Tessa had seen him shirtless last year when he was at Wyatt's ranch, helping stack hay. She had gone there to check on a pregnant mare and Sam had been in the barn, tossing hay bales as if they weighed next to nothing when Tessa knew they could weigh close to eighty pounds. His hard chest had gleamed with sweat, the light smattering of hair that traveled down his stomach and disappeared into his jeans, glistened, and fascinated her. She was sure her mouth had dropped open and in embarrassment, she had quickly scurried into the other barn but she hadn't been able to get the image out of her mind. His jeans had hung low on his lean hips and remembering how he looked, Tessa groaned as she pictured that sexy V that seemed to capture her full attention. She didn't know what was below those lean hips but if the sight were even half as sexy as the top half, she'd never survive the view or be able to keep resisting him. There wasn't an ounce of fat on him. Sam was all muscle.
Her hand slapped the steering wheel. Now she needed a shower—a cold one.
Later that night, Tessa was sleeping soundly when her cell phone woke her. Groggy and silently cursing the person on the other end, she reached for the phone.
"Doctor McGuire," she answered her voice hoarse with sleep.
"Tessa? It's Sam. Look, I'm sorry to call at this time of night but one of my horses has a bad cut on his leg, and I can't get him to calm down enough to check it."
Tessa sat up, now fully awake, and pushing her unruly hair from her face. "No problem, Sam. You need to calm him down though. Call Wyatt or Ryder. I know Trick’s out of town but Wyatt or Ryder can help you. They’re almost as good as Trick when it comes to talking a horse into anything."
"I'll call one of them… Shit. It's three in the morning."
"Sam. Please, call one of them. They’ll understand. I'm on my way." Tessa hung up and dressed quickly. Grabbing her keys and medical bag, she ran down the steps to her SUV. She was sure she’d left tire marks on the road as she tore out of the parking spot. Tessa hoped Sam had called Wyatt or Ryder.
Not long after, she pulled into Sam's driveway and drove up to park near the barn. After shutting down the engine, she stepped out of her vehicle, bag in hand, and ran to the barn. When she reached it, Olivia Stone, Wyatt's wife was standing by the door.
"Liv?"
Olivia turned and nodded toward the back doors of the barn. "They're both in the stall. I just wanted to come outside for a breather. The heat in there is stifling."
"I'm sorry Sam had to wake you and Wyatt up at this time of the morning." Tessa smiled noting how Olivia wore her long hair in a messy top knot and fluffy slippers on her feet.
Olivia grinned at her. "We weren't sleeping. I heard sex will induce labor."
Tessa laughed. "I should have known you'd tell me something I really didn't need to hear, Liv."
Olivia snorted. "I know you probably don't want to hear this either, but you seriously need to jump Sam's bones," she said following with a loud sigh. "I know I’ve said it before but that man is so hot and if I wasn’t in love with Wyatt, I'd go after the sexy sheriff myself." Olivia grinned at her. "He has a great ass too, you can’t tell me you haven’t noticed the way he fills out those jeans. Talk about ten pounds of sugar in a five-pound sack. Whew."
Tessa burst out laughing and shook her head. Thankfully, the men came out from the stall just then. She snickered when she heard Olivia sigh.
"Have you ever seen two sexier men in your life? Let's see, all we need to add is Jake, Gabe, Ryder, Brody, Riley, and Trick." Olivia giggled as she ticked off the names on her fingers.
Tessa saw Wyatt raise an eyebrow at Olivia then he grinned and winked at his wife.
Sam glanced at Tessa with worry furrowing his handsome brow. "His leg is still bleeding but Wyatt calmed him down."
"I'll check him," Tessa said and then looked at Wyatt. "Thanks for helping Sam out."
"No problem. I've been there." Wyatt said with a grin and a nod.
Tessa entered the stall and slowly walked toward the horse. She rubbed her hand over the horse's neck, talking to him softly to keep him calm. Sam came to stand beside her.
"So how long has the leg been bleeding, Sam?" Tessa asked.
"I'm not sure. Bo was acting crazy, so I got up and when I let him out, he ran to the barn. I followed him."
