Stolen Hearts Read online

  “Well, maybe if you changed the font size it would be easier to read. I mean, unless you need it that small,” she said, not wanting to insult the woman. Maybe she could see it fine just as it was, but didn’t care for the program or maybe computers in general.

  “Font size? You mean I can change the size of the letters?” she asked, her eyes wide behind her bright red-rimmed glasses.

  “Sure, you can do all sorts of things to make it more comfortable for you. Would you like me to give you a hand? Before I was out in the field I did a lot of office work, and I’m familiar with the software you’re using.”

  She clapped her hands together. “Oh, thank heavens! Someone who knows what to do with that thing. My nephew was determined to bring me up to date with it, but went back to college before he got a chance to show me more than the basics. So how about we trade your stay for some lessons?”

  Chris shook her head with a laugh. “Okay, you win. A trade. When do you want to start?”

  “Now?”

  With a hearty laugh or two, they settled in to work and before long Liddy was up to speed. She was a surprisingly fast learner, but she did have some setup issues with her accounting program. So Chris took on the chore of adjusting the software while Liddy fixed them some dinner. Once she was done, Liddy would be able to manage almost everything for her little bed and breakfast without any problems.

  The front door opened, but Chris didn’t pay much attention, she knew Liddy would see to whoever it was. She’d said that greeting guests was like opening a present, she never knew what she was going to get and thoroughly enjoyed the surprise. Thinking of her, Chris knew she needed to take a few extra personal notes. She was a character to remember and one worth writing about.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  She jerked her head up to find Sheriff Conrad looming over her. Before she could respond, he spun the chair around and planted his hands beside her on the armrests, imprisoning her between the corded muscles of his arms.

  “Are you trying to steal Liddy’s personal information or every credit card number from guests she’s had stay here?”

  “I was—”

  “Tell it to me down at the station.” He grabbed her arm and hauled her out of the chair.

  Still stunned by his over-reaction and caught off-guard by the strength of his tug, she fell against his chest and they both froze. With their faces mere inches apart and nothing but clothes separating their bodies, Chris lost the ability to breathe, but not before she’d caught his scent.

  He smelled like a man—all man, and felt even better. Her hands, resting against his broad chest, prickled with the need to explore, while a surge of desire rushed through her veins. This was a new experience. Men were okay, just not the top of her gotta-have-in-her-life list. Oh, she was nobody’s fool. She knew her father had tainted her a bit about the opposite sex, so she dated from time to time, but she had never—ever had a reaction to a man like this. She wanted to slide her fingers into his dark hair and savor every inch of his mouth and then…she’d move south, taking her time exploring his powerful body. Her tongue slipped out in anticipation, wetting the edge of her lips. She was in very deep trouble.

  Forcing her attention to his face, battling the unexpected war raging inside her, a small spurt of satisfaction rippled across the heat pooling in her belly. He was having a few problems with their close proximity as well.

  Jake couldn’t move a muscle. His heart had ricocheted off the walls of his chest the minute her body fell against his. All he could do was stare at her soft pink lips parted in surprise, and wonder what she would taste like, cause he had a damn good idea of what she would feel like lying beneath him. And when her tongue peeked out, he just about lost what little control he had. She was lush in his most favorite places, and that heady scent of hers swirled around his brain making him envision all sorts of erotic things.

  “Why Jake, I didn’t know you were here,” Liddy said, bustling into the room.

  Snapped from the edge of insanity, he jerked back, disconnecting their bodies, but held tight to her arm. He looked at Liddy, determined to force his thoughts back in line.

  “I got here just in time to find Miss Harper going through your records. After I lock her up, I’ll come back and we’ll see if we can figure out what damage she’s done.”

  “I was helping her set up her accounting software, you idiot,” Chris said with a growl.

  His head snapped from Liddy back to Chris, doing his best to block out the sound of that throaty noise. His brain was surely fried to be going off on such tangents where this woman was concerned.

