Gunslinger (12 page)

He pressed himself closer, his face stark with determination. He felt her hand creep between them and he smiled inwardly. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. His smile faded as he felt cold steel against his belly.

He sucked in his breath. “What the hell!”

“Get off of me, Desperado,” Chloe warned as she pushed the barrel of her gun into his gut. “I can’t think straight with you kissing me.”

“Don’t think, sweetheart, just feel.”

“No. I have to think. I’ve got to decide what to do. Will you move, or are you going to make me shoot?”

Desperado was fairly certain she wouldn’t shoot him but he could see she was in no mood to make love. Slowly, reluctantly, he pushed himself to his feet and watched through narrowed lids as she leaped off the bed, her gun still steady in her hand.

“What are you going to do?” Desperado asked.

“I’m going home to pack. You’ll be wanting to move into your house.” She moved toward the door.

“Dammit, Chloe, I don’t want your land!”

“Nevertheless, it’s yours. Talk to Mr. Baker if you don’t believe me.”

Chloe opened the door and stepped into the hall.

Desperado didn’t stop her. The only way to clear up this misunderstanding was to pay a visit to Lawyer Baker. Moments later Desperado left the hotel and headed over to the lawyer’s office. He climbed the flight of stairs, rapped sharply on the door and entered.

Baker looked up from the journal he was perusing and invited Desperado inside. “You look familiar. Can I help you, sir?” he asked.

“I sure as hell hope so,” Desperado rasped. He recognized Baker from his childhood, though his memory of his father’s lawyer was hazy.

“Ah, now I know who you are. Everyone in town is talking about the gunslinger who rode into Trouble Creek and went to work for Chloe Sommers out at the Ralston spread. You’re Desperado Jones.” He paused, peering closely into Desperado’s dark features. “I’ve been intending to call on you ever since Miss Sommers came to my office and told me an extraordinary story.”

“That’s exactly what I want to talk to you about,” Desperado confided.

“First, answer my question, young man. Are you Logan Ralston, Ted Ralston’s son?”

“I had hoped to keep that knowledge private,” Desperado said. “There was no sense in giving out that information when I never intended to stay in town.”

“Why are you here?” Baker inquired. “Trouble Creek doesn’t have much to offer a hired gun.”

“Curiosity, I suppose. I happened to be in the vicinity and thought I’d ride through and see if the town had changed since I left.”

Baker frowned. “What kind of man would allow his own father to believe him dead all these years?”

“The kind of man Logan Ralston became,” Desperado rasped. “I returned several years ago to make peace with my father, but instead I arrived in time to attend his funeral. I’d heard he left everything to his wife and I decided to move on.”

“Obviously you didn’t know about the codicil.”

There it was again. Chloe had mentioned a codicil to his father’s will, too. “Tell me about the codicil.”

“Your body was never found,” Baker began, “and your father never gave up hope that you would be found alive somewhere. Before he died he added a codicil to his will. The codicil left the door open for Logan Ralston to claim his inheritance should he turn up alive one day.”

“Damnation!” Desperado spat. “Chloe was right. I don’t want the ranch, Mr. Baker.”

“Nevertheless, it’s yours,” Baker said. “All you have to do to make it legal is to prove your identity and sign a few papers.”

Sudden inspiration struck Desperado. “What if I sign the ranch over to Chloe? Can I do that?”

“First things first,” Baker cautioned. “Do you have identification of some kind? You have the look of young Logan, from what I recall of him, but I need solid proof.”

Desperado removed the medicine bag he wore on a string around his neck and dumped the contents into his palm. From among a collection of bear teeth and relics given to him by his Indian grandfather, Desperado plucked out a small miniature of a woman and a young boy. He presented it to Baker. “Father had this painting done of Mother and me when I was about ten years old. There is a larger one just like it out at the ranch. It hung in Father’s bedroom before he married Norie.”

Baker studied the miniature, then Desperado’s dark features. “Kinda looks like the boy I remember. But you could have stolen it.”

“I don’t steal,” Desperado rasped in that mean-as-hell voice. “But if you need more proof, I have the family Bible I took from the house after Father’s funeral. It belonged to family, not to Norie Sommers. Would you like to see it? It’s in my saddlebags.”

