by Louisa Bacio
Any type of pseudo-critique about the running of the farm usually got Lucia’s blood boiling, but as she looked at Shaw, she interpreted his comment as good-natured concern. She contemplated how to answer him while removing the biscuits and bringing out the homemade orange marmalade.
“If they want to eat it hot, you may want to call up your guys.” She set paper plates and napkins on the corner of the table and pulled out the silverware caddy. Finally, she cut the frittata with a pie server and served him a slice.
Shaw dove in with full gusto, and appropriately mmmm’ed with his eyes shut. “This cheese,” he indicated it with his fork, “is it yours?”
Pride swelled in her chest. “Yes. Long-time family recipe. We also do some with herbs from the garden.”
He took another bite. “Does it sell well?”
“Define well. In the spring and parts of the summer, we sell at farmer's markets, and then a few local stores and restaurants. Unless it’s a special order, we haven’t expanded to ship long distances.”
“Well enough to keep all this going?”
“For now. But that’s one reason why it’s frustrating for something to be killing the stock. The goats don’t produce milk until after they mate. But before they give birth, we have to let them build up the supply for the kid. We have a limited window.”
In no time, he finished the plate, smothered a biscuit in jam and made good time eating it. A knock sounded on the back door, and Lucia called out for them to come in. Mack ushered in Jackson and Alec.
“I see you already got started without us,” Jackson said before grabbing a plate and loading up.
“Guess there are some perks to staying at the main house,” Shaw replied.
Lucia enjoyed the good-natured camaraderie amongst the men. With it nearing seven a.m., soon her father and sisters should be joining them. She quickly finished eating, taking the compliments to the chef and tossed her plate.
* * *
As he planned the day’s activities with the team, Shaw watched Lucia move around the kitchen. This morning, she wore her hair tied on top of her head, which showed off the slender lines of her neck. She never answered his question about if it was hard to manage the ranch.
Instead, she deflected. She might have thought he’d forgotten, but little got by him. He’d grown so used to working out of the main office, or hotel locations, he forgot what it felt like to be part of a home. Before that, he lived in college dorms and then military bases. The biscuits took him back to his grandmother’s homemade cooking. How could he long for something he didn’t realize he missed?
First things first, he called a local towing company and arranged for them to pick up the car and take it to a local repair shop. Supposedly, it would take a few days to put it back in order, which was fine because the team had hunting to do.
“What locations do you think we should hang cameras?” Jackson asked.
“Obviously, near the goat enclosures and the barn,” Shaw said. “Anything to add, Lucia?”
“The bucks we use for breeding need to be kept separately,” she offered. “So far, we’ve been lucky nothing has happened to them. Some of their bloodlines are winners.”
“Knock on wood,” Mack interrupted, pounding his fist against the table. “We don’t want to jinx anything.”
“There might be an inlet near the river, too,” she said. “But we don’t have any electricity out there.”
Alec leaned back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. “No problem there. These cameras have their own long-term batteries, and work on a WiFi network. Jackson there is the master at setting it all up.”
Mack stood and replaced his ball cap. “Skies are clear this morning. I suggest we all use it to our advantage. How about we try pulling your vehicle out of the ditch with the tractor so it’s ready when the tow truck gets here?”
“That’ll work,” Shaw said. He imagined the shenanigans he could have gotten into living on a ranch as a teen with access to a tractor. Hell, he might still like to try to drive one. Who knew he was a hidden farmer at heart? Maybe when he retired from this life.
When the rest of the family arrived, the men got up. He caught Lucia in the mudroom, checking on purple plants hanging from hooks in the ceiling.
“Lavender,” she explained. “It’s about dry, I’ll use it in goat’s milk soap. When you take a shower, you’ll see what I mean.”
He shook his head. “Anything you don’t do?”
Again, she didn’t answer him, but this time, he didn’t expect it.
6
Two places held a special meaning to Lucia on the ranch—one was the barn and the other was the inlet by the river’s edge. During summers when the air grew hot and the land grew dry, they’d splash their feet in the water and talk about finding the biggest stepping stones ever to cross it. After the team hung cameras in the easy main locations, Lucia took Shaw down to the Rio Grande.
After the storm had passed, dampness clung in the air—a heavy weight and reminder that they weren’t yet in the clear. Going out together made her feel like she was back in high school, rather than a grown adult. Then again, back then, she didn’t have a beau to make out with.
Not that he was her boyfriend. Her mind jumped ahead. Every time she occupied the same room with Shaw, electricity sparked. It didn’t matter if she didn’t see him enter, it was like physically, she knew.
“Over there is where we plant our vegetables,” she waived to the left. “Some farms do really well with ruby red grapefruit. We don’t grow a lot to sell individually. It’s more to feed the family.”
“What types of fruit trees do you have?” he asked.
“Everything from avocados and bananas to a variety of citrus,” she said. “You treat them right, and they’ll produce year after year.”
“Bananas, really?”
