Cowboy to the Rescue (8 page)

Lex stiffened. Of all the things he'd been accused of, especially by a woman, being cowardly wasn't one of them. Was she right? Was he scared? Scared of learning his father had been murdered. And scared of being around her every day and feeling himself falling deeper and deeper under her spell.

But he wasn't about to admit any such thing to her. He didn't even want to admit it to himself. “You're wrong,” he insisted. “If you think I'm worried that you're going to dig up something criminal about my dad, you couldn't be more off base. He was a good man through and through. Deep down, I'm more certain of that than I am of my own name.”

She tilted her chin a fraction upward. “If that's the case, then you must be making all of this fuss because you want me gone from here. Why?”

Desire wrapped around his frustration and finally pushed him to reach for her. As he folded his arms across her back and lowered his lips to hers, he whispered, “Maybe because I'm tired of not being able to do this.”

F
or the past week, Christina had been telling herself over and over that she was never going to kiss the man again. That she wasn't even going to give Lex Saddler the
chance
to kiss her a second time.

Yet the moment his arms had come around her and his lips had fastened over hers, she'd been as lost as a raindrop in a downpour.

Without stopping to think at all, she angled her head to match his and latched her fingers over the tops of his shoulders. Her response was countered with his hands on her back, drawing her tight against the front of his body.

The intimate contact swamped her body with heat, and she was certain her blood had turned to liquid fire as it swam through her veins at lightning speed. The taste of him was dark, wild and exciting, and too good to resist. With a tiny moan deep in her throat, she opened her mouth and accepted the insistent prod of his tongue against her teeth.

Sweat began to dampen her skin, then roll in tiny rivers between her breasts and into the waistband of her slacks, while the air in her lungs was slowly but surely disappearing. At the same time she could feel his hands kneading her back, then slipping lower and lower, until his palms were cupping the curve of her rear.

It wasn't until he hauled her hips tightly against his that reality hit her. Their kiss had gone beyond a meeting of lips. It was a sexual embrace that was rapidly leading her to a total meltdown.

Mustering all the strength she could find, she finally managed to drag her lips away from his and twist out of the heady circle of his arms.

Long moments passed before Christina was composed enough to speak, yet even then her voice was raw and husky.

“You like going against my wishes, don't you?”

He chuckled softly, and she felt his fingers tangling in the loose tendrils of hair sticking to the sweat on the back of her neck.

“Who are you trying to kid?” he asked in a low voice. “You wanted that kiss as much as I did.”

The fact that he was so right only made her feel more frustrated with herself. Yet even as she told herself she should step away from him, the touch of his fingers was luring her, seducing her. “Okay. Earlier you were trying to be honest with me,” she said huskily. “So I'll admit that I—” She forced herself to turn back to him. The dark shadows slanting across his face gave his rough-hewed features an even more rakish look, and she was forced to swallow hard before she managed to finish speaking. “I find you very attractive. And there must be some sort of—chemistry between us.”

“Must be? Oh, baby, we're like two matches striking off each other.”

Yes, she felt like a match that had just exploded into flames. Heat was still tingling in her hands and cheeks, her breasts and loins. It was scandalous how her body had reacted to his.

“Setting a fire isn't always a good thing,” she tried to reason. “It could get out of control.”

“Yeah. But I'd rather be singed by a wildfire than frozen by a blizzard.”

Turning away from him, she walked over to the edge of the patio and wiped a hand across her damp brow. Never in her life, not even with Mike, had she ever had one kiss fill her with such longing. When she'd had her hands on Lex's shoulders, when his hard, warm body had been pressed against hers, it had felt right and good. As though he'd been made for her and she for him.

But that thinking was crazy, she mentally warned herself, and she had to stop it before her heart got all mixed up with physical desire. She was here on the Sandbur to do a job and nothing else.

Once again she felt him walking up behind her, and this time when his hand touched her shoulder, a thick lump filled her throat.