“No,” Baker said, holding up his hand. “I’m convinced, though I don’t understand why a young man who had everything would give it all up to become a gunslinger.”

“I reckon you wouldn’t understand,” Desperado said. “But that’s all water under the bridge. At the time I had my reasons. Suddenly they no longer seem important.”

“Well, Mr. Ralston, come back day after tomorrow and I’ll have the papers ready for your signature.”

“How long will it take to give it all back to Chloe?”

“Let’s get the legalities settled first, then we’ll talk about the transfer, if you’re still of that mind.” He gazed at Desperado over the wire rims of his glasses. “Have you ever thought of marrying and settling down? You couldn’t find a better woman than Chloe Sommers. She’s had a rough time of it since Ted died. I hope you realize that she won’t be able to hang onto the ranch for long after you sign it over to her. It’s something you should think about.”

“I’ve already thought about it and discarded the notion,” Desperado contended. “I’m not the marrying kind.”

“Just a thought,” Baker said. “When you return I should have all the papers ready for your signature. Meanwhile, think hard about signing away your inheritance. I don’t know the circumstances that kept you away from home all the years prior to your father’s death, and I don’t want to know. That is between you and your conscience. But I do know that Ted Ralston wanted you to inherit. That’s why he put the codicil in his will. It’s something to consider.”

Desperado nodded and took his leave. The contents of his father’s will had stunned him. He cursed himself roundly for being such a stubborn fool where his father was concerned. But he’d been just a kid at the time, and rejection was a bitter pill to swallow. He’d let his hatred for his father’s wife keep him from returning home and was sickened to realize that Norie must have been ecstatic when she’d learned of his “death.” Belatedly he realized how much his father must have suffered, the hell he’d put the poor man through, and all because of a woman who couldn’t stand the sight of her half-breed stepson.

Desperado needed a drink…bad. He turned into the saloon, bellied up to the bar and ordered whiskey straight. Three shots later he left, while his mind was still able to function. His stomach was growling, so he walked over to the cafe and ordered a meal and lots of strong black coffee. He was just finishing his coffee when Calvin Talbot entered the cafe, saw Desperado and ambled over to his table.

“Mind if I join you?” Talbot asked, not waiting for an answer as he pulled out a chair.

“Suit yourself. Is there anything particular you want to talk about?”

“I understand you paid a visit to Thadeous Baker?”

Desperado gave him a sour look. “News travels fast.”

“This is a small town. Care to tell me what your visit was all about?”

“Go to hell, Talbot. You’ll find out soon enough without me telling you.” He rose abruptly. “Excuse me, I have business to conduct.”

Talbot smiled, apparently unfazed by Desperado’s rudeness. “You’re right, I have ways of finding out what I want to know. I assume your visit had to do with the fact that you’re Logan Ralston.”

“Assume what you want,” Desperado said in parting.

“I’ll be talking to you soon,” Talbot called after him.

Desperado was aware that he garnered more attention than usual as he strode back to his hotel. Did the whole town know of his visit to the lawyer? he wondered distractedly. He supposed if the townspeople knew that much, they also knew he was Logan Ralston, Ted Ralston’s long-lost son. He didn’t give a damn what everyone thought. Once he turned everything over to Chloe, he’d shake the dust from his feet and leave for parts unknown. He’d hung around in one place too long as it was.

After leaving Desperado’s room, Chloe rode back to the ranch as if the hounds of hell were after her. She’d come too close to letting Desperado make love to her, and that realization angered her. She’d been duped into believing he cared for her when all he’d really wanted was her ranch. He wasn’t protecting her cattle for her, he was protecting them for himself. She’d worked her butt off to pay the taxes, and now she was going to lose everything to a man who didn’t give a damn about the land she’d come to love.

What was she going to do now? Move into town and get a job, she supposed. Desperado had told her he didn’t want the ranch, but she didn’t believe him, not after he’d lied to her about so many things. He’d already admitted he’d taken the job with Talbot because he harbored ill will toward her and her mother. Despite his denial, somehow he had learned about the codicil to Ted’s will and had come over to her side because he intended to claim the land for himself.

