Chapter Three

The sun rose to a bright blue sky. A soft breeze carried the scent of late summer wild flowers through his open window, and all Jake could do was curse.

He staggered to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, and looked at the haggard man staring back at him in the mirror. It was all Christine Harper’s fault.

“That damn woman,” he said, grumbling as he threw the shower curtain back and stepped into the tub.

She’d appeared in every dream, every erotic thought he’d had over the last fifteen hours. Even while touring town in the dead of night, watching for any sign of the traffickers out on the highway or near the old campground, hadn’t helped. It was the first time he could ever recall being this distracted by a woman.

Leaning on his hands against the tiled wall, he bowed his head beneath the pounding spray, hoping beyond all hope, to drive her from his thoughts before he had to deal with his painful erection in a different way. There simply wasn’t time for that sort of release. He had to get to Liddy’s and pick up the lady and get her to her camper so he could get back to work. So he could get his life back to its usual, normal routine.

“You mean boring,” he muttered, then cursed again as he shut off the water and threw back the curtain.

He liked his life the way it was, simple, no frills, no messy entanglements. Rachel, down at Cox’s Hair and Nail Salon, was a nice girl, but she knew they were just having a few laughs together, nothing serious. Even Liddy didn’t try to match them up together, but Christine Harper was a different matter. She got his blood pumping with just a look and a brush of her skin against his.

It didn’t help that Liddy was like an old hound dog. She’d zeroed in on his reaction to the enticing blonde, and with a word here and there at dinner last night, she’d planted the seed of change in his brain. Now he could only see his life as tedious and going nowhere. He loved his work, it used to be all he needed other than a little fun on the side with Rachel, but now, with no one to come home to, no one to share his ups and downs with, it all seemed so hollow.

Shoving the uneasy thoughts from his mind, he concentrated on the simple steps of grooming himself and getting dressed, and managed to get out the door on time.

He pulled up in front of Liddy’s and took a deep breath before getting out of the car. There was nothing unusual about Christine Harper, nothing he needed to get all worked up about.

Satisfied with his reasoning, he walked into the house and stopped cold in the foyer. She stood at the foot of the stairs wearing a pair of white jeans that were made for her body, and a jersey top that dipped low in the front, giving him a glimpse of sweet heaven. When his eyes finally met hers after a very long, inappropriate, enjoyable appraisal of every inch, he caught a sparkle of satisfaction with a dose of flirtation in her gaze. He couldn’t hide his grin, although he’d managed to contain it to some degree, and noted her struggling with one herself. She was, most definitely, not boring.

She cleared her throat, and said, “I, um, think Liddy has breakfast ready, if you’re hungry.”

“Starving,” Jake said, his gaze warming as he continued to look at her.

A new set of tingles ran down Christine’s spine. The man was too gorgeous by half, and that gleam in his eye was dangerous. She needed to watch her step around him. A quick romance, no matter how tempting, wasn’t a good idea. Men tended to be more of a nuisance in her life than a necessity—or a pleasure. She’d not had a lot of luck where they were concerned, which is why she limited herself to safe, calm, simple, low on the Richter Scale kind of dates. Not mouthwatering hunks that had the power to blow her socks off.

“There you are, Jake,” Liddy said, as she entered the foyer. “I thought I heard the door. How about you two come and get a bite to eat before going to fetch Chris’s camper?” She turned to the dining room and they followed, doing their best not to brush up against one another in the hallway.

Jake paused to let her go into the dining room before him. Chris didn’t so much as glance at him as she passed, knowing she might fall into those dark brown eyes at such close range.

Liddy filled the air with her happy chatter as usual, but Chris didn’t miss her not-so-subtle hints that they made a nice pair. She’d heard enough of that last night after he left.

Chris smiled to herself. Liddy was an awful lot like her mother, urging her to find a man and get married. Her mother’s recent re-marriage to a very nice man, one that made her happy, had her mother believing that everyone needed a mate. It was a shame it took so long for her mother to find happiness, but Chris was not in the market for any of that. And after all, the sheriff would be a temporary excursion, a dangerous side road. One so far off the map that she feared she’d never be the same after traveling its twists and turns.

