Guardian Angel

by Lise Fuller

  The specter stopped abruptly as a knock at the front door echoed through the house. “Now who the hell could that be?” With a pop, the old ghost disappeared.

  —

  “Dad, some new guy from the Bar A’s here and wants to talk to you.”

  Jesse’s voice echoed down the hallway as Marie leaned against her bedroom door, not able to help the pulse that raced and fired her clit. Jake’s heated gaze had pierced the emotional wall she’d constructed in the bath. God, how did the man ignite her hormones so fast? Especially after what they’d already done. One would think she’d be satisfied for the moment. She closed her eyes. Her breathing deepened. She wished he was there with her.

  She slid her hand into the fold of the robe and let her fingers touch her nipple. Jake had done that. Touched her there. She thought about it, relished the sense of his hands on her. Her breath quickened. Her crotch got wet. They’d made love, quick and fast. Yet she wanted him again.

  Jake’s footfalls sounded on the wooden planks.

  The sound jolted her. If he caught her playing with herself, what would he think? She felt her cheeks heat.

  She heard him walk to the front of the house and chastise Jesse for bellowing so loud, especially in front of a stranger.

  A stranger. The warning served to remind her how tenuous her situation was. Who could be at the door?

  She tossed a pink cashmere sweater over her head and pulled on a pair of slacks. Slipping on a pair of socks, she cracked the door open and peeked down the hallway. Part of a cowboy hat jutted up over Jake’s shoulder. She strolled down the hall to get a better look when a sudden shiver took her. The man spied her and nodded in recognition. He was the stranger from the diner.

  “Wednesday, then. Thanks, Sheriff.” When the man stuck out his hand to shake Jake’s, Marie ducked in the kitchen. She heard the cowboy whistle as he hopped down the front step.

  In a few moments, Jake walked into the kitchen behind her.

  “Who was that?” Marie asked as she rubbed her arms to chase the chill away, suddenly not hungry.

  Jake shrugged and grabbed a piece of pizza off the kitchen counter. “A new hand from the Bar A. Looks like I’ll be moving cows on my day off.”

  Marie glanced toward the front of the house. “You’re using your free time to move more cows?”

  Jake nodded. “For the ranch next to us. They need more hands to do the job. It works that way out here. People help each other.” His eyes seemed to bore into her, trying to discern her secrets. He looked away and took a bite. “You ride well enough now to help out. Want to go?”

  She almost choked. “No.”

  Jake let out a low chuckle. He leaned forward and caressed her cheek with his thumb. “You know, Marie, it’d be better if you tell me what’s troubling you. You can’t keep jumping every time someone comes around.” He bent over and brushed her lips with his.

  She backed away and shook her head. Marie hugged her arms as she realized the depth of stupidity of what she’d done. She’d fucked the local sheriff. In the barn, no less. She shook her head. The arrival of the new man was a cold, sobering reminder. “Jake,” she looked at him and steeled her resolve, “I’m the housekeeper. I think it’s best we leave things that way.”

  Jake furrowed his brows. His eyes grew dark. “Why?”

  She rubbed her hands down her pants and lifted her chin then lowered her voice so Jesse wouldn’t hear. “I’m not going to have sex with you again. It wouldn’t be right.”

  “Marie…” She heard Jake protest as she retreated. She ran to her room then shut the door and leaned against the wood. Her hands shook as she covered her face with them. Jake had seen the truth. She was scared, afraid of everyone and everything she didn’t know.

  She locked the door and undressed then crawled into bed. She’d been crazy to think of love, of safety and home, when she faced a virtual firing squad or a life on the run. Her tears ran. She eyed her suitcase through her blurry vision.

  Tomorrow, while Jake was away, she’d pack the bag with the few things she’d been able to get, just in case.

  Chapter Six

  The sun hadn’t risen on the frigid morning but Jake could hardly feel the cold. It’d been two weeks since the night in the barn. In that time, Marie had avoided him like the plague, would only talk to him when she had to—or when he forced her to, like when he’d take Jesse to the diner for supper and sit where she had to wait on him.

