Читать книгу I Shocked The Sheriff - Mara Fox - Страница 9

“WHAT WAS TED DOING IN HERE?” Sheriff Hermann gestured toward the man who’d just walked out of her room with a clipboard.

“He’s desperately in love with me, but he’s really not my type.” Roxy smiled as she finished slipping into her sandals. The way the sheriff had run out on her she’d have bet quite a sum on him never coming back. Seemed he had more gumption than she’d given him credit for, or maybe he was interested in seeing her hind end again.

“I guess you’re feeling better. You want to tell me what Ted wanted or do I have to go and ask him?”

She sighed. Was he always so impatient? “He’s the checkout committee. I’m releasing myself and they don’t want to be responsible.”

He didn’t look at her. Instead he seemed to be focusing on the insipid wallpaper above her head. “I heard you made quite a fuss.”

Fuss was her middle name. When her governess had tried to mold her into being a debutante destined for an advantageous marriage, she’d rebelled, doing and saying most anything that occurred to her.

“Have you come to take me to the police station, Farmer John?” Her voice sounded just as steady and offhanded as she wanted it to. Let him think he intimidated her by hanging around with his uniform buttoned up tight enough to choke him. “Is it a crime to want to avoid spending the night in a hospital?”

He put a hand up to his badge. “They usually just release people when they’re ready. It’s not really a hospital, just a clinic. But they’ve got to be careful with out-of-town folks.”

“You just can’t trust anyone these days,” she told him flippantly.

“The doc was trying to do you a favor, Miss Dallas.” The sheriff looked at her earnestly. “You weren’t clearheaded enough to wire for money until after the bank closed. Where’re you planning to sleep?”

“Are you taking me to the station or not?” Roxy demanded.

He’d looked at her insurance card when they’d gone out to get her car. Her legal papers had been in the glove compartment and up-to-date. He’d found nothing illegal. “How many times are you going to ask me? You didn’t break any laws. You just got sick. The doc said that between the dehydration and the low blood sugar you probably weren’t thinking too clearly.”

“You reckon?” Sarcasm all but dripped from her tongue.

He didn’t seem to notice. “So there’s no reason to take you to the station.”

She surged to her feet. “Darn right.”

“I just thought I’d come by and see if you need a ride to the Cozy Daze Motel. You can get a clean room until you’re ready to leave town.”

She took a couple of steps closer to him. He had great shoulders, great chest but too much cop attitude.

Still, it was fun to rile him, or have him blushing like a choir boy over a little flesh. And she definitely felt better. “You in a hurry to see me leave town? You don’t want me to stick around and see the…sights?”

“I think you’ll be on your way home real soon. But I realize you don’t have your purse with you. I thought I could help you if you need some funds.”

“Funds? Ain’t that a bit formal?” She sidled right up next to him, rolling her hips as she walked. “You offering me bed and board?”

His cheeks pinkened. “I’m offering you a loan until you get some money from home.”

“How am I gonna get some money? I don’t even have a credit card or a check.” She leaned in closer.

He nodded. “I’ll help you.”

“Why?” She touched the top button on his uniform.

He stepped back from her as if her touch burned him. “I figure you need a hand. You don’t know anyone in town.”

“I don’t know you. And this morning you looked at me as if I were slime crawling out from under a rock. Now you’re just dying to send me back me to where I belong. Am I so dangerous?”

“I didn’t look at you as if you were slime. I didn’t want you to die in the heat. It was one-hundred-thirteen degrees out there today. I was doing my job.”

She took the step he’d put between them. This time his lips tightened, yet he stood his ground. She smiled. She reached up and touched a bead of sweat on his brow. His dark hair waved temptingly just above where she touched him. She took a deep breath. He smelled like sweat and something else. Something manly. “I guess it’s…hot.”

He didn’t budge, even when she rubbed her bare leg against his trouser leg. But he licked his lips. His nostrils flared as if he was catching her scent, as well. “It’s hot all right.”

She hoped he couldn’t feel her leg trembling. She hadn’t felt the flare of honest desire in a long time. Hadn’t allowed herself to stray off course. A course chosen for self-preservation. Seemed he might be more dangerous to her than she to him.

“You saved me….” This time her voice shook. He threw her off balance. Made her feel things.

“I was just doing my job.” It came out husky. His eyes slid down the length of her body.

She abruptly pulled away. She didn’t need the distraction of an affair right now. She needed to get her head on straight. “Your job’s done, Farmer John. Don’t worry about me. I put in a call to my father. He’s going to wire money and some paperwork to the Goat Herder’s Bank of West Texas. I’ll be moving along before I can infect your town with my evil ways.”

“It’s Ranchers Security Bank.” He sounded angry.

She went to the side of the bed and collected her sunglasses. “Yeah? I’ll remember that when I go looking for the right bank. This town probably has a slew of banks to choose from. I’ll bet you folks even got a Wal-Mart and a laundry called Duds and Suds, or something equally charming.”

“At least we don’t have to send for Daddy’s money to bail us out when we’re irresponsible.” His voice sounded mild. “And we don’t have a Wal-Mart.”

It took her a moment to feel the sting.

“I guess you never had to call Daddy to bail you out of trouble.”

“Not since I was fifteen years old.”

“Yeah? Well I’m not so perfect. In fact I’m amazingly full of flaws. You name the mistake and I’ve made it. My dad might be a very busy lawyer, but these days he makes me a priority. Even if I need bailing out like a fifteen-year-old.”

“He must have some patience.”

She remembered how her father would set her on his lap when she’d been in trouble, and patiently explain why she was supposed to listen to her governess. “He does.”

“Then you shouldn’t go out of your way to worry him.”

Roxy smiled. Worrying her father had been the only way to get his attention back in those days. “I didn’t do it on purpose.” At least not this time. “And I can take care of myself. You don’t have to worry about anything. Your little ole town is safe from big bad me. I have no intention of staying more than a day or two.”

“Good. I don’t know if Red Wing can stand the excitement. But I’ll drive you over to the Cozy Daze.”

“That’s okay. Apparently my car’s at Larry’s gas station, right down the street. I’m grateful you had it towed into town. I’ll just walk over there and get it.”

“It’s hot out there.”

“I’m from Dallas. It’s hot there, too.”

“It’s still over ninety degrees.”

She looked at him in honest surprise. “Really? I thought it’d be cooler.”

“My tires sucked at the road as I drove in—asphalt’s still oozy from the heat.”

“Find anything interesting out there? Coyotes, scorpions, stranded women?”

“Nope. You’re the only one today. Do you want a ride or not?”

“I guess so.” She ran her hands over the front of her shorts. Why did she suddenly feel so vulnerable? Was it because she didn’t want to rely on anyone? Especially not him? “What day of the week is it?” She tugged on a long lock of hair hanging over her shoulder. Let him scoff about her disorientation. She’d fillet him.

Farmer John didn’t scoff. “It’s Thursday. The bank will be open first thing in the morning.”

She smiled faintly. What would he say if he knew how many times she’d lost track of the date? Whole weeks had disappeared in an alcoholic stupor. If he knew he’d walk away from her in disgust.

Without another word he turned and walked out of the room. She followed. The two people on duty ignored them as they went by. It didn’t surprise her. It was unlikely she was the only one who’d objected to spending the night. If Farmer John was any indication, they grew them hardheaded in this part of the county.

He opened the door of the cruiser for her and held it open like he was escorting her on a date. She couldn’t help but smile at him. “Thank you, Sheriff.”

He smiled. “You’re welcome, Miss Adams.”

She settled herself amongst all the technology, radios and other cop things. Then, when he sat down beside her she admonished him. “Call me Roxy.”

He shook his head.

“Do you prefer Farmer John or do you intend to be formal? Didn’t your parents give you a first name?”

“I’m always professional when I’m doing my job,” he said, ignoring the rest of her comment.

“I thought you were doing me a favor. It’s after hours. Or are you checking up on me? Did you put my name on the list or something?” Her voice rose.

“No, this is just a favor to someone from out of town. I didn’t do a records search on you, because you didn’t break the law. However, right this moment you don’t have a car or any money, so I thought you might accept a helping hand. Graciously.”

“You expect me to be gracious when you won’t even tell me your name?” She turned away tugging on her hair, unwilling to show her relief that he didn’t know about her record. Even though it wasn’t much more than a couple of drunk and disorderly charges. Drunks were usually content to hurt themselves and her daddy had enough money to smooth her way.

“My name’s Luke.”

Grateful, she turned from those ugly memories and smiled at him. “See, Luke, that wasn’t so hard.”

“Are you always like this?”

Roxy put a hand to her heart with a dramatic flourish. “Oh, my goodness, he told me his name,” she teased him. “His reputation as a hard-hearted sheriff’s ruined forever.”

He flushed again.

His ability to flush might be endearing, but she wasn’t letting him off the hook so easily. “I might have to rent some space on a billboard. I’ll tell the town what a marshmallow you really are.”

“You’d have trouble finding a spare billboard in this town.”

Luke looked downright human when he fought a grin, which was good enough for her.

She turned to study the town. The buildings around them were a hodgepodge of materials and styles, some were stucco and others brick. A few stood vacant with boards where the windows would have been. Others appeared to be closed up for the night. She spotted a convenience store and a restaurant with a line of trucks in the parking lot.

She guessed the taverns must be out of the city limits. There were no neon cocktails flashing on the side of the road. She remembered Joey with a jolt of pain. It was just as well the taverns were out of reach.

“You people really do roll up the streets at sundown.”

“We like it quiet.”

He turned west and the sky was on fire with the setting sun. She sucked in her breath at the glory of it. “It’s magnificent.”

“Yeah. It’s pretty. With no skyscrapers or trees to block the sky you can literally see for miles. This part of the country is known for its big skies. Just wait till the stars come out.”

He pulled into a small motel.

A small thrill of alarm swept through her. “I figured we’d go and get my car.” She pulled a piece of hair around to rub against her cheek.

“I’ll deliver it tomorrow. You look tired.”

“I’m not tired. I slept all day.” She put her hand up to cover the yawn that threatened to give her away. “I feel naked without my car.”

Roxy couldn’t see if he was blushing again, or if it was the light from the sunset coloring his face. She hated this mushy, vulnerable feeling. Who was he? Why did he make her feel as if he could cleanse her tarnished soul with his innocence?

The ability to blush is no indication of innocence. He’s probably had his share of binges and women. Get a hold of yourself. You’re just tired and sick.

She flinched when he reached over as if to touch her face. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I can tell you’re not feeling great.”

“How?”

“Your freckles get darker when you’re feeling poorly.”

She covered her nose. “It’s not polite to point out a woman’s flaws. I don’t have any makeup with me.”

He grinned. “You don’t need any makeup.”

It went straight to her gut.

He left her sitting with her mouth open when he got out of the car. Slowly she followed him, wondering what had just happened. Did Sheriff Luke Hermann have a soft spot for women with freckles?

Luke went into the lobby of the motel. Through the window she could see him conversing with an older man. Rubbing her hands on the front pockets of her shorts, Roxy turned to watch the fading glory of the sunset.

It felt strange to be sober and still have no resources. She didn’t want to rely on Luke, or anyone. Once she checked out of the clinic, she’d planned to turn off on a side road and sleep in her car. She just couldn’t spend the night in the clinic. The smell of the place brought back some really bad memories.

I can pay him tomorrow when the money comes. She didn’t suppose she had any choice. And if he’d found her in her car tomorrow he might have done that records search after all. She didn’t know if she could have faced him if he’d discovered she’d been hauled into jail.

Mostly to dry out. But no decent person could understand the life she’d led before. Especially not Farmer John.

He’d never understand the struggle she faced daily, taking her life a day at a time. He was far too perfect to understand someone as flawed as her. Even if he liked freckles.

“Lloyd put you in room fourteen. He says you can use the pool anytime. Just use your key to open the privacy gate.”

Grateful to have her back to him, Roxy regained her composure. “Thank you. I’m looking forward to getting a good night’s sleep.” She finally turned to face him. He stood, illuminated in the fading light. Her own eyes were full of shadows.

“It’s over here, near the end. He only has the fifteen units. There’s a pool beside the last one.”

She followed him down a sidewalk lined with cactus. She watched his buttocks move beneath his pants as he strode along on those long masculine legs of his. Watch it, girl! Those attributes just happen to belong to a cop.

They passed three cars lined up outside the doors. A neon sign above them flashing a dancing cactus in verdant green lent the building an unearthly quality.

As Roxy brushed past the sheriff to look beyond the end of the building, she ignored the tingle of awareness and the heat coming off of him. The huge neon sign sat primarily above the fenced pool area. She couldn’t see the pool for the high privacy fence shielding it from the highway.

She looked back over her shoulder and gestured toward the sign. “I’ll bet all that neon gives the pool some interesting ambience. How far are we from Roswell?”

