Desert Bound (Cambio Springs) (34 page)

“Thanks.” Cam settled back in an armchair while Alex sat next to Ted. 

“Has anyone told Josie?” Ted asked.

“I don’t know.” Cam took a long pull on the longneck. “My dad had a… friend watching him. Keeping an eye on things. She called this morning, said he woke up last night. He’s been going in and out of consciousness all day.”

Alex squeezed her shoulders. “He’s Josie’s brother. Even though he did what he did, they probably contacted her first.”

She nodded. “I’ll call Caleb later. Make sure he and Jena know, too.”

“Good idea.” Alex turned his attention back to Cam, who Alex was fairly certain was not here just because a suspected murderer and kidnapper had regained consciousness somewhere in Las Vegas. “So, what’s up?”

Cam shook his head. “You hear crazy shit out in the desert, man.”

He forced himself not to react. “Yeah? Like what?”

“Oh… little girls turning into rattlesnakes. Men disappearing into thin air. Wolves and coyotes and all sorts of stuff.”

Alex let his eyes fly open. “What? That’s… crazy.”

Ted said, “Is this something Chris Avery is saying?”

“He’s saying all sorts of shit.” Cam’s gaze was keen on her. “Every time he wakes up, it’s a new story. Though, according to the cops, he did confess to killing Marcus so the man didn’t ‘infect the children,’ whatever that means. Police aren’t sure they can use that in court, though.”

Alex took another drink of beer. “Brain damage from the coma, you think?”

Cam shrugged. “The doctors are baffled. The cops are pleased. The DA is not.”

“He can’t use a confession from a suspect who is clearly hallucinating,” Ted added, her voice was clinical. “I was told he was bitten by a Mohave green rattlesnake, which is an unusual variety. It’s venom is a neurotoxin, did you know that?”

“I didn’t.”

“Neurotoxins attack the nervous system, including the brain. It’s fascinating, because most rattlesnake venom is
hemotoxic
.”

“You don’t say…”

She was piling on so much bullshit, they’d have trouble wading to the kitchen. Mohave green bites caused swelling and vision impairment. Muscle spasms and seizures if the bite wasn’t treated. They weren’t going to cause a man to start hallucinating, but Cam didn’t need to know that. 

Alex wondered if he would buy it. He had a pretty strong bullshit sensor.

Ted rambled about the clinical properties of anti-venom and the research possibilities of snake venom in neurology until Alex saw Cam’s eyes start to glaze over.

“That’s, uh, really interesting, Ted.”

“Isn’t it?”

Alex was trying not to laugh. He finished his beer about the same time Cam finished his.

“Cam, you staying for dinner?”

“What are you having?”

Ted said, “Pizza.”

Cam shuddered and stood. “Think I’ll head back.”

“Snob.”

“Whatever, Ted. Enjoy the heartburn. Alex, walk me to my car?”

Alex looked over to Ted, but she only rolled her eyes. “Whatever,
macho lobo
. I’m ordering pizza.”

“No olives.”

“With
so
many olives.”

“On your half.”

“Why do you have to make our order so difficult?”

“Ted, it’s pizza. It’s not difficult. Just tell them to leave the olives off my half.”

“You’re so high maintenance.”

“I am not!”

Cam smiled and said, “Do you guys fight about everything?”

Ted said, “Yes.”

Alex said, “No.”

Cam burst out laughing. 

Alex tugged her hair until she pointed her face at him.

“What?”

“Kiss me.”

“Not in front of company. I’ll blush.”

He laughed against her mouth before he kissed her in a way that made it clear he didn’t care what kind of company they had.

“
Lobo macho
,” she whispered.

“Let me get rid of him, then I’ll show you macho.”

She grinned back. “Cam,” she said, standing up. “Nice to see you. Thanks for letting us know about Avery.”

“No problem.”

The two men walked to the door. Alex spied the driver and the black car idling at the road.

“It must be an oven out here in the summer,” Cam said. “It’s December and it’s still warm.”

“You live in Vegas and you’re calling the Springs hot?”

“Yeah, but we have acres of air-conditioning, too.”

