Treasuring Amber: The Temptation Saga: Book Five (3 page)

“There you are, darlin’.”

She turned to see Blake Buchanan. Also good-looking, but more refined with slicked back black hair and gentle brown eyes. A refined cowboy. That was a hoot.

“Hey, nice to see you again,” she said.

“You know, I can’t shake the notion that we’ve met before. Have we?”

Amber shook her head. “No. I’d definitely remember you. Besides, I’ve only lived here for a little over a year.”

“Yeah? Where’d you move from?”

“San Antonio.”

“Hmm. I spent some time there off and on. Is it possible we could have made each other’s acquaintance at a party?”

“I wasn’t the partying type.” She didn’t want to think about the life she’d left behind. Not when she’d found such a nice new one here in Bakersville. She was rodeo queen for goodness’ sake.

He smiled. “I never forget a face. I’ll definitely figure this out. We’ve met.”

Amber’s nerves skittered under her skin. What did he mean?

“So about your interest in barrel racing,” he continued. “What are you looking for?”

Icy black fingers gripped the back of her neck.
Stay away
, her inner voice warned.
This guy will hurt you.
Her inner voice rarely surfaced, but when it did, she’d learned to trust it.

She cleared her throat. “I’ll let you know on that. I haven’t decided yet if I really want to get into racing.”

“But Catie said you were chompin’ at the bit.”

Amber let out a nervous giggle. “She must have been exaggerating. Don’t worry, I’ll call you if I’m interested.”

“How about a drink later, then? I’ll take you to the Bullfrog.”

She shook her head. “That’s kind of you, but I’m already on a date today.”

“With Catie’s brother, I know. But I got the impression that was just a ‘friends’ thing.”

“Not at all. It’s a new relationship, but one I definitely want to explore.”

God, I hope Harper can’t hear any of this.
He sauntered toward them holding her cosmo and another beer.

“Thank you, honey,” she said, taking the drink from him.

His eyebrows arched. “You’re welcome…sweetheart.”

“Well, I can tell three’s a crowd here,” Blake said. “I’ll see you all later.” He walked away and then stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around and came back toward them.

“Miss Amber, I do believe I remember how I know you after all.”

W
hat in God’s
name was up with Blake Buchanan? And why in hell was he at Catie’s party? Sure, he’d worked for Chad in the past, but he’d been gone three years. He’d left town amidst gossip, after disgracing Evie Luke, the mayor’s daughter who was now the town librarian. Catie had still been in high school when he left. She hadn’t known him at all. Why was she all of a sudden his champion?

A cold anvil landed in Harper’s gut, and a truth settled in his mind. He must keep both Catie and Amber away from Blake Buchanan. The man was a jerk and up to no good. Harper felt it in the very marrow of his bones. It ached.

“Oh?” Amber fidgeted, her knuckles white as she grasped her martini glass.

“Yeah, back in San Antonio there’s a place called Rachel’s.”

“Never heard of it,” Amber said.

“Really? I’d swear I’ve seen you there. I’d never forget those legs.”

“You’re mistaken.” She latched onto Harper’s arm. “Let’s go find Chad. I want to hold Violet.”

Sounded good to Harper. Besides, he had a few questions for Miss Amber Cross himself. Every cowboy west of the Mississippi knew about Rachel’s in San Antonio.

It was a strip club.

A
s she breathed
in the fresh scent of baby powder, Amber’s uterus skipped a beat. She silenced her reproductive organs and handed Violet back to Catie. “She sure is precious.”

“Thank you.” Catie beamed up at Chad. “We sure think so.”

“Now you know I’ll babysit anytime.”

“Of course. Violet will love having her Auntie Amber come to sit. Won’t you?” Catie cooed to the baby.

“I need to talk to you when you have a minute,” Amber said.

“Oh, sure.” Catie kissed the top of Violet’s head. “She’ll be ready to go down for a nap in about twenty minutes. I’ll come find you.”

“Perfect, thanks.”

Chad handed the cosmo he’d been holding back to Amber, and he and Catie left to show Violet off to more people. Harper pulled Amber aside.

“Before you talk to Catie, you need to talk to me.”

“What about?”

“About San Antonio.”

Amber gulped.

“About Rachel’s.”

“What about it? I’ve never heard of it.”

“You expect me to believe you lived in San Antonio and never heard of Rachel’s? Sorry, not buyin’ it.”

Amber gulped again. She glanced down at her drink. Damn. Still half full. Couldn’t use the old “could you get me another drink?” eye batting thing.

“Okay, okay. It’s a gentlemen’s club downtown.”

“On the outskirts of town, and it’s not a gentlemen’s club. It’s a strip club. And the strippers are known to take certain liberties. For money.”

Amber’s heart thudded. “Just how would you know all of this?”

“Easy.” His lips curved into a sardonic smile. “I’ve been there.”

“Oh?” She arched her eyebrows.

“Now don’t go lookin’ at me like that. Every cowboy goes to Rachel’s at one time in his life. It’s kind of a requirement I think. A rite of passage.”

“And I suppose you paid for liberties?”

“Me? Hell no. I look but don’t touch. I kind of feel sorry for those girls.”

Amber tried to hide her surprise. “Sorry? Why? They make great money.”

“So you
are
familiar with the place then.”

Amber inhaled. Why wouldn’t her insides stop quivering? Maybe she’d said too much. “Not really. I just know strippers usually make good money.”

“Not all strippers. But at a place like Rachel’s I’m sure the money can be great. Course it’s been a long time since I’ve been there.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Chad McCray—don’t tell Catie—dragged me there when I turned twenty-one. He was twenty-three or twenty-four at the time. We were in San Antonio on an overnight for a rodeo.”

“How old are you now?”

“Thirty.”

Amber exhaled the breath she’d been holding. The flip-flops in her tummy slowed down a bit. He wouldn’t recognize her.

“I can’t believe you and Chad would go into that place.”

“So you do know it.”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“Now I wonder…why in the world would Blake Buchanan think he had seen you there?”

“I’m sure I haven’t the slightest idea.”
God, how can I stop this conversation?

“I’m thinking you’re hiding something, Amber, and I aim to find out—”

Her drink fell out of her hand and hit the grass with a soft clump. She threw her arms around Harper’s neck and smashed her lips to his.

Anything to shut him up. To end this conversation.

She hadn’t expected the kiss to be so powerful.

Harper’s lips were full, and oh, so soft. He parted them gently, and his tongue swept into her mouth, bitter and malty from his beer. Amber wasn’t fond of beer, but on Harper it tasted like nectar. She let her tongue entwine with his. His response overwhelmed her. He wanted to kiss her. Heck, he was enjoying it.

So was she.

The kiss became more hurried, frantic. Their lips slid against each other’s, searching and learning. Amber glided her fingers through Harper’s tousled hair, soft as suede.

“Mmm.”

His soft groan was more of a vibration against her lips than a sound. His arms tightened around her. One hand caressed the side of her neck. The other glided down her side, over the curve of her hips, and squeezed.

A delicate sigh left her throat, muffled by the kiss. His lips became her world. A soft, lush, romantic world, a world full of arousal and promise, a world where her nipples tightened, threatened to poke holes in her bra. A world where her sex heated. Lord, it had been a long time.

Had it ever been better?

She’d kissed a few men in her day. It had never been like this.

She jerked when a harsh sound cut into her dream.

Harper ripped his lips away from hers. Chad McCray stood next to them.

He cleared his throat again. That had been the harsh sound. A silly smile curved over his lips. “Hey there, Harp, Amber. Anything you all want to share with the rest of us?”

Harper’s turn to clear his throat. “We were just—”

“Yeah, yeah. I see what you’re doing. It’s great, really. But this here’s Catie’s party for Violet. I don’t want you two stealing her thunder.”

“Oh, of course not.” Amber’s cheeks warmed. She was no doubt turning about thirty shades of scarlet. “We’d… I mean I’d…never do anything to spoil Catie’s party.”

“Me either,” Harper said. “This was nothin’, Chad. Just…we’ve had a little bit to drink and all…”

“Yeah.” Blame it on the alcohol. That would work. No need to let everyone know she’d kissed him to make him forget about Rachel’s. Evidently it had worked.

Now if she could only calm down the throbbing between her thighs.

Harper’s lips were red and swollen. Were hers? She touched her fingers to them. They felt hot.

Catie ambled up, sans Violet. “Mary put the baby down for a bit,” she said to Chad, and then turned to Amber. “You wanted to talk to me?”

“Yeah, yeah I did. Would you two excuse us for a few?”

“Sure thing. Go on and have your girl talk,” Chad said. “I’ll take care of Harp. I have a few questions for him myself.”

I’m sure you do. Sheesh.
What would Harper tell Chad about their kiss? Did guys even talk about things like that? Hell if she knew. She really knew very little about men.

She and Catie wandered away from the crowd. Catie led her to a charming little bench behind the pool house. “So what’s up?”

Amber plunked her behind down on the wooden bench. Where to start?

“What do you know about Blake Buchanan?” she asked.

“Not too much, really,” Catie said. “He worked here for Chad a while back. Chad said he was a great worker. He knows tons about horses, I guess.”

“Why’d he leave?”

“He left town because Evelyn Luke—you know, the librarian?—got pregnant. Blake was allegedly the father. At the time, Evie’s dad was mayor of Bakersville. It’s a small town. Pretty soon everybody knew.”

“So what? Lots of women get pregnant out of wedlock. That’s hardly a reason to chase a guy out of town.”

“It is when the father of the girl tries to shoot the guy.”

Amber perked up. “What?”

“Yeah. Mayor Luke went all crazy and ended up coming over here to Chad’s, where Blake was living at the time, and holding him at gunpoint.”

“What happened?”

“Well, he said Blake would marry his daughter or else. Blake said no way, and I swear to God, Chad said he heard the gun cock.”

Amber’s muscles froze. One of her greatest fears was to be held at gunpoint. “Chad was there?”

“Yeah, they were in one of the stables.”

“So did the guy shoot Blake?”

“Nope. Another guy walked in on them and ended up tackling Mayor Luke to the ground. I can’t recall who it was. Chad could tell you. He’s no longer here. Anyway, they called the sheriff and the mayor got carted off to jail.”

“And Blake?”

“Left town running. Can’t say I blame him. Evie ended up losing the baby. She still says it was Blake’s. He denies it. So who knows? But I’m not going to persecute a guy for having sex. Heck, I got pregnant out of wedlock after sex with Chad, and I was a completely willing participant.”

“Yeah, I know.” Amber smiled. “That’s what led to me being rodeo queen.”

“And you’re a much better one than I ever would have been.”

Nausea gripped Amber’s throat. If Catie only knew… Turns out she wasn’t the perfect rodeo queen after all. She shook her head. She’d actually thought she could escape her past, start again somewhere new. A small town, where no one had heard of Rachel’s. Where no one had ever heard of Ambrosia Love.

Why hadn’t she dyed her hair? She’d thought to do it when she came to Bakersville. But she loved her ultra-light blond hair. It was natural, inherited from her Swedish mother. Judy could attest to its authenticity. She hadn’t touched Amber’s hair since she moved here.

Of course it wasn’t her hair Blake had recognized. Nope, damn those long legs. She couldn’t change them, that was for sure. And truth be told, she didn’t want to change them any more than she wanted to change her hair. They were part of her. She’d learned to like herself again. Why did Blake Buchanan have to come to town and threaten to spoil everything that was going right?

“Whatcha thinking?” Catie asked.

Amber shook her head again. “Just wondering, is all. You know, why Blake Buchanan would come back here after all the gossip.”

“I hear he needs work. That’s why I thought of him when you said you wanted to take up racing.”

“Why doesn’t Chad hire him at the ranch?”

“We don’t really need anyone right now, and neither do Zach or Dallas. You know, I should ask Harper if he could use him at Cha Cha.”

God, would this ever end? “I got the feeling Harper doesn’t think too highly of him.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” It wasn’t actually a lie. Tension clearly existed between the two men.

“Well, I’ll just have to have a talk with Harp then. Blake’s a good guy who’s had some tough breaks. He deserves a chance. I mean, look at my mama, giving my Uncle Jeff another chance.”

“He’s the father of her oldest child. There’s a little bit of a difference there.”

“I suppose. But still… Here comes Harp now.”

The handsome cowboy ambled toward them, his lips pursed and forehead wrinkled.

Amber’s tummy sank. He did not look happy.

“
C
atie
, why in the hell are you hanging out with Blake Buchanan?”

Amber exhaled, relieved. Harper was angry with Catie, not with her. Blake hadn’t gotten to him, though Harper had no doubt already guessed her secret.

“He’s a friend of Chad’s.”

“I just spoke with Chad. They aren’t friends. Blake used to work here. Chad thinks he’s okay, but they aren’t friends.”

“I just thought, since Amber wanted to learn to race and all, and Blake knows more about racing than anyone else in this town, except maybe Dusty—”

“You weren’t thinking at all, little bit. The man’s no good. I want both you and Amber to stay away from him.”

Fine with me,
Amber thought. Not that she took orders from men, not even a man with kissing skills like Harper Bay. This edict, however, she’d be happy to obey. In fact, if Harper decided to chase Mr. Buchanan right out of this town, she’d be okay with that.

“Chad says he’s okay,” Catie said.

“Chad says he was a good worker. That’s what he told me. He also said he’s not hiring him back right now, and he asked both his brothers not to either.”

“Right. Because none of them need anyone.”

“True enough. But also because Blake doesn’t have the best reputation. He got chased out of Bakersville three years ago and he maintains his innocence. No one knows for sure who fathered Evie’s miscarried baby except Evie herself. Hell, I don’t care if it
was
Blake. They were both consenting adults at the time, and it’s ancient history. So he runs off to San Antonio and now he’s back. Why now?”

“I don’t know,” Catie said. “Maybe he missed it here.”

“Could be.” Harper stroked his chin. “But there’s more to why Blake left San Antonio than you know.”

“What might that be?” Amber asked. She couldn’t help herself. Curiosity got the best of her.

“I can’t tell you. I got the information in confidence from a friend.”

“What friend?”

“Let’s just say I made a quick phone call while Chad and I were talking.”

“A phone call to whom?”

“I can’t say. I’m sorry. Just stay away from Buchanan, both of you.”

“Come on. You have to tell us,” Catie said. “You must have told Chad.”

“No, I didn’t tell Chad, and I don’t have to tell you. And I’m not going to. I will tell you that Blake no longer has contact with his parents, sister, and little brother. They wrote him off a couple years ago.”

“So we’re supposed to just do what you say because you say it? Without any information?” Catie whipped her hands to her hips.

Harper chuckled. “You look just like Angie when you do that.”

“You’re avoiding my question.”

“That’s right. I’m done talking about this.” He turned to Amber. “Another cosmo?”

Amber shook her head. “Nope. I always stop at two.”

Catie let out a laugh. “Yup, she always stops at two. When are you going to tell me why that is, Amber?”

“I just know my limit, that’s all.”

“If you say so.” Catie smiled and shook her head. “Since both of you are determined to keep secrets from me, I’m going to go check on Violet. You two try to stay out of trouble.”

“She’s got a belly full of fire worked up now,” Harper said.

“Can you blame her?”

“I suppose not. You, on the other hand, didn’t put up too much of a fight about Blake Buchanan.”

Amber sighed. Did this man forget nothing? She might have to kiss him again. The thought pleased her. “Why should I? I hardly know him.”

“That’s not what he seems to think.”

“Harper—”

“Look, I don’t know why he thinks he knows you from Rachel’s. And I don’t give a damn if you used to take your clothes off for a living.”

“I didn’t—”

He put two fingers on her lips. A jolt shot through her.

“Let me finish. Please.”

She nodded.

“I never thought you were my type at all, Amber. You’re beautiful, no doubt, but different as all hell from the girls I’m used to. I hadn’t given a thought to you in…that way. Until you kissed me, that is.”

Amber’s cheeks warmed. Was he attracted to her? What was he after? “I’m not sure what you’re saying.”

“I’m saying…aw, hell. I’ve never been any good at this. You want to go get a bite to eat after this shindig’s over? Maybe talk a little?”

She smiled. “Harper Bay, are you asking me out?”

“I’m trying. You’re not makin’ it easy.”

