Kitabı oxu: «The Consummate Cowboy»

One

How long can someone live after a rattlesnake bite? Emily wondered. It hadn’t happened yet, but she half expected to hear a sinister rattle at any moment or feel fangs sink into her ankle. Now she wished she had worn boots instead of sneakers.

“Ouch!” She bit her lip and yanked her sleeve free from the barbed-wire fence. A perfect place for dying, she thought morbidly. Wind whistled through the regal aspen, their white trunks pale in the July moonlight, as she ignored a No Trespassing sign and climbed between the strands of the fence into a forbidden pasture.

Spruce and aspen cast black shadows across the ground and she could imagine various deadly threats hidden in the darkness. Like snakes. She loathed them. She had also seen pictures of bulls on the property, and prayed there wasn’t one in her vicinity. And out here in the wilds of New Mexico, there could be mountain lions, wild dogs, wild pigs. She preferred the streets of Chicago any night to walking alone here.

Looking back across the fence, she saw her car pulled off the side of the divided highway and parked in the shadows of a spruce.

Remember why you’re here, she reminded herself as she moved cautiously along the fence, heading toward the road that passed through wide, locked gates.

For a quarter of a mile along the highway in either direction from the ranch’s secured gates stretched chain-link fencing. Not a friendly place. A chill ran down Emily’s spine. Zach Durham and the Bar Z ranch were as inviting as a pit of snakes.

She walked swiftly, staying in the shadows, but she felt vulnerable in the darkness. She stayed parallel to the highway, but feared she might be seen from the road. Even more she feared the wild land on her side of the fence.

Too aware of the noise she was making as she moved through high grass toward the ranch road, she tried to bank her dread about what might come out of the shadows. Her back tingled. She was almost there. As soon as she reached the road, she turned away from the locked gates and the highway. The road had to lead to the ranch house—and to Zach Durham.

As the road curved, trees crowded the border. Her feet made soft thuds, and her heart was pounding so loudly that she barely heard her footfalls. She slowed, almost tiptoeing, her palms damp, while she tried to keep her imagination under control.

The night seemed interminable. When she came out of the forest, she was startled by the brightness of the night. A full moon rose high above her, and she almost groaned aloud. She hadn’t given thought to whether it would be a full moon or a new moon. Among the trees, the darkness had been a cover, but in the open, silvery moonlight illuminated the land. Even dressed in a navy long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans and navy sneakers, with her hair tucked under a baseball cap, there would be no hiding beneath the bright beams bathing the earth. With a grim desperation she plunged ahead.

Did the man live at the opposite end of the state? She felt as if she had been walking for hours, yet reason told her it was only a little over an hour since she had pulled her car off the road, locked up, and become a trespasser.

And she worried about the man whose property she was trespassing on. She recalled the comments of the people in the nearby small town of San Luis when she had asked about Zach Durham.

“Zach’s a loner.”

“He keeps to himself.”

“We don’t see much of him.”

Several men mentioned that they’d seen Zach talking to Amber at a bar in town only a week earlier. That same weekend the police had found Amber’s burned, abandoned car, and begun an official search. They’d contacted Emily because her name was found on a slip of paper near the vehicle. The sheriff confirmed what the men had told her. Zach was the last person seen with Amber.

A bird’s clear whistle sounded, a high, melodious note that carried on the whisper of wind through the pines. She could detect the damp smell of spruce, and under other circumstances might have been able to enjoy her surroundings, but at the moment they held a foreboding.

Another quarter of an hour passed before she rounded a bend in the road. Ahead, yellow light shone through the trees. Her pulse jumped. She was close to her destination. Now she wished there had been some way to contact him by phone. His number was unlisted, and she hadn’t been able to pry it out of anybody in town. Uncertainty struck her.

She intended to look at the house, get a peek at him, see if she could discover any reason for Amber to be so fearful, and ascertain her missing sister’s whereabouts. Now in the dead of night, the idea seemed foolish. She wished she had come during broad daylight and confronted him directly. Yet in the light of day when she’d looked at his locked gates and No Trespassing signs, that idea had seemed unsatisfactory.

