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It was obvious—he was a man. A lawman. It all boiled down to testosterone and training.
“I’d be happy to read the papers and advise you,” she offered. “You can’t turn down free legal advice.”
“Watch me. Thanks, but no thanks.” He snapped out the words like pistol shots, sharp and shocking.
Before she cross-examined him, common sense prevailed. It was none of her business. She’d offered help and he’d turned her down. End of story.
“I have to find the girls,” he said quickly, and there was a hint of desperation in his voice. “I need to get them home.”
“Yeah, it’s getting late.”
Before he could answer, there was a metallic galumphing on the bleachers. Kasey and Stacey, followed by their best friend, Faith Benson, hurried toward them. The three nine-year-olds were a study in contrasts. Faith was blue-eyed and fair skinned with a cap of dark, curly hair. The twins were tan, blond and brown-eyed. They took after their mother, and were identical. But they’d confided to Jensen how to tell which was which. Stacey had an almost invisible scar at the edge of her hairline caused by a run-in with the corner of a table when she was a toddler. S for Stacey and scar. With bangs over it, no one could see, or tell her from her sister.
“Hi, Jensen,” they said in unison.
“Hi,” she answered, folding her arms across her chest.
“Hi, Daddy,” the two girls said together.
“Hey, you two.” He pulled them close, one on each side of him. “Hi, Faith.”
“Daddy, we have a completely brilliant idea.”
“Beyond brilliant,” Kasey added.
“Is that right?” He sat down on the bleacher bench and settled the girls, one on each knee. Their friend stood watching.
“Dad, you’re squishing me,” Stacey complained.
“Me, too,” said her sister, squirming.
“Sorry.” The sheriff loosened his grip slightly.
Jensen studied him with his children. Was it just her imagination, or was he hanging on to them for dear life? As the girls chattered, she noticed that he scanned the crowd like a secret service agent protecting the president of the United States. This behavior was a complete contrast to the laid-back lawman he’d been a few minutes before receiving the papers.
If she was a betting woman, she’d wager that summons had something to do with his children.
“So that’s why we think it would be a good idea for us to spend the night at Faith’s house,” Kasey finished.
“What?” he asked, turning his attention to the eager little girls.
“Weren’t you listening, Dad?” Stacey brushed her hair off her forehead. “We want to spend the night at Faith’s house.”
“No,” he said sharply. “I want you home.”
Identical faces creased with disappointment. “But why?” they said together.
“My mom said it was okay,” Faith added.
Jensen studied the girl and somehow knew that the little schemer was fibbing. She couldn’t be sure whether or not it was a conspiracy.
“That’s right,” Kasey said. “We asked Maggie and she said it was okay with her if it was okay with you.”
“She did, Dad,” Stacey piped up. “Honest.”
Aha, Jensen thought. Collusion. With malice aforethought, if the knowing glances exchanged by the three amigos were anything to go by. He was being tag-teamed big-time. She recognized the technique because she and Taylor had done the same thing to their father until tutoring from their mom had wised him up. Did Grady have a clue what they were doing?
“I’ll just go talk to Maggie and see what she has to say.”
A superhero, able to leap conniving kids in a single bound. That was refreshing. Or maybe dealing with crackpots and criminals gave him the edge of cynicism he needed to keep their feminine wiles-in-training from overpowering him.
“Kasey, Stacey,” Faith said, “I’ll see you guys in a little while. I hafta go check in with my mom.” Before Grady could stop her, she turned and raced down the stairs.
The twins started to wiggle off his lap, but he held on.
“Not so fast.” He checked the arena, then looked at Jensen. “The final events are about to start. I have to go make sure that my staff is in place. It’s been nice talking to you. I’ll take the girls with me.”
“Aw, Dad. We can take care of ourselves. It’s so dumb hanging out with you when you’re working. We’ll die of boredom.”
Which twin was it? Jensen wasn’t sure. The speaker brushed her hair off her forehead and she identified Kasey.
Grady looked at the girl and tucked a strand of blond hair behind her ear. “Kase, I don’t want you unsupervised. There are a lot of strangers here.”