  Yet he wanted her. She still wanted him, too. He could tell by the furtive side glances she’d throw him now and then.

  “Hell.” Frustration threatened to undo him. Generally, he was a patient man but having her around, watching her interact with Jesse, remembering how the soft curves of her body felt against his…

  Fuck. His cock jumped in the saddle. The knowledge of what they could have together was enough to unnerve him. He adjusted himself and frowned. He had Gramps to thank for that—him and his damn promises. Yet the old man wasn’t the cause of Marie’s rejection. So what had he done wrong?

  A stray cow took off. “C’mon, Ranger.” Jake clicked his tongue at the horse to spur him. Together they chased the stray back to the herd and Jake settled the horse’s gait into a steady rhythm. The lull let his mind wander again. He wanted Marie to see how good they were together. So how could he get her into his bed again? Well, sort of in his bed. He didn’t care how he got her naked and wanting him. It could be the barn again. He didn’t care. He just needed to do it—needed her.

  And when he did figure out how, this time he wouldn’t let her get away.

  “You keep pushing ’em this hard, Sheriff, and you’ll wear ’em out.” Slim Jim rode up to him and interrupted his thoughts.

  “I know,” Jake gritted out as he trotted alongside.

  “You in a hurry?” The new cowhand squinted at him.

  “Maybe.” Jake scowled as he urged some lagging yearlings along.

  Slim snorted. “Women can do that to a man.”

  Jake huffed in reply.

  Slim chuckled. “It’s okay with me. I wouldn’t want to spend time rustling cows when I had a pretty woman at home waiting for me. I’ll see what I can do.” He rode to the far side of the herd and hustled the cattle along.

  Jake grimaced. What the hell did the man find so funny?

  Probably the same thing his deputies did—Marie. Everyone assumed they were a couple, even Jesse. Jake had done nothing to dispel the thought, although for the moment the fact couldn’t be further from the truth.

  He huffed. It shouldn’t bother him. Why the hell did he need one woman when he could find pleasure and entertainment with little problem from so many others? Besides, he liked his freedom. He didn’t need a woman mucking it up. He shouldn’t have let Gramps get those fool ideas into his head. Thoughts of a mother for Jesse, a wife for him. Someone to love, cherish…and spend cold nights warming up with.

  He groaned. Hell, his first wife had destroyed any hopes of a life like that.

  “Jake, you’re an idiot,” he mumbled and wished he’d listened to his good sense before he’d gotten…well, sexual, with Marie. Then maybe she wouldn’t be so standoffish now. But hell, the moment had been so charged there was no way they could have kept away from each other. Had he come on too strong?

  He shook his head. He didn’t think so. Marie was more than willing. He’d even asked her about it.

  But then she made the sudden shift to stay away. What had happened?

  Fuck, he didn’t know. Maybe Gramps was right. Maybe their first time together was a little too quick but damn…

  He slapped his leg with the ends of his reins. Even if he had moved too fast, she didn’t have to act like he wasn’t there. Shit, a little conversation would be nice every now and then. Then maybe he could get someplace with her. But how was a man supposed to romance a woman if they wouldn’t talk?

  Damn. She’d ask for her space. He’d given it to her. That should be fine and dandy by him, yes sir-ee. Like he’d told G
ramps, he didn’t need another messed-up woman in his life. Besides, the household ran well now, thanks to her. He should he happy.

  Instead, restlessness ate at his gut. He knew what the problem was. He liked her—thought Gramps could be right about her.

  And it scared the hell out of him.

  “Jake, you are an idiot,” he said with more finality. These stupid ideas would never get him anywhere, especially with Marie.

  He growled, knowing that in such a short period of time his lust had grown into more than an attraction. His true feelings had somehow crept up on him, yearnings he wanted to deny but couldn’t. He was lonely. And when Marie and he were together, there was heat, even if she didn’t say a word to him. She could feel it too. He could tell. But what did she want?

  She liked him. She’d admitted that much.

