Sheriff in Her Stocking (7 page)

Chapter Four

By the next
morning, Delaney still didn’t have an answer for Rick. Standing in the small
bathroom down the hall from her jail cell, she applied gloss to her lips and
wondered what she should do. Respect for Rick raised several notches when he
told her he wouldn’t consider seeing her until he severed his relationship with
Lenore. He cared about Lenore’s feelings even though they had only been out a
few times.

As far as
staying in town, she had considered it because of Rick. She zipped up the small
cosmetic bag and headed back toward her cell. After all, what’s not to
like?  He’s gorgeous, sexy and honorable at least where women were concerned.
But the only money she had was slated for a deposit on an apartment and the
first month’s rent. Beyond that she needed a steady flow of income. Delaney sat
on the edge of the cot and pulled on a pair of thick socks. She had dreamed of
finding a man who truly appreciated her not only for the woman she was but her
generous curves as well. Could Rick be that man?  What if he turned out to
be like her former two-timing boyfriend? 

She reached for
her boots and tugged them on. She had planned to be in New York before
Christmas. If she didn’t leave soon she wouldn’t make it.

Delaney heard
the door to the sheriff’s office open and someone step inside. Rick.
  Maybe she should just be honest and tell him her fears.
 Satisfied, she’d made a decision, Delaney headed up front. Suddenly, she
stopped. Lenore stood in front of Rick’s desk. She was dressed in much the same
way she had the day before only this time she wore a gorgeous suede jacket with
expensive looking leather boots. “Oh...hi, Lenore.”

Lenore gave her
a practiced, phony smile. “I thought we could talk before Rick arrived.”

Her tone was
tolerant and friendly which immediately put Delaney on edge. “Okay.” 
Delaney walked to one of the chairs in front of Rick’s desk and sat down.

Lenore sat in
the other one with her gloved hands folded in her lap. She moved gracefully
like a beautiful swan gliding over a placid lake.

Delaney’s mother
used to tell her she lumbered like a farmer walking between rows of corn. She
constantly admonished her to hold her shoulders straight and not slump. Sitting
here next to the empress made her feel even more inadequate. “What do you want
to talk about?”

Lenore dropped
her chin and gazed at Delaney with a wide, innocent look in her green eyes. “I
feel I need to be honest with you.”  Her voice lowered to almost a
whisper. “Woman to woman.”

Uh, oh.

She glanced down
at her hands, bit her lower lip then looked back up at Delaney. “When I
graduated from high school, my boyfriend, Hank and I got married.”  She
leaned back in the chair and sighed, her eyes taking on a far away look. “We
had the biggest, splashiest wedding Avery has ever seen.”  Lenore cut her
gaze to Delaney. “We honeymooned in Europe...Italy, Greece and France. We were
blissfully happy until. . .”  A somber expression stole over her face and
tears pooled in her eyes.  She withdrew a tissue from her purse and dabbed
the corners of her eyes. “Hank joined the army and fought in Desert Storm. One
night his platoon was on patrol. They were ambushed...and Hank was killed.” 
Her voice broke.

Delaney’s soft,
compassionate heart squeezed inside her chest as a lump rose into her throat.
She’d never seen an empress display such sincere emotion. Maybe Lenore wasn’t
so bad after all. She reached out and laid her hand over Lenore’s. “I’m really
sorry for your loss.”

Lenore inhaled a
deep breath and exhaled. “Thank you, I knew you would understand.”  She
said the words like two close friends who had just shared a secret.

Delaney squeezed
her hand. “Is there anything I can do?”

Suddenly,
Lenore’s tears dried up. She put the tissue back in her purse and closed it
with a snap. She sat up straight and focused on Delaney. “Actually there is. .
.you see I’ve been so lonely since Hank died sometimes it even hurt to breathe.
I started the bed and breakfast after Hank’s death to keep a roof over my head
and to tell you the truth I never gave another man a second thought...until
Rick came to town. He’s been so sweet and kind helping me to deal with my
loneliness.”

Removing her
hand, Delaney sat back. “You feel threatened.”

Lenore lifted
her chin and her eyes widened slightly. She laid a hand in the middle of her
chest and straightened. “Not me!  It’s poor Rick I’m worried about.”

