Just Down the Road

by Jodi Thomas

  He sat her down on a workbench and broke the kiss long enough to whisper, “How long do we have?”

  “Only a few minutes,” she answered as he shoved the jacket off her shoulders. “Those two guys sitting in your living room will come out if I take too long.”

  Leaning into her, he opened her knees so he could be closer. With her sitting on the bench and him standing in front of her, they were the same height.

  For a moment, his mouth demanded more and he could feel her rock against him, giving him just what she knew he wanted. His hand found the front of her shirt and pushed her away roughly. Then, without hesitation, he balled the front of the flannel shirt in his fist and freed the snaps to her waist. Before she could cry out in shock, he covered her mouth once more and ended any protest.

  When she turned molten in his grip, he leaned her back against his arm as he moved down her throat with light kisses, loving the taste of her.

  She moaned softly as his free hand roamed over her. When she silently begged for more, he leaned her back on her jacket and spread his hand wide just above her waist to keep her still. He was advancing fast and hard. He needed to know she was with him.

  One look into her eyes told him all he wanted to know. His fingers dug into her hair, pulling her head back, exposing her throat to his touch, to his mouth.

  She rocked back and forth, wanting more.

  Straightening away from her, he studied her in the shadowy light. The thin lace of her bra did nothing to hide her body. “You’re beautiful, Addison.” When he put his hand over her breast and tightened his grip possessively, she arched toward him and closed her eyes. He opened his palm over her and pressed gently before he circled her breast once with his fingers and gripped her tender flesh with rough work-hardened hands. She moaned with pleasure, as he hoped she would. “You come so alive at my touch. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of you.”

  He kissed her completely then and left her gulping for air as he unbuttoned the first few buttons of her jeans. He knew if he went any further, he’d be going all the way with her, and he couldn’t do that. He wanted Addison, but he wanted her body and soul and he wanted hours, not minutes, to make love to her.

  All he could do tonight was brand his touch on her skin and leave her longing for more. His hand slid over her as she opened her mouth, waiting for his next kiss. No matter how far she traveled away, she’d always dream of this night, of this kiss, of his touch, and she’d know she’d left something unfinished between them.

  He bruised her lips with the passion of the next kiss as he pulled her to him. She was warm, liquid passion in his arms. He found himself being rough one moment, demanding more, then so gentle she cried out in need. She seemed to ride the waves, loving every level.

  He buried his fist in her hair and tugged her back so that he could see her face. He wanted to remember her with passion in her eyes and hunger on her lips.

  “More?” he whispered.

  “More,” she answered, trying to move closer.

  “Then say you want me.”

  She laughed. “You know I do.”

  “Say it.”

  “I want you.”

  He moved his thumb over her bottom lip. “Are you sure you don’t just want a man, any man?”

  “No. I want you, Tinch. All I’ve been able to think about since I left was how much I needed you to hold me.”

  He kissed her then and somewhere amid all the passion, Addison crawled into his heart.

  Maybe he could show her how he felt, even if he couldn’t talk about it. He was afraid if he did, he’d say far more than she was ready to hear.

  After several last kisses, Tinch saddled a horse and carried her back to her car, parked in front of the old Rogers place. He wished he could move slower, but he knew their time was up. All he could do was hold her tight as they rode.

  When he slid her off the saddle, he didn’t kiss her. He knew if he did, even once, there would be no leaving.

  “Don’t come back until this is over.” His word came out hard, but his touch was loving along her back. “Promise me, Addison. It’s too dangerous.”

  “I promise. You’re right. I probably shouldn’t have come tonight.”

  “I’m glad you did.” He swung back in the saddle and was gone before either could say another word.

  In the darkness between their two places, Tinch slowed and took a deep breath, but the smell of her had gotten into his lungs just as the feel of her against him had left an impression so complete that now she was gone he felt something missing, something wrong.

  They were from two different worlds. They didn’t belong together. They didn’t fit.

