Tyler (13 page)

“You have a mean streak in you, Tyler Garahan.”

“You might want to remember that, darlin’, for the next time you drive me crazy with your amazing brain.”

“My brain?”

“It’s so wickedly wonderful. Gotta love a redhead with an imagination.”

She reached around and pinched his backside. “Is that all you like?”

“I must not be doing it right if you have to ask,” he grumbled. “Let me hold you for a little while, Emily. I need to build up my strength so I can love you at sunup.”

Sliding farther down that slippery slope toward love, she snuggled closer. “That’s only two hours from now.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad you’re keeping up, darlin’.” He kissed the top of her head and slid his arms around her waist and snuggled closer, so not a breath of air was between them. Back to front, like spoons in a drawer. “You might want to rest up for me.”

“Is that an order?”

“Hell no,” he said, slipping his hand beneath her hair and moving it off her neck to nibble the tiny bit of skin beneath her ear. “Just a suggestion. I usually wake with a raging hard-on, and I’ve been wanting you something fierce since I first saw you standing there in all your chocolate-covered glory.”

She eased his hold on her and turned over so they were face-to-face. “You could give a tease lessons, Tyler.”

His grin said it all. He was hard, hot, and waiting for her. “You’ve got a smart mouth, darlin’,” he rasped. “I’ve just got to taste it again.”

“But I thought you wanted to sleep with me?”

His mouth curved as his lips lowered. “We can sleep later.”

“You’re not mad at me because I won’t let you—”

Tyler groaned. “I’m so hot for you, Em, that it’ll kill me to take the time to explain how I feel.”

Her eyes filled with tears, and he knew he’d have to pull back from the edge long enough to reassure her. “I don’t just want to grab a quick lay in your bed and leave.”

Her lips twitched as her tears fell. “Don’t forget the door.”

His gut clenched, and his heart stuttered. “Lord above woman, and if that doesn’t tell how much I want you, how every damned breath you take in that double-damned black leather contraption you wore earlier tormented the hell out of me, then you’re not as smart as I thought you were.”

“Tyler,” she crooned, pulling him back to where she wanted him. “Shut up and kiss me.”

His groan of frustration said more than words. “Don’t mind if I do.”

Their tongues tangled and the hitch in her heart smoothed out. “I’ve got a need for you, Tyler, that scares the breath right out of me.”

He pulled her close and held on for dear life; she would later swear he trembled in her arms. “I’m right there with you, darlin’.”

“Emily?”

“Mmmm…”

“Can you reach my pants?”

“Whatever for?”

“I’ve got to be inside you, but can’t if I don’t protect you.”

Hell’s bells.
It wasn’t that far a slide into
headoverheelsgrabyoubytheheartlove
after all. Pressing a kiss to where his heart beat like thunder, she angled her body over the side of her bed and snagged his pants. “Here you go, sugar.”

He grabbed the jeans and the promised protection while she struggled to get her brain wrapped around the fact that he wasn’t just here for tonight. He was sticking long enough to care whether or not he wore a condom when they made love for the second time that night.

“Damn.”

“Need help?” she moved closer, waiting for him to tell her what he needed.

“Nope, but I’ve only got one condom left.”

Her shocked expression must have hit his funny bone. He started laughing, and she tried to smack him. “Whoa there, filly—”

Stunned, she connected with her fist, surprising him. “Did you just call me a filly?”

“That right, darlin’, you’re my redheaded filly, and I just love your fractiousness.”

She tried to move out of his grip, but he only tightened it, drawing her in, lining her up until he was poised above her. “I’m a fractious filly?”

“God, Emily,” he groaned, “can we talk later?”

She sighed, “ I guess—” She never finished what she was about to say. Tyler eased back and drove all the way home. When he touched her womb, she admitted what her heart had known all alone. Hell or high water, she was in for the long haul and down for the count.

Lifting her hips, she matched his strokes, grabbing onto his muscled backside for dear life. They came together in a wild explosion of sheer glory. When the dust, and her heart, settled, she pressed her lips to his throat and sighed. “Are you ready to talk now?”

