Harlequin Intrigue, Box Set 1 of 2 (2 page)

Jericho nodded. “I figured that'd come more in the form of a favor, like buying you a horse or something. Or if you needed me to whip somebody's butt for messing with you.”

And then it hit him. What this visit might really be about. “You don't think we're going to make the same mistake again of having sex?” he asked.

“A mistake,” she said under her breath. Not exactly an agreement, but Jericho couldn't quite put his finger on the tone in her voice. And he certainly didn't see a let's-have-sex look in her eyes.

Not exactly, anyway. Of course, when it came to Laurel and him, there was always heat. Unwanted heat. But heat nonetheless.

“No. I'm not here for
that
,” she verified.

“Good.”

His body didn't exactly agree with that. Never did when it came to Laurel, but after that last fiasco together, Jericho had learned his lesson. Play with fire. Get burned. Or in their case, get burned
bad
, because for a couple of hours, it had made him forget her scummy family.

And Jericho had paid for it.

Hell, he was still paying.

It was a good reminder because it made Jericho realize it was time for Laurel to leave. However, before he could even point to the door again, Laurel took his hand and put the rock in it.

“I do need a favor. A big one.” She swallowed hard. “Jericho, I need you to marry me.
Tonight.
”

CHAPTER TWO

Laurel wished she'd been able to come up with a better way to do this. Hard to come up with anything, though, with the tornado of emotions going on in her head. Of course, Jericho now had some emotions, too.

Bad ones, obviously.

Because the look he gave her let Laurel know that he thought she'd lost her mind. Maybe she had. But she didn't exactly have a lot of options here, and Jericho was still her best bet.

Even if he didn't believe that right now.

“Marry you?” Jericho repeated.

He was no doubt remembering the bad history between them. And he probably included their last one-nighter in that heap of bad history.

“It'll take more than a rock to make that happen.” He cursed, dropped it on the table. “What's going on here?”

Laurel had figured that would be his first response—anger and demands. It was certainly hers when this idea had first come to her. Still, she was hoping the blue rock and the promise that had gone along with it would buy her enough time so she could explain things before Jericho kicked her out.

No such luck.

He turned as if he was about to show her to the door, but then stopped. And studied her with those cop's eyes. The warm amber-brown color wasn't so warm right now, but Laurel had firsthand knowledge that they could be.

Every part of Jericho could be
warm
.

Again, it was firsthand knowledge fed by years of experience of kissing him. Touching him, wanting him. And then having that warmth vanish and cool to iceberg temperatures like those outside right now.

Well, except for that night over two years ago.

Those two years seemed like a lifetime. For her, anyway. Jericho looked the same except for the slightly longer brown hair. In other words, he still looked like the hot cowboy he'd always been. Maybe it was his DNA, those eyes or the fit of his jeans, but when a woman saw Jericho Crockett, she noticed.

Laurel had been no different.

“I need an explanation,” he pressed. “Like right now.”

Where to start?

She doubted Jericho would want her to get into the little details. Not just yet, anyway. Judging from the impatient stare, he was looking for the condensed version of why she'd called in a very old marker that to him was probably worthless.

Laurel picked up the rock, slipped it into the front pocket of his jeans, careful not to touch too much of him.

“I had a baby,” she finally said. “A son named Maddox. And my father is challenging me for custody.”

It crushed her to say that.

Crushed her even more to think that her father might succeed.

The tears came again, and Laurel tried to blink them back. She'd already cried an ocean of tears, and they didn't help. Now she had to focus on a fix for this. She had to do whatever it took to save her son.

“A baby?” His gaze skimmed over her body. “You don't look like you've had a kid. And the gossips around town sure haven't gotten hold of that tidbit.”

“I guess being several hundred miles away has kept the gossips from putting their noses in my business.” Added to that, she'd worked very hard to make sure the news stayed within her family and a very small circle of friends.

For all the good that'd done her.