What would he do with it? Chloe wondered. Then the shocking thought occurred to her that Desperado might sell lock, stock and barrel to Calvin Talbot. He’d always insisted he wasn’t the settling-down kind. Chloe was sorry now that she hadn’t pulled the trigger when she’d had her gun pressed against Desperado’s belly. But she discarded that thought seconds later. She could never shoot the man who had taught her that making love could bring pleasure, not pain.

Desperado awoke late the following morning with a hangover. He’d sat in the saloon until the wee hours of the morning, contemplating the hard decisions he’d made in life and the consequences of those decisions. He arose slowly, holding his head to keep it from splitting apart. Keeping his motions steady and even, he washed and dressed and left the hotel. He needed black coffee and plenty of it. The stronger the better.

He had just stepped out onto the wooden sidewalk when he collided with Chloe. She stumbled against him and his arms went around her to steady her. She felt so good he didn’t want to let her go. “Were you coming to see me?” he asked hopefully.

Chloe pulled away and glared at him. “Not a chance. I’m checking into the hotel.”

For the first time he noted the carpetbag she carried in one hand. “Why in the hell would you do a thing like that?”

“I don’t want to impose upon your hospitality.”

“Chloe, I don’t want the ranch.”

“Did I hear you right?” Calvin Talbot said as he joined them. “I was on my way to your hotel room to discuss your willingness to sell the Ralston spread,” he told Desperado. “Rumor has it that Ted Ralston left a codicil to his will making you the new owner of his property. Obviously you have satisfactorily proven your identity to the lawyer. I’m elated to hear you say that you aren’t interested in keeping the ranch.”

“What makes you think I want to sell the ranch, Talbot?”

“You wouldn’t!” Chloe gasped.

“You have nothing to say about this, Miss Sommers,” Talbot said dismissively. “You had your chance. Since the ranch no longer belongs to you, my future dealings will be with Logan Ralston.”

Being referred to as Logan Ralston sounded strange to Desperado’s ears. It had been years since anyone had called him by that name.

“Your father worked a lifetime for that land,” Chloe said, ignoring Talbot. “He wanted you to have it. He even left a codicil in his will to that effect. You simply can’t sell it and walk away as if it means nothing to you.”

Talbot sent Chloe a quelling look. “Is there someplace we can talk in private, Ralston?”

Desperado’s head was pounding so painfully he could barely think. “I was on my way to the cafe for breakfast. You can join me if you like.”

“Excellent,” Talbot said, rubbing his hands in gleeful anticipation.

They walked off together, leaving Chloe behind, fuming in impotent rage.

Desperado refused to talk until he’d gulped down three cups of coffee. Then he settled back and indicated his readiness.

“You know what I want, Jones, or Ralston, or whatever you want to call yourself.”

“Jones will do,” Desperado said, not yet ready to assume his real identity.

“Very well, Jones. Let’s get down to business. We both know you’re a loner. You have no intention of turning into a rancher, or settling down for good. Your kind has itchy feet and a nervous trigger finger. You like what you do and aren’t about to change. I’m willing to take the land off your hands at a decent price.”

“Do you intend to live out there?” Desperado queried.

“I have no intention of moving that far from town. I promised Tate he could live on the ranch after he and Chloe are married. All I want is the land.”

Tate marry Chloe? Over my dead body
, he thought. “Why do you want the Ralston spread? You already own half the county.”

“Nearly every parcel north of town except for yours,” Talbot boasted. “Well, what do you say? Shall we discuss price?”

“Don’t bother. My answer is no, Talbot,” Desperado rasped. “I wouldn’t sell the ranch to you if you were the last person on earth and I was starving.” He rose abruptly and tipped his hat. “Good day, Talbot.”

Chapter Eleven

Desperado walked out of the cafe with one purpose in mind. He was determined to find out why Calvin Talbot was gobbling up land north of town. If he didn’t intend to ranch or live on one of his properties, what did he intend to do with all the land?