“So.” The girl looked around. “We talked to a nice man just a little while ago. Remember, Jensen?”
“What man?” Grady asked sharply.
Jensen shrugged, trying to recall. “I was sitting here with the girls feeding them junk and braiding their hair and a man walked up to us.”
“What did he say?”
“Small talk,” she said. “He wanted to know if the girls were mine. He asked about you, where you were.”
“What did you tell him?” he asked, frowning.
“That you’re Destiny’s sheriff.”
“Anything else?”
Jen shook her head, but she’d been around the legal system long enough to know when she was being officially questioned. “You joined us right after that and he disappeared. I haven’t seen him since.”
“I want you guys to stay with me,” he told the girls.
“Aw, Dad…”
“There’s too many wackos and weirdos around,” he said sternly.
“Dad, this is Destiny. Nothing bad happens here,” Kasey said.
A muscle in his jaw contracted, but when he spoke, his tone was calm. “Mostly that’s true. But sometimes stuff happens even here.” He looked at each of his daughters in turn.
“We could hang out with Faith and Maggie,” Stacey suggested.
Grady shook his head. “Maggie’s busy with her booth. If she doesn’t have customers, she’ll be packing up. I can’t take a chance.”
Interesting choice of words, Jensen thought, noticing that the worry creases in his forehead deepened. What was going on?
Identical pairs of brown eyes focused on her. “Can we stay with Jensen?”
“I can’t ask her—”
“Of course I’ll keep an eye on them,” she volunteered.
“Awesome,” the two girls said together.
“Wait a second. I didn’t give the all clear,” he reminded them.
“But you’re gonna. Right, Dad?”
He met Jensen’s gaze. “You don’t have to do this. I don’t think boredom killed anyone yet.”
When he looked like that, she wondered how she could say no to anything he asked. It bothered her until she remembered he hadn’t asked. The girls had. But when she saw those two sweet, eager little faces, she couldn’t say no to them, either. Like father, like daughter. She couldn’t resist him—them. She meant them. He wasn’t irresistible. She wouldn’t let him be.
“I’d like spending time with the girls.”
He smiled, and the tension in his face eased a bit. “Okay. I’m going to take you at your word. If you’re sure—”
“I am.”
“No more junk,” he warned.
She put her hand over her heart. “I swear.”
He kissed both of the girls, then left.
“Jensen, my French braid came out.”
“Can you do my hair that way, too?”
“I would be happy to,” she agreed. “I am woman—I can multi-task. But two at once would take more than my two bare hands. So one at a time. Okay?”
“Okay,” they said together, giggling.
As she worked on twisting Stacey’s hair into the intricate style, Jen scanned the arena. The final events had started. She wasn’t sure who should be more grateful to whom. Grady to her for watching the girls while he worked. Or her to him for giving her a distraction against the onslaught of awful memories brought on by the imminent bull-riding competition.
And then there was the question of what was in that lawsuit that Grady O’Connor wouldn’t talk to her about.
After the medical transport chopper left and he dispersed the milling crowd in the arena, Grady hurried into the stands to find his girls and Jensen. Ronnie Slyder was semiconscious after a run-in with the bull he’d ridden to win the competition. The teenager had been airlifted to a hospital twenty miles away. Hannah Morgan, the doctor who was filling in for Doc Holloway at the rodeo and in his office, had gone to the facility with Dev Hart to make sure everything medically possible was done for the kid. As Grady surveyed the area, he noted that the crowd had all but cleared out.
He wasn’t sure whether or not that reassured him. Some creep was suing him, then he’d found out that a stranger had approached his girls and was asking questions. He didn’t like this one bit. All he wanted was to get the girls home.
That was all he wanted until he took one look at Jensen’s tense white face. No matter what he thought of the guy she’d married, Jensen had loved him and he’d been killed in an accident similar to the one tonight. Even though it was ten years ago, she would have to be a robot not to be shook.
He pulled the hand radio from his belt and pushed the button. “Deputy Haines?”
“Yeah, Sheriff?” a voice asked through his receiver.
“Meet me in the bleachers.”
“Right.” There was a click and the line was silent.
