Heart of Rockies 03 - More Than a Feeling (19 page)

Quickly she rummaged through the mound of junk in Timmons’s locker. A sweatshirt, a belt…
underwear
? She dropped the rumpled plaid boxer shorts hoping she’d never discover whether they were dirty or clean. What…did the guy store his dirty laundry in his work locker? Her hands felt contaminated. Carefully she pillaged through some papers—pay stubs—then a small zippered pouch, which turned out to contain ChapStick and hand lotion. No wonder he didn’t want the rest of the boys to see his fruity ChapStick and hand lotion.

That was it, though. No money. No receipts. No evidence of Avery’s bracelet.

She was just about to pop open Yates’s locker when the barn door burst open. She froze, eyes darting for anything that would give her an excuse for being in the maintenance office when no one else was around.

Footsteps thudded closer.

Screwdriver.
She quickly swiped one off the desk and bolted out of the office door, nearly running over Shooter in the process.

“Holy shit, Ruby!” His hands went up. “You scared the hell out of me.”

Heat lashed her face but she smiled. “Sorry about that.” Fear clawed at the words, tearing them apart. She
so
wasn’t cut out for breaking and entering.

“What’re you doing in here?” His eyes narrowed and in the dim light the sheer bulk of him made him look the slightest bit dangerous.

“I was looking for this,” she managed, holding up the screwdriver, praying he wouldn’t see it tremble in her hand. “The mixer broke.” The lie made her wince. Elsie always said one lie started an avalanche of untruths. Boy did she know that to be fact.

Shooter half laughed, the lines of suspicion smoothing from his face. “
You’re
gonna fix the mixer?” With a martyred sigh, he swiped the screwdriver out of her hand. “What is it with women these days? Never want a man’s help with anything, do ya? Too proud to ask for it.”

“Ha-ha.” She coughed out a fake laugh. “I didn’t want to bother you, that’s all. I know how busy you are.”

“It’s no bother.” He sauntered a step closer, all swagger and confidence, though he didn’t have much to brag about. He was a big guy, well over six feet, and hefty, too. But looks-wise he reminded her of a younger redheaded Jack Black.

“It’s my job. I actually like fixing things,” he said, bouncing his eyebrows as though that should entice her for some reason. “I can fix all kinds of things—”

“Oh! The muffins!” She’d forgotten. Hopefully they weren’t burned by now. She dodged around him and ran for the door.

“I’ll stop by the kitchen later,” Shooter called after her.

“Great!” she yelled back, then escaped, lungs heaving, sweat itching on her forehead. Lordy, was she in a mess.

She’d better get back up to the kitchen and break that mixer before Shooter found out she’d been lying.

W
ell, shit.
This was a hell of a lot harder than he thought it’d be. From the safety of the sitting room, Sawyer surveyed the kids, who were already sitting around the long table just past the fireplace in the dining room. The next ten minutes would be more painful than a switchblade twisted into his gut.

Ruby’s arguments from last night still hazed over his thoughts. Would a confrontation really ruin their entire ten days at the ranch? She’d been where these kids were, so she should know. But what choice did he have?

One of them might’ve needed the cash. He didn’t doubt that. He heard stories all the time about foster kids who were basically on their own, their parents simply pocketing the state’s money. But that didn’t change the fact that stealing would get them into a hell of a lot of trouble. Sure, a thousand dollars might not be much, but if one of these kids was responsible, they had to learn a lesson now or things would only get worse.

So while the whole thing made him feel like an ass, he trudged into the dining room and sat at the head of the table. “Hey, everyone,” he said as if nothing was different. Except he knew everything was about to change.

Thomas nodded a greeting from the other end of the table. They’d discussed his approach on the phone late last night, and while the man hadn’t wanted to believe one of the kids would steal from the Walkers, he’d agreed that they should have a discussion.

“What’s up, copper?” Javon said, while a few of the other kids smiled and waved. They were busy eating. Aunt Elsie had just filled their plates with some type of egg casserole dish. His plate was full, too, but he wasn’t hungry. He pushed it away.

“Where’s Ruby?” Brooklyn asked him. Her thick, dark lashes made her eyes so innocent. Another pang of regret gouged him. “Not sure.” He should go find her. He needed her here for this. Aunt Elsie said she’d been in earlier, but she must’ve gone out to run an errand. She’d probably decided to avoid him until he left for Denver. Wouldn’t surprise him after last night. He flicked a glance at his watch. He’d have to figure out how to patch things up with her later. Half an hour until he had to head to the station, so he couldn’t keep putting this off.

“Hey, gang.” He let his voice slip into the official police officer tenor that always seemed to grab people’s attention. “We need to talk.”

Sure enough, the room quieted, well, minus the throbbing of his heart. God, he hated this.

“Is everything okay?” Neveah asked, her face white with fear. She likely got scared any time an adult approached her with a serious conversation because it usually ended with her being uprooted again.

