Luke (Armed and Dangerous Book 2) Page 11

  “You mind?” Luke gripped her laptop bag like it wasn’t really a question, he was just trying to be polite.

  “Uh, sure,” Trinity said as she studied Luke.

  He reached into her bag, took the folder with the water stains, examined its contents, and frowned. In a too-quiet voice, he asked, “What does this have to do with designing computer games?”

  “Patterns. Tracking.” Trinity finally got a whole breath and took back the folder, stuffing it into her bag with her laptop. “We make all kinds of games, including mystery and detective scenarios. Space battles, car chases, Old West shootouts—you name it, and I’ve helped design most of the programs, or supervised their creations.”

  “And Zack asked you to use your software to analyze footprint patterns.” Luke sounded six kinds of pissed off about that, and for a minute, he reminded Trinity of Skylar.

  “I volunteered, but I haven’t found much his own people couldn’t tell him, except—” She broke off, not sure she should be talking about any of this, then deciding for the moment, she really didn’t care. “I think the origin of these prints—most of them at least— might be the Bar F.”

  Luke’s blue eyes flicked to the folder in her bag as he started carrying the bag for her again. “Bull Fenning’s place.”

  Trinity heard the skeptical tone and nodded. “Doesn’t make sense, I know, if it’s UDAs. Not unless they got lost and walked east-west instead of south-north.”

  She looked up and sucked in another breath, because Luke was studying her so intensely she could feel his stare down to her toes.

  “You should tell Hunter all this as soon as you see him. He’ll want to look into it.” Luke’s slow drawl touched her as surely as his hands would, the minute she got him alone. “There’s a lot I don’t know about you, sugar.”

  “Likewise.” She leaned against the stone wall of the Gadsden Hotel which had been built back in the early nineteen hundreds. She refused to look away from Luke. “How about we start with the basics? I like Mustangs better than Jaguars.”

  The corners of his mouth twitched. His shoulders relaxed, and some of the rage he’d been carrying since he showed up in Zappati’s seemed to leave him. “Do you like your stallions wild?”

  God, he was so sexy, she could ride him right here, right now. “I don’t know,” Trinity murmured. “Never tried to ride one that bucked. Skylar wouldn’t let me.”

  Luke offered her his hand, and they started walking again, this time more slowly, allowing Trinity to enjoy the sun and the cool air.

  “Did your sister raise you?” Luke’s question came out sounding more normal, like he’d let go of the thought of killing Guerrero, at least for the moment.

  “Yeah.” Trinity squeezed his fingers. “It was just us.”

  Luke kept his gaze forward, and Trinity watched his eyes scan the street and everyone approaching them, like he was intent on looking out for her. “I hate that you were so alone. I had a big family—still have a big family. There’s comfort in that.”

  “Big family?” Trinity hadn’t expected that from a man who seemed like such a loner. “Where are they?”

  Luke hesitated, then seem to make a decision. “Texas. But I had an aunt from around Douglas, so I know Douglas, Bisbee, and Tombstone pretty well from all my visits growing up.”

  She liked how it felt, walking with him, holding his hand, like they were courting the old-fashioned way, only without the chaperone. “How’d you start working on ranches?”

  “I did a lot of that as a kid, too. Good money, and I seemed to have a talent with horses.” His expression got a little tense again, but the pressure of his hand on hers never changed.

  Trinity had a sense that she wasn’t getting Luke’s whole story, but then, he wasn’t getting all of hers yet, either. That was okay for now.

  He stopped them on a corner, and turned her to face him, taking her other hand. His eyes had gone gentle now, and when he looked at her, Trinity thought she could stare into them forever. “Tell me about it. What was it growing up that hurt you so badly?”

  Her mouth came open, and her breath caught in her chest. Luke didn’t force her to stand there, or push her. He gently pulled her forward, letting go of one of her hands, until they were walking again. Slow and easy, like he planned for them to walk up and down every street in the whole town, if that’s what it took.

