The Arizona Lawman

The prettiest rancher he’d ever seen

In her wildest dreams, Tessa Parker never expected to inherit a ranch. But as soon as she sets foot on the Bar X, the orphaned Tessa finally feels at home. And that brusque deputy sherriff who greets her? There’s something about him, too, that makes the rootless Tessa want to stake a claim.

Law and order make Joseph Hollister’s world go round. So when a Tessa from Nevada says she’s the rightful heir to his old friend’s ranch, it turns his universe upside down. Not to mention every fiber of his being, which thrums each time she’s near. But Joseph won’t get close to a woman who’s only passing through. Even though Tessa might be the only one who can repair his heart...

“You know, I’m getting the feeling that the two of us have more in common than just Ray Maddox.”

The husky note in his voice was so sexy it was almost like he was kissing her. The idea caused her nostrils to flare, her breathing to quicken.

“Why?”

Her murmured question put a faint smile on his face and then his head was bending downward, until his lips were hovering a scant few inches from hers.

“We’ve both lost parents. We both ride horses. And, uh, we’re both standing here beneath the desert stars—together. It’s like fate.”

The warning bells going off in Tessa’s head were deafening, but the clanging noise was hardly enough to make her step back and away from him. Something about him was pulling at the deepest part of her, urging her to touch him in ways she’d never wanted to touch a man before.

“This isn’t fate,” she tried to reason. “It’s—crazy.”

His soft chuckle fanned her face. “It’s okay to be a little crazy once in a while.”

* * *

Men Of The West: Whether ranchers or lawmen, these heartbreakers can ride, shoot—and drive a woman crazy...

The Arizona Lawman

Stella Bagwell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

After writing more than eighty books for Mills & Boon, STELLA BAGWELL still finds it exciting to create new stories and bring her characters to life. She loves all things Western and has been married to her own real cowboy for forty-four years. Living on the south Texas coast, she also enjoys being outdoors and helping her husband care for the horses, cats and dog that call their small ranch home. The couple has one son, who teaches high school mathematics and is also an athletic director. Stella loves hearing from readers. They can contact her at stellabagwell@gmail.com.

To April May Townsend with love.

Thank you for being a friend and dedicated reader.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

“Tessa, you are now an heiress.”

The legal document Tessa Parker gripped with both hands looked real enough, and Orin Calhoun was the closest thing she had to a father. He would never lie to her. But the words he’d just spoken didn’t make sense.

Staring at the rancher, she asked in an incredulous voice, “Are you making some sort of joke?”

Orin glanced over to Jett Sundell, longtime attorney for the Calhoun family and the Silver Horn Ranch.

“Help me out here, Jett.”

The younger man left his comfortable seat in an armchair to walk over to Tessa.

“The document is genuine, Tessa. I’ve already read the will in its entirety and talked at length with the deceased man’s attorney. He assures me his client had full control of his faculties at the time he made out this bequest.” Jett placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. “In short, a man by the name of Ray Maddox has willed you a sizable piece of property in southern Arizona. Along with a very tidy amount of money, which is already waiting for you in a bank account with your name. Congratulations, Tessa.”

Her hands began to tremble violently, causing the document to fall unheeded to her lap.

“That can’t be!” She stared wildly up at Jett then swung her gaze over to Orin. “I don’t know anyone in Arizona! This has to be some crazy mistaken identity!”

Orin held up a hand to calm her escalating doubts. “According to the attorney in Prescott, your identity has been verified several times over. He’s assured Jett that you are the correct beneficiary.”

“So the next step we need to discuss is what you want to do with this windfall,” Jett continued while directing a meaningful glance at Orin. “If it were me, Tessa, I’d want to take a look at the property before I made the decision.”

“Yes, but Tessa isn’t you,” Orin retorted. “She hardly needs to go traipsing off to Arizona to look at a piece of land she doesn’t need. Her home is here on the Silver Horn with us. It won’t be difficult to locate a trustworthy real-estate agent to handle all the details of selling it.”