Amber’s heart pounded. The kiss had been ecstasy for her. She hadn’t thought it possible that he’d enjoyed it just as much. Yet she didn’t want to complicate her life with a man right now. She was enjoying her alone time in this small town. Life was good.

Course Harper Bay just might make it better. Heck, it was only dinner, right?

She smiled. “I’d love to have dinner with you, Harper.”

His lips curved upward in a smile that lit his whole face. He grabbed her hand, and electricity rushed up her forearm.

“I’m glad to hear that. How long do you think we have to stay at this shower you dragged me to?”

Amber laughed and entwined her fingers through his. “I guess we’ve stayed long enough.”

B
lake Buchanan drove back
from Chad McCray’s ranch to his hotel in downtown Bakersville. If he didn’t find work soon, he’d be shit out of luck. He had debts that wouldn’t wait much longer.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. His pal Bernie calling him back.

“Hey, Bern.”

“Blake, sorry I missed your call. What’s happening up north?”

“Same old same old. Lookin’ for work. I need some help with a situation.”

“What can I do you fer?”

“Remember when we used to hang out at Rachel’s?”

“Don’t remind me. I still have the scars from my run in with that big ass bouncer.”

Blake chuckled. Bernie sure knew how to get his ass in trouble. “You remember that sweet blond number with the legs?”

“Myrna?”

“No, blonder. She could wrap around a pole like nobody’s business.”

“Yeah, yeah. She left about a year or two ago, didn’t she? What was her name? Andrea or something?”

Blake took a drink from the bottle of beer he held. “Ambrosia. She called herself Ambrosia Love.”

“How could I forget? She was fine.”

“She was. Still is.” He lay down on his bed and set the beer on the night table. “You’re not going to believe this, but she’s right here in Bakersville, Colorado, working as a manicurist.”

“No way.”

“I’m not kidding. She’s still hot as hell. Goes by Amber Cross.”

“Wow. You gonna hook up with her?”

Blake’s skin prickled. “I’d love it, but I have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Donetto isn’t going to wait forever for me to pay him back. He already knows where I am.”

“Well, of course he knows. You went back to a town you used to live in for God’s sake.”

“I came back here because I thought I could find work.” He grabbed the beer and took another drink. “I was a damn good ranch hand at one time. I never should have gone to San Antonio.”

“Wrong. San Antonio was fine. You never should have gotten involved with Donetto. Period. I tried to warn you.”

“I know, Bernie, I know. But listen, I need a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“I need the password to your brother’s web site, the one that costs an arm and a leg?”

“I can’t give you that.”

“Look, I can’t afford to pay the fee to log in myself. Please. I might be able to pay Donetto back if I can find the lovely Ambrosia on the site.”

“Blake—”

“Please, Bernie. I’ll owe you big.”

Silence on the other end of the line. Blake’s heart pounded.

Then, “Shit. All right. I guess it can’t hurt. Log in as DickRobbins, password sw34789.”

“Thanks, you’re a pal.”

“Just don’t let Lance find out you’re using his site for free. He’ll fuckin’ kill me.”

“Understood.”

They said goodbye and hung up.

Amber seemed like a nice enough girl, and Blake didn’t want to hurt her, but better her than him at this point. She was tight with Catie Bay McCray, and that meant she had access to cash.

Blake needed cash.

He also needed his legs walking and his heart beating. If he didn’t come up with cash soon, he’d lose all of that. Paul Donetto’s goons would see to it.

He fired up his laptop. Damn thing was so freaking slow. Of course it was, it was five years old now. Rachel’s in San Antonio. Hardly the classiest place in town, but one of the biggest money-makers. He and his cronies had hung out there a lot. He fed in the URL to Lance’s web site and started looking around.

Candy Hart. Eliza Bends. Taryn Apart. All ladies he recognized. He crept through page after page, discovering some new faces, enjoying some old ones.

Bingo.

Ambrosia Love.

Otherwise known as Amber Cross, best friend of Caitlyn McCray.

He didn’t relish hurting such a beautiful young woman, but hey, times were tough. Surely young Amber would pay handsomely to keep the good folks of Bakersville from finding out about her past.