Covington, Cara - Love Under Two Lawmen [The Lost Collection] (Siren Menage Everlasting)

LOVE UNDER TWO LAWMEN

The Lost Collection

Cara Covington

MENAGE EVERLASTING

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

CARA COVINGTON

Copyright © 2010

Chapter 1

One thing Amanda Dupree had learned in her twenty-two years of life was how to recognize trouble. As the train she rode pulled in to the station in Waco, Texas, she saw trouble, a double dose of it, standing on the platform.

Both men looked tall, dark, and dangerous. Her gaze took in the chiseled jaw and high cheekbones of one, and the softer, almost pretty countenance of the other. Their clothes appeared clean and a cut above what she envisioned Texas cowboys would wear. Then the taller and more muscular of the two moved slightly, and the sun glinted off the gold and silver badge pinned to his vest.

Amanda’s back stiffened, her muscles tensed, and her stomach felt as if everything in it turned to bile. She kept her eyes on the lawman as the train came to a complete stop. His gun remained holstered, a good thing, and the expression on his face seemed relaxed.

Perhaps he wasn’t waiting to arrest her.

Generally speaking, Amanda didn’t go around judging people, another lesson she’d learned early on. Such had been her life that to do so would have made her, in her own opinion, a hypocrite.

Hypocrisy flourished well enough in the world without any help from her.

The man not wearing the polished metal leaned closer to the lawman and said something to him. The lawman laughed and that laughter transformed him. Amanda could only stare at the difference, at the sheer beauty of his smile. And then he turned his head and locked his gaze on hers.

Oh, God
. Her bones melted and tiny flutters came to life all over her body. The sensations rocked her to her soul, and it seemed as if the entire world suddenly stopped. Amanda’s chest felt tight. She realized she’d stopped breathing. Shaking her head, she drew in one deep draught of air, and then another.

He’s only a man. How many men have you seen in your life? Enough to know they’re nothing special. As Mamma would say, they’re all the same under their clothes
.

He
was
only a man, but he’d jostled her nerves and heated her blood where none ever had before. He wore a badge and was waiting just there, right where she would very shortly be standing. Maybe his presence had nothing to do with her, but she’d never believed in coincidence. This had to be a prime example of bad timing.

The urge to flee, to escape, flooded her, making her heart pound and her knees weak. But she couldn’t run away, because she’d already done that, and here was where she’d landed. Here she would begin the next phase of her journey. She took one moment to think about that, to remember why she’d chosen Waco, and all that she hoped to accomplish beginning right here, right now.

If the lawman waiting there on the platform had come to arrest her, she’d find a way out, or around, or through whatever charges he laid. And if worse came to worse, she had the name of a lawyer in this frontier town, a friend of her best friend back home.

She’d hoped she’d outdistanced trouble. Jonathan Marley had made a fortune on the back of the recovery efforts not only in her own Richmond, but all across the south. He’d not only made money, he’d spent a fair penny buying up city officials, law officers, whoever could aid him in his cause.

In other words, Marley was a big fish that Amanda had helped to net, and he’d not been very happy about it. The last she heard, he’d fled capture, vowing to get her if it was the last thing he ever did. It could very well be he had a reach that extended to Texas. She inhaled deeply and reached down for her courage. She wouldn’t let Marley win.

This lawman might manage to sidetrack her, but he wouldn’t stop her from doing what she was meant to do.

Bolstered, she got to her feet and reached for her luggage.

“Please, allow me, ma’am.”

Unused to the deference of strangers, Amanda stood back while the conductor lifted her valise. Truthfully, she was grateful for the courtesy. She’d packed as few clothes as she believed she could get away with, but the single piece of luggage still weighed a lot.

“Thank you.” Her smile widened when the man blushed in response.

“My pleasure, Mrs. Dupree.”

Her mother had advised her to assume the role of a widow while traveling. The suggestion had been a sound one. Single ladies did
not
travel across country alone. A widow, on the other hand, embarking on a journey to join family after the passing of her husband, would be able to travel not only without censure, but would also win the gallant assistance of whatever gentleman she encountered.

Amanda reminded herself there was no reason for the conductor, or anyone she encountered here in this unfamiliar place,
not
to treat her with respect. Richmond, Virginia, could have existed in another world for all the notice anyone here would have of the goings on there. At least, since the reverse was true, she hoped no one here had any close connection to her beloved home.

The only possible exception to that optimistic theory was Jonathan Marley. He had money, and life had taught her one additional lesson, and that was when a person had enough money, they could do anything they wanted, usually with impunity.

“You have kin meeting you here, ma’am?”

The conductor looked as if he would step in and fill the void if she answered in the negative. Amanda tried not to wince or make it apparent she was withdrawing from the well-meaning man. There was deference, and then there was interference.

Used to doing for herself, yet unwilling to offend, Amanda said, “Yes, I’m certain someone will come.”

Of course, that was an outright lie. She’d sent a letter ahead but hadn’t had time to see if her cousin replied or not. She’d needed to leave Richmond quickly, and so for all she knew, this cousin she’d neither met nor even heard of before a couple of months ago could have sent a refusal.

The conductor nodded and then proceeded to lead the way out of the rail car carrying her luggage. He moved quickly enough that he was able to set her valise down on the ground then turn to offer her a hand down the two steps from the train.

“Thank you so much for your kindnesses, sir.”

“Like I said, my pleasure, Mrs. Dupree.” The man nodded and tipped his cap.