  “Oh, my, yes! Chris is helping me get the computer setup,” Liddy said. “Daniel only got the basics done and I was struggling with the rest.” She let out a nervous laugh. “I’m so sorry, Chris. I’m sure he didn’t mean to jump to conclusions.”

  He stared into Miss Harper’s bright blue eyes, curious to find them warm instead of icy, but shook off the thought as he released her and ran his hand over his face.

  “I need a vacation,” he muttered. He had to be overworked to keep having such heated thoughts about a complete stranger. Not to mention the wild conclusions he kept jumping to where she was concerned.

  “Then you should ask Chris the best place to go,” Liddy said. “She’s a travel journalist. She’s been all over the country and has stayed in all sorts of places.” She took them both by the hands and pulled them out of the office and into the dining room. “Why don’t we talk about your plans over dinner? I’ll just run get another plate,” Liddy said, and disappeared into the kitchen leaving him standing beside Miss Harper in stunned silence.

  He cleared the gravel from his constricted throat. “I’m, um, sorry.”

  She let out a heavy breath, but he refused to let his gaze stray to her breasts as they rose and fell.

  “I guess it did look a little suspicious, my being a stranger and all.”

  Liddy bustled back into the room and urged them to sit. She rattled on for quite some time before Jake remembered why he’d come back.

  “Oh, George said he can fix the RV, but he’s got to have it in the shop, and it may take a few days. If you can maybe call your tow back and see if you can schedule a time, we’ll get it over there.”

  “I have to be there when they show up, or they won’t tow it and charge me for the trip, and he has to be approved by them.”

  He nodded. “He said he was, so that’s not a problem. Just tell me when and I’ll get you there.”

  “All right. I’ll call them after dinner.”

  Jake nodded again, letting Liddy take over the conversation once more. He had nothing to say to Miss Harper, nothing he dare say. Watching her take dainty bites of her meal was about to kill him as it was. He certainly didn’t need to open his mouth and have something inappropriate slip out. He let it be known, however, that he wasn’t going anywhere for a vacation other than home, which was five blocks south of Liddy’s place. That left the conversation open, and Liddy had no problem filling the void. She loved company and she loved to chatter.

  After dinner, Miss Harper made her call and they set up a time in the morning to haul in her RV. That taken care of, he thanked Liddy for dinner and quickly said goodnight before he found himself sitting on the porch next to her guest. He could see the older woman matchmaking, her other favorite pastime next to managing the bed and breakfast. She often boasted of pairing up half the couples in town, when in truth it was only about four. Still, when Liddy decided on a match, it was impossible to convince her otherwise. He figured he’d get an earful in the morning when he came to pick up Miss Harper anyway.

  Chapter Three

  The sun rose to a bright blue sky. A soft breeze carried the scent of late summer wild flowers through his open window, and all Jake could do was curse.

  He staggered to the bathroom, splashed cold water on his face, and looked at the haggard man staring back at him in the mirror. It was all Christine Harp
er’s fault.

  “That damn woman,” he said, grumbling as he threw the shower curtain back and stepped into the tub.

  She’d appeared in every dream, every erotic thought he’d had over the last fifteen hours. Even while touring town in the dead of night, watching for any sign of the traffickers out on the highway or near the old campground, hadn’t helped. It was the first time he could ever recall being this distracted by a woman.

  Leaning on his hands against the tiled wall, he bowed his head beneath the pounding spray, hoping beyond all hope, to drive her from his thoughts before he had to deal with his painful erection in a different way. There simply wasn’t time for that sort of release. He had to get to Liddy’s and pick up the lady and get her to her camper so he could get back to work. So he could get his life back to its usual, normal routine.

  “You mean boring,” he muttered, then cursed again as he shut off the water and threw back the curtain.

