Suspicions of the Heart (16 page)

Her trailer!

Shocked and angry she looked all around
her. It was gone! Then she saw a rider--and recognized
him.

Always at the scene of the crime, Joe
Munroe appeared on schedule. Anger seethed through her. She ran to
the lean-to, leaving Lancer unattended, grabbed a whip and lit into
Joe with a stinging blow to his side.

"You! You did this!" she shouted, the
tears rolling down her face.

"Candy, wait--" Joe yelped, as his bay
reared. When she didn't stop, he jumped her, and they rolled over
and over until they were up against the lean-to. Grabbing her hands
and putting them high above her head he pinned her there. Her eyes
were wild with fear, her hair tousled, her cheeks
flaming.

"It's gone," she cried
hopelessly.

He stared down into her tear-stained
face, then gazed about them. She twisted and squirmed beneath
him.

"Easy," he cajoled. "Now, where have
you been?"

"Over at Aggie's. Now, will you let go
of me?"

"Not just yet. I want to know why
you're so bent on hanging me for everything." When she didn't
answer, he sighed heavily. "When are you going to start giving me
the benefit of the doubt?"

She struggled to be free.

"Looks like I'll have to resort to
other methods to convince you," he smiled as his head bent and his
lips brushed softly against hers.

She turned her head away, but he
steadied her chin and kissed her again, this time more slowly, more
intently. "Mm. I'm getting so I like the taste of dust on you. In
fact, the dirtier and madder you get, the better I like
it."

The next kiss overwhelmed her, forcing
her to relax and give into the bliss he offered.

"That's better," he murmured against
the wisps of her hair as his lips continued to roam over her face.
"I've been out of my mind looking for you. I came over this
morning, after Roscoe picked Fargate up. You were already gone. So
was the trailer."

"I'll bet you were out of your
mind--"

"Now, Dumplin'."

"Don't call me that."

Suddenly their eyes met, and the urge
to be kissed hit her like a rock. She wanted him to kiss her and it
stunned her.

But he didn't.

The dream she had only a few minutes
before was coming to life, and it scared and fascinated her. As she
lay there staring up into indigo eyes, she knew he knew. She was no
longer accusing, he was no longer teasing. The woodsy odor of his
cologne and the hint of leather mingled in the air around them,
intoxicating her senses.

"Better mount up." He abruptly pulled
her to her feet, ignoring what she was offering.

"What for?"

"You can stay at my place," he
smiled.

"Your place?" Another panic gripped
her. Did he think she was offering more than kisses? And did he
think she would obey so easily after such an avid refusal? Well, he
had another think coming! Not now!

"That's right, Dumplin'," he said
walking around the area, checking the tire tracks that led towards
the road. "It was a good-sized truck."

"Really? Want to describe it for me?"
she lashed out. What caused her to be so angry? Was it that
constant pet name he used, or the fact that she was beginning to
like it? She didn't have time to contemplate the reason because he
took several giant steps toward her, his eyes glaring into
hers.

"You still think I'm the one behind all
this, don't you?"

When she didn't answer, his face went
black with fury.

"Of all the cock-eyed nerve, where do
you get off lady? I'm the only one around so it has to be me? Is
that it? Well, sweetheart, I've had it with you. You can sit here
'til doomsday and sulk and accuse all you want. Or you can act like
an adult for once and ride with me to the ranch. It's your choice,
and I'm not about to ask twice. I don't give a damn either." His
jaw tightened, and he gritted his teeth, then he turned around and
walked away.

"Some choice!" she tried to sound
unaffected. But her knees shook. She had never seen a man's face so
angry. But even as angry as he was, he wasn't
frightening.

"It's the only one you've got," he
grated as he mounted and looked down at her impudent
face.

"I could stay with Aggie. She's already
invited me."

"No, you can't," he bellowed. "Her
place is too small, and you'd be an imposition."

"An imposition?" she gasped. "Well,
then I won't impose on you either."

"Suit yourself. I offered. Better
report this to the authorities as soon as you can. Now," his
expression softened slightly, "are you coming or not?"

"Dammit," she grumbled aloud, then
stomped her foot to the hard ground as though that might do the
least bit of good, and did a little mad dance in a
circle.

Apparently he'd had it. He wasn't
waiting any longer. He set Cherokee in motion.

In the flash of seconds, she pondered
how long Roscoe would be gone, and what she was going to do when
darkness fell. She really didn't want to sit out here alone all
night. But asking for help was so humiliating, especially from Joe,
and especially after she accused him of theft.

"Hey, wait up," she called as she
mounted Lancer and made sure Dumplin' was secure in his
bag.

Cherokee stopped immediately, but the
rider didn't move for a while. When he did, he leaned on the saddle
horn. "Well hurry up."

In a matter of seconds, she was up to
him. They didn't look or speak to each other the entire trip to the
RB ranch. When they arrived, a couple of hands were milling about
the corral, and one stopped to take their horses.

"Feed and curry them, Manuel," Joe
directed as his hand went to the small of Candy's back to guide her
toward the house. As usual, all her senses leapt to life. His
touch, his smell, his taste all came to mind.

The hacienda was draped in Chinese
Elms, and white, wrought iron chairs were scattered about the rock
garden.

He led the way through the darkened
house.

Immediately, she felt the warmth of his
touch again.

She spotted the kitchen that led off at
a right angle through an open archway. It looked modern. She could
just see the gas range and tall refrigerator, her gaze encompassing
the neat butcher-block counters and spotless stainless-steel
sink.

Directly ahead was another big open
room. To the left a library and study, complete with a huge
rocked-in fireplace, a big, black leather couch and a loomed rug.
The mantle supported an eight-day clock, and above it was the
biggest set of Longhorns she had ever seen. What a conversation
piece that must be.

The dark hallway split into several
bedrooms. Walking all the way to the end, he stopped and opened the
door to her right. His arm went over her head to push open the
door.

"This is your room. I'm afraid you'll
have to share an adjoining bathroom with me, but the doors are
interlocking, so don't fret, you have complete privacy. Roscoe and
Fargate will have the first two bedrooms. Aunt Aggie uses the room
behind the kitchen when she comes. Just big enough, huh?" he
drawled, the anger quieting.

"I'm not planning on taking up
residence here," she retorted sharply.

"I don't think you've got much choice
in the matter right now. But if it really riles you to take my
charity, you can help around the house. Do the cooking and
cleaning, if you like." He smiled now, his eyes sliding
possessively over her.

"Cooking and cleaning?"

"Yes, cooking," he smiled, as his hand
fell to her chin, where he gently rubbed her tender skin into
awareness.

Her skin prickled at his touch, and she
found herself wanting to lean into him again. That was what riled
her; she wanted his touches, his kisses, and his attention. And she
had never wanted a man before. But good sense prevailed. "You
expect me to do the cooking?"

"I don't expect anything, Candy. It was
merely a suggestion."

"Don't you have a housekeeper? I mean
the place looks clean, so taken care of." She looked nervously
about.

"Thank you."

"But who…?" she started to ask who was
responsible, but instictively she knew it would be a mistake. It
was more than likely his girlfriend. "It's not my concern. But
whoever she is, she takes care of the place admirably." As soon as
she said it, she regretted it, but it was too late. She couldn't
help but remember that girl he'd been kissing that night she drove
by.

"You better make that call to the
authorities, Candy." He cast her a cool indifferent look over his
shoulder and stalked down the hall, his boots echoing.

Well, what had she done now? It was
logical assumption that he had a girlfriend. After all he was nice
looking, and he had a grow-on-you kind of charm. So, what had she
said that was so wrong, now?

Chapter Ten

Joe slammed the door on his way out,
not bothering to hide his indifference. Let her think what she
wanted. What did he care? The lady wouldn't listen to reason, and
he wasn't going to waste his time defending himself to
her.

How he got so involved with a stubborn
little red-head like her was beyond thinking. But then, he couldn't
help himself. She had a way of getting under his skin and there
wasn't a thing he could about that either! It wasn't like him to
lose control but there simply was no dealing with Candy.

Sam, his foreman, happened by and Joe
shot him a caustic command. Sam's head jerked about in complete
surprise. Joe rarely snapped at his men, least of all Sam. But Joe
was not himself these days and his men were about to find that
out.

Part of the problem was the fact that
he hadn't had a woman in a long time. He'd been too busy to even
think about a woman. Up until recently he thought Lisa was the only
woman in the world he would ever want. Now he was tied in knots.
But why did it have to be her, of all people. Why Candy
Arnold?

Still, he wanted more than casual sex
from her. That was easy enough to find. No, what he wanted could
take years. He needed a woman who could commit herself to a
relationship. He wasn't a man to jump into a serious relationship
without forethought. Let's face it pal, he scolded himself, you
need a wife--a family. And you don't have years to find one any
longer. Controlling a wild filly like Candy Arnold was not in his
realm of experience. She'd been married once. Why did he keep
knocking himself in the head about this one woman?

She was a woman that was determined to
think the worst of him. He was past the point of arguing with her
about it. Let her believe it, if that's what she wanted. What did
he care?

But he did care. "Too much," he
muttered aloud, and Sam's head flew up in surprise from his task as
he heard his boss mumbling to himself.

"Sorry, Sam," Joe glanced at his
foreman. He couldn't afford Sam reading things into this situation.
But from the expression on Sam's face he had already
guessed.

"She's really somethin' boss." Sam
shook his head and smiled.

Joe started to make Sam retract that,
but Sam was right. She was something. Joe nodded and walked away,
his mind full of Candy Arnold.

Dammit! He was better off when he pined
for Lisa. How ironic that the only woman he ever cared for married
his best friend. That was that. So, he had contented himself with a
select group of one-night stands through the years.

There wasn't time to worry about women;
he was too busy building an empire. Well, he'd done it, hadn't he?
But what for? Who was going to enjoy it with him?

He glanced about wondering if he was
completely transparent to everyone about Candy. He'd change that,
and fast. She wasn't going to waltz into his life and take
over.

Aggravated with himself, he moved with
deliberate intent. He passed several men on his way, stopped and
spoke to them as he always did when he saw them loitering about,
then continued on to the barn.

He tossed them a quick glance over his
shoulder as he walked away. They weren't going to laugh at him. He
demanded respect, and he'd get it or else. They were not going to
call him a skirt chaser.

He threw a blanket and saddle on his
horse, and checked the cinches, pulling them much too tightly and
making the horse jolt and whip about. He decided to use a different
mount, let Cherokee graze.

"Sorry, fella," he soothed. If only he
didn't feel so protective over Candy. That was probably all it was.
She was a stranger to this land and these people. Worse still,
someone was trying to push her off that land. And the more they
pushed, the more he wanted her to stay.

In retrospect, he didn't blame her for
jumping to all the wrong conclusions. It was a fact, he had been
around during all the accidents. Not soon enough, but
around.

Everyone in the county knew about the
water and gas on her land. But who would go to such lengths to get
her off it?