Amanda kept her back to the trouble she’d spotted out the train window, watching the conductor as he made his way into the station building. She needed a few seconds to find her balance and school her features. She had traveled as a widow and she could see no need to change that persona now, either.

She heard their approach, their footsteps slow, deliberate, and in unison. In her peripheral vision, she saw the men stop a few feet behind her.

“Excuse me? Are you
Miss
Amanda Dupree?”

The Texan accent differed from the Virginian in that it seemed just a bit edgier, a little less of a drawl. Amanda fixed a look of confusion on her face and turned toward the men. They had her full name and knew she was unwed. That couldn’t be good.

They were so handsome up close, the two of them. They stole her breath and caused her brain to stop working.

It took her several seconds to realize she needed to say something.

“You want to know because?” The evasive challenge was the best she could come up with for the moment. Why didn’t her usually quick brain rush to her rescue instead of supplying her such unsophisticated words?

The late afternoon sun glinted off the lawman’s badge. He stood close enough she could clearly make out the words “Texas Rangers” etched top and bottom of a circle surrounding a star.

The Ranger tilted his head to the side, his expression thoughtful. Clearly he’d not appreciated her response. His companion chuckled.

“I could say we want to know because we’re nosy,” the Ranger said. “But the truth is we’ve been asked to meet you. Your cousin was unable to make the journey into town herself.”

“And so she sent a lawman to meet me?”

The lawman’s eyes twinkled at that, and his face split into a wide grin. “Oh, it’s worse than that. She sent you two. I’m Adam Kendall, Captain of the Waco division of the Texas Rangers. This is Warren Jessop, a lawyer here in town.”

“Terence’s friend!” Such relief filled Amanda she thought she might need to sit down for a moment until she regained the strength in her legs.

“He sent me a telegram to let me know your arrival was imminent,” Mr. Jessop said. “But we’d already promised Sarah we’d keep an eye out for you.”

“Oh.” Amanda shook her head, completely ashamed of her sudden inability to converse intelligently. “So you’re acquainted with Sarah Maddox?”

“Sarah Benedict, now,” the Ranger said.

“Benedict? Well, good for her. Terence said there’d been some nasty business involving that Maddox character a few months back.”

“There was, indeed. And we’re not only acquainted with Sarah, we consider her as close as if she were our kin. Which prompts me to ask, Miss Dupree, why my being a lawman makes you nervous?”

How was she supposed to answer that? Her plan had been to come here with a fresh history, as a lady of Virginian society. Something told her, though, that if she lied now, Captain Kendall would know it immediately. Both he and his lawyer friend seemed like they’d be quite capable of keeping her from meeting with her cousin, and she really needed to talk with her,

“Not all lawmen are honest.” Amanda kept her tone gentle while daring to hold Captain Kendall’s gaze. His eyes were the lightest blue she’d ever seen. Looking into them made her feel hot and fluttery. In a whimsical moment she wondered if he could see into her very soul.

“An unfortunate truth that doesn’t even begin to answer my question,” Kendall said.

It was some comfort to her that her assessment of the man’s ability to discern prevarication had just been proven, even if it did put her in a difficult spot.

No going back
.

No, there could be no going back for her, not until she’d accomplished what she’d set out to do. She hadn’t exactly burned her bridges behind her, but unless and until the situation changed back home, she was stuck. She would tell him the truth, then.

“And some lawmen who aren’t honest might be open to bribes. Like those offered by a rich if crooked businessman bent on revenge.”

Captain Kendall searched her gaze as if he could read the truth of her words there. When the corner of his mouth tilted up in a small smile, Amanda had to tamp down the surprising urge to lean closer and taste that smile with her tongue.

She’d never entertained such a thought or urge in her life!

“Did you somehow bring yourself to the attention of such a man, Miss Dupree?”

An innocent enough question, but combined with the slight leer, it told her that he’d judged her and come up with only one label, the label she’d worn all her life, even if it was undeserved.

Arrogant bastard
.

Maybe she was misreading that expression of his, but if she was right, he’d just managed to move himself into the same category as every other man she’d ever met. Men who took one look at her and decided she was no lady. Well, every man except for Terence.

“You could say that, Captain Kendall. I discovered that he and an associate, a banker, were stealing money from depositors and investors, and I ensured the authorities were made aware of that fact.”

“Do I infer that the lawmen in that case were dishonest, then?” Mr. Jessop asked.

“On the contrary, sir. They were most honest and acted on the tip. They arrested the banker.”

“But not the businessman?” Captain Kendall asked.

“No. He escaped capture. Right after he threatened to kill me.”

“Quite an adventure for a young lady of society to find herself embroiled in,” the Ranger said.

Amanda’s attraction to the handsome lawman seemed to be burning off at lightning pace, replaced by irritation. Her mother constantly warned her about her red-haired temper. Unfortunately, when that temper got stirred, she tended to forget her mother’s warnings.

“Yes, it would be,
if
I were a young lady of society.”

She had the first clue she was being teased when she noticed the lawyer struggling to keep a straight face. The Ranger didn’t bother to hide his mirth and instead laughed, and poked at her some more.

“Ah, so you’re not a young lady…of society.” Captain Kendall seemed to be having a fine time.

That’s it
. She just barely restrained herself from either slapping the man’s face or stomping on his foot, even though she realized he was teasing her.

“No,” Amanda said, and took one step forward until she could breathe in his scent and feel the heat from his body. “I’m a private investigator.”

* * * *

Adam wanted to strip the red-haired beauty down to her skin and thoroughly explore her passion. No doubt about it, Miss Amanda Dupree had lots of passion.