Harlequin American Romance May 2014 Bundle: One Night in Texas\The Cowboy's Destiny\A Baby for the Doctor\The Bull Rider's Family (29 page)

If only Buck had come into her life before that fateful night with Daryl—who knows, maybe she’d be carrying Buck’s baby right now. No sense looking back—the only path was the one in front of her. Daryl was the least of her worries. If she wanted her child to grow up in one place, surrounded by people who cared, she had to find a way to save Lizard Gulch from the evil clutches of Custer.

“What’s the matter? Why are you so tense?” Buck whispered, his lips moving against her arm.

Startled, Destiny stiffened. How long had Buck been awake? “I’m not tense.”

“Then how come it feels like I’m cuddling a two-by-four?”

Destiny squirmed until she faced Buck. She brushed her hand over his heart and said, “I’m not used to sharing my bed.”

“I’m glad.” He peppered her face with kisses then captured her mouth in a bone-melting kiss that went on forever.

When Buck ended the kiss he tweaked her side and she giggled. “Stop, I’m ticklish.”

“Really?” His fingers tormented her and Destiny begged for mercy. They made a mess of the bed, and in a desperate attempt to shield herself from his roving fingers, she snatched the blanket from the foot of the bed and covered herself.

“That won’t stop me.” He tickled the bottom of her foot and she shrieked.

“What the hell?”

Destiny and Buck froze then glanced in unison toward the doorway. Daryl stood bug-eyed with his mouth hanging open. The blanket protected her body from view but Buck wasn’t so fortunate.

He reached for the sheet and flipped it across his waist. “Do you always enter a woman’s apartment without knocking?”

Daryl didn’t answer—probably because his mouth hung open.

“Get out, Daryl,” she said.

Her command jarred Daryl out of his trance. “We need to talk.” After he left the bedroom, she heard the door open and close.

“I thought it was over between you two.” Buck watched her intently as if he believed he could read the truth in her eyes.

She sprang off the mattress then rummaged in the dresser drawer for a pair of panties. Buck remained in bed while she slipped on her underwear and a bra.

“Daryl and I are finished,” she said. Shoot, they’d never even started.

“Then why is he at your apartment at the crack of dawn?”

“I don’t know.” She walked past the bed, but Buck snagged her wrist and tumbled her on top of him.

“If you have feelings for him, I want to know right now. I don’t make a habit of sleeping with another guy’s lady.”

“We’re not together—not in the way you’re implying.”

“Okay.” He released her and made a grab for his jeans. “I’ll go out there and set good ol’ Daryl straight.”

“No.” At his startled look she said, “I’ll handle this.” Buck put on his jeans then sat on the edge of the bed while she looked through the closet. After she dressed in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, she fled the room.

“What do you want, Daryl?” she asked after she stepped outside.

“Sure didn’t take you long to move on,” he said.

“Skip the fake outrage. What do you want?”

“I came to tell you I got a new job.”

“Where?”

“Sacramento.”

“That’s in California.” He wouldn’t see their child very often if he lived in another state.

“A friend’s cousin got me a job as a bouncer at the bar out there. I’ll make twice what I’m making in Kingman, so I can send you more money for the baby.”

The thought was nice and she didn’t doubt Daryl was sincere, but the old adage...out of sight out of mind, was probably closer to the truth, and eventually he’d forget about her and the baby.

Daryl’s gaze cut to the door. “Does he know you’re pregnant?”

“No, and it doesn’t matter, because he’s leaving town and I’ll never see him again.”

“Then it’s not serious between you two?”

“This is just...” She waved a hand in the air. “Never mind.”

Daryl’s shoe hovered over the stairs. “I’m not leaving for another month.”

“What’s the name of the bar where you’ll be working?”

“The Corner...I can’t recall off the top of my head. Once I get there, I’ll text you a phone number.”

Daryl was lying—there was no new job. He was on the run.

At least he told you he was leaving.
She wouldn’t have to wonder what happened to him after months went by and he didn’t call. “Do you want to know when the baby’s born?”

“When’s your due date?” he asked.

She’d told him a dozen times. “March.”

“I’ll call you.”

“What about your mother? Do you want me to contact her about the baby?” If he did, she’d need his mother’s number.

“I’ll tell her,” Daryl said.

There went the possibility of her child having a grandparent.

Your baby will have plenty of grandparents in Lizard Gulch.