  He liked his life the way it was, simple, no frills, no messy entanglements. Rachel, down at Cox’s Hair and Nail Salon, was a nice girl, but she knew they were just having a few laughs together, nothing serious. Even Liddy didn’t try to match them up together, but Christine Harper was a different matter. She got his blood pumping with just a look and a brush of her skin against his.

  It didn’t help that Liddy was like an old hound dog. She’d zeroed in on his reaction to the enticing blonde, and with a word here and there at dinner last night, she’d planted the seed of change in his brain. Now he could only see his life as tedious and going nowhere. He loved his work, it used to be all he needed other than a little fun on the side with Rachel, but now, with no one to come home to, no one to share his ups and downs with, it all seemed so hollow.

  Shoving the uneasy thoughts from his mind, he concentrated on the simple steps of grooming himself and getting dressed, and managed to get out the door on time.

  He pulled up in front of Liddy’s and took a deep breath before getting out of the car. There was nothing unusual about Christine Harper, nothing he needed to get all worked up about.

  Satisfied with his reasoning, he walked into the house and stopped cold in the foyer. She stood at the foot of the stairs wearing a pair of white jeans that were made for her body, and a jersey top that dipped low in the front, giving him a glimpse of sweet heaven. When his eyes finally met hers after a very long, inappropriate, enjoyable appraisal of every inch, he caught a sparkle of satisfaction with a dose of flirtation in her gaze. He couldn’t hide his grin, although he’d managed to contain it to some degree, and noted her struggling with one herself. She was, most definitely, not boring.

  She cleared her throat, and said, “I, um, think Liddy has breakfast ready, if you’re hungry.”

  “Starving,” Jake said, his gaze warming as he continued to look at her.

  A new set of tingles ran down Christine’s spine. The man was too gorgeous by half, and that gleam in his eye was dangerous. She needed to watch her step around him. A quick romance, no matter how tempting, wasn’t a good idea. Men tended to be more of a nuisance in her life than a necessity—or a pleasure. She’d not had a lot of luck where they were concerned, which is why she limited herself to safe, calm, simple, low on the Richter Scale kind of dates. Not mouthwatering hunks that had the power to blow her socks off.

  “There you are, Jake,” Liddy said, as she entered the foyer. “I thought I heard the door. How about you two come and get a bite to eat before going to fetch Chris’s camper?” She turned to the dining room and they followed, doing their best not to brush up against one another in the hallway.

  Jake paused to let her go into the dining room before him. Chris didn’t so much as glance at him as she passed, knowing she might fall into those dark brown eyes at such close range.

  Liddy filled the air with her happy chatter as usual, but Chris didn’t miss her not-so-subtle hints that they made a nice pair. She’d heard enough of that last night after he left.

  Chris smiled to herself. Liddy was an awful lot like her mother, urging her to find a man and get married. Her mother’s recent re-marriage to a very nice man, one that made her happy, had her mother believing that everyone needed a mate. It was a shame it took so long for her mother to find happiness, but Chris was not in the market for any of that. And after all, the sheriff would be a temporary excursion, a dangerous side road. One so far off the map that she feared she’d never be the same after traveling its twists and turns.

  “Did you sleep well?” Jake asked.

  She nearly choked on her food as he brought her back from her mental ramblings, but managed a nod when in reality she’d barely slept at all. Her body was hot then cold, achy then frustrated, off and on all night long. She’d be glad to get her camper fixed and get out of Iron Horse at the earliest possible moment. The more miles she put between herself and Jake Conrad, the better off she’d be, regardless of what her body thought.

  “I assumed you might have had some trouble sleeping in a different bed instead of your camper,” he added.

  “Not at all,” she lied, as she sipped her coffee. “Liddy has exceptional accommodations.”

  “Why thank you, hon,” the older woman said. “I know how it is to feel restless in a new place, in a strange bed, so I do my best to make the rooms as comfortable as I can.”

  “And you do a wonderful job, which will be in my article,” Chris said.

