look as though Sam will miss me,” she said.

  “Sam likes to talk shop with the guys. That is, whenever we can get him here for a visit. All of us were surprised when Mom told us he’d be coming with you tonight. If you haven’t yet guessed, Sam mostly keeps to himself—especially since Ray died.”

  He guided her off the patio and, once they rounded the corner of the house, he urged her across a small patch of ground toward a big doghouse sitting near the trunk of a cottonwood.

  As they strolled along, she replied, “It’s odd that you describe Sam as a bit of a loner. He’s talkative with me. Except that he doesn’t gossip. I think it’s a rule he abides by.”

  Joseph smiled at her. “That’s a rule we should all abide by. As for Sam being talkative, I think he’s a bit smitten with you.”

  She laughed. “He’s old enough to be my father. Maybe even my grandfather.”

  “That’s what I mean. He sees you as the family he never had.”

  The sad information caused her to glance at him. “Oh. So, Sam’s always been a bachelor?”

  “As far as we know. Ray might’ve known about Sam’s young years, but no one else around here does. He came to Arizona from Texas about fifty years ago. As long as I can remember, he’s been Ray’s right-hand man. It’s no wonder Sam is lost without him.”

  She felt a pang of regret. Not only for Sam, but also for herself. More than anything, she wished she could’ve known the man who’d wanted to give her so much. “Sam is a wise man. He understands life goes on.”

  He let out a long breath. “Yes, life goes on.”

  He’d barely gotten the words out when a brown-and-white dog with long hair emerged from the doghouse. Right behind her were three little pups, the spitting image of their mother.

  “Oh, how precious!” Tessa exclaimed. “Are they collies?”

  Joseph squatted on his heels and gathered the mother dog in the circle of his arms. “No. Sally is an Australian shepherd. She can single-handedly bunch up a herd of cattle. But she’s off work duty now.”

  “Maternity leave,” she said, smiling at the lovely little family. “How old are the pups?”

  “Four weeks. Would you like to hold one?”

  “Sure! But what about Sally? She’s looking at me like she’s not sure whether I’m friend or foe.”

  Joseph chuckled. “She’ll be fine as long as I’m here.”

  He picked up one of the pups and handed it to her.

  Tessa immediately cuddled the wiggly ball of fur to her breasts and stroked a finger over its head.

  “I could play with you all day, little guy,” she crooned to the baby then looked at Joseph, who appeared to be watching her as closely as Sally. “Will the babies eventually be trained to herd cattle?”

  “Yes. Chandler trains the dogs. He has the extra patience it takes for the job.”

  She gave the puppy’s head a few more loving strokes before placing it back on the ground. Almost immediately, the mother nosed it into the safety of the doghouse.

  “Lawmen have to deal with all types of people and situations. I’m sure that takes a load of patience, too.” She straightened to her full height to see he was continuing to watch her closely. The fact made her acutely aware of the rapid beat of her heart and the strange wave of heat washing from the pit of her stomach all the way up to her throat.

  He said, “I try. If I get frustrated, I do my best to hide it.”

  “I’d have to take acting lessons to do that. I’m not very good at hiding my feelings,” she confessed while hoping her thoughts about him weren’t written on her face.

  Walking over to the yard fence, she looked out at a portion of the ranch yard. At the moment it was a quiet scene with only a small herd of horses milling around in a large catch pen.

  When Joseph joined her, she cast a curious glance at him. “Are none of your siblings married?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No. The only one of us who’s ever been married is Vivian. But that ended a long time ago. She has a ten-year-old daughter, Hannah, from that marriage.”

  “Oh. Is her daughter not here tonight?”

  “No. Hannah’s staying overnight with a little friend in Wickenburg. Our younger sister, Camille, isn’t here, either. She’s gone down to live on Red Bluff. That’s our other property near Dragoon.”

  “Is Red Bluff another ranch? Or just a summer house?” she asked then quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, Joseph. I’m being nosy.”

  “I don’t think you’re being nosy. You’ve just met us Hollisters. If you don’t ask questions, you won’t know what I’m talking about,” he acknowledged. “Red Bluff is another ranch down in Cochise County. It’s about half the size of Three Rivers, but very productive. In the winter we move some of our cow/calf pairs down there. The weather is warmer and the grazing is better.”

  “I see. So you have another crew working down there?”

  “Usually about five hands stay on Red Bluff to see after things during the summer months. In
winter we send extra hands.”

  “Your sister likes living down there? Away from all of you?”

  His lips twisted to a disapproving slant. “Camille needed some time away from us and—other things. Sort of emotional healing, you’d say.”

  Realizing her palms were sweaty, she wiped them down the sides of her hips. “Oh. I didn’t mean to pry. Sorry again, Joseph. I’ll quit asking questions. It’s your turn, anyway. You can ask me something personal—if you like,” she added with a tentative smile.

  Turning to face her, he casually leaned his shoulder against a fence post. “Okay. Why hasn’t some man already put a ring on your finger?”

  That was hardly the question she’d expected from him and, for a moment, she was at a loss for words. Finally she said, “I’m only twenty-four. I’m not in any hurry to be looking for a husband.”

  His brown gaze swept furtively over her face then all the way to her feet and back again. “I don’t believe age has anything to do with it. Or that a person can go purposely looking for a spouse. It either happens—or it doesn’t.”

  So far, it hadn’t happened for Tessa. Oh, she’d had suitors and a few of them she’d dated more than once. Including Thad, who had turned out to be a jerk in the first degree. But nothing had clicked for her with any of those men. Sometimes she wondered if she was expecting too much from love. Maybe the euphoria she believed she would experience when she met the right man was all just a fairy tale.

  Pushing that glum thought aside, she said, “In other words, you think you’ll just run into some woman on the sidewalk and fate will do the rest. That’s not very romantic.”

  His response to that was a husky chuckle that shivered over Tessa’s skin like a caressing finger.

  “No one ever accused me of being a romantic guy, Tessa.”

  She was trying to come up with some sort of sensible reply when Vivian suddenly appeared from the corner of the house.

  “Hey, c’mon, you two. Dinner is ready.”

  Joseph waved an acknowledgment to his sister then turned and wrapped a hand around Tessa’s upper arm. As he urged her forward, she tried not to think about the heat spreading from his fingers and into her flesh, or the closeness of his strong body as they walked across the lawn.