Daryl peered past her shoulder and stiffened.

Great.
Buck must be standing on the other side of the screen door. If she had any doubt, Buck put it to rest when he spoke.

“Everything okay out there?”

“Daryl got a new job in California.”

“I’ll be in touch.” Daryl couldn’t leave fast enough. As soon as his feet hit the gravel below, he hopped into his beater and took off, spewing dust in the air.

The door opened and Buck stepped outside. “You okay?”

“Of course.” She didn’t have any other choice, did she?

Chapter Ten

“Destiny, can I have a word with you, please?”

“I’ll be right with you, Hank.”

For the tenth time that morning, another resident of Lizard Gulch walked into the garage with a complaint about the Dockers. Buck was content to eavesdrop beneath Bernie’s car while he worked on the undercarriage. The one time he’d pushed the creeper into the open, Harriet Wilson had unloaded on him, and he was just a guest in town.

Admit it. You like the idea that the old coots view you as one of their own now.

He did appreciate being treated as if he were a native son, but it irked him that Destiny was taking flack for something she had no control over. The townspeople should be turning their anger on Mitchell.

“I want Bernie to make the Dockers leave town, but he insists that he needs your permission,” Hank said.

“What have the Dockers done?” Destiny asked.

“They won’t pay their tab. I told them that I don’t take credit cards. Now they’re telling me they don’t travel with cash and I need to get with the times and either install an ATM machine in the bar or accept credit cards.”

“But you do take credit cards,” Destiny said.

“Only from people I trust. I don’t trust the Dockers.”

Hank had taken Buck’s debit card without blinking an eye. Obviously the bar owner trusted him.

“Have you mentioned this to the former mayor?” Destiny asked.

“Mitchell said it wasn’t his problem.”

“Don’t serve the Dockers unless they pay cash up-front,” Destiny said.

“I don’t want them in my bar, period,” Hank said. “If they get wind that Bernie’s coming after them, maybe they’ll take off.”

“Bernie doesn’t have the legal authority to make anyone do anything.” Destiny’s steel-toed boot tapped against the cement floor.

“What about keeping them under house arrest?” Hank asked. “Bernie could sit outside the motel and make sure they don’t try to leave.”

Buck shoved the creeper out from beneath the car and stood. “How’s it going, Hank?”

“Could be better.” The older man scowled.

Buck looked at Destiny. “I agree with Hank.”

“About what?” she asked.

“The only reason Mitchell brought the Dockers here is to stir up trouble,” Buck said. “Tell them if they don’t pay their tab in cash they won’t be welcome in town. Worst-case scenario...they take off in the middle of the night and you never see them again.”

“Amen,” Hank said.

“I’ll speak to the Dockers about their bar tab.” Destiny held up a finger in warning. “But we’re not barricading them in their room.”

“What about Bernie?” Hank said. “If he makes a nuisance of himself, maybe the Dockers will get sick of him and pay me.”

Destiny’s shoulders slumped. “Tell Bernie he can keep an eye on the Dockers, but no verbal threats.”

“Got it.” Hank left Buck and Destiny alone in the garage.

An awkward silence settled between them. The day had begun on an uncomfortable note and hadn’t improved since. It seemed like days ago, not hours, that good ol’ Daryl had interrupted their morning after. Buck wanted to talk about last night—in his mind the experience had been incredible. And he’d sworn Destiny had enjoyed making love to him, but he’d learned a long time ago that the worst mistake a guy could make was assuming he knew what a woman was thinking—it always backfired on him.

You’re feeling insecure.

What if he was?

“You okay?” His gaze dropped from her face to her outfit—a black formfitting tank top and cutoff jean shorts. His fingers itched to slide the strap off her shoulder and kiss the tan skin.

“I’m not worried about the Dockers.”

He brushed at a loose strand of hair, peeking from beneath her ball cap. “I was referring to last night.”

A pink tinge spread across her cheeks. “Oh.” She pretended to straighten the tools on the workbench.

“You’ve been quiet.” He worried her silence had nothing to do with their lovemaking and everything to do with Daryl.

“I’m tired.”

