Loving a Lawman (17 page)

He cut the engine and slid from the Tahoe. He could do this. Too much was at stake. He stalked up the porch steps and into the house.

Jessie whirled around as he entered. Her short blue robe brushing midthigh. She pressed a hand to her heart. “Seth, you scared me.”

Unsure of his next move, he took his hat from his head
and twirled it in his hands. “I'm not very good at this. I mean everyone fusses at me about not saying what's on my mind and not expressing myself. I'm not a good talker. I know I'm not. I try, but the words . . .” He broke off and shook his head. “I don't want to go anywhere tonight, Jessie. But I don't know if we're ready for all this.” He waved a hand in the air, hoping she understood. Wild sex in the front seat of a pickup was completely different from setting up house with a person. “I care about you so much. And I—”

“Shut up and just hold me.”

He stopped. “What?”

“Shut up and hold me,” she repeated. She looked as fragile as a china doll. No wonder, she had been through the wringer these past few weeks. She didn't need sex right now, she needed comfort. “You think you could do that?”

He swallowed hard, suddenly realizing this was the very beginning of what would hopefully be a lasting marriage. “Yes,” he croaked.

He pulled her into his arms and didn't let her go until morning.

*   *   *

M
idmorning the next day, Seth drove home, then loped up the porch steps and into the house. He had been loath to leave her that morning, but duty had called and he had crawled out of bed, leaving her warm embrace behind.

Their marriage had been so hasty that he hadn't been able to take too much time off. But he had vowed to come home every chance he got. How else was he going to court his wife? And that was exactly what he was going to do. He was going to court his wife and show her how great things could be between them. He was going to take it slow, and when they made love again, it wouldn't be in the cab of a truck, but in a nice, soft bed. And he was going to love her all night long.

“Jessie,” he called, not giving himself time to relish that she would be there, at the home that they shared. That had to be a good sign, right?

Sometime between last night and lying with her in his arms and this morning, he realized that he had been going about this all wrong. Everything between him and Jessie was backward. They shared one explosive kiss that had led to an unplanned pregnancy. Now they were married and they hadn't even been on a date. How could he expect them to have a shot at forever if they didn't have the same opportunities as other couples? How could he expect her to fall in love if she had no reason to? But those were things that he could correct. And that was exactly what he was going to do. Starting right now.

It was time to woo his wife.

“Jessie,” he called again, making his way from the living room into the kitchen.

She straightened from the box she was unpacking when he entered and clutched one hand over her heart. Pulling the buds from her ears, she shot him a relieved look. “You scared me to death. What are you doing here?”

He grinned. “I live here.”

“What are you doing here
now
?” she corrected.

“I have somewhere I want to take you.” He shifted from one foot to the other, suddenly as nervous as a teenager on a first date. But this was more important than any date he'd been on in his life. This one counted.

“Take me?” She set the mixing bowl she had just unpacked onto the counter and stared at him as if he had suddenly grown another head.

He was making a mess of things. Scratch that. He had already made a mess of things. Now it was cleanup time. “I'm sorry about last night,” he said, figuring an apology was the best way to start. “But I need you to put on some shoes and come with me.”

To her credit she did just that. She disappeared into
their bedroom, returning a minute later with her worn boots on her feet.

He swallowed hard and forced this crazy desire for her back into its safe box. With her cutoff jeans and distressed Dallas Cowboys T-shirt, she shouldn't have looked quite so sexy, but to him . . .

“Where are we going?”

He smiled. “It's a surprise.”

She raised a brow in his direction, but he wasn't budging.

“You'll just have to wait until we get there to find out.”

For a minute he thought she might protest but then she shook her head and preceded him out the door.

*   *   *

J
essie watched warily as Seth slid behind the wheel of his old Ford truck. “We're taking that?”

“Of course.” He cranked the glass all the way down and braced one arm in the window. “You have something against my truck?”

She shifted, unwilling to say the reasons out loud.

But from the look on Seth's face, he understood. The last time she had ridden in Seth's truck was that fateful day of Wesley's birthday party.

“Nah.” She shook her head and swung into the cab next to him.

Seth's smile was contagious and she found herself returning it as he backed out of the dirt driveway.

“Where are we going again?” she asked.

“It's a secret,” he said, casting a quick look her way.

“A secret, huh?” She turned in her seat enough that she could see into the bed of the truck. There was a large to-go sack, a couple of fishing poles, and a foam container that she suspected contained worms. “Fishing maybe?”

She loved when he smiled like that. When he gave her that grin, she knew everything was going to be just fine. “Maybe.”

She sat back in her seat, determined to relax and give today a chance. Last night, she hadn't known what to expect. Evidently neither had he, but today was a new day.

They had to learn to go with the flow, not read so much into every situation.

She chanced a look at him as he drove. She wanted that forever he talked about. And strangely enough, she wanted it with him. But when she added Chase back into the mix, she wanted nothing more than to hide under the covers like a child afraid of a storm.

The trip to the lake at the ranch took no time at all. Jessie had just enough time to get used to where they were going when suddenly they were there.

Together, she and Seth unloaded their lawn chairs, food, fishing poles, and bait and set up their camp for the afternoon.

A warm breeze stirred the tall prairie grass while birds flitted about and sang from the branches of the big oak tree.

“Here.” Seth handed her a rod and sat down with the container of worms.

“Aren't you going to bait my hook for me?” she asked.

He looked up at her from under the brim of his hat, squinting those remarkable green eyes as he stared into the sun. “I happen to know for a fact that you are perfectly capable of baiting your own hook.”

She plopped down into the chair next to him. “Maybe I would like for my husband to do it for me.”