Frowning, Jett walked over to his father-in-law’s desk. “Orin, I understand that Tessa is like your daughter but—”

“Like a daughter! Hell, as far as I’m concerned, she is my daughter! And as such—”

“You want her to have every opportunity to be happy. She’s been willed a small fortune by someone who obviously cared a great deal for her. It would hardly be in her benefit to get hasty and dump the property before making an effort to see the place.”

Orin rose from his chair and began to pace around the large, plush study. “It’s not like I’m a pauper, Jett,” he argued. “I can give Tessa whatever she needs. And, frankly, she’s too young and inexperienced to go off to Arizona alone!”

The idea of Orin as a pauper was just as laughable as Tessa being an heiress. Orin and his father, Bart, owned the Silver Horn Ranch, one of the largest, most profitable spreads in the whole state of Nevada. The family possessed holdings in gold and silver mines, oil and gas companies, along with other lucrative stocks. To say that Orin could supply her with whatever she needed was very true, but she would never accept wealthy gifts from him, or anyone in the Calhoun family. She was a Parker and possessed her own brand of pride.

“Tessa is twenty-four years old. She’s just acquired a college degree,” Jett reminded him. “She’s certainly capable of making a trip to Arizona. And making decisions about her own future.”

The arguing between the two men pushed Tessa to her feet. “Orin, you’ve given me a home here on the Silver Horn for the past eleven years. As much as I love you, Jett is right. I’m not about to make a hasty decision about something so—life-changing. Anyway, right now I... I’m so shaken I can hardly think! But I can tell you one thing. If a person cared enough about me to leave me a small fortune, then I’m going to make the effort to travel to Arizona. To see the place and find the reason behind this.”

Jett gave her a thumbs-up. “Atta girl, Tessa. Now you’re talking.”

Orin stopped his pacing to glare at the both of them. “Go ahead, encourage her,” he goaded Jett. “For all we know there could be something sinister behind this whole thing.”

Jett rolled his eyes. “Orin, the man has passed away. And, according to Mr. Maddox’s attorney, he had no family to speak of. On top of that, he was a decorated sheriff of the area. I hardly read sinister in the will.”

Relenting somewhat, Orin walked over to where Tessa stood near his desk. “Tessa, are you sure your mother never talked about this man before?”

If Monica Parker had still been living, she might’ve been able to explain this sudden and unexplainable inheritance. But her mother’s life had ended eleven years ago in a traffic accident.

Tessa’s mind spun crazily as she tried to recall, to make any sort of connection to Ray Maddox. “I never heard Mom say that name. Or mention she was acquainted with anyone in Arizona. This man...he must have known me—somehow. I won’t rest until I find the connection.”

Orin’s stern expression softened to a wry smile. “I imagine I’d feel the same way. It’s just that I’ve always had you close and under my wing.” Lifting her hand, he patted the back of it. “And I guess a part of me is afraid you won’t come back. That you’ll find something down there in Arizona we can’t give you.”

Her heart full of mixed emotions, she gave the big rancher a reassuring hug. “You’ve already given me so much, Orin. There’s nothing else I need.”

His smile turned knowing as he stroked the top of her head. “Oh, yes, Tessa, darlin’. There are plenty more things you need. Like a good man to love. Children to raise. A home to keep.”

“Stop it.” She sniffed. “You’re going to make me cry all over your white shirt.”

He squeezed her tight. “Damn the white shirt,” he said gruffly. “I have plenty of them. I just have one of you.”

“I won’t be gone forever, Orin. Just long enough to find out why Ray Maddox wanted to give me his home and money.”

Chapter One

The hot May sun was slipping behind a ridge of jagged mountains as Tessa steered her white Ford truck off the road and stared up at the sign arched over a wide cattle guard. Bar X Ranch.

This was it. Her ranch. Her property.

Even though she was seeing it with her own eyes, she was still struggling to wrap her mind around the idea that it all belonged to her. It seemed impossible that a bank in Prescott had an account in her name holding an amount of money that would take a person like her years and years to earn. Everything about the situation was still all so confusing and incredible.

Fighting back a wave of emotional tears, Tessa put the truck into motion and drove through the entrance of the ranch.

A half mile later, after she’d driven through a spectacular view of rock formations and fields of Joshua trees, she parked the truck in front of a rambling house painted pale green and trimmed with a darker shade of green. The structure was shaded by several ancient cottonwoods, while a huge bougainvillea covered in vivid purple blooms sheltered one side of a small porch. Nearby, beneath a set of paned windows, bushes of red and white roses grew thick and climbed along the dark green shutters.

She’d not expected to find anything so beautiful or charming. For a moment, after she’d climbed from the truck, all she could do was stand and stare and wonder about the people who’d lived behind those walls.

The sound of an approaching vehicle pulled Tessa out of her swirling thoughts. She turned to see a beige SUV with emergency lights on the top and a sheriff’s emblem painted on the side. Now what? Had someone reported her as trespassing?

Curious, she stood watching as a man stepped out on the driver’s side. He was dressed in blue jeans and boots, with a black cowboy hat and a khaki shirt. The long sleeves were decorated with official-looking emblems, while a badge was pinned to the front left pocket. Even from a distance, she could tell he was young but older than her. His tall, muscular body appeared to be in perfect condition and his quick steps were rapidly closing the space of ground between them.

“Hello,” she said once he was within earshot. “Can I help you?”

He came to a stop a few steps in front of her and, with the back of his forearm, pushed the brim of his cowboy hat back off his forehead.

“I’m Joseph Hollister. Deputy Sheriff of Yavapai County,” he said to identify himself. “I saw your vehicle turn into the entrance of this property. Since your truck is carrying Nevada plates, I figured you might not be aware this ranch is currently unoccupied.”

Was he naturally a suspicious man, she wondered, or was he simply a very dedicated lawman? Either way, he was definitely something to look at. His thick, coffee-colored hair was just long enough to curl around his ears, while his deeply tanned complexion told her he spent long hours in the Arizona sun. He had a square jaw, the type that looked as though it could take several punches and never flinch. However, all this was just a gorgeous backdrop to his eyes. Even from a distance, she could see the brown orbs were full of golden flecks, a color that reminded her of dark, potent whiskey.

“I’m Tessa Parker,” she told him. “And, yes, I’m from Nevada. Between Carson City and Reno, to be exact. And, yes, I know the ranch house is currently vacant.”

His razor-sharp gaze slid over her as though he was sizing up her honesty.

Tessa tried not to bristle. After all, the man didn’t know the first thing about her. And he was a deputy sheriff.

“The Bar X is obviously a long distance from Carson City. So what brings you all the way down here, Ms. Parker?”

She straightened her shoulders. “I’m here to see my new property. Is that some sort of crime?”

Tessa didn’t know why the tart question had popped out of her. It wasn’t like her to be testy with anyone. Particularly a law official. But the suspicious look in his eyes was setting her on edge.

“No. No crime at all. If it is your property. Do you have your identification with you?”

If a flying saucer suddenly landed next to them, the situation wouldn’t be any more bizarre, Tessa thought.

“I have more than my identification,” she crisply informed him. “I have all sorts of legal papers with me—if you’d care to see them.”

“That isn’t necessary,” he said. “Your driver’s license will be sufficient.”

Turning back to the truck, Tessa fished the plastic-coated card from her purse and handed it to him. As she watched him scan the information, she noticed his hands were big and brown, the backs lightly sprinkled with dark hair. There was no sign of a wedding band on his left hand. But that didn’t surprise Tessa at all. He didn’t have the softer attitude that most married men possessed.

He suddenly glanced up at her and Tessa’s breath caught as his brown eyes looked directly into hers.