“Did you sleep well?” Jake asked.

She nearly choked on her food as he brought her back from her mental ramblings, but managed a nod when in reality she’d barely slept at all. Her body was hot then cold, achy then frustrated, off and on all night long. She’d be glad to get her camper fixed and get out of Iron Horse at the earliest possible moment. The more miles she put between herself and Jake Conrad, the better off she’d be, regardless of what her body thought.

“I assumed you might have had some trouble sleeping in a different bed instead of your camper,” he added.

“Not at all,” she lied, as she sipped her coffee. “Liddy has exceptional accommodations.”

“Why thank you, hon,” the older woman said. “I know how it is to feel restless in a new place, in a strange bed, so I do my best to make the rooms as comfortable as I can.”

“And you do a wonderful job, which will be in my article,” Chris said.

They finished eating and Jake and Chris made their way out to her camper to meet the tow.

“So you’re doing an article on Liddy’s?” Jake asked, as he drove down the highway.

She’d hoped he wouldn’t speak, it only distracted her from concentrating on something other than him. “Yes. She has a nice place, so I thought I’d help her out a little.”

His jaw clenched as he nodded.

“Is there something wrong with my writing an article on her bed and breakfast?”

“No, I suppose not.” There was that clenching jaw again.

She twisted on the seat to look at him, her hackles rising. “Spit it out, Sheriff. Why don’t you want me to write about Liddy’s? Don’t you think my writing is good enough?”

“I never said that.”

She jerked back around and crossed her arms, her gaze on the road and not the irritating man beside her. “No, but you thought it.”

He jerked the car to the side of the road in front of her camper and threw it into park. With one hand gripping the steering wheel, he turned to face her. “Don’t put words in my mouth or otherwise. I just don’t want to see a nice old lady like Liddy get hurt by an outsider’s point of view.”

“Oh! Like I’d write something that would hurt that sweet woman.”

“I don’t know what you’d write, since I’ve never read any of your damn articles!” He turned back around and swiped a hand down his face. “Look, I know that she’s a chatty old busy body, that her place isn’t exactly paradise, but it is to her. I just hope you take that into consideration. That’s all.”

Chris let out a slow unsteady breath. “Her hospitality is top notch. She may be chatty but she’s sincere in trying to make people feel at home, and that is what I intend to write. Yes, the house could use some work here and there, but it’s clean, the furnishings are nice—practically antiques, and her cooking is superb.”

He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “Sorry. I just—well, thanks. It’ll mean a lot to her.”

“You’re welcome,” she said, then smiled. “I’ll just add the part about the annoying sheriff as a footnote.”

His lips turned up in a crooked grin as his chocolate eyes warmed. For several minutes, they sat there staring at one another. Somehow she knew that the slightest inclination in his direction would be the end of her control. That whatever it was between them, whatever had them verbally jumping at one another again and again, would bring about a complete nuclear meltdown if they actually pursued whatever this thing was between them.

The tow pulled up, breaking the intense connection. With a long deep breath, she regained control over her senses and got out of the car. Neither said a word to one another until they reached George’s auto shop.

****

Jake watched and listened. George, being a descent enough guy, smiled and talked amicably to Chris about her camper once it was pulled in, no different than he would’ve done for any other member of town. But for some reason his easy way with her had Jake’s hackles up. For the first time in all the years he’d known the guy, he wanted to put his fist through his face. And why did she feel the need to turn on that sparkling smile of hers for him? Sure he was okay looking and about the same age as Jake, but he wasn’t anyone to write home about.

When they put their heads together at the far side of her camper, he decided he’d seen enough and was about to spin around and go wait in the car, when he noticed the side of the camper opening up in ramp fashion. Jake’s jaw dropped when a bright red car was exposed. Smiling, Chris climbed into the thing and drove it right out of the camper and over to the curb next to his patrol car. He was on her the minute she stepped out of the miniscule thing.

“Why the hell did you have me drive you all over God’s green earth, when you had transportation the whole damn time?” he asked, his voice a booming echo in George’s garage.

“I didn’t feel like it,” she said, her tone in perfect-princess mode.