  They finished eating and Jake and Chris made their way out to her camper to meet the tow.

  “So you’re doing an article on Liddy’s?” Jake asked, as he drove down the highway.

  She’d hoped he wouldn’t speak, it only distracted her from concentrating on something other than him. “Yes. She has a nice place, so I thought I’d help her out a little.”

  His jaw clenched as he nodded.

  “Is there something wrong with my writing an article on her bed and breakfast?”

  “No, I suppose not.” There was that clenching jaw again.

  She twisted on the seat to look at him, her hackles rising. “Spit it out, Sheriff. Why don’t you want me to write about Liddy’s? Don’t you think my writing is good enough?”

  “I never said that.”

  She jerked back around and crossed her arms, her gaze on the road and not the irritating man beside her. “No, but you thought it.”

  He jerked the car to the side of the road in front of her camper and threw it into park. With one hand gripping the steering wheel, he turned to face her. “Don’t put words in my mouth or otherwise. I just don’t want to see a nice old lady like Liddy get hurt by an outsider’s point of view.”

  “Oh! Like I’d write something that would hurt that sweet woman.”

  “I don’t know what you’d write, since I’ve never read any of your damn articles!” He turned back around and swiped a hand down his face. “Look, I know that she’s a chatty old busy body, that her place isn’t exactly paradise, but it is to her. I just hope you take that into consideration. That’s all.”

  Chris let out a slow unsteady breath. “Her hospitality is top notch. She may be chatty but she’s sincere in trying to make people feel at home, and that is what I intend to write. Yes, the house could use some work here and there, but it’s clean, the furnishings are nice—practically antiques, and her cooking is superb.”

  He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “Sorry. I just—well, thanks. It’ll mean a lot to her.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, then smiled. “I’ll just add the part about the annoying sheriff as a footnote.”

  His lips turned up in a crooked grin as his chocolate eyes warmed. For several minutes, they sat there staring at one another. Somehow she knew that the slightest inclination in his direction would be the end of her control. That whatever it was between them, whatever had them verbally jumping at one another again and again, would bring about a complete nuclear meltdown if they actually pursued whatever this thing was between them.

  The tow pulled up, breaking the int
ense connection. With a long deep breath, she regained control over her senses and got out of the car. Neither said a word to one another until they reached George’s auto shop.

  ****

  Jake watched and listened. George, being a descent enough guy, smiled and talked amicably to Chris about her camper once it was pulled in, no different than he would’ve done for any other member of town. But for some reason his easy way with her had Jake’s hackles up. For the first time in all the years he’d known the guy, he wanted to put his fist through his face. And why did she feel the need to turn on that sparkling smile of hers for him? Sure he was okay looking and about the same age as Jake, but he wasn’t anyone to write home about.

  When they put their heads together at the far side of her camper, he decided he’d seen enough and was about to spin around and go wait in the car, when he noticed the side of the camper opening up in ramp fashion. Jake’s jaw dropped when a bright red car was exposed. Smiling, Chris climbed into the thing and drove it right out of the camper and over to the curb next to his patrol car. He was on her the minute she stepped out of the miniscule thing.

  “Why the hell did you have me drive you all over God’s green earth, when you had transportation the whole damn time?” he asked, his voice a booming echo in George’s garage.

  “I didn’t feel like it,” she said, her tone in perfect-princess mode.

  Chris couldn’t help needling him a little. He was a pushover, his worry over Liddy was testament to that. All bark, very little bite. Ignoring his sputtering bluster, she turned to George and thanked him for his help in getting the ramp down. It was always easier with two.

  “I’ll see if I can get this up and running for you by day after tomorrow, but I’m not promising,” George said, eyeing the sheriff standing behind her.

  He’d done that several times since she’d met him, and wondered if maybe the two men were at odds about something, but whatever their dealings with one another, she was glad to see that George new his business well and was fully certified to work on her RV.