“I wish she would leave him.”
“It’s not so easy when you’re on the receiving end of the fist.”
“Have you been in an abusive relationship, Teresa?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry,” Laurel replied. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
“Take your time, honey. We’ll talk after your nap.”
Laurel nodded with a weary sigh. The night had started to catch up with her. No sleep yesterday, before she went to work, the long boring night of patrol except for stopping Kale and the kid with the firecracker, a rousing bout of sex with Kale and not going to bed yet, equaled exhaustion. Why does it all come back to him?
Hot, steamy water quickly fogged up the mirror when she turned on the shower. She stripped off her uniform, but brought the shirt to her nose for a moment and then kicked herself for her whimsical behavior.
“Get over it, Laurel. He might be good for some raunchy sex now and again, but nothing else. You aren’t here in the middle of nowhere Montana to hook up with some hot-ass cowboy, even if he’s the next best thing to peanut butter toast. Besides, who says he’s interested in anything beyond sex?” she asked herself as she stepped into the stream. “I’m certainly not.”
The soothing pound of the stream against her head and down her shoulders eased the tight muscles and the racing thoughts of Kale she tried hard to ignore.
She quickly soaped her body and rinsed away the bubbles. The skin between her thighs felt tender from sex with Kale when she ran the washcloth down there. “It has been a long time.”
With a twist of her wrist, the shower shut off and she grabbed the dark blue towel hanging from the bar. Rough polyester material scrapped along her flesh as she dried herself and then slipped on an old T-shirt and clean underwear. She grabbed her brush and once it made passed through her hair without tangling, she set it back down and walked into her bedroom. The queen-sized bed looked like heaven on a cloud. She couldn’t remember being so tired. The clock on the bedside table read nine in big, red numbers. I should be able to sleep a few hours. Thank God for Teresa. Laurel set the alarm for noon, snuggled down beneath the sheet and comforter and was asleep before her head hit the pillow.
* * * *
The steady beep, beep, beep of her alarm clock pulled her from one of the sexiest dreams she’d had in a while and of course, it involved the one man she thought might be more than she could handle—Kale.
She groaned softly, smacked the alarm clock to shut off the annoying sound and hauled herself upright in the bed. Her long red hair fell forward, covering her face as she dropped her chin toward her chest to loosen the tight muscles of her neck. Four hours wasn’t enough, but it would have to do today. Kimmy needed her.
Thank God, she had a couple of days off.
A timid knock on her bedroom door announced the arrival of her daughter.
“Come on in, baby girl. I’m up.”
The door flew up and her bouncing, blonde-headed bundle of energy jumped on the bed and pounced next to her.
“You wake?”
“Yeah. Where’s Teresa?”
“In livin' room.”
“Have you had lunch?”
“Yes, she has,” Teresa answered from the doorway. “I’m sure you didn’t get enough sleep and I wish I didn’t have an appointment this afternoon or I would watch her longer.”
Laurel brushed the curls from Kimmy’s forehead and kissed her. Kimberly leapt into her arms when she stood and opened them. “It’s fine. I’m thankful for what I got. I’ll be able to sleep tonight since I’m off a few days.”
“I need to get going. I made some fresh coffee in the kitchen. I’ll see you later,” Teresa said.
“All right. Thanks again.”
“No problem. You behave yourself, Kimmy.”
“Bye, Resa.” One chubby hand waved at their friend.
“What shall we do today, baby girl, huh?”
“Park.”
“You want to go to the park for a while?”
Kimberly’s blonde tresses bounced when she nodded and a huge smile lit up her face, showing off her dimples to perfection.
“Okay. Let me get dressed, have a little coffee and then we’ll go.” She walked with Kimmy on her hip into her daughter’s bedroom and set her on the floor. “You play with your babies for a little bit while I wake up.”
“You wake, Mommy,” her daughter responded with her hands on her hips.