“What’s the emergency?”

“Why did you call the meeting?”

“Are we going to—”

“If you would all calm down, we can get down to the reason I called this emergency meeting.” Frank Emerson scanned the faces of his executive board and wondered if he shouldn’t have kept the meeting between himself and his two vice presidents.
Too late now
.

The treasurer of their group, Mavis Beeton—the one he was most concerned about—spoke up, “According to the by-laws of the Society—”

“Not now, Mavis,” he interrupted. “We have an urgent situation on our hands. Everyone knows how hard we’ve worked, saving historic landmarks and rebuilding downtown Pleasure.”

His board nodded their agreement; although the expression on Mavis Beeton’s face left no doubt that she was not happy he interrupted her… again.

“And you are all aware that there are only three businesses left that will keep us from achieving our goal and fulfilling our mission statement of rebuilding the downtown area and recreating Pleasure’s illustrious past.”

“I don’t see why you won’t leave them alone,” Mavis mumbled. “They pay their taxes, and on time too!”

Emerson raised his eyes to the ceiling, not daring to say what he was thinking. It would truly shock the old harridan. He still needed her, so he wisely kept those thoughts to himself. He turned to his vice presidents. “Any progress on the strip club?”

“Those young ladies happen to be friends of mine,” Mavis interrupted.

Stanley stared at her, then shook his head. “So far, no response to our repeated requests to either close their doors permanently or close and then reopen as a bar, in keeping with the tenets that coincide with our mission statement.”

Dooley spoke up, “I’ve been pushing for a response from the owner of the lingerie shop and adult toy store. I think she’s going to cave under the pressure—”

“You should be ashamed of yourself, John,” Mavis stood up and crossed her arms. “Ronnie Del Vecchio is a very nice young woman and happens to be a friend of mine too.”

Trish Stewart snorted. “Would a nice woman run a shop like that?” Not waiting for an answer, she continued, “I think I’m wearing the owner of the new age shop down.” Her smile told Emerson that she’d been following his advice and sending in “customers” to cause trouble for the owner. He’d have to ask her the details later.

“We have a deadline, people,” Emerson reminded everyone.

He looked from one face to the next and slowly rose to his feet. Placing both hands on the table in front of him, he leaned forward and ground out, “We have to resolve the situation with these last three holdouts, now. Our new website is scheduled to be launched in two weeks.”

Mavis Beeton scribbled something down in her steno notebook, irritating the heck out of him. She was his worst detractor, always countermanding whatever he wanted with some reason or another as to why his course of action and way of thinking was wrong. When she lifted her head and met his gaze, he knew she was about to do it again.

Braced for her argument, he waited.

“Mr. Emerson.” She paused, and looked from one member to the next. “I was born right here in Pleasure, Texas. A Beeton has lived and worked in this town since it was founded by the Donovan sisters. Although I think what you’re doing to resurrect tourism in our town is admirable, I think you’re forgetting one very important point.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but Mavis held up her hand and forged ahead. “This town’s first business was a bawdy house, owned and operated by the town’s founding mothers. You are doing them an injustice by trying to eradicate the closest thing we have to a bawdy house and petitioning to have the town’s name changed.”

Emerson waited until she leaned back in her seat before he acknowledged her words. “Thank you for the reminder. If there is no further input, I suggest we adjourn.” He paused, then asked, “All those in favor?”

Everyone’s hand was raised.

“Meeting adjourned.”

***

“Em, what are you doing?”

Emily brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes with the back of her forearm and snorted. “A smart woman like you should be able to figure it out in one.” Cracking the egg on the edge of the small measuring cup, she reached for a fork and began to beat the egg until it was frothy. Surprised that her cousin had yet to say anything derogatory, Emily looked up and her gaze collided with Jolene’s.

“What?”

Jolene pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down. “Sleep well last night?”

Emily smiled, still feeling the glow from their early morning bout of lovemaking. “Mmmm… didn’t get much sleep, but I do feel loose.”

Jolene narrowed her eyes at her cousin. “Now, you’re just bragging.”

Emily smiled.

“I just had a call from Shannon McKenna.”

Emily nodded. “Ronnie’s friend.”

“Yeah.”

“How’s business over at the Mysts of Time?”

“She was calling to find out if we’d been having any problems lately.”

Emily paused to look at Jolene; their gazes met and held before she added the water and oil to the brownie mix and started to beat it with strong, swift strokes. “What kind of problems?”

Jolene leaned over to swipe her finger along the chocolate on the inside edge of the bowl. Tasting it, she sighed. “Mmm… good.”

“Jo,” Emily protested, smacking her cousin’s hand with her spoon to keep her from sampling any more. “What did Shannon say?”

Her cousin got up and started to prowl around the kitchen, her movements slow and deliberate. “You know how pretty her front window display is?”

Em thought about it as she scooped the batter into the square, glass baking pan. “I love the ivy she painted on the window. When you look through it, it’s like you’re standing in the woods, peering through a break in the vines into an enchanted world illuminated by candles of every shape and size. Why?”

She brushed her hands on her backside and walked over to the stove, pulled the oven door open and slid the brownies onto the wire rack. “These’ll be ready in about thirty minutes.”

“Someone shot out her window and the stained glass sign hanging in it.”

Emily shivered. “When did this happen?” Even as the question was leaving her lips, Emily sensed she knew when. “Yesterday? Same day they shot at our star?”

Jolene nodded.

“Then why didn’t we hear about it?”

“We’re a small town, except for the outlying ranches that surround us, but I’m guessing the law is busy, what with the trouble out by Zeke Eldridge’s place.”

Emily sighed. “Did they ever find out who left his corral open?” She had a sneaking suspicion it was old man Eldridge himself, looking for some company. It had been awhile since his cows had run off and had to be caught and returned.

They looked at each other and Jolene said, “I think Mr. Eldridge is sweet on the county dispatcher.”

Emily shook her head. “I’m just as sure his heart belongs to Mavis Beeton.”

Jolene snorted. “She’s been trying to turn that man’s head since way before we moved here.”

“Longer,” Emily said, “if the county rumor mill can be believed.”

Their laughter died and Emily asked, “Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

Jolene stared at her for a long time but didn’t answer. Finally she asked, “What do you think?”

Emily shrugged.

Jolene opened the oven door and peered inside. “Hey, these look ready.”

Emily rolled her eyes. “Only if you want to eat them with a spoon… which you know I do prefer. They need more time.”

“Why don’t you call Ronnie and ask her to meet us at Shannon’s? We can powwow over there.”

A short while later armed with a plate filled with gooey chocolate brownies, the cousins walked over to the Mysts of Time
.
Emily’s heart hurt looking at the stark opening that used to be the storefront.

The door opened and wind chimes tinkled, announcing their arrival, although no one seemed to be in the shop.

“Be right there!” a voice called out from somewhere toward the back.

While they waited, Emily and Jolene browsed through the shop. “Take a look at these crystals.” Jolene wandered over to the display.

Emily walked over to the other side of the shop, her interest caught by the assortment of pendulums and tarot cards. “These are really beautiful.” She reached out to touch the cool sleek teardrop-shaped hunk of amethyst.

“You should really let the pendulum choose you.”

Emily looked up at the proprietress of the shop and then again at the display. Oddly enough, one of the pendulums was moving slightly… the one that had caught her eye.

Shannon smiled and pointed to the swaying teardrop. “That one would be a good choice.” When Emily simply nodded at her, she continued, “You should ask it a few questions to see which direction it moves for yes, no, and maybe.”

“Actually, we’re here to ask you a couple of questions about what happened here.”

Shannon’s eyes narrowed. “What do you think happened?”

If the tone of the woman’s voice didn’t tip Emily off that she was frustrated and upset, the way she was glaring at Em and Jolene would have.

“Same thing that happened over at our place.”

Shannon’s eyes flicked over to Jolene and then back before she sighed. “I’d heard that someone else lost a front window, but I was too busy over here trying to sort through the damage to bother to find out who it was.”

Jolene looked around the shop. “Actually it wasn’t our window, but somebody shot our sign full of holes.”