With a sigh, she moved forward. Now that she was here, she might as well see what she could discover about her reclusive ex-brother-in-law, a man she’d met only once.

She spotted the house tucked among tall spruce and pines and aspen a few yards later. Only two lights shone through windows, both on the ground floor to the rear. Emily wiped her damp palms on her jeans and strode forward. Her heart drummed as she approached the house. It was a tall Victorian structure, forbidding in the night.

She patted the bag she carried, feeling the doggie treats, wondering if treats would hold a ferocious guard dog at bay. Didn’t ranchers always have dogs? She might soon know.

She pulled out the bag of treats, ready to toss them, expecting an animal to charge at any moment Leaving the road, she stayed in the shadows, inching closer to the house. Her heart pounded violently. A twig snapped and she jumped.

Even if Zach Durham was an honest, upstanding citizen, he could shoot her for trespassing, or mistake her for a burglar. If he was not honest and upstanding, the consequences could be worse. But she had to find her sister, and Zach Durham was the last man Amber had mentioned during her frantic phone call. She could remember Amber’s warning about him. Emily wanted to see him, see inside his house, see what she could learn.

She had to cross a stretch of yard that was splashed in moonlight and that looked as bright as daylight. Grimly she rushed across it, flattening herself against the wall of the house, her pulse racing. She listened, fully expecting a shot to ring out or guard dogs to come bounding at her, fangs bared.

Edging along the side of the house, she moved toward the patch where light spilling through the glass illuminated a bright rectangle of ground. Emily reached the window, and turned to peer inside. Even at five-eleven, she had to stand on tiptoe to see anything.

She was looking into an old-fashioned kitchen with glass-fronted cabinets and a round oak table. At the sink stood a bare-chested man in jeans, his back to her. For just a moment she forgot her fear and her mission as she looked at a muscled back that tapered from broad shoulders to a narrow waist and slim hips. Her ex-brother-in-law. The man looked muscular and fit...and dangerous.

She remembered their one brief meeting after Amber’s wedding. Amber had called and announced that she was passing through Chicago on her honeymoon, that the newlyweds wanted Emily to join them for dinner.

Emily remembered a handsome, charming man—but when had Amber ever been with a man who wasn’t handsome, sexy—a hunk?

Emily edged closer to the window and stared at him.

He had thick brown hair with a slight wave. He turned, and she was riveted by the sight of him. His chest was muscled, with a sprinkling of dark hair. His stomach was flat and trim, his jeans riding low on his slender hips. His rugged angular face had a scar along his jaw.

His gaze swept toward the window.

Recovering her wits, she dropped to the ground, her heart pounding, terrified that he might have spotted her. She leaned back against the house to get her breath and then looked inside again.

He picked up two glasses of water.

“Keeps to himself. Him and his kids. Never see ’em or talk to ’em much.” Sheriff Nunez’s words echoed clearly in her mind along with his reasons for not forcing his way into Durham’s house to search it. The sheriff said he had to have just cause for a warrant to search the place. Well, maybe she could convince the sheriff there was just cause for a search.

Emily looked at the tall man holding the glasses of water. Must be for the kids. Her niece and nephew. Curiosity plagued her. She still couldn’t believe Amber had had two babies.

Two babies that Amber had walked away from. Emily felt a stab of remorse. Zach Durham had to have a good side. She prayed he did, and was loving to the children. When Amber had called to tell her she had married husband number three, Emily had asked about Zach and the kids.

“Oh, he’s a great dad. His life centers around those kids. Mine doesn’t. I’m so happy now. I can’t wait for you to meet Raimundo.” And Amber had gone on to talk about her latest husband. Years ago when they were children, Emily had given up trying to understand her sister.

