Branded by the Sheriff

by Delores Fossen

  “He’s dead.”

  “I didn’t do it. I came here because I’ve been sleeping in one of the barns while I’ve been in town looking for evidence to clear my name. I didn’t kill anyone, and I didn’t help Nolan do it, either.” He took in a weary breath. “But I’m tired now. I need to rest.”

  “You’ll have to get your rest at the sheriff’s office,” Beck let him know. He walked closer and patted Darin down. He wasn’t armed, but in addition to the limp, there was a nasty gash on the back on his head. It was no longer bleeding, but it looked as if it could use some stitches.

  The Ranger’s cell phone rang, and he stepped aside to take the call.

  “Darin will have to be cuffed,” Beck let Faith know, and he kept a grip on her until after Corey had done that.

  When he let go of her, Faith ran to Darin and hugged him. “I want to go with him.”

  Beck didn’t even try to argue with her. He knew it would do no good. He motioned for Corey to get Darin into the cruiser. He and Faith would follow it, first to the emergency room and then to his office, where he’d eventually have to lock up Darin.

  “I’ll do whatever you need me to do,” Darin insisted. He looked at Faith. “You’re not in danger anymore. Nolan can’t hurt you.”

  “And I’ll help you,” Faith promised. “I have attorney friends who can defend you if you’re charged with anything. There’s a lot of evidence, and when it’s all examined and processed, I think it’ll prove you’re innocent.”

  Beck hoped the same thing.

  Nicole walked closer to them. “Now that this is over, and the killer’s been caught, there’s no reason for Faith to stay at your house any longer. We can finally get back to the way things were.”

  Beck shook his head. “This case isn’t settled.” And Faith would stay with him until it was.

  He didn’t want to think beyond that.

  “We might be one step closer to getting things settled,” the Ranger announced, rejoining them. “That was the crime lab. We’ll need to do more analysis, of course, but the handwriting expert says the suicide note appears to be a match to Nolan Wheeler’s.”

  “So he did write that note,” Nicole concluded.

  Beck considered a different theory. “Perhaps he wrote it under duress?” While a gun was pointed to his head?

  The Ranger shrugged. “Maybe, but according to the expert, there are no obvious indications of hesitation. There probably would have been if he’d been forced to write it.”

  Well, that put a new light on things. Nolan had confessed to the murders in that note. Maybe Darin had been telling the truth about his lack of involvement? Maybe he wasn’t a killer, and Nolan had been the one to orchestrate all of this so he could get the money from Sherry’s blackmail scheme and her estate.

  “We should go.” Beck caught Faith’s arm and led her toward his cruiser.

  With her barely out of the hospital, he didn’t like the idea of her having to accompany him to the station, but he didn’t want her alone, either. Besides, she would want to be there when Beck questioned Darin. And when the questioning was done, the loose ends would be tied up into a neat little package.

  So why did Beck have this uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach?

  Why did he feel that Faith was in even more danger than ever?

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Faith’s mind was racing. She was mentally exhausted after spending most of the afternoon with her brother. But she was also hopeful.

  Because soon she’d get to see her little girl.

  She’d already called Marita, and the nanny had told her they would be on their way back when they got everything packed up. With luck, Aubrey would be home within the next three hours.

  Well, not home exactly. But back at Beck’s house, where they’d stay another day or two until she could decide something more permanent.

  She climbed out of the cruiser, went inside the house and into the kitchen. Because it suddenly seemed to take too much energy to go any farther, she leaned against the wall and tried to absorb everything.

  So much had happened in the past twenty hours. Too much to grasp at once.

  Nolan was dead and no longer a threat to Aubrey and her. Her brother was at the LaMesa Springs hospital receiving treatment for the head wound he’d gotten from the altercation with Roy. Once the doctor released him, Darin would still have to undergo an intense interrogation. Maybe the evidence against him would even have to go to a grand jury. But Beck had promised her that Darin would be given fair treatment and that he personally was going to recommend that any assessment come from the county mental health officials.