Jericho huffed, and his hands went on his hips. “So, your father's challenging you for custody, huh? Guess that means you two had some kind of falling-out. Or maybe you finally learned what a sack of dirt he really is.”

“I've always known.” She let that hang in the air for a few moments. “But I stayed for my mother's sake. As sort of a buffer between him and her.”

He studied her. With some obvious skepticism in his gaze. There was a reason for that. Laurel had indeed defended her father over the years. Had believed his lies when he'd told her that his businesses would all be legitimate. Most of his lies, anyway.

And even that little shred of belief had cost her, big-time.

It'd cost Laurel her freedom. Her safety. It'd also cost her Jericho. What she needed to tell him wouldn't help, either.

“My mother had cancer and passed away,” Laurel said. “She died two weeks ago.”

“I'm sorry. Losing a parent is hard.” The look of sympathy that he gave her was genuine, but it didn't last. “I'm guessing after her death was when things fell apart with your father?”

“More or less.” Mainly
less
, but she'd save that for another time. “I don't think it'll come as a surprise to you that my father has influence over several judges. Doctors and psychiatrists, too. He's trying to declare me mentally and morally incompetent to raise my son. There's no truth to it,” she added, just in case Jericho doubted it.

Which he probably did.

But he also no doubt believed that her father wasn't competent to raise Maddox, either.

Jericho stayed quiet a moment. “And you think if you're married,
to me
, that your father will...what? Step back from this fight he has with you? Herschel's never backed off from anything, period.”

Her father wouldn't do that this time, either. Unless he had no choice. She had to make sure he didn't get that choice.

Because she needed it, Laurel took a moment, too. “If we're married, I'd sign over custody to you. Immediately. My father might have enough dirt on me to declare me incompetent, but he can't do the same to you.”

She hoped.

After all, Jericho had been the sheriff of Appaloosa Pass for well over a decade. He was respected by some. Feared by others. It would be next to impossible to fabricate enough to smear his reputation, and Laurel was hoping a corrupt judge would back down from trying to go after Jericho.

“What kind of dirt does Herschel have on you?” he asked. Of course, Jericho wasn't going to let that slide.

“My father manufactured some of it. Some of it was my own stupidity in handling one of his business accounts.”

And again, that was an explanation best saved for another day. She hadn't done anything knowingly, but she had known her father. Had known what he was capable of doing. Now that her father knew the whole truth, he would use anything to hurt her where it hurt the most.

By going after Maddox.

Jericho's stare got worse. So did his profanity. “Surely there's somebody other than me who can do this for you. Like your ex-fiancé?”

“He can't help,” she settled for saying. And, in fact, he was a big part of the problem.

“Really? You'd think the kid's father would have something to say about you asking another man to marry you.” A muscle flickered in his jaw. “What's your ex's name, anyway? Leo-something-or-other.”

“Theo James,” she supplied.

Jericho lifted his right eyebrow. “Oh, I get it now. Theo doesn't have a clean record, either, and your father will use that to get custody of his only grandson.” His eyebrow went higher. “You probably should have picked a different guy to hook up with, Laurel.”

She had. And Laurel would have told Jericho that, too, if the sound hadn't shot through the room. Since her nerves were already right there at the surface, she gasped, her body readying itself to fight yet another battle.

But it was just Jericho's phone.

“It's Jax,” he said, and quickly answered it.

Even though Jericho didn't put the call on speaker, Laurel was close enough to hear what Jax told him. “We caught the guy in the SUV. He was on the side of the road trying to switch out the bogus plates. I'm bringing him in now.”

The news caused Jericho's shoulders to relax a little, but that quickly ended when his gaze snapped back to her. “Good,” he said to his brother. “Has he said anything about why he did it?”

“Not a word. He's already lawyered up, but I'll see if I can get anything from him.”

“I want to talk to him,” Jericho insisted. “I won't be long. Laurel Tate's here, and I need to finish up some things with her.”

Jax paused. For a long time. “Laurel,” he repeated, the venom clearly in his voice. “Why the heck is she at your place?”

