Too Close To The Fire/Too Hot To Handle (Montana Men 3) (20 page)

Chapter Nine

Love recognizes no barriers.
It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination
full of hope.

~Maya Angelou

Havre, Montana

Regional Health Care Center

February 7, Saturday

3:00 a.m.

Rafe
McCord hesitated outside the doors of the ICU waiting room. Trouble darkened
his face, and he knew it. He wished he were here to bring good news. Good news
to Danger. Good news to Duel and Wild Remington. Hell, he wished he was still
at Danger’s ranch trying to make heads or tails of the bloody scrawling on the
kitchen wall. He’d rather be there, than here with the bad news he had to
share.

He
wondered when the tragedies were going to stop, because he sure as hell wasn’t
here with good news for any of them. He pushed through the door and saw Wild
and Duel Remington both crashed in recliners.

It
had been a tough night for all of them and for the men who’d hunted for both
Lacey and Smitt Davis’s body. They’d had to halt the search a little after
midnight. Freezing air masses sliding in from the Arctic had dumped two foot of
fresh snow. It made it too dangerous for men and horses to keep up the search.
They’d begin again at daylight.

Rafe
sighed and tugged off his black Stetson before approaching Duel and Wild. He
knew it had been touch and go for Jace, their eldest brother. Smitt Davis had
shot him shortly after his attack on Lacey. Jace had spent hours in surgery.

Things
were about to get a lot tougher for the Remington family. Life was like that,
he thought. It never rained without dumping a heap of shit on everyone’s head.
And here he was, caught squarely in the middle of a black nightmare and
wondering how he got there.

He
paused in the center of the doorway to the waiting room. The room was large,
but looked small since it was filled with people waiting to visit their loved
ones or simply waiting for them to die. Most were asleep or trying to sleep,
curled up on sleeping bags, in recliners the hospital provided or leaning
against a family member on a sofa.

He
whistled softly. Duel opened his eyes, glanced around, and spotted him standing
there. The two of them had worked together a few times undercover. Duel was a
good man to have at his back. Rafe drew closer and hunkered down beside the
recliner. “How’s Jace?” he asked quietly.

Duel
gave a faint smile. “He came out of surgery with a bunch of tubes in him, minus
his spleen and part of his liver. That bullet bounced around inside him like
you wouldn’t believe. Doctor Hadley was here a couple of hours ago. He thinks
Jace will be outta ICU in a few days. It was close, Rafe. He almost died. I
thought for sure I’d lose him before I could get him here in the chopper.”

Rafe
nodded. “How’s Kaycee? I know this had to be tough for her.”

Duel’s
lips twisted into a ghost of a smile. “She’s okay. That little gal’s a whole
lot stronger than she looks. Can you imagine how tough those sweet little
triplets are going to be when they arrive with her and Jace’s genes? I can’t believe
she carried a damn gun crammed in her boot.”

“How’s
Joseph? I know Danger must be insane with worry.”

Duel
shook his head. “He’s pretty shattered. Joseph took a turn for the worse about
fifteen minutes ago.”

“Oh,
Jesus. Where is Danger now?”

“He
and his new bride stepped outside for a few minutes. Seems they needed some
alone time. Christ, I can’t believe he married someone else so quickly after
the divorce. What the hell is he thinking?”

“His
loss,” Rafe said quietly.

“Yeah,
it is.” Duel scooted to the edge of the recliner and stretched. “I don’t have
anything against Karen personally, but she’s not Lacey, and she’s not the woman
for Danger. He’ll be bored to death in no time with Karen.”

“She’s
going to have his baby.”

“Yeah,
I saw that. Fast work on her part. She isn’t a fool. It puts a whole new light
on things. Lacey must have been devastated. That must have drove the finishing
nail into the coffin of their marriage. Christ, I hope the search and rescue
team finds her alive. Any clues as to where she might be?”

Rafe
shook his head. “I’ve been studying the pictures Smitt drew on the wall.”

“The
wall?”

“Yeah.
He painted the Blackstone’s kitchen wall with all kinds of symbolic drawings,
but they aren’t in any kind of order. I have no clue what he’s trying to say.
I’m not sure he did.”

“Maybe
if I took a look at them, they’d make sense to me. Smitt was always a bit off,
but he grew up in Rimrock. I might understand what some of the symbols mean to
him. You know, his grandmother was as loony as Smitt and scary as hell.”

Rafe
nodded. “That so? Maybe his condition is hereditary then.”

