Jake (28 page)

“I don’t know.” She brushed a lock of dark hair from his forehead and allowed her hand to linger on his cheek. “I really liked you hot and fast. It was what we both needed. But now that we’ve fed the hard edge of hunger, I guess I’d be willing to see just how a cowboy does it when he’s feeling all slow and mellow.”

“Why, ma’am,” he said in his best lazy drawl, “you’re just full of surprises tonight. I do believe I can do slow and mellow, and any other way that you’d like it.”

She was laughing as he carried her across the room and lowered her to the sofa. And then, before she could say a word, he dropped feather-light kisses over her face, her neck, her collarbone, before dipping lower to tease her already sensitized breasts ever so softly with the tip of his tongue.

When he moved lower, to the soft skin of her stomach and thighs, she found herself falling back against the cushions, too steeped in pleasure to do more than purr little murmurs of appreciation.

With soft sighs and tender kisses, as though he had all the time in the world, he took her away from all the cares and worries that had plagued her these last days, from all that was familiar, to a place so sweet, so rich in sensual delight, all she could do was try to follow where he led.

It was a journey neither of them would ever forget.

“What’s this?” Meg awoke to find Jake, wearing nothing but his denims unsnapped and riding low on his hips, sitting on the edge of the sofa, holding a steaming mug of coffee.

“The coffee you promised me hours ago.”

With a laugh she sat up and tossed aside the afghan, only to find herself naked. “I seem to have lost my clothes.”

“I had the same problem. Some damned clothes gnome must have come sneaking in while we were otherwise occupied. There were clothes scattered everywhere. It looked like some kind of war was fought in here.”

Still laughing, she said, “Really? Who won?”

He gave her a knowing smile. “I don’t know about you, but I woke up feeling like a winner.”

“Same goes for me.” She picked up his shirt from the arm of the sofa where he’d just tossed it and slipped it on before reaching for his coffee. “Are you going to share?”

“You bet.” He watched as she took a long, soothing drink. “After what you so generously shared with me, I figured it was only fair that I make the coffee and share it.”

She handed back the mug. “How long have I been asleep?”

“A couple of hours. It’s almost three in the morning.”

“I don’t think I’ve slept this soundly since I got here. So, thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, ma’am.” He set aside the coffee and took her hand in his. “Speaking of pleasure…” He kept his eyes steady on hers. “So far we’ve tried fast and slow, passionate and gentle. Is there anything else you’d care to do while I’m here to serve you?”

Meg gave a delighted laugh. “There is one thing we haven’t tried yet.”

“Name it and it’s yours.”

Her laughter grew. “We haven’t yet shared a bed.”

“A bed? Now there’s a novelty.”

She was still laughing as he scooped her up and headed for the stairs.

“Your wish is my command, ma’am.”

He kicked in the door to her bedroom and carried her across to the bed where he deposited her gently before shucking his jeans and lying beside her.

“Hold me, Jake.” Meg curled into his arms and wrapped herself around him.

“You feel so good here, Meg. So right.” He brushed kisses across her forehead, over her cheeks, to the tip of her nose, to the corner of her mouth, and finally to her waiting lips.

“I have to admit, Jake. You feel just right, too.” Meg sighed and returned his kisses, softly at first, and then growing more urgent, more heated, as her body began responding to the touch of his hands, the press of his body against hers.

As though a switch had been thrown, they went from slow and easy to avid and hungry in an instant.

They came together in a firestorm of passion.

Meg lay in Jake’s arms and watched the first blush of morning light begin to color the sky outside the window.

She felt slightly dazed by the intensity of their lovemaking.

She’d known, of course, that sooner or later she would give in to the temptation to taste the forbidden fruit this cowboy had been so blatantly offering since they first met. What she hadn’t expected was how he would make her feel.

Special. Cherished.

She knew she was fooling herself, thinking that this was anything more than a romp in the hay with a notorious ladies’ man. Everyone from Flora and Dora at the diner, to his own sisters-in-law, teased him unmercifully about his attraction to women. Maybe he’d simply perfected the art of seduction, and she would end up being just another of his one-night stands.