“I wish you wouldn't run away from me, Christina.”

She was probably a fool, but there was something in his voice that sounded almost vulnerable, that drew her to him in a way that frightened her. But she was determined to resist it—and him.

“I'm not running from you.” Bracing herself with a deep breath, she turned to meet his gaze. “In fact, I was about to ask you if you might take off work one day this week and take a little trip with me.”

Her suggestion floored him so much that for a moment or two he didn't speak.

“A trip with you? Are you kidding me?”

Suddenly feeling as though a tight band had been lifted from her heart, she laughed softly. “No. I'm serious. I'd like for the two of us to drive down to Corpus Christi.”

He placed his palm against her forehead. “I think I should call Nicci and have her come over here and examine you. A bug or something must have bitten you.”

She'd been bitten all right, but it wasn't by any bug. “I feel very well at the moment. And I need you.”

Impish grooves appeared near the corners of his mouth. “Now you're talking, honey. That's exactly what I wanted to hear.”

How could a woman resist a man who was so playful and sweet? It was impossible, she thought. It was even more impossible to keep a smile from curving her lips.

“I was talking about your mind,” she told him. “And your mental support.”

He must have sensed the change that had come over her in the past few moments, because he seemed to know that she wouldn't pull away when his hands rested gently on top of her shoulders.

“I've never had a woman want me for my mind,” he said, with a chuckle, then his expression sobered as he brushed the back of his forefinger beneath her chin. “I think I kinda like the idea. And who knows, you might just get to needing the rest of me.”

Everything inside her was turning to a melting, quivering mass, and she had to fight to prevent her arms from sliding around his neck, her mouth from seeking his.

Clearing her throat, she said, “And you might decide I'm not worth the effort.” Before he could make a reply to that, she eased a step back from him and quickly added, “The trip is about Paul. Not you and me.”

Lex was hardly about to let that squash his optimism. No matter what she said, he'd felt things in her kiss that she couldn't deny. Longing and hunger and a plea for him to appease those needs. But was making love to this woman all he really wanted? No, he wouldn't think about that now. He didn't want to think anymore tonight; he simply wanted to enjoy having her home again.

“I'd already concluded that.”

“Then you agree to go?”

As if he could deny her anything, Lex thought wryly. One long, hot embrace with the woman had left him feeling like her puppet. It was downright scary, but in a very irresistible way.

“I do. But I am curious as to what you think this trip will accomplish. Besides a pleasant visit to the beach.”

She gave him a short smile. “I've discovered that the same bait house where your father and his friends regularly bought bait is still in existence. I'd like to question anyone that might have remembered seeing the quartet that day or even on any of their other fishing trips.”

“The police didn't do this originally?”

“There's one brief interview on record with a man working at the bait house, but it was hardly enough to satisfy my curiosity.”

“You can't do this over the telephone?”

This time her smile was patient. “I'd rather do my questioning face-to-face. You can pick up on things that you'd miss over the telephone.”

“I see. But don't you think it's doubtful that anyone would still be working at that same bait house after nearly twelve years?”

She shrugged. “You have to start somewhere. If not, we'll hopefully find someone from the shop still living in the city. Besides, that's not all I want to do. I also want to charter a boat to take us out to the coordinates where Red, Harve and Lawrence said your father went overboard. At least, the coordinates they gave to the police.”

Lex's mind was suddenly jerked away from the lingering pleasure of her kiss. “Why in the world is that important? There's nothing out there but water!”

“You've been there?” she questioned.

“Well, no. Seeing where my father died isn't particularly something I've ever wanted to do.”

She reached out and curled her hand over his forearm. The feel of her fingers against his skin was oddly comforting and provocative at the same time.

“You don't have to go on the boat with me. But I need to get a sense of where Paul and his friends were fishing at the time of the incident. How far they were away from land or a shipping lane where boats might have been passing.”

