Kade: Armed and Dangerous (22 page)

She remained silent, not meeting his eyes.

And then it occurred to him how eerily familiar the situation was, and he cursed himself
for his stupidity for suggesting they could get married.

Kelsey’s SOB ex had convinced her to marry him in case she became pregnant after he
raped her. And that’s what Kade thought of it. Rape. She hadn’t given herself to that
bastard with her consent. The son of a bitch had taken her virginity and used her.

Kade eased out of Kelsey, and sure enough, the condom hadn’t made it. He disposed
of it and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry. Everything’ll be fine.”

“How can you say that?” She covered her face with her hands. “It never occurred to
me the condom could tear.” Her voice was muffled behind her palms. “What if it happens
again?”

“The odds are you won’t get pregnant from one time. And the odds are definitely against
a condom breaking a second time.” He pulled her hands away from her face and kissed
her. She stiffened, then gradually melted against him again.

She sighed and slid her hands around his waist. “You shouldn’t be here when Trent
wakes.”

“I’ll be back in my own bed when the sun rises.” He kissed her forehead. “And when
my son rises.”

Kelsey smiled faintly and snuggled into the curve of his arm. Rain pattered on the
roof as he held her. It felt so good holding her. Like he’d just come home from a
long journey to find her there, waiting for him.

Kade didn’t fall asleep until her breathing was soft and even and she’d completely
relaxed. He finally fell into a light sleep, dreaming of babies with sun-kissed hair
and chocolate-brown eyes.

***

Kelsey woke alone, the bed cold and empty without Kade. As she stretched, she thought
about their lovemaking last night and smiled.

Then she remembered. The condom tore. Her smile vanished as she slid her hand to her
belly. What if she was pregnant?

The thought heated her, a slow flush of pleasure that eased over her body like warm
rain on a summer day.

A baby. Their baby.

Kelsey curled into a ball and hugged herself. Last night Kade had mentioned marriage—probably
wanting to do “the honorable thing.” But she’d never marry him because he felt he
had to.

A knock jarred Kelsey from her thoughts. She pulled the sheet up to her neck. “Yes?”

Kade slipped in the door and locked it behind him. He was dressed in jeans and a blue
shirt that intensified the color of his eyes. The bed sank under his weight when he
sat beside her and gave her a light kiss. His lips were warm and firm, and she couldn’t
help remember how it felt having those lips all over her body.

He nuzzled her ear. “Are you planning to sleep all morning?” Smiling, she slid her
arms around his neck. “I missed waking up with you next to me.”

“I’d like nothing more than to wake up with you every single day.” He smiled and gave
a lock of her hair a light tug. “Now get up, before I decide to pull off my clothes
and join you.”

She lowered her lashes and gave him a coy look. “Best idea you’ve had yet.”

He started to pull back the sheet when they heard Trent’s frenetic chatter in the
hallway. He sighed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll head off Taz. You get dressed.”

She threw the pillow at his back. “Slave driver.”

After he closed the door, Kelsey put on his robe, grabbed her clothing, and then dodged
into the bathroom for a quick shower. For some reason she felt utterly feminine that
morning, and instead of dressing in jeans, she wore a silk blouse and a short skirt
that flattered her curves.

When she walked into the living room, Kade’s low whistle caused a thrill in Kelsey’s
belly. She thought he was going to kiss her in front of his family, so she dodged
away, not ready for that kind of demonstration of affection in front of everyone.

“Your calendar clear?” he asked after breakfast, when they were alone in the kitchen.
Sadie and Trent were gardening and Chuck was feeding the calves.

Kelsey slipped her arms around Kade’s waist and hugged him. “I’m all yours.”

“I have something I want to show you.” He slid his knuckles across her cheek. “Then
I’d like to take you to dinner afterward.”

She smiled and brushed his lips with hers. “Take me away, cowboy.”

Late in the afternoon, they left in Kade’s truck and drove a few miles, past fields
of cotton, corn, and alfalfa, past rangeland dotted with red cattle, to empty acreage
that butted up to the low mountain range.

After crossing a cattle guard, they traveled down a dirt road that was little more
than a pair of tracks through grass and mesquite bushes. At the end of the road, they
parked and climbed out of the vehicle. Kade took her hand and brought her around to
the front of the truck.