She knew she shouldn’t be fooled by his aw-shucks-ma’am act. But the truth was, she found him charming, funny, and downright irresistible. And if she was being a fool, at least for now she would revel in it.

She’d never felt this good. Never. And right now, she felt like shouting it to the rooftops.

Jake Conway was the world’s greatest lover. And she wanted to store up all the loving he was willing to give, so that on long, cold, lonely nights back in her town house, working on the latest earth-shattering trial that would demand every ounce of her energy, she could revisit this night in her mind, and enjoy once again the special way he’d made her feel all night.

She knew better than to believe in happily-ever-after. But if she couldn’t have forever, at least for now she would treasure the special way this cowboy made her feel.

She saw his eyes open and fasten on her. Until now she hadn’t noticed that his eyes were the color of dark chocolate, and there was always a glint of humor in them. Up close, she could see herself reflected in them, and it made her throat ache with unexpected need.

“’Morning, gorgeous redhead.”

“’Morning, sexy cowboy.”

He touched a finger to her mouth. “I hope I have something to do with that smile.”

“You have everything to do with it.”

“Good.” He stretched, before wrapping his arms around her and dragging her closer. “Let’s find another reason to smile.”

She offered her mouth like a banquet and shivered at the thought of what was to come. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Meg and Jake stepped from the shower together, looking thoroughly sated, and began to towel themselves.

With the towel draped around her, Meg sat on the edge of the bed and began running a comb through her wet hair.

“Let me do that.” Jake tied his towel around his waist before taking the comb from her hand and combing it through the thick red tresses.

He gave a murmur of approval. “Even wet, your hair feels like silk.”

Meg wondered if he knew how purely sensual it felt to have him combing her hair. It wasn’t something she’d ever let a man do before, and though they’d shared the most intimate acts during the night, this wasn’t something she’d have expected a rough rancher like Jake to want to share.

Then again, Jake Conway wasn’t like any man she’d ever known. He was full of surprises. Silly and irreverent, he constantly made her laugh. But he was also thoughtful and bright and respectful, in his own unique way.

Unique.
It was the singular word she would use to describe Jake. A one-of-a-kind man who had come into her life when she’d least expected him. He was tough, as only a Wyoming rancher could be. In a fight, she would definitely want him on her side. But she’d watched him connect with Cory in a way that showed him to be compassionate and tender. Two traits she’d never have expected from a guy who looked like Jake.

She was sorry they couldn’t have met under more ordinary, relaxed circumstances. Maybe then they could have moved along at a slow, leisurely pace, and actually built a relationship. As things stood now, the turmoil of her current situation made it impossible for her to think beyond today.

She was so deep in thought, she wasn’t aware of the sigh that escaped her lips.

Hearing it, Jake set aside the comb and moved his hands to her shoulders, where he kneaded and massaged the tight knots of tension he could feel there.

She dipped her head forward, allowing the warmth of his touch to seep into her bones. “Oh, that’s nice.”

“Speaking of nice…” His hands moved seductively down her back. He glanced at the tangled bed linens. “There’s still time…”

Meg laughed and got to her feet. “Conway, you’re insatiable.”

He stood and drew her back against him, pressing his mouth to her ear. “Are you saying that’s a bad thing?”

She shivered and turned into his arms, lifting a finger to his lips. “Not at all. In fact, it’s a very good thing. But right now, we need to get dressed and think about morning chores.”

“Am I hearing right? Who are you, and what have you done with Meg Stanford, Washington’s toughest trial lawyer? Is this really you, talking about mucking stalls and riding the range? Have you suddenly become a serious rancher?”

She grinned. “Maybe it’s contagious and I caught this ranching bug from you.”

“Go ahead. Lay the blame on me. I’ve got broad shoulders.”

She ran a hand up his arm and across his shoulder. “Yes, you do. Very broad shoulders. And the most glorious muscles.”

He pretended to flex them. “I take it you approve?”

“I certainly do. Ranch chores apparently do very good things for a body.”

“Yours is already perfect.” He wrapped his arms around her. “Come to bed and I’ll make you forget all about ranch chores.”

She sighed before pushing away. “You’re getting way too sure of yourself, cowboy.” She walked to the closet and pulled out a pair of denims and a simple cotton shirt. “I don’t know about you, but I’m going to get dressed. I have tons of work to see to.”