Delaney raised a
brow. “Why are you worried about Rick?  He’s a grown man; he can take care
of himself.”

Her expression
softened. “Yes, but men have very fragile egos. It’s important that a woman be
careful how she treads so she doesn’t bruise his poor, defenseless
heart.” 

Delaney bristled
at Lenore’s indulgent tone as if she were speaking to a child. “I don’t think
that Rick Cruz has ever been defenseless in his entire life.”  She folded
her arms over her chest. “Cut to the chase, Lenore. What are you trying to
say?”

Lenore’s
concerned demeanor morphed back into royal disdain. She rose from her chair and
gazed down her nose at Delaney. “Stay out of Rick’s life.”  Her tone was
firm and slightly sharp. “It’s in his best interest. You’re leaving town soon
and I don’t want him to get hurt. I hope I’ve made myself crystal clear.” 
She turned and strutted over to the door. In a moment, she was gone.

* * * * *

When Rick stepped inside his office, he heard Delaney stomping
around in the back followed by loud muttering and a couple of expletives. He
strolled to the door leading into the areas where the jail cells were located.
He saw Delaney pacing from one side of her cell to the other, a frown creasing
her pretty face, her hands bunched into fists at her sides. “Something stuck in
your craw?”

At the sound of
his voice, she stopped and jerked her head in his direction. She pressed her
kissable mouth into a firm line. “Yeah. Lenore!”

Rick frowned.
“Wanna talk about it?”

“Maybe
later.”  She shrugged into her jacket, pulled her cell phone from her
purse and shoved it into one of the pockets of her jacket. “Right now I need a
brisk walk in the snow.”

He didn’t like
the idea of her going out alone when she was so angry. “Would you mind some
company?”

She sighed and a
flicker of resignation briefly crossed her face. “Okay. . .but please no
questions.”

A couple of
minutes later, Rick and Delaney were headed north on Main Street. Delaney
stomped through the snow, her breath escaping in rapid puffs of white
condensation before dissipating in the air. Her hands, bunched into fists at her
sides swung slightly as she walked. Looking straight ahead she never glanced
his way, just kept muttering to herself. She was sure steamed about whatever
Lenore had done.

Being much
taller than Delaney, Rick didn’t need to expend much effort to keep up with
her. He grasped her arm bringing her to a halt. “You’d feel better if you got
it off your chest.”

Delaney propped
her fists on her hips, raised her chin and glared at him. “Fine. Lenore Shaw is
some piece of work you hooked up with.”  She ground out the words, her
eyes flashed with irritation. “She had the gall to come by your office and tell
me in no uncertain terms to stay away from you. Can you believe it?” 
Delaney threw her hands up in the air then took off marching again.

Rick watched her
walk away and exhaled a deep breath. Great. He caught up with Delaney just as
she reached the corner of fourth and Main. “Look, I’m sorry. Lenore may come on
like a spoiled bitch but she’s actually got a soft heart. It’s just hard for
her to show it because she’s been through some really tough times.”

Delaney stopped
in her tracks and folded her arms over her chest. Her eyes widened with
surprise and accusation sparked in their depths. “You’re defending her.” 

“You make it
sound like I just kicked a puppy.”

She shook her
head in a short, jerky motion and held her hands up palm facing outward.
“Forget the chemistry that’s between us. I don’t need this. All I need is my
car and a tank of gas so I can get the heck out of Dodge.”

The thought of
never seeing Delaney again caused a twist of panic to squeeze his heart. What
was that about?  “I meant what I said last night. I want the chance to get
to know you better.”  He paused for a moment and gathered his thoughts. “I
should have ended my relationship with Lenore months ago. Rest assured I will
before this day is out.”

She smirked.
“Yeah, right, like that’s going to happen. Lenore has her claws sunk so deep in
you they’re buried in your bone marrow. She’ll never let you go.”

Rick waved a
hand through the air. “That’s ridiculous.”

Delaney turned
to walk away when she slipped on a patch of ice. Rick reached for her just as
she started to fall and pulled her against him, chest to chest, thigh to thigh,
crotch to. . .A fiery heat licked its way into his groin as he nudged between
her legs. Delaney’s hands rested on his chest as she stared up at him, the
warmth of her body surrounding him. Her cheeks reddened by the cold highlighted
her sexy blue eyes. Her breath blew over his mouth and he licked his lips as if
he could taste her...