She peeked through the window again. Zach was walking toward a door to what must be a hallway. Her gaze raked again over his lean form. His profile—a firm jaw, prominent cheekbones—was rugged, the planes of his face craggy.

Then he was gone and she could see only the empty kitchen. Where had he gone?

She slipped around the corner of the house and stepped back to look at it. All the windows were dark beyond the kitchen. She tiptoed along, keeping close to the wall, thankful when she reached the shadows of an oak. Everything in her cried to get away, yet she had to find out if Amber was here.

“Don’t move.” The voice was deep, commanding and harsh.

Without thinking, she jumped in fright With a small cry, she spun around.

Something slammed into her. Pain burst in her ribs; she hit the ground and stars danced in front of her eyes. The damp ground was cool beneath her with a faint scent of pine rising from the disturbed needles. As she fell into a patch of moonlight, she looked up. A man straddled her, his fist raised to strike. She was frozen, unable to speak.

His face was in shadow, hers bathed in moonlight. His fist paused, hanging in the air as she looked up at him and saw his dark eyes staring down at her.

When she locked gazes with him, something unexplainable happened. Tension arced between them. She could all but hear the air crackling with electricity as the moment changed. Her heart thudded, but no longer in fear. She became aware of every inch of him that touched her—his thighs pressed against her sides, his hand on her shoulder. His chest was even more impressive up close, the contours of his muscles highlighted by moonlight.

And he seemed caught in the same stunned suspension. His eyes searched hers and he remained immobile.

Even though she felt vulnerable, a flicker of curiosity about him flared to life and built within her. She stared up at him. Maybe it was his primal urge to defend his home and family that terrified her and at the same time drew her to him.

He lowered his hand slowly to splay his fingers on his thigh. Her gaze followed his hand, and she couldn’t resist looking at the fly of his jeans, the taut pull of the worn material over his thigh. Her gaze flew back up to meet his fierce scowl. The magic moment that had danced between them like snow crystals was gone.

“Why are you looking in my windows?”

She could hear the rage in his bass voice. “I had car trouble,” she said, realizing he must not remember meeting her. “I’m Amber’s sister.”

His eyes narrowed while he studied her. In one swift movement that revealed how fit he was, he stood and pulled her to her feet. “Come inside,” he said, holding her arm and jerking his head toward the door.

Hurrying to keep pace with him, she stretched out her legs. Her ribs ached from his tackling her, and her heart pounded with fear. Her baseball cap was gone and her hair was coming unpinned, locks curling around her face.

They went up the steps and crossed the porch, then he led her into the house. Watching her, he locked the door. His hand closed around her arm as he drew her into a room and shut that door, too. Despite her consciousness of the man beside her, she took in a room with bookshelves, a large fireplace, a navy leather sofa, Navaho rugs and beamed ceilings.

He turned to her and his fingers wound in her hair. Pins went flying from her scalp as he tilted her head so he could look into her face.

She gazed into brown eyes so dark they were endless pools of blackness, eyes that held fires of rage in their depths. Her heart pounded because there was no mistaking his fury, and he looked capable of violence.

“Let go of me,” she said, hoping she sounded calmer than she felt.

Angry and surprised, Zach stared down into wide eyes, framed by a riot of red curls that tumbled down the back of this intruder’s neck. With a stirring of memory, he studied her crystal green eyes, straight nose, slightly pointed chin, prominent cheekbones. Besides their long ago meeting, she looked incredibly familiar. Another face flitted to mind—his daughter’s. With her tangle of red curls and big green eyes, her freckled nose and little pointed chin, his daughter could belong to this woman.

“You’re my ex-brother-in-law,” Emily said in a whispery voice, as if desperately emphasizing their relationship.

He could see the vein in her throat and knew her pulse was racing. Anger mushroomed in him. He didn’t want anything to do with his ex-wife—or her sister.

“Damn it, what kind of game are you playing? What do you want?”

Emily’s heart thudded. His dark gaze was intense, and in her peripheral vision she was too aware of his bare chest and broad shoulders, the faint hint of stubble on his jaw. She could detect the scent of aftershave.