“Spoilsport. I think I liked the old Meg better.” With a laugh he trudged down the stairs to retrieve his clothes.

When he returned, he was dressed, and Meg was just slipping her feet into sneakers.

“If you’d like we could—” At the ringing of his cell phone, Jake paused to remove it from his shirt pocket. Seeing the caller’s identification, he grinned as he said, “Hey, Big Jim. I was just going to suggest that Meg and I head over for—”

His voice faded and he listened in silence before saying, “I’ll check right now.”

At Meg’s questioning look he said, “Cory and Shadow aren’t in the barn. Big Jim figures they’re probably riding over here. I’m going to check outside.”

“I’ll go along.”

As they descended the stairs Meg was chewing on her lower lip. “I know Cory’s just a kid, and a troubled one at that, but he should have let your family know he was leaving. It isn’t right to just saddle up and go.”

“Yeah. You might want to have a little talk with him.” Jake threw open the back door and started down the steps. “I’ll check the barn.”

While he was gone, Meg circled around the ranch house, checking for any sign of Cory and his pony.

Seeing Jake returning alone she ran up to him. When she got close enough, she could see the frown on his face. “He’s not here?”

Jake shook his head. “But he could be on his way. Big Jim said nobody saw him leave, so they don’t know how long he’s been gone.”

Meg dug out her cell phone and punched in her brother’s number. After half a dozen rings she looked over at Jake. “No answer. Now what?”

Jake shrugged. “I guess we’d better wait here for a while and see if he shows up.”

Meg was gripping her hands together tightly. “And if he doesn’t?”

“Hey now.” Jake closed a hand over hers. “Let’s not borrow trouble. He’s a kid. They do dumb, careless things.”

She nodded. “I know. But why would he take off without telling anybody?”

“We’ll deal with that later. For now, I’ll let my family know that we’re going to hang here for a while longer and wait for him to join us.”

They waited more than an hour.

To pass the time, Jake suggested they clean Shadow’s stall and have it ready with grain and water.

When they’d finished, they took a turn around the house and even walked to the high meadow, but there was no sign of Cory. Jake phoned his ranch to see if the boy had returned.

He and his grandfather exchanged a quick conversation before Jake dropped his phone into his pocket and said to Meg, “No sign of him there, either. Big Jim thinks it’s time to call Everett Fletcher.”

He saw fear dart into her eyes as she put a hand on his arm. “Are you thinking something bad has happened to him? Do you think he’s been kidnapped?”

“I didn’t say that.” He caught her hand in his and led her toward his truck. “But Big Jim thinks we shouldn’t waste any more time. Even if Cory’s just off for a joyride with Shadow, it’s better to be safe than sorry. I told my grandfather I agree with him. He’s phoning the police chief.”

The ride to the Conway ranch was the longest of Meg’s life. She and Jake sat in complete silence, but it was clear that their minds were twisting and turning around the fact that a seven-year-old boy wasn’t where he ought to be.

She refused to allow herself to think the word
missing
. It was too ominous. And even more so, when she thought about the fact that the Conway family had been living with that word for a lifetime.

Jake and Meg pulled up just as Everett Fletcher stepped from his police vehicle. They were met by the entire family, who spilled out onto the back porch as soon as they arrived.

“Okay.” Chief Fletcher had his notebook in hand. “Give it to me from the beginning. What do you know for certain?”

“I walked with Cory to the barn last night.” Big Jim’s tone was rough with emotion. “He saw me at Clemmy’s grave, and we spent a few minutes there before I headed up to the house and he went inside the barn.”

“What did the two of you talk about?” Everett said.

Big Jim pursed his lips. “Death. Talking to those who have left this world. Our conscience. I admired Jake’s hat that he’d given to the boy. Just…things.”

“Did he say anything about leaving?”

Big Jim shook his head sadly. “Not a thing. We said good night, and I went up to the house. On my way there I asked Manning in the bunkhouse to check on him. He claims he saw the boy shortly after midnight, asleep in his bedroll in Shadow’s stall. Honey and her puppies were asleep as well. No sign of any trouble at all.”