He ducked into the telegraph office, composed a telegram and paid to have it sent to Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe headquarters in Topeka. Now all he had to do was wait for an answer. If what he suspected was true, Talbot stood to make a small fortune from his recent land buys.

Desperado’s next project was to convince Chloe to return to the ranch. With grim purpose he headed over to the hotel and obtained Chloe’s room number from the clerk. Chloe’s room was on the first floor, at the end of a long hallway. Desperado stopped before her door and rapped sharply.

There was a long pause before Chloe answered. “Who is it?”

“It’s Jones, let me in.”

“Go away. I have nothing more to say to you except I hope you struck a lucrative deal with Calvin Talbot.”

“I didn’t sell the ranch. Open up, Chloe.”

He heard the key scrape in the lock and then the door was flung open. “You didn’t sell the ranch?” she asked, clearly skeptical.

Desperado pushed his way inside and closed the door behind him. “No, I have no intention of selling the ranch, not to Talbot or anyone else.”

Hope flared in Chloe’s heart. “Are you going to settle down and become a rancher?”

“I…that remains to be seen. All that aside, I want you back where you belong. You’re as much a part of the ranch as I am. Will you come? Or do I have to carry you home.”

Chloe turned away. “The ranch is no longer my home.”

“It is if I say it is.”

Chloe gazed into his eyes, startled by the depth of desire burning within them. Her blood heated, sending liquid fire surging through her veins. All he had to do was look at her from beneath those long black lashes and she literally melted. He must have read her mind for suddenly his arms went around her, dragging her against him. Chloe wanted to resist, but Desperado’s sensual appeal kept pulling her in another direction. Toward incredible pleasure…and eternal damnation.

“Oh God, sweetheart, I want you,” Desperado whispered against her mouth. “Nothing is ever going to change the attraction we have for one another. Can you feel it? It’s like a magnet pulling us together.” He tilted her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “Tell me it’s the same for you.”

Chloe shook her head, but she was irresistibly drawn into his glittering gaze. How could she love a man who had lied to her? A man who would love her and leave her? Desperado Jones wasn’t the forever kind of man she needed. But despite her inner warnings, he was the man she wanted. The only man she needed.

“Tell me, sweetheart, tell me you want me,” Desperado urged in that sexy-as-sin voice she couldn’t resist.

“Yes, I want you!” Chloe cried. “Are you happy now?”

He grinned, and that compelling dimple appeared as if by magic. “Happy as a puppy with his face in a bowl of food.”

She nervously rimmed her lips with the tip of her tongue. His dark, probing gaze seemed to pierce through to her soul. She was startled when he reached down and removed her gunbelt. “I’m not taking any chances this time,” he said as he tossed the gunbelt into the far corner of the room. “Shall I help you undress?”

“I don’t want—”

“Yes, you do, you just admitted it.” His hand moved to the first button on her blouse, slipping it through its buttonhole. A tantalizing glimpse of cleavage fired his blood and he loosened another button. His touch seemed to mesmerize her and he continued unbuttoning until her blouse gaped open to where it was tucked into her trousers.

His fingers began to work the buttons on her trousers, fumbling clumsily in his eagerness. Suddenly she flung his hands aside and stepped away. “I can’t let you do this. What if you get me with child? When you leave, as you’re bound to do, I’ll be left alone with a child to support.”

Before he could stop himself, Desperado said something that came as close to a commitment as he was capable of giving. “What if I don’t leave? What if I stayed on at the ranch with you?”

Chloe’s eyebrows shot upward. “Are you offering marriage?”

Desperado shifted uncomfortably. Finally he said, “I’m a half-breed, Chloe. You know my reputation. You wouldn’t want a permanent arrangement with a man like me.”

“Why don’t you let me decide that?”

Desperado found it difficult to believe that a beautiful, desirable woman like Chloe wanted to marry him. Unless…His face hardened. “Rest assured I won’t turn you out of your home, if that’s your reason for wanting to marry me.”

“Damn you!” Chloe hissed. “You don’t know me at all if you think I’d use my body to influence you.”