She laughed, letting go of some of the built-up stress. Certainly, he had to notice the tension between them. When she was working, she’d catch him watching her at odd times. She took this heritage for granted, and tended to forget others didn’t have the same. “Where did you grow up?” she asked.
“My grandparents lived in a townhouse—cement backyard and a community center with ping-pong tables,” he explained. “We’ve always been more city folks.”
“What about your parents? Any pets?”
For a few moments, the only sounds were their footsteps over the terrain and birds chirping.
“I never knew my dad. ‘Lousy, good-for-nothing’ is what my granddad always called him. He was a few years older and knocked up my mom when she was in high school. She didn’t take well to being dumped. Lived long enough to have me, and then one day, she walked onto the train tracks.”
Her heart stuttered, as if something pushed all the air out of her lungs. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” She stopped to take his hand and faced him.
“I know. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked. It’s all right. You’re not the first, and I don’t always tell everyone the truth.” He squeezed her hand, and when they started walking again, he didn’t let go.
“I imagine that would be easier—not telling the truth.”
“It can be for others. Not necessarily for the teller.”
“Did you ever try to find your dad, especially now given what you do?” If he found her so easily, within a day, certainly he’d be able to track down his own father.
“I thought about it, but didn’t really think I’d like what I’d find. What if he had another family? What made him stay with them and leave us? Or if he’s no longer living, well then, that’s the end, right?”
Weird, gaining insight into this man. It made her like him more. When he wasn’t questioning her, he was downright irresistible.
The roar of the rushing waters grew louder as they neared the banks. They followed the path to the natural inlet where large boulders in the river slowed the current and created a little pool. Lucia unpacked the blanket from her shoulder bag and laid it o
ut. She knelt, smoothing out the creases, and reclined.
Shaw stood to the side of the blanket, watching. “Let me guess, you’re going to relax while I do the hard work?”
She tilted her head to the side and drank in the sight of him, from his scuffed brown boots, to his tight jeans, and upward to his black Henley. “I think that tree right there,” she pointed to one that overlooked the bank, “would make the perfect place for a camera.”
From his work bag, Shaw removed a small camera. He held it to the sky, checking the battery light and evaluated the tree. “Any chance you're up for giving me a boost?” he asked.
“On the other side is a large boulder. Stand on it, and then there’s a huge knot in the trunk you can lodge your foot on. Grab the large branch on the right and boom, you’re up.”
Mouth open, he gaped at her. “Not that you’ve ever done it, right?”
“Who, me? Climbing trees isn’t ladylike, don’t you know?”
“So over here?” He climbed through bushes to get to the other side of the tree. A few minutes later, Shaw peeked his head out through the branches. “Whoo-wee. Some view from up here.”
“That’s why I thought it might be a good installation point.”
Holding on with one hand, he held a strip of wiring in his mouth and wound the other side around the camera. Once it was in place, he slid down and called Jackson at the base in the playroom to check the view.
The cackle of the walkie-talkie cleared and Alec said, “Nice blanket you have there.”
“No editorializing,” Shaw said. “Over and out.”
* * *
Without talking to Lucia, Shaw walked to the water’s edge and dropped his hand in; it was much colder than expected. Farther out, the river churned, unrestrained and wild. Here, though, it took on a lazy quality. Offering a glimpse of this special spot was kinda like offering insight into Lucia’s own soul. He wondered if she thought about that. Probably not.
Just like he never meant to share so much about his past. Inexplicably, she drew out warring emotions. While he needed to focus on the job, a little side diversion didn’t seem to be any harm. He was an expert on multitasking.
Face tilted toward the sky, she relaxed like nothing else mattered. As if she didn’t possess a care in the world. He knew better. She carried the wellbeing of her entire family and its history on her shoulders. Right now, he was here to help her. Maybe he also could help ensure her—and the ranch’s—future.
“How long do I need to make myself look so alluring?” she asked. “I’m getting tired of posing.”
Therein was a reason why he was so attracted to her. She rarely took situations totally seriously. The sun flirted with the horizon, and he gazed across the stretch of water once again. What was it like at its most ferocious? When the weather accompanying a hurricane literally moved its banks? Or potentially allowed a mythical monster to gain access to new terrain?
“Not much longer,” he called out. The late afternoon sunshine cast a healthy glow over Lucia’s skin. She perfectly embodied her name, which he knew meant light. Had her mom known since birth that she would be such a gravitational force? No matter what his brain told him, he couldn’t stay away.
Before joining her, he did one more thing: tossed a red bandana over the lens. Alec would understand.
He settled on the blanket beside her and contemplated his next move. She shifted toward him and lay her head against his shoulder. A sense of peace and rightness settled over him. He closed his eyes and breathed in.
“Not every job as peaceful as this one is right now?”
“Not by a longshot,” he said.
She faced him, and their eyes met. For a few long seconds, all they did was look at each other. They held the moment, and he knew that something was passing between them. Once they crossed this line, there would be no going back. But he didn’t want to. Already, in a matter of days, his focus on life had shifted. The thought of being isolated in a basement with Jackson’s endless shows on repeat held little interest. He didn’t understand. He’d been on many a mission. None had changed him.
