The Arizona Lawman

by Stella Bagwell

  He swallowed the last of his sandwich and brushed his hands together to remove the crumbs. “What about your dad’s folks? They weren’t around to give you a home?”

  She shook her head. “Mom explained that my paternal grandparents were up in years whenever they had my father and they’d already passed away years before she ever met him.”

  He looked at her with dismay. “Wow! You really were without a family when your mother died. So how did the Calhouns come about giving you a home?”

  “Mom and Orin’s late wife, Claudia, were close friends,” she explained. “Back in the days when I was just a little girl and both women were still alive, we’d go out to the Silver Horn to visit. In my child’s mind, it was like going to a palace to call on royalty. At that time I never dreamed it would become my home.”

  He frowned. “When both women were still alive—you mean something happened to Claudia?”

  “Sadly, she fell down a long staircase and suffered a head injury. Barely a year had passed after that tragedy when Mom had the car wreck.” Sighing at the memory of those black days, she shook her head. “After that, nothing was the same for me or the Calhouns.”

  The empathy she saw in his eyes told her he understood the upheaval she’d gone through.

  “I’m sorry you lost so much, Tessa.”

  “It did tear a huge hole in my heart,” she admitted. “But the Calhouns have given me so much. And these past few years I’ve tried to give back to them by working as the family housekeeper.”

  Surprise flickered in his brown eyes but thankfully she saw no sign of contempt.

  “The housekeeper,” he repeated, as though he was weighing the word on his tongue. “I understand you wanting to repay their kindness in some way, but I can’t imagine the family expecting that sort of duty from you.”

  “The Calhouns didn’t expect it or want it. In fact, Orin was dead set against the idea and I had to do some serious persuading for him to give me the job. Actually it was more than persuading—it was more like begging.”

  “And he gave in.”

  Tessa nodded. “Only because he could see how deeply I felt about contributing my share of work to the Silver Horn. Plus, he was partial to the idea of me having a job at home where the family could keep an eye on me.”

  Clearly intrigued, he asked, “So how long did you work as the Calhouns’ housekeeper?”

  “Oh, five or six years. Something like that. I was still working there when I got the news about Ray’s will.”

  Amazed, he shook his head. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Why should I joke about something like that?” she asked stiffly.

  He made an openhanded gesture. “Sorry, Tessa. It’s just that you’re so...well, I figured with the Calhouns, you’d probably lived a privileged life.”

  Smiling vaguely, she said, “It was privileged in the sense that I got to live in a huge, lavish house. But the Calhouns don’t exactly laze around. They all work very hard.”

  “And you wanted to follow their example,” he said thoughtfully. “So you worked hard as the family housekeeper. Is that what you plan to keep doing whenever you go back to the Silver Horn?”

  Was that a thread of disdain she heard in his voice? No. She couldn’t imagine Joseph being a hurtful snob. But then she’d not expected Thad to have that sort of attitude, either. Which only proved she had a lot more to learn about men.

  Unwittingly she lifted her chin to a proud angle. “Actually, Orin is in the process of looking for someone to take over my old job.”

  His brows lifted slightly. “Because he thinks you’ll stay here in Arizona? Or because Ray’s inheritance has made you wealthy enough to forget about working for a while?”

  She wanted to tell him just how tacky she considered his questions. But after the very personal way they’d just kissed, Tessa decided he had a right to ask that much.

  “Sorry, Joseph, both of your assumptions are wrong. A few weeks ago, I received my degree in criminal justice from the University of Reno. My plans are to find a job in that field. Perhaps as a legal secretary. I’ve not yet decided just which path I want to take. My degree gives me lots of options.”

  His jaw dropped. “Damn. I feel like a fool, Tessa. You never mentioned college and I never imagined you had those sorts of plans for your future.”

  She placed the small container of potato salad back on the cloth and reached for a chunk of cake heavily wrapped in clear plastic.