Seth thumbed back his hat and eyed her with mock wariness. “Are you flirting with me, Mrs. Langston?”

She tucked her hair behind one ear and pretended to think about it. “Yeah,” she finally said. “I believe I am.”

“Well . . .” Seth finished baiting his hook and handed the pole to her. “I think you should know that I am a married man. Flirting with me could be dangerous.”

“Happily married?” she asked, wondering where the question came from.

The air around them turned suddenly serious. “I could be.”

“Seth, I—”

He took the fishing rod from her and leaned in. His lips brushed hers like the wings of a butterfly, soft and teasing. Then as quickly as they came, they were gone again. “I suppose I could bait it for you. But just this one time.”

Jessie opened her eyes, only then aware that she had closed them in anticipation of his kiss. Every kiss they had shared had been explosive, burning out of control within seconds of the first touch. She had expected this one to be the same. Though her lips tingled where his had touched, he had kept their kiss to a mere brush of the lips. The fact made her frustrated and hopeful all at the same time.

He stood and stretched out his long legs, then tossed his line into the water.

“Seth, I—”

He turned. “Are you going to fish or just sit there?”

She shook her head. “Is that a trick question?”

“No.” He smiled and started to reel in his line.

A hundred questions crowded into her mind. “I—I . . .” She had nothing.

He pulled his line from the water and took her hand into his own, tugging her to her feet. “We've got our entire lives to make this marriage work. We don't have to rush into anything. Just relax and enjoy the ride.”

She ran her gaze over his handsome features. No deceit hid there. No dishonesty or pretense. Was it as simple as he said? Could it be? She wanted to find out. More than anything she wanted that truth for herself.

Finally she gave a small nod. It was as if the dam broke and the tension between them fell away.

Seth tossed his line back into the water and Jessie did the same. They settled back into their chairs and whiled the afternoon away doing absolutely nothing but being together.

*   *   *

D
amn it.”

Jessie sat up in the truck seat a little straighter, trying to see what was upsetting him. “What's going on?”

Seth pointed toward the gauges, though she couldn't see what he was referring to. “Truck's overheating.”

She looked out the front, but unlike last time, no billowing smoke poured from under the hood. “Are you sure? It looks okay to me.”

Seth nodded and pulled the truck to the side of the ranch road. “I'm sure. We need to give her time to cool off or we won't make it to the house.”

Jessie wasn't sure exactly where they were, but she knew for a fact that they couldn't be more than half a mile from their new home.

He put the truck in park and cut the engine. “Sorry about that.” He turned toward her, running one hand along the back of the seat while the other was braced on the top of the steering wheel. “Maybe it won't take too long.”

Was that a sparkle of mischief she saw in his eyes?

“So we're stranded?” she asked, studying his expression as he responded.

“Afraid so.” His dimple flashed, but for the most part his expression remained the same.

“I see,” she said.

“Too bad.” He gazed out the front window, drumming his fingers along the top of the steering wheel. “Not really sure how long we'll be out here.”

His look was so innocent she almost laughed. “I would have never gotten into this truck with you if I hadn't thought you'd had the radiator looked at.”

He shot her an “oh, please” look, but she could see the humor twinkling in his eyes. “I told you this is a fine truck.”

“Yeah, when Lee Majors was on prime time.”

He chuckled.

“Tell me, Sheriff.” She slid across the seat closer to him. She wished she was brazen enough to tip his hat from his head and toss it onto the dash, then lean in and kiss him until his toes curled. But the art of seduction was completely new to her. “Did you do
this
on purpose?”

His grin widened. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“Well, which is it?” She scooted closer still.

“I'll never tell.”

“So you did.”

“Are you basing my guilt on the fact that I won't tell you that I'm innocent?”

“Something like that.”

He gave a nod. “I see.”

“Would you like to prove me wrong?”

“No.” He shook his head and swallowed hard. “Maybe I just wanted to be alone with my girl.”

Her heart gave a crazy jump. Was she his girl? “Weren't we just alone for hours at the ranch lake?”

He shrugged. “I guess.”

She could almost touch him now. All she had to do was reach out and run her fingers down the side of his face.

“But?” she prompted.

“There's something about being stranded.”

She sat back, doing her best not to laugh. “You mean you didn't have the radiator fixed on purpose so that it would overheat and we'd be stranded?”

“Or maybe I pretended that it overheated so I could do this.”

Before she could suck in a surprised breath, he pulled her to him.

His kiss was like firecrackers and candy—explosive and sweet. And she wanted it to go on forever.

Had it only been a month since she was in this truck with him, unable to get enough of his lips, his touch? It seemed like years and yet she knew his hands as if his caress had been a part of her since the dawn of time.

He cupped her face in his palms, holding her in place as he deepened the kiss. His tongue swept into her mouth, searching and exploring. She whimpered as he took his time learning every recess and crevice.

Where was that explosive need? She could feel it simmering just below the surface. He held himself so carefully in check that his hands were shaking. She was shaking, wanting—
needing—
more from him than he was giving.

“Seth,” she protested, scooting even closer to him. If nothing else, they had this. They had volatile passion, the one thing that connected them above all else. It wasn't a lot, but it was a start.

He broke their kiss and leaned his forehead against hers. She touched her lips with the tip of tongue, relishing the taste of him.

He groaned. “You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?”

“Make what easy?” she asked.

A small part of laughter escaped him. “Courting you.”

Even though she wanted to be as close as possible, she couldn't help drawing back. She needed to see his eyes. “Courting me? Is that what you're trying to do?”

He shook his head, that dimple flashing in the corner of his mouth, and he shot her a look of dread. “If you have to ask, I guess I'm not doing it right.”