Grady walked up the stairs and greeted the girls. “Hey, you guys. Doin’ okay?”
Two identical pairs of solemn brown eyes and one-of-a-kind serious green ones regarded him.
“Is Ronnie going to be okay, Daddy?” Kasey asked.
“I sure hope so, honey. I’m going to check on him as soon as I make arrangements to get you two home.”
They both nodded and he was relieved that he wasn’t going to get an argument. He’d had about all he could deal with tonight.
Deputy Haines walked up the several steps and joined them. He was young, just twenty-one, with black hair and blue eyes and a face that barely needed a razor. But he was trustworthy and would put himself between the girls and trouble. Grady would stake his life on it.
“What’s up, Sheriff?”
“I want you to take my girls home and stay with them until I get there.” He looked at them and noted the big yawns that meant there wouldn’t be any arguments about bedtime. “Kasey, Stacey, I want you guys in bed, and don’t give Deputy Haines any trouble. Got it?”
“Yes, sir,” they said, their voices sleepy.
“I’ll take good care of them, Sheriff.”
“I know.”
Grady watched the three as they walked down the stairs. At the far end of the arena a black-and-white SUV belonging to the sheriff’s department was parked, and the three got in and drove away.
With a sigh, he sat next to Jensen. She still hadn’t said a word. “You okay?” he asked.
“Fine.” She reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Her hand shook, putting the lie to the single word.
“Really?”
“Of course,” she said, clamping her teeth together when she started to shiver.
Since the night was far from cold, he knew she was beginning to react. It was as if she’d held it together for the kids. Now that she was no longer responsible for them, she was letting go. Her whole body was trembling. He was really concerned about her.
Grady put his arm around her, pulling her against him. “It must have been awful when Zach died.”
“Yeah. Awful.”
“Tell me.”
“N-no.”
Grady had a strange sort of déjà vu feeling. The past was knocking up against the present. He wasn’t sure why, but he was creeped out. First Mitch had come back and made things right with Taylor. Now Jen was here. The summons to answer a lawsuit that he’d received tonight. The bull-riding accident had obviously reminded her of losing the man she’d loved—and still did, if the look on her face was anything to go by.
That bothered him, and right now he was in no shape to analyze why. But one thing he knew—as much as he didn’t want to hear anything in hushed, reverent tones about the jerk she’d married, he couldn’t just walk away from her.
“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he urged, tightening his arm around her.
She looked at him with huge, haunted eyes. For a moment he thought she was going to refuse. Then she nestled against him and sighed.
“It was in Las Vegas. I hadn’t seen him all day. We were supposed to meet before the rodeo, but…”
“What?” he prompted.
She hesitated and he waited for her to tell him that the creep had stood her up. That she’d seen him with another woman. That he’d made some lame excuse to avoid his responsibilities. All typical things he’d done when Grady had known him.
Then Jensen shrugged. “It’s not important. I was in the stands. Like tonight. He had a good ride. The next thing I knew, he was on the ground as still as a stone.”
A shiver shook her and he drew her into his arms, holding her against him, willing his warmth into her. He waited for her to speak again.
“I raced from the stands to the arena, but when I got there, he was already gone. They told me later he died instantly.” She leaned back slightly and he loosened his hold. “It all came back tonight when I saw that boy lying there. Is he going to be all right, Grady?”
“Hannah said—”
“Hannah?”
“Dr. Morgan. She said his vital signs were strong but without diagnostic equipment that was all she knew.”
“At least he was still alive. But…” Her expression was stricken.
“How about if I walk you up to the house and we’ll call the hospital. See if they can give us any information on his condition.”
“Okay.” She started to stand, then hesitated. “You don’t need to baby-sit me, Grady. I appreciate the shoulder to lean on, but I’m fine now. The twins need you, and I’m sure you’re anxious to get home to them.”
“Yeah. And I will.” He stood up. “After I see you home and check on Ronnie.”
“But…”
“I trust Deputy Haines. The girls are in good hands. They need to get some rest. In the morning we’ll have a talk about it. I’ll probably have some good news by then on Ronnie’s condition.” He held out a hand to her.
“You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?”
“Nope.”
