Harlequin American Romance May 2014 Bundle: One Night in Texas\The Cowboy's Destiny\A Baby for the Doctor\The Bull Rider's Family (23 page)

He pulled his socks and boots back on, then tipped his Stetson over his forehead to block the sun, helped himself to a pink towel from the storage closet and left.

Wolf whistles greeted him when he returned to the pool. “Now that’s a sexy look if I ever saw one.” Enrick circled Buck, leering at his body. “Your ghostly legs and chest could use a little sun.”

“Quit criticizing him,” Frank said. “At least he’s got a chest.”

Enrick gasped. “What’s wrong with my chest?”

The two lovers engaged in a spirited argument over their physiques with Bernie threatening to issue citations for disturbing the peace.

“I think the boots are sexy.” Sonja shoved a margarita into Buck’s hand. She wore sunglasses with lenses so big they made her look like a bug from outer space. “Tell me, Buck...is there a Mrs. Buck at home?”

“No, ma’am.”

She squeezed his arm. “That’s too bad, but I—”

“Sonja, leave the man alone.” Ralph grabbed his wife’s arm and escorted her to the other side of the pool, where a group of women sat in the shade.

“Eat,” Melba said, nodding to the buffet table.

“I’m good right now, thanks.” Buck had eaten a sandwich at Lucille’s earlier in the afternoon while he’d listened to Hank’s civil war stories. The bar owner’s great-great grandfather had fought in the Battle of Picacho Peak northwest of Tucson, and the way Hank told the story his grandfather had been the last man left defending the mountain.

“C’mon,” Melba said. “I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Buck met the people who lived in the trailers next to the motel. Harriet and Bob Wilson from Bakersfield, California. Bob was a retired lineman, and Harriet had owned a beauty shop years ago. They didn’t have any children. Another retired couple—Bud and Dorothy West—lived next to the Wilsons. Bud had been a welder and his wife a bookkeeper for a clothing store. They had one child, three grandchildren and five great grandchildren. Next he met Edith and Guy Heinrich, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Guy had owned a gas station before he’d retired. When Edith fell on the ice ten years ago and broke her hip, they’d packed their bags and drove south to retire in warmer weather. They had one child and four grandchildren.

After a while, Buck lost track of who was who and where they came from—his mind on Destiny, wondering why she’d settled among such an old crowd.

“Thought you’d be long gone by now.” Mitchell appeared out of nowhere, wearing Bermuda shorts and a Tommy Bahama shirt. Melba excused herself to talk to one of her tenants about a problem with their septic.

“The axel on my truck was damaged. I’m stuck here longer than I planned,” Buck said.

“While you’re here maybe you can talk sense into Destiny.”

“Talk sense into me about what?” Destiny stopped at Buck’s side.

Wow.
Buck’s mouth dropped open. Destiny wore a black bikini with little white skulls and crossbones printed on the fabric. She’d pinned her long red hair to her head in a sloppy knot that begged for a man to stick his fingers in it and mess it up some more. His gaze roamed over her body, pausing on her breasts, where part of a tattoo peeked out from beneath the swimsuit top. As he stared down at all that sexiness crammed into a tiny body, he couldn’t recall why he preferred taller women.

“Ms. Mayor,” Mitchell said. Buck noticed the lawyer appeared oblivious to Destiny’s hotness.
Idiot.
“Why don’t you ask Buck to weigh in on the town’s situation? A stranger’s perspective might be helpful.”

“Or better yet,” Destiny said, “Maybe Buck can convince the
recalled
mayor to get the heck out of town and stay out?” Then she turned to Buck and said, “Take off your boots. You look ridiculous.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Buck sat in a lawn chair and removed his Ariats and socks then stood. When he noticed Destiny ogling his legs, he suddenly wished his trunks weren’t so snug.

Mitchell stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. “I need everyone’s attention.” Once the Geritol crowd settled down, he said, “Jack Custer has put forth a new offer.”

Destiny ground her back teeth together to keep from pushing Mitchell into the pool. Damn him for using the party—an event intended to bring the town together—as a means to divide the residents.

