Belong to You Read online

  “I can do this,” she told herself as much as she was saying it to Mike.

  He gave her a smile. “Yes, you can.” He instructed her on how to hold the reins, how to get Zinnia to go, how to guide her in the direction she needed to go, and how to bring the horse to a halt.

  They spent a good fifteen minutes allowing her to get used to handling the reins before he asked, “Are you ready?”

  “Yes.” She nodded and let out her breath. “As ready as I’ll ever get.”

  Mike mounted Dancer and Anna felt her belly tip now that he wasn’t guiding her or the horse.

  He brought his horse up beside hers. “We’re going on an easy ride.” He gestured toward a pasture. “Flat, easy to traverse.” He gave her a teasing smile. “We’ll save the jumps for next time.”

  “Ha. Ha.” She shook her head but smiled. “Let’s go. I’m ready.”

  “Good girl.” Mike made a clicking sound with his tongue and Dancer started forward.

  Zinnia didn’t take any prodding. She fell into step beside Dancer and Anna’s heart rate kicked up a bit. They were off and going on her first horse ride. Her nervousness turned into enjoyment as they continued forward. Her body rocked with Zinnia’s slow and easy gait.

  They rounded a corral and came to a stop at a fence. Mike swung down from Dancer and opened up a gate before leading the horses through, Zinnia keeping up at Dancer’s side. After the gate was closed, Mike mounted his horse again and they headed along the fence line inside the pasture.

  Anna looked at him and the relaxed way he sat in his saddle and tried to follow his example.

  “I have to warn you.” He met her gaze. “You’ll probably be sore as hell tomorrow.”

  She raised a brow. “As in having-difficulty-walking sore?”

  He gave a low chuckle. “That’s pretty safe to say.”

  “It’ll be worth it.” She looked around her at the dry yellow grass and at the clear blue sky. The air was crisp but her light jacket kept her warm enough that she only felt the chill on her cheeks and her hands as she gripped the reins. She met his gaze. “It’s a gorgeous day.”

  “Yep.” His horse sidestepped what looked like a large gopher hole. “Can’t get much nicer than this.”

  The ride was slow and relaxing and it wasn’t long before Anna didn’t feel like such a novice at horseback riding.

  “What was it like growing up with three brothers?” Anna asked. “I don’t have any siblings.”

  Mike shrugged. “John and I were alone with Dad for the first several years before he married Angel. It took some time for us to get to know her and accept that we had a new mom and new brothers.”

  “I can see how that would be difficult.” Anna stared off into the distance, thinking about her own parents and how much she missed them.

  “What about your family?” Mike asked. “Is it just your aunt, uncle, and cousins?”

  “Here in the U.S.” It wasn’t going to hurt to tell Mike about her other family. “My parents passed away just a few years ago but I have other relatives in Mexico City.”

  Throughout the ride Mike told her about growing up on a ranch and some of the things he and his brothers would do. He talked about his cousins who’d been rodeo champions and his cousin who was a world champion bull rider. Mike had such an easy, likable way about him that she enjoyed listening to the sound of his voice, the inflection, and the way he told stories.

  He made it easy to forget she was on the back of a large beast, far enough off the ground that she could fall and it would no doubt hurt like hell. She found herself more than enjoying the ride. She felt almost high, exhilarated and on top of the world.

  After they had stopped at a watering hole Mike had played in with his brothers as a kid, he looked at Anna and gave her a smile. “Let’s head on back now.”

  She nodded. “All right.”

  During the journey back, the conversation turned from family to his campaign, and she asked him some questions that had occurred to her. Mike didn’t seem overly focused on the bid for re-election. Maybe it was just that he didn’t want to talk too much about it on what might be considered another date.

  When they returned to the ranch, she had enjoyed herself so much that she couldn’t stop smiling. It was hard to believe they’d been gone for a good two and a half hours and it was almost evening.

  “Thank you.” She waited as Mike swung down from his seat on Dancer’s back. “What an incredible day.”

