by Ava Miles
The moose rammed her side again. The top part of the window blew apart, showering her in glass.
Maven plucked her onto his lap. She flinched at the heat pouring from his body, the sensation of his muscles bunching under her. God, it had been ages since she’d been this close to a man she wasn’t handcuffing. Wasn’t it her luck they were in mortal danger, and he was her enemy?
“Wait! Give me the pie.” He yanked it from her, leaned over, and flung it through the broken part of the window like it was a frisbee.
He gripped her body more tightly against his, a stance so protective she almost fought him. She didn’t need anyone protecting her. She was a cop. Then the moose circled the car again. Who was she kidding? Even cops had partners. Damn, she missed her gun.
Suddenly the moose lifted its head as if sniffing the air. It lumbered toward the pie with its clippity–clop gait, bent over, and clamped it between its teeth. After giving them another eerie glance, it ambled down the street.
Maven dropped his face to her shoulder, hugging her. “Jesus, it was hungry. Thank God!”
“Yeah, hungry.” What was she saying? Her ears buzzed like they did after a drug raid. She realized they were both breathing hard. His heart was pounding like an anvil in his chest, mirroring hers.
They were both shaking.
He pressed his cheek against hers. “You scared me. I saw you stop and let Keith run ahead.” Then he cupped her neck and tunneled his fingers through her short hair.
His concern broke through the power of her hostility toward him. Hell, he’d saved her life. “I had to.”
He rubbed their foreheads together, a gesture so tender her heart cracked open.
“I know you did,” he murmured. “Mom’s instinct. Where’s your car?”
His understanding warmed her even more. Maven’s breath feathered her lips. She wanted to lean into him, giving herself to the heat, the connection.
“Ah…” What was he saying? Oh. Car. “We walked. It’s not far. The weather’s nice.” Was she babbling? She never babbled.
His strong body and spicy scent made her feel safe. God, why did some big scary mountain creature make her feel like such a girl?
He stroked her hair—a gesture she recognized. She did it with Keith when she wanted to soothe him. Well, she didn’t want that type of soothing from Maven. His touch burned. Her body switched from fear to heat. Why did he make her feel this way? He was a freakin’ poker player.
“Thank God Keith’s safe,” he uttered in a deep voice.
His words held the power of blazing sunlight on an icicle. She melted a little.
She raised her head and looked down the street. Even from a few blocks away, her eagle eyes made out Tanner and Brian running toward them. Her brother was carrying a shotgun. Sirens whined in the distance.
“Cavalry’s coming,” Maven murmured, stroking her cheekbone, yanking her awareness back to him.
“It was already here,” she responded.
In that instant, all the antagonism between them faded. Those stoplight green eyes peered into her soul, and the long–silent woman inside awoke and whispered, Yes, him. Let go.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as he caressed her cheek. A new chill stole over her, and the punch of lust slammed into her belly. Her bottom twitched on his lap. He stilled, his gaze settling on her mouth.
“I’m glad you’re safe.” His voice was a near whisper, all throaty and soft.
His voice…well, it made things turn liquid that hadn’t been liquid for a long, long time. She was no longer an icicle, but a puddle of water.
“Thanks for coming to our rescue.”
“Somehow I think you would have managed.” His mouth tipped up. “I just couldn’t watch from the sidelines this time.”
His coal–black hair had fallen onto his forehead, making him look mussed and unkempt, and oh, so totally hot. Her body seemed to flow into him, anchored by their connection.
“I’m glad.”
The whole car smelled like citrus. “You ruined my pie,” she said to break the tension between them.
His mouth twitched. “Collateral damage. What was it anyway? Wait.”
He swept a finger across her diaphragm for a taste, sending a jolt down her thighs. He put it in his mouth, sucking.
“Key lime. Yum. I can see why it satisfied the moose.”
The way he said satisfy made her insides clench.
Maven’s eyes flicked to something over her shoulder. “We should see if we can get out of the car. Tanner and Brian—”
“Right.” She turned to angle her body back into the passenger seat.