Lex grimaced. “The police report stated that no one else witnessed the accident.”

“According to Paul's friends,” she replied. “They also state that they radioed the Coast Guard for help, but if you look at the time that call was made and the time they arrived on shore, they're only a few minutes apart. That doesn't jive with me.”

“I don't find that overly suspicious. Could be the men were too caught up in trying to pull Dad from the water to think about calling anyone.”

“Could be. But I want to take a look down there just the same. When do you think you might be free to go?”

“Tomorrow, I have a buyer coming to look at bulls. And Thursday, we're starting a roundup for a herd of cattle I've sold to a ranch in Florida. Then on Saturday, Matt wants me to go with him to an auction.”

“So that means you won't be free until Sunday?” she asked.

“I'm sorry, Christina. This is a particularly busy week for me.”

Her expression turned thoughtful. “Don't worry about it. I've got a busy schedule, too. Something has come up on another case that requires me to go back to San Antonio. While I'm there, I'm going to use any extra time I have to try to interview Red, Harve and Lawrence.”

She had to leave again. The news disappointed him. And the idea of her going alone to see his dad's old boating buddies left him a little uneasy.

His fingers curled around her upper arm, then slid slowly to her elbow. “Are you sure you have to go back so soon?” he asked. “You just got back here.”

Her gaze flickered shyly away from his, and Lex wondered if she was thinking about their kiss. The idea stirred him almost as much as touching her. Yet he realized that now wasn't the time to press her for another. Hopefully, if he gave her time to think about the two of them together, she'd begin to come to terms with wanting him as much as he wanted her.

Her gaze traveled back to his, and this time he could see a soft light flickering in the blue orbs, tenderness bending the corners of her lips. He didn't know what he'd done to find a bit of favor in her sight, but whatever it had been, he hoped to hell he could repeat it.

“I'm afraid so,” she answered. “Work calls. But if all goes well, I'll be back here Thursday evening.”

To Lex, that sounded like an eternity. Especially when all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms and make slow, sweet love to her. “The roundup is going to be an overnighter, so I'll probably be out on the range when you return. But I'll catch up with you before our trip to Corpus.”

She nodded, then cast him an awkward smile. “I'm glad you're going with me, Lex. And I'm glad you're not making a fuss about this.”

He chuckled softly. “Why would any man make a fuss about taking a trip with a beautiful woman?” he asked teasingly, and then suddenly his smile faded and his voice turned sober. “These past few days I've decided I want to prove to anyone and everyone that no matter how Dad died, he was always a good, honest man.”

Her fingers reached up and squeezed his forearm. “Whatever your motives, it's good that you want to know the truth.”

That bit of praise caused his gaze to drop awkwardly to the toes of his boots, which only made Lex feel more like an idiot. Compliments from other women rolled off his back like rain on an oiled duster. At thirty-five, he'd been to town more than once, and he was wise enough to know that it was easy for the opposite sex to say pretty words when it suited their cause. So why did he believe Christina's were sincere? Why did they leave him feeling sheepish and susceptible?

Because she was that sort of woman. The honest, open kind. The kind that made good daughters, wives, mothers and sisters. The family kind.

Lifting his gaze back to hers, he said, “I've been thinking about your brother, Christina. Do you believe you'll ever find him? Or do you think that he's…not alive anymore?”

A pensive shadow fell over her lovely features. “In my darkest moments, I fear that he's gone. But then I hear of other cases where missing people have been found alive after many years and my hope bubbles up all over again.”

His heart suddenly ached for her. “Hope is a good thing, Christina.”

“Yes, and I'm doing my best to hang on to mine.” She carefully eased her arm away from his grasp. “I need to go in now, so I'll say good night, Lex.”

“Good night.”

She turned and walked back to the house. As Lex watched her go, he realized he wanted her to be happy. He cared about her feelings, her life. So what did that make him? A sap? Or was he finally beginning to see what an emotional relationship with a woman could be?