  Tinch stared at the sky wanting to yell and cuss until half the county heard him. If Addison wasn’t meant to stand beside him, to lie beside him, to stay beside him, how could she feel so right?

  Chapter 33

  TUESDAY

  OCTOBER 11

  NOAH MCALLEN FLEW INTO AMARILLO WITH A NEW SILVER belt buckle to add to his collection and a check in his pocket that would pay the taxes on his little ranch near Harmony for five years. Only, he hardly noticed either. His mind was on Reagan Truman. It had been nearly a week since he’d left her.

  After their dinner in the apple orchard, he’d told himself if he moved at all, he’d move slowly with any changes in their relationship. He’d almost lost her as a friend and he didn’t want that to happen again.

  Only, when she’d kissed him good-bye at the airport, she’d kissed him on the mouth. The kiss had been polite, even proper for an airport kiss, but to his way of thinking it was more than a friend’s kiss. Maybe he should just give up thinking about changing anything between them and let her set the pace. He’d called her every night since he’d been gone, and the talk had always been as friends. By the end of the week he’d decided he’d misread the last kiss.

  He swung his bull rope over his shoulder and walked through the sleepy terminal. No one ever seemed around to welcome the last flight. In other parts of the country someone taking a saddle or a bull rope as a carry-on might seem strange, but not here.

  He’d cleared the checking station when he saw her walking toward him, her hair flying around her in fiery curls. He made it two more steps before he dropped the carry-on and rope. He caught her in midflight as she ran toward him.

  It might have been only five days since he’d seen her, but he closed his arms around her and held on tightly as people circled around them.

  “I missed you,” he announced honestly.

  She smiled. “I missed you too.”

  Then she kissed him again. That on-the-mouth friendly kind of kiss that he couldn’t quite read.

  His mind had trouble figuring out what the kiss meant as she asked questions about the flight and the rodeo and the weather in Houston. Noah wasn’t even sure he answered the questions in order, but she didn’t seem to notice as they picked up his gear and moved toward the parking lot, where she’d had a devil of a time trying to park his long pickup.

  Without much discussion they stopped for a bite to eat at an all-night place near the airport. The food was barely edible, but neither noticed. After three cups of coffee he decided he was awake enough to drive through the rain toward home. They settled into the truck, listening to music as they talked of their days apart.

  Halfway there she mentioned a feeling she’d had for days that someone was following her. She said she hadn’t had time to think about it seriously, it was just a feeling rather than anything based on fact. She’d noticed a car parked on Lone Oak Road where no one would stop. Twice a car had come up on her right after she turned toward town.

  Noah turned off the highway onto the service road and noticed car lights half a mile back doing the same. A few minutes later he pulled back on the main highway and thought he could make out the car repeating his turn. The rain made it impossible to be sure.

  Twice more the car followed his turns.

  Reagan told him it was probably coinc
idence. With the rain it was impossible to tell if the headlights were even from the same car.

  Noah let the subject drop and concentrated on his driving. He would have liked it if Reagan had sat close to him, but she seemed miles away on the other side of the bench seat. He’d promised himself that his days of trying to talk or push her into anything were over. If she wanted to stay the virgin all her life, he’d sign on as the fool who stayed her best friend. He knew she’d hate it if he mentioned it, but in his mind she was his girlfriend. She always had been.

  They talked of the weather and the harvest. He told her all about his win and, of course, made himself sound grand. She laughed.

  By the time they reached the turnoff to Truman land it was after midnight and she was dozing on his shoulder. Noah thought he saw a car slow behind him just as he turned into the dirt road to her place. He hesitated at the farm gate, but the car didn’t pass. When he looked back, the night was black once more, no headlights. The driver had either turned around or flipped off his lights so that Noah wouldn’t notice anyone watching.