“I happened to be well acquainted with Ray Maddox, the man who used to live here,” he informed her. “And since he passed away, there’s been no talk of this place being put on the real-estate market.”

“You’ve made the wrong assumption, Deputy Hollister. I didn’t buy this place. It was willed to me by Ray Maddox.”

This news caused his eyes to widen with surprise then narrow to two skeptical slits. “Willed? Are you a relative?”

“No. Not that I’m aware of,” she said bluntly. “In fact, I don’t think I ever met Mr. Maddox.”

He folded a pair of strong-looking arms across his broad chest and suddenly Tessa was wondering if Orin had been right. Maybe it had been foolish of her to make the trip down here alone. This man looked like it wouldn’t bother him one iota to arrest her.

“I’ve heard plenty of cock-’n’-bull stories in my line of work, but this beats them all. Ray Maddox was hardly a fool. He was the sheriff of Yavapai County for more than twenty years. He wouldn’t just will his property to a total stranger.”

Tessa opened the truck for a second time and collected a large manila envelope from the console. Lifting her chin to a challenging angle, she handed the legal documents to him. “Since you have the idea I’m some sort of criminal, I think you should look at this.”

His stern expression was all-professional as he made a quick scan of the papers and then carefully inserted them back into the envelope. “I’m sorry, Ms. Parker. It’s my job to be cautious. And I think you’ll agree this is a rather odd occurrence.”

An ache had developed in the middle of her forehead and as he continued to watch her closely, she tried to rub it away with the tips of her fingers.

“I can’t deny that.” She turned her gaze to the front of the house and suddenly felt herself close to tears. “The attorney handling Mr. Maddox’s estate informed me that his client had been a sheriff and a well-known figure in the area.”

“That’s right. A beloved figure. He retired about five years ago.”

“It’s all so incredible,” she said in a thoughtful daze.

After a long stretch of silence he asked, “Were you—planning on staying here tonight?”

She wiped a hand through her straight brown hair before she nodded. “Yes, I am,” she answered then took a shaky step toward the house. “I’m sorry. I need to sit down.”

Recognizing she was teetering on her feet, he leaped forward and wrapped a supporting hand around her elbow.

“Here. Let me help you to the steps.”

He guided her over to a set of wide stone steps built into a mortar-and-stone retaining wall.

Once she was sitting, the deputy took a seat on the same step, careful to keep a respectable distance between them.

He said, “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to stay here alone tonight, Ms. Parker.”

“Why? Is this a high crime area?”

“Crimes are rarely committed around here. I’m speaking now of your emotional condition.”

Tessa straightened her spine. She might appear fragile to this man, but she prided herself in being tough and capable.

“I’ll be fine, Deputy Hollister. I’ve been driving since early this morning. Nearly seven hundred miles, to be exact. I’m tired and haven’t had much to eat today. And then seeing this place—I’m sure you can understand it’s all a bit overwhelming.”

“That’s why staying in a hotel in Wickenburg and having a nice meal would be a better option for you tonight. I’m not even sure if the utilities are still turned on in the house.”

He must be thinking she was too stupid to plan ahead. Or perhaps he thought she was the impulsive sort who didn’t think five minutes ahead of her. Either way, she wished he’d simply go. Just looking at his broad shoulders and rugged face was playing havoc with her senses.

“Everything is on and ready to go,” she said. “All I need to do is carry in my bags. And I can certainly manage that task.”

“If you insist on staying, I’ll carry your bags for you,” he told her. “In a few minutes. After you’ve gathered yourself.”

How was she supposed to compose herself with him sitting a few inches away looking like he’d just stepped off the screen of a gritty Western movie? With amber-brown eyes fringed with black lashes, lips that squared at the corners and dared a woman to kiss them, he certainly had the appearance of a tough leading man.

Looking away, she swallowed and wondered what had happened to the breeze she’d felt earlier. All of a sudden the heat index felt worse than triple digit.