“Or
she just did so many mean things to Smitt when he was a kid, he lost it.”

“Possibly.
Thanks for your offer to help. I can use it.”

Wild
jerked awake and glanced sleepily at Duel. His attention quickly focused on
Rafe. “Lawman,” he greeted.

His
deep-set blue eyes were distant and cool.

Rafe
frowned. He knew from Duel that Wild had been in serious trouble with the law
and spent time in prison. Wild was always respectful, but very, very icy.

“Wild.
I’m glad I caught both of you here. I have bad news, and then I have real bad
news. Which do you two want first?”

Duel
snorted. “Let me guess the bad news. You didn’t find Smitt Davis’s body,
either.”

Rafe
nodded. “We didn’t find him. We searched up and down the creek for miles. There
was blood, plenty of it. Kaycee got him good, but there wasn’t a body.”

“Damn it,”
Duel snapped. “How could he
survive the fall over the cliff?”

“Stranger
things have happened,” Rafe replied. “If he slid down the rock wall, then yes.
I think he would have been bruised and scraped raw, but he could have survived
easily enough. But he’s injured, Duel, and the country is wild. It’s cold and
snowing. He might crawl off, die, and the animals…you know what happens to a
body.”

Duel
stood up and stretched. “Animals like Smitt Davis don’t crawl off and die. They
crawl away, burrow in a hole, lick their wounds, and live to fight another day.
He’ll be back. The sonofabitch will come back. It’s the last thing Danger needs
to hear right now, or Jace and Kaycee.”

Rafe
rose to his feet and stood beside Duel. “The real bad news?” He hesitated,
sucked in a sharp breath and blew it out. “Well, shit,” he said bluntly. “The
airport in Broome, Australia contacted your cousin, Raider. They lost radio
contact with Dianna and Taylor hours ago. They believe the plane went down
somewhere between Broome and Derby, or somewhere a little higher in the
Kimberley region.”

“What!”
Wild exploded. He jumped to his
feet, thrust fingers through his dark hair. “What happened? When?”

Rafe
shook his head. “I can only repeat what your cousin said. A few hours after
takeoff yesterday, the airport lost radio contact with her. Air traffic spotted
a large blip on the radar. They believe the plane hit a flock of birds.”

Duel
rubbed his face tiredly. “So she might still be in the air, but flying without
radio or an accurate flight direction?”

“No.
An Outback station reported hearing a static Mayday, something that sounded
like a crash, and then he lost the signal. Raider called me since he’d been
given my cell number as a point of contact for you. He said to tell you they’re
on standby, waiting to hear from the rescue crews, and waiting to hear from the
airline officials.

“But
I tell you, there are no international airports out in that area. Word from
search and rescue is going to filter in slowly, if at all. And you have to
consider the time differences. What’s daytime for us in the States is night for
them. It will be hours waiting for word to trickle back. Raider said he’d call
you, Duel, just as soon as he received some kind of confirmation. I’m sorry. I
know this couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

Duel
shook Rafe’s hand. “I’ll let Kaycee know. Jace is still pretty much out of it,
but she’ll want to know about Taylor.”

Rafe
jammed his hat back on his head. “I have to go. I’m returning to Danger’s house
to catch an hour or so of sleep, then I’ll try to figure out what those fucking
symbols mean. Tomorrow, I’m joining in the search for Lacey’s body. Damn it,
Duel, I’m truly sorry about all this. Everything.”

Duel
nodded. “I appreciate you coming all the way to Havre to tell us. I don’t have
my cell phone with me, and Wild doesn’t own a phone…that’s why we gave Raider
your number.”

“Not
a problem. If he calls me again, I’ll call the nurse’s station. I just didn’t
want to tell you about Dianna over the fucking phone.”

Duel
shook his hand. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I know Danger is glad to have
you on the case.”

Rafe’s
lips tightened. “Tell him I’m sorry about Joseph. Keep me posted if you can.”

“I
will. One of the ranch hands is bringing my phone at about eight and a charger.
I’ll be able to call you if anything changes.”

“The
men will restart the search at daylight for a sign of Davis’s body, too, but if
they don’t find him by dark, I’ll have to let them go. They all have families,
too, and need to get back to their regular jobs.”

“I
understand. Thanks.”

Wild
stared at Rafe’s back as he walked away. “I’m going to Australia,” he said,
turning to face Duel. “I’ll be at Raider’s or with one of the rescue crews.”

Duel
nodded. “I’ll stay here with Jace and Kaycee.”

