Read Online The Sheriff's Son by Stella Bagwell - Free Book Online

you to come down here and—”
    Her words, her touch, inflamed him, made him forget everything but the need to have her in his arms again.
    With a small jerk of his hand, she tumbled against his chest. “You didn’t ask for this, either,” he muttered, then brought his lips roughly down on hers.
    Outraged, Justine stiffened and pushed her fist against his chest. He didn’t relent, his mouth continued its hot, hungry foray. And then, suddenly, stopping him wasn’t nearly as important as simply hanging on.
    Without her even knowing it, her hands spread open against his shoulders, and her lips parted. He tasted of promised heat and mindless ecstasy. It would be so easy to let herself want him again, need him again.
    The road her thoughts had taken shocked her back to the reality of what she was doing. With a great mustering of strength, she twisted out of his embrace and backed away from him.
    Her breast heaving, she glared at him. “You shouldn’t have done that.”
    His top lip curled with mockery. “You and I have done a lot of things we shouldn’t have. But kissing wasn’t one of them.”
    â€œGet out!” she screamed. “I never want to see you again!”
    Her anger caused a dry grin to spread across his face. “And what will you do if you see me again? Run away to Las Cruces? Find another man to cool that womanly fire of yours?”
    She desperately wanted to slap him, but the fear that he might arrest her for assaulting a law officer stopped her. She didn’t know Roy Pardee anymore. He was liable to do anything, she told herself.
    â€œBelieve me, when I go looking for another man, he won’t have a badge on his chest and a gun on his hip!”
    Roy looked pointedly down at himself. “I guess it’s a good thing I keep these on—until I go to bed, that is.”
    If her eyes had been daggers, she would already have stabbed him to death. “You helped my sisters get temporary custody of the twins, but that doesn’t mean I have to listen to this!”
    His expression went flat. “Well, you won’t have to listen to any more tonight, because I’m leaving.”
    â€œGood!”
    He stepped past her and started toward the large open door at the east end of the barn. Before he reached it, hepaused and glanced over his shoulder at her. She was watching him, her jaw clenched and her hands fisted at her sides.
    â€œSee you later,” he told her.
    â€œNo, I won’t. I don’t plan on ever seeing you again.”
    A taunting smile lifted the corners of his lips. “We both know better than that.”
    A half hour passed before Justine was collected enough to return to the house. In front of her family, she pretended that everything was normal, that nothing out of the ordinary had happened between her and Roy down at the stables.
    But later that night, when she went to bed, she could no longer keep up the pretense. She sobbed into her pillow over all the things she’d lost and all the things that could never be.
    The next morning, Justine was assisting Dr. Bellamy in dressing a burn on an older woman’s leg when Carlita, the receptionist, entered the examining room and informed her that she was wanted on the telephone.
    â€œI’m busy right now, Carlita. If it’s one of my sisters—”
    She cut in anxiously. “But it’s the sheriff, Justine.”
    Justine could feel patient, doctor and receptionist staring curiously at her. “Perhaps you’d better go answer it, Justine,” Dr. Bellamy told her. “I can finish up here.”
    She gave the older man an appreciative nod. “Thank you. I’ll only be a moment or two.”
    Outside the examining room, Justine hurried down the hallway to the front desk. Carlita had put the receiver back on its hook. She lifted it and punched the glowing line number.
    â€œHello,” she said cooly.
    â€œIt’s Roy,”