And as she stood looking up at him, tension pulled at her again, making her feel as if the air between them crackled. She felt drawn into his midnight eyes, tumbling into a blackness that carried her on a swift current to an unknown destination. He stood too close and he was too bare. Too virile. When his gaze shifted to her mouth, she couldn’t get her breath. She was reacting to him as a man—something she didn’t want to do and couldn’t recall ever having done so intensely before. In her well-ordered life, there were no moments of irrational, unwanted attraction.

“What in the hell were you doing creeping around my house in the dead of night?” His words broke the spell, jolting her and reminding her that she might be in danger. His hand relaxed in her hair, and her head was no longer pulled back, yet she continued to gaze up at him, locked in his compelling stare.

“I’m looking for Amber,” she answered, her voice sounding faint and breathless. Amber’s men were probably as unpredictable as was Amber. They could run to violence but that had never kept Amber from flirting with them—or even marrying them. Emily wished desperately she were back in Chicago, safe in her own apartment. Yet in spite of her sense of danger, she was intensely aware of Zach as a strong, sexy male.

His hand shifted to her jaw and she noticed the warmth of his fingers. “You could get hurt badly. Didn’t you see my No Trespassing signs?”

“Yes,” she whispered as he looked at her mouth again. Just a look and her lips tingled and parted. “You were the last person seen with my sister,” she said breathlessly, trying to think about something besides his dark eyes and masculine mouth. “Amber was here, in the Red Rocket Bar a week ago Saturday night.”

The tenseness left his shoulders, but pinpoints of anger still danced in his eyes.

“Are you carrying a gun?”

“No,” she answered.

He inhaled, his broad chest expanding. Then he stepped away. “Why didn’t you just call me? We’re not complete strangers.”

“To all practical purposes, we are. One brief dinner together doesn’t constitute family ties. Besides, your number is unlisted. Zach, I need to find my sister, and I was willing to do anything to get the answers.”

“I could have shot you for trespassing.”

He sounded disgusted and moved away from her, turning to stare at her with his hands on his hips. It was difficult to keep her gaze on his face; his bare chest was impossible to ignore. She realized it must have been a long time since she had seen a man’s chest. It had definitely been a long time since she had seen muscles like his.

“I don’t know where your sister is. We parted ways a long time ago and haven’t kept in touch. She doesn’t come to see her children or write to them or call them.” The last was said with bitterness and a hint of accusation, as if Emily, too, were guilty of neglecting them.

“She was here and talked to you a week ago.”

“She came into the bar while I was there. I didn’t know she was in the state. I talked to her, but I didn’t leave with her. I didn’t even see her leave. We just talked, that’s all. And when I asked her if she would see the children, she said she might the next day.”

Something thumped above them, and Emily looked up.

“That’s my daughter or son.”

“My niece or nephew.”

“Give me a break,” he said with unmistakable disgust. “You’ve never seen them or talked to them or written them.”

“I did write when they were born, and Amber never answered. You and Amber divorced when they were babies. You know Amber and I weren’t close. She never invited me to see them and neither have you!”

He waved his hand to stop her excuses. Her gaze wavered and flicked down over him. The knees of his jeans were wet and had smudges of damp earth from their encounter outside.

“Where’s your car?” he asked.

“Up on the road.”

“That was damn foolhardy.”

“Amber called me a week ago and she sounded terrified of someone.”

“So you decided it was me?” he asked, arching a dark eyebrow, disgust returning to his voice.

“She was in this area—why else would she be here?”

“Your sister is totally unpredictable. I saw her only briefly and she didn’t tell me about any plans. And she didn’t act afraid of anything. Far from it. She was flirting and having her usual good time.”