He didn’t doubt that. Neither of them had gotten much sleep last night. He didn’t want to push her if she wasn’t ready to talk, but he feared she was having second thoughts about Daryl after he announced he was moving to California. “If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

He’d taken a chance when he’d slept with Destiny so soon after she’d been left at the altar, and he knew he might be the rebound guy. He was okay with that, because he was certain that with time she’d realize that he was a better catch than Daryl. But Daryl dropping the bomb that he was leaving the area had definitely affected Destiny. Some guys didn’t want to be in a committed relationship, but they also didn’t want the woman they left to move on and be happy with someone else. Buck couldn’t figure out if Daryl fell into that category or not, and Destiny wasn’t making it easy for him to guess how she felt about the situation.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

He grinned.

“What?”

“I’ve never had a woman ask me that before.”

She shrugged. “Let’s not make it into anything more than it is.”

A sharp pain gripped his gut. That wasn’t what he wanted to hear. “What do you think it was?” As soon as he asked the question, he regretted it. Now she’d assume he needed reassurance.

Her gaze locked on the Peg-Board above the bench, and her silence hurt.

“I’m cool with leaving it as it is...if that’s what you want.” He wanted more. He wasn’t sure what
more
constituted—he just knew that he didn’t want his time with Destiny to be a series of one-night stands.

He tugged on the brim of her cap until she made eye contact with him. “I’m not trying to pressure you.” He rubbed his thumb over her cheek. “But I want you to know that I don’t fall into bed with every woman I meet. I like you, Destiny.” He swallowed hard and went out on a limb. “I like you a lot.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and Buck’s heart slammed against his rib cage. Usually when he told a girl that he liked her, she’d smile or kiss him. She sure as heck didn’t cry.

“Destiny? Where are you?”

They both jumped at the question that preceded Mitchell into the garage.

“What do you want?” The scam artist annoyed Buck to no end.

“A word with Destiny.”

Destiny turned her back to Mitchell and discreetly rubbed her eyes. “I’m listening.”

“What’s this I hear about you siccing Bernie on the Dockers until they pay their bar tab?”

“I didn’t sic Bernie on anyone,” she said.

“Then why did the Dockers find him sitting outside their motel room a few minutes ago?”

“Maybe Bernie’s being friendly,” Buck said.

Mitchell glared. “I didn’t ask you.”

“Hank said the Dockers refused to pay their tab with cash. Is that true?” Destiny asked.

“Hank has a credit-card machine. There’s no reason he can’t take the Dockers’ card.”

“You know he doesn’t accept credit cards from strangers. You should have warned your friends.” Destiny crossed her arms over her chest. “But you didn’t. I wonder why?”

Mitchell pointed his finger. “I don’t like what you’re accusing me of.”

“And what’s that?” Buck wasn’t about to be left out of the conversation.

“The Dockers have every right to be in Lizard Gulch. This is America. People can come and go where they want.”

“Sure seems suspicious that a wealthy couple from Philadelphia would build a second home in a run-down desert town with few amenities.” Buck quirked an eyebrow. “Unless they were getting paid to hang out in Lizard Gulch and pretend they wanted to move here.”

“They haven’t been bribed.” Mitchell’s gaze swung between Buck and Destiny. “Isn’t it about time Buck Owens Cash went back to wherever it is country-and-western impersonators live?”

Reining in his temper, Buck said, “Destiny, give us a minute.”

“Sure.”

Buck waited until she crossed the street then faced off with Mitchell. “Don’t underestimate these people. They’re not stupid. They know what you’re trying to do.”

“I never said they were stupid, just helpless. They’re finding out that the world is ruled by money and power.”

“What about morality?” Buck said. “Got any of that in your world?”

“Don’t act all sanctimonious. This town was destined to die eventually. At least I’ve negotiated a payout with Custer so they don’t walk away with nothing.”

Astonished, Buck said, “You really believe you’re the good guy in all this?”

“Hell, yes. You don’t see Destiny fighting to get the old people more money, do you?”

“You mean Melba, Hank, Enrick and Frank. They’re the only ones getting paid if Custer takes this town. The rest will be left in the dust—literally.”

“That’s not my problem,” Mitchell said.

“How long have you been doing this?”

“Doing what?”

“Destroying peoples’ lives.”

“My job is to make the wealthy wealthier. You can’t accomplish that without some collateral damage.” Mitchell walked off, ending the conversation.

If there was one thing Buck hated, it was a bully, and the only way to fight Mitchell and Custer was with a lawyer—one as cunning and cutthroat as the two businessmen. But there was a problem—the town couldn’t afford a lawyer.
What about a fund-raiser?