  Her brother might finally get the help he needed.

  Beck came in behind her, took off his jacket and hung it on the hook on the mudroom door. “How’s your neck?” he asked.

  It took her a moment to realize what he meant. The tranquilizer dart wound. Even though it hadn’t been that long since the injury, she’d forgotten all about it. “It’s fine,” she assured him.

  The corner of his mouth lifted. A weary smile. “You’re not feeling any pain because Aubrey will be here soon.”

  Faith couldn’t argue with that, so she returned the smile. She took off her coat and hung it next to his. “Thank you for letting us stay with you.”

  It seemed as if he changed his mind a dozen times about what to say. “You’re welcome.”

  His response was sincere, she didn’t doubt that, but there was something else. Something simmering beneath the surface. “Your family won’t like me being here. I’ll make plans to leave tomorrow.”

  No smile this time. He took off his shoulder holster, and with the weapon inside, he placed it on top of the fridge. “No hurry. I don’t want you to make any decisions based on my family. Truth is, I’m fed up with them. And I’d like for Aubrey, Marita and you to stay here for as long as you like. Or until at least we have everything sorted out with your brother. It’s a big place, lots of room, and we can get to know each other better.”

  “You’ve known me for years,” she pointed out.

  He lowered his head. Touched his lips to hers. “But I want to know you better.”

  The kiss was over before it even started. It was hardly more than a peck. But it slid through her from her lips all the way to her toes.

  “That sounds sexual.” Or maybe that was wishful thinking on her part.

  “It is,” he drawled. “But the invitation isn’t good for tonight. Tonight, you’ll rest, take a hot bath and spend time with Aubrey when she gets here. In a day or two, I’ll work on getting you into my bed again.”

  There it was. More heat. She’d been attracted to men before but never like this. Nothing had ever felt like this. It scared her, but at the same time, she wanted more.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” he warned.

  She touched the front of his shirt with her fingertips. “Like what?”

  “Like you want to get naked with me.”

  “Oh.” Maybe she looked that way because that’s exactly what she wanted. “I’m at a disadvantage here. I’ve spent my entire adult life pulling back from men. I don’t know how to stop you from treating me like glass. I don’t know how to make you take me the way you would a woman with lots of experience. I don’t know how to seduce you.”

  He shrugged. “Breathe.”

  Faith blinked. “Excuse me?”

  He leaned in, whispered in her ear, “This is all about you, Faith. Just you. To seduce me, all you have to do is breathe and say yes.”

  “Yes.” She pulled in a loud breath, and with that, his mouth came to hers.

  This time, it wasn’t a peck, it was a full-fledged kiss. His mouth moved over hers as if he knew exactly what to do to set her on fire.

  It worked.

  Faith leaned against him—until she could no longer do the thing that had set all of this into motion. She couldn’t breathe. And she didn’t care. She’d take Beck’s kisses over breathing any day.

 
His left arm went around her waist, and he pulled her to him. The embrace was gentle. Unlike the kiss that had turned French and a little rough.

  Faith broke the intimate contact so he could see her face. “No treating me like glass,” she reminded him. “And I’d rather not rest tonight if you don’t mind.”

  He stared at her, and she could see the debate that stirred the muscles in his jaw. “All right.”

  That was the only warning she got before he hoisted her up. Face-to-face. Body against body. And he delivered some of those kisses to the front of her neck and then into the V of her top.

  Faith automatically wrapped her arms and legs around him. His sex touched hers and sent a shiver of heat dancing through her. She wanted him naked, now.

  She went after his shirt as he carried her toward his bedroom. Buttons popped and flew, pinging on the floor, and her frenzy of need for him only fueled the fire. She got his shirt off and kissed his neck. Then his chest.

  He made a throaty sound of approval and, off balance, he rammed his shoulder into the doorjamb. Faith wanted to ask if he was okay, but he obviously was.