He watched her expression. “What do you think?”

Kelsey took in the rugged mountain that hugged the edge of the property and the high
desert terrain. Mesquite bushes were green from summer rains, the earth dark brown
from last night’s storm.

A family of quail skittered into the bushes, their nervous calls a gentle sound in
the desert quiet. The air smelled clean and fresh. The sky was a brilliant blue, but
outlined by clouds building up over the mountaintops.

The desert beauty was astounding. “It’s wonderful.”

“This is my land.” Kade released her hand and went back to his side of the truck.
He reached in and pulled out a brown tube from behind the seat, then came back to
where Kelsey was waiting. He withdrew a set of blueprints, unrolled and spread them
on the hood of his vehicle. “These are the prints for the house I’m having built here.”

He put his arm around her as she leaned closer to get a better look. “I bet it’ll
be incredible.” She traced a line with her fingertip.

“A split-level house.” Kade pointed to the blueprint with his free hand. “Here, on
the bottom floor, is where the kitchen will be, the living room, study, guest room,
and family room.” He moved the top page aside and showed her the one under it. “This
is upstairs. Trent’s room will be here, a couple more bedrooms here and here, and
this is the master bedroom. The master has a covered balcony that faces the mountain.”

“Perfect for enjoying summer rainstorms.” She smiled up at him.

He trailed his finger down her nose to her lips, and held her gaze with his intense
blue eyes. “Perfect for raising a family.”

Kelsey stopped breathing. The way he looked at her. The way he mentioned raising a
family. Like he was asking a question with his eyes. Nervousness rose within her like
a flock of panicked birds.

“The builder’s scheduled to break ground in August.” He took his arm from her shoulders
and focused his attention on rolling the blueprints and shoving them into the tube.

She took a deep breath and tried to calm the tremors in her hands. No, he wasn’t asking
her anything. He was just sharing his plans.

“What does Trent think of it?” she asked.

Kade shrugged. “I haven’t told him yet. He’ll miss living with his grandparents, but
he’s old enough now, and they don’t need him underfoot all the time. Mom wants to
continue watching him when I’m at work. They love that kid.”

Kelsey nodded. “He’s a wonderful little guy.”

“Yeah, he is.” Kade returned the tube to the truck. “You ready for dinner?”

“Absolutely. Where are we headed?” she asked as they climbed into the vehicle.

Kade started his truck and the powerful engine roared. “There’s a popular place in
Douglas that serves excellent Mexican food.” Kelsey smiled. “My favorite. Anytime.
Anyplace.”

He raised an eyebrow. “With anyone?”

She laughed and buckled her seat belt. “Especially blue-eyed cowboys.”

When they arrived at the restaurant, it was almost dark. Most of the parking was taken,
but they managed to find a space not too far away. The restaurant was located in one
of the older buildings in downtown Douglas. “Downtown” consisted of a single street
lined with ancient two-story buildings and a historic hotel.

“Los Dos Hermanos means ‘the two brothers’ in Spanish,” Kade explained as they walked
to the door, his large hand engulfing Kelsey’s. “The Garcia brothers opened the restaurant
twenty years ago, and then sold it to Montano a few years back.”

“Montano?” That same sense of unease tickled at her belly. She held her purse a little
tighter to her chest. “The mayor?”

Kade stopped at the door, his hand resting on the wooden handle. “You’ve met him?”

She nodded. “1 interviewed him a few days ago. I didn’t realize he owned this restaurant.”

Kade pulled open the door and guided her inside. As they entered the cool interior,
smells of Mexican food and sounds of voices, clinking plates, and mariachi music swept
over Kelsey.

The interior was dimly lit, but decorated in splashes of vivid colors. Serapes and
sombreros graced the walls, and baskets of colorful gourds were arranged artistically
around the room. Pinatas in red, green, and white hung from big metal hooks anchored
into the ceiling’s exposed beams. Wood-bladed fans stirred the air, the pinatas dancing
in the breeze they made.

To the right of the hostess station was a larger-than-life plaster statue of a matador,
the color chipped and peeling. It stared ahead with sightless eyes where the paint
had apparently flaked off.

“The man sure likes matadors.” She glanced from the statue to Kade. “Has tons of them
in his office, too.”

Kade studied the old matador. “He does?”

