So this was what making love was supposed to be, Robin thought as she awoke the second time that morning. She’d imagined, she’d hoped, but she’d never experienced anything so great. Ethan was an amazing man. An exciting man. Truly, genuinely gifted, she thought with a smile as she threw back the covers. The women who’d left him at the altar were idiots. If they’d known what they were missing, they’d make a beeline to his door this very instant.
When her feet hit the carpet, a sobering thought intruded. What if they did know? One would assume Ethan had made love to them—at least the first, long-term fiancée in Dallas. Had their love-making been this spectacular? Damn, but she wanted to know if what she and Ethan had experienced last night was as extraordinary for him as it was for her.
He sure had seemed to enjoy it, she thought, letting her mind drift lazily back to the moment when he’d joined her on this bed that first time. When he’d changed her entire perception of sex. When he’d shown her what love felt like.
Love? Was she certain that’s what they were feeling? Or was she caught up in the moment? She couldn’t know until she saw him again. She couldn’t be sure until they made love once more.
She slumped on the side of the mattress. Was that fair? She needed to get some perspective, just as she’d needed to with Gig. She’d ignored thinking about their relationship, their engagement, until she’d run off to Ranger Springs. She’d vowed not to repeat her previous mistakes. That meant being open and honest with Ethan, telling him how she felt and showing him what she wanted.
She wanted him. Not just memories of this weekend. Not just a casual summer fling.
With renewed spirit, she pushed up from the bed. Naked, she walked into her bathroom, where a hint of Ethan’s presence remained. She ran her hand over the folded, damp bath towel. She smiled as she noticed the way he’d left the toothpaste and water glass in nearly the same position she kept them. Just as she suspected, Ethan Parker was neat and orderly. He wouldn’t be a difficult man to live with…if that was the direction he wanted to take their relationship.
She hoped he did. She prayed he was at least open to thinking about the future.
But first, she needed to put the remnants of her past behind her. For weeks she hadn’t been able to face the thought of returning to Houston and seeing her friends and family, much less apologizing once more to Gig. Now she knew she had to do those things, and quickly, so she could get on with her life here.
She paused, her hand resting on the sink as the truth set in. Here. As in Ranger Springs. Could she move to a small town after living her entire life in Houston? Three weeks ago she would have said the idea was absurd. Now…well, now she believed she could be happy in this small town, as long as she had Ethan. The rest of the details—her career, family and friends—she could work out.
She had to know. She had to be sure, even though her instincts told her this place, this man, was exactly what she’d wanted all her life.
AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER, Robin pulled her coupe into a parking spot in front of the municipal building and hurried toward Ethan’s office. She wanted to see him, even if she couldn’t touch him. Just to know if his eyes lit up when he faced her. If he wanted to reach for her, even though he shouldn’t. That excitement fueled such energy that she barely kept herself from skipping into the police station.
“Hello…Susie, isn’t it?” she greeted the receptionist.
“Hi, Miss Cummings. How are you?”
“Fine. Is Chief Parker in?”
“He’s at lunch. I think he went to the café in town.”
“Oh.” Robin hadn’t realized this was the noon hour. She’d been running on adrenaline all morning. “I’m a little hungry myself. I think I’ll try to find him there.”
“Okay. Should I tell him you came by if he calls in?”
“That would be great. Thanks, Susie.”
“Sure, no problem. Say, how is your decorating project coming along?”
Decorating. She’d completely forgotten about that in the last sixteen or seventeen hours. She grinned. “I got a little sidetracked, but I’ll be back working on it in a couple of days.”
“I think that’s so neat. I’d love to learn more about decorating.”
“Maybe we can have lunch soon.” Maybe she could teach a class at the community center. Maybe she could build a business here in Ranger Springs.
“I’d like that a lot. See you later, Miss Cummings.”
“Please, call me Robin,” she said with a wave as she hurried to her car.
But when she got to the café, she discovered Ethan wasn’t there.
Disappointed, she paused for a moment to decide what to do next. Then her stomach growled, and she remembered she hadn’t eaten all day…despite having expended a huge number of calories last night. With a sigh and a smile, she headed for Gina Mae’s booth.
An hour later, her tummy full, she returned to Ethan’s office—only to discover she’d just missed him.
“He had a call to herd up a bunch of emus,” Susie informed her.
“Eth—er, Chief Parker is out herding birds?” she asked incredulously.
“Yeah, kind of crazy, isn’t it? You see, a few years ago emus were going to be the hot thing. Lots of people invested in breeding pairs with the hope of getting rich. But the market for emu products never took off, and people were stuck with these herds they couldn’t afford to feed. Every now and then, someone just turns the birds loose to fend for themselves.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Yes, especially because they’re so stupid. They walk right out into the road, which causes accidents. Whenever we have a report of roving birds, Chief Parker sends as many officers as possible out to round them up.”
“Interesting. So, I don’t suppose you have any idea when he’ll be back.”