Chris couldn’t help needling him a little. He was a pushover, his worry over Liddy was testament to that. All bark, very little bite. Ignoring his sputtering bluster, she turned to George and thanked him for his help in getting the ramp down. It was always easier with two.

“I’ll see if I can get this up and running for you by day after tomorrow, but I’m not promising,” George said, eyeing the sheriff standing behind her.

He’d done that several times since she’d met him, and wondered if maybe the two men were at odds about something, but whatever their dealings with one another, she was glad to see that George new his business well and was fully certified to work on her RV.

“Whatever you can do will be great. Thanks, George.” She turned with a smile that died the moment she caught the look in the sheriff’s eyes. No wonder George was uneasy. Jake’s face was about as red as a body could get next to sunburn. Perhaps her conclusions regarding his temper were off the mark.

“I, uh, want to thank you for your help, Sheriff,” she said, hating the sudden quiver in her voice.

In an attempt to keep a safe distance, she began side-stepping her way around him. Something other than her little joke had him angry and she didn’t want to be in the middle of it when he finally blew his top. She’d seen what a man could do when angry.

“I’ll just be getting back to Liddy’s. She needs a few more lessons on her computer.”

A pathetic squeak slipped past her lips as his hand shot out and caught her by the arm before she could make a run for it.

“You will explain—now—about that thing you call a car,” he said, his voice low and rough.

She glanced at George, who lost any chance of gaining hero status as he ducked around the camper and disappeared.

“It was just a joke,” she said, forcing her voice not to waver.

He pulled her close, their noses nearly touching, their breaths mingling. “Not amusing. Explain,” he said again, his low rumble sending a wave of warmth coursing through her veins.

His touch burned where he held her, his scent teased her thoughts, while a tight knot of need formed low in her belly. She realized that the man who was concerned about what she would write in regards to a nice old lady wouldn’t lift a hand against her.

“I couldn’t open the ramp on the uneven ground. It wasn’t safe,” she explained.

He closed his eyes a moment and just breathed, in and out, slow and deep—and she was mesmerized.

“I’m sorry,” he said, lifting his lids.

“I am too,” she said, not talking about the car or the camper, but about them. She couldn’t risk anything with this man, not if the mere touch of his hand had her hot and ready for just about anything.

With a nod, he took another deep breath, and released her as he stepped back. “If you need anything, you know how to find me.” He turned and walked to his car without glancing back.

As she watched his rigid back, loving and yet hating how the ornery sheriff made her feel, a thought shot straight to the forefront of her mind.

He was jealous. She’d bet her best high-heels on it.

“It’s safe to come out now, George,” she called with a smile, her gaze watching the handsome sheriff drive away. They couldn’t get together, not by any means what-so-ever, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the feeling of knowing he was just as tied up in knots as she was.

George appeared with a bashful grin. “I’ll, um, have your RV fixed up as soon as I can, Miss Harper. I can even send over to Cheyenne for the parts, overnight ‘em. I promise to get you back on the road as soon as can be.”

“I’m sure you will.” She kissed his reddening cheek and strolled to her car with a laugh. “I’ll be at Liddy’s,” she said, with a backward wave.

****

Jake cursed a blue streak a mile wide. How had he let himself get so twisted up inside over a woman, a stranger no less? He’d never been the jealous type, but then he’d never met a woman like Chris Harper either. Still, he made an absolute ass of himself again, and this time with a witness. George would rib him for it long after she was gone, no doubt.

He grinned. “But not until then,” he muttered. The look on his face had to have been pretty hot for George to pull a disappearing act like that. He wasn’t known for having the best temperament in town, although he’d never taken the first swing at anyone.

He turned down Main, beginning his normal route, his life easing back into a familiar rhythm. She’d be gone in a day or two, and that was that. It didn’t matter that he’d miss her smart mouth or those bright blue eyes.

“And that body,” he said with a groan, gripping the steering wheel, forcing his mind back to his job.

Old man Cooper waved from where he sat outside the hardware store as Jake drove by and he waved back. This was his life, a life he loved. He’d get past the doubts she planted in his head, he had to.