A lightbulb went off in Buck’s head. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called his brother Mack and got his voice mail. “Mack, it’s me, Buck. I need your help.”

After leaving a detailed message, he went upstairs to Destiny’s apartment and scrolled through his list of contacts then began reaching out to his rodeo buddies. Once he had a head count of guys willing to ride for nothing to raise money for Lizard Gulch, he called P. T. Lewis, a stock contractor who owned a ranch between Stagecoach and Yuma.

There was nothing like a rodeo, a free concert and a good cause to bring country folk together. Buck’s gaze shifted to the bedroom door.

And he knew just how to persuade the mayor to go along with his plans.

* * *

“Y
OU
’
RE
A
DIFFICULT
woman to pin down.”

Destiny spun and came face-to-face with Buck.
Darn.
A week had passed since they’d slept together, and she’d done her best to avoid being alone with him—except at the end of the day when they retired to her apartment above the garage. And once the bedroom door shut, there had been no need for talk. After they made love, she promptly fell asleep in his arms, and when morning arrived, she sneaked out and worked on Bernie’s car before Buck had crawled from bed.

“Do you always play a round of mini golf in the dark?” he asked.

“Sometimes.”

Technically the sun had set an hour ago, but the lights from the pastry shop, Lucille’s and Bernie’s trailer along with the stars in the sky illuminated the putt-putt course well enough to see.

“Mind if I play with you?”

“Sure.” There went her time to think. Reflect. And panic. While Buck fetched a rusty putter and a golf ball from the vacant concession stand, Destiny returned to the first hole and sat on the head of a miniature allosaurus.

When Buck joined her, he said, “You’ve been avoiding me.”

Guilty.
She enjoyed being with Buck—that’s why she couldn’t allow herself to become too attached to him. “You never mention when you plan to leave Lizard Gulch.”

“Are you getting tired of me?” he whispered in her ear.

She’d never tire of him. “I figured you’d miss your family or rodeo by now.” She looked him in the eye. “Maybe even working with your mechanic friend.” He couldn’t help her in her garage forever.

“I miss my family, but I’ll be seeing them soon.”

Her heart dropped into her stomach.

You knew this day would come
.
Shoot, you’ve been pushing him away ever since you made love the first time
.

In her defense, Buck was the first person since Simon and Sylvia Carter that she’d allowed to get close to her. “When are you leaving?” She set her ball on ground.

“I’m not leaving. My family is coming here.”

The news jarred her, and she swung the club too hard, driving the ball like a missile toward the cave at the end of the green turf. The ball sailed into the opening, banged off the plaster wall and bounced out, rolling the length of the green until it hit Buck’s boot and came to a stop.

“Nice shot,” he said.

“What do you mean your family is coming to Lizard Gulch?”

“I didn’t want to say anything until I knew all the details, but my brother’s country-and-western band agreed to play a free concert after the rodeo.”

“What rodeo?” When had he done all this?

“The only way you’ll save the town, Destiny, is to fight Custer in court. To do that you need a lawyer.”

“Lizard Gulch doesn’t have the funds to pay for a lawyer.”

“I know.” He swung his club, sending the ball slow and steady toward the cave. It stopped an inch from the hole. “That’s why I came up with the idea of a fund-raiser. The money collected from the rodeo and concert will pay the lawyer’s fees.”

Was he crazy?
“Lizard Gulch is off the beaten path. Who’ll come to a rodeo way out here?”

“My buddies on the circuit are spreading the word, and my sister made up flyers and posted them in Yuma and Stagecoach,” Buck said. “The stock contractor providing the animals for the rodeo is using his connections to promote the event. Rodeo cowboys and their fans are a tight group, Destiny. You’ll see on Saturday.”

“This coming Saturday?”

“Yep.”

That was three days from now. She didn’t know whether to hug Buck or haul off and sucker punch him. “Does anyone else know about this?”

He shook his head. “I thought you should be the one to break the news.”

Destiny wanted to resent Buck for taking charge of a problem that was hers to solve, but she was grateful he was trying to help. She followed him to his ball. “What’s in it for you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why would you care about helping this town when you don’t live here?”

“I care about you.” Buck brushed his knuckles across her cheek, and she almost melted against him. “And I don’t like bullies,” he said.