Paying Their Piper with Passion and Love [Loving in Silver 6] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (4 page)

Searching through Piper’s room after her escape, Jace had come upon a very small photo album tucked away at the back of her desk, behind a pile of assorted office supplies. Obviously it was something she didn’t want people snooping through, her own private little dream she had managed to keep hidden from her father and his people.

In it were photos of a younger Piper, one he didn’t recognize. She was happy and smiling in every photo. There was a sparkle in her eyes and a glow around her, like an aura of peacefulness.

He had packed her little album with his things, determined to return it to her.

Determined to find that woman, Jace left the fast food restaurant and went to his truck. Every instinct he’d honed while in the military told him he wasn’t being watched at that moment. Fools. They were arrogant, too confident that they could keep track of him. Still, it wouldn’t necessarily be that long before they discovered they were following some vacationing family from Alabama. If they had eyes on him he would know it soon enough. As soon as he pulled out onto the busy city street he began taking evasive measures which would let him know if he was being followed.

Once he was out of the city he picked up the small photo of Piper standing beneath a beautifully carved sign which welcomed visitors to the town of Silver. He then put it in the clip above his rearview mirror and smiled.

“You can run, kitten, but you can’t hide.”

* * * *

Okay, now Merck had officially seen everything. Maybe it wasn’t a flying pig, but a pig wearing a pink-and-purple-striped sweater, chasing a cat, which was chasing a dog through the snow, came very close. He was just about to question his sanity, and his eyesight, when he saw the woman chasing the odd trio. His heart slammed into his ribs as he heard that sweet, silvery-bell voice ringing on the chill winter air.

“Come back here! Who knew you silly monkeys would like snow so much?”

Well, Merck never would have guessed that they would. For one, they were all very small animals. Two, the snow they were romping through was almost twice as high as they were in places along the paths in the square, where they had been shoveled.

Standing on the sidewalk in front of the bakery, Merck watched Piper Barrows scoop her naughty pets up into her arms. She looked impossibly cute in her shearling jacket, crocheted red stocking hat, and knee-high shearling boots. Red mittens covered her hands as she cuddled her pets. A delicate laugh tinkled in the crisp air as she received a piggy kiss.

Being a rancher all his life, Merck couldn’t remember anyone sober ever wanting a kiss from a pig.

As he watched her walk through the park he wondered what the hell she was doing in Silver. Had she planned on coming after him on his own turf? If she had, she was in for a surprise. He’d thought a lot about her the past couple of months. When he’d discovered he actually missed their verbal sparring, and her, Merck had broken down and called the number he had gotten for the Barrow’s home. It had taken some doing, and pulling in a few favors, but the private number had been handed over, only leading to disappointment. It seemed Miss Piper Barrows wasn’t accepting calls. He’d wondered if it was just calls from him, or from anyone. Whatever it was, the disappointment he felt was very real and he had to wonder why.

The low rumble of a powerful engine drew his attention. Merck frowned when he saw Colt Redford park his car at the curb and get out. Then he was opening the passenger door for Piper and her pets. That was all innocent enough until Colt bent and placed a kiss on her smiling mouth. She looked a little startled for a moment, but then she was smiling again and getting in the car.

“What the fuck?” Merck growled.

“Such language, Merck Rushton!” an elderly voice scolded.

Merck felt the color rush into his already cold cheeks. He ducked and snatched the hat off his head. “Sorry, Ms. Bradley.”

“You should be. Your mamas raised you better than that.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed, knowing full well that the woman would be calling his mothers. Then he would hear about it. Not that he would get a scolding. Oh, no, his mothers would tease him endlessly about it. “I’ll work on the language, ma’am.”

“See that you do. Now help an old lady across the street, will you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Once they were on the sidewalk which went all the way around the park in the center, the elderly woman turned to look up at him. She reached up and patted his cheek with a gloved hand. “You always were a good boy, Merck. Good things will come to you.”

Now the woman was just getting battier by the day.

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed even as she walked away with surprising confidence along the snowy sidewalk. He looked around and cursed, having no clue which direction Colt had taken.

Given the time of day, and the fact that Colt wasn’t wearing a suit, it meant that he was probably going home. At home with Miss Piper Barrows? The idea didn’t set well with him. They had looked pretty chummy, though he had to remember Piper looked surprised by the kiss. She hadn’t been expecting it. Did that mean they weren’t sleeping together? Was Colt taking his time, charming the woman? She had seemed terribly innocent, those few times they’d met. She didn’t seem Redford’s type at all.

Merck was about to go get his own truck, was considering dropping by Colt’s place, when he spotted a dirty black pickup rumbling around the square. He had never seen it before. There was something about it, as if everything had been done to make it both intimidating and inconspicuous, if that was even possible. It was a total beast and he guessed there was some serious horsepower under the hood. Who did it belong to?

When the truck finally got to the side of the square where Merck was standing he was blocked from seeing the driver by tinted windows. The guy better hope Sheriff Evans didn’t see that, he thought with a smirk. The truck slowed to a near stop right in front of him. He knew he was being looked over. Evans would love to give the guy a ticket for having the windows so darkly tinted.

The window finally came down as the truck came to a full stop. “Trouble, cowboy?”

“Not today. You lost, city boy?”

“Not today. Where’s a good place to stay around here?”

Merck shrugged. “It depends on how much you want to spend. The Silver Star Hotel is the best place in town, though it’s likely booked this time of year. Then there’s a boarding house down North Silver Street, also likely booked. The town is packed with tourists here for the skiing, among other things.”

Eyes so dark they appeared black raked over him. “You got a room?”

Merck’s cock jumped. He hadn’t been with a man in ages and this one was about as hot and dangerously sexy as one could get. Former military? Probably. Temptation? Definitely.

“Maybe.” Those sexy-as-sin dark eyes raked over him again.

“I’ve never fucked a cowboy before.”

Chuckling, Merck then grinned, ignoring his twitching cock for the moment. The man was gorgeous and he wondered what the rest of him looked like. “And you still haven’t. What are you doing in Silver?”

A photo appeared and his heart stopped. His smile faded and his eyes narrowed as they moved from the photo of Piper to the stranger.

“Have you seen this woman?”

“I want to know what you are to her.”

“Her bodyguard.”

Merck’s eyebrow shot up. “Bodyguard? Seriously? I don’t think you’re doing a very good job of it, if you’re looking for her.”

“No shit. But it’ll be easier to do it if I can find her.”

Thinking of Piper in Colt Redford’s care, she couldn’t be any safer. Colt could be positively deadly. And he definitely wouldn’t like this man snooping around after his lovely, innocent charge.

“She’s safe. That’s all I can tell you about Miss Barrows.”

“Ah, so you know her.” Those cunning eyes narrowed on his face. “I know you. You’re that cowboy she was trying to guilt into not using his bulls in rodeos.”

“Me and a dozen other stock contractors.” He held out his gloved hand. “The name’s Merck Rushton.”

“Jace Hunter.”

Fuck! Even the man’s name was sexy.

Merck noticed Jace didn’t seem to be in any hurry to release his hand. Strong fingers tightened in a grip he returned. It wasn’t a macho thing. It was a silent communication between two men who understood one another perfectly. It wasn’t about if, but when they would be tangling the sheets on his bed. He just had to reassure himself that this man wasn’t any threat to Piper. He wasn’t feeling anything negative. But it wouldn’t hurt to give himself a little more time in the man’s company before he shared more about what he knew about Piper’s whereabouts.

At least that’s what Merck told himself as they released one another’s hands.

“Do you have a ride nearby?”

“A couple of blocks away.”

“Why don’t you get in and we’ll go somewhere for a beer and a sandwich. You can get to know me and decide if I’m trustworthy enough to know where Miss Piper Barrows is.”

There was only a moment’s hesitation before Merck walked around the enormous black truck and climbed up into the passenger seat. The moment the door closed a big hand wrapped around his neck, pulling him across the console.

The moment their mouths met was the beginning of one of the hottest kisses Merck had ever experienced with another man, or with a woman, for that matter. He groaned and leaned into it, eager for more, hungry for more than a mere taste of the man. Their lips slid and parted, tongues thrust and dueled. It was a test of strength, of power, and he was eager to see which one of them would dominate first.

Lifting a hand Merck stroked it against Jace’s square jaw, enjoying the rasp of the man’s five o’clock shadow, before wrapping his own fingers behind the man’s neck. When Jace finally withdrew his tongue from Merck’s mouth, he leaned his forehead against the other man’s. They were both breathing hard and it felt like his heart was about to explode from raw excitement. He idly wondered when he had lost his hat but didn’t look for it.

A loud thumping on the side of the truck made them both jump. “Get a room, boys!” a strident female voice commanded through the still-open window.

“Yes, Ms. Bradley.” He couldn’t even look at the woman. And he knew his face was as bright a red as the town’s new fire truck. “Fuck, she’s going to tell my mothers.” Jace snickered at this.

“I’m going to speak to your mothers about your behavior, Merck Rushton,” Hazel Bradley said, confirming his worst fears. His family would never let him live this one down. It would go into the family’s archive of humiliating moments, only brought out on those occasions when you wanted to torment a child or sibling. “It’s positively disgraceful at this time of the day. Now move along. And you shouldn’t be kissing perfect strangers.”

“Yes, Ms. Bradley. And this is Jace Hunter, just so you know he’s not a stranger,” he said, finally looking at her.

Shrewd blue eyes looked from him to Jace. “It’s nice to meet you, young man. Don’t be letting him lead you astray. The boy has a wild streak in him a mile wide.” So much for her earlier compliment, Merck thought with a grin.

“No, ma’am.”

After nodding approvingly Hazel Bradley moved on, leaving them blessedly alone. Merck slumped back in the seat even as Jace laughed and put up the window, then shifted the truck into gear.

“Scary woman. I’ve encountered desert bandits that scared me less.”

Leaning down to pick up his hat, he brushed at invisible dirt from the dark sable felt, before putting it back on his head. “You have no idea. You’re lucky she doesn’t know your mother.”

“If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll give her my mom’s phone number.”

When the chirp of a siren sounded behind them, Merck groaned. “Oh, if this day isn’t just getting better and better. Get twenty-five bucks out and hand it to the officer.”

“For what?” Jace asked, startled.

“It’s the fine for being on the wrong side of the street. You might as well take care of it now.”

When the sheriff walked up to the driver’s side of the truck, Jace pulled out his wallet and put down the window. “How are you, sir?” he asked politely.

“I’m good. Is there a reason why you’re on the wrong side of the street?” Grayson Evans asked. He looked past Jace. “Hey, Merck. You should have warned your friend before I saw him.”

“Yeah, well, my mind was on other things.”

Grayson chuckled, causing Merck to blush. What the fuck was up with all the blushing? He felt like he was thirteen again.

“I can see where he might be somewhat distracting. Your name?” he asked Jace as he took the offered money. He shoved it in his shirt pocket before pulling out a pad and filling out a small form. “You’re not from around here.”

“No. I’m originally from upstate New York. I’ve been taking jobs around the country since getting out of the army. Have you run my plate?”

“Not yet. Are you on the run from the law?”

“No, sir. I’ve been searching for a woman.”

“Yeah, he’s her
bodyguard
,” Merck inserted, doing a little snickering of his own.

“You’re not doing a very good job, if you’re
searching
for her.”