He stood with
Delaney in the middle of a meadow surrounded by evergreens, their branches
laden with snow.  A fire crackled nearby, sending a wave of heat over them
while a cold moon sailed through the sky. Rick was naked, hard and ready.

Delaney was
cloaked from head to toe in a heavy coat. She skimmed her gaze down his body
lingering on his penis.

Yeah, she
definitely wants it. “Take off your coat.”

She flicked her
gaze up to his, smiled slightly and shook her head. “No. I’ll freeze.”

“I’ll warm you,
every inch of you from your nipples to your clit.”  He placed a finger
beneath her chin lifting her head slightly.  “Give me sexual control. Let
me dominate you. I promise you’ll like it.”  He reached up and undid a
button of her coat followed by another and another.

 She raised
her hand grasping his. “Someone might see us.”

“Trust me. The
trees will shelter us.”  He finished loosening the buttons of her coat
then pushed it from her shoulders where it fell with a soft plop in the snow.
His breath caught at the sight of her voluptuous, nude body. He growled deep in
his throat, reached out and pulled her against him. “You little minx.”

She giggled
draping her arms around his neck and pushing her breasts against his chest. He
slammed his lips over hers; stroking the interior of her hot, wet mouth with
his tongue. Rick moved his hips forward nudging her tender opening. She lifted
her legs wrapping them around his waist. With one hard thrust, he claimed her
sweet body to the hilt
.

“Rick. . .are you
okay?”

The sound of
Delaney’s voice jerked him from the carnal illusion. He stared at her even as
the fantasy of being inside her still shook him to his toes. “I’m sorry, what
did you say?”

 “I said
that you can see whomever you want, including Lenore because there’s nothing
between--”

Rick laid two
fingers against Delaney’s lips effectively stopping her speech. Her warm breath
blew over his fingers and palm. He stroked the pad of his thumb over her lower
lip and gazed into her eyes. “Whenever we’re together attraction arcs between
us like an electrical current and I think we owe it to ourselves to explore it.
But first you need to answer my question from last night.” 

She glanced away
for a moment as a couple of trucks rolled past. Snow scattered from beneath
their tires. When she looked back at him her eyes were clouded with confusion.
“I don’t know if I’ll stay or not. I’m still thinking about it.”

A brisk wind
blew around them. Delaney shivered and Rick grasped her hand. “It’s freezing
out here. I know a great place for lunch.”

* * * * *

A few minutes
later, Rick pulled his truck into the plowed driveway leading to his log home.
White Christmas sung in Spanish played over the radio. Luminaries lined the
walkway leading up to his front door and Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus
huddled in the snow in front of his house. He cut the engine.

Delaney looked
at him. “I thought we were going to lunch.”

He smiled. “We
are. Come on.”

Once inside,
Delaney followed Rick down a long hallway and into a cozy kitchen with slate
floors, a butcher block island and maple cabinets.  She leaned against the
counter and gazed out of the window over the sink. The sun hung high in the sky
over a ridge of mountains in the distance. She glanced at Rick who reached into
the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle filled with orange liquid. He snapped off
the stop with am opener mounted on the side of a cabinet, walked over to
Delaney and held out the bottle.

“What’s this?”

“Jarritos
Mandarina.” He rolled his r’s and to Delaney’s ear it sounded incredibly sexy.
“It’s a Mexican soft drink.”

Delaney took the
frosty bottle and sipped. Rick stood close to her. She watched his eyes
following the movement of her mouth against the lip of the bottle. She
swallowed. The drink tasted refreshing and tangy. “It’s good, thanks. So what’s
for lunch?”

“Beef fajitas.
Hope you’re ready to turn up the heat.”  His voice was husky and desire
glinted in his chocolate eyes.

Her pulse leapt
in her veins and her skin tingled with the promise of sex she heard in his voice.
Would she make love to him if he made the first move?  How could she
resist?  They were alone in his house miles from town and it had been ages
since she’d gotten laid. “Turn up the heat?”

He shifted
closer until the warmth from his body surrounded her. Just looking at his
mouth, so close to hers, tempting her was all she could do not to jump into his
arms. But she stood her ground determined that he had to make the first move.