“How much is he willing to pay us this time?” Frank shouted above the rumblings.

“Wyndell Resorts is prepared to pay each resident of Lizard Gulch $80,000 for their property.”

Destiny scoffed. “That’s only $5,000 more than the previous offer.”

“Eighty thousand dollars is a lot of money,” a woman in a swim cap covered in daisies said. “I could use the cash to move my home down south to my daughter’s property, and I’d have plenty left over to buy a new car.”

“That’s right,” Mitchell said. “The money would improve everyone’s standard of living.”

“There ain’t nothing wrong with my standard of living.” Bernie paddled his dolphin across the water and clung to the edge of the pool next to where Mitchell stood.

“What’s going on?” Buck asked.

Destiny had hoped he wouldn’t stick his nose into their business. The last thing she needed was a stranger swaying the town to take the developer’s side. “A group of wealthy investors wants to buy Lizard Gulch, bulldoze the town and build a resort in its place.”

“Lizard Gulch is in the middle of nowhere.” Buck frowned at Mitchell.

“Ever see the movie
Field of Dreams?
” Mitchell asked.

“Build it and they will come?” Buck said. “That’s what you’re banking on?”

“Route 66 properties draw thousands of vacationers each year. Jack Custer studied this area and it’s close enough to California that people will view an all-inclusive resort as a great weekend getaway.”

“There wouldn’t be much for resort guests to do if they don’t play golf,” Buck said.

Mitchell ignored Buck’s comment and spoke to the group. “You’ve got one month to decide whether or not to take the new offer.”

“What happens if we can’t agree to sell or not?” Melba asked.

“You know that I consider you my friends,” Mitchell said.

Destiny choked on her spit.

“When I was mayor I had to comply with state guidelines and submit answers to a questionnaire.”

“What kind of questionnaire?” Destiny asked.

“I had to inform state officials that you haven’t had the water well tested in fifteen years,” Mitchell said.

“I’ve been drinking tap water for twenty years and I haven’t gotten sick or died.” Bernie cupped his hands in the water and directed a wave of it at Mitchell, who was forced to jump back to avoid getting his shorts wet.

“I also had to disclose to the state that none of you pay property taxes.”

“Are you crazy?” Destiny spread her arms wide. “We don’t pay taxes, because we don’t use any fire or police services.”

“And you have no place for children to go to school,” Mitchell said.

The lawyer was grasping at straws. “Do you see any residents of child-bearing age?”

“Just you.”

Destiny sucked in a quiet gasp. Had Daryl leaked that she was pregnant?

Mitchell raised his margarita glass. “A toast to becoming $80,000 richer.”

“Destiny?”

Someone spoke her name then an arm curled around her waist, and the next thing she knew she was seated in a chair with Buck squatting in front of her. “You okay? You looked like you were about to faint.”

“I’m a little thirsty.”

Melba handed her a margarita.

“I’d rather have water, please.”

Buck handed her a bottled water and filled a plate with chunks of watermelon and pineapple.

“Buck.”

“Destiny.”

They spoke at the same time. “You go first,” she said.

“Is there anything I could do to help you at the garage while I wait on the new axel?”

“About that broken axel. There’s something I need to tell you.” She stopped short when Buck leaned forward, the golden glow in his brown eyes sending her pulse pounding through her veins.

“I could work on that car sitting in the back lot.” He shrugged. “I don’t know much about engines, but I could hand you tools.”

His gaze dropped to her mouth, and all of a sudden Destiny forgot about being truthful with Buck. What could it hurt to wait another day before fixing the axel? “Have you ever changed the oil in your truck?”

“No, but I’m a fast learner.”

The smile he flashed convinced Destiny that he was fast at a lot of things, the least of which was an oil change.

Chapter Four

“What happens if you don’t get a majority of the townspeople to veto Wyndell Resorts’ latest offer?” Buck was stretched out on a mechanic’s creeper beneath Melba’s 1990 black Pontiac Bonneville in the lot behind the garage. Destiny moved her creeper closer to him, the fresh scent of her perfume stirring his blood.

