My Kind of Trouble (9 page)

A horror-stricken look came over her
beautiful face and then tears filled her eyes. "Oh, my god..." she
gasped and then turned her pockets inside out. "I lost it." He saw
her swallow hard and then the tears started falling.

If there was one thing he couldn't stand it
was a crying woman. Especially this woman, one he'd never seen cry
before, and it made him damned uncomfortable to see it now. With a
growl, he pulled her into his arms and held her. "Shh...we'll find
it."

Finding that damned ring was the last thing
he wanted to do. He'd be happy if she
never
found it. It was
just a constant reminder that another man was going to have what
was supposed to be his. But he was going to help her. He didn't
like the heartbroken look in her eyes, or the sadness that was
evidently in her heart.

Cassie sobbed into his shirt and clutched it
with her fists, then hiccupped a couple of breaths, before looking
up into his eyes. "I--I--have to find it, Luke."

"I'll help you first thing tomorrow," he
told her then kissed her forehead and hugged her again. She
sniffled, and he rubbed her back. "Let's go get cleaned up and eat.
I'm starving." For more than food, he thought and squeezed her
again, before pushing her away and wiping at her tears with his
thumb.

***

Three days later, they still hadn't found
the ring and Cassie was in desperation mode. They'd searched all
over the barn, house and bunkhouse and even out by the tree in the
field where she'd been thrown. It was like looking for a needle in
a haystack.

Luke, true to his word, had helped her
search in earnest, although he didn't look any too happy about it.
He had been sullen and withdrawn since he'd kissed her at the house
the other night. Grumpy. That was a good word to describe him, but
still sexy as hell when he was brooding.

No matter what he was doing, he was sex on a
very tall stick, and she couldn't help her body's response to him
when he got near her. So she tried to avoid him as much as she
could. Thank goodness, he didn't seem intent on pursing her now, or
she'd be in real trouble, regardless of what he'd done to her ten
years ago. That was old news, but what she was feeling for him was
the same, yet so much more intense than back then. He was a man
now, filled out and definitely ready for action.

And guilt for noticing that fact was riding
her like a swayback mare. James had called yesterday before she'd
gotten back to the house, and she hadn't called him back. She
couldn't. Between what was stewing with Luke, and the fact she'd
lost the very expensive ring he'd given her, she didn't think she
could talk to him without breaking down. She'd call him once she
found the ring.

Cassie was in the barn this morning tearing
up the tack room searching for the ring on her hands and knees.
"Any luck?" Luke's deep voice sounded behind her and startled her.
She lifted up and bumped her head on a saddle rack.

"Ouch." she said and lifted her hand to her
head. "No, I still haven't found it."

"Get Honey saddled," he ordered gruffly.

"Why? I have to keep looking."

"We're going out to look by the tree again.
That has to be where you lost it. Either there or by the fence we
jumped." He said his brown eyes moving over her face then across
her chest and back up.

Her blood heated and she licked her lips.
"Okay, I'll be ready in ten minutes."

Luke nodded then turned away from her and
walked out the door. She sat there for a moment staring after him,
daydreaming about what ifs. Ten years ago, Cassie had thought Luke
was the real deal. A good man that cared about her. Before he broke
her heart. Before she'd gone running away like a little girl.

If the same thing happened today, she'd
handle it a lot differently. She'd confront him, make him face his
treachery, demand answers, and then she'd kick him in the balls.
Cassie was ten years older now and knew how to face down hard
truths and chip them into diamonds. The hard truth she faced right
now was that she was
not
over Luke Matthews.

Was there a hidden diamond there? She hadn't
thought so when she came here. But the facets that Luke was showing
her now made her wonder. Even though he probably hated her, he
stopped to help her fix her truck. She'd tried to push him away,
but he stubbornly stayed to help her manage the ranch, because her
daddy was down. Although she'd been a hard ass to him, he was
tender and loving when she'd gotten thrown out in the field, and
now he was helping her find another man's ring, even though she
knew he wanted her badly from the way he'd kissed her at the house
the other night. It all didn't add up to the heartless bastard
she'd written him off as ten years ago.

Maybe her dad was right and he had changed.
Or maybe he hadn't changed at all, and she'd just misjudged him?
Cassie blew out a breath and went to stand when a shadow fell over
her from the doorway and she looked up to see a stranger standing
there with his thumbs dangling through his belt loops.

CHAPTER FIVE

"Well, ain't you a pretty little filly," the
greasy-looking man drawled, his eyes moving over her body, before a
shifty grin appearing on his cracked lips. He was probably
thrity-five or so but looked a lot older. He also looked like he
hadn't shaved or bathed in a few days. His worn jeans were stained
at the knees and his hands and nails were dirty.

"What can I do for you?" She asked firmly
then widened her stance so she could run if she had to.

"Oh, there's a lot you can do for me little
lady," he said and stepped inside and moved toward her.

"Who the hell are you?" Cassie took a step
back from the unkempt man, but his smell still insulted her
nostrils. Horse shit and sweat weren't smells she cherished.

"Name's Randy...and who are you sweet
cheeks?"

Cassie bowed up at him and put her hands on
her hips. "Well, Randy, I think you need to tell me what the hell
you're doing on my ranch before I scream the place down and you
have fifteen ranch hands on your ass."

"Ain't nobody here for you to yell for,
missy. So we're gonna have us a little fun." He moved closer to her
and backed her into the saddle rack. She almost gagged from his
stench up close.

Pushing against his round chest, Cassie
struggled against his hands which were now on her hips pulling her
toward him. She brought up her knee between his legs as hard as she
could, but he turned to the side and she caught his thigh. He
grunted and then his fingers dug into her shoulders painfully.
"Settle down now and I won't hurt you," he growled near her
ear.

She sucked in a deep breath then let loose a
scream that would have peeled the paint off the walls inside the
house, at the same time she boxed his ears with her closed fists.
He leaned back at the last minute, so her blow landed on his jaw
instead, then he grabbed her shoulders and shook her until her
teeth rattled.

Cassie screamed again and jerked hard enough
that she got loose, but he pulled her back against him before she
could take a step, and put his hand over her mouth then threw her
on the ground and fell on top of her.

Breath whooshed out of her when they landed
and she was momentarily stunned. His heavy weight made it nearly
impossible for her to drag in a breath. Suddenly, his weight left
her back and she heard the sound of a fist hitting bone then a
grunt, and another crunch.

She gathered her wits and rolled over to see
Luke sitting on top of the man with his fist raised about to
deliver another smashing blow to the man's already bloody nose.

"You fucking bastard. I'm going to kill
you," Luke said in a strangled voice then cocked his elbow even
higher, before he swung it downward.

"Luke, no!" she gasped and surged to her
feet to catch his arm. His fist glanced off the man's ear instead
of landing on his nose. She slid her hands down his forearm to his
wrist and looked at his mangled fist, then placed a kiss near his
wrist. "Don't honey, he's not worth it."

Luke's chest was heaving and anger poured
off him in waves. He swallowed thickly, then looked at her. There
was a red haze in his eyes, that was slow to clear. Anger smoldered
there and something else. Hatred blacker than any she'd ever seen,
especially in this man's eyes. Even when he'd kicked Jimmy Jones'
ass when they were teenagers, he hadn't looked like this. Murder
had definitely not been out of the question here.

When Luke's breathing calmed down a little
he wiped his knuckles on the unconscious man's shirt and shook her
hand off his shoulder to stand up, then he stepped over the man. He
turned his back to her and leaned down with his hands on his knees.
"Get me a rope. I don't have my cuffs with me."