  He grasped Zinnia’s halter with one hand and rested his other on her thigh. “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I sure enjoyed the time with you.”

  She smiled and put her hand over his that was on her thigh. “I loved it.”

  “Good.” He grasped her and helped her down so that her feet touched the ground. He kept his hands on her waist for a long moment as he looked into her eyes. She had the feeling he was going to kiss her, but he let his hands slide away. “We’ll do it again some time.”

  She felt a sense of disappointment but shoved it aside. As far as spending more time with him, she didn’t want to think too far into the future so she simply smiled and said, “Yes.”

  As they started to walk back into the barn, she took a step and winced. “I’m already saddle-sore. I can’t imagine what tomorrow is going to be like.”

  He paused to rub her shoulder and gave her a teasing look. “If you’d like a massage, just let me know. I’d be more than happy to oblige.”

  Heat rose to her cheeks as she couldn’t help visualizing Mike massaging her aching leg muscles, especially her inner thighs. Thoughts like that led her into a territory she shouldn’t be thinking about whatsoever.

  He winked and they continued on to the barn while Anna tried to recover from her embarrassment.

  She was anxious to get out of the flirting danger zone. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked when they reached the cool interior of the barn.

  He proceeded to remove Zinnia’s saddle and set it on a hay bale. “I’ve got it.”

  She sat on a hay bale and watched as he removed the saddlebags from Dancer and then the saddle.

  “I’ll brush Zinnia and Dancer down after I take you to Prescott.” He took Dancer by the halter. “First I’ll get these girls in their stalls and then drive you back to town and your car.”

  As soon as Mike had the horses back in their stalls, he returned to Anna and she dusted hay off the seat of her jeans. They walked to his SUV, and once they were in the vehicle and ready to go, they headed back into Prescott.

  When they arrived back at the campaign office, and Mike had helped her out of the SUV, he walked her to her car. It was dusk and the streetlights had just come on, and they walked companionably in silence.

  They reached her car and she unlocked it. She turned to tell Mike “thank you,” when he took her off-guard by taking her face in his hands and lowering his mouth to hers.

  She was mesmerized by the look in his eyes, by the feel of his hands on her face, by the heat of his body close to hers. He paused and waited a moment, his mouth hovering over hers.

  Her entire body was still except for her heart that pounded like crazy. He brought his mouth to hers and her world seemed to spin. He kissed her long and slow, as if they had all the time in the world, as if nothing existed but the two of them.

  Nothing mattered but his mouth and his tongue as he tasted her and she tasted him. A sigh escaped her and he slid one hand down to her lower back and pressed her close to him so that she felt the entire length of his body against hers.

  She almost moaned, wanting more of him than she should. A part of her wanted him more than anything she could imagine. Another part of her knew that wasn’t possible.

  Yet she couldn’t get herself to break the kiss.

  Mike raised his head. Her lips parted, her heart still beating like crazy as she looked up at him.

  She finally found her voice. “Thank you for today.” It came out in a near whisper.

  He stroked her
hair and tucked it behind her ear. “Thank you for going with me. I like being with you.”

  Her throat worked as she swallowed. The words came out before she could stop them. “I like being with you, too.”

  He smiled and touched the corner of her mouth. “You are a special woman, Anna. I’m glad you came into my life.”

  His words sent a little shockwave through her that reminded her of all the reasons why this was wrong. Chad, her family…not wanting to break his heart.

  “I’d better go.” Her lips trembled as she forced a smile. “I need to help my aunt cook dinner.”

  He studied her a moment and she felt as if he could see deep inside her, deeper than anyone ever had before. “Are you coming to the office tomorrow?”

  She gave a nod, feeling some relief at the change of subject. “Yes. I have to arrange the debate and the meet and greet.” She shifted her stance but he still hadn’t let her go. “I talked with your Aunt Gert today and set up the Halloween party press coverage.”

  “That’s good,” Mike said.

  Anna found herself smiling. “She’s probably your biggest fan.”