She put her hand in his and he pulled her to her feet.
A short time later they were standing on the front porch of the ranch house. When they’d arrived, Grady had found Mitch on the phone to the hospital. Ronnie was undergoing tests, but he was conscious and all the signs were good. Hannah had told him that tests were done as much to rule out problems as find them. She was optimistic that the teenager would be just fine.
Finally Jensen had insisted he go home to his girls and had walked him outside. The front porch was lit up like the town square at Christmas. He could see the shadows lingering in her eyes.
“Thanks for walking me home, Grady. I appreciate it. Tell the girls hello and give them a kiss for me.”
He stared into her beautiful face for a moment, then before he thought it through, he leaned close and lowered his mouth to hers. First he tasted surprise on her lips and slid his arm around her waist to draw her closer. Fully expecting her to pull away, he wondered why she didn’t. Then he stopped thinking at all and gave himself up to exploring the perfection of her mouth.
Lips as full and soft as clouds met his own. He tunneled his fingers into her hair, gently urging her to make the contact more firm.
She smelled so good. Her hair was like silken strands tangled in his fingers. The sound of her rapid breathing heated his blood as it raced through his veins. Her soft femininity lured him into a sensuous haze and he never wanted it to clear. Suddenly the front door opened, spilling more light onto the porch.
“Oops,” Taylor said. “Sorry, Grady. I’ll catch you later, Jen.”
But Jensen instantly backed out of his arms. Then the light disappeared and a soft snick told him they were alone again.
Jen ran a shaky hand through her hair. “Why did you do that?”
The words, wrapped in her breathless, sexy voice, burrowed inside him, and all his nerve endings went on tactical alert. If he’d known the answer to her question, he would have answered it. But he didn’t have a clue why he’d kissed her. More important, he didn’t want to examine his motivation too deeply.
“I just wanted to take your mind off what happened tonight,” he said lightly. “Give you something else to think about.”
“Replace a bad memory with a good one?”
“Is it a good one?”
“You’re fishing for compliments again, Sheriff.”
There was a trace of teasing in her tone, but it was forced. He could tell. In spite of the fact that she’d been married, there was an air of innocence about her. Hell of a quality for an attorney. But innocent best described her as far as he was concerned.
“Nope. Not me. Just trying to do a good deed.”
“You’re quite a combination of knight in shining armor and the guy in the white hat, aren’t you?”
“It’s a gift.”
“Well, let me return the favor.”
“Yeah? How?”
“That summons has something to do with the twins. Let me take a look at it so I can help.”
Chapter Three
After making the statement, Jensen put some distance between herself and the sexy sheriff. She leaned her back against the front porch support and folded her arms over her chest, letting the evening breeze cool her hot cheeks.
Why had he kissed her? She didn’t completely buy his selfless, good-guy act. On the other hand, she would rather believe he was chivalrous as opposed to attracted. Because she was infatuated enough for both of them, and that was so not what she wanted. If she let it, their meeting of mouths could be a life-altering experience and she had no reason to want her life altered in any way, shape or form.
He’d told her earlier his bachelor status was based on attraction and approval. He needed to be attracted to a woman that his girls approved of. So far that hadn’t happened for him. Tonight she’d gotten along pretty well with the persnickety O’Connor twins—meaning one hurdle crossed. After that kiss, she issued an all-points bulletin to her heart—do not under any circumstances approach the suspect with the intention of apprehending his heart.
With that directive uppermost in her mind, bantering with him after that earth-moved-under-her-feet experience was the hardest thing she’d ever done. Her first legal argument in front of the toughest judge in Dallas had been a walk in the park by comparison.
Bringing up the summons he’d received earlier was the only thing she could think of to take the heat off herself and put it squarely back on him where it belonged.
She let out a long breath. “So what do you say, Grady? Want to talk about who’s suing you and why?”
“No.”
“Just like that? No? I thought you law-enforcement types were trained in methods of negotiation.”
“You’re thinking of the FBI.”
“But don’t they teach you how to interrogate perps, how to meet them halfway to get the information you want?”
He shrugged, and the shoulder movement did things to his body that made her knees weak. “It’s not worth wasting your time.”