Their gazes clashed, held, locked. Desperado wouldn’t allow himself to believe that Chloe wanted to marry him. His next thought nearly brought him to his knees. Did she love him? No, he scolded himself; how could she love a scoundrel like him?

Did he love her? Desperado knew that what he felt for Chloe went deeper than simple lust. But love? He didn’t trust his heart where women were concerned. He’d never had anything but sexual relationships with women, and he needed more time to explore these new emotions churning inside him.

“What are you thinking?” Chloe asked when the tense silence dragged on.

His dimpled smile banished her good sense. “I’m thinking you talk too much.” His hands returned to her waist as he deftly popped the buttons free on the fly of her trousers. “I want to love you, sweetheart.”

Chloe couldn’t fight the clamoring of her own body. Nor could she deny the growing love she felt for Desperado Jones.

“Have me, then, Desperado. But don’t expect me to live in your home as your whore.”

Desperado flinched at her bald statement. “Whore” wasn’t a word he’d ever apply to Chloe. She could be hard, brusque and argumentive. Her wariness where men were concerned had been the result of Tate Talbot’s brutal attack. She was sweet when she wanted to be, and soft and womanly in all the right places. He’d never known a woman like Chloe Sommers, and the truth of the matter was he’d never expected to meet someone who captured his heart and his imagination the way Chloe did. If it was the last thing he ever did, he’d change her mind about living on the ranch. Once he signed it over to her, she’d have no reason to live elsewhere.

Sweeping her from her feet, he carried her to the bed and finished undressing her. He pulled off her boots, then skimmed her skin-tight trousers and drawers over her hips and down her slender legs. Seconds later he stripped off her blouse and camisole. Then he stood above her, his eyes dark with passion.

“My God, you’re beautiful.” With shaking hands he reached out and brushed a stray blonde curl from her brow. “It’s a damn shame to cover up that glorious hair with a man’s hat.”

His eyes made glowing love to her as they slid over her breasts, glided past her navel, finally stopping at the thatch of hair shielding her womanhood. The pale skin of her body contrasted delightfully with the golden tan of her face, the vee formed by the open collar of her blouse, and her arms where the sun was allowed to touch. “You’re perfect,” he rasped harshly.

“Take off your clothes,” Chloe whispered, apparently resigned to making love with the sexiest man she’d ever known. A man she desperately wanted despite her misgivings.

Desperado grinned. “Your wish is my command.”

He undressed swiftly, flinging his clothing away with careless disregard. Then he stood before her, unflinching as her gaze devoured him. His sex rose majestically in response, growing so hard and stiff he feared he’d explode and embarrass himself.

“Lie down beside me,” Chloe invited. He obliged instantly. When he started to take her into his arms, she pushed him back down, staring at the head of his sex and the pearly drop of semen glistening at its tip. “No, lie back. You’ve had it your way every time, now it’s my turn.”

Desperado’s sex leaped at her words. She could have asked anything of him and he would have agreed.

Chloe got to her knees and leaned over him. Desperado groaned as she began to explore his body, nuzzling and kissing a path that ultimately led to his aroused sex. Her hands and mouth on his flesh combined to drive him to the brink of madness. Sweat beaded his brow, and his jaw clenched when her hair brushed between his legs.

Beneath her hand his rod, already stiff and distended, grew even larger…harder. Then her tongue flicked out and licked at the tip. His body arched off the bed and his hoarse cry pierced the silence of the room. “Chloe! You’re killing me.”

She lifted her head and grinned at him. “Good.” Then her lips closed over him.

Desperado fought for control as the blinding need to spend himself drew his body into a taut bow. He reined in his galloping passion and concentrated on breathing deeply while she had her way with his willing body.

Maintaining control was no easy task. The consuming heat of her mouth scorched him, sending him spiraling toward a level of pleasure he’d never achieved before. He softly groaned her name, urging her on with endearments and words he wasn’t even aware of. His fists balled in her hair, moving her head up and down on him to increase his pleasure.

Chloe knew he was enjoying what she was doing to him and gloried in the power she held over him. Why did the man always have to be the aggressor? It felt good to be the one calling the shots. She increased the pressure of her lips, moving up and down along the length of his velvety staff. She was his master now. Her tough-as-nails lover was completely at her mercy.