“Do you always patrol this area?” she asked while wondering what her chances had been of meeting this man.

“I don’t exactly patrol it,” he answered. “I was on my way home. I live with the rest of my family about five miles from here on Three Rivers Ranch”

Surprise tugged her gaze back to his face. “Family? You have a wife and children?”

A shuttered look wiped all expression from his face. “No. I’m not a family man. I meant my mother and siblings. I have three brothers and two sisters.”

“And you all live together.”

“That’s right. My family has owned Three Rivers for a hundred and forty-five years. We wouldn’t know how to live anywhere else.”

She wasn’t sure if the last was said in jest or if he was serious. Even though Joseph Hollister’s face was very easy on the eyes, it was difficult to read. So far she got the impression he was a very sober young man.

Her curiosity pricked, she asked, “Oh. Does your ranch boundary touch mine?”

“Only for a short distance. On the east side. You see, our ranch covers about seventy thousand acres.”

A number that made her one thousand acres seem minuscule, Tessa thought. “I see. So that makes us neighbors.”

His thick, dark brows lifted ever so slightly. “So it seems. That is, if you’re planning on sticking around.”

She drew in a long breath and let it out. “I’ve not made any definite plans yet. This inheritance has all happened so suddenly and—unexpectedly.”

“Well, I’m sure you have a family back in Nevada to consider first.”

Except for the Calhouns, she’d been without a family ever since her mother had died. But she was far too emotionally weary to go into that part of her life now. Especially with this Arizona lawman.

“I do have people back there. But no husband or children. I’m only twenty-four,” she said, as if that explained everything.

Up until now, the sporadic sound of a two-way radio could be heard through the open window of his SUV, but he’d basically ignored the crackly exchange. However, his trained ear must have caught something in the dispatcher’s words that called for his attention because he suddenly rose to his feet.

“Sorry,” he said. “I need to answer that call.”

He quickly strode off to the vehicle and Tessa used the moment to climb the remaining steps and cross a small yard with fresh-cut grass and a bed full of yellow and purple irises. At the front door, she fished a key from the pocket on her jeans and let herself into the house.

A small entryway with two long windows and a lone potted cactus led into a spacious living room furnished with a mixture of comfortable furniture, a TV and several table lamps. Paintings and enlarged photos of area landscapes decorated the cream-colored walls, while rugs woven in colorful southwestern designs were scattered over the hardwood floor. Along the front wall, heavy beige drapes covered the windows and blocked out most of the waning sunlight.

Everything about the room felt warm and welcoming, as if it had been waiting for her to walk in and make herself at home. The odd sensation left goose bumps on her arms and she tried to rub them away as she walked over to a big brown recliner. The soft leather was slightly faded on the headrest and she wondered if this had been the retired sheriff’s favorite chair. Had he sat here watching TV or reading? Or simply dreaming about life?

Oh, God, why did it matter so much to her? Why did questions about her mysterious benefactor keep pushing and prodding her?

Her fingers were trailing thoughtfully over the worn headrest when Deputy Hollister stepped into the room.

His boots thumped against the hardwood floor and from the corner of her eye, Tessa watched him move around the shadowy space, his keen gaze surveying the surroundings as though it were a crime scene.

“Everything looks just like it did when Ray was here. I imagine Sam has been keeping it all cleaned and dusted. That’s Samuel Leman,” he explained. “He’s worked for Ray for more years than I can remember.”

Tessa had imagined she’d be exploring the house on her own. The last thing she’d been expecting was to have a sexy deputy give her a guided tour. Especially one that appeared to have been well acquainted with the late sheriff.

“I see. Does Samuel live here on the property?”

His gaze landed on her and, without even realizing what she was doing, she pulled her hands away from the recliner and stuffed them into the back pockets of her jeans.

“No. After Ray died, he moved to a little house about three or four miles from here. You passed it on the way. A peach-colored stucco with a bunch of goats out back.”