“As an officer of the law you should know better. Anyone can bring suit. It’s up to a judge to decide whether or not it has merit. That’s where I come in.”
She watched him rest a hip against the porch railing beside her, one booted foot grounding him, the other dangling back and forth. Very masculine. She made a conscious effort to inhale deep, calming breaths. If he was a couple of inches closer, she would be able to feel the heat from his body. The thought made her shiver, and she stepped up those deep, calming breaths.
After clearing her throat she said, “It’s my job to convince the judge that whoever is suing you has no merit to his case.”
“I can handle it.”
“The worst thing you can do is be casual about this, Grady. It’s about your children.”
In the moonlight she saw him frown and the lines of his face tighten. “I never take anything about my children for granted. And don’t look now, Counselor, but I haven’t confirmed your guess that it has anything to do with them.”
“It’s more than a guess.”
“How can it be?”
“The fact that right after getting those papers you were holding on to the girls so tightly they could hardly breathe. Then you sent them home with an armed guard. It couldn’t have been more clear if you’d taken out a billboard on Interstate twenty.” The worry lines between his eyebrows deepened. “You went from teasing to terrified in four little words—You’ve just been served.”
“Okay. You win.”
“Yes, I do. More often than not. Every time I go into court I’m prepared. I’ve done my homework and try to make sure there are no surprises. I’m very good. So what gives, Grady?”
“Someone is suing me for custody of the girls.”
The grim look on his face told her he was serious. Even though she’d had a feeling it was something like this, his confirmation of her suspicions surprised her. Only a relative would have a prayer of obtaining custody. Grady didn’t have anyone else.
“Who would do something like this? Lacey’s folks?” she asked.
“Her parents are both dead. There isn’t anyone else. If that’s what you’re thinking.”
“Actually I was thinking there’s a name on those papers you received, and sharing it would be a big help.”
“Not important,” he said.
“Okay. If you won’t tell me who, at least explain why.”
“How should I know?”
She straightened away from the porch support and jammed her fists on her hips. “For a smart man, you’re acting like a moron.”
“Don’t sweet-talk me, Jensen. Tell me how you really feel.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“That was sort of a rhetorical comment,” he said wryly. “I didn’t realize you’d stoop to calling me names.”
“If the shoulder holster fits…” She finished her statement with a shrug. “Look, Grady, I’m trained for this and I want to help. We’re friends. Why won’t you let me?”
“You don’t have to take on the world’s problems.”
“I’m not. Just yours—”
“Where were we?” he interrupted. “Oh, yes. I was trying to replace a bad memory with a good one until your sister so rudely interrupted us.” He put both boots on the wooden porch and took a step toward her.
She backed away and made a cross with her index fingers to ward him off. “A blatant attempt to sidetrack me and it’s not going to work.”
He grinned. “How will you know unless we try?”
If he continued to smile at her like that she would try anything and probably forget her own name. “Knock it off, Grady. This is serious. And you’re not as charming as you think.”
“Yes, I am.”
Yes, he was. But it didn’t quite distract her enough. She found it odd and disturbing that he wouldn’t tell her anything about the lawsuit. Granted, they hadn’t been close friends for years. But he’d seen how shaken she was when the teenage bull rider had been injured, and had stayed with her. A trusted deputy had taken his girls home. Even with the problem that had been dropped on him just that night, he’d flatly refused to leave her.
Her heart skipped at the thought and warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with a June evening in Texas and everything to do with how sweet and thoughtful Grady O’Connor was. After all these years on her own, his warm, supportive presence was like a light at the end of a long black tunnel. She just hoped the beam wasn’t attached to a speeding locomotive.
“I’ll take your silence as agreement on my charm,” he said.
“I’m immune to charming men.”
“Oh? Let’s test that defense.”
He put his arm around her waist and loosely settled her against his chest. Cupping her cheek in his big, warm hand, he started to lower his mouth to hers.
“I’m fine. I don’t need the distraction.” Jensen stepped away from the circle of his arms. “And you can’t afford to take this situation lightly.”
“It’s just a nuisance suit.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants.