Cowboy Command (9 page)

“
Yes.  They said I couldn’t tell her.  That she might tell my boss.  She got me the job with him.”

“
The guy who wants you dead?”  Seth’s voice was soft and close to her ear. 

“
Yes, although it doesn’t sound like him.  He’s kind of a nerd, if the truth be known.  He doesn’t seem like a guy who orders people dead.  He’s no Tony in Scarface.  He’s more like Sheldon in Big Bang Theory.”

“
Can I ask what they think he’s done?”

“
They think he’s selling arms to terrorists.”

Saying it out loud sounded pretty awful.  Seth must have thought so too
, as she was promptly hauled up on his lap.

“
Arms to terrorists?  What does Sheldon do?”  She didn’t correct Seth about Randall’s name.

“
He’s a weapons manufacturer.  I was his administrative assistant for the last six months.”

Seth whistled. 
“And your sister got you the job?”

She nodded, her chin rubbing against the cotton of his shirt. 
“I’d been out of work for awhile.  The economy isn’t great in Florida and although I inherited a house from my stepfather, my sister’s father, I still needed to be able to pay bills.”  She played with a button on his shirt.  “I kind of quit college and haven’t gone back.  Yes, I know I should.”  She nibbled on her lips as she tried to explain something even she often thought was inexplicable.  “I quit between my junior and senior year.  I’d been dating my professor.  I found out he was married with a couple of kids.  I was pretty broken up so I decided to take a semester off.  The semester sort of dragged on.”

There was no pity in Seth
’s expression, only understanding.  “He broke your heart?”

“
He was the first man I ever loved.” She shrugged, trying not to remember the days, weeks, and months of pain she’d felt over Oliver’s betrayal.  “But I understand now.”

Seth frowned. 
“Understand what?”

“
That men are driven by their hormones.  They’re driven to cheat.  Once I understood that, I knew I had to keep things casual in my relationships.  I can’t handle someone I love cheating on me.”

* * * *
*

Seth reeled at Presley
’s matter of fact tone.  She was speaking as if she was talking about a scientific discovery instead of some asshole’s weak, cowardly arguments for sticking his dick where it didn’t belong.  A man who was unfaithful or who lied wasn’t a man at all.  Integrity was the measure of a man.  His father had taught him that by the time Seth was five.

“
Presley,” he began, “that’s just an excuse men use.  We can control ourselves.  We are not slaves to our hormones.  There’s no good reason for a man to rape or cheat.  It’s not written in our DNA, honey.”

She looked doubtful. 
“I’ve seen a lot of men cheat.  My stepfather cheated on my mother.  I really loved him, too, but we weren’t enough for him.  He needed to sleep with another woman on the side.  He had another woman and baby.”

It sounded like Presley hadn
’t known many good men.  “Men can be faithful.  I’m sorry your stepfather and professor were assholes but not all men are like that.”

“
A lot are.”

He didn
’t argue.  He’d seen his share of jerks in his line of work.  “That’s true.  I won’t make excuses for other men.  I’ll just tell you that while we’re together, I won’t be seeing anyone else.  I’m a man of my word.”

She nodded. 
“I believe you.  I don’t know why I believe you but I do.”  She flattened her hand against his chest as if to feel his heartbeat.  It was important to Seth that she see he was trustworthy but he knew this was something he would have to prove to her over time.  Words weren’t going to do it.

He looked deeply into her eyes. 
“I have another question.  It’s a very important one and the future of our relationship relies on your answer.”

She smiled. 
“Shoot, Sheriff.”

He tucked a silky strand of hair behind her ear. 
“How do you feel about football?  Specifically the Broncos?”

She leaned down and kissed his lips softly.  No tongue, just a sweet, soft pressure he had to fight himself not to deepen. 
“I like football just fine.  I’m not a fan of any particular team so if you want me to root for the Broncos, I’m good with that.  Do you want me to turn on the pre-game shows?”

He chugged some of the soda and grinned. 
“Sounds good.  I’m hungry, too.  I can go pick us up something to eat.”

She pressed the Power button on the remote. 
“I went to the grocery store yesterday.  I don’t like to cook for only me, but I don’t mind cooking for two.  Do you like spaghetti?”

“
I love spaghetti.  Are you a good cook?”

“
I— I—” the color had drained from her face and she looked stricken.  She was staring at the television as if she’d never seen it before.  She pointed and seemed to be trying to speak, but the words weren’t flowing.  He turned to see what she was watching but couldn’t understand what she was so upset about.  He wrapped his arms tighter around her, tipping her chin up so he could look into her stricken eyes.

“
Presley, what’s wrong?  You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

She swallowed. 
“I have.  That’s Randall, my boss, on the news.”  She pointed again to the network cable channel she must have been watching when she’d last turned off the television.  “It’s his annual fundraiser for the city’s homeless.  He supports a shelter in town.”

Seth watched as a non-descript middle aged man in a tuxedo was interviewed by the reporter.  He grabbed the remote and zoomed the volume up in time to hear the reporter say that Randall Simon, a billionaire businessman, had raised over two million dollars for the local charity.  They made him sound like a really good-hearted philanthropist, always thinking of others before himself.  A quick look back at Presley
’s expression told him she wasn’t in love with this bozo, but she still looked distressed.

“
It appears they haven’t arrested him yet.  Did they tell you when they’re going to do that?” Seth asked.

Presley rubbed her forehead. 
“I never actually asked.  They said they needed to keep me safe while they finished building their case against him.  Honestly, I kept thinking this was all going to go away.  That they were wrong about Randall and that I would get to go home, and never have to testify.  Shit, I am such an idiot.  My car and house are destroyed.  Of course, this isn’t all just a mistake.  I’m so fucking stupid.”

Seth shook his head, trying to make sense of everything. 
“You mentioned this before.  What exactly happened?” 

Presley tilted her head. 
“Evan didn’t tell you?  Randall hid a bomb in my car.  He set it to go off when I was in it but I forgot my phone so I was heading back into the restaurant when the bomb went off.  It’s pure dumb luck I’m alive.”  She scrubbed at the tears that were trickling down her cheeks.  “They set my house on fire.  Burned it to the ground.  I wasn’t all that fond of the house since my liar of a stepfather left it to me, but it was paid off and it was mine.  It’s gone now.  Randall took everything.”

Holy fuck, this guy really wanted her dead.  Seth pulled her close, her head lolling on his shoulder. 
“Evan didn’t give me any details.  He only said he had a woman who was in danger and needed to be hidden.”  He wiped her tears away, her skin soft underneath his fingertips.  “And you’re not stupid.  Shit, you’re the best secretary I’ve ever had.”

“
Administrative assistant.”  Presley’s voice was muffled against his damp shirt.

“
Huh?”

“
You don’t call anyone a secretary any more.  They’re administrative assistants.”

He stroked her back, trying to get her to relax.  She was like a coiled spring in his arms. 
“Honey, I’ll call you whatever you want as long as you don’t leave me to manage the office by myself.  Hell, you can even be the boss if you want.”  He felt her muscles start to soften under his hands.  “You say you have to testify.  Did you suspect what he was doing?”

Presley straightened and moved off his lap.  He immediately felt the loss of her warmth and wanted to reach out and pull her back but it appeared she needed the distance to be able to talk about this. 
“No, which makes me look stupid, I guess.  Looking back, we did socialize with many people from foreign countries with varying feelings about the United States.  I didn’t think he was doing business with them.  I thought it was more of a networking thing.”

Seth didn
’t like the sound of the word ‘socialize’.  “You spent a lot of time with this guy?  You went to parties and things like that?”

Her face dropped down and into her bent knees. 
“I was dating Randall.  He was nice and undemanding.  I knew there was no danger of any love growing between us.”

Seth didn
’t like the pang of jealousy he felt hearing about it.  He wasn’t a jealous man by nature but there was something about this tiny, ferocious woman who brought out instincts he never knew he had.  He wanted to protect her and keep her all to himself, which wasn’t like him at all.  In fact, when he was with Presley, he felt like a different man.  He could joke and relax and just be himself.  He rarely felt that way with other people.  He tipped her chin up so she was forced to look him in the eye.  “It’s no big deal.  I bet he was charming and probably spent a lot of money on you.”

She started laughing and he scowled.  He hadn
’t said anything funny.  He was trying to be understanding, dammit. 

“
Randall was far from charming.  I told you he was a big geek.  He was easy to be with, though, because he didn’t have any expectations about how people should act and talk.  As for spending money on me, I drew the line there.  I wasn’t with him for his money and I think he liked that.  We went to movies and ate at dives.  He liked to slum with me.  I only got dressed up fancy every now and then.  Mostly for business.”

Now
Seth was truly confused.  “If you go for a geek like that, what do you see in me?  I assume you’re attracted to me since you let me kiss you.”

She was smiling at him now. 
“Kind of.  You’re different.  Randall had no expectations and you have tons.  But you have two very important things Randall lacked.  Empathy and passion.  He didn’t have a speck of either.  You have both in spades.  You can feel for other people and the passion you have for your job, your family, your town, well, it really shows through.”  She shrugged.  “You look good in your uniform too.”

That set him on his heels. 
“He sounds strange.”

“
He is strange,” Presley said.  “A strange billionaire genius.  Like Tony Stark without the cleverness, sexiness, and social skills.”

Seth tapped out a rhythm on his thigh. 
“I’m not wearing my uniform today.”

Her hand cupped his jaw and her eyes were shining with mischief. 
“True.  You don’t look too bad in those jeans either.”

He leaned forward and let his lips leisurely explore hers, his tongue dipping inside her warm mouth.  He didn
’t hurry the kiss, but pulled her into his arms so he could not only taste her, but feel the softness of her skin and smell the scent of her silky hair.  Her hands were exploring his body, her palms gliding over his arms and chest.  His cock, ignored for too long, instantly jumped to attention, hardening against his fly.  He had to shift to relieve the pressure or it would have left dents in his flesh. 

When he finally lifted his head, his heart thudded in time with hers.  He pressed his hand to her chest so he could feel it underneath his fingers. 
“I want to make love to you, Presley.  I want to lay you on the bed and strip all your clothes from you.  I want to kiss and lick every inch of your soft skin before burying myself so fucking deep inside you we’ll both scream from the pleasure.  Do you want that?  Me?”

He waited as her eyes widened and her pupils dilated.  She was as aroused as he but it didn
’t mean she was ready to say yes.  He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, disturbed by how important her answer was to him.  He not only wanted her, fuck it, he needed her.  Every cell in his body cried out for this one woman.  No one else would do at this moment. 

Her fingers traced his lips
, sending tingles straight to his cock.  She smiled.  It was a woman’s smile.  The kind that said she had a secret and she was about to share it with him.  He held his breath in anticipation and fear.

“
You’re poetic for a cowboy.  I like it.  Yes, I want to make love with you.  I only have one request.”

He would have promised her the world right then. 
“Anything.  What do you want?”

“
Can I strip your clothes from your body, too?  It sounds like fun.”

Chapter Seven

Seth had a wicked grin on his face.  It made him even sexier and she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him down to her.  She yelped in surprise when he scooped her up in his arms to carry her the seven feet to the bed, located behind a flimsy room divider.  The apartment was small but it had everything she needed.  She certainly wasn
’t going to complain about how quickly they made it to the bed.  In seconds, he had her lying on her back, his hard muscled body above hers.  She gave in to the temptation to explore those muscles more thoroughly, plucking at the buttons on his shirt.  Seth was so strong, easily carrying her in his arms.  She was dying to see what his shirt covered and trace patterns on his skin with her tongue.

She had opened the last button and was pushing his shirt off his shoulders when his pocket started to vibrate.  He slumped back on the bed and sighed, glancing at the screen in resignation. 

“I need to take this.  I’m sorry, honey.”  His lips were pressed together as he swiped the screen.  “Seth,” he barked.  His facial expression changed rapidly from slightly pissed off to angry and frustrated.  She didn’t know who he was talking to but his answers were brief, almost monosyllabic.  It wasn’t a happy conversation.

“
Don’t worry, Trask.  They’ve done this before.  I’ll go out and put a stop to it.”

Seth stuck his phone back in his pocket and started to re-button his shirt.  She stilled his movements with her hands but knew from the hard line of his jaw it was only temporary.  He was a man on a mission and at the moment it wasn
’t to make her scream.

He sighed. 
“Honey, that was Trask.  There are some kids out on the road near his place raising hell and trying to get themselves killed.  I need to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“
Who’s on duty?  Can’t they go?”  It was a waste of time to argue with him in this mood but she couldn’t stop herself.  Her body was humming and she wanted him to stay with her.

Seth shook his head. 
“This is something I have to do.”

He didn
’t elaborate as to why and she was afraid to ask.  His face had turned to carved granite, almost forbidding in its coldness.  She marveled at how easily he moved between passion and duty.  He finished tucking in his shirt and started to turn toward the front door, but she captured his arm before he could get away.

“
Why don’t I come with you?”  She didn’t want to lose this connection between them.  She could feel him pulling away mentally as well as physically.  “Afterward, you can take me to eat.  Like a real date, Sheriff.”

A dozen or more emotions flitted across his face, and she was sure he was going to shoot her down so she was surprised when he nodded. 
“That’s a good idea.  This won’t take long.  I’m not going to arrest these kids, just scare them a little.”

She didn
’t have a chance to ask where they were headed as he bundled her into the car.  He drove like a bat out of hell until they were flying down a dirt road in the middle of nothing.  There was no one around, and in the distance she could see two pickup trucks coming toward them, side by side on the two-lane road.