  Glancing at Reagan, he knew it would be wise to get her home before he confronted whoever it was. It could be just a nosy neighbor who’d wondered why Noah McAllen’s truck was turning off at Reagan Truman’s place. The Trumans, Mathesons, and McAllens had been the town’s longest-running soap opera since Harmony was founded. Old Jeremiah Truman was dead and folks still talked about why he never married Pat Matheson when he came back from the war. Noah’s sister, Alex, and Hank Matheson kept the gossip going until they finally married and settled down. Now, Noah guessed it was his turn.

  Reagan would probably laugh, but there was also the possibility that the car behind them was a fan of his. Since his rides had been on TV, more and more folks were coming up to him and asking for autographs. With this latest ride there was talk that he might be the world champion if he could stay uninjured for the rest of the season.

  “I’m beat,” he said as he pulled up in front of her place. “Thanks for picking me up so late. After I get about a dozen hours’ sleep, how about I come help you pack the last of the apples?”

  She looked at him as if he’d become deathly ill in the last thirty seconds. “You’re offering to help with the work?”

  “Sure.” He tried to look insulted.

  “All right.” She bit her bottom lip as if silently debating with herself. “You want to come in for milk and a slice of pie?”

  Noah smiled, wanting to tell her any other woman in the world would invite him in for a drink. “No, thanks. Right now all I need is sleep, and you look like you could use a little yourself.”

  She nodded and moved to open her door. “Well, good night.”

  On impulse, he swung his door open and was around the front of the truck before she stepped out on the running board.

  “What are you doing?” She laughed, shoving wet hair back from her face as he lifted her down.

  “I’m walking a lady to her door,” he said as he grabbed her hand and they ran.

  They were both laughing when they hit the porch. Noah shook like a wet dog and said, “Well, at least I can skip the shower when I get home. Look at all the time you’re saving me.”

  “Where’s home?” she asked.

  “I forgot to tell you I cleaned up the old foreman’s quarters at my place, well, at least enough that I can bunk there. I’m too old to stay at my parents’ house even with them gone.”

  “With the way it’s raining, every field mouse, rabbit, and prairie dog will be rooming with you tonight.”

  Noah shrugged. “At least it’ll be quiet. At the hotel in Houston my room was right off the pool, and I swear some people never slept.” He leaned against the porch railing and watched the downpour. The thought crossed his mind that he could probably ask to stay with her, but she’d offered only pie. If he went inside, he’d end up wanting more and she’d end up slapping him again. He shoved his hands into his pockets, trying to keep warm with his clothes already dripping wet.

  “Noah.” She drew him back from his thoughts. “Good night.”

  He turned into her kiss, surprised at how close she was behind him. Without touching him, she moved closer and gave him a kiss that had nothing to do with being best friends. He went along with the kiss but didn’t move otherwise. He wasn’t holding her. All she had to do was step away when she wanted what she’d started to end.

  When she pulled back, he couldn’t help but ask, “What did that have to do with you and me just being friends?”

  Reagan smiled. “I’m getting used to you.”

  He grinned. “Then I’m coming home between every event.” He stepped into the rain, figuring he’d better run while he was ahead. “See you tomorrow.”

  “It’s already tomorrow. I’ll see you later today,” she yelled.

  He watched her go into the house, the old dog at her side, then turned toward the road looking for any sign of the car that had followed him all the way from the airport.

  After driving down Lone Oak Road for an hour, he saw no other car. It was late and anyone with any sense would be home in bed. Only, Noah had never been known for having sense. He drove over to the sheriff’s office and told Deputy Phil Gentry about what he thought he saw and what Reagan said she’d been feeling for days.

  Gentry took the tip seriously. He said they were already patrolling Tinch Turner’s place. Now they’d add the Truman farm to their rounds.

  “You think someone is hiding out in Harmony spying on Tinch Turner?”