Luke stood stubbornly in front of the room. “That sign can be seen for miles and miles. It’s probably a godsend for travelers who think there’s not another town till El Paso.”

“There isn’t. This place doesn’t qualify as a real town.” Roxy headed back.

“You should be grateful there’s a town. You’d be coyote bait if I hadn’t found you.”

She didn’t look back. She just stood at the door of room fourteen. She wondered if she should invite him in and then throw him out. It was a tempting thought. He needed to be taken down a few pegs.

“What? No gushing gratitude?” he asked as he stopped next to her in front of the room. He handed her the key with a plastic cactus hanging from it.

“The owners of the motel overdid the desert theme,” she commented, figuring it was a safe topic. She couldn’t imagine why she’d want to invite him in unless her illness had caused temporary insanity. Roxy just wanted him gone. “I’ll bet you the room is orange.”

“I’d lose. I think Lloyd’s color blind. He always wears the same shade of brown.”

Roxy blinked. “Isn’t there a Mrs. Lloyd to help him with the color scheme?”

“Naw, she moved to Laredo. I guess she doesn’t like small towns, either.”

Roxy tried to concentrate on opening the door. How awkward to be standing in front of a motel room with a man she hardly knew. A place where strangers went to be intimate.

Her normally clever fingers fumbled with the key.

Everything external went away when he gently took the key from her hand. Her fingers tingled from the contact. He felt so masculine looming over her, making her feel a sense of security—and an unaccustomed hunger. His strong hands took hold of the knob. Her breath caught, then released in the rhythm of his actions. Her body hummed to a tune she hadn’t heard in over two years.

She licked her lips as he fit the key into the lock.

Could he feel it? The air thickened. Everything stood still. Storm weather. Would it be slow and easy when he touched her or would all hell break loose?

With agonizing patience he slid the key home.

She blinked. How had he mesmerized her with so simple an action?

“The lock’s sticking.”

Roxy bit her lip to hold back a giggle. What would he think if he sensed what was going through her head? That she’d invite him into this room, into her bed, if he showed the slightest interest. And she wouldn’t even think of throwing him out.

A man she didn’t know. Hadn’t she changed at all? “I guess so.”

“Are you feeling dizzy again?”

Yes. “No, I’m fine. Just tired.”

Prolonged celibacy caused her reaction, she knew. Nothing more.

He didn’t move. The tempest hovered just beyond them. If this was big-sky country she should be able to see what came next.

She shifted nervously. He bent down. She closed her eyes. Did she feel the brush of his lips on her cheek? Her eyes popped open. “You didn’t kiss me, did you?” she accused him in a tone laced with panic. “I haven’t brushed my teeth.”

It must be the odd light, Luke thought. Her skin had taken on the washed out color of a corpse, which had brought to mind that stupid fairy tale about a dead girl who needed a kiss.

“I wouldn’t kiss you,” he denied, hoping he wasn’t blushing because he had been thinking about her in that way. Not as just a stranger in trouble, but as a woman. “It wouldn’t be professional. I just brushed a strand of hair off of your cheek.”

Roxanne Adams pursed her lips, as if she didn’t think much of him.

Luke laughed at the look on her face. He couldn’t seem to help it. She’d looked both horrified and defiant. How he admired her sassy attitude! And despite lank hair, the circles under those crystal eyes and the hitch in her stride, she was desirable. Though she made it clear she didn’t want anything to do with him, he wanted her and he wanted to protect her.

What had gotten into him? Hadn’t she been making a mockery of his town and his life all day long? Hadn’t she shaken his confidence in what he thought he wanted—Carla and a bunch of kids growing up in Red Wing?

Definitely not a ragged redhead with a chip on her shoulder.

“I get the impression this job persona is everything to you. Too bad there isn’t a heart under the badge.”

Obviously cutting truth was her weapon of choice. Luke simply wouldn’t allow her to get to him. “You’ve been out of your head the entire time you’ve known me. You’re hardly in a position to say anything about me.” It came out as casually as he could have wished.

“True. But I’m observant. I’ll bet you have no life beyond the job.” She ran her tongue over her pale pink lips. “Boy, I’d kill for a drink of water.”

She wanted a drink of water? Miss Dallas had just reached inside of his head and summed up his entire life, and she wanted a drink of water?