His shoulders felt like lead, but it was too late to turn back now. To stall, he lifted his mug and sipped the coffee Aunt Elsie had poured for him, but the kids’ round, worried eyes forced him to put down the mug and get to the point.

He folded his hands and made himself look at each one of them. “First, I want you to know I’m not accusing anyone of anything.”

No one moved. No one seemed to even breathe.

He checked on Thomas. The man seemed to be visually evaluating Javon.

Damn it.
He should’ve waited. Ruby was better at putting the kids at ease than him. Now he just had to get it over with and hope he didn’t screw everything up. He cleared the cotton out of his throat. “About a week ago some money went missing from Bryce’s office. One of Avery’s bracelets was stolen, too.” He tried to keep his face relaxed and open, but it was hard to make eye contact with any of them. “Then a few days ago, more money went missing.”

The room was silent. Painfully silent. The kind of silence that makes your ears ring.

He couldn’t stand it. “Like I said, I’m not—”

“Morning, everyone!” Ruby hurried across the room, her flowy white blouse hanging in a way that enhanced her sexy curves. Then there were those tight jeans…

“Sorry I’m late.” Her smile was radiant, captivating. Maybe because now he knew what hid behind it. She’d been hurt to a degree he couldn’t even imagine, and yet she still smiled. She still loved these kids. That was apparent by the glow that took over her face whenever she saw them.

“What’d I miss?” She set a basket of muffins on the table and targeted him with a not-so-sweet look.

No one said a word. When her eyes met his Sawyer stared out the windows across the room.

“What’s the matter? Why’s it so quiet?” she asked slowly, as if she was putting two and two together.

Yeah.
There was no way out of this. How was he supposed to know she’d traipse in two minutes after he told them? He would’ve waited if she would’ve called him back to tell him she’d be there.

She posted her hands on her hips, her eyes glaring now.

Sawyer sighed. “I was telling them about the thefts. So they can keep their eyes out,” he emphasized. Then he looked up and down the table. “Like I said, I’m not accusing anyone of anything, but if you’ve seen or heard anything, I need to know about it.”

Ruby sat stiffly in the chair next to him, her face stony and unreadable.

Silence continued to blanket the room, dense and overpowering. There was no chatting and laughing like there had been when he’d walked in earlier.

“Come on, everyone,” Ruby said, smiling softly at the kids seated around the table. Definitely not at him.

“Don’t let this ruin your week. We all feel badly for Bryce, but we’ll find out who’s responsible. You all just enjoy yourselves and don’t worry about this.”

“Do we have to leave?” Brooklyn blurted, tears already streaming down her cheeks.

The fear in her eyes submerged his heart in a pool of regret. “No.” He shook his head, wishing he could convince her that everything would be okay. This wasn’t the way he’d intended it to go.

Ruby’s face reddened. “Of course you don’t have to leave, honey. No one has to leave. We know none of you had anything to do with this.”

What?
Sawyer shot her his own stony look. Didn’t she see that it had to be one of them? It had to be. What other explanation was there?

Though Brooklyn nodded and picked up her fork, her lips sagged like her heart was broken.

Damn it.
He rifled a hand through his hair. He should’ve led with telling them they wouldn’t be in trouble if they fessed up.

“Sawyer,” Ruby muttered through her locked jaw. “Can I have a word with you in the kitchen?”

“Sure.” He stood and followed her, bracing himself for another argument. This time he wouldn’t touch her. He wouldn’t make her feel threatened at all.

Once the kitchen door swung closed, Ruby spun. “I thought you would wait for me.”

He leaned against the counter, forcing himself to give her space, even though he wanted to crush her body against his and make her see that he could love her. He could show her how it was supposed to be, how a man was supposed to love a woman. How he was supposed to protect her. How they were supposed to protect each other…

“You should’ve waited.” Ruby’s body was stiff, unyielding. Her anger almost made him smile. It was that strength coming through. Whoever she’d been when she’d gotten herself stuck in that bad relationship, she had become a completely different person. One who stood up for others. One who stood up for herself. Everything in her posture right now told him she would fight back. She would fight anyone who threatened those kids.

Damn he liked to see her fight. “I waited as long as I could, but you didn’t show up.”

Color flared on her cheeks. “I had some things to finish.”

“Well, I wanted to get it over with.” He checked every word before it came out to make sure it wouldn’t be too strong. “Before they go riding and I go to work.”

“What makes you so sure it’s one of them?” she demanded, stalking over to him, hands pinned to her hips.

Her stance was all fight, but he wouldn’t retaliate. Not this time. Ruby needed tenderness, not force. So he laid a hand on her arm, rubbing it up and down to remind her they were on the same side. “I’m open to other possibilities. But who else could it be?” The question was direct but also careful, because tenderness didn’t mean he had to agree with her on everything.