  And Jesse adored her. He saw the signs. So what was wrong with him?

  Nothing, he decided and assured himself the problem came from whatever caused Marie to run. And that, Jake thought, he could do something about.

  He prayed it wasn’t something too serious.

  “Well, we should be there before supper at this rate. That should help.” Slim rode up and broke into his thoughts again.

  Jake sucked in a deep breath and glanced at the road home. Would he risk another chance at love?

  “Yeah.” He nodded. He’d made up his mind. “It should help a lot.”

  —

  “Jesse, make sure you don’t forget your lunch.” Marie finished filling his bag.

  “Yes, ma’am.” The boy wiped the milk mustache off with the back of a hand. Marie frowned at his attempt to clean his face and he leveled the mischievous glint in his eye at her—another Colder trademark.

  Her lips quirked. She held back a laugh. The boy charmed women, much like his father. She sucked in a breath and hardened herself against any feelings of home, warmth…

  Love.

  She reminded herself she couldn’t afford to get too close. Although Jesse had already broken through that barrier. The boy, though, she could accept. He needed the love of a mother. What would it hurt to give him that, at least for the short time she’d be there? Jake, however…

  Between the cows and his work, the man left every morning before anyone else woke up. That left her alone with Jesse. She shook off the thought of Jake. She had to get Jesse off to school. She’d made it part of her regular routine to see Jesse went to school properly outfitted—clean clothes and teeth, brushed hair, his knapsack and a decent breakfast in his belly. She turned back to the sink and put another dish in the washer. Taking care of Jesse made for a long day but the sense of hearth and home she’d gotten from it more than made up for any inconvenience. She peered at the boy. She’d never felt more needed.

  Marie frowned as she pondered her mothering instincts. The trait, in itself, was dangerous. It brought out the deeply harbored desires she’d had since she’d started her track as a successful businesswoman. Family and a career, why couldn’t she have both? She shook her head. It was a dream that had long since passed for a woman in her situation.

  Good thing she now handled her new station better. No more passionate interludes with the sheriff, not for this woman. She’d scheduled her other activities around the virile man to protect herself, especially with regard to her work at the Chuck Wagon. Marie had volunteered to take the dinner shifts in hopes that the hours would stymie his amorous attention. She grinned at Jesse. The added benefit was she could help Jake’s boy in the mornings.

  Of course, the weekends were still open but at least she wouldn’t be around during the weekdays when Jake got home, unless, of course, he got an emergency. If that happened, she would leave the diner or Jake would drop Jesse off with her so the boy could eat and do his homework at one of the tables. She’d warned Gus about the possibility. He’d said the arrangement was fine with him.

  Marie shook her head. No employer in his right mind would allow such things in the city. They’d be too worried about lost business or the insurance implications. It amazed her how many people helped each other in this town. In her big-city experience, that kind of caring and concern grew rarer every day.

  Her brows creased. The kindness of the people had become part of what she loved about this place. Would the feeling skew her judgment when the time came for her to go? She looked at Jesse again, longing to have a boy like him. But she couldn’t afford to think such nonsense.

  Then she stifled a laugh. Jesse had buried his angelic face in the cereal bowl, and lapped the contents. Her gaze caressed the boy. Yes, she already had deep feelings for Jesse and if the truth be known, she’d rather spend the evenings with him and his father, but she knew herself well enough. Her attraction to Jake would overpower her common sense. Then they’d make love again. God, if she did that, she’d never be able to leave him—not after the intense addictive passion they’d found.

  Then if he discovered her past and she had to run or he had to arrest her, well, they’d all be hurt.

  No. She closed her eyes against the loss of what she might have. This way was for the best. Still, when she thought of that night, her body shivered with desire. The sexual hunger between her and Jake, his hard body, the way he held her, penetrated her—all those things stoked her, made her long for more.

  Her skin tingled. Her mouth dried and her sex went wet. She didn’t think she’d ever felt this deep carnal intensity.