“Not really,” Laurel whispered and ruffled Kimberly’s hair. She headed back into the bedroom for jeans, socks and shoes and then to the kitchen and the fortifying brew waiting. Moments later, she sank down on the couch and sipped the hot liquid. “Nectar of the gods.”
Flashes of her dream zipped across her mind and she moaned softly. The whole thing had started with her standing in the middle of what appeared to be a huge barn. Her naked form gleamed in the florescent lighting of the arena. Both hands were shackled in her handcuffs behind her back. Desire rushed in her ears. She didn’t know how she’d gotten there, but she knew Kale was close by. She could feel him.
Moments later, she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck.
“Kale,” she whispered and shivered.
“You’re so beautiful like this, Laurel. You want a man who will take control sometimes, don’t you.”
“No.”
“Liar,” he murmured, brushing his lips against her shoulder. “You’re hair is like fire. So alive.” His fingers tangled in the tresses and tugged her head to the side, baring her neck for his touch.
The moan bubbling from her lips echoed in the large room.
Both of his hands cupped her breasts from behind and she arched her back. “I love how responsive you are to my touch.”
“Open these cuffs, Kale.”
“Nope.”
“I want my hands on you.”
“This is my party, Laurel.”
He moved around to the front of her and she could finally see his face. His chocolate brown eyes glittered in the light overhead. The dark hair on his head begged for her fingers to smooth it back into place. Her palms itched to smooth over the rugged plains of his chest.
“On your knees, darlin’.”
Soft dirt cradled her as she dropped in front of him. The scent of his arousal met her nose when she inhaled. Need seeped from her pussy to coat her lips in preparation for him to fuck her.
The belt buckle at his waist tinkled in the silence surrounding them when he unbuckled it. Two fingers slipped the button on his jeans loose and then pulled the zipper down.
She licked her lips as her mouth watered.
Denim pooled at his ankles and included his boxer briefs amongst the clothing. His cock curled against his abdomen, bobbing like it was begging her to taste.
“Suck me, honey. I want to feel the back of your throat and I want to see your sassy mouth filled with me.”
A whimper spilled from somewhere deep inside her.
His hands wrapped in her hair, urging her to take him with minuscule pressure on her scalp. She took him inside her mouth, wrapping her tongue around him while he moaned above her.
“God, honey,” he whispered.
Her head bobbed several times, up and down, as she sucked. She’d rather wrap her hand around him or caress his balls, but the taste and feel of him in her mouth made her wet and needy. His controlling her movements by applying pressure to her scalp had her on the verge of coming.
“Mommy?”
Her eyes popped open with the pressure of Kimberly's hands on her legs and heat flushed her cheeks with the vivid picture of her dream tickling the back of her mind. I need to get the disturbingly handsome cowboy out of my thoughts.
“Sorry, baby. Are you ready to go to the park?”
“Yes.”
She sighed and set the coffee cup on the table. Hopefully, this trip to the park will wear Kimmy out. “Get your shoes.” After Kimberly raced down the hall, Laurel slipped
on her own shoes and socks.
“Let me grab my keys, sweetie,” she said when Kimberly came barreling out of her room with her shoes on the wrong feet. “Wait. We need to fix those sneakers, pumpkin.”
Once her daughter’s shoes were on right, she grabbed her purse, keys and a hat for both of them. Her skin freckled while Kimberly’s burned in the sunshine.
The park sat only a few blocks from her apartment and the walk would do her good. The cobwebs from her dream and subsequent regression on the couch, still lingered beneath the surface and she prayed the walk would help.
Her daughter skipped along beside her as they stayed on the cement sidewalks and watched the cars and trucks zip past. The day had grown warmer from early this morning. The sun beat down on her head, heating her scalp even though she wore a hat, sending sweat trickling down her back from under her hair. Red Rock boasted a smaller population and very little in the way of excitement for the locals. Laurel kind of like the hometown atmosphere and the laidback feel. Los Angeles had been a hell hole and one she was glad she didn’t have to raise Kimberly in.