Wild
turned to leave.

“Give
Dianna and Taylor my love,” Duel said huskily.

For
a moment, Wild froze. Slowly, he turned to face Duel. Grief shimmered in his
blue-green eyes. “What if they’re—”

“No.”
Duel held up a hand and shook his head. “Give them my love.”

“I’ll
do that.” Wild turned away again, then whipped back around. “I’ll call, as soon
as I know something.”

Duel
nodded. “Take care of yourself, Wildman.”

Wild
nodded. “I’ll be careful. I have to come back, just so I can kick your ass.” He
turned on his heel and left without looking back.

“You
do that,” Duel whispered to Wild’s back. “You come back, safe. Hopefully, I
will, too…”

Chapter Ten

There
is never a time or place for true love. It happens accidentally, in a
heartbeat, in a single flashing, throbbing moment.

~Sarah
Dessen

Two Months Earlier

Blackstone Ranch

December 25, Thursday

7:00 p.m.

Lacey
Blackstone stared at Rafe McCord and knew in her heart she’d lost all honor.
Not that Rafe wasn’t a good man—he was. It was just that her marriage vows, something
she’d always considered sacred had lost their sacred meaning to her soul, and
that was simply numbing. It wasn’t Rafe’s fault he’d been caught in the middle
of her and Danger’s crumbling marriage or the fact her life had fallen apart.

Her
palms felt damp, but not as damp as she was between her legs. Oh, God. Once
she’d loved Danger with everything inside her, but—he’d slowly stifled her
feelings for him, choked the life out of every bit of love she felt for him. He
hadn’t loved her back for such a long time. She didn’t know where she’d gone
wrong with him, but she knew in her heart he no longer wanted her for his wife.
He didn’t want to be a part of her life and he sure as sweet hell didn’t want her
to be a part of his.

She’d
always love him, he was the father of her son, but she was no longer
in
love with him, and there was a
difference. Danger had chosen to push her out of his life. He hadn’t just
pushed her, he’d shoved her out so fast and slammed the door in her face, she
was still trying to catch up and figure out what she’d done to kill his love.

Lacey
sighed. It didn’t matter anymore. She felt like she was drowning in a vat of
loneliness, dying for lack of love. Danger’s cold attitude toward her left her drained.
She could only stand up under so much criticism, so much hunger for a man’s
touch before her body demanded satisfaction.

Rafe.
For a moment, she studied him. This man was here, now, and he wanted her. Loved
her. He made her feel wanted. Needed. Alive! Somewhere over the last few months—or
maybe it was during the culmination of the three years she’d known him—but at
some point, she’d fallen in love with Rafe McCord. It had been slow, like
drizzling honey over a hot bun, but now her feelings were exploding.

Maybe
that was what was wrong between Danger and her. Maybe he’d sensed she’d fallen
out of love with him and in love with another man.

She
hadn’t seen it coming, but maybe Danger had.

Oh,
God. The guilt she felt for wanting Rafe ate at her insides. No matter how
wrong she knew it was, she couldn’t stop the aching desire. She wanted him.
No! No.
She couldn’t want him. If she
admitted that, she
was
lost. She
looked at Rafe, saw his heart and soul in his deep blue eyes, and she knew it
didn’t matter, she was lost anyway. They were both lost.

Lacey
rubbed her hands along the seams of her jeans. Her heart skipped a beat. If she
let this happen, she’d destroy everything.

Could
she live with that?

Was
there anything left of her marriage to destroy? The answer to that was simple.
No. When Danger left her alone with Rafe, he’d silently told her he didn’t care,
that he was finished with her, finished with their marriage. The only thing
left of her marriage was the bitter taste of ashes in her mouth.

“Rafe,
please.” And she wasn’t sure anymore what she was pleading for from him.

“I’m
asking for one night, Lace. That’s all. One night. A single night that you and
I share, beautiful memories that only the two of us will ever know, memories
that’ll last a lifetime because they have to.”

Oh,
God. She wanted this night, wanted this man, but her mind balked. “Rafe.”

“Sssh.”
He slid his arms around her and
held her close. “You aren’t doing this. I am. Let me kiss you again. I’m dying
for a taste of you.”

“Rafe.”

“One
kiss, Lace. What’s one kiss going to hurt? I already have the taste of you on
my tongue. You’re in my blood. What’s another kiss going to change?”

“Everything.”
And nothing.

Danger
was already gone. In her heart, she knew he’d left her. He’d walked away,
turned his back and left her alone with another man.