  “Until today we’ve not really had an opportunity to talk about other—personal things.” She shrugged. “But as far as my plans for the future? Those are currently up in the air. Right now my main focus is to resolve the questions surrounding my inheritance.”

  The cake was some sort of rich, apple concoction. Normally, Tessa would have relished every delicious bite, but the sexy image of Joseph and the fact that the two of them were so completely alone was making a wreck of her senses.

  You little fool, Tessa. A few minutes ago Joseph pushed you out of his arms and put an end to all that torrid kissing. He doesn’t want to pick up where the two of you left off. Even though you want to.

  While Tessa wrangled with the chiding voice in her head, her gaze followed his over to the tiny pond.

  Surrounded on three sides by flat, red rocks, a small waterfall trickled from thin slabs of rocks and made a tinkling noise as it hit the deep blue pool. Bright, colorful birds skimmed the surface, while others chirped from the branches of nearby willows. The tiny paradise surrounding them belonged to her. Even now, after all these days she’d been on the Bar X, she could hardly absorb the fact.

  He suddenly spoke. “I haven’t brought this up yet, but I thought you’d want to know. I’ve been talking with a few people who worked with Ray. Including his secretary. None of them recalled him bringing up the name Parker.”

  Eager for any kind of information, no matter how minute, Tessa leaned toward him. “What about the photos? Did you show them around?”

  His gaze returned to her. “I left them with a guy at the lab. He thinks he can clear them up a bit, but he’s limited to working on them during his own personal time. So that might take a few days. However, I did show them to a few people. Louella, Ray’s secretary, thought the man’s stance looked like Ray’s. And another deputy thought it looked like a younger version of Ray with dark hair.”

  The emotions rushing through Tessa were too tangled for her to unravel. “Really? Maybe the power of suggestion had them thinking they saw something they didn’t actually see.”

  He said, “When I showed the photos, I only asked them if they recognized the couple. I didn’t offer any other information.”

  Tessa’s mind shuttered at the possibility of Joseph’s suggestion. “Oh. Well, that doesn’t mean it could be Ray in the photos. You saw for yourself. They’re too blurry to make an accurate ID.” She swallowed hard as her voice began to wobble. “Besides, Mom wouldn’t lie to me. Not about my father!

  “Tessa, what I just told you—it’s all supposition,” he gently pointed out. “You shouldn’t let it upset you.”

  “You don’t understand how this makes me feel, Joseph. If Mom deceived me about something so important—it would make everything about my life a big lie!”

  Not waiting to hear his reply, Tessa jumped to her feet and crossed the few short steps to the water’s edge. She was staring into the deep pool, trying to calm herself, when Joseph’s hands settled on the back of her waist.

  “Tessa, I agreed to help you with this. But if finding the truth is going to cause you this much pain, then perhaps we should quit digging for answers. I’ll get the pictures back and you can put all of this out of your mind.”

  Aghast at that thought, she twisted around to face him. “Out of my mind? How am I supposed to forget all this? The way things are now, I’m not just wondering why I was willed a small fortune,
I’m having doubts about who my real father might have been!”

  * * *

  Ever since Joseph had arrived on the Bar X this morning, he’d been fighting the urge to make love to her. And a few minutes ago, before they’d started their lunch, he’d been well on his way to doing just that. But while he’d been losing himself in her kiss, all sorts of doubts had started wrestling with the needs of his body.

  Something had kept warning him that once he surrendered his body to Tessa, his heart would soon follow. And the fear of giving that much of himself to her had ultimately caused him to end the embrace. But now, with tears swimming in her eyes, and her lips quivering with emotional overload, he forgot about what was best for him, or right for her.

  “Tessa.” His throat too tight to say more, he pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around her. She pressed her cheek to the middle of his chest and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “Don’t be sad. I want today to be special for us.”

  Tilting her head back, she looked up at him and he was relieved to see a shaky smile spread her lips. “Just being with you is special, Joseph.”