What the hell? I’m not planning on put down roots in this little town. I’m here for Elizabeth and nothing more. Red Rock, Montana is not my choice of permanent homestead.
They reached the park and Kimberly ran to the jungle gym while she took a seat on the bench to watch. Several children rushed in and out of the apparatus, sliding down the slides, crawling across the monkey bars and laughing while they played. Three women sat at a picnic table not far away. Their conversation got plenty loud enough and Laurel could hear every word.
“What’s the latest gossip, Julie?” the dark-haired woman asked her friend. “You always seemed to know exactly what’s going on in this town.”
“Let’s see. Did you hear about the woman who decked Jeff Cox the other night at the Saddle Club?”
“A woman hit Jeff? I hadn’t heard about that, but I’m sure he deserved it. He’s had a heavy hand for a long time. I’ve seen his wife sporting bruises where there shouldn’t be, even if they get into a little rough sex,” a pretty blonde said as she played with the straw in her cup.
The rough, annoying squeaking sound grated on Laurel’s nerves when the girl pushed the straw in and out of the lid.
“Well, the woman took him to the ground with one punch. I’ve heard she’s the new cop in town.”
Laurel pulled the cap down on her forehead to shield her face. Having any of these women recognize her would be a bad thing right about now. A reputation as being a badass cop in a little town like this wouldn’t help matters with her sister. Elizabeth would take the brunt of gossip and stares more than she already had to.
“And Kale Dunn got into the middle of the fray,” the last woman added.
She tilted her head and listened closer when his name spilled into the conversation.
“Kale? Why him?”
“Jeff used to work for him.”
“Used to?”
“He got fired right then and there.”
“Wow, but I’m not really surprised. Kale is the type of man who stands up for a woman. Remember a couple of years ago when he and Cade Weston were both dating Natalie?”
“Oh yeah. I heard there was some interesting stuff going on between the three of them.”
“Like?”
Laurel saw the apparent leader of the group look around her and then lower her voice, but she could still hear every word.
“A threesome.”
“Threesome?” one of the others squeaked.
“Keep your voice down, Missy,” the blonde snapped. “She’s talking about the two men and Natalie having sex. Together. At the same time.”
“No shit! Really?” Missy replied.
Heat seeped through Laurel’s veins while she listened. Blood rushed in her ears and a quiver spread through her belly. Her thoughts went haywire when she imagined Kale and another mysterious man pleasuring her at the same time. Threesome’s weren’t something she’d ever experienced, but if Kale was involved, she might jump at the chance—then again, maybe not.
“Cade and Kale had the reputation for sharing a woman in the past. Why wouldn’t they share Natalie?”
“But Cade is married to her now. Wouldn’t that be kind of weird, Jan?”
“Like I know. It’s not like it was me,” Jan snapped.
“You sound a bit jealous,” the third woman said.
“Hell yes, I’m jealous,” Jan replied, while she fanned her face like she’d overheated. “Those two are about the hottest thing around here.”
“You’re married, Jan.”
“I may be married, but I ain’t dead, Candace. Kale is still a fine looking man and single.”
Yes, he is.
“Mommy!” Kimmy yelled from the top of the slide, waving madly and then sliding down.
The three women finally seemed to notice her sitting not far away and focused their icy stares on her. She lifted her hand in a small wave before she stood and walked toward her daughter.
When she reached Kimberly, she said, “Let’s go play on the swing, okay?”
“Kay.”
Kimmy took her hand and they walked toward another part of the park, away from the steely-eyed women still watching them.
The plastic of the swing seared through the butt of her jeans. “Wow.” Laurel wiggled her butt on the seat and then settled down, pulling Kimmy into her lap and pushing against the ground to set into motion.