“Why are you here, Cam?” Alex leaned against his truck. “You could have called about Avery.”

“Yeah, I could have.” Cam looked around. “I was curious.”

“About?”

“What brought you back here.”

“It’s home.” He nodded toward the house. “It’s Ted.”

Cam let his eyes drop to the ground and kicked at the pebbles in the driveway, chuckling quietly. “It’s Ted.”

“Yeah.”

He looked up and into the cottonwood trees that rustled beside the house. “It’s an interesting town.”

Alex shrugged. “Old. Lots of history. Lots of places like that, I guess.”

Cam smiled. “Yeah.”

They held each other’s eyes for another minute before Cam nodded and turned around.

“Drive safe,” Alex called.

“I will. You and Ted don’t be strangers.”

“We won’t.”

Alex watched Cam’s driver ease away, careful not to kick up too much dust as they rolled back toward Main Street and the highway.

Ted came out to stand at his side.

“He knows?”

“He suspects something.”

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So we’ll be careful.”

“We always are, Ted.” He threw an arm around her shoulders and walked back to the house. “Always.”

Chapter Twenty-seven

She woke without the heat of him at her back. The alarm hadn’t gone off. In the back of her drowsy mind, she knew that meant it was Saturday. Their day to sleep in. Their day to laze in bed if they wanted. Ted could shift and lay on the rocks behind the house. They could go hunting that night. No meetings. No appointments. No family drama.

She felt his fingers playing with the ends of her hair.

“You awake?” he whispered.

“Mmmhmm?”

He didn’t pounce, like he usually did in the mornings. Alex was a fan of morning nookie. Some things changed, but that did not. He liked it anytime, but he especially liked it when she was sleepy and sweet. Probably because she didn’t argue with him as much.

And yes, they argued. About sex. During sex.

Arguing was what they did.

“Alex?”

He still didn’t say anything. Just kept stroking her hair.

“What’s up?”

“I don’t know how to do this.”

She rolled over, blinking at him. The morning sun streamed across their sheets, and Alex sat up against the headboard. His eyebrows were furrowed and his jaw was covered in morning stubble. His eyes were pointed down to something he was flipping in his hand.

“What are you talking about?”

It flashed in the light and Alex held it up.

A diamond ring hung on the end of his forefinger.

“I don’t know how to do this.”

“We’ve only been back together two months,” she protested quietly. “It’s fast. We don’t need to—”

“I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.”

“Alex—”

“I don’t remember being with a woman—even a friend—and not comparing her to you. Even when I was a kid.”

She said nothing. Alex scooted down next to her.

“We’ve been together for years, baby.”

“We broke up.”

“It was only ever you for me,” he whispered. “Tell me you know that.”

She smiled. “I know that.”

“It’s only ever been me for you.”

“Cocky.”

He held up the ring. “This isn’t fast.”

Her smile grew. “I guess not.”

“Marry me, Tea.”

“Yes,” she whispered. “Even though that wasn’t actually a question.”

Alex grinned and pulled up her hand, sliding the ring on her finger.

“That’s the wrong hand, Alex.”

“Told you I didn’t know how to do this.”

“Tea,” he panted into her neck. “Hurry.”

He twisted his hips, rocking them, tilting her up until she…

Yes
.

“Alex!” 

“Mmmm,” he caught her cries with his mouth. Lips pressed to hers as he moved faster and she felt him groan against her lips.

Needless to say, Alex did know how to
celebrate
an engagement, even if he was unsure about the asking part.

He was still kissing her. Long, drugging kisses that didn’t stop, even when their bodies ceased to tremble. One hand at her jaw, the other curled in her hair, he lingered at her mouth. Lips swollen with pleasure, she took it. Took him. She curled her arms around him, the light warming them as frost melted from the glass.

“Love you so much.”

“Love you, too.”

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“You give as good as you get,
querido
.” Her hand trailed down over the tight muscles of his back. “Always have.”

“Thank you for marrying me.”

Was he going to keep being sweet like this? Ted didn’t think she could handle that. She felt the tears at the corner of her eyes.

