Rocky Mountain Lawman

chapter 9



“They’re not wants or warrants,” Micah said as she scanned the paper. “But apparently Cap—Captain Les MacDonald—has a checkered history.”

He most definitely did, Sky thought as she scanned the printout, starting with a dishonorable discharge from the army. After that, he’d apparently been on the fringes of a number of dubious activities, from illegal arms sales to drugs, but had never been directly implicated. He was a “person of interest” in past cases, but then his record went blank for four years. “He’s dangerous,” she said, handing the paper back and sinking into the armchair.

“So it would appear,” Micah agreed. “Just how dangerous we don’t know. Some things aren’t there but Gage sniffed them out. He’s been hanging around with a white supremacist group. Apparently only on the fringes. The guy is real cautious about not getting too deep into anything.”

She nodded. “But he’s learning.”

“That’s our feeling,” Micah agreed. “A great addition to our county. I’m just wondering why he attached to Buddy and moved to the back of beyond.”

“Takeover,” Craig said. “Buddy must have talked too much to this guy at some point, and he saw an opportunity to move in and run the show. The question is what kind of show.”

A silence fell over the cabin, punctuated only by the occasional drumbeat of rain on the roof and by the popping of burning wood in the fireplace.

Craig spoke again. “Do we know anything about his military background?”

“Sketchy,” Doug answered. “He tried for the rangers and couldn’t make the grade. Then he wanted airborne and didn’t make it through jump school.”

“So either somebody saw something in him that they distrusted, or he just isn’t capable,” Craig said.

Sky spoke next. “Failures like that can turn someone into a problem. They’ve got something to prove.”

“He’s not going to prove it here,” Micah said emphatically. “We’ll keep you posted. Gage is looking for a way to go over Buddy’s place with a fine-tooth comb, but I doubt he’ll get it. He talked to ATF, but they need more. So here we are. You two just be careful, hear?”

He checked to see if Craig wanted any of the other photos, but he declined. “There’s nothing there, really. I need to see with my own eyes.”

Micah stuffed everything back into the envelope. “Like I said, you be careful. Right now this Cap guy looks unpredictable. At some point he’s bound to move from the fringes into outright action to prove something, as Sky here said. Let’s hope he moves on before he does anything bad.”

The two deputies left, and the heavens continued to weep. Back inside the cabin, Sky felt chilled, and not because it wasn’t warm enough inside.

“Trouble,” she said. “That guy is trouble.”

“I agree.”

“Buddy and his family could be in the most trouble of all.”

Craig frowned. “Maybe. But right now I think the Jackson family is good cover for Cap and whatever he hopes to accomplish. Gage’s visit achieved something else.”

“Which is?”

“Cap now knows that the sheriff drops by from time to time. It would look really bad if a deputy dropped by and the whole Jackson family wasn’t around, if you get my drift. So he needs the cover. Maybe they’re part of his plan. Hell, at this point I can’t even be certain Buddy isn’t fully on board with whatever Cap might want. One thing for sure, I’m moving Buddy out of the perfectly-harmless-nut category. He might not be so harmless after all.”

Sky didn’t disagree. The cabin no longer felt like a cozy bulwark against the dismal day outside. Rising, she went to pull a cardigan out of her duffel and pulled it on, wrapping it tightly around herself. Inactivity didn’t suit her, so she began to pace, no easy feat on the small amount of bare floor, hardly bigger than a king-size bed.

She was having a feeling that she recognized from Iraq all those years ago, when she had learned in the most unforgettable way possible that no place was safe, not for an instant, not for a moment, not even on a base.

Exaggeration, she told herself. This wasn’t Iraq, and she didn’t even know if there was an enemy. And Cap, while he might be looking to prove something, had no reason to prove it at the expense of Craig or her. No reason.

“He’s got what, four guys?” she asked aloud.

“Cap? Three, maybe four. No army, that’s for sure. We’ll have to see if others show up.”

“Yeah.” A handful of men. A handful of men they could identify, which was extremely important as she had learned in a war where anyone could be a combatant and most didn’t wear uniforms.

All of a sudden, strong arms wound around her from behind. Holding her snugly, halting her pacing. For an instant she wanted to pull away because the need to keep moving was powerful. A leftover instinct of some kind.

“Easy, Sky,” he said. “It’s going to be okay. It’s a small group of fringe types. We can deal with it.”

“I know.” She forced herself to relax, releasing a sigh as she did so. “I know. But it still feels creepy.”

“I agree with you there. But creepy isn’t a threat assessment, is it.”

In spite of it all, she had relaxed enough to laugh. A weak laugh, but genuine. “You’re right,” she said as she turned within the circle of his arms to face him.

He smiled down at her. “Remember, this Cap has failed at everything. And managed to anger somebody enough that he got a dishonorable discharge. I’d be more worried if it had been for medical reasons.”

“Why?”

“Crazy.”

She laughed again, more easily this time. “I didn’t think of that. So we can be reasonably certain he’s not that far over the edge.”

“Yeah, it takes a lot to get discharged for mental illness. Hell, they wouldn’t even let go of guys with severe post-traumatic stress disorder. I figure Cap is a guy with an inflated sense of himself. He’s more apt to screw up by thinking he’s better than he is or by overreaching.”