“Chloe,” he gritted from between clenched teeth, “I’m warning you. I’m going to…If you don’t want me to…”

Chloe knew what he was telling her, but she wanted to bring this to completion. Desperado had other ideas; he rolled over and pinned her beneath him. “Let’s see who’s the master now,” he growled.

Chloe gasped as he teased her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. The dimple flashed in his cheek when she arched up against him, offering more of herself; then he placed his mouth where his fingers had been. Chloe groaned as he suckled her breasts.

“Now, Desperado. Come inside me now.”

“Turnabout is fair play,” Desperado rasped.

Her heart leaped into her throat when she felt him spread her legs and place them over his shoulders. Then his lips traveled slowly downward, to the moist folds between her thighs. His mouth found the sensitive nub at the entrance of her sex and he lapped at it with delicate strokes of his tongue. Suddenly his tongue dipped inside her, not deeply, but enough to drive her wild.

His shoulders were wedged solidly between her thighs. She felt his tongue thrust deeply and cried out as her body reacted violently. She shuddered and edged closer to climax. She sobbed his name as he reared up over her and thrust his engorged shaft into her quivering body. He gave her no respite, but set up a rhythm that flung her quickly over the edge. She screamed, convulsing around him in hard, pulsing spasms. She was barely conscious when he threw back his head and surrendered to pleasure.

She was lying on her back, one arm covering her eyes. He was lying beside her, breathing deeply in an effort to control his pounding heart. He had never gotten so far out of control before with a woman. He didn’t know what it all meant, but he did know Chloe was someone special. Someone he’d never tire of. Was that love?

“What are you thinking?” Chloe asked, turning to face him.

“That I could do this every night for the rest of my life.”

Chloe’s brows arched upward. “With me?”

For a moment he was thunderstruck. There was so much hope in her voice. He wanted to tell her that there was no other woman he’d ever want in his bed but he wasn’t certain he was ready for that kind of commitment. Damn, why couldn’t he say the words she wanted to hear?

Because you’re afraid you’ll disappoint her
, his conscience replied.
She’ll find out you’re not the kind of man she needs and she’ll spend the rest of her life regretting it
.

“Of course with you,” Desperado said teasingly. “There isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t want you in his bed every night for the rest of his life.”

His answer was lightly given, and he could tell by Chloe’s expression that it wasn’t exactly the answer she wanted. He stroked her breast, pleased at the way her nipple puckered, as if begging for his touch. He took a nipple into his mouth and felt her arch against him. He lifted his head and stared into her expressive, passion-glazed eyes.

“Maybe I can’t be the forever kind of man you want, honey, but I can certainly make you happy for as long as you can tolerate me.”

She gazed up at him, her eyes misty. “I don’t think we’re talking about the same kind of happiness. But if that’s all you’re capable of giving, I reckon I can settle for that. You’d be surprised at how long I can tolerate certain things, Desperado Jones.”

“Is that an invitation, Miss Sommers?” he asked as he lowered his head and kissed her. After that she forgot what they had been talking about as their passion flared into white-hot desire and they made love again.

While Chloe and Desperado made love, Tate Talbot and his father were holed up in Calvin’s office. Tate paced while Calvin sat in contemplative silence, his fingers steepled before him.

“Are you just going to sit there and do nothing, Pa?” Tate demanded.

“I’m thinking, son, I’m thinking. You’d be better off if you’d do more of it.”

“Shit! Are you still blaming me for letting Chloe’s cattle get through to Dodge?”

“You have to admit you bungled the job,” Calvin charged.

“Yeah, well, I can’t help it if Chloe twitched her tail at Desperado and got him to change sides. Hell, I can’t believe she bedded him without putting up a fight. She sure as hell didn’t like it when I—”

“Enough!” Calvin said, raising his hand for silence. “That’s water under the bridge. It’s pretty much been established that Jones is Logan Ralston. The whole town is talking about Jones and the fact that he’s Ted Ralston’s son. It appears that Jones is the new owner of the Ralston spread.