  It had been easy for Joseph to see she had mixed feelings about the circumstances of her inheritance, but she was making it pretty damn clear she wasn’t confused about wanting him. And that was all the encouragement he needed to lower his head and capture her warm lips beneath his.

  Soft. Giving. And oh, so delectable. Kissing Tessa was like trying to quench an unbearable thirst. No matter how much he searched her lips, it wasn’t enough. When she curled her arms around his neck and arched her soft body into his, he felt sure the heat washing from his head to his feet was going to scorch him alive.

  Only seconds passed before frustration had his tongue pushing against her teeth and she promptly opened her mouth to allow him inside. The intimate connection rocked his senses and instantly the kiss exploded into something much more. While their tongues clashed, his hands roamed over her back and shoulders, down her arms, then finally stopped to cradle the perky curves of her bottom.

  Somewhere in the foggy haze, he recognized her hands were on an exploration of their own and, although the fabric of his denim shirt was thick, her fingers still managed to leave a trail of heat wherever she touched him. The fiery sensations made him want to tear off his shirt so he could feel her hands sliding over his bare flesh. But it was the need for oxygen that finally forced him to ease his mouth from hers.

  Sucking in ragged breaths, he buried his face in the curve of her neck. “Tessa, I don’t understand it. But I’ve wanted you from the very first moment I saw you.”

  “Oh, Joseph, that evening—after you left—I couldn’t quit thinking about you.” She lifted her face and began to plant tiny kisses along his jaw and down the side of his neck. “Now I want to show you how much I want you.”

  The feathery movement of her lips as she spoke against his skin sent erotic shivers down his spine. Her mere touch was seducing him and though a voice in the back of his mind was telling him to put the brakes on their embrace, he refused to listen. Making love to Tessa was the only thing he wanted. The only thing that mattered.

  While common sense yielded to the heated desire of his body, Tessa’s hands were at work separating the snaps on the front of his Western shirt. When the pieces of fabric parted, her hands flattened against the middle of his chest then began a slow descent until they reached his navel and the band of his jeans.

  Struggling to hold himself together, Joseph wrapped his hands around hers to momentarily still the sweet torture of her caresses. “Tessa, are you sure about this?” he whispered. “We should be back on the Bar X. In your pretty white bed.”

  Her eyes narrowed to sexy slits as she smiled provocatively up at him. “We’ll have plenty of time for the white bed—later. Besides, there’s a nice thick blanket of pine needles right behind us. You’re not afraid to rough it, are you?”

  Groaning deep in his throat, he brought his forehead against hers. “And here I’ve been thinking all along that you’re a soft princess.”

  She pulled off her cowboy hat and tossed it aside. “See, cowboy. I left my tiara home today.”

  Snagging an arm around her waist, he pulled her tight against him and kissed her just long enough to create a groan in her throat. Then, sweeping her up in his arms, he carried her to the shade beneath the pines. After gently placing her on the bed of brown needles, he paused a moment to look down at her.

  Her eyes fluttered opened. “What’s wrong, Joseph? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  Something in the middle of his chest was twisting tighter and tighter, shortening his breaths to shallow gulps. “Because I’m looking at an earth angel and she’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

  A smile tilted the corners of her kissed-pink lips and then, to his dismay, he spotted a tiny tear trickling from the corner of one blue eye. The sight pierced the softest part of him and he suddenly realized how very much he wanted to cherish and protect her, to make her world as bright and beautiful as she was making his.

  He touched a forefinger to the moisture seeping into her hairline. “In case you didn’t understand, that was a compliment.”

  “Oh, Joseph, I’m not sad. It’s just being here with you like this that’s making me teary.”

  His fingers gently stroked a few stray hairs away from her face. “I never thought this would be happening today,” he said, his voice rough with desire. “And you deserve better.”

  “Better? It couldn’t get better than making love here at this beautiful little oasis.”

