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Authors: Stella Bagwell
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wildly. Just the idea of feeling his lips against hers made her head reel. But as for trouble, she’d grown up with it, lived with and was still trying to get out of it.
“Trouble is my middle name, Ranger Pardee. But it isn’t your problem,” she said, hating the sound of her breathy voice and the thrill she was feeling at being so close to him.
She was right. It wasn’t his problem. And he should load her up right now, this very minute, and haul her into Ruidoso. But the kid was inside asleep. It would be cruel to jerk him out of bed, Charlie argued with himself.
And anyway, he knew he’d never be able to leave her at some motel and drive away. She reminded him too much of another young woman who’d sworn she was capable of taking care of herself. She hadn’t been. And neither was Violet O’Dell. That’s why he was going to have to do it for her. At least for a little while.
“I’m a Texas Ranger. My job is dealing with trouble before or after it happens. And it looks like right now my job is you.”
Shocked by his touch and all that he was saying, Violet stared helplessly up into his blue eyes until his face grew so close it was nothing but a blur. And then it was too late to tell herself to push him away, to convince herself she didn’t want to be in his arms. He was kissing her again. And this time it didn’t feel a bit like anger. It felt all man.
Chapter Four
T he morning air was cool with just a hint of breeze, and Violet sighed with appreciation as she lifted her coffee cup to her lips. She’d been sitting on the porch for at least thirty minutes, savoring the quiet of the desert while waiting for the two males inside the house to wake.
Not that she was looking forward to facing Charlie this morning. After that kiss on the porch last night, Violet wished she could hide under a rock with one of those homed toads he’d been telling Sam about yesterday.
Even though she’d finally managed to gather enough of her senses together to end the kiss, as far as she was concerned it had been too little, too late. Her lips had already told him how much she liked the taste of him.
As for Charlie thinking he needed to take care of her, she didn’t know where he’d gotten the idea. And once she’d managed to pull herself out of his arms, she hadn’t waited around to ask him. She’d run straight to the bedroom, slipped into bed with Sam and prayed for sleep to blot out her churning thoughts. Too bad it had taken hours for that to happen, and even then her eyes had popped back open long before dawn.
Violet was still trying to put last night and Charlie out of her mind when the far-off hum of a vehicle caught her attention. She didn’t believe there were other roads branching off the one coming here to the house. From what Charlie had told her, this whole section of land belonged solely to the Pardees. They didn’t lease any of it, and their only neighbors lived several more miles on down the highway.
She had just about decided to go wake Charlie and warn him that someone was coming when a blue pickup truck topped a rise just to the south. Violet watched the truck and the following plume of dust as it curved its way through the juniper and sage and finally pulled to a halt a few feet away from the porch.
Even more surprising to Violet than the idea of someone calling not long after sunrise was the sight of the woman driver climbing to the ground. She was tall and slender and wore blue jeans and a sleeveless white top. Her hair was a fiery copper color and pulled atop her head in a mass of loose curls. She was more than just attractive. She was sexy and carried herself with an air of self-confidence that Violet was still searching for.
As she approached the steps she eyed Violet as if finding a woman there was as unexpected as snow in July. “Hello,” she said guardedly. “Who are you?”
Violet unconsciously gripped the lapels of her cotton robe together. The garment was modestly cut and thick
“Trouble is my middle name, Ranger Pardee. But it isn’t your problem,” she said, hating the sound of her breathy voice and the thrill she was feeling at being so close to him.
She was right. It wasn’t his problem. And he should load her up right now, this very minute, and haul her into Ruidoso. But the kid was inside asleep. It would be cruel to jerk him out of bed, Charlie argued with himself.
And anyway, he knew he’d never be able to leave her at some motel and drive away. She reminded him too much of another young woman who’d sworn she was capable of taking care of herself. She hadn’t been. And neither was Violet O’Dell. That’s why he was going to have to do it for her. At least for a little while.
“I’m a Texas Ranger. My job is dealing with trouble before or after it happens. And it looks like right now my job is you.”
Shocked by his touch and all that he was saying, Violet stared helplessly up into his blue eyes until his face grew so close it was nothing but a blur. And then it was too late to tell herself to push him away, to convince herself she didn’t want to be in his arms. He was kissing her again. And this time it didn’t feel a bit like anger. It felt all man.
Chapter Four
T he morning air was cool with just a hint of breeze, and Violet sighed with appreciation as she lifted her coffee cup to her lips. She’d been sitting on the porch for at least thirty minutes, savoring the quiet of the desert while waiting for the two males inside the house to wake.
Not that she was looking forward to facing Charlie this morning. After that kiss on the porch last night, Violet wished she could hide under a rock with one of those homed toads he’d been telling Sam about yesterday.
Even though she’d finally managed to gather enough of her senses together to end the kiss, as far as she was concerned it had been too little, too late. Her lips had already told him how much she liked the taste of him.
As for Charlie thinking he needed to take care of her, she didn’t know where he’d gotten the idea. And once she’d managed to pull herself out of his arms, she hadn’t waited around to ask him. She’d run straight to the bedroom, slipped into bed with Sam and prayed for sleep to blot out her churning thoughts. Too bad it had taken hours for that to happen, and even then her eyes had popped back open long before dawn.
Violet was still trying to put last night and Charlie out of her mind when the far-off hum of a vehicle caught her attention. She didn’t believe there were other roads branching off the one coming here to the house. From what Charlie had told her, this whole section of land belonged solely to the Pardees. They didn’t lease any of it, and their only neighbors lived several more miles on down the highway.
She had just about decided to go wake Charlie and warn him that someone was coming when a blue pickup truck topped a rise just to the south. Violet watched the truck and the following plume of dust as it curved its way through the juniper and sage and finally pulled to a halt a few feet away from the porch.
Even more surprising to Violet than the idea of someone calling not long after sunrise was the sight of the woman driver climbing to the ground. She was tall and slender and wore blue jeans and a sleeveless white top. Her hair was a fiery copper color and pulled atop her head in a mass of loose curls. She was more than just attractive. She was sexy and carried herself with an air of self-confidence that Violet was still searching for.
As she approached the steps she eyed Violet as if finding a woman there was as unexpected as snow in July. “Hello,” she said guardedly. “Who are you?”
Violet unconsciously gripped the lapels of her cotton robe together. The garment was modestly cut and thick
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