“Then we sell and Lizard Gulch will be wiped off the map.” She held out her hand. “Give me the wrench.”

Buck’s fingers went straight for the tool Destiny asked for, then he remembered he wasn’t supposed to know much about fixing cars. “Which one?”

Her gaze clashed with his. Their faces were only inches apart and he noticed her lashes were a dark brown. “Do you color your hair?” She frowned, and he said, “Most redheads have pale lashes.”

“I don’t dye my hair and the wrench I want is the one with a piece of yellow tape on it.”

He handed her the tool and she loosened the large bolt. “Drip pan, please.”

He held out the plastic container to collect the old oil.

“Thanks.” She placed the pan on the ground, removed the cap and let the oil drain, then rolled out from beneath the car and stood. “The developer’s offer stinks, and the land this town sits on is worth a lot more than $80,000 per person. Why else would Mitchell work so hard to convince everyone to pack their bags?”

Buck got to his feet. “I can picture the land being worth more once the resort is built but not now.” He spread his arms wide. “There’s nothing here that anybody would drive out of their way to see.”

Destiny’s head jerked as if he’d slapped her with an insult. “You may not think Lizard Gulch is special, but the people who live here do.” She removed a rag from her pocket and wiped her hands hard enough to peel off a layer of skin.

“Guess it’s a female thing—attaching emotional significance to a place.”

“You mean you have no sentimental feelings about the pecan farm you grew up on?”

Sensing their conversation agitated Destiny, he sought to avoid an argument. “I have fond memories of chasing my brothers through the pecan groves, but when I think of home, its family that matters most—not the orchards.”

Her expression softened. “When was the last time you were home?”

“A couple of months.”

“Have you been riding the circuit all this time, or do you have a second place you use as a home base between rodeos?”

“Is that a polite way of asking if I have a lady friend I shack up with when I’m on the road?” He chuckled at the pink flush that spread across her cheeks. “I don’t.”

“What about when you’re not on the road?” She looked him square in the eye.

Like wavy heat lines hovering over hot asphalt, sexual tension sizzled between them. This wasn’t the first time he’d felt Destiny’s attraction to him. Yesterday she hadn’t taken her eyes off him at the pool party. And when he’d shown up at the garage earlier this morning, she’d stared at his mouth and licked her lips when he’d asked her how she’d slept the night before.

“I stay at the farm when I’m not rodeoing.” He watched her carefully, but her neutral expression left him guessing at her thoughts. “May I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Is there a chance that you and Daryl might work things out?” If she had feelings for the runaway groom, Buck would call her out on the axel prank and leave Lizard Gulch sooner rather than later.

“No.”

There hadn’t been a flicker of doubt in her eyes when she’d answered him. “Positive?”

“Daryl and I never would have made it as a couple.”

Now that he was confident Destiny was over Daryl, he wasn’t sure what to do about his interest in her. He wasn’t looking for a serious relationship. In truth, he didn’t know what he wanted, except that he wasn’t ready to go back to Stagecoach. “The oil has probably drained out by now.”

His comment spurred her into action, and he watched with admiration as she added new oil to the engine and changed the air and cabin filters. “For a girl, you’re good at car maintenance.”

“How would you know?”

Caught in his own lie, he grinned. “I don’t. You make everything look easy.”

“I can teach you how to change the air filter,” she said.

No thanks.
“Do you have any other car work to do this afternoon?”

“This is it. Why?”

“Wanna go for a joyride in the desert?”

She laughed. “I’m guessing you want to test out my hog.”

“I’d love to drive your bike.”

“Have you ever handled a motorcycle before?”

“My brother owned a beat-up Harley in high school, and he let me use it on occasion.”

“What kind of Harley?”

“I don’t know. It was a lot smaller than the one you ride, and it sure didn’t have a badass engine like yours has.”

“Okay. I’ll show you the boundaries of the town and where the developer wants to build the golf course.” She carried the oil pan into the garage and Buck followed with the toolbox. “I need to change clothes,” she said.

