The Sheriff’s Amnesiac Bride

by Linda Conrad

  He wanted that, too. She was positive. But just now she lay quietly racking her brain for the best way of communicating their mutual needs.

  When he softly snored, she found the sounds of him beside her, seemingly so comfortable and sated himself, terribly endearing. He’d been through so much for her. He needed a little sleep.

  Easing out from under his arm, she inched away and stood, turning back to look at him on the bed. So beautiful. She vaguely knew that wasn’t how you were supposed to describe a man, especially a tough guy like this one. But she thought Jericho was simply gorgeous.

  The strong chin. The hint of stubble. Those long lashes lying against the high curve of his cheek.

  Whew. Despite the cool air-conditioning in the room, a trickle of sweat beaded at her temple and slithered down her neck. Rosie walked to the bathroom, found a glass and drank water, trying to cool off.

  But knowing he was there on the bed, naked, brought her back to the doorway so she could stare at him some more. Just to look at those broad shoulders that had been absolutely perfect to hold on to during the throes of passion. They narrowed down to lean hips. And it was all sleek, flat muscle in between.

  Half the time she thought he was some kind of throwback to the old West. The strong, silent type. But when they were alone together, his eyes told her something entirely different as they changed colors with his moods.

  Granite when he was mad or taking his job seriously. Amber when he was being sincere or teaching her how to shoot. And almost jade-green when he was in the midst of giving her passion. That last image, the one of him gazing intently into her eyes with those fantastic green eyes, made her actually shiver as the heated desire skittered down her spine.

  How could she explain that she wanted forever from him without scaring him or turning him off?

  He stirred, rolling onto his back. The sight of all that manhood moved her to action. Thinking simply stopped.

  She slid into the bed beside him, tempted beyond restraint. Taking him into her hands, she stroked and played and massaged. First she ran a forefinger down one long, smooth side. Next a tender touch to the rounded, slick tip.

  When his body began to respond to her ministrations, she leaned in and took him into her mouth. A soft groan came from above her but what she was doing felt so indulgent, so right, that she refused to give it up.

  Jericho came awake with a jolt of erotic sensation. When he looked down at the top of Rosie’s head and realized what she was doing to him, he reached out for her. But she shied away from his hands.

  Sweet mercy. The vibrations alone nearly caused him to come three feet off the bed.

  Very much more of that and it would be all over. And though one day that might be a good plan to follow, it wasn’t what he had in mind for tonight.

  He wanted tonight to be all about her pleasure. Needing to make her see how much she meant to him. Desperate to make her understand that he did want her to stay with him forever. Tonight was supposed to be hers.

  Tunneling his hands through her hair, he firmly eased her back. She lifted her head and looked at him and the sight of her glazed eyes and satisfied expression was a bigger turn-on than what she’d been doing.

  Rock hard, he moved fast. Twisting their bodies with a roll and a plunge, he found himself inside her again. Right where he wanted to be.

  Her body was slick with sweat but so was his. A momentary thought of moving this show into the shower came and went. Later. The next time. And there would be more. Lots more. Until both of them were weak and weeping and had no more questions about a future.

  He eased out of her and then back inside again with a slow draw, setting up a rhythm he hoped to continue for a good long while. Hot damn but this was heaven.

  She rocked hard against his hips, sending another blast of pure pleasure spinning through his veins. He reached down and cupped her bottom, holding her tightly to him.

  Their bodies were on fire everywhere they touched. So damned hot he figured they might combust.

  “Jericho, you feel so good.”

  “Back attcha, darlin’.” Good didn’t seem adequate. But so help him, his brain must be melting. Words were impossible.

  He leaned down and kissed her, moving in and out and loving the feel of silky wet heat. Hoping somehow to make her see.

  But he wasn’t exactly positive about everything he wanted her to know. Except that he needed her to stay. Was that enough?

  “I love you,” she said on a moan as her body began tightening around him.