“No, there’s no way to tell.” Susie looked at her curiously. “Would you like to leave him a message?”
“Yes, I think that would be best.” She really, really wanted to see him, but she couldn’t insist he leave a bunch of helpless, hungry, stupid birds to get flattened by a big truck, while she gazed into his eyes.
Susie handed her a yellow pad, pen and envelope. “Just take your time.”
She glanced at her watch. If she hurried, she’d still get back to Houston before the heaviest rush-hour traffic. “Thanks.”
As quickly as possible, she wrote a note to Ethan, then printed “personal” on the envelope in plain block letters. She didn’t want anyone reading her message to him. He’d get it sometime today, then he could call her tonight at her condo. They had a lot of things to discuss, but most would have to wait until she could be back in his arms again.
ETHAN WAS SO HOT and tired, he went directly home after rounding up the last frightened, hungry bird. They’d taken the emus to the 4-H fairgrounds where they could be safely contained, fed and watered until the judge decided what to do with them.
Ethan wouldn’t have been so tired if he’d gotten a decent night’s sleep last night, but he wasn’t complaining. He wouldn’t trade the experience of making love with Robin for a hundred nights of rest. Or even a lifetime of rest, he thought as he eased his boots off his aching feet. He was pretty sure this time he’d fallen hard and fast. The rest of the details could be worked out later—he sincerely hoped.
He needed another shower, this time hot and long, and then he’d phone Robin. He imagined her curled up on the couch, maybe sipping a glass of wine, waiting for his call. If he hurried, he could be at the Franklin house in forty-five minutes. They could be between the sheets in fifty.
But fifteen minutes later, after a shower, he listened as the telephone rang and rang. Robin didn’t pick up; the answering machine finally engaged. Her voice said simply that she wasn’t available, and to leave a message.
“Robin, this is Ethan. I just got off work. Call me when you get in. I’m really looking forward to seeing you again.”
He finished getting dressed, then tried the number again. Still no answer. Frowning, he grabbed a beer from the refrigerator and settled onto his ugly couch, which had yet to be replaced. Across the room, a fresh coat of terra-cotta paint graced the dining room thanks to the painter Robin had hired. The man had done the job during the day so he didn’t interfere with Ethan’s schedule. The fireplace looked very different in a warm golden-beige rather than the natural pinkish-tan color of the bricks he was accustomed to. Robin had started the project in earnest a few days ago, but where was she now? He wished he had her cell phone number. He was sure she owned one, but he’d never had occasion to ask.
“Robin, where are you?” he asked the silent, empty house. Scowling, he clicked on the remote control and settled in to watch a baseball game.
An hour later, he couldn’t sit still. He turned off the television and pushed up from the recliner, where he’d moved to when he’d realized he was sitting on the couch because he’d sat there with her. He tried calling her again, but there was still no answer. Frustrated, he grabbed his keys. He’d drive to her place and see if her car was in the drive. She could have had an accident, after all. Maybe she’d fallen in the shower.
The idea of Robin injured spurred him on, and within a minute, he was driving way too fast down the road toward the woman who’d captured his heart.
Her car wasn’t in the drive or the garage. The house was closed up tightly. With the key he’d used that morning to lock up, he let himself inside.
“Robin,” he called out.
No answer. He strode through the house, taking in the tidy appearance of each room. The breakfast area was cleared of dishes, and the Sunday paper they’d shared was in the trash. Even the old-fashioned, white-iron bed where they’d made love so sweetly, so many times, was neatly made with a floral comforter and lots of lacy pillows. He hadn’t even noticed the furnishings last night.
None of Robin’s things seemed to be out of place, but he really couldn’t tell much because he wasn’t sure what he was looking for. Not too many cosmetics were in the bathroom, but perhaps she simply didn’t use a large variety. However, one clue was the lack of standard toiletries. He didn’t see deodorant, shampoo or a woman’s razor.
Could she have packed and left? But why, after the weekend? They’d been great together. He’d left with the pledge to call her later, and she’d seemed fine with his promise.
Why would she have left? Where would she go?
“Not back to Gig,” he growled. No, Robin hadn’t given any indication she wanted to get back together with her former fiancé. As far as Ethan knew, she didn’t have any other friends around the area. Which left Houston.
Surely she hadn’t run back to Houston after two nights in his arms. Surely he hadn’t misread her reactions so completely. If he had, he was just about the worst FBI-trained lawman in Texas.
If anyone knew where Robin was, he felt her great-aunt Sylvia would. Unfortunately, he couldn’t remember Sylvia’s last name. Ethan sped back to his house to search the address book his aunt kept by the phone in the kitchen. Letting out an impatient sigh, he began with A and started looking for Robin’s aunt.
His sense of anxiety grew with each passing minute. Robin wasn’t the type of person to just up and leave, especially after a night like last night.