“I wish I knew.” Defeat resounded in the words. Sighing, she leaned against the counter next to him, so close her shoulder brushed his. She didn’t want to fight him this time. And she didn’t want to run from him, either.

Even with everything that had happened in the dining room, some of the weight slid off his shoulders because Ruby was standing next to him, touching him. She was letting him see her internal battle. Which meant…she wasn’t afraid of him. Even after last night.

He shifted to face her.

She stared at the floor.

“Hey.” His fingers grazed the soft skin on the underside of her wrist.

Some of the anger melted out of her eyes.

“I didn’t mean to worry the kids. I’m only trying to help Bryce and Avery, Ruby.” He slid his fingers down her palm until they found hers. “They can’t keep taking hits like this. They do a lot for the community, but they won’t survive if they don’t have someone looking out for them.”

“I know.” She peered up at him with a small smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll talk to them while you’re at work. Smooth things over. They’ll have a great day of riding and forget all about it.”

“So you’re not mad at me?” He inched closer to her, hunger growing inside of him. “Even about last night? Because I’d never hurt you. I didn’t want you to walk away from me. That’s all.”

A shadow of a smile crossed her face. God, those lips. Those beautiful lips. “I know,” she said again, her voice low.

His eyes were lost in hers. That hunger grew. He suddenly felt empty, like she was the only thing that could fill him. “We’ll make sure the kids still have a great time. Trust me, now that this is out of the way, we can move on,” he murmured, this time tracing his finger down the delicate line of her jaw.

“I trust you,” she whispered, leaning into him.

And that did it. He couldn’t be apart from her anymore. He couldn’t behave…not with her chest against his, her lips so close…

Sawyer covered her mouth with his and Ruby threaded her hands into his hair, pressing her body into his, her lips working him over with the same desperation that flowed through him.

He moaned against her skin, powerless to keep his desire for her to himself. He’d had a taste of her, but it wasn’t enough. Every time he touched her, every time he kissed her, the intensity escalated, and now the need for more drove into him hard and fast, knocking him over the cliff of restraint. “I need to see you tonight,” he growled. “Away from everyone else.” Away from prying aunts and hyperactive kids, even though they were great and all.

“Yes.” She panted against his mouth, gripping his shirt in her fists and tugging him closer, as though she had been caught in the same current he was. It was swift and breathtaking, and he knew they were both going down.

“My place or yours?” he managed to ask before her tongue slipped into his mouth and sent another hot rush of blood south.

“Yours.” Ruby gasped, clawing at his back like she wanted to climb up his body and wrap her legs around him the way she had on the porch swing that night.

Didn’t have to tell him twice. Lifting her into his arms, Sawyer kissed her as deep and hard as he’d wanted to for days, letting his lips and tongue and the way his hands held her ass say the things neither one of them had found the courage to say…

“Damsels in distress take heart—holy shit.”

Sawyer froze. Shooter? He blinked the world back into focus and sure enough, the Walker Mountain Ranch guide stood in the doorway.

Ruby untangled herself from him, feet hitting the floor before she stumbled backward. Her face glowed as red as the stained-glass rose that hung in the kitchen window.

“Did I interrupt something?” Shooter asked with a grin that said he knew exactly what he’d interrupted.

“No,” Ruby muttered, smoothing her hair with one hand while she steadied the other against the counter.

Sawyer begged to differ.

His body really begged to differ. Even though she now stood a good ten feet away, certain parts of him were still smoldering.

“The broken mixer is right over here,” she croaked, directing Shooter to the opposite side of the room.

Watching her hips sway like that didn’t help to calm the blood flow. And now he had to go to work all day. Damn. He should’ve called in sick.

Shooter lumbered behind her. “Now I get why you won’t go out with me. And to think, I actually thought you were just shy.”

She was shy. In fact, right now she looked like she wanted to crawl into one of the cabinets and hide.

“We were only talking,” Sawyer said in a way that challenged Shooter to argue.

“Oh, that’s what the kids are calling it these days,” he mocked, fiddling with the mixer.

A ding sounded from Aunt Elsie’s cuckoo clock.
Great.
He was late for work. “I’ve gotta go.” Shoving past Shooter, Sawyer caught Ruby’s hand in his and towed her out to the porch so they could have one more minute alone. Before tonight, that was.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t say anything to anyone.” God knew Sawyer had bailed that guy out of more misdemeanors than he cared to admit.

Peering up at him with a smile, Ruby rested her palm against his chest as though confiding herself in him. “Thanks.” The passion still glowing on her face reeled him in for another kiss. This time he kept it slow, savoring her so he could get through the day.

When he pulled back, Ruby’s eyes glistened.

“Promise me we’ll finish this later,” he said, not caring if it sounded like he was begging. He had no problem admitting that she made him desperate.

“Call me after you get off work,” she teased, but there was a promise in her smile.