  Reaching up, she linked her hands at the back of his neck and drew him down to her. He slanted his mouth over hers and tried to let his lips convey the rush of emotions flooding through him.

  Eventually though, kissing her wasn’t nearly enough, and he left her mouth to slide his lips across her cheek. Once he reached her ear, he gently sunk his teeth into the lobe and her groan of pleasure emboldened him to widen his search. Like a cat lapping sweet cream, he made a slow foray down the side of her neck until the barrier of her shirt prevented him from traveling lower.

  His fingers fumbled with the top button on the garment, but Tessa brushed his hands away and quickly undid the front of her shirt.

  Once the garment fell open, he pushed her flat against the ground then eased back far enough to treat himself to a look at her. The pale blue bra cupping her breasts was made of delicate see-through lace, giving him a tempting glimpse of the brown nipples beneath. Just gazing at her was enough to send his senses tumbling end over end.

  Drunk with desire, his fingers trailed along the edge of the lace then over the cups of her bra until his thumbs and forefingers were gently squeezing her nipples. The touch caused her to let out a soft mew and the needy sound had him dropping his head until his lips were touching the hollow between her breasts.

  She smelled like a field of wildflowers and her skin had to be the softest thing he’d ever touched. He kissed her there then, tracing the tip of his tongue along her breastbone, he reached up and pulled both bra straps from her shoulders.

  The moment they fell to her arms, she yanked the lace down from one breast then, with her hands in his hair, guided his mouth to the budded nipple.

  Her boldness turned his blood to liquid fire and though he wanted to give her everything she wanted, his body was already teetering on the brink of exploding.

  After a few short seconds he lifted his mouth from her breast.

  “I’m...sorry, Tessa,” he whispered brokenly. “I can’t keep going—I have to be inside you. Now!”

  Her fingers touched the side of his face. “And I need for you to be inside me. Now!”

  Before he could collect his senses enough to make a move, she sat straight up and began removing her clothing. Joseph managed to follow suit and, after a few short moments, they were lying side by
side on the blanket of pine needles.

  “I should spread my shirt for you,” he murmured as he drew her tightly against him. “I don’t want your back to get scratched.”

  She wrapped an arm around his neck and Joseph was instantly overwhelmed by her scent and the soft, alluring curves pressing against his bare skin.

  “Don’t worry about my back,” she said in an urgent rush. “Just make me yours.”

  “Mine. Yes, all mine.” He rolled until she was lying on her back and he was positioned over her.

  With his hands anchored on either side of her shoulders, he paused. “You little minx. You’ve got me so crazy I nearly forgot to ask about protection.”

  “I’m on the pill. But if you’re concerned...”

  As her words trailed away, he groaned with disbelief. “Concerned? No, I’m relieved. Oh, babe, my only concern now is making you happy.”

  “Then don’t make me wait.”

  Her raspy plea was all the urging he needed. Parting her legs with a knee, he entered her slowly, smoothly, until he was deep inside her. By then, Joseph was certain the day had turned to night and a thousand stars were raining down on him from every direction.

  Nothing should feel this good or this right, he thought. But it did. Oh, it did. And just when he decided it couldn’t get any better, she moaned and lifted her hips toward his, drawing him even deeper into her velvet heat.

  Rocked by the hot sensuality of her body, he lowered his face until his lips enveloped hers. The connection set off a growl in her throat and then she was wrapping her arms and legs around him, anchoring her body to his.

  Joseph began to move his hips against hers and she quickly followed, matching her thrust to the rhythm of his. In only a matter of moments he was transported to a hazy, distant place where there was nothing but flashes of color and waves of intense pleasure. The cool wind against his back was canceled by the raging heat inside him. The sound of the birds and the trickling water was drowned by the roaring sound of his heart drumming in his ears. All he knew was that Tessa’s soft body was beneath his and he couldn’t get enough.