"Bo?" Tessa raised an eyebrow.
"Bo is my dog."
"Well, I think Bo must have heard the horse making a fuss," Tessa told him as she gave the horse an antibiotic shot.
Sam exhaled in relief when she wiped the blood away from the cut. "Thank God," he said, shaking his head. "I'm glad it's just a small cut. I thought it was bigger since it was bleeding so badly."
"It looks like he was kicking the rails for some reason. A snake may have been close or a mouse could've scared him."
Just then, Wyatt and Olivia popped their heads in to bid them goodnight. Tessa watched them stroll down the barn toward the doors, their arms around each other. She shook her head, snickered, but then sobered when she saw Sam looking at her.
"What's so funny?" he asked her.
"I seriously doubt those two will go home and sleep. Liv mentioned that you didn't wake them up when you called."
Sam chuckled. "Yeah, she informed me of that too, when I apologized to her. Apparently, she thinks sex will induce labor." He rubbed his hand around the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Tessa."
"For what? To use your words…it's my job." She smiled. The smile left her face when her eyes met his. Olivia was right. The man was hot. She almost groaned and knew she shouldn't be standing so close to him. Crouching down, she picked up her medical bag and almost lost her balance. Thankfully, Sam caught her and pulled her up.
"Are you all right?"
Tessa nodded. "Fine. Thank you."
"So polite," Sam muttered.
Tessa glared up at him. "What's that supposed to mean, Sheriff?"
Sam shook his head and glanced away. "Nothing, Doc." His gaze shifted back to her. "Come on, I'll walk you to your car."
Tessa spun on her heel. "Don't bother."
She marched down the aisle of the barn and came to a complete stop when she saw the huge Rottweiler standing in the doorway. She knew not to move especially since he was the biggest Rottweiler she'd ever seen and he was growling. The fur on the back of his neck stood up as he snarled at her.
"It's okay, Bo," Sam said from behind her and immediately, the dog sat down and quieted.
"Hi, Bo." Tessa put her hand out and the dog gave her his paw making her smile.
"He's a big teddy bear," Sam said.
"He's the biggest Rottie I've ever seen. Why haven’t I seen Bo before this?”
“I take him to the vet in Hartland and before you say anything about why I called you tonight, that vet doesn’t make house calls and doesn’t specialize in equine.”
Tessa squatted down in front of the dog and he panted at her. "You're a sweetheart, aren't you?" She laughed when Bo suddenly licked her face. It felt as if her entire face was wet from one swipe. Tessa stood, and looked everywhere but at Sam. "I still don’t understand.”
“I didn’t think you’d want my business, Tessa. I thought you hated me.”
“No, it’s not like that. If only…”
“What does that mean?” Sam stepped closer to her.
“It means that you are trouble with a capital T, Sam Garrett but if you ever need me to see Bo—”
Sam grinned. “I’m trouble?”
Tessa laughed. “To me you are. There’s not a single woman in town who doesn’t want you. Probably some married ones too.”
Sam cupped her face in his hands. “I’m only interested in one woman wanting me and that’s you, Tessa.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers causing her to moan and wrap her arms around his neck. As his tongue entered her mouth, he pulled her against him so that she could feel his hard shaft behind the fly of his jeans. She pressed her hips against him making him groan into her mouth then he slowly lifted his lips from hers. “You
’d better go.”
“Yeah, I should. I'll go so you can get back to bed."
Shit! Why did the mention of a bed around Sam make her cheeks flame hot?
Grabbing her bag, she moved past Sam and headed toward her car.
“I'll stay up now. I have to start my shift in two hours anyway." He was directly behind her following her out of the barn. Tessa knew she had to get out of here before she did something stupid. Something like what Olivia said and jump the sexy sheriff’s bones.
"Tessa."
She turned back to face him. "Yes?"
“Have dinner with me.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Sam.”
“I do,” he said then exhaled as he stepped closer. “All right…think about it and let me know.” He leaned down and kissed her quickly. "Goodnight, angel."
Tessa watched him as he strode away with Bo following him.