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.”

No, he wouldn't. Nor would Jax approve. Because like the rest of the Crocketts, Jax blamed her in part for his father's death. They'd never forgive her for that.

Laurel wouldn't forgive herself, either.

She wouldn't forgive herself for a lot of things.

Jax cursed, and she had no trouble hearing it. “Please tell me you're not getting mixed up with Laurel again,” he said to Jericho.

“No.” Jericho didn't hesitate. Of course, Laurel had known he wouldn't simply agree to marry her. But hopefully he would when he understood the big picture.

She could practically see Jax's puzzled expression, but he didn't press things. “I'll see you when you get here.”

And at that time, Jax would no doubt want a full explanation as to why their enemy's daughter was in his brother's house.

Jericho pushed the end call button and walked right past her. First to the kitchen so he could retrieve his badge from the counter. Then, toward his bathroom, she quickly realized, when she followed him.

“Look, I sympathize with this problem you're having with your father,” he said, taking a bandage from the medicine cabinet. “Herschel shouldn't be raising any kid. But I can't help you.” Jericho slapped the bandage on his shoulder and then went into his bedroom.

She followed him there, too.

Even though there were dozens of things on her mind, important things, Laurel still felt the punch from the old memories here. The room hadn't changed much in the twenty-two years since she'd been here for the first time.

Since she'd landed in that bed with Jericho.

Laurel made the mistake of looking at him before she could rein in the heat that trickled through her. A big mistake. Because Jericho saw that heat, and he scowled at her.

“My answer's not going to change,” he insisted, taking a gray shirt from the closet. Once he had it on, he clipped on his badge. “It doesn't matter what happened between us on that bed. Or what happened over two years ago.”

Laurel was about to tell him that it did indeed matter, but this time it was her phone that rang. She took it from her pocket, and when she saw her father's name on the screen, she let it go to voice mail—along with the other dozen messages he'd left her in the past couple of hours. She didn't have to listen to the message to know what he was demanding again.

That she hand Maddox over to him.

Or else agree to every detail of his sick plan.

She didn't intend to do either one of those.

“I can't let him get his hands on my son,” she whispered.

“Good luck with that.” It sounded like a dismissal, but she thought she saw some concern in Jericho's eyes. “I take it you've hidden the baby so that Herschel can't find him?”

She nodded. “He's with a friend I trust.”

“A friend,” he repeated, that cop's stare coming at her again. “But I'm guessing this is a friend who can't help you with your marriage problem.”

“No.”

He huffed, scrubbed his hand over his face. “I can't do this. What I can do is make some calls and arrange a safe house where you can stay until you work things out with Herschel. For now, I need to get to the station to question this dirt-for-brains suspect.”

Yes, Jericho had made it crystal clear that he had more important things to do and no intention of helping her. So, Laurel pulled out the big guns. Or rather, the picture. It was the screen saver on her phone, and she held it up for him to see.

“That's my son, Maddox,” she said.

Laurel didn't need to see the picture to be able to describe it in complete detail. The precious little boy with the blondish-brown hair, amber eyes and a melt-your-heart kind of smile.

Not a newborn baby.

As Jericho had likely been expecting.

Since Laurel was watching him so closely, she saw the change in his expression when he began to connect the dots. It wasn't a huge change. Just the muscles in his face going tight for a moment. Followed by a head shake, and then that lethal stare came back to her.

“How old is he?” Jericho asked. Except it wasn't just a question. It was a demand spoken through clenched teeth, and he practically ripped the phone from her hand for a closer look at the picture.

Laurel tried to steel herself for what was no doubt about to be a fierce storm. “He's eighteen months.”

There. That was the last bit of information that Jericho needed so he could finally understand why she'd had come to him. Why their marriage had to happen and happen fast.

Why she couldn't turn to anyone else.

“Yes,” Laurel verified. Her voice cracked, and she had to clear her throat before she could continue. “Maddox is your son.”