I Caught the Sheriff (5 page)

The phone rang.

“The hall,” she told Lex and he stopped by the stand.

“Pick it up.”

She put the receiver to her ear. “This is Sheriff Foster.”
Grimacing, she listened to a man loudly describe some incident. “Yes. When?”
Her gaze shifted to Lex’s. “Right. I can come now.”

Disappointed, Lex set her to her feet. “It’s okay. I’ll go
home. You can call me afterward if you like.”

Her smile was like sunshine in August. Big and broad and
brilliant. “Want to go see the fireworks together?”

He nodded, understanding the call of work and duty. Then he
picked up the pen and pad next to the phone. “I’ll give you my number.”

She put a hand to his arm. “If I don’t call, it’s because
I’m tied up.”

“Then when you’re free.” He was going to miss her company.
The realization hit him fast and sweet. And it was not just the playtime in bed
that made him grin, but he got realistic quickly.
Is it good to care for a
woman again?

Yeah, Coltrane. See where it goes. Life alone isn’t
working out real well. And this woman is worth the emotional risk.

* * * * *

Four hours later, Lana never called him before she took the
one-lane road over to Lex’s ranch house in a hurry. Fury riding her hard, she
knew what she had to do and she was damn unhappy about it, too.

The sound of her patrol truck must have alerted him to her
arrival because he came out the front door and stood, both feet planted on the
sun-dappled porch. Two of his wranglers stood in front of the foreman’s house,
inquisitive about the arrival of the sheriff.

“A problem?” Lex scowled at her as she shut the door and
marched up the steps to face him.

“Yes, a big one. We have company.” She tilted her head
toward his two cowboys. “Can we go inside?”

Curiosity lining his mouth, he pulled open the door in a
flash. “After you.”

Pacing back and forth in the cool shadows of his front hall,
she was seeing red.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, hooking his thumbs in his belt
loops and frowning at her.

“Do you not know?” she challenged him, coming closer.

“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask.” He sounded truthful, miffed
that she’d challenge him.

She had to be certain he was innocent. And she knew she
shouldn’t even be here before she studied all the evidence. But disappointment
that this discovery had happened now when she wanted to enjoy his company at
the fireworks ate at her logic. “Did you put makeshift drains from the bend in
High Maria Creek to run under the interstate bridge toward your property?”

His eyes popped. “No. I did not. Who says I did?”

“I do.”

“What?” He scowled. “Why?”

“Gregg Larsson had me out to that part of his land where the
creek bends. He found makeshift pipe leading from High Maria to land on your
side of the property line. That was who called when we were at my house. I had
to go investigate.”

“You bet, you did.” Lex nodded, his jaw tightening with
restraint. “But I’m curious as to how you think it was my doing.”

“I don’t think. I saw evidence.”

He snorted. “Whatever you’ve got, I did not do it. Show me
what you’ve got.”

She knew he’d ask that, demand it even. But liking what
they’d done in bed together did not mean she would jeopardize her integrity to
uphold him. Or ignore any wrongdoing. “No. I’ll examine it. Then send it to
Austin to the Ranger forensics lab. I can’t simply take your word for it, can
I?”

That made him snarl. In two steps, he had one arm wrapped
around her waist and the other pushing her to the wall. “You can do anything
you want. You’re the sheriff.”

“Yeah!” She writhed to get free of his grip. But he was
fierce and anger made him stubborn. “I’m
your
fucking sheriff!

Devilry played across his features. “How true.” He kissed
her, hard, fast and rough.

She broke away, her lips stinging, but his hand in her hair
had him hauling her back to kiss her again. This kiss was more than the claim
of the previous one. This was a lingering, lavish exploration of all the
delicious desire they had shared.

“That’s real and true,” he whispered as he dragged his mouth
from hers. “You think I’d lie to you? Now? After what we did earlier?”

Keep your sanity here, Sheriff.
“Do I know you well
enough?”

He cupped her chin with one hand and examined her eyes with
sorrow in his own. “You knew me well enough to make love.”

The phrase melted her anger even more. If he could call
their liaison that, then her belief that what they had done was more than
fantastic sex was accurate.

His fingers bit into her shoulders. “If that’s not right,
then how can you be so angry at me?”

The certainty of his retort had her fuming at herself, her
job and him. She went for the only other explanation. “Would your wranglers do
something like this?”

“My hands do as they’re told, here on my land. I did not
tell them to cross that bend in the creek. There have to be other explanations,
because this pipe is not my doing. And I wouldn’t put it past Larsson to do
this himself to make me look bad. You know full well that I’ve been complaining
that he’s damming up the flow to save what little water there is for himself
and his cattle. One way to take the heat off himself is to put it on me.”

“Let me go,” she told him in a strangled voice. His logic
good, her heart still sore.

“Once you know who did this, Lana, come back.”

He sounded sad, sincere and hurting, all of which she’d
never imagined could be possible for powerful Alexander Coltrane.
Could he
offer that and be innocent?

When she didn’t answer, he gave her a small shake. “Promise
me.”

* * * * *

“Is that a lot load printed on the inside of that pipe,
Sam?” Lana lowered the magnifying glass and handed over one of the pieces of
the plastic piping she’d found on Larsson’s property to her deputy.

He took his time examining the tiny print. “Sure enough.”