She shrugged. “I saw his collection when I interviewed him.”

A trio approached them from inside the restaurant, and Kelsey saw that it was John
Stevens, Dee Carter-Reynolds, and a good- looking man she didn’t recognize.

Seeing Stevens reminded Kelsey of the interview she hadn’t finished transcribing yesterday,
and she wondered if she should mention to Kade the phone conversation she’d inadvertently
recorded.

“Kelsey, Kade. It’s wonderful to see you both.” Dee smiled and gestured toward the
handsome man beside her. “Kelsey, this is my husband, Jake.”

“Hope Kade’s treating you well.” Jake squeezed Kelsey’s hand in a firm grip.

“His whole family is great.” Kelsey smiled.

John Stevens tipped his hat at Kelsey. “Ma’am.”

“Thanks again for the interview for the feature,” Kelsey said to Stevens, and he gave
a shrug of his massive shoulders.

He turned to Kade. “Haven’t seen you around much lately.” Kade nodded. “Busy as hell.”

“Saw your folks and your kid at the dance.” John chewed on his toothpick. “That kid
of yours looks like he’ll be quite a hellion when he’s older.”

“Can’t imagine Trent ever being a hellion,” Kelsey rushed to say as Kade’s expression
went flat. “He’s just full of energy.”

“How’s your feature?” Dee asked Kelsey, her green eyes sparkling.

“Terrific.” Kelsey smiled. She couldn’t help like Dee. “The information you provided
has been invaluable.”

“You just missed Sal,” Dee said to Kade. “John was bullshitting with him at the bar
when we got here.”

“I’ll catch up with him at the station,” Kade said.

After Stevens and the Reynoldses said their good-byes, the hostess arrived. She was
beautiful, with high cheekbones, dark hair, and skin like flawless beige silk. Her
name tag read ISABEL.

As they followed the hostess through an archway to a nearby booth, Kelsey wondered
if Kade noticed the woman’s beauty and how slender she was. The insecurity that had
developed during the five years of Davis’s emotional abuse crawled up her throat,
threatening to surface. Threatening to suffocate her. Why couldn’t she let those old
feelings go?

When they reached the booth, Kade slid next to Kelsey on the padded bench. Isabel
left them with two menus.
“Buenas noches,”
she said in a lilting Hispanic accent.

Kelsey watched the hostess leave. She was so elegant, the gentle sway of her hips
probably as natural to her as breathing.
She’s gorgeous,
Kelsey thought, and then realized she’d spoken the words aloud.

“Who?” Kade glanced up from his menu.

“The hostess.” She picked up her own menu and chanced a look at him.

He gave her that slow, sexy smile that made her knees tremble. “You’re the most beautiful
woman here, and I bet you don’t even realize it.”

Warmth eased through her, but she shook her head. “You’re a good liar, cowboy. But
I think I’ll keep you around.”

He took the menu from her and captured her hands in a movement so fast she caught
her breath in surprise. “Kelsey, I’ve never lied to you and I never will. That’s one
thing you can count on.” The intensity of his gaze trapped her, and she didn’t know
how to reply. He brushed his lips over hers, and then released her hands. “Don’t ever
forget that.”

“Okay,” she whispered.

They decided what they wanted, and then Kade ordered in Spanish from Dora, their waitress,
who wore a flowing red skirt and a white peasant blouse with colored ribbons woven
around the neckline and sleeves.

Dora left, then returned minutes later with their iced teas and a basket of tortilla
chips that were so hot they burned Kelsey’s fingers when she put a few on her plate.
This time she didn’t make the mistake of dipping one into salsa before asking for
the mild version.

When the platters of food arrived, they were heaped with beef tacos, cheese enchiladas,
Mexican rice, refried beans, guacamole, and sour cream. Kade’s food vanished, while
Kelsey managed to eat less than half the contents of her plate.

“No, I’m stuffed,” she said when Kade said she needed to eat more. “If you’re still
hungry, you finish it.”

She grabbed her purse and excused herself to go to the ladies’ room. Her sandals clicked
on the tile as she walked through the archway, past the matador at the front entrance,
and through a door marked BANOS.

The hallway was dark, and she blinked to adjust to the dimness. There were three more
doors, and she went into the one labeled SENORITAS. After using the facilities, she
washed her hands and touched up her pink lipstick.