Until now, and until Lucia. Which he interpreted as her being the key.
He threaded his hand through her hair, rubbing his thumb against the nape of her neck and drew closer. Her gaze shifted from his eyes to his lips, and back. Yes, he was going to kiss her, and kiss her good.
The moment before their lips brushed, she inhaled and he felt the intake of breath on his own mouth, and then he melted the rest of the reservations. Her lips felt soft and tender. He kissed her lightly at first, a plethora of light smacks, coming together until she parted her lips and swiped her tongue across his bottom lip.
Then it got serious. The ferocity of their attraction unleashed as he plundered her mouth with his tongue. Together, they fell back on the blanket, and he half straddled her body, sliding his knee between her thighs. They broke for air, her chest heaving.
She smiled. “Do you think they’ll know?”
“What type of undercover agents would they be if they didn’t?”
A brief flash of skin on her stomach caught his attention. When she lay down, the front of her shirt rose. Shaw slipped his hand underneath, caressing the curves of her side, before raising upward to cup her breast.
“May I?” he asked, brushing his thumb over the obvious point of arousal.
“Yes, oh yes. Please.” Her cheeks blushed with the admission.
He lifted her shirt, happy to see she wore a front clasp, and unsnapped her light pink bra. “Beautiful,” he said.
Fully dressed, her chest mesmerized him. Nude, her breasts were perfect. He licked one oversized chocolate-brown nipple, bringing it to an even more intense point. She moaned, arching upward, letting him know it felt good. He moved to the next one, giving it an equal share of treatment, and back and forth.
After a few minutes of worship, he returned to her mouth, and she increased the fervor of her kisses. His cock hardened, pressing against the material of his jeans for freedom, and letting her know of his arousal. Despite how much he wanted her, he wasn’t about to make love with her in the middle of the day, by the river—no matter how secluded it seemed. So after a few more kisses, he helped her fix her bra and shirt.
Her cheeks flushed an even prettier pink than her bra, and her lips were swollen from their kissing.
“Think anyone will be missing us by now?” he asked.
“Probably everyone.” She glanced away, not making eye contact. “You know, we were going pretty hot and heavy there for a while. We didn’t have to stop.”
“Lucia, look at me.” He waited for her to shift her focus on him. “Stopping has nothing to do with me not wanting you. In fact, I like you too much to act like a horny teenager. Make sense?”
Biting her lower lip, she lowered her eyes and nodded, then slid her hand along his thigh and gripped his cock. “Rain check?”
His resolve almost faltered. “Hell yes.”
7
Over the next few days, they settled into a routine of watching the grounds, researching local legends and feeling the energy between them build.
“Did you know some people believe the chupacabra to be connected to aliens?” Shaw asked as he clicked through information on the computer. “For some, alien pets that were left behind.”
She watched his eyes travel back and forth across the screen. She resisted the urge to run her fingers through his hair. They hadn’t managed to get any time alone, and despite everything else happening, she wanted to explore the desire to touch him.
“That’s one big dog,” she said. “I can’t imagine domesticating whatever’s tearing apart our flock.”
Shaw grunted a reply. “And the sightings have spread. Some of the earliest come from Puerto Rico, and more recently California.”
“Really? Well, like anything, part mass psychosis—there’s so much information out there, it’s like vampires. Once chupacabras hit Scooby-Doo cartoons, people are going to talk. And
then there’s the possibility of reality. Why wouldn’t they travel or migrate to other similar locales?”
“Scooby-Doo?” He met Lucia’s gaze with a crooked smile. “Are you a fan, too?”
She laughed. “Don’t get me started. But I’m kinda surprised you watch.”
“Hey, you know us government types. We have to keep tabs on what’s happening in the world, and sometimes shows—even animated ones—can provide information.”
“Good excuse.”
The banter created a warmth in Lucia’s chest. The attraction was much more than physical.
“I’m going to set up for dinner.” As she walked away, she swore she felt him watching her. She turned to look, and he offered a wink that increased the heat.
An hour later, they sat next to each other at the table, and when his leg brushed against hers, it took her back to when he’d arrived, and riding next to him in the golf cart. Had it really only been a a few days?
So much, and so little, had happened.
He leaned close and asked, “You want some company making the rounds tonight?”
The question sent a shiver through her body, as if it knew it meant something else. That afternoon by the river sealed it. But he stopped the action before it got too serious. Was it because he didn’t want her, or only the circumstances as he’d begged off?
Rather than looking away, he held her gaze, the hunger of an unasked question heavy between them. Until now.
“Going to be my bodyguard?” she asked.
“Something like that. I’d like to guard your body.”
The meal couldn’t end soon enough, and she shooed Dominique off to study and her father to bed. Likewise, Shaw appointed Jackson and Alec tasks to keep them busy.
* * *
Shaw held her hand, guiding her through the darkness toward the barn. Whoever decided a stack of hay made for a great place to get naked must also like doing it in the sand. That shit can be pokey in all the wrong places.