He gripped her waist and lifted her effortlessly, setting her down gently. She gulped air in a quick inhale.
She settled in as he tried his door. “Jammed shut. Yours?”
“Same,” she said after jiggling the handle.
“Okay, lean away from the window.” And without further adieu, he stripped off his shirt.
Her mouth gaped. His bronzed chest with all those corded muscles had her heart knocking hard in her chest again. She had the crazy urge to stroke him and never stop.
“What are you doing?” She tried to sound horrified, but was afraid she sounded like a spinster who hadn’t seen a naked man in a long while and really craved a strip show.
He bit his lip, fighting a smile. “Don’t worry, deputy. I’m not planning on having my way with you just now.” He wrapped his fist in the shirt. “Come closer. Let’s clear the rest of the glass out of the window the moose broke. We’ll have to crawl through it.”
Tanner finally reached the passenger side of the car, panting from his run. “Jesus, are you guys all right?”
Brian, who was right behind him, repeated the question.
“We’re okay. How’s Keith?”
“Scared,” Tanner said. “He insisted on coming back for you. Threw a fit when I said no, so we compromised. He’s in the car with Meredith and Jill.” He set the shotgun aside and fished out his phone. “Yeah, it’s safe,” he said into the speaker. “Bring the little guy over.” He shoved the phone back into his pocket.
“Let’s get you guys out,” Brian said.
Mac pulled Peggy closer with a gentle hand. “I was just about to knock the window out.”
It took him and the other men some time to clear the glass away. Peggy went through face first, Brian and Tanner gently pulling her out. She looked back at Maven, and their eyes met. She felt rooted to the spot. Her heart wrenched like someone had stuck one of those long hat pins in it.
“Go to Keith, Peggy. I’ll be fine.”
She nodded and ran toward Tanner’s approaching SUV.
Keith met her by the car door, crying. “Mommy!”
She knelt down beside him, wrapping him up in her arms. “It’s okay. You did so great!”
He squeezed her with all his might, and she pulled him onto her lap and stroked his hair. Her sister–in–law and Jill hovered around her, their eyes wide with concern.
“Jeez, Peg, you really know how to get into scrapes,” Jill said, holding her round tummy.
“Are you okay?” Meredith asked, patting her shoulder.
She mumbled some response, her attention focused on Maven sliding smoothly from the car, his still–naked chest gleaming in the sunlight.
A few moments later, her fellow officers and the firemen arrived. Maven pointed down the street in the direction of the moose, and the Animal Control SUV took off in hot pursuit. She lifted her hand to her cop buddies. They would want a statement. It would probably be the weirdest one she had ever given.
Maven was gesturing to Officer Barnes with his hands, his gaze swinging back to her every few seconds. Like he wanted to make sure she was all right.
He kept charging into her life at the oddest moments. This wasn’t the first time he’d come to their rescue. The first time they’d met was back in February—he had driven up in that same screaming red Ferrari in the nick of time to help Keith with a bro
ken leg.
She knew what would happen if she let him in. The repressed woman inside her would start to dream of him being everything she could want. Protector, companion, partner. Lover. Oh, she couldn’t forget lover.
But he was a poker player. She was a cop. Oil and water.
There could never be anything between them.
She was still planning on kicking him out of town. She just didn’t know how yet.
He lifted his hand as if asking if Keith were okay and started walking to them. His gaze sought hers, hesitant but hopeful.
The woman inside her rose up in joy, ready to meet him halfway. A smile wanted to spread across her face.
She picked her son up and turned away, shutting them both out.
Chapter 2
Mac halted in the middle of the street when Peggy gave him the cut direct. She might as well have driven one of the glass shards littering the ground through his gut. Every time he opened himself up, she rejected him. He stuffed his anger inside.
