Fox, Morgan - Discovering Temptation [Texas Stallions 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) (10 page)

The image of that young woman’s bloodied body flashed in her head. She trembled.

“Do you think Jackson could’ve done something like this?” he asked.

She wished she could say no, but she couldn’t. At this point, she simply didn’t know what Jackson was capable of.

“Is she going to be all right? Will she survive?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. No one really knew how long she’d been laying there before someone finally found her.”

She jumped, startled by a knock on the door behind her. The alarming conversation they were having had her concentrating strictly on Tyler and their situation. She hadn’t even heard Cooper enter the room.

His voice seemed strained as he said, “Sheriff Clay Garrett is here to see you, Abby.”

Nodding, she collected herself, turned and followed Cooper back into the living room. Tyler trailed close behind.

Sheriff Garrett could’ve easily been a linebacker for the Houston Texans. His shoulders were so broad he barely fit through the front door. With dark-brown hair and eyes, he towered over her. She took his extended hand, giving it a firm shake.

“Thank you for coming, Sheriff.”

“Ms. Blake.” He nodded at Tyler, who insisted that Abby take the seat on the couch beside him.

“Please call me Abby.”

“All right,” he said, sitting down in the chair across from her. “Abby, I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but a woman was found this morning, badly beaten and stabbed about ten miles from town.”

Her stomach knotted as her mind flooded with the image of that poor woman laying bloody and clinging to life. Swallowing back the bile that rose up into her throat, she asked, “What exactly did he do to her?” As horrible as it was to hear, she had to know what possible future was in store for her.

Sheriff Garrett sighed heavily. “Ms. Blake,” he said with a fierce edge in his voice. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

Abby’s nails dug into the palms of her hands. “Sheriff, I realize that you think keeping what happened to that girl a secret from me will be doing me a favor, but really all it does is make my mind wander in an area that might be even worse than the truth.”

The sheriff leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He slid the brim of his hat around in a circle, using the thick pads of his fingers. His expression darkened.

Sheriff Garrett glanced down at his hands. “The woman was too badly beaten for a facial recognition. She’d been hit with something hard enough to break almost every bone in her face.” He swallowed hard. “She’d also been stabbed over a dozen times in her chest and stomach. The coroner thinks she was bound just before she was dumped on the side of the highway. Her entire body was covered in defensive wounds. The sick bastard wanted her to resist him.” The sheriff’s eyes flashed red with anger. “All of her clothing had been removed, and there were signs of sexual assault.” He glanced over to Tyler. “The son of a bitch got off on hurting her.”

She clutched her stomach. “Will she be all right?”

Sheriff Garrett locked gazes with her and said, “Unfortunately, the young lady did not survive her injuries. She died on my way over here. This is now a murder investigation.” He swallowed and then continued telling his reason for coming out. “Abby, we tracked down Jackson Cole, and he’s currently in custody.”

She struggled to hear over the racing blood flooding her ears. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her mind numbed as she reabsorbed his words. The image she conjured in her mind had been nothing like the truth. She’d been wrong to push the sheriff. Now, she wanted to crawl under her bed and hide from the world.

“So Jackson was in Temptation,” Tyler blurted out.

“No, actually he was in Dallas, and according to the Dallas Police Department he has an airtight alibi for his whereabouts.” His eyes focused on Abby. “Over the last forty-eight hours, Jackson Cole never left Dallas County, and the way it looks now, he’s not the man who attacked you the other night, nor is he the person who slaughtered your cattle and banged up Jared.”

Tyler gently squeezed her hand. Her mind raced with worry as the horrible events settled over her. If it wasn’t Jackson, then who was it that was terrorizing her? Why were they threatening to harm her?

She didn’t have a chance to ask before Cooper angrily snapped, “Well, if it’s not him, than who the hell is it?”

The sheriff’s gaze narrowed. “We just don’t know, but until we catch whoever’s doing this, please don’t be caught alone on the property. It’s important that you all know where each other is. For whatever reason, this guy has dialed in on you, Abby, and he might not stop with just harassing you and killing a few livestock, especially now after what happened to that young girl.”

Hunter leaned forward behind Abby with his hands pressed against the backrest of the sofa. “So you think it’s the same guy then?”

“I’m not willing to rule anything out just yet, but the simple fact that both the victim and Abby look similar and were attacked within a few days of each other, the timing is just too much of a coincidence to ignore. I hate to say it, Tyler, but had you not been there to protect Abby that night, it might’ve been her we found brutalized.”

Abby’s stomach dropped to the floor and she felt like she was about to throw up. Instantly, Tyler wrapped a possessive arm around her as if he could sense her mind splintering panic.

She grasped Tyler’s hand, her eyes focusing straight ahead. “Don’t worry, Sheriff. I have no intentions of being caught alone.”

* * * *

Paradise Ranch was becoming her home. After a month under the watchful gaze of her three live-in ranch hands, she finally felt like she had found her own private sanctuary. Daily, she witnessed an exhilarating transformation of not only her ranch but her heart. She grew fonder of the men that had landed in her lap. For no other reason than being wonderfully amazing men, they kept her safe from harm.