  Beck kissed her even harder, and instead of taking her to the bed, he stopped just short of it, and with her pressed between him and the mattress, he slid them to the floor. While he kissed her blind, he unzipped her jeans and peeled them off her. Bra and panties, too, leaving her naked. He quickly covered her left nipple with his mouth.

  The sensation shot through her.

  His hand went lower, between her legs, and his fingers found her. He slipped his index finger through the slippery moisture of her body and touched her so intimately that Faith could have sworn she saw stars.

  “Breathe,” he reminded her.

  She thought she might be breathing, but couldn’t tell. The only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted him to continue with those slippery, clever strokes.

  And he did.

  He touched and created a delicious friction that brought her just to the edge.

  Faith caught her breath and caught onto his hand. “You, inside me,” she managed to say, though she didn’t know how she’d gotten out the words. Speech suddenly seemed very complex and not entirely necessary.

  She shoved down his zipper, which took some doing. He was huge and hard, making it difficult for her to free him from his jeans and boxers.

  Even though her need was burning her to ash, she took a moment to fulfill a fantasy she’d had for years. She got him out of those jeans, took Beck in her hand and slid her fingers down the length of him, all the while guiding him right to where she wanted him to go.

  He reacted with a male sound deep within his chest. He buried his face in her hair. His breath, hot against his skin. His mouth, tense now, muffled a groan, and he kissed her. His tongue parted the seam of her lips as his hard sex touched the softness of hers.

  Her vision blurred. She reached to pull him closer. Deeper into her. But he stopped and cursed.

  “Condom,” he gutted out.

  Still cursing, he reached over, rummaged through his nightstand drawer and produced a condom. He hurried, but it still seemed an eternity. The moment he had it on, Faith pulled him back to her.

  Despite the urgency that she could feel in every part of him, Beck entered her slowly. Gently. Inch by inch. While he watched her. That wasn’t difficult to do since they were face-to-face with her straddling him. He was watching to see if he was hurting her.

  He wasn’t.

  The only pain she felt was from the hard ache of unfilled need. A need that Beck was more than capable of satisfying.

  She could see how much this gentleness was costing him. Beck didn’t want to hold back anything, and Faith made sure he didn’t. She thrust her hips forward.

  Beck cursed again.

  “It’s better than I thought it’d be,” she mumbled. A shock since she’d been positive it would be pretty darn good.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  He stilled a moment to let her adjust to this intimate invasion, but the stillness only lasted a few seconds and a kiss. He moved, sliding into her. Drawing back. Then sliding in even deeper. Each motion took her higher. Closer. Until her focus honed in on the one thing she had to have.

  Release.

  Beck had taken her to this hot, crazy place. He’d made her feel things she’d only imagined. And he just kept making her feel.

  He slid his hand between their bodies, and with him sliding in and out of her, he touched her with his fingers, matching the frenetic stokes of his sex. He kept touching. Kept moving. The need got stronger. Until she was sure she couldn’t bear the heat any longer.

  Beck seemed to understand that. He kissed her. Touched her. Went deep inside her. A triple assault. And it happened. In a flash. Her orgasm wracked through her, filling her and giving her primal release.

  Breathe, Faith reminded herself. Breathe.

  There were no barriers. No bad blood. Nothing to stop her from realizing the truth.

  She was in love with Beckett Tanner.

  * * *

  WELL, FAITH WAS BREATHING all right.

  Her chest was pumping as if starved for air, and each pump pushed her sweat-dampened breasts against his chest. There was a look of total amazement on her face.

  She was practically glowing.

  Beck knew he was somewhat responsible for giving her that look, and when his brain caught up with the now sated part of his body, he might try to figure out what he was going to do about that look. And about what’d just happened.

  For now though, he just held her and tried not to make any annoying male grunts when the aftershocks of her climax reminded him that he was still inside her. Not that he needed such a reminder.

  “That was worth waiting for,” she mumbled.

  He kissed her, tried to think of something clever to say and settled for another kiss. But he would have to address this sooner or later. Faith obviously wasn’t a casual sex kind of person. Neither was he. But it suddenly felt as if he had more than a normal responsibility here. A commitment, maybe.

  After all, he was her first.

  He certainly hadn’t expected to have that title once he was past the age of twenty. Maybe she’d have some emotional fallout from this.

  Maybe even some regrets.

  Beck realized she was staring at him. Her breathing had settled. There were no more aftershocks. But she had her head tilted to the side, and she was studying him.

  “What?” he prompted.

  “I’m just trying to get inside your head.” She smiled. It was tentative. Perhaps even a facade. “Don’t worry. This doesn’t mean we’re going steady or anything.” Still smiling, she moved off him and stood.

  Beck caught onto her hand before she could move too far from him. All in all, it wasn’t a bad vantage point. He was still sitting. Looking up at her. She was naked. Beautiful. Glistening with perspiration. And his scent was on her.

  He wanted her all over again.

  “I need a drink of water,” she let him know. She leaned down and kissed him. “Then I think I’ll take a bath before Aubrey gets here.”

  He had some cleaning up to do, too, and rather than sit there and watch her dress, Beck got up, gathered his clothes from the floor and went into the adjoining bathroom.

  While he cleaned up and put his jeans back on, he glanced at the tub. Should he run her a bath? Probably not. It would only lead to more sex. Once was enough for her tonight. Plus, despite her “going steady” remark, she had some feelings she needed to work through.

  He certainly did.

  The house phone rang, and he went back into the bedroom to answer it. “Sheriff Tanner.”

  “It’s Corey. Is Darin Matthews with you?” His words were harried and borderline frantic.

  That put a knot in Beck’s stomach. “No. He’s supposed to be at the hospital with you.”

  Corey cursed. “Darin was sedated so I went to the vending machine to get a Coke. When I got back, he wasn’t in his bed. I guess he
wasn’t sedated as much as I thought. I’ve looked all through the building and the parking lot. He’s not here.”

  Darin couldn’t have gotten far with that injured leg. Beck hoped. Unless he stole a car.

  “Don’t put out an APB just yet, but if one of the Rangers is still around, let him know so he can look for him. Faith and I will drive around, too, and see if we can spot him. Darin’s probably looking for her anyway.”

  “One more thing,” Corey said before Beck could end the call. “The Ranger lab in Austin put a rush on that DNA test you ordered. They faxed the results over, and the dispatcher brought it to me while I was looking for Darin.”

  Great. He needed those results, but he had to resolve this problem with Darin first. “The results will keep,” Beck let him know.

  Cursing under his breath, Beck hung up and reached for his boots. He should probably call Marita and Tracy and delay Aubrey’s homecoming, just in case Darin had some kind of psychotic episode.

  Beck reached for the phone again, but stopped when he heard the soft sound. A thud. He stilled and listened. But there wasn’t another sound. Just the uneasy feeling that all was not right.

  “Faith?” he called out.

  Nothing.

  That knot in his stomach tightened. Hell. Why hadn’t she answered?

  The answer that came to mind had him grabbing the gun from the nightstand.

  Beck started for the kitchen.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Faith opened the cupboard and reached for a glass. But reaching for it was as far as she got.

  The lights went out.

  She heard footsteps behind her. Before she could pick through the darkness to see who was behind her, an arm went around her neck, putting her in a choke hold.

  A hand clamped over her mouth, and she felt the cold steel of a gun barrel shoved against her right temple.

  Oh, God. What was happening?

  Nolan was dead. The danger was over. Who was this person, and what was going on?

  She didn’t wait for the answers. Faith rammed her elbow into her attacker’s belly. She might as well have rammed it into a brick wall because other than a soft grunt, the person didn’t react.