Shannon finally noticed the plate of brownies in Jolene’s hands and said, “Want some coffee to go with that?”

“Sure,” Jolene answered.

“Thanks,” Emily said at the same time.

“Come on in the back, and I’ll start a pot.”

Shannon walked to the back room and held a batik curtain aside, gesturing with her hand for them to precede her.

While Shannon moved around the tiny kitchen filling the pot with water and measuring out the scoops of ground coffee, they talked about their favorite chocolate dessert recipes. A few minutes later, coffee was dripping cheerfully into the pot. Shannon filled a pitcher with milk and placed it next to the sugar bowl on the table before sitting down.

When it was ready, Shannon got up and filled their mugs with coffee. When she placed them on the table, her brow was furrowed. “You haven’t heard what happened to Ronnie Del Vecchio, have you?”

Emily and Jolene exchanged a wary glance before Emily answered. “No, but Jolene asked her to meet us here.”

Shannon McKenna looked out of the window facing the back alleyway. “Someone broke into her place last night and mangled half of the stock in her back room.”

Emily’s temper started to boil. “She had the coolest selection of vibrators and toys.”

Shannon nodded.

“There’s definitely a link here, Shannon.” Jolene grabbed a hold of Emily’s hand and squeezed it once before letting go.

Emily recognized the signal and instinctively readied herself for battle. “You’re not in this alone anymore, Shannon.”

“We’ve got your back,” Jolene said. “Where’s Ronnie?”

“Sorry I’m late,” their friend called out joining them.

“Have a seat,” Shannon said, “and some coffee.”

“Thanks.” Ronnie took a long drink, set her cup on the table, and splayed her hands on either side of it. “Do you think we’re being targeted because we’re
women
business owners?”

Shannon tilted her head to one side. “Maybe.”

“Have either of you received an anonymous phone call asking for money?” Jolene asked.

The women looked at one another before answering. “One,” Shannon answered.

Ronnie shrugged. “I had two calls demanding I close my shop because of the stock in my back room, and two calls demanding money.”

“Was it the same voice each time?”

Ronnie thought about it and shook her head. “The ones demanding money were. The ones telling me to close up my shop weren’t.”

“It was the same person demanding I close down The Lucky Star both times. I’m not sure about the calls demanding money,” Jolene said. “I was pretty steamed at the time, so I wasn’t exactly paying attention to who was behind the phone calls.”

“What’s wrong with women owning and running their own businesses?” Ronnie asked.

Shannon got up to pace. “There are other women running stores in town.”

Jolene agreed. “There’s Lettie and Pam Dawson and Minnie Harrison.”

Emily smiled. “Those ladies practically run things around here. They’ve been carrying on their family businesses for years.”

Ronnie shrugged. “I’ve only been in town a couple of months and haven’t had a chance to meet everyone.”

Shannon stopped pacing and turned to face the group of women and explained, “Lettie runs the food side of the general store, and Pam the hardware side. Minnie runs the feed store.”

“This town, and the ranchers who live on the outskirts, couldn’t survive without those stores.”

Emily paused with her cup halfway to her lips. “I think I know why we’re being targeted.”

Jolene leaned close. “Well?”

“Have any of you heard about the First Annual Take Pride in Pleasure Day?”

“Sure,” Ronnie answered as Shannon sat back down. “Mavis Beeton stopped by a couple of weeks ago to ask if I’d be competing in the rodeo. I’m not sure how she found out I used to be a barrel rider, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Maybe nothing,” Jolene said.

Emily shook her head. “Maybe everything.” Locking gazes first with Jolene, then Shannon, and finally Ronnie, she said, “Our businesses are the only ones in Pleasure that have anything to do with
pleasure
.”

“And your point would be?” Shannon asked.

“Did you also happen to hear from Mavis that the Preservation Society and Women’s Club are petitioning the town council to have the name changed, or that they’re creating a new website to advertise the new name and town celebration?” Emily asked.

“What else would they call a group of women who get together if not the Women’s Club?” Ronnie wanted to know.

Emily rolled her eyes. “No silly, the town’s name.”