  Marie pouted and dried her hands on a dishtowel, ashamed of herself. Jake wanted more than a temporary lover. He’d said as much. Yet her issues would find her here one day. It would be selfish to ask for more than the shelter she now shared.

  She rubbed her brow to push the tender emotions she had about Jake away. But the thought of his half naked body in the moonlight kept intruding in her brain. She had little success trying to dispel the image.

  And after having had him, she doubted she ever would.

  Marie glanced at the clock. She should armor herself better against these homey thoughts. She was still vulnerable. Jake’s seduction wasn’t fast and hard now, it was slow and sensuous, and with every glance, every casual touch, she felt her emotional bulwark crumble. When Jake was off duty, he tried to romance her during her shifts at the diner. Then there were the evenings they both had free, when they huddled together over some television program or a game of cards Jesse would rope them into. The provocative look from his blue eyes would throw her and send her heartbeat into overdrive.

  She swallowed—hard. She’d never felt this warm sensation—the one that said this was where she belonged. With Jake. He believed they were meant for each other. He’d said so. Every time their eyes met, his gaze revealed a man who asked for more than a quick roll in the hay. Jake wanted commitment, someone who’d stand beside him through the good times and the bad. She worried about that. The roots of this life were growing around her—home, family, a life with Jake.

  But that kind of partnership was one she could ill afford. The last thing she needed to do was bind herself to a man, especially Jake. The pain when she ran again would hurt too much.

  “You gonna show me more on the Internet when I get home?” Jesse sipped his juice and his comment startled Marie from her brooding.

  “Maybe.” She rinsed off a dish. “After you give me another horseback-riding lesson. I want to practice my trotting.”

  “Yeah.” He squirmed in the chair then took another bite. “Cool. You can show me more of that investment stuff. I wanna learn how to make money like that. The ranch needs all it can get.”

  That was true. Marie puffed a breath of air between her barely parted lips. None of the small ranches in the area made much, although many of the folk who lived in the sparsely populated valley were frugal and able to save. With Marie’s talent, she could, in a real sense, increase their earnings, use ways they would never have thought of without some business-school training. As she closed the washer, she wished she’d at least be around long enough to show those who had becom
e fast friends how to better help themselves.

  Jesse brought his bowl over and gave her a big hug. The boy had started the act on impulse but it had become an established practice for him now. She hugged him back and kissed his cheek. Jesse had a strong need for a mother. Marie didn’t mind. It was one of the things that endeared him to her. What she couldn’t fathom was why any woman in her right mind would leave such a precious child.

  “You know,” he said as he pulled away from her, “Miss Scott is still asking about you.”

  Her brows shot up. “Your teacher from last year?”

  “Yeah.” He donned his backpack. “She thinks you’re competition.”

  Marie straightened. “I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  She busied herself at the counter in an attempt to ignore him but the boy’s quick mind wouldn’t be stymied. “You know what I mean. Dad’s sweet on you and everyone in town knows it.”

  “Jesse,” she dropped the dishcloth she’d inadvertently picked up, “I’m the housekeeper.”

  “Yeah.” He took his lunch off the counter then, very grownup-like, put his hand on his hip. “Marie, it’s okay with me, you know. I wouldn’t mind having you as my mom. You’re a lot better ’en Miss Scott except you make me wash my hands.” He lifted a palm in front of his face and puckered his lips, then both sides of his mouth turned upward and he pulled that dazzling Colder grin on her. “Wouldn’t mind some brothers and sisters, too, ifn’ you have a mind, but probably more of the brothers if you can help it.” He gave her a parting hug. “Unless, of course, the girls turn out like you.”

  After a comment like that, Marie knew that charisma ran in the family genes. Jesse stood proof positive of it. “I’ll keep that in mind,” she tousled his hair, “especially if I’m asked to take the job.”

  “Oh, you will be.” He winked at her. “Gramps said Dad has all the signs.”

  “Gramps, again.” She shook her head and wondered when she’d meet the progenitor of this brood. Charmers, all of them, she was sure. She turned him in the direction of the hall. “Now out of here, before you miss your bus. And Jesse…”