“That’s possible.” But even as she answered, she realized that her uneasiness with the situation was slipping away, being rapidly replaced by awareness of the man whose arms were around her. He held her loosely; she could have moved away, but she didn’t want to.

What had he said earlier, about her having warning signs that popped up? Had she been putting him off without realizing it? Did she want to keep putting him off?

No. The answer was clear in her own mind, in her body, and it didn’t carry one iota of doubt with it. She might be making one of the worst mistakes of her life, but she didn’t believe it. Craig wasn’t Hector, not in any regard. Two men couldn’t have been more different.

This man intuitively understood her land mines and her scars. He probably even shared some of them, although he didn’t talk about them.

Nothing could come of this, but she didn’t seem to care anymore. Just a fling. She could survive a fling. There was, however, an imperative question she needed to have answered: Was she a lousy lover?

Craig didn’t think that was possible. He’d said so. Lousy lovers were selfish lovers, and looking back at her days with Hector she could see his selfishness. It had been there in a lot of ways. So maybe she wasn’t the one who was flawed, and right now she desperately needed to know.

If there was one thing she could put to rest, that was it. One way or the other, she needed to know rather than nursing her pain from Hector and never finding out if he was wrong.

If he was right...well, it could hardly hurt any worse than it already did, could it?

But more than the aching wound in her heart, she wanted Craig. He wasn’t simply an answer to a question. She had been feeling and quashing stirrings of desire for him ever since she had first laid eyes on him. He’d said he was tempted by her. He’d told her he wanted to make love to her and stopped only because he felt her resistance.

That felt so good. Another sigh escaped her as she let go of something old and dark and turned her face toward something new, something that she desired, rather than denying herself out of fear.

But remembering what he had said about her off-limits signs, she realized he wouldn’t take the first step. He wouldn’t cross the barriers he’d sensed unless she invited him to. Because he was that kind of man, a good man, one who genuinely cared about taking care of everything he perceived as being under his protection. And whether he agreed she was capable of looking after herself, she had no doubt that he thought of her as falling under his protection.

A tremor of uncertainty and growing passion both rippled through her. It was as if she hovered at the brink of a cliff, wanting to soar, afraid of falling and unable to take the step.

But oh, how she wanted to. A tingling warmth was spreading throughout her. Her entire universe seemed to refocus, heightening her awareness of her womanhood. Even her breasts began to yearn for a touch. Anticipation became her friend for the first time in a long time.

But she had to take the first step. Seconds must have ticked by as she tried to find the courage to make a move. Even a simple move that would let him know.

Odd how she seemed to have forgotten even such an easy thing. But Hector, she realized now, hadn’t welcomed overtures from her. Not ever. She’d had to wait until...

Ah, to hell with it, she thought. She raised her face, met those gray eyes squarely—they looked probing, she thought—then leaned into him and touched his mouth with hers.

“Ah, Sky,” he breathed against her mouth. Then his arms became steel bands around her, pulling her close, holding her tightly to the length of his body.

His hard muscles against the softer curves of her body felt like heaven. She reached up to hang on to his shoulders as he deepened his kiss, taking care, so much care, as if he were testing how far she wanted him to go.

That had never happened before, she thought with hazy delight. Hector had always taken what he wanted however he wanted it. And why the devil was she thinking of Hector now? She wanted to banish him to the depths of a hell where he probably belonged.

She let her head fall back a little, her mouth opening even more, and Craig took her invitation. His tongue plunged into her, seeking out every sensitive place, some she hadn’t realized she had.

Along her cheeks, over her tongue, then over her lips again until each nerve ending awoke to exquisite sensitivity and delight. She tried to respond in kind, to give him the same surprising pleasures, and loved it when he groaned quietly, deep in his throat.

Ah, this was good, so good she never wanted it to end. Never had she felt that way about a kiss before. But then never had a kiss seemed to awaken her entire body.

He tasted like coffee, but even as she reveled in his taste, his aromas began to fill her nose: musky, manly, woodsy, a little damp from rain. Delightful scents, enticing scents. And as the kiss continued, the odor of musk increased, exciting her even more.

Everything else dropped away like dead leaves from a tree in a winter wind. Gone, it was all gone except for Craig and the passion he was stoking in her.

* * *

God, she tasted so good, Craig thought. Like coffee, yes, but with a hint of her minty toothpaste. Her mouth was warm, welcoming, making him want to enter her another way now.

He was as hot as a bonfire already, certain she must feel his hard, throbbing staff against her belly. Tinder to her spark. It was only with effort that he clung to his control. This was no time to go caveman. Not this time, although he could easily have lowered her straight to the floor and taken her with only the barest nod to necessities.

Fire licked at his groin, at the edges of his mind, but concern for her never entirely vanished. Not yet. She might become afraid again at any moment.

But having her cling to him this way and welcome him this way was enough to push him to the edge of madness.

He knew how scary this must be for her. He half expected her to stiffen, to try to pull away, and he wondered if he’d be able to let go.

But she didn’t pull away. He could feel her growing softer against him, more yielding, more accepting, more hungering.

She was riding the wave with him.

Gently he pulled his mouth from hers and felt a surge of renewed desire as a soft moan escaped her. But he had another goal now, and without hesitation he found her ear, nipping gently, feeling the shudder pass through her, feeling the way her grip on his shoulders tightened almost painfully.

Then down her throat to the edge of the sweater she’