Zach knew he sounded bitter. Amber was a tall, dropdead gorgeous blonde and he had fallen for her, marrying her within a month of meeting her. They had married in Las Vegas, spent two nights there, flown to New York and spent a week there. On the way home they had stopped in Chicago and had had dinner with the sister. He barely remembered Emily because at the time he only had eyes for Amber. The honeymoon had lasted until she discovered she was pregnant and then she had thrown a screaming fit, telling him she was getting an abortion. He had talked her out of it. Zach drew a deep breath. Every thought about Amber stung. Anger burned, flickering between fury at himself for being so blind, and rage at Amber for her attitude toward her children.

And he only half believed the sister. He didn’t know what she was up to. When Amber had sashayed into the bar last week, she hadn’t acted frightened. He remembered her sitting next to him, flirting as her hand played over his thigh. Even though she wore Husband Number Three’s wedding ring, Zach knew he could have brought her home to his bed. She would have stayed a while, grown restless again, especially with the children, and gone on her way. He didn’t intend to fall into that trap again, or to let her get the children’s hopes up—only to disappoint them again.

“Did she tell you anything about another man?” Emily asked, bringing his thoughts back to her.

Zach shook his head, knowing he was being uncooperative. But he had been badly hurt by Amber. And he blamed himself for being such a fool over her and letting his body rule his mind and heart. The woman was shallow and selfish, and he should have seen it clearly.

He didn’t want to deal with her sister, either. He wanted to get her out of his house and send her on her way. He wasn’t concerned with this woman’s problems. Let her search for her sister. Never again did he want to be involved with Amber.

And all the time he was angrily deciding to get rid of her, Emily’s big green eyes tugged at him. In spite of the pull, he intended to stay out of it—even though it was obvious she didn’t know the first thing about searching for a missing person.

“Did you see her with any other man?”

“She talked to other guys. That’s the last I remember.”

Feeling defeated and frustrated, Emily stared at Zach. Something didn’t seem right about him. He was a rancher, yet he kept to himself. She had always thought ranchers were friendly people. But Zach kept the road to his house fenced and locked.

“I tackled you pretty hard,” he said, interrupting her thoughts. “In the dark, I thought you were a man.”

“That comes from being almost six feet tall,” she remarked dryly.

“Are you all right?”

She nodded, touching ribs that ached badly. “A little sore.”

“I’ll get the kids, and we’ll drive you back to your car. You shouldn’t have left it on the highway.”

“Don’t wake them at this hour. I can walk back.”

“No, you can’t. I think they’re awake, anyway. I’ll go see.”

“Isn’t it late for little children to be awake?”

“They went to bed a long time ago. They woke up and wanted drinks of water. Since my divorce, they don’t sleep well. If they’re asleep again, I’ll carry them down.”

“May I come see them?”

He glanced at her, seeing the uncertainty in her expression. He knew Amber’s moods and the chronic liar and actress that she was. He suspected the sister was the same, and wondered if she was trying to soften him up. She couldn’t give a damn about the children because she knew nothing about them.

“I suppose.” He leveled a look at her that made her draw a shaky breath.

Emily felt anger and dislike radiate from him like heat from a wood stove. “You don’t even know me, yet you dislike me.”

He had started toward the hall. He stopped and swung around. “I know you’re Amber’s sister. You’re blood kin. Your sister is coldhearted, completely wrapped up in herself. There are two little children upstairs that have been hurt damnably by her.”

He left the room and Emily trailed behind him, watching the play of muscles in his back. She was stunned by his anger. She couldn’t argue with him. And she suspected that this man had been as badly hurt as the two children.

As she walked beside him into the hall, she was aware of his height. She was nearly six feet tall, yet he was taller than she by a good seven or eight inches.

“Why aren’t the police searching for Amber?” he asked as they climbed the stairs.

“They have started searching,” she replied. “Last weekend they found her car abandoned and burned.”

Zach frowned. “I saw that car on the television news, but it didn’t say anything about Amber.” And in the numerous times Zach had spoken with Nunez about Amber, the sheriff never once mentioned the burned-out car or that Amber was considered a missing person.