Chapter Four
Mid July let everyone know what hell was like. It was unbearably hot. Heat waves rose from the street in the middle of the day and little bubbles popped up in the blacktop. The little town of Clifton looked deserted since people were staying indoors to escape the heat.
Sam stood from his chair in his office to check the air conditioning for what felt like, the hundredth time. The thermostat showed seventy-two but it felt like one hundred and seventy-two. Christ! It was hot. He hadn't been outside since he arrived this morning and he had no desire to go out again yet his T-shirt was sticking to him. Walking out to the front office, he saw Betty Lou sitting in her chair fanning herself looking as uncomfortable as he was.
"Are you all right, Betty Lou?" Sam asked her concerned that the heat might be having a harsh effect on his old friend.
"I just can't seem to get cooled down, Sam."
"Do you want me to take you home?"
Betty Lou glared up at him. "Did I say I wanted to go home, Sam Garrett?"
Sam ran his hand over his mouth. "No, ma'am."
Betty Lou grumbled. "If I want to go home, I can drive myself. I just said I was having trouble cooling down." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just go back to your office."
Sam hid a grin as he turned then headed back to his office and was about to sit down when a call came in. When he heard the Bakers were at it again, he groaned and swore as he slammed his hat on his head then headed out the back door.
"You be careful out there, Sam. That Joe Baker is crazy," Betty Lou yelled as the door shut behind him.
Shaking his head, Sam knew she was right. Joe Baker liked using his wife as a punching bag but no matter how many times they tried, Mary never pressed charges. She'd just have him hauled in to spend the night in jail and the next day, she'd bail him out. As Sam stepped out the back door, the heat slammed into him making sweat trickle down between his shoulder blades before he even climbed into the cruiser. He called Brody on the two-way radio to let him know where he was heading.
“Sam, I should tell you that Doc Mac is out there too. She had a call about one of the horses. Jodi mentioned it when I was talking to her about Madilyn’s cat."
Son of a bitch! Sam cursed Joe Baker. "Get out there, Brody. I'm on my way. Run the lights and siren."
Brody acknowledged he was close, and was on his way. Sam tore out of the parking lot with his lights and siren going, all the while hating the idea of Tessa being out there if Joe Baker was on a tear. Going around a turn so fast, he swore he was driving on two wheels but he had to get there for Tessa.
****
Standing with her hands on her hips, Tessa glared at Joe Baker. "Leave her alone, Joe."
Baker swung around and pointed his finger at her. "You just do what you're here to do and leave us alone," he said in a snarling tone then turned back to his wife. "You get in the house, Mary. This ain't over between us yet."
"Mary, you stay out here if you want," Tessa told her. She hated seeing a woman pushed around. Tessa glared at Joe.
Joe let go of his wife's arm and marched toward Tessa but she stood her ground. No man was going to make her back down. As long as he didn’t touch her, she was fine. Most bullies were cowards and sure enough, he stopped within two feet of her.
"You ain't got no business running your mouth, Doc Mac. This is between me and my wife." His eyes narrowed as he looked at her.
"No way. I'm not going to stand here and watch you browbeat Mary," Tessa said between clenched teeth.
Joe jerked back. "Brow…what?"
"Browbeat.” Tessa stared at him with narrowed eyes. “You're a bully, Joe Baker. Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” She watched him as he eyed her up and down.
"You look about my size."
Actually, she was taller than he was but if he touched her, she knew she'd lose it. Her bravado was all for show and she hoped he wouldn’t call her bluff. In the distance, she heard sirens. Thank God, her call had gotten through. When she’d placed the call, she had to talk fast before Joe caught her.
At the sound of sirens, Baker spun around and glared at Mary. "You called the cops?" he accused her, his voice filled with anger.
"No…Joe. I-I was here the whole time," Mary stammered stepping back with her hands up in front of her.
Joe glanced back to Tessa. "You?"
Tessa straightened up to her full height. "Yes, I called. I'm not going to stand by and watch you hurt Mary."