But she knew, even
as Rafe tugged her closer, cupped her face, and lowered his head, if he kissed
her again,
she’d
be gone, too. Lost.
There’d be no turning back. Yes. It’d change everything. Change their lives.
Change them.

Rafe
brushed her hair from her face and wiped the tears off her cheeks with the tips
of his thumbs.
“Ssh
…Lace, oh, God,
honey, don’t cry. I only want to kiss you.”

No.
It wouldn’t be anything as simple as a mere kiss. “Rafe, I—”

“Please?”

She
stood there, her soul aching. “Dear, God,” she whispered helplessly. “Don’t you
see, Rafe, a kiss isn’t going to be enough. It isn’t going to be all there is
between us. Not now. Not ever again.”

“I
know the things you say are true, but I…please, Lace. Don’t shut me out. Let me
in your life, your heart. Let me love you.” He pulled her hand to his zipper.
“Feel how much I want you.”

She
drew a shaky breath. “I know how much I want you. The ache never goes away. Not
anymore. I can’t deny what’s between us. I can’t deny you any longer.” Her
heart felt as if it was breaking in half. Her mind screamed a denial. On one
hand, she’d lost the love of a wonderful man she adored. On the other hand, she
held the heart of another man who loved her, a man she’d fallen hopelessly in
love with, too.

She
hadn’t meant for it to happen.

But
the more Danger pushed her away, the more she’d opened her heart and mind to
Rafe.

Slowly,
Lacey bowed her head. “Don’t say ‘Please’ again. If you want me, I’m yours.”

Rafe
tilted up her chin. “Then don’t hang your head in shame. You have nothing to be
ashamed of, and God, woman, I’ve wanted you for so long, I’m nearly crazy with
the need to be inside you, but I won’t touch you, take you, if all you’re going
to feel is shame.”

Lacey
searched his eyes, saw nothing but love there in the warm depths for her. Her
body clung to his in surrender. She needed him, needed to feel his mouth on
hers. Needed to feel his body joined with hers. “I’m not ashamed, Rafe, but I’m
walking away, turning my back on something that’s been important to me. I don’t
feel shame, but I do feel guilty. This isn’t an easy decision.

“If
it was easy, it wouldn’t be worthwhile. I love you, Lace,” Rafe whispered
softly. “I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. I’ve been going
slowly insane with the need to touch you, to love you. I swear I never meant
for any of this to happen either. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you. If I
could, I’d go, leave you untouched. I’ve walked away from you so many times,
but I–I just can’t do it again.” He drew a deep breath, slowly exhaled. “I
swear to God, I’ve never touched another man’s wife before. I swear it.”

“Rafe.”
Lacey stroked the sides of his face with unsteady hands.

“You
don’t have to love me back, Lace, I’m not asking that of you…just let me love
you. I’ll be happy just loving you.”

She
laid a trembling hand over his mouth. “I do, Rafe. I do love you back.”

He
stilled. His chest heaved with the release of a long breath. “Oh, God, Lace. I
never expected to hear you say those words. Say them again.”

“I
love you, Rafe. God forgive me, I love you.” Her lips quivered. “I don’t know
when I fell in love with you, but—”

“I
don’t care when, just that you did.” He locked his arms around her waist and
twirled around with her. Laughing, he set her back on her feet. “I thank God
you did.” Slowly, he lowered his head, set his mouth on hers, and gently parted
her lips.

Lacey
caught her breath at the exquisite softness of his lips, at the deep hunger and
tenderness. It had been a long time since Danger kissed her with hunger. A long
time since he’d kissed her, period, or shown her tenderness. Somewhere along
the way, he’d stopped needing her, stopped wanting her.

But
this man held her as if she were a precious jewel. Rafe slid an arm around the
curve of her hips and lifted her against his erection. It was all he did. He
simply held her there and deepened the kiss. Her body suffused with heat. She
rubbed against the hardness pressed tautly against her.

His
fingers slid up, fumbled with the buttons on her rust-colored blouse. Easing
the pressure off her mouth, Rafe glared hatefully at the long row of tiny
buttons. “You wore this on purpose.”

“I
did. Yes. I thought to save myself from you.”

“The
hell with that shit!” He grunted, and ripped the front of her blouse open.
Buttons scattered through the air and bounced as they hit the tiled floor,
scattering in myriad directions.

“That’s
the second blouse today you’ve destroyed. Keep this up, and I’ll have nothing
to wear.”