Off in the distance, a fairly handsome blond man threw a baseball to his young son, who appeared to be about Kimberly’s age. The tightness in Laurel’s chest made her realize how much of Kimberly’s life her father would miss. The influence of a man in her life wouldn’t be there, unless she got married or found a steady man. The day would come when Kimberly would ask questions and her stomach clenched at the thought.
“Mommy,” Kimberly said, smacking her small hand against Laurel’s cheek.
“What, sweetie?”
“Go for walk.” The little girl jumped down once Laurel stopped the swing.
“Where?”
Kimberly pointed to a jogging path the led back into the woods and wrapped around the back of the park before it came back out on the other side of the skateboard ramps. They had taken the path several times and Kimberly loved to pick up bugs and anything else that moved, along the path.
“All right, pumpkin, but once we come back around; we need to head for home.”
The pout on her daughter’s face almost made her laugh, but she smiled and took Kimmy’s hand. There would be no dealing with the rambunctious three year old later on, if she didn’t wear her out some before they went back to the apartment.
Leaves rustled above their heads and the canopy of filtered sunlight kept the heat to a minimum down the asphalt path. Kimberly ran ahead several feet and picked up a rock. It skipped off into the bushes surrounding the path with a toss of her hand.
“Don’t go too far,” she yelled as Kimberly skipped around the bend of the trail and out of sight for a moment. Laurel picked up the pace and rounded the corner. The little girl had stopped not far off the trail near a bush and stood looking down at something on the ground. “You know better than to run ahead, sweetie,” Laurel scolded as got closer. “What’cha got there?”
The sight meeting her gaze sent Laurel into cop mode—an uncovered tennis shoe attached to a foot, leg and probably the rest of what looked like a woman’s body, under the covering of some compost.
“Move back over here, Kimberly,” she snapped in a non-nonsense tone while she reached into her pocket for her cell phone.
Within moments, blaring of sirens sounded in the distance. Cops came from everywhere. She hadn’t realized there were so many police on the force in the small town of Red Rock, especially on day shift, when probably ten cops arrived on the scene.
The chief of police arrived first. His large, burly body unfolded from the front seat of his cruiser and Laurel winced. Great. Just the person I n
eed to see today.
“Officer Hayes. What have we got?”
“My daughter and I were walking along the path, sir, when I noticed her looking at something off the side. No one has touched anything, but there appears to be a body under the compost to the right side. I saw the bottom of the shoe first and up to the knee of one leg.”
The man’s black eyes pinned her for a moment while he seemed to contemplate something. “Didn’t you work homicide in Los Angeles?”
Laurel shivered with excitement at the question. Maybe this might work into me being able to use my skills after all. “Yes, sir.”
“Do you have someone who can watch your daughter while you dig into this? I'm not sure you heard, Officer Hayes, but we got a report of another body yesterday, outside of town on one of the large ranches. I'm hoping this isn't a serial killer type situation. This could get mighty ugly if we don't get to the bottom of this quickly.”
Damn.
"No sir. I hadn't heard about that." She chewed her bottom lip for a moment. “My neighbor usually watches her for me, but she’s at an appointment.”
“If you can’t, I’ll assign it to someone else.” He turned to head back to his car.
“Wait! Sir, please. Let me see what I can do. Give me twenty minutes while the guys section this off with tape and see if there are any witnesses around. All right?”
“Twenty minutes,” the chief replied, his voice gruff and to the point.
Who can I get to watch Kimmy? I don’t know anyone except Teresa and Elizabeth, but I can’t trust my sister if her husband is around.
Laurel reached for her cell and dialed her sister’s number. Jeff answered and she hung up before saying a word.
Think, Laurel.
She paced back and forth near the cruiser sitting in the parking lot. One of the officers had put Kimmy in the back and gave her a cookie from his lunch.
“You okay, Laurel?” Jim asked.
“Yeah, Jim. Thanks for asking.” She tapped her finger absently on the cell phone while she tried to think of someone to watch her daughter.
Before The Night Is Over Page 6