How could he have let his guard down again? Hadn’t he ignored her since she’d tried to damage his character in front of the whole town so they wouldn’t approve his plans for the hotel? If she’d gone only after him, he might have forgiven her. Who doesn’t respect a good adversary? But she’d picked something personal, exposing his sister and nephew. He couldn’t let that go. He’d buried the hurt, pouring his energy into building his hotel. He hoped her panties got in a wad every time she thought about his sparkling poker palace—as he’d been told she called it.
He was going to send her a hand–written invitation to the hotel’s grand opening tomorrow to piss her off.
He shook the thoughts off, returning to the present moment as Dare’s helpful police force asked him questions about the moose attack. One of the deputies even called a tow truck for him. Tanner—Peggy’s brother and his increasingly good friend—hustled back and forth between him and his family.
Peggy stuck close to Tanner’s SUV, holding Keith as she delivered her statement to one of her fellow cops.
Wouldn’t it have been more efficient for them to give a statement together? Yes, but she couldn’t stand to be near him. She’d driven that point home. Her distaste for his profession bordered on unbalanced. Well, he’d worked hard to be treated with respect, and there was nothing wrong with how he made his living or his money.
It baffled him why Peggy, of all women, had dug into him this way. And damn it, he wanted to cut her out. He didn’t need another prickly, courageous, confused single mother in his life. He already had one—his sister—who was moving to Dare Valley in a few days to work at the hotel. Isn’t that why he understood Peggy?
“You sure you’re okay?” Tanner asked.
“Sure. I can add surviving a moose to my resume.”
“Hell of a thing. We didn’t know what to do. Brian had to run to a neighbor’s house for a shotgun. Jill hates guns.”
Mac surveyed his car. It looked pretty done for. “Peggy took me to task for not having one.”
“Yeah, she’d carry one all the time if she could. Summer makes it hard to conceal a clutch piece.”
Mac shook his head. “You two speak the same language.”
“I might know how to use weapons, but I don’t share her fondness for them. Some women like shoes. Peggy likes—”
“Guns. Got it.” He circled the car and looked over his shoulder. He let out a long breath. No ugly beastie in sight. “Never knew a moose could do that.”
“The cops said it’s rare, but happens. It’s been dry in the canyon. Not much to eat or drink.”
“Well, it liked her pie.”
Tanner’s laugh snorted out. “That’s a miracle. Peg’s not the best cook.”
There was a crack in the engine. Battery fluid leaked like a tributary onto the concrete. “What a mess. I’ve never liked Hummers, but I’m seeing them in a new light.”
“Or a Range Rover. That’s what we always drove on safari.”
“I don’t consider Dare the Masai Mara.”
Tanner’s hand gestured to the twisted peaks dotting the valley. “We’re living in a mountainous region, and we’re crowding the animals out. Hell, if Meredith sees any more deer eating our vegetable garden, I think she might shoot one. And she is so not a hunter.”
Mac chuckled. “Deer I understand. Now, moose—”
“Fucking ugly.” Tanner slapped him on the back as the tow truck pulled up next to the Ferrari. “The cops are done here. Let’s head back to Jill and Brian’s. Get you a beer.”
“I think I could use something a little stronger.”
“Whiskey then. We’ll toast your Ferrari. She led a good life.”
After loading his car—or what remained of it—the tow truck gave them a ride to the party to join the others. Mac fought the sigh. God, he had loved that car…at least he had five others to soften the blow.
When they arrived, Mac followed Tanner into the house.
“Let’s get you a shirt. Brian doesn’t have your sense of style, though, so you’ll have to suck it up.”
“No, he sure doesn’t.” Jill Hale McConnell waddled over to him and pressed herself into his arms. He held her gently, her baby bump pressed firmly against him. She was the main reason his hotel was going through as planned. Besides being his right hand woman, she’d become a dear friend.
When she stepped back, she swept her eyes over him. “Well, now that I think of it, perhaps you should stay shirtless. Add more spice to my BBQ. If I weren’t married to Brian…”
He tapped her nose. “Funny. Those twins are short–circuiting your brain.”
She held her tummy like the basketball it resembled. “No doubt. You okay?”