  “No, not exactly. We’ve checked everywhere in town someone would rent, so no one suspicious is staying in town, but still there is evidence Tinch is being watched.” Gentry frowned as if he’d already said too much. “This is not to go beyond you and me, Noah, but since you’re the sheriff’s brother and have already noticed something strange, I guess it would be all right to tell you.” He pulled out a list of makes and models of cars that had been spotted on the back roads the past several nights. “This is a list composed by both us and the highway patrol.”

  “A few are scratched out.” Noah raised an eyebrow.

  “Those are locals who live along one of the roads. The others seemed to have no reason to be on the road between midnight and dawn. We’ve tried following the cars in question but have to stay so far away, so as not to be detected, that we lose them. It’s as if they vanish in the night. Sheriff thinks they’ve probably got a base somewhere close, maybe Bailee or Twisted Creek. The back roads crisscross out here like a maze.”

  Noah looked at the list of old cars. “If I were you, I’d look for a used-car lot. You must have a half dozen different cars on this list. Maybe the strangers are holed up in a car lot.”

  Phil smiled. “Not a bad idea. If it’s the same people in different cars, that would explain it. But whoever it is has connections around here.”

  “What do you think they’re doing?”

  “Maybe just watching. Maybe waiting for something or someone to appear.” Phil smiled. “Maybe just building up their courage to take action.” Phil finished off his tenth Diet Coke of the day before adding, “I can’t say much more, only whoever it is thinks Tinch Turner has something that belongs to them.”

  Noah shook his head. “I’ve been to Tinch’s place. All he’s got is half-wild horses.”

  “And a kid,” Phil finished more to himself than Noah. “I can’t say more, but if I were you I’d keep an eye on Reagan Truman. Someone might think her and Tinch are somehow connected.”

  “I’ve been watching her for years,” Noah said as he thanked the deputy and walked out. He didn’t like the idea that someone was staking out not only Turner’s place but Reagan’s as well. He drove out the ten miles to Tinch’s ranch and then circled by the Truman farm. Tomorrow he’d ask for the list of cars the sheriff’s office was keeping, but knowing that it was all quiet at both places would help him sleep tonight.

  A watery moon tried to show through the rainclouds as Noah felt adrenaline pumping in
his veins as it did just before a ride. It was late. He should get home, but something didn’t feel right.

  He turned his truck around and decided to make another pass of both farms, knowing he wouldn’t sleep tonight anyway.

  Chapter 34

  ONE MINUTE AFTER MIDNIGHT

  OCTOBER 12

  TYLER WRIGHT JUMPED OUT OF BED AND GRABBED HIS phone before he realized someone was knocking at his door. No one ever knocked at his second-floor quarters at the funeral home. It just wasn’t done.

  He shoved his legs, pajamas and all, into his trousers, forgot a shirt as he grabbed his jacket and rushed for the door. “I’m coming!” he yelled as the pounding sounded again.

  When he opened the door, Willie screamed, “Hurry! The baby’s coming!”

  Tyler zipped up his jacket, shoved his phone into the pocket, and followed Willie down the stairs. He was out of breath when they reached the kitchen, but this was not the time to slow down. “Where’s Autumn?”

  Willie rushed past him and opened the door leading to a large garage. “Big’s getting her into your Caddy. We decided it has more room if we have to deliver on the way to the hospital.”

  Tyler tried to object, but no one appeared to be listening. Autumn seemed the only calm one, and she was breathing funny while she refused to climb into the backseat until she’d checked her bag to make sure she hadn’t forgotten something.

  Big stood next to her, holding everything she pulled out like some kind of giant clothes tree.

  Forgetting about the plan to take Autumn’s car, Tyler took charge. “Willie, you drive. I’ll call the hospital and tell them to have everything ready.” He calmed his voice as he faced Autumn. “How far apart are the contractions?”

  “Four or six minutes,” she said. “Willie got so excited he lost count.”

  Tyler frowned at Willie Davis, who until this moment Tyler thought had some brains. Before he could ask for the keys back, Autumn added in a whisper, “I think my water just broke.”