He blinked. No. She didn’t know him, and she didn’t know about Carla. But I can’t remember if Carla has freckles under her makeup. And I can’t remember if her bottom lip quivers when she’s defensive. But I can list the criminal offences of all the men I’ve arrested and the dates they get out of prison. When had the job become his life?

He pushed the door open, suddenly needing to get away from her.

She ducked inside.

Luke glanced around. “It’s probably not what you’re used to, but Millie’s floors are clean enough to eat off of.”

She walked inside and then reached over to turn on the bedside light. She looked around with a smile. “It’s definitely brown. Not much better than orange but better than sleeping outside tonight.”

In the soft lighting, her red-gold curls resembled a crown. What would they look like spread out on the pillows? And her skin? Only a shade darker than the sheets, was it as soft as it looked?

“Who’s Millie?” she asked as she bent over to take off her sandals. Her position emphasized her long body.

His gaze clung to the seductive curve of her hip. His feet refused to enter the room. “Millie, the maid who’s worked at the motel for twenty plus years. She’s also in charge of the town grapevine.”

“Ah, gossip. It must be really juicy in a town like this one. Every once in a while someone must run over an armadillo. I’ll bet it keeps you folks talking for months.”

“This town has its moments.”

She approached the doorway where he hung on to the frame. She didn’t appear to be in a hurry to get a drink of water. In fact she looked like she had all the time in the world.

Did Carla move like that? Like she was honey in motion? He shifted nervously, wanting to be anywhere but here.

“What moments? Vandalism? Ice cream missing from the town’s soda shop?”

For a moment he floundered, wondering what she was talking about, distracted by her every gesture, and then he remembered. Crime. They were talking about his work. The work he never forgot. “Real crimes,” he insisted.

She leaned in the shadows of the door frame, her long, long legs and elegant red toenails inches from his boots.

Luke swallowed hard. “The porch light must be out. I’ll go and tell Lloyd. Good night, Miss Adams.”

“Aren’t you going to tell me about the awful crimes people in this town commit?’

Her eyes were deep and mysterious. He expected they would be mocking if he could see them more clearly. He would do well to remember she’s Miss Dallas. “Anywhere there’s people there’s crime. The sad thing about small towns is that most of the crimes are committed by people who know one another.”

“Crimes of passion?”

Her throaty tone reached parts of him he’d do better to ignore. He straightened up. “I’ve got to be going. Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah. I’m going to be just fine. Maybe a little lonely.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out two twenty-dollar bills. “This is for whatever you may need until the bank opens tomorrow.” He hoped she’d swallow her pride and take the money.

She hesitated. “It’s just a loan. Just until the wire comes through,” she confirmed.

“Sure.”

She took the money and stuffed it into the back pocket of her shorts. He focused on her face but it wasn’t much safer than her curves.

“I saw the restaurant. What is it, The Golden Pig? Will you accept a nice dinner in lieu of interest?”

“It’s The Golden Pan.” His tone had hardened.

“The Golden Pan,” she repeated tentatively, uncertainties making her look as innocent as a child.

She hadn’t meant to make fun of the restaurant, Luke realized. I guess I don’t have to be so defensive. It’s just that it’s such a temptation to see her again.

Too much of a temptation. “You can drop the money by the station if I don’t see you before you leave town. Just leave it with Bertha at the front desk.”

All too aware he was trying to say goodbye, his gaze touched each of her features.

“Would you like to come in?” She hesitated a moment as if she’d like to take the offer back, shifting nervously on her feet. Then she looked into his face. “I may be from Dallas, but I don’t say that to every man I meet,” she said defensively.

She trembled when the back of his fingers grazed her soft, flushed cheek. Her eyes were as deep as his fishing hole. Was this why he believed in her? This vulnerability that seemed so honest in a woman so bold and brassy? She’s such a contradiction.

Such a temptation.

“I can’t.”

She smiled. “Of course. It’s unprofessional. I understand.” She almost taunted him.

“I can’t because I’m engaged.”

Her head came up.

She searched his face. “Thank you for telling me. I’m sorry I’ve embarrassed myself.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. It’s been a hell of a day and you’re not thinking straight.”

She nodded. Then she lowered her head. She reached for the door to close it. “Good night.”

At the last minute he put his hand up to stop the door from completing its swing. He reached out but didn’t touch her this time. “You shouldn’t be embarrassed.”

She nodded. Not looking at him. It was as if she was ashamed and only wanted him to disappear.

“I’ve never been more tempted.”