  He thrust again on a long slow glide. Was this really what love felt like? Was that what he needed to say?

  But before his mouth could catch up, she arched her back and her whole body went rigid. “Jericho!”

  Nature took over then, freeing him from thinking, as his own movements came faster and faster. Pounding hard into her, too soon the orgasm broke through him on a flood of flashing sensation. He barked out a unintelligible curse and went with the flow.

  Collapsing beside her afterward, he rolled them until he had her captured in his embrace and spooned against his chest. He lay there for a few seconds, smiling into the back of her head.

  He breathed in the smell of her shampoo, and thought it might be the nicest scent ever invented. Not sure if it was some kind of flower or just the smell of clean, he figured he could certainly get used to it.

  Running a hand along the smooth skin of her arm and amazing himself by becoming hard again so soon, Jericho figured he could certainly get used to this part, too. They were sure good together. Idly he wondered if they had the stamina to keep it up all night.

  Then Rosie moaned, turning in his arms and moving in close. He felt her breath, hot along his neck. Her breasts pressed tight and hard against his chest. And without question he knew there was one thing for certain.

  He had all the strength he needed for this night.

  Rosie leaned back against the bed’s headboard, a silly grin plastered across her face, and listened as Jericho shaved and finished getting dressed in the bathroom. What a wonderful night it had been. She didn’t know if she’d ever had one quite like it before, but it didn’t matter. Not now that she was sure she would be spending many more nights in the same way.

  Well, that is if she could hold up. She probably hadn’t gotten more than an hour’s worth of sleep during the whole night. But at the moment she couldn’t possibly feel any better even if she’d slept for days. She wasn’t sick to her stomach and it was midmorning already. Maybe sex was good for that too.

  She was in love. And though Jericho hadn’t said it in so many words—that he loved her and wanted her to spend the rest of her life with him—he’d made his feelings perfectly clear in all the things he’d done and the ways he had treated her.

  Hmm. Mrs. Jericho Yates. That seemed as good a name as any for her to take. In fact, a lot better than most.

  Thinking about her missing name brought up a subject she would rather not consider. Her past. But more than her past, who was chasing her and why. Had she stolen something? If only she could remember.

  She thought back to the one and only breakthrough to her past that her mind had yielded—the dream of a prince turning into a monster. The prince from her nightmare had looked a little like Sheriff Montalvo, only taller and much more sophisticated and suave.

  Sheriff Montalvo. Her skin crawled just at the thought of him. Now there was someone to worry about. Rosie wondered what he was doing this morning. Had Jericho’s friend, the sheriff from this county, contacted Montalvo about the attack and crash already?

  Curious, she picked up a remote from the bedside table and turned on the television that was housed in a beautiful antique armoire across the room. Maybe there would be some news about the missing men. Flipping through the channels, trying to find a local station, Rosie caught the tail end of an image that stopped her cold.

  Her mouth sagged open as she backed up the channels until the picture came onto the screen once again. Then all
of a sudden, there he was. Her nightmare prince.

  No mistaking him. The tall regal bearing. The dark brown hair combed in an impeccable style. Conveniently, the fellow was even wearing a tux. Whoever the man on the TV screen was turned then and gave the camera a generous smile. A deep dimple on his left cheek was all it took to make some things click into place for Rosie.

  The man she was staring at, her nightmare prince, was also most definitely her baby’s father. And there he was, live and in color, right on the television. Oh. My. God.

  Jericho turned off the water and folded his towel. From behind his back he heard the TV running. Rosie must’ve turned it on while she was waiting for him to finish getting dressed.

  The fleeting thought of her caused his lips to spread into another of the big, stupid grins that he’d been plagued with all morning. She was perfect. He could barely wait to begin their lives together. He wanted lots more nights. Lots more time to find ways of telling her how much he cared.