“You want a soda to take along?” He motioned to the vending machine in the office.

“I’ll stick with water.”

Buck fished coins from his pocket and bought a bottle of Gatorade instead of soda then looked over Destiny’s hog.

“Think you can handle it?” she asked a few minutes later.

He nearly swallowed his tongue. She’d changed into a pair of cutoff jean shorts and a camouflage tank top that emphasized the shape and size of her breasts. The outfit was sexy, but paired with her black-heeled biker boots she looked like something straight out of a men’s fantasy magazine.

“You’re not worried about getting sunburned?” He stared at her naked limbs, the skin sprinkled with freckles.

“I put on sunscreen.” She gathered her long curls into a ponytail, then shoved a baseball cap on her head and spent the next five minutes giving him a crash course on motorcycle safety.

“You mind if I ask how much this bike cost?”

“It was a gift from Simon.”

“The guy who took you in?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Pretty generous of him.”

“Simon was like a grandfather to me.”

Now that Buck was aware of the sentimental value of the bike, he’d make sure he took care driving it. “Do you have an extra helmet?”

“Do I look like a girl who uses a helmet?”

He grinned. “Let’s get this party started.”

Destiny placed a bottled water inside the bike compartment and Buck added his sports drink, then she stood back while he hopped on the jump start—the engine fired on the first try.

“Impressive.” She climbed on behind him.

He waited for her to put her arms around his waist. Instead, she grabbed the handholds. Buck shifted gear and drove onto Gulch Road.

“Go out to the highway,” she shouted in his ear as they passed the Flamingo.

Melba sat in the shade outside the motel office. She lifted her arm, making the sign for a trucker to blow his horn. Destiny reached past Buck and pressed the horn button. When he felt her breasts smash against his back, he gunned the engine and the hog shot forward. Destiny’s fingers dug into Buck’s waist, and she held on tight.

Payback sure was fun.

* * *

“T
HAT
’
S
WHERE
W
YNDELL
resorts plans to put the golf course.” Destiny pointed north of where she and Buck stood on the shoulder of the road.

“They picked a scenic spot with the low-lying mountains to the south and the abandoned gold mine. Nice ambience for the golfers.”

Destiny grudgingly agreed with Buck. “According to Mitchell, the entrance to the resort will be elevated so that when you’re on the golf course you won’t be able to see the highway, which—”

“Will make it feel like you’re really out in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “What about the hotel?”

“Behind the eighteenth tee.”

“That means the guests won’t see the highway, either.”

“But they will see Lizard Gulch,” she said. “The town will be visible from every window in the hotel which is why Custer wants to bulldoze the buildings.”

“He should leave the town standing.” Buck drank his Gatorade then said, “The buildings along with the old gold mine would lend the resort a nostalgic ambience.”

“They’re not going to touch the town.” She kicked a rock, sending it flying through the air. When she glanced at Buck she caught him grinning. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I’m just...”

She perched her hands on her hips. “Spit it out.”

“I’m awed by your...fighting spirit.”

His compliment sucked the air from her lungs.

“You don’t let anyone bully you, do you?”

“I’m not fighting because I love a good brawl,” she said. “I’m trying to save this town, because it’s more than a few buildings in the desert. It’s a home to a group of people who’ve become my family. Selling Lizard Gulch would be like everyone divorcing and going their separate ways.”

“You really care about those old people,” he said.

“Someone has to look out for them.”

Buck stepped forward and grasped her chin. “Who’s going to look after you, Destiny?” Then he kissed her.

His kiss wasn’t a gentle, getting-to-know-you caress but a full mouth-on-mouth-with-a-little-tongue embrace. He smelled like desert, faded cologne and warm man. Destiny relaxed in his arms, leaning against him as she threaded her fingers through his silky hair. Their tongues dueled, and she lost herself in the excitement and thrill of his touch.

The churning in her stomach went unnoticed until a sharp pain penetrated her aroused brain. Her fingers tightened against Buck’s skull and she forced his head back, breaking off their kiss. Then she spun and vomited on a clump of wild Blackfoot daisies.