She scurried out through the door and
grabbed a rope down from the peg. Going back inside, she handed it
to him and watched as he rolled the man over and expertly hog-tied
his hands to his feet like a professional roper in a rodeo. She
expected to him to stand and throw his hands up for a time when he
finished, but he didn't. Instead, he walked over to her and pulled
her into his arms hugging her fiercely. "You sure know how to
attract trouble don't you, darlin'?"

She sighed deeply then gave him a watery
chuckle. "Looks that way, darlin'," she said and snuggled her cheek
against the soft cotton t-shirt of his t-shirt. Her arms went
around his waist and she hugged him back. "Thanks for the
rescue...again," she mumbled against his chest.

"I'll always be here for you, cupcake," he
said in a low growl then kissed the top of her head. Then he pushed
her away and looked her over carefully. "Did he hurt you?"

"Nah, but I'd have hurt him if I'd have
landed that knee to his balls. That's twice now that move has
failed me. I need to practice, I'm a little rusty." She lifted an
eyebrow then asked with humor in her eyes, "Care to volunteer?" Her
eyes followed his hand down when he moved it to cover his crotch
and she laughed.

"No way, sugar. I just barely avoided that
move the other night."

She glanced over at the unconscious man
lying on his side with his hands and feet trussed up behind him.
"What're we gonna do with him?"

"We're going up to the house to call Cole,
so he can come and haul this piece of trash out of here," he ground
out between clenched teeth then leaned over and picked up his hat
and dusted it off.

Luke saw interest spark in her blue eyes
then she said, "You and Cole still hanging out together?"

"He's my Chief Deputy...and still my best
friend. He's covering for me while I'm out here."

"Then I'll have to thank him," she told him
with a grin. "Maybe I'll ask him to come by for supper."

"He'd probably appreciate that." Although
his friend was loyal to a fault, he didn't really want him around
Cassie. Cole had been on the verge of asking her out himself way
back when, right before Luke had. Jealousy seemed to be a constant
knife twisting in his gut where she was concerned, and Luke
couldn't seem to stop it. Even his best friend wasn't immune from
him. Luke didn't want any man touching her...except him. And he
didn't have the right to do that anymore...not that it was going to
stop him.

They walked up to the house side by side and
ran into Bud on the way. Luke told him what happened and they found
out the man was the newest hand that Bud had hired. They had to
almost physically restrain Bud, when he grabbed his rifle from the
saddle and was headed out to the barn to take care of the scumbag,
as he'd called him. Instead, they managed to wrangle Bud up to the
house with them and Luke called Cole.

A little while later, Cole pulled up the
long dusty driveway of the ranch in his department-issued SUV and
pulled to a stop in front of the house. They all walked outside and
met him at the porch steps.

He got out of the truck and walked over to
them. "Jesus, Luke you take a vacation, but make sure you keep me
busy." He laughed and smiled widely then tipped his hat to Cassie.
"Hi, darlin'." She thought she heard a growl come from Luke
standing behind her to the left.

She smiled her rodeo queen smile at Cole
then rushed down the steps to launch herself into his arms,
knocking his hat off in the process. Cole went back on his heels
and hugged her to him spinning her in a circle. "Now that's what
I'm talking about," he said then set her down and kissed her on the
cheek. "How's your daddy, sugar?"

"He's getting along, but being in the bed is
making him itchy. I think Imelda might put a pillow over his head
and put us all out of his misery."

"That's not something you should be telling
a deputy, darlin'." He chuckled and pinched her cheek.

Cassie snorted. "She'd probably tell you
herself."

"So, what's going on out here?"

"Damned cowhand almost raped Cassie," Luke
barked.

"Is that right, sugar?" Cole grabbed her by
the shoulders and looked deeply concerned.

"Yeah, I was in the tack room and he
cornered me after Luke left."

"Holy shit, where is the asshole?" He
released her and she saw his hand move to the butt of the mean
looking handgun on his belt. His eyes narrowed and his lips pinched
into a flat line.