  But not until after they got a few other things taken care of today. He needed to borrow a truck to get them back to Esperanza, and he wanted to go long before dark. His friend Sam had called a while ago to say Sheriff Montalvo had taken over the crews searching for crash victims in the arroyo. After all, the scene was located in his county.

  But that knowledge did nothing to calm Jericho’s nerves. He was positive Montalvo had had something to do with those men in the first place. And he didn’t like knowing a man as powerful as a sheriff might be after Rosie.

  Rosie. Another smile crossed his lips. One thing he needed to do today was tell her how much he wanted her in his life for good. Maybe while they were driving back to Esperanza would be as good a time as any.

  He picked up his clean shirt, freshly laundered courtesy of the staff of the bed-and-breakfast, and shoved his arms into the sleeves. As he buttoned down, he tuned into what was happening on the television behind his back. It sounded like a news story. Had Rosie found a story about the attack and crash?

  Turning and taking the few steps out into the bedroom, Jericho was shocked with what he saw. Rosie sat hypnotized by something she was watching on the screen. He glanced at it but didn’t see anything exciting. It was nothing but a national news story about the presidential candidates. Still, Rosie’s face had gone pale. Her eyes were glazed and her mouth hung open. She seemed paralyzed. Completely lost in something on the screen.

  “What’s the matter?” he asked as he moved to her side. “Is everything okay?”

  No reply.

  “Are you okay, darlin’?” He took her by the shoulders and gently forced her to face him.

  He could see her fighting to bring his features into focus. Her features were contorted with fear. What on earth could be the matter?

  “Rosie. Honey. Talk to me.”

  “It’s him. I…I mean…It’s starting to come back.” She grabbed for his hand and he captured both of hers. They were ice-cold.

  “What’s coming back?”

  “Jericho, look.” She pointed at the television screen but all he saw there was the Texas governor, giving what seemed to be an ordinary political campaign speech for his run for the presidency of the United States.

  “Governor Daniels?”

  “Allan Daniels. Yes. That’s him. That’s my baby’s father. I’m positive.”

  Worried about her growing hysterical state, Jericho sat at the edge of the bed and gathered her close. “Calm down, sweetheart. I know you may think this is real, but it doesn’t seem possible. Allan Daniels? How? Why?”

  “I don’t know.” She frowned and knitted her eyebrows. “I can’t remember any of that. My own name isn’t even coming back. But I know this for sure. Allan Daniels is the man I was with. The only man. I know it.”

  Standing in tall grass at an isolated bend in the Rio Grande River, Arnie watched in the distance as a marked sheriff’s SUV drove down the dusty side road, heading for the clearing. Montalvo. It was about time.

  Glad his bleeding had stopped some time ago, Arnie fingered the cut across his cheek. Damn it. The thing would probably leave a deep scar.

  Arnie needed help to cross the border so he could find medical assistance, and Montalvo was going to provide that help. The boss had said the sheriff would do what he could. And what the boss said, happened.

  After all, it was Montalvo’s brilliant idea that had gotten him into the big mess last night. What the hell had Arnie, a big-city guy, known about the range land after dark? Or of that arroyo area. Or of stupid dumb-ass cows for that matter.

  Nothing. Zip. But he did know how to climb out of a busted SUV and scramble up the side of a brush-strewn arroyo to save his butt. And he also knew enough to drag the driver’s dead body free and hide it good.

  Most of all, Arnie had known to call the boss and beg for forgiveness and help. After all, there was no one else on earth who could help him if the boss refused.

  The sheriff’s SUV pulled into the clearing and stopped, the engine still running. A blacked-out side window rolled down and Montalvo stared at him from behind huge aviator sunglasses.

  “It’s about time,” Arnie said. “I’ve been waiting.”

  “Shut up.”

  A chill rode up Arnie’s spine and he secretly fingered the .45 hidden under his shirt. This was not going down well. Montalvo was always a snake anyway.

  “Did the boss tell you what I need?” Arnie tried once more to be heard. “I just want an easy way across the river without the U.S. Border Patrol shooting me on sight. Nothing else. I swear.”