Mary Baker was a tiny woman, thin, and not quite five-foot-tall, where Joe was almost five eight and in comparison, towered over her. Tessa could see Mary was frightened of her husband, because any time he spoke to her she obeyed him. Tessa had seen her flinch whenever Joe got near her or yelled at her. She hated coming to the ranch but Mary had called about her horse not eating, and Tessa couldn’t ignore a sick animal.
Now Tessa sighed with relief when she saw two vehicles with flashing lights pull into the driveway—one was Sam's patrol cruiser. Her heart fluttered when he stepped from the vehicle and strode toward her with his aviator glasses hiding those beautiful eyes.
"What's going on?" He looked to Joe and then to Tessa as Brody joined them.
"I'll tell ya what's goin' on. Mary and me was talking and Doc Mac stuck her nose in where it don’t belong."
Sam removed his shades putting them in his shirt pocket, glanced at Tessa, and raised an eyebrow. "Tessa? What's going on?"
"I told ya—" Joe shut up when Sam turned his attention to the man.
"Mary called me out here to check on her horse. We were in the barn talking and he…" Tessa pointed to Joe. "Started yelling at her and told her to get into the house."
"Have you been drinking again, Joe?" Sam asked him.
"He drinks every day—" Mary started to say until Joe suddenly backhanded her.
Sam grabbed Baker and slung him to the ground only Joe swung a fist connecting with Sam's jaw and knocking him back. Brody ran over but before he could grab Joe, the man reached to pull a gun out from the back of his pants.
“Gun,” Brody hollered pulling his weapon from his holster. Sam was even faster.
"You draw that weapon and your ass will be in jail for quite a long time, Baker," Sam said as he stood over him pointing his weapon at the man. Now Brody also had his weapon pointed at the man lying on the ground.
Tessa was terrified as she put her arm around Mary. "Tell Joe not to draw his gun."
Mary shook her head. "He won't listen to me, especially when he's drunk.
Tessa shook her. "Try."
Mary cleared her throat. "Joe, please don’t pull your gun. You're gonna get hurt."
Joe laughed. "I don't think so. I ain't goin’ to jail."
"You pull that weapon, Joe and you’re either going to jail or to the morgue," Sam said in a low tone of voice telling the man he meant business.
Joe pointed at Tessa. "It's her fault. She should've minded her own business."
"You're wrong, Joe. She was just protecting Mary from you. You want to hit someone, I'm right here." Sam spread his arms wide.
Tessa's breath left her body. "Sam…please don’t, he's dangerous."
Sam smiled and holstered his weapon. "We have a history, don’t we, Joe? How many times have I dragged your ass to jail for hitting Mary or drunk driving? Hell, I’ve put you in jail so many times it’s almost like a second home."
Joe laughed. "You're sweatin’, Sheriff. You scared of me?"
"It's hot as hell today. My sweating has nothing to do with you, Joe. I'm not afraid of a man who beats women. Try beating on a man, let’s see how you do."
"I'd love to but I know the minute I hit you, your deputy will shoot me."
Sam glanced at Brody. "Let him go, Brody, back down." He nodded when Brody complied. "Okay, Joe. Come on. Deputy Morgan won't do a thing to you. In fact, if you kick my ass, we'll both leave without arresting you."
Tessa could see Joe's bravado seeping out of him. She hated men like him. They were typical bullies who only felt big when they beat on a woman. They backed down from confrontation with a man, especially a real man like Sam, a man who was big and strong. She saw Sam narrow his eyes at Joe.
"But it will give me great pleasure to kick your ass and drag you to jail. So come on, Joe. It's too fucking hot to piss around." Sunlight flashed off his badge.
Joe stared at him with anger in his eyes. Tessa was so afraid for Sam, not that she thought Joe could beat Sam but because the bastard still had his gun within reach. She could feel Mary shaking.
"Mary, you have to press charges against Joe. It's the only way you're going to stop him from hurting you," Tessa whispered to her.
Mary shook her head. "He'll kill me."
"He won't get the chance. Press charges, Mary and you'll never go through this again. He could spend a year in jail, and you could start a new life." Tessa looked into her eyes. “Do it."
Sam Men of Clifton, Montana Book 7 Page 5