Hunter had become her constant companion from the moment her eyes cracked open all through midday, then Cooper jumped in to take over, giving Hunter a chance to tend the livestock. Jared hadn’t fully recovered from his injuries, and the afternoons were best for him to teach Hunter a thing or two about raising prized cattle. In the evenings, when it was time for bed, Tyler assumed the duty of watching over her, which she didn’t mind at all.

She could sense that there was something magical happening between her and Tyler, but was too afraid to admit exactly what it was. Too much was at stake with her new home, and allowing her hormones to take over her brain was something she just couldn’t risk, even though resisting the attraction to the brothers was that hardest thing she ever had to endure.

Everything in her life was finally going the way she had always dreamed.

Her physical and mental lusting after the brothers had been difficult to ignore, and the daily attention each paid to her had her feeling like a cherished princess. She was not accustomed to being treasured, but the brothers did an excellent job of not going overboard with their flirtations, offering her just enough of a tease to keep things interesting and fun.

Cooper hadn’t tried to kiss her again since that first time, and she found that a little disappointing, but again she was the one who thought it best to keep things professional between them.

“Is your mother working at the diner tonight?” she asked during breakfast.

“No,” Tyler replied. “She’s not.”

She’d longed to have everyone together and to meet the woman responsible for raising such fine young men. “Then perhaps she’d like to join us for dinner. You’ve all worked so hard. I’d like to celebrate with a nice, home-cooked family meal.”

Cooper shrugged, eyeing his brother. “Well, after lunch I could go get her.”

Abby reached over and squeezed Cooper’s hand. It was a response she hadn’t meant to happen, but the gesture seemed so natural. “That would be perfect. I bet she’d love to see all the wonderful things you’ve done on the ranch.”

Tyler’s eyes narrowed. His gaze darted back and forth from Cooper to her. “Are you sure, Abby? Things are still unsettled with whoever attacked you. We can’t risk letting our guard down.”

She frowned at his need to deter her from her plans. He was sometimes so much the father figure, she felt like no matter what she wanted, he’d tell her it was best to do the opposite. “Tyler, I know you’re worried, but we can’t stop living our lives just because of some jackass.”

Cooper grinned. “I agree. A dinner as a family would be wonderful.”

“Besides, Tyler,” Hunter chimed in. “I think Mom would enjoy visiting with us and getting to know Abby.”

Smiling broadly, Abby clapped her hands together, knowing she had just gotten her way. “Great, then it’s settled. Cooper’s going to bring your mother here for dinner, and we’re all going to enjoy ourselves and have a spectacular time.”

Chapter Six

Tyler studied Abby as she whooshed around the kitchen, looking so at peace as she and Sophia prepped dinner. Her delightful smile was infectious. He couldn’t believe how, in such a short time, he’d come to care about her.

He knew it all seemed crazy and way too fast, but he just couldn’t shake the need to be near her, to worship and claim her. His desires were so strong they swirled inside his chest. Never had he felt more overwhelmed by need.

The way she gazed at him, he was sure she reciprocated his sentiments, but for whatever reason, he hesitated each time she drew near. Even as he watched over her while she slept, he hadn’t had the courage to wake her with a passionate kiss, to see if she’d welcome him into her bed.

He’d spent many restless nights thinking about her, curious about what it would be like to have her beneath him as he made love to her, loving her in a way he knew would have her mind and body exploding into an abyss of orgasms. He was desperate to touch her. His thoughts were not on the innocent caresses he’d stolen over the last month but of a more intimate touch that would have her naked in his arms, his warm mouth on her skin, his tongue tasting her flesh and devouring the sweet honey from between her thighs.

Damn, he wanted to taste her pussy. Learn her flavor and scent, claiming her as his. He groaned as his cock hardened at the image.

Watching her as she flirted with his brothers had his gut churning as he wondered if she had feelings for them, too. Never had he seen his brothers pay so much attention to any one woman before. Sure, he knew they were grateful to her for giving them a place to live and work, but there was something more to it.

Cooper, the one who was always Mr. Uptight, was more laid-back and smiled whenever he was with her. Then there was Hunter, whose boyish good looks got him into bed with just about any gal he wanted, but recently all he seemed concerned with was Abby.

Even though jealousy twisted his gut, he couldn’t blame his brothers. Abby was special. He’d known that since the moment he’d first held her trembling body in his arms. He also knew that he’d never desire another woman the way he seemed to want her. Instinct blazed inside him, alarming him with feelings he’d never experienced before.

Being so close to her and not being able to touch her was the most torturous thing he’d ever been through. He didn’t understand the control she had over him, but he was willing to see how far things could go between them. He prayed that she’d unleash her inhibitions soon, or he was going to have to take matters into his own hands and jerking himself off was not something he desired. He preferred a soft delicate hand, a woman’s touch, one that would perhaps use more than her hand to ease his suffering.

The front door opened, and Cooper and his mother, Madeline, walked into the house. She was dressed in a soft blue dress and her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She looked straight ahead as she entered the room and met Tyler’s gaze. He rose from the sofa and moved to hug her.

“I’m glad you could join us, Mom,” Tyler whispered as he greeted her.

Patting him on the back, she muttered, “It was nice to be invited, short notice or not.” With a scowl only he could recognize as annoyance, his mother arched a brow.