  “I know what your boss wants,” Montalvo said menacingly and reached down as if for a weapon.

  Uh-oh.

  To hell with it. Arnie palmed his gun and fired point-blank exactly at the moment he twisted and headed for the river, going at a dead run.

  Only thirty or forty feet from the steep riverbank to start, he knew he could make it in a few seconds if he wasn’t shot dead before getting there.

  For those few seconds nothing happened behind him. No sounds or shouting. No lights from Border Patrol units. Maybe he was home free. Maybe he’d plugged Montalvo. And maybe Montalvo had agreed to meet here because he knew this place had a gap in the Border Patrol area. Maybe.

  That son of a bitch Montalvo. He’d meant to kill him.

  If Arnie hadn’t actually finished Montalvo with his lucky shot, he vowed to come back and do the job right. After he found safety in Mexico, of course.

  Arnie hit the river running and never stopped. Splashing across the two-foot-deep water, it occurred to him belatedly that Montalvo would never have had the nerve to ambush him if the boss hadn’t agreed. Hell. If the boss wanted him dead, he might as well stop breathing.

  At the Mexican side of the river, Arnie took a huge breath and figured he had a few more hours to live. He would try to figure out something.

  But then he looked up the bank and spotted a whole squad of Mexican federales staring down at him. Or at least they looked like they were part of the Mexican army.

  Until…they pointed their AK-47s in his direction and began firing.

  Chapter 14

  “S o what’d you do to her, man?” Clay Colton stood on his own front step with his hands on his hips, scowling down at Jericho.

  Clay might be his best bud, and he’d been nice enough to let Rosie stay here at his ranch again last night. But Jericho would be damned if he would let Clay interrogate him. He stuck his hands in his pockets and looked away.

  “It’s none of your business,” Jericho said through gritted teeth. “Is she ready to go?”

  “Tamara is with her. Apparently she cried all night and has been sick to her stomach all morning. So what happened? Where are you two going today? ’Cause I heard her tell Tamara that she didn’t want to go.”

  Yesterday Jericho had heard all Rosie’s reasons for not wanting to go to Austin and confront the governor. But he was just as determined to show up for their appointment with Allan Daniels as ever. She was the one
who’d insisted Daniels was her lover, after all.

  Jericho would never forget it. Not if he lived to be a hundred. After their fantastic night, and just as he was trying to find a way to tell her he wanted her to be his forever. That’s when she’d burst out with the news.

  In so many words, she’d said, “Oh, by the way, thanks for saving my life and for one really great night. But I see my old life on the TV. And there’s no way for you to live up to its sophistication and power.”

  Hell.

  From that moment on they’d disagreed about calling the governor and arranging a meeting. But though it had taken him all afternoon and most of the night, Jericho had been determined that Rosie needed to confront her past—if Daniels really was that past.

  He’d finally done it, too. Found an assistant to an assistant who agreed to get Rosie a moment with the governor. Between Daniels’s regular duties and his busy campaign schedule, it had not been easy. And for the whole time, Rosie had begged him not to make her go.

  Jericho didn’t understand her. If she really was happy here with him, as she said, why bring up her past at all? He’d come to the conclusion that she wasn’t happy and contented here. Either Daniels was her child’s father and deserved to know about it. Or he wasn’t and Rosie had invented the whole Daniels thing to ease out of a relationship with Jericho that had grown pretty intense.

  Eventually, early last evening, he’d brought her out here to stay with Clay and Tamara for the night and then spent his own night brooding at home.

  “Well?” Clay was waiting for some kind of answer.

  “We’re driving to Austin to check on a lead to her past. I don’t know why she’s saying she doesn’t want to go.”

  “Maybe she’s scared,” Clay offered. “She’s been kidnapped and shot at a couple of times. I know that would give me more than a moment’s pause about driving around the countryside with you.”