“We can trace it then,” she concluded, overjoyed at the
possibility of some clue to the solution to this case. After the sleepless
night she’d spent dwelling on this, she had to make an airtight explanation of
it. Especially since she’d learned first thing this morning that the deputy who
stood before her had seen her leave the fairgrounds yesterday with Lex Coltrane.
Sam had made a bit of a joke of it, but after he heard her description of what
had happened out on Larsson’s ranch last night, he was not so jovial. The
possibility of conflict of interest was not one Lana welcomed. Now or ever. And
if she stood a chance of having a relationship with Lex, any hint of favoritism
could not stand.

“I hope we can,” Sam told her with a curt nod. “Why don’t we
call the Farm and Tractor supply store?”

“They carry a lot of things,” Lana said, but then she
reached for her office phone. Dialing information, she asked for the local
plumbing shop. “Hi, Jared? Sheriff Foster here. I have a question for you. Do
you carry plastic pipe?” She glanced at her deputy and nodded. “You do.
Wonderful. White? How many types?” She winced. “Three different manufacturers.
Hmm. If I bring you a sample of something I need to trace, can you help me
identify it?” A few minutes later, she hung up. “Let’s go.”

“Do you need me, Sheriff?” Sam asked and pointed a thumb
toward the back of the jail. “I’ve got those two guys in lockup on that robbery
last night and I need to get them processed.”

“Tell Jennifer to start the paperwork.” Their office clerk
had just arrived for work this morning and she could get the ball rolling. “You
have to come with me and you know why, too.” She wasn’t going to let anyone,
particularly her staff, even hint at favoritism. Everything here in the county
was going to be done by the book. She might be young, but too many here had
fought her appointment because of her age. Thirty was not exactly a spring
chicken. Besides, she wanted this job. Permanently. She knew she was still the
newbie, needing to prove her worthiness to everyone, including Lex Coltrane.
“Come on.”

* * * * *

Lex was standing on his property line looking at the white
pipe snaking over the caliche and grass when he heard a truck approach.
Turning, he tipped up his Stetson with one finger and squinted at the sight of
the sheriff’s patrol truck.

The glimpse of Lana behind the wheel gave his heart a lurch.
The bright red hair shone like a beacon in the dark of the cab. Her profile,
sleek with the upturned button nose, got to his gut. How did a few hours with
one woman mean so much to him?

He strolled over to her and opened the door. He even
extended his hand to help her down.

“Sheriff,” he said as coolly and collected as he could.
“How’d you know I was here?”

“One of your hands told me you’d come out to examine this.”
She looked him straight at him, but behind the big sunglasses, her eyes were
unreadable. “I’ve got an update for you.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“Gregg Larsson bought that pipe in Dallas a month ago.”

“Well, how about that.” Vindicated, Lex put his hands on his
hips and rocked back and forth on his heels. “You were fast.”

“Tracing it wasn’t hard.”

“Didn’t know you could do that.” He loved complimenting her.
Making her eyes shine with pride, he’d learned yesterday and saw again now,
doubled her beauty.

“I’m good at my job.” Her lips quirked, suppressing a wince,
trying to smile.

Oh, honey. We’re in good shape.
“A fine reason to
keep you.”

“You’ll tell the mayor that?” She removed her sunglasses and
he could see she looked weary, tired.

Did you not sleep well last night? Just like me?
He
sauntered forward two steps. “I’ll also tell the rest of the county council.”

She held her head up high and the look on her face was raw
with worry. “Thank you. I want this job.”

“I want you to keep it.”
I want to keep you.

“I owe you an apology.”

He extended a hand and let it fall to his thigh. “Not
really. Things between us were mighty intense yesterday. I understood what
happened last night and why. I know you did, too.”

She took a step toward him and this close, he saw a
vulnerability in her eyes he had glimpsed yesterday as she had surrendered to
him in bed. “But we had to have that confrontation.”

He drew nearer, sighed in satisfaction, and rubbed her arms
up and down. “Sure we did. Acceptance of authority and all that.”

“Because I’m your sheriff.”

He grinned, all the tension draining from him now that he
knew she’d found strong evidence of his innocence. Now that he knew they could
proceed with their relationship without doubts or conflict of interest. “I
believe the phrase is, ‘you are my
fucking
sheriff’.”

She chuckled now and wrapped her arms around him. “You bet I
am,” she echoed his response of yesterday.

He hauled up her lithe body against his and beneath her
starched shirt and skintight jeans he felt all warm, willing woman. He wiggled
his brows at her. “So, Sheriff, take your fucking badge off.”

She arched away from him, unpinned the metal from her shirt
and tucked it in her jeans pocket. “Better, Mr. Coltrane?”

He threw his head back to laugh, then scooped her up in his
arms to head for his own truck. “Well, ma’am, I will be as soon as we climb in
that cab and I get you naked.”

“We’re gonna do it out here in front of god and everything?”

“We are. Often. Everywhere. But you have to be good. Take my
orders. Open that door for me like a good little jailbird, will you, honey?”

She grumbled playfully.

He threw her inside across the leather seat and climbed in
over her, his hands rivaling hers to get her shirt unbuttoned and her jeans
down. Her breasts spilled out of her bra, her nipples pointed like diamonds at
him. Her pussy already giving off the fragrances of her need for him. “Hell,
honey. Catching the sheriff has never been so much fun.”

She worked on the buttons of his fly and reached inside to
stroke his cock, then let it out of his jeans. “If this is always my
punishment, I promise to be a very cooperative prisoner.”

He groaned, knowing this was the beginning of a long, happy
series of similar seductions. “How would you like to be under permanent house
arrest?”

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