“You’re welcome.”

“I want to have babies with you.”

“I know,” she said, smiling. “I do, too.”

“
Lots
of babies.”

Her smile fell a little.

“How many is lots?”

“Five? Six?”

She blinked and pulled her head back. “Do you think we’re going to have a litter?”

“I’m just saying,” he continued. “We should get started soon. Because we’re going to have a bunch.”

“Oh really?”

“Yep.” He rolled back and pulled her to his side. “They can come one at a time, but I want lots.”

“Alex.”

“I’ll add on to the house. I know an architect that would be perfect for the job.”

“Alex!”

“What?”

“Is there some previously unknown technology that will now allow you to carry and birth children?”

“You’d really know the answer to that better than me.”

“No. There’s not. Which means that
I
have to carry this football team you’re planning—”

“Football is excessive,” he said. “Basketball team. We can have a basketball team.”

“Which, clue in, is
not
going to happen.”

“Now you’re just being unreasonable.”

“Alex!”

“What?”

“You don’t get to just
decide
how many kids we’re having.”

“I didn’t decide. We’re discussing it.”

“We’re fighting about it! When we should be celebrating!”

He rolled over her. “Of course we’re fighting,” he said with a grin. “It’s what we do.”

“I’m rethinking the marriage thing.”

“No, you’re not.”

No. She wasn’t.

“Ted?”

“What?” she snapped.

Alex nibbled up her jaw. Then his mouth was at her ear, teasing it.

He whispered, “We’re going to have so much fun.”

THE END

Epilogue

Allie took a deep breath and locked the front door, glad that the last of the patrons hadn’t put up too much fuss about leaving. Sometimes, they could get rowdy, but that was rare as long as the tall man behind the bar was on the premises. 

Ollie Campbell was six and a half feet of pure muscle and, lately, silence. She didn’t know where her friend had gone. She just knew that for the last few months, he’d been quiet. And not his usual quiet, which had always prompted her to draw a smile from him, no matter how silly she had to get. 

No, it was a heavier silence.

She didn’t try to draw him out. Didn’t try to draw a smile. Allie no longer had anything to give.

“Allie-girl, what do you need?”

A better job. A full night’s rest. A hug. 

Everything.

Allie couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt full. Fifteen years with Joe Russell had wrung her dry. Some mornings she woke up and felt like a husk. She liked to remind herself that the cactuses that surrounded her home got through life on practically no water. They just stored up when the rain came down and used that for the lean days. Bursting into bloom for brief, dramatic periods, they filled the desert with joy.

But other than her children’s love, no rain had fallen in Allie’s life for a good long while.

Ollie wiped down the bar in silence, ignoring her as he did most every night. He was busy, she knew. So was she. Though not
that
busy. During the week, the tips were abysmal because the bar wasn’t full unless a band was playing. Great for training new waitresses. Not great for her bank account. Still Tracey said she’s start putting her on more Fridays and Saturdays when she had more experience. And anything—even minimum wage—was better than sitting at home at night, worrying about the bills after the kids were quiet in bed.

“Ollie, I’m about done.”

“All right.” He put down the rag and waited for her to grab her purse from his office. He’d walk her to her car, just like he did with all the girls. Allie walked down the hall and stretched over the desk to open the file drawer where she and Tracey put their stuff while they were working. No one messed with Ollie’s office. Ever. So his waitresses always knew their stuff was safe. It was a little thing, but working at the Cave made her feel safe, too. Everyone in town—and out of town for that matter—knew Ollie Campbell took care of his people.

When she turned at the door, he was there, waiting for her. Leaning against the door jamb watching her. She blushed as her eyes rose to meet his, realizing she’d probably given him a show while she stretched over his desk to grab her purse.

Not that Ollie thought like that about her. No one did. She was a single mother of four whose husband had left her. Most days, she felt like the single most
un
sexy woman on the planet. And she’d seen the kind of women Ollie had dated over the years. Tall voluptuous knock-outs. Nothing even bordering on the “cute” she could barely rock on her best nights.

He cleared his throat. “I haven’t asked for a while.”