Sweet Talking Lawman (24 page)

They said their
goodnights and in only a few minutes they were in his truck headed out of town.

“I hope you don’t
mind me swingin’ by Uci’s and pickin’ up some clothes and Spur.  I’m not leavin’
you at your house alone, and I’d like to keep Uci as far from this as I can,”
he explained as he turned toward the small ranch where he lived.  Knowing
he’d be out in the helicopter for hours, he’d asked Uci to stop by the office
and pick the dog up so he could relax at home.

Mesa nodded.  “I
just don’t understand any of this.  I wish I knew what’s going on.”

He nodded. 
“Yeah, me too, babe.  But you can bet you’re last dollar that tomorrow,
I’m gonna have deputies combin’ the woods on the back side of your place to
find out.”

His mind was swirling
and before it was a complete thought, he picked his cell phone and called
Levi.  “Hey,” he said when the call was answered.  “I just had a
thought.  Whoever might be involved in whatever’s going on probably knows
we flew over there today.  It might make them nervous enough to try to
move to a different location.  Maybe we should spend tonight watchin’ some
of the roads that lead into the back of the Rocking H and see what happens
tonight.”

Levi laughed. 
“Good thinking.  What time?”

Rafe looked at his
watch.  “Let’s get a couple of hours sleep, maybe around ten.  Who
else knows how to ride?  I’m thinkin’ we can borrow horses from Mesa and
ride back in there along the logging road.”

Levi thought for a
second before he spoke.  “Murphy Anderson and Ronnie Clark are good
cowboys.  You want us to come to the barn at the Rocking H?”

“Yeah,” Rafe
replied.  “Stop by the station and pick up some hand held radios so we can
keep in touch.  Who has duty tonight?”

“Krystal switched
with Mark so he’ll be pulling nights until John gets around a little better,
and Justin Red Tree is the other officer on call.”  Levi replied. 
“Krystal’ll have a hissy if something goes down and she’s not part of it.”

“Better she’s with
John,” Rafe said, looking at Mesa.  “I want to make sure night shift is
available in case we need a chase vehicle.  Have them patrolling the area
around the park from about eight o’clock until they hear from me.  That
way they’ll be in the neighborhood if we need them.  We know these people
shoot first and can’t count on them wantin’ to ask questions later, so we’re
wearin’ Kevlar.  Pick a vest up for Mesa when you stop by the station.”

With the plan made,
they ended the conversation.

“Don’t you think the
horses might be too noisy?” Mesa asked him.

He shrugged. 
“Anything we use will be noisy and if we hike in, we can’t move fast enough if
we have to.  On those roads, a horse can travel as fast as a truck, ‘til
you get to the highway.”

“Do you think they
shot at Uncle Rance because he was too close to whatever they’re hiding?” she
asked.

“Could be.  Or
maybe he saw something he shouldn’t have seen.  Either way, I figure that
sink hole might be a good place to start our search.  When we get there,
we’ll start takin’ long breaks to listen.  Maybe we can hear them before
they hear us.”

“Let’s hope so. 
I want all this over and done with,” Mesa’s voice was almost a whisper.

Uci wanted them to
stay at the house, but after collecting a couple of changes of clothes and a couple
of scoops of dry dog food for Spur he kissed her weathered cheek and gave her a
long hug.

“I’ve been thinkin’
about what you said and decided you’re right,” he said looking down into her
sepia eyes.  “I’m goin’ to be staying at Mesa’s until this mess is
straightened out again, but I promise you, I’ll be very respectful of her and
of the way you raised me.”

Uci’s aged face
melted into a smile and she nodded.  “I can’t believe you even had to
think about it.  You know I’m always right.”

“Hank will be sleeping
in the room behind the kitchen tonight and until I’m back home again.  I
don’t want you here alone.”  Rafe pushed a stray strand of hair off her
dusky cheek and dropped another kiss there.  “I need you to be careful and
take care of yourself.  If you feel uncomfortable, call Jenny and let her
come get you.”

She huffed and pushed
him toward the door where Mesa waited, a smile on her face.  “Despite what
you think about my age, I’m still able to look after myself.  Go do your
job and don’t worry about me.”

At the door he paused
and turned to look back at her.  “I love you, Uci.  I need you to
help keep me in line.”

She chortled
merrily.  “I’ll be here to keep the rest of your children in line, too,
now, go.”

He didn’t have to
call Spur.  The animal was sitting quietly beside the SUV, determined not
to be left behind.  When Mesa opened the passenger door, he jumped in,
then hopped over the back of the seat into the rear compartment.  He
considered that his own private space and was happy to be in it again.  He
whined with eagerness.

Rafe slipped behind
the wheel, a smile tilting one corner of his generous lips as he reached back
to gently slap the big animal’s shoulder.  “He’s convinced we’re going to
work.”

“Smart dog,” Mesa
observed.  “Will he be helpful tonight?”

Nodding, the lawman
turned the vehicle out onto the highway and headed toward the Rocking H. 
“Yeah, he’ll stick close to me and if he senses people in the woods, he’ll let
me know.  I can read his body language as well as he reads mine.”

Once at the barn,
Mesa asked Bob to keep in horses for her, Rafe and the two deputies.  When
he heard what was going down, he insisted he and Gibby be allowed to take part
in the search.  “That way,” he drove his point home.  “If you find
that bunch of snakes, Mesa can stay back with me and Gibby, and we’ll make sure
she’s safe.”

Finally Rafe agreed
and called Levi with instructions to bring along two more Kevlar vests. 
“Thank the Lord, Jory and Rance are in Tennessee or I’d have to deal with them,
as well.”

Bob cackled. 
“Y’all go on and get a nap.  Me’n Gibby’ll make sure the horses are
saddled and waiting when y’all get up.”

Once at the house
beside the lake, Mesa placed a call to Jory’s old home in Memphis and they both
had a quick minute of talk with Raale who’d been getting ready for bed. 
After the call, Rafe found it hard to send Mesa upstairs to her room alone, but
he’d made Uci a vow that he was determined to keep.  He knew the only way
he could do it was to avoid the enticement of being on the same floor with
her.  It was temptation enough being in the same house, he decided,
watching her walk up the stairs.  In Rance’s downstairs bedroom, he
stripped down to his t-shirt and snug, black jockey shorts and stretched out across
the bed.  He was tired, too.  It had been a long day and promised to
be an even longer night.

The smell of coffee
woke him later and after a brief flash of confusion of waking in unfamiliar
surroundings, he pulled his thoughts together and dressed.  When he made
it to the kitchen, Mesa’s foreman, Bob Godfrey, and his next in command, Gibby
Hall, had a quick supper of sorts in the making, but it was the coffee that
drew Rafe.  The two cowboys had prepared a pan full of hash browned
potatoes, slabs of ham, and Bob’s specialty, home-made biscuits.  Gibby
was whipping eggs, getting them ready to scramble, so after a couple sips of
coffee, Rafe slipped up the stairs to wake Mesa.

He tapped lightly on
her door, but then pushed it open a crack and stepped inside.  His heart
almost jumped out of his chest.  She was sitting on the side of the bed
wearing an oversized football jersey and maybe a pair of panties but he wasn’t
sure about that.  Her long hair was loose and she was drawing a comb
through the silken strands.  He swallowed his heart and wished his mouth
didn’t feel as dry as the Arizona desert, but he couldn’t look away. 
Instead, he crossed the floor, pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms
around her.

“You take my breath
away,” he growled, his head dropping to nuzzle along the pulse point in her
throat.

Her arms swept up
around his broad shoulders and her head rocked back, giving him easier access
to her neck.  “And that’s what you’re doing to me,” she whispered. 
She could feel the length of his body against hers and it was easily apparent
that he was fully aroused.

One of his large
hands stroked down her back onto the firm muscles of her derriere, pulling her
against him.  “I wish we had more time,” then he captured her mouth
beneath his for a long, deeply sensual kiss.  “But we don’t,” he groaned,
lifting his head and reluctantly stepping back.  “Bob and Gibby have fixed
breakfast for us.”

Mesa nodded, her legs
still weak from his attention.  “I’ll get dressed.”

Rafe grinned. 
“I’ll wait.  I need a few minutes before I can walk comfortably.”

“So, watching me
dress will do that for you?” she teased.

He shrugged. 
“Maybe not, but it can’t hurt.”

Turning away, she
pulled the jersey over her head and hearing Rafe’s deep groan, she looked over
one shoulder at him.  “Are you sure?”

His heart was in his
throat again, but he gathered his determination and stayed where he was when
she turned sideways to reach her bra.  His umber eyes followed every
movement she made until she was completely dressed.  As she tied her Roper
boots, they heard either Bob or Gibby banging loudly on a pan, probably with a
big spoon.

“I guess it’s time to
eat,” she smiled, standing and crossing the floor to join him at the door.

He slipped his arms
around her again.  “You know I promised Uci that I’d be respectful of you,
from now on.”  He held her against him.

She nodded. 
“I’ve never thought you treated me any other way.”

He sighed
deeply.  “We need to get married, Mesa.”  It came out a coarse groan.

She pushed back from
him, her eyes flashing green fire.  “Because you made Uci a promise?”

He shook his head
negatively.  “Because we have a child together, because I can’t keep my
hands off you, because I want you in my bed every night, because I want to wake
up with you in my arms every mornin’, because I love you, and because we need
to make Raale a little brother or sister.”

The fire in her eyes
changed and grew softer.  “Can you say that again?”

He grinned, his white
teeth flashing between his tempting lips.  “Because I can’t keep my hands
off you, because I want you in my bed mornin’ and night, and because we need to
give Raale siblings.”

“And?” she prodded,
hoping he didn’t see the hurt in her eyes because she’d felt compelled to drag
it from him.

His head dropped and
he nibbled along her bottom lip.  “And I love you,” he whispered, thinking
only about how sweet she tasted.

The loud banging
started again only now it was right outside the bedroom door, followed by
masculine laughter and heavy steps as the two men beat a quick retreat toward
the stairs.

She frowned. 
Alright so she had almost forced him to say those three words that every woman
needs to hear, but he could at least ask her to marry him, not simply inform
her, like it was a chore they needed to get finished with.

Mesa reached around
Rafe and opened the door, just in time to see Gibby hurrying down the
steps.  She started to follow him, but Rafe pulled her back.

“I need an answer,”
he said.

She shook her head
negatively and Rafe’s heart dropped.

“You didn’t ask me a
question,” she said firmly, pulling away from him and walking out the door.

Following her, he
caught her at the top of the stairs.  “Yes I did,” he insisted, turning
her to face him.

Again she shook her
head from side to side.  “Think about what you said, Rafe.  You did
not ask me a question.”

He frowned while his
mind rethought the brief conversation they’d had, but with his baser nature so
involved at the time, it was impossible to remember it exactly.  “Maybe
not,” he conceded, “but it was implied.”

She shrugged and
peeled his fingers off her shoulders then turned and started down the
step.  “My answer is not implied,” she shot back at him.  “I don’t
do, implied.”

Rafe felt his temper
rising as he watched her walking away from him.  Where did she get off
flashing that hurt kitten look at him?  She knew what he’d been trying to
say.  He knew she did.  There was no basis for him to rephrase it,
just to satisfy her desire for a formal proposal.  After all, he’d told
her he loved her, not once but twice.  Did she think he was going to jump
through hoops for her?  Women!  He snorted and followed her down the
stairs and on the ground floor, he brushed past her and entered the kitchen
first.  He snatched out a chair and dropped into it, glowering at the two
cowboys already seated.  Mesa pulled out a chair and sat down, leaving
plenty of room between her and Rafe.

He didn’t look at her
once while he ate his meal but, when it was finished, he cast a frown in her
direction as he pushed back his chair and stood up.  His eyes moved to
include Bob and Gibby.  “How long will it take to get the horses ready?”