Seth suddenly turned the wheel of his SUV, veering the truck so it was perpendicular to the road and crossing both lanes.  He opened the door and strode over to her side and stood in the middle of the road, arms akimbo.  It was as if he was daring them to come any closer.  It was only as the two pickup trucks drew closer that she saw why they were there.

A person, who looked like a boy, was straddling the rolled down windows of each truck, Footloose-style.  The drivers must have been practiced at this as the vehicles stayed side by side, one never moving ahead of the other.  The person had one foot on the door of each truck and was waving his arms in the air triumphantly.  Presley marveled at the balance and grace he or she displayed, but it didn’t stop the acceleration of her heart.  She imagined the worst, fear forming a pit in her stomach.  One misstep on the rider’s or driver’s part and they would be caught between the two cars, crushed under the wheels.  It was a grisly thought.

The trucks started to slow down, the dust trailing behind as their vehicles died down and the rider dove into one of the open truck windows.  Both vehicles came to a stop and Seth simply stood there, waiting for the people to get out of the trucks. 
Seeing them, Presley was struck by their youth.  She blew out a breath in relief, her heart resuming a more normal rhythm.

They were just kids.  Probably about sixteen or seventeen, the boys had acne and that gangly look they
’d eventually grow out of.  The girls were giggly and wore too much makeup and not enough clothes, not even jackets for the cold October weather.  One was wearing a short jean skirt with cowboy boots, while another clearly had forgotten her bra that morning.  They made Presley feel about a hundred years old.  She’d forgotten what it was like to be that young until this brought it back.  She’d felt invincible then.  Apparently, these kids felt the same.  She’d like to pull them aside and tell them how life could turn out, but it wasn’t the time. 

One of the boys ambled up to Seth cautiously. 
“Hey, Sheriff.  Thought you’d be watchin’ the Broncos today.”

“
That’s what I was planning to do until I got a call from Trask.  You scared the shit out of him.  He’s too old for your stunts, and you’re too young to realize how stupid you’re being.”

From her angle, she couldn
’t see Seth’s expression but she heard the exasperation in his voice with a touch of hard-ass anger.  The boy’s expression paled slightly and he took a step back, clearly out of his depth with a pissed off Seth Reilly.  One of the girls, however, had no qualms about stepping forward with a petulant look on her face.  She stuck out a painted lower lip, her hand on her hip, a tragic expression on her face.  Presley guessed that expression worked wonders with the girl’s parents.  It didn’t appear to be having any effect on Seth.

“
We were just having fun, Sheriff.” The girl took another step forward.  “It’s not going to end up like Trent Bauer.”

Seth sucked in a breath and muttered a
low curse word.  The girl must have seen immediately she had played her cards wrong, and took several steps back, bumping into the hood of the truck.  Presley hopped out of the SUV to stand next to Seth, who looked ready to explode.  For a moment, she feared he might hurt them, but then she remembered this was Seth.  He was always firmly in control, even if he did look madder than she’d ever seen him.

He got right into the four kids
’ faces, his eyes dark with anger.  “Do you think this is a joke?”  His voice was quiet but deadly cold, which only served to send a shiver up her spine.  “Do you think your parents will think it’s funny when I have to tell them that you were killed under the tires of a three-ton vehicle?”  He turned to the young woman, now cowering and close to tears.  “Think your parents will laugh when I show them your ripped-apart corpse after what happened to your brother when he was drinking and driving?  You don’t appear to have any more sense.”  Seth straightened up.  “What happened to my friend Trent could happen to any of you.  There was nothing special about that day.  He’s dead because we did something stupid.  We’d been told not to do it, but we did.  Now I’m here, and he’s not.”

One of the girls rolled her eyes and Presley could feel Seth stiffen beside her.  The girl looked at the other kids to back her up. 
“We weren’t doing anything.  We didn’t hurt anyone.  We were just having fun.”

The girl had Seth
’s undivided attention, which was probably not a good thing at the moment.  His gaze focused on the young girl, his expression hard.  “You almost scared Trask into a heart attack.  His reflexes aren’t what they used to be.  What if he couldn’t veer off or stop in time and ended up hurting one of you?  Or himself, for that matter?  Are you okay causing the death of another person?  Is that acceptable as long as you’re having
fun
?”

Seth
’s emphasis seemed to shake the girl’s confidence and she wisely stayed silent.  He hooked his thumbs into his pockets and surveyed the youths.  “I’ve a mind to call your parents.  I could also write both of you boys a ticket for reckless driving.  That would drive up your insurance rates and your parents wouldn’t be too damn happy about that either.”  He crossed his arms over his chest, giving them a stare that turned their faces white and their eyes wide with fear.  “What do you think I should do with you?”

The four kids glanced at each other and the first young man finally spoke up. 
“Give us a warning?” 

Seth smiled, but it wasn
’t a happy or loving smile.  His lips were curved but his eyes glittered like stones.  “I did that last time.  This time I think I won’t tell your parents, though.”  All four kids simultaneously sagged with relief, but Seth continued.  “You will tell your parents.  I’ll check and make sure you do.  If you think you’ve done nothing wrong,” Seth gave the young girl a hard stare, “it shouldn’t be a big deal.  I’ll give you one week to do it.”

All four kids started talking at once, clearly dismayed by Seth
’s edict.  The voices grew so loud Seth finally held up his hand.  “Hush.  If you don’t want to tell them, I will.  Your choice.”

Realizing they were beat, the kids nodded and drifted back to their vehicles, their shoulders hunched.  She and Seth watched as the kids reversed direction and headed off, blowing up dirt and dust in their wake.  It was a small bit of rebellion on their part, but Seth didn
’t bat an eye.  He turned on his heel and opened the passenger door of his SUV. 

“
Let’s get something to eat.”

Presley nodded and slid up onto the seat.  She didn
’t say anything, giving Seth time to calm down and let his anger drain away.  The drive to the barbecue place was silent and filled with tension.  Luckily, the restaurant had several wide screen televisions so they settled in to watch the Broncos game and eat some of the best beef brisket she’d ever tasted.  Seth slowly relaxed as the crowd cheered and booed at the game.  It was halftime before either one of them said more than an occasional “Pass the salt” or “This is really good.  Do you want to try a bite of mine?”

She took a casual sip of her ice
d tea.  “So who’s Trent Bauer?”

Pain flashed in Seth
’s eyes and then was gone.  “You heard that?”  He looked at a commercial playing on television then looked back at her.  “He was my best friend growing up.”

She didn
’t say anything else.  Seth was a man who kept his own counsel.  He didn’t spill his emotions all over the place and sure as hell wasn’t going to do it in front of a couple hundred people in a barbecue joint.  She went back to watching television, letting his words echo in her brain over and over.

Trent was Seth
’s best friend, and obviously something bad had happened.  It wasn’t any of her business really.  She wouldn’t push him to talk about something that was clearly painful.

“
He was straddling the two cars,” Seth said suddenly.  “Just like Adam was today.”  Seth’s throat worked and she reached out to grab his hand.  “I was driving one truck and Harley Madison was driving the other.  We did it all the time.  We were always trying to impress girls like that, doing crazy shit to get their attention.”  He shook his head.  “We’d heard about it from our parents and the sheriff a million times.  They told us we were going to end up breaking a leg or something.”

Seth paused, his eyes far away. 
“Breaking a leg would have been a good thing compared to what really happened.  It was a cold day.  Colder than today.  We were deep into November and it had snowed, but most of it had melted.  There was a patch on the road that had frozen again and when my truck hit it, the wheels spun.”

Presley listened in growing horror as Seth recounted that day in a tight voice
, as if he were trying to keep a rein on his emotions.  She didn’t respond.  She didn’t know what to say to such tragedy.  Seth took a long drink from his beer.  “I got control of the truck quickly.  Shit, I’d been driving in this weather since my dad put me behind the wheel at twelve.  It only took a split second and suddenly Trent was gone.  I couldn’t seem him anymore so I hit my brakes.  Harley had already done that but I didn’t know why.” 

She squeezed Seth
’s hand but he didn’t seem to notice, lost in the past.  “When Trent fell, he went under Harley’s tires.  Harley ran over him.  That’s why he stopped.  He’d run over Trent.”

Seth
’s lips curved into a smile.  “You had to know Trent.  He was the nicest damn guy I’ve ever known.  We laughed all the time.  He was the quarterback on the football team and I was a receiver.  He was smart and every girl in school wanted to date him.”  Seth’s smile fell.  “After I stopped the car, I ran back to where he’d fallen.  He was dead.  The doctor’s said it was a blessing he didn’t suffer.”

The thought of what Seth had seen that awful day wrenched at Presley
’s heart.  She’d been through some shit the last week or so, but her best friend hadn’t died.  No one she cared about had lost his life.  It was clear why Seth took protecting her so seriously.  Why he took the safety of his town so seriously.  Fuck, why he took everything so seriously.  Even where things were filed in the office.