  A few steps later, her fingers laced firmly in Luke’s, Trinity found herself spilling out how their mother had passed on from cancer, and their father had walked away from them. She told him about her weight problems, and her torment in school, and all Skylar had done for her, and how badly she’d treated her sister.

  “I just left her. I left her with everything.” Trinity stopped them at a streetlight, and pictured in her mind the ranchland spreading out, a yellow grass carpet dotted with brown mesquite bushes. Then the Chiricahua Mountains guarding the end of the Flying

  M’s ranchlands. After a pause she added, “I abandoned Skylar to find myself, but I never stopped feeling guilty about it.”

  Luke gazed at her without judgment, open, understanding— and ran his thumb along her cheek. “You’re back now, Trinity. That counts for a lot.”

  Her chest got so tight, she didn’t know if she was dying or coming back to life again. When she spoke, her voice barely made it to a whisper.

  “I can’t stay here, Luke. Not even for Skylar.”

  Not even for you.

  His blue eyes clouded, but his touch stayed steady and gentle. “Why not?”

  “Because—because I’m scared my past will catch up to me.” Trinity turned her cheek into his palm, and he pulled her against his chest and held her, then kissed the top of her head.

  “You got skeletons in your closet, sugar? Ones you haven’t told me about?”

  “Skeletons.” Trinity laughed into his T-shirt, drinking in his masculine scent of aftershave and soap, and that faint hint of malt beer. Fresh, and rich. All cowboy. All man. “More like blubber. All those bad memories of being Madeline, being the girl everyone pitied and laughed at.”

  “That’s outside stuff.” Luke pulled back from her and rested one hand on her chest. “I know it hurt like hell, but it’s got no bearing on what’s in here now. Childhood’s over. I can promise you, you’re all woman now.”

  The way he said that, the way Luke looked at her, Trinity could almost believe him. Almost.

  “I can’t stay in Douglas,” she said again, maybe to convince herself instead of him.

  “You can do anything you set your mind to, sugar. That’s one thing about you that’s obvious, even if you don’t see it yet.”

  She expected him to keep going, to tell her that he wanted her to stay, or that she should stay, for Skylar, for him—but he didn’t. He didn’t ask anything of her, but he fought for her in a way Trinity didn’t expect.

  He kissed her, slow and easy, like they weren’t standing in the middle of town, in the middle of the day. Like she was the only woman in Douglas, in the West, in the world, as far as he was concerned.

  Damn, he tasted so good, and his arms around her—had she ever felt anything so perfect?

  He pulled back from her again, and this time when he looked at her, she saw heat in the depths of his blue eyes that made her catch her breath.

  Heat her body instantly answered, getting warm in every possible location.

  “Come on.” He released her before he caught hold of her fingers again and turned them toward the crosswalk. He pointed to a tiny building at the end of the street. “I know a couple of good hole-in- the-wall restaurants. That one serves the best damned barbecue I’ve ever had.” His sexy drawl deepened as he smiled at her. “Considering I’m from Texas, that’s saying a hell of a lot.”

  “Mmmm.” Trinity grinned. “Now that’s something they can’t serve in Europe like they do here. A good old-fashioned platter of Western barbecue.”

  She kept a tight hold on Luke’s hand, trying not to think too hard about her
fantasy of breaking a table while he made love to her. Oh, what the hell.

  She let herself think about it.

  Wonder if this barbecue place has checkered tablecloths...

  Chapter 18

  Trinity had hoped her lunch with Luke would end in barn- burning lovemaking, but he’d gotten a call at the end of the meal. He’d taken off to help with some emergency at another ranch where his friend Rios worked. She hadn’t seen him the rest of the day, and by the time she was back at the ranch, Skylar and Zack had returned.

  Trinity gave Zack what she had on the tracking program and she explained that the prints probably originated from the Bar F. Then she told him Guerrero had come up from behind her and had seen the same information on her computer screen. She also admitted she’d told Luke all about it. Zack had maintained a calm expression and didn’t seem pissed, but Skylar did.

  Trinity had ducked out of the house for some privacy in the barn before Skylar could chew Zack out for putting Trinity at risk, or doing something that might make her leave again. She couldn’t take hearing that, not today, not after the jumble of emotions Luke had stirred on their walk.

  When she reached the shadowed interior of the barn, Trinity paused for a moment to allow her eyes to become accustomed to the dark. The old-fashioned alarm bell still hung from its yoke where it always had been, right at the barn’s entrance.

  That thing would wake the dead, her dad had always said, before he left. It was cast iron and kind of looked like a church bell, only smaller. And much louder, according to her sister.

  Maybe if she took the frayed rope and rang it as hard as she could, the clapper slapping against each side of the cast iron, it would bang some clarity into her own mind and heart.

  Scents of alfalfa hay and sweet oats washed over her, along with odors of horse and liniment. Every smell was unique and brought back individual memories from all the years she’d grown up here.

  When she’d come into the barn yesterday to practice her kickboxing in the storage room, and to see her old mare Dancer, she’d been surrounded by countless memories from her childhood. She’d worked up a good sweat while kickboxing, practicing her kicks, punches, and jabs, enjoying being back at the ranch. That feeling of being home had wrapped around her like a warm blanket, making her feel relaxed and secure, just like her walk in Douglas with Luke.

  But England had been home for three years, and somewhere else was about to be home—San Francisco, or maybe Dallas—even New York City. Trinity knew she could go anywhere. She didn’t want the Flying M to feel so comfortable.

  Trinity wandered toward the ranch office that was close to the barn entrance and her thoughts turned to Luke.

  Would he come home tonight?

  Maybe he was too busy, or maybe he was having second thoughts about pursuing her.

  Wow. Just the thought of that man pursuing her never failed to give her a little shiver down the small of her back. Somehow she didn’t think he was the type to give up when he’d found something he wanted. And wow, he wanted her.

  Trinity smiled at the Christmas wreath hanging on the door of the barn office as she let herself in. Skylar certainly got into the holiday spirit all over the ranch. The heavy oak door silently closed behind Trinity on well-oiled hinges as she headed to the huge desk.

  That desk had been around since the days of the Old West, when her great-great grandpa MacKenna had claimed this stretch of land for the Flying M. The surface of the desk was glossy from years of use and smelled of lemon oil that her sister probably used to keep it in such beautiful condition.

  The room was paneled in rich oak, and the leather couch and chair were all in a deep oxblood brown. It was much like it had always been, but she could see Skylar’s touch in the gingham curtains at the room’s only window, and in the small Christmas tree on the table between the couch and overstuffed chair. Family photos were in here, too, and it touched Trinity to see that her sister had pictures of all of them close to her when she worked.

  To the left of the desk were a couple of huge filing cabinets, along with a computer station where Skylar kept all the ranch records and did payroll. Best of all, it had Internet access—but none of her work programs and business stuff crammed onto the desktop.

  Playing on this computer would be like reading for pleasure. Fun and no demands.

  Before Trinity sat down to check her e-mail, she reached for the bottle of hand lotion perched on one corner of the old oak desk. She squirted a generous amount of the thick stuff onto her hands and rubbed it into her dry skin. The lotion smelled like brown sugar and vanilla, a warm, comforting scent.

  After she’d wiped the excess off her fingers with a tissue from a box on the desk, Trinity perched on the swivel chair in front of the computer workstation. Skylar had really brought the ranch a long way into the future. Their dad had never bothered with computers, but after Skylar went to college and came home to take over the ranch, she made some big changes—all for the better.

  Trinity downloaded her e-mail and scanned her inbox. She bit her lower lip when she came to an e-mail from Race, sent just hours ago.

  Why would he be e-mailing her now? Hadn’t they settled everything the last time they spoke?

  And why did it seem like years ago that she had dated the man in the first place?

  This thing with Luke—it really was consuming her. And making it oh-so-obvious that she never, ever should have settled for a calm, rational man like Race.

  She took a deep breath and opened the e-mail from Race and could almost hear his refined British accent in his post:

  Dearest Trinity.

  I miss you, love. I do respect everything you told me, and all you said, but I find myself holding out hope that we can speak again. I would like the chance to rekindle the flame between us. I can’t fathom Christmas without you. Please, consider my request, and respond if you see fit.

  R

  Trinity stared at the message for a few moments, not really seeing it at all. In place of Race’s aristocratic looks, sandy blond hair, and his warm brown eyes, she saw a dark and dangerous man in a black Stetson.

  Not meant to be, Race. I’m so sorry. Even if Luke didn’t exist, coming home might have made me figure this out. Somewhere down inside, I’m still a cowgirl looking for her cowboy.

  Shaking her head, Trinity hit the reply button. She wasn’t ready to talk to Race on the phone again, and she didn’t want to string him along. She responded with a short e-mail, telling Race he was a wonderful man, but she didn’t believe it was possible to rekindle anything. She wished him the best, and urged him to go to his sister’s down in Kent for the holidays, so he wouldn’t be alone.

  She hit Send and hoped the message reached Race, even though she figured it wouldn’t make him feel any better. Then she ran through the rest of her messages. All work-related e-mails she ignored, since she was on vacation, and just read the personal notes. She was pleased to see one from Chloe Somerville, who sounded positive despite the rough divorce she was going through. If anyone deserved a good man, it was that girl.

  Come to Arizona, she urged Chloe in her response. You’re a reporter—you can report from anywhere! Stay with my sister for a while. It’s peaceful here, and different, and you could use a brand new start. Whenever I get settled where I’m going, you can come there next. Let go of the past, honey. Move on, like I’m doing.

  She pressed Send on that one, and Luke’s voice came back to her, telling her she could do anything she set her mind to.

  God, was I just a hypocrite, telling her to let go of the past? Trinity’s fingers hovered over the keyboard.

  She thought that’s what she had done, leaving Douglas, and staying away.

  But if she had, then why was it so terrifying, being here, and even remotely considering staying for a while?

  Trinity tried to shake off her doubts, and moved on to her friend Carly’s note. She read it, and had to laugh out loud. Her next-door neighbor in London was a hoot, and she kept trying to
get Trinity to read erotic romance books, In particular Anna Windsor’s. Trinity hadn’t had a chance to pick one out yet, but she’d just have to break down and do it. Especially after what she’d experienced with Luke.

  Trinity closed her eyes for a moment, trying to block out those images, but it only made them stronger. Her fingers moved to her ear out of habit, and she played with her earrings as she visualized Luke and the night at the hot tub. She could almost smell his spicy aftershave, his unique masculine scent and could almost feel the heat of his body close to hers—

  The door slammed shut behind Trinity, shattering her fantasy.

  Her eyelids popped open and she swiveled on the seat and saw that it was her sister. The disappointment she felt that it wasn’t Luke caught her off guard.

  “No fair sneaking up on me like that,” Trinity said.

  With a mischievous grin, Skylar plopped down onto the overstuffed leather couch, and tossed a bundle of mail onto the cushion beside her. “Ran into Rylie at the Safeway grocery store in town. We figured a game of cards might be fun this Saturday night. Poker. You up for it?”

  “Sure.” Trinity tried to muster up some enthusiasm. At least it would get her mind off of Luke for a while.

  Skylar glanced at the computer. “Checking in with your boyfriend?”

  With a shrug, Trinity said, “Yeah. But, no. I sort of, um, broke up with Race.”

  Cocking her head to one side, Skylar said, “You... what?”

  “I couldn’t do it, Skylar. I couldn’t let that relationship continue. Something was missing.”

  Please don’t ask me if this means I’m staying.

  But Skylar didn’t go there. Her expression got distant for a few moments, and then she nodded. “It was like that for me, before Zack came back. I kept searching for something, but nothing satisfied me.”

  “You were meant to be with Zack, Skylar. Everyone’s always known that.” She leaned forward and propped her elbows beside the keyboard, staring at her sister. “My fate’s a little less certain.”

  Skylar shook her head, not looking the least bit uncertain. “Somewhere out in the world, there’s a man meant to steal your heart away, Trinity. A man who satisfies you so completely you couldn’t imagine asking for anything more. I’m sure of it.”