Bob pushed his chair
back and stood.  “They’ll be ready when we get to the barn.  I saw
Levi pulling in just before…you came downstairs.”

Gibby stood up and
began gathering the dishes together.  “I’ll just set these things in the
dishwasher.”

When she looked at
him, Mesa’s eyes did not reflect the hurt she felt.  They look cold and
hard.  She slid her chair back and, without a word, walked to the back
door, took her cap from the peg there and left the house.  She would not
let him see how hurt she was that he looked at their relationship as a chore
that needed to be made legal.  And for what reason did it need to be made
legal?  So he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about it, that’s why, she
decided as she strode along the shortcut path to the barn.

Rafe swore softly,
having watched her exit, before he stalked into the living room and strapped
his gun and holster with his badge affixed to the belt, around his hips. 
“Are y’all ridin’ to the barn with me?”

The two cowboys
looked at each other only briefly.  “Coming, Sheriff.  Just let me
get my hat.”  Bob said while Gibby set the dishes in the sink.

When they reached the
barn, Mesa was already there, leading the blue roan colt she’d been riding
lately from the illuminated interior of the huge edifice where other saddled
horses waited tied in front of their stalls, out into the shadows of the
night.  Without speaking to any of them, she slipped one foot into the
stirrup and swung up on the young stallion’s back, stretching one hand to pat
his neck gently.

Rafe’s frown
deepened.  He’d expected her to ride the palomino mare.  The animal
was saddled and waiting patiently with the rest of the group.  He walked
over to Mesa.  “You don’t need to ride a green colt tonight, ride the
mare.”  His words were spoken more tersely than he’d intended, but when
they were out, there was no changing how they sounded.

She looked down at
him angrily.  “You ride the mare.  I’m riding this horse.”  Her
words were clipped with sharpness and when she’d spoken them, she turned her
mount and started down the lane that led to the sinkhole, but she heard his
heated reply as she rode away.

“Damn, hard headed
woman,” Rafe swore again and walked to where the men were starting to
mount.  He took the mare’s reins and swung up into the saddle using the
saddle horn and ignoring the stirrups.  He whistled softly and Spur
materialized out of the barn.  “Let’s go,” he said when the dog was beside
him.

The group turned and
followed the lane Mesa had taken and soon caught up with her.  Rafe moved
up to ride alongside her but neither looked at her, nor spoke.

Spur trotted between
their horses, his long tail wagging as his busy nose took in the scents that
filled the air and his brain translated them into categories of; four legged,
fowl, fauna or skunks.  Skunks being the scent he feared most.

There was little
talking among the riders and what there was, was spoken softly and answered in
the same tone.  The occasional equine nose blowing, the clink of curb
chains against metal bits, the squeaking of leather against leather, and the
soft clopping of hooves against the soft ground were the dominate sounds of the
night.

Making a point of not
looking at Mesa, Rafe rode silently, but his thoughts swirled.  She was
the one person in his life that could turn him inside out without even thinking
about it.  He’d tried to forget her for years and that had not happened,
and trying to treat her as an acquaintance hadn’t worked out either.  He
loved her.  He wanted her.  He accepted that.  That was just
never gonna change.  Out of the corner of his eye he saw her wipe away
what could only have been a tear on her cheek.  Mesa was crying?  His
head swung toward her and he realized he was right only in a limited
sense.  For the most part, she was holding the tears back.  Now he
felt like an ass.  He’d never meant to make her cry.  Hell, all he
really wanted was to marry the woman and make them both happy.

Mesa frowned and
turned away when he looked directly at her.  She would not cry! 
Well, alright one little tear had escaped, but no more.  She would not
allow it.  Her whole life she’d guarded and protected her heart from hurt
by never risking a relationship with anyone, but she’d never been able to
protect it from Rafe.  She’d lost control of that when she was still a
kid.  He had hurt her by refusing to forgive her for not telling him about
Raale and now, in spite of that, he expected her to marry him, because it was
what they
should
do?  Well, she wouldn’t marry him unless he asked
her and if he couldn’t do that, she didn’t hold out much hope that he’d ever
forgive her.