“Good.”
He frowned. “You’re wearing a bra? You never wear a bra.”

“I
know.”

“Never
wear a bra again.”

“I
won’t.”

The
front clasp of the annoying garment gave beneath the expert flick of his
fingers. He slid both articles of clothing off her shoulders and dropped them
at their feet.

“I’ve
waited an eternity for you, Lace. I thought I was going to die with the
wanting.” His gaze settled on her breasts. “God, you’re so beautiful. I dreamed
so many times of touching your breasts, tasting them. You have no idea how
often I’ve pictured you in my mind, erotic pictures of you naked, riding me.
Out there, in the barn today? It was like a miracle seeing your breasts for the
first time, touching you, tasting your nipples. I’ll never get enough of you,
Lace.”

Lacey
drew a sharp breath when he palmed her right breast and rubbed his thumb across
her tingling nipple. It tightened instantly beneath his slow touch. Rafe
groaned, lowered his head, and took the tight bud inside his mouth, wrapped his
tongue around it and sucked strongly.

She
arched her back in supplication. Lacey loved the feel of his mouth on her, the
wetness of his tongue, the hunger in his hesitant touches, the slow hard
suction as he drew on her nipple. She cast aside the last of her doubts, the
last of her feelings of right or wrong and clasped him close. Nothing that felt
this good could be wrong. This was surrender at its sweetest.

Threading
her fingers through his thick, dark hair, she said huskily, “I saw you naked in
your room today.”

He
moved to the other breast and gave it equal treatment before lifting his head.
His blue eyes glittered. “Did you
now
?”

“You’re
magnificent, Rafe. I wanted you so badly in that moment. You have no idea how
difficult it was for me to walk away.”

“I
wanted you in the barn and again in the hall when I came out of the bathroom. I
wanted you desperately when you stared at my dick like it was a gold bar.”

“You
knew I saw you?”

He
grinned. “I made sure you did.”

She
laughed. “You devil.”

“When
it comes to you, yes, I’m horny. I wanted to take you then and there, and in
the barn. Jesus, I almost came when you did that little kittenish mewl thing in
the back of your throat and slid up and down my cock.”

“Oh,
God, Rafe.” Heat pooled between her thighs. Her stomach tingled. Her heart
fluttered like something wild and untamed. “I’m burning up. Touch my breasts.
Touch me…everywhere.”

He
cupped both her breasts and rubbed them back and forth across his chest. He
tweaked her nipples until they stood stiff and ready for his mouth.

Rafe
fumbled with the button on her jeans, eased down the zipper, and, suddenly
impatient with the barriers between them, yanked jeans and panties down her
sleek hips. Already barefoot, she stepped out of the clothes pooled at her
feet. In seconds, he’d stripped off his jeans and dropped them on top of hers.

Her
gaze slid to his straining cock. A tiny bubble of clear liquid stood at the tip
of the broad, blunt head. Her eyes widened. Lacey licked her dry lips. “Oh,
Jesus. I realized you’re hung like a mountain stallion, but I hadn’t taken in
quite how thick and broad it…is…until just now. It’s big. I mean…yeah, that’s
the word.”

“I’ll
go easy with you,” he said, understanding the look of doubt on her face. “Don’t
worry. I’ll go slow and easy. I swear.”

Rafe
lifted her into his arms and hesitated. He looked around like a man who’d lost
his way.

Lacey
giggled and pointed. “Bedroom’s that way.”

“Fuck
the bedroom…I can’t wait that long.”

He
carried her over to the long, sturdy dining table loaded down with Christmas
dinner. Holding her with one arm, he swept the bowls of mashed potatoes and
gravy to the floor, along with the turkey, dressing, and the pies, all in one
single sweep of his arm. He stretched her out on top of the now bared table.

“You’re
my Christmas present,” he breathed.

Lacey
turned her head and eyed the broken dishes and food on the floor. “If you get
hungry, I don’t know what you’ll eat.”

“There’s
only one thing I’m interested in eating tonight.”

He
spread her thighs wide, lifted her hips and licked her. Oh, God. Lacey tangled
her fingers in his hair and arched her hips against his mouth. He wa–was—he
did!
He stabbed the wet inner flesh of
her opening with his tongue. No. Oh, no. She couldn’t take this. She twisted
beneath him. No, she couldn’t bear—this.

Slowly,
he slid his tongue along her clitoris. Lacey nearly came off the table. Oh,
Jesus. The instant orgasm slammed into her with unexpected force. She screamed.