Buck held her by the shoulders and steadied her. “You okay?”

“I will be in a moment.” How embarrassing. Of all the people she could have thrown up in front of, why did it have to be Buck?

“This is the first time one of my kisses has made a woman puke.”

She laughed, her reaction triggering a second spasm, and she vomited again. Buck handed her the water she’d brought along, and his concerned expression melted her heart. She sipped, swished then spat. “Sorry you had to see that.”

He took the bottle from her and doused his shirttail then dabbed at the moisture on her forehead and cheeks. “You sure you’re okay?”

Destiny didn’t answer right away—she was too caught up in a mini fantasy. Except for the fatherly concern Simon had shown her, she couldn’t recall any man worrying about her well-being. Daryl hadn’t even asked how she was feeling after she’d informed him she was pregnant.

“Destiny?” Buck rubbed the pad of his thumb across her cheek. “You didn’t drink the leftover margaritas from the pool party for breakfast, did you?”

“No, but I think I caught a touch of food poisoning from the casseroles.” Afraid to make eye contact for fear he’d read the truth in her gaze, she scuffed the toe of her boot against the ground.

“You should get out of the sun if you aren’t feeling well.” He walked beside her to the bike then placed his hand against the small of her back, steadying her as she swung a leg over the seat.

Feeling shaky, Destiny didn’t think twice about leaning against Buck and wrapping her arms around him. He drove at an even pace back to town and she appreciated his effort to avoid the potholes in the road. When they pulled into the garage, he helped her off the bike but didn’t release her hand. He peered at her face intently, his fingers rubbing her knuckles.

She wished he hadn’t kissed her. When he’d held her in his arms, she’d felt safe from the big bad, ugly world. It was a feeling like none she’d experienced before—not even when the Carters had taken her into their home. Sending him on his way would be more difficult than she’d anticipated.

Don’t even think about keeping him here.

Not only was she pregnant with another man’s baby, Destiny couldn’t afford for Buck to stay in town long for fear she’d become accustomed to depending on him. And she’d learned the hard way from her mother and Daryl that the only person she could count on was herself. “Buck, there’s something I need to tell you.”

The despondent tone in Destiny’s voice sent up a warning flag in Buck’s head. Was she ready to come clean about the broken axel? Well, he wasn’t ready to hear her confession—not after their kiss in the desert. “Go upstairs and rest. We’ll talk later.”

“But—”

He pressed his finger to her lips and swore he saw a spark in her blues eyes. There was definitely something happening between them, whether either of them was ready to admit it or not. She gave in and climbed the fire escape to the apartment above the garage. At the door she checked over her shoulder and the longing in her gaze stole the air from his lungs. Then she disappeared from view.

Buck had never been with a girl like Destiny—she was everything he’d never wanted in a woman—or he’d thought anyway. There was no denying the Harley princess made his motor race. He wanted—no
needed
—to take a walk on the wild side with her.

And let the chips fall where they may.

* * *

“H
OW
WAS
YOUR
tour with Destiny?” Hank asked after Buck slid onto a barstool inside Lucille’s.

“Good.” Buck nodded to the beer taps. “I’ll take whatever’s on special today.”

“It’s Sunday. No alcohol on the Lord’s Sabbath.” Hank raised his arms in surrender. “I didn’t make up the rule. The ladies temperance committee added the amendment to the town code last year.”

“Temperance committee?” Buck didn’t believe what he was hearing.

“The females outnumber us men. We didn’t stand a chance when they put that law to vote.” Hank leaned forward, resting his elbows on the bar. “That’s why you don’t see anyone outside. They’re swiggin’ medicine in their trailers. You’d be surprised at the physical ailments that flare up on Sundays.”

“Guess I’ll settle for a soda,” Buck said.

Hank set the drink in front of Buck, then checked the clock on the wall. “It’s almost noon. You hungry for a sandwich?”

“No, thanks.” There wasn’t an ATM in town to withdraw money and all he had left in his wallet was a hundred bucks.