Everything had been perfect, hadn’t it? He tried to recall anything that might have upset her, but couldn’t come up with any clues.
Finally! Sylvia Murphy with a Houston area code. He punched the numbers into the wall phone, then drummed his fingers along the door facing until someone answered.
“Dammit,” he cursed when the answering machine kicked in. He listened impatiently to the greeting, then left a message for Sylvia to call him collect as soon as she returned.
He grabbed a beer and slumped into his recliner. He’d thought he’d been frustrated before, when Robin was walking back and forth across his living room. He’d been wrong. Knowing now that she was out there somewhere and being unable to find her was the true definition of frustration. He just hoped he found her soon. He had something very important to tell Robin Cummings.
ETHAN PACED, wearing a path in the carpet between the living room and kitchen. Good thing he was getting his house redecorated, he thought, since he was about to ruin the flooring!
But the project would never be finished unless he found Robin. He hadn’t seen her in more than twelve hours, and his anxiety grew each minute. He knew she’d contacted the station earlier in the day, but she hadn’t left a message with the dispatcher. Ethan had insisted Ben look again for one of those pink message slips Susie always completed. Nothing. He’d even called Susie at home, just in case she knew something, but he only got her answering machine. Where was everyone on a Monday night?
After witnessing a dozen horrible crashes on the highways, or helping search for missing persons, he had a little experience with anxious situations. Right now, his imagination was shifting into overdrive. If he didn’t hear from Sylvia, Bess or Robin within the next thirty minutes, he was going to put out an APB for a missing person.
He didn’t approve of using his professional capacity to augment his personal life, but losing Robin qualified as a disaster. He’d do whatever necessary to find her quickly.
He’d need her driver’s license number and license plate, he mentally cataloged. He could go down to the station to get that information, or he could—
The phone rang, interrupting his speculation. “Hello!”
“Good evening, Ethan. This is Bess.”
“I know! Have you found Robin?”
“Why, yes, we have. She’s with her parents.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea. I haven’t spoken to her yet.”
“Give me the number, and I’ll call her there.”
His aunt recited Robin’s phone number and address before adding, “Ethan, this doesn’t sound like you at all.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Aunt Bess, but I’ve been sick with worry since this afternoon. Robin had been in town looking for me earlier, then she left without seeing me or even leaving a message.”
“That does sound rather irresponsible. Not like her at all.” His aunt paused, then said, “What did you do to make her upset?”
“Me! I didn’t do a thing.”
“Hmm. Nothing’s changed in your relationship, and suddenly she just runs off?”
Ethan felt his face grow warm. How could he explain to his beloved aunt that he and Robin had had the greatest weekend of lovemaking in history? After all, she’d accused him of getting less action than men in the retirement home. Now Bess was in Houston, staying with Robin’s aunt, and he just couldn’t tell two elderly ladies that Sylvia’s great-niece and Bess’s nephew were the hottest thing in bed since electric blankets.
“Ethan, are you still there?”
“Yes, Aunt Bess. All I can tell you is that Robin and I had a turning point in our relationship. I thought everything was wonderful.”
“And then she left.”
“Yes! Without a word.”
“She must have had her reasons. She’s a very levelheaded young woman.”
“I know that. That’s one of the things I lo—I admire about her.”
His aunt paused. “I think Robin is talking about her wedding with her parents right now. I’m sure they had a lot of issues to discuss. I’m not sure what she’s going to be doing tomorrow, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she wanted to see that fiancé of hers.”
“That Gig fellow? She doesn’t need to see him. They’re finished.”
“Hmm. Well, I’m sure you’re right. But tell me, Ethan, did you confess to Robin how you felt about her?”
He thought back to all the time they’d spent together in the last 48 hours. Had he said the words? He was pretty sure he hadn’t. They hadn’t talked a lot. Maybe at the time he wasn’t one-hundred percent sure how he felt. He was now.
“No, I don’t think so, Aunt Bess, but that doesn’t mean—”
“Ethan! A woman needs to hear these things. If she doesn’t hear them from you, then…”
“Are you telling me that Robin is going to turn to some guy named Gig if he suddenly professes his love?”
“I’m not certain. I’m just saying that she broke off the engagement rather suddenly, and I’m sure there are a lot of unresolved feelings on everyone’s part.”
Ethan scowled at the phone, greatly annoyed at his aunt for putting such ridiculous thoughts into words. Of course Robin wasn’t interested in getting back together with her former fiancé. She’d realized she and Gig weren’t right for each other. She’d grown beyond some frat jock who still used a childish nickname.
“Ethan, I think Sylvia needs to use the phone. Call me later when you decide what to do, all right?”
“Yes, Aunt Bess, I’ll do that.”
What to do…He was, after all, a man of calm and deliberate action. An officer of the law couldn’t be rash and irresponsible.
But at the moment, he wanted to rope and hogtie Gig Harrelson, then drag Robin across his saddle and ride off into the sunset.