“Yeah, but you be careful walking around here, okay? You can’t run like you used to if another moose comes through.”
Her mouth pinched. “That would seriously suck. Grandpa thinks more animals have been coming into town because of the drought. Still, this moose thing is seriously weird. He says he’s going to talk to the Forest Service to see if there’s anything Dare citizens need to know. There’ll be an article in the paper tomorrow.”
“I’m actually doing the article.” Tanner poured Mac a whiskey. “We flipped for it. So I’ll need a quote. Why do I think Peggy did something to piss the moose off?”
“Well, she did stop to confront it so Keith could run to the house. Maybe it realized she was a worthy opponent.” Like he had the moment he met her. He shook his head. “Jill, could you grab me one of Brian’s shirts? I’ll risk his fashion sense. I’m feeling a little exposed.”
“Ah…who knew you were modest?”
“Please.”
“Okay, I suppose you deserve a shirt. I’ll pick something out.”
She waddled off. He drained the whiskey in one shot as people came up and slapped him on the back. He downplayed the whole hero talk.
Jill reappeared with a purple shirt with yellow polka–dots. She held it up to his chest. The handful of guests who were mingling in the room laughed. “I realized you could wear one of my maternity shirts instead. Isn’t this pretty?”
He pushed the hideous explosion of color away. “Ha–ha. I’m tempted to call your bluff and put this on, but I have too much dignity.”
“I think a real hero deserves a real shirt,” Meredith said, appearing by his side.
Jill stuck out her tongue. “You’re so boring, sis.”
“Why don’t you show me my choices?” Mac said, taking her by the arm.
She led him to Brian’s closet, where he selected a simple hunter green T–shirt.
“Mine was better.”
He gave her a warm smile. Only Jill would have come up with a stunt like that. “Okay, now it’s time for food.”
“Follow me. Brian’s gone crazy, as usual.”
Mac followed her into the backyard. Sure enough, Jill’s chef husband had done it up right. Opening the town’s hot new restaurant, Brasserie Dare, hadn’t lulled him into a cooking comfo
rt zone. A whole pig turned on a spit over a freshly dug fire pit. A BBQ smoker puffed out black clouds, the fragrance of roasted meat, hickory, and spices redolent in the air.
Tanner and Meredith were huddled in a corner with Peggy and Keith. Peggy had also changed her shirt, he noticed. She was wearing a simple navy tee. No polka dots. Her cop sensibilities wouldn’t stand for it.
Arthur Hale—Jill and Meredith’s curmudgeonly grandpa—let Keith clamber up on his lap and passed the boy a red hot. He waved to Mac, who returned the gesture. The more he knew the journalistic legend from The Western Independent, the more he respected him. He’d walk over to say hello if Peggy weren’t emanating her waves of disgust, as he’d come to call them.
Jill grabbed his arm. “She’ll come around.”
Since he knew she meant Peggy, he lifted a shoulder. The gash in his heart still gushed blood. “I don’t think so.”
“She still calling you by your last name?”
“Let’s drop this.”
Peggy refused to call him Mac. Jill thought it meant she was fighting her feelings for him; Mac thought it was another sign of her contempt.
She elbowed him. “Is she?”
He picked up a paper plate and scooped up potato salad and a huge helping of pulled pork and dry–rub ribs. “Yes. Now, let’s find you somewhere to sit down so you can prop up your feet.”
She put her hands on her hips. “I’m fine.”
“You’re pregnant with twins. Changes everything.”
She let him take her hand. “It weirds me out how much you know about pregnant women.”
“I went through it with my sister.” He shuddered. “You don’t forget.”
“When are she and your nephew arriving?”
He scanned the eastern part of the mountain where their new house was situated. They’d spend the next couple of years here to launch the hotel. Then, they’d move on to the next spot. He’d used the same model to create boutique poker hotels in six other western locations, to rave reviews.
“Dustin and Abbie will be coming in a couple of days. School finished a few weeks ago. They’ve been packing up.”