  He smiled, too, and she could see his genuine fondness. “I think you’re probably right about that. Gert is a hell of a woman. She’s always been good to me. She’s always treated my brothers and me like we’re her own.”

  “My aunt is like that,” Anna said. “She’s been like a mother to me.”

  Mike tweaked a lock of Anna’s hair. “I’d better let you get on home so that you can help your aunt with dinner.”

  “It’s tamale night.” Anna took a step back and Mike let his hands slide away from her waist. “Thank you again.”

  “Any time. And I mean that.” He gave her one more quick kiss before holding her car door open for her.

  When she was inside, he shut the door and waited for her until she’d backed up and pulled her car onto the street. She looked in her rearview mirror to see him still watching her drive away.

  Chapter 13

  Mike rubbed his chin as he stood in front of the one-way glass. He watched as Reg Schmidt interviewed Jaime Nuñez. The man was one of Jesus Perez’s men who’d been brought in for questioning regarding the murder of a young woman, Beth Franco, who’d been close to Perez.

  Beth had recently turned informant when she’d overheard Perez talking about murder and human trafficking. The sheriff’s office had arranged to have her wear a wire tonight—but now she was dead.

  Reg was a hard man who didn’t have a hell of a lot of tolerance. He saw the world in black and white, no gray areas, which had its good and bad points when it came to doing his job as a law enforcement officer. If Reg suspected someone, the person was guilty until proven innocent. Reg had been a sergeant when Mike took office. Frankly, he wouldn’t have hired the hothead, much less promoted him to sergeant, if it had been his choice.

  Right now Reg was attempting to verbally beat down Nuñez, who was sitting in his chair wearing a smirk. Mike folded his arms across his chest as he watched. Reg’s face was getting redder by the moment. Mike frowned. The deputy looked close to losing control.

  Betty Turner came up next to Mike. She was frowning, too. “Reg is going to pop a vein if he keeps this up.”

  Mike turned his gaze on Betty. “Get in there and see if you can get anything out of Nuñez before Reg—”

  “Holy crap.” Betty darted past Mike to jerk open the door to the interrogation room.

  Mike whirled to see Reg holding Nuñez by the throat with one hand while he pounded his fist into Nuñez’s face.

  “Shit.” Mike ducked into the room on Betty’s heels.

  Betty grabbed Reg by one arm while Mike gripped his other. Reg’s face was livid, having gone from red to purple.

  “Let me at the fucker.” Reg fought against Mike and Betty’s holds and he almost got out of Betty’s grip. “He killed that girl!”

  Nuñez was bleeding, but he was grinning through the blood.

  Another deputy charged into the interrogation room as Betty and Mike dragged Reg out. The deputy was Ernie Walters, a long-time veteran of the sheriff’s department. Ernie made sure Nuñez wasn’t going anywhere as Reg was removed.

  Reg stopped fighting and Mike slammed the door behind them once they were out of the room.

  Mike ground his teeth as he fought back his temper. He rounded on Reg. “What the hell was that?”

  Reg snarled. “The sonofabitch was practically bragging that he’d done it. You know he killed Beth Franco.”

  “In my office.” Mike narrowed his gaze at Reg. “Now.”

  Mike turned and fought down his anger as he strode into his office and moved behind his desk, but remained standing.

  Reg walked in behind him, his face still purplish red, his knuckles red from hitting Nuñez, and blood on his sleeve.

  “Close the door,” Mike said in a hard tone.

  The deputy did so and turned on Mike. “The bastard deserved it.”

  Mike locked eyes with Reg. “Sit down.”

  Reg looked like he was going to argue but he parked his ass in one of the two chairs in front of Mike’s desk.

  “This isn’t the first time you’ve lost control.” Mike remained standing but bent slightly, bracing his palms flat on his desk. “This time you’ve forced my hand. I’m writing you up.”

  “What?” Reg’s face turned purple again. “That fucker—”

  Mike cut him off. “Next time you will be suspended.”

  Reg’s jaw dropped. “You can’t do that.”

  “The hell I can’t.” Mike seated himself in his office chair. “You’ve been a loose cannon since I came into office. This is something I should have done long ago.”

  The deputy gripped the arms of his chair. “You’re too damned soft on these shitheads.”

  “You’re going to want to watch your mouth.” Mike gave him a long hard look. “I won’t warn you again. I can and will fire you if I believe you’re a danger to this office.” He nodded to the door. “Take the rest of the day off.”

  Reg bared his teeth but pushed himself out of his chair. He glared at Mike and looked like he was going to fire off something else but instead he pivoted, jerked open the office door, and stormed out.

  When the deputy was gone, Mike leaned back in his chair, his jaw tight. He dragged his hand down his face. If it came down to it, he’d have no problem firing Reg. The man wasn’t worth having around with the trouble he caused. With the crap he’d been pulling, he was going to get the sheriff’s department sued.

  Mike turned to his desktop computer and started to log on when a knock came from the direction of the door. He turned his gaze on the open doorway to see Anna knocking on the doorframe.

  She bit her lower lip when she saw his face. “Sorry to disturb you,” she said before he had a chance to say anything. “I noticed it’s a little hectic in your office.”

  Just the sight of her caused some of the tension to drain out of him. “You could never disturb me.” He gestured for her. “Come on in and have a seat.”

  “I stopped at Sweet Things to get some doughnuts for the campaign office. While I was there, I bought you a couple of treats.” She hesitantly held up a pink bakery box as she took a step into his office. “Although you look like you could use a drink rather than an éclair.”

  He couldn’t help a low chuckle. “I’m on duty so I’ll take the éclair.”

  She seemed to relax and she took the seat that Reg had just been sitting in. She was definitely a sight better to see in that chair than Reg was.

  With a little smile she set the box on the desk. “I don’t want to bother you while you’re working, so I won’t stay. I need to get to the campaign office soon, too.”

  He settled back in his chair and took her in, trying to avoid letting her see his gaze take in the red cowl neck sweater she wore that hugged her body and was drawn snugly across her breasts. Her long dark hung over her shoulders and alongside her breasts as well as falling in dark
curls down her back.

  “You’re the best thing to happen to this office all day.”

  “That rough, huh?” She glanced over her shoulder at the doorway.

  Through the doorway he saw Betty and Ernie talking with another deputy. Since she’d noticed things were a little crazy, he wondered if she’d overheard the deputies talking about what had just happened. Did he need to have a conversation with them about their professionalism when civilians were in the office? He’d have to say something just to make sure.

  She returned her gaze to Mike. “I’m going to work on setting up the debate today. As long as Chad agrees to it, we should be able to have it the week before Halloween.”

  Mike smiled. “Perfect.”

  He watched as she tucked hair behind her ear, and he had a strong desire to be the one touching her hair, her face—

  “Sedona is having a fall festival on Saturday.” Her words brought him back to reality. “I thought that might be a good opportunity to get out and meet the public. The arts, music, a barbeque, and other events.”

  “I’ve gone in the past.” He gave a nod. “They put together a hell of an event.”

  “Great.” She leaned forward in her seat. “Once I get these set up, you’ll have to think of other things I can do for you.”

  He could think of a few things she could do for him, none of which were suitable suggestions for public appearances, much less mentionable. He mentally shook his head. This was no way to be thinking about a lady like Anna, but that was easier said than done. She was so damned beautiful. Kissable. Touchable…

  With a nod, he said, “I’m sure we can find something for you to do.”

  She got to her feet. “I’d better get to headquarters.”

  “Thanks for the éclair,” he said as he stood, too.

  She gave an impish smile. “Next time I’ll stop by with a bottle of whiskey.”

  He grinned as he came around the desk to where she stood. “Believe me, if I was a drinking man, today would be a perfect time for it.”

  “I hope your day gets better,” she said as they moved toward his office door.