Chapter Ten

Jackson drove them back to his place, his brain was on autopilot. He couldn’t believe she’d said she loved him.

“I thought we were going home,” Clare said.

“I think we need to be around people for a little while.”

“Is something wrong?”

He heard the uneasiness in her voice and reached over and took her hand. “Nothing’s wrong. But after the rollercoaster of emotions we’ve both had today, I think it’s best if we have some normalcy.”

“Dinner with Kyle and Billie Jo?”

“Yep.” After they’d heard about the death of her ex-boyfriend, he knew they’d be waiting to hear the latest news, and he really did think that normalcy was the best medicine for both of them. Not to mention it would be harder to think about what she’d said back there if he wasn’t alone with her.

He pointed out a few things about their ranch as he drove up the long drive, doing whatever he could to make her feel more comfortable. He parked the truck, came around to her side, opened the door for her, although she was half out of the door already, and pulled her into his arms for one long and luscious kiss.

The sudden catch of her breath followed by a soft sweet sigh as he tasted her, warmed him in more places than he dared name at the moment. His family waited inside for them, and he was beginning to think that dinner with them was a lousy idea.

“You two coming up for air soon? ’Cause dinner is ready,” Kyle said with a laugh as he walked passed them into the house.

“I think we should’ve gone home,” Clare said, a wonderful twinkle in her eyes.

“I think I agree with you.”

With a giggle she pulled from his arms and started up the steps. Jackson had to take a slow deep breath before following or else he’d snatch her up and say the hell with dinner.

It didn’t take long to fill his family in on what happened at the sheriff’s office, and once Kyle and Billie Jo calmed down after the suggestion of Clare or Jackson being the murderer, they each had their own version of what they thought might have happened. Who killed Cutter, who used Jackson as a punching bag, and who broke into Clare’s house?

They’d all had dealings with Morgan at one time or another, but Jackson had to admit, he didn’t really believe that Morgan would go so far as to have him beaten up or the house ransacked. And he certainly wouldn’t murder someone.

“Morgan may be a pain in the ass, but he’s not stupid,” Jackson said. “Why would he go so far, use his own men, knowing it would all lead right back to him?”

“But if not Morgan, then who?” Clare asked.

“What about Cutter?” Kyle asked.

“No. Mark may have been a royal piece of work, but this doesn’t seem his style.”

“Beating your new boyfriend to a pulp would’ve been on his list, I’d imagine,” Kyle said.

“No,” she insisted. “It’s too coincidental. Jackson and I haven’t known each other long enough for him to know about it.”

“Unless he’d been watching the place—and you for a few months,” Billie Jo said.

Clare sucked in a breath. “Watching me?”

“You don’t know how long he was here before he was killed.”

“So you think this guy has been using Morgan as a cover to watch Clare?” Jackson asked.

Clare still couldn’t believe it. “No. No this is ridiculous. Morgan is the one who wants my ranch. That’s the only logical explanation. Mark just got into something he shouldn’t have.”

“Maybe he was looking for you, but running from someone else,” Kyle said.

Jackson rose and took his plate to the sink. “You mean, whoever killed him was watching Clare to see if Cutter showed up here.”

His brother nodded. “And when you got involved, they figured Cutter would never show his face with you hanging around.”

“And the break-in?” Clare asked.

Kyle shrugged. “Looking for clues to Cutter’s whereabouts.”

“If any of this is true, what about Morgan?” Billie Jo asked.

“He just had the wires cut, bullied you as much as he dared, but I think that’s all,” Kyle said.

Clare let out a long sigh as she carried her plate to the sink. “I’m tired of questions without real answers.”

Jackson pulled her into his arms, and she rested her cheek against his chest. “Things will look better in the morning.” He pressed his lips to her forehead.

“Are you two sleeping here or heading back to Clare’s place?” Billie Jo asked.

“That’s up to Clare,” Jackson said, hoping she knew that he was okay with whatever she wanted to do. He didn’t have to make love to her tonight, they had thousands of nights together in their future. But he sure did wish she’d ask to go home and invite him to stay—and not as her bodyguard.

“Home,” she said, and glanced up at him, her cheeks a bit pink. Guess she was thinking along the same lines as he was.

“Home it is,” he said, with a wink only she could see, which turned her cheeks even pinker.

****

They arrived back at Clare’s place just before sundown.

“I’m going to go talk to Garcia and Jeff for a few minutes. You go inside, and I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Jackson said at the door with a quick kiss to her forehead.

Clare nodded and disappeared inside.

He crossed the yard to the bunkhouse where Jeff was standing by the bunkhouse door. Kyle had left the two ranch hands behind to guard the place and to help keep Clare safe. And knowing his sister-in-law, they were to help keep him safe as well.

“Anything happen while we were gone?” he asked.

“Not a thing. Was the dead guy her ex?”

Jackson nodded and filled them in on what the sheriff had to say, which wasn’t much in the way of facts, but they needed to know what was going on. Whoever killed Mark Cutter was extremely dangerous.

Clare watched from the window while she wrapped her arms around herself. The image of Mark dead was still prevalent in her mind. It wasn’t an easy picture to erase.

Was Kyle’s guess right? Had he been watching her, or had someone been watching her for him? Why? If he wanted to get her back or hurt her in some way, he’d have several opportunities to approach her. Especially after Gran died. She’d been alone for a couple of months.

With a sigh, she turned from the window and went upstairs. Whatever Mark’s reasons for being in Iron Horse, Wyoming, it wouldn’t do her any good thinking on it. Right now her number one thought was Jackson.

She shouldn’t have blurted out that she loved him, but it just seemed silly to deny it any longer. He was everything she ever wanted in a man. Funny how he reminded her of her grandfather. His easy going nature, his crooked grin, and his willingness to help others no matter the inconvenience. He was someone her grandparents had treated like a son, and she knew they’d be more than pleased she’d fallen for him.

The only issue now was, should she sleep with him or not. She bit her lip, hoping whatever she decided he’d be okay with.

She kicked out of her jeans and slid into some lounge pants, a pair of fuzzy socks. Ditching her blouse and bra, she pulled on a thermal shirt a few sizes too big. With a steadying breath, she made her way downstairs and went straight to the freezer for some ice cream. Comfortable clothes went with comfort food.

The front door opened, and Jackson stepped inside. “It’s just me,” he called.

A quiver of longing raced across her skin. Although she tried to shake it off, she failed miserably.

“I’m in the kitchen. Want some ice cream?” she asked, forcing a normalcy she didn’t feel in the least.

The sound of his heavy boots against the hardwood floor echoed throughout the old house. She didn’t pull her head from the freezer, needing the frigid air to cool her heated skin. It didn’t seem to matter what she should or shouldn’t do, think on it or don’t think on it. Her body had already decided for her. She wanted Jackson with every beat of her heart.

“Got any chocolate?” he asked, oblivious to her internal ramblings.

She cleared her throat and grabbed the carton. “Yep, and some caramel to drizzle over it.”

Her hands full, she elbowed the fridge closed, then crossed to the table, not once looking him in the eye. If she did, he’d know exactly what was on her mind.

But before she could turn to the shelf for some bowls, he snagged her hand. “Hey, you okay?”

She swallowed, but still refused to meet his gaze. “I’m fine.”

He tipped up her face with a slight touch just beneath her chin. “Talk to me, sweetheart.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

His lips turned up in that wonderful crooked grin. “You’re beautiful when you blush, you know that?” He pecked a kiss to the tip of her nose.

“I can’t help it. I feel so—so—foolish.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pressed her close. “Nothing foolish about wanting to make love to each other, nothing foolish about it all.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist, and pressed her face to his chest. “We’ve only known each other for a few days.”

“True, but when it’s right between two people, it’s just right. There’s no arguing with how we feel.” He leaned back to see her face. “But how about we enjoy some ice cream before it melts and just let things happen.”

She nodded, then pulled from his arms and retrieved a pair of bowls and spoons and a scoop.

They took their time eating and talking and going over the events of the day yet again, but once the ice cream was gone, the dishes put away, there was reason left not to go to bed.

“I’ll sleep down here on the couch if you want me to,” Jackson said, still not sure if this was a good idea or not. Although he wanted to make love to her, he didn’t want to make any mistakes. It would kill him to lose her now.

She reached out and took his hand. Hers trembled inside his, which wasn’t all that steady either. “Come to bed, Jackson.”

Leading the way up the stair, he followed her, their hands still linked.

In the dim light of the small bedside lamp, they undressed and silently climbed into bed. At first, he only held her, relishing the feel of her warm soft body next to his, her head on his shoulder. And after a time, he thought perhaps she’d fallen asleep. Then her hands began an exploration of his body, followed by her lips.

Not much more a man could do but to follow her lead, and he wasn’t about to disappoint. Slowly and sweetly he made love to her, and she to him.

When the morning light seeped through the curtains, they both still lay in one another’s arms. His fingers rocked across her back, and she sighed.

“Did you sleep okay?” he asked.

She lifted her mussed head with a bright smile and rested her chin against his chest. “Better than I’ve ever slept before. All twenty minutes of it.”

They laughed, and he rolled her to her back, kissing her soundly. “Then you’ll have to find time to take a nap this afternoon. You’re going to need your rest.”

“And why’s that, Mr. Chase?” She toyed with a lock of his hair, then ran her fingernails across his scalp.

He arched into her hand with a moan. “Because last night was just the beginning.”

“Oh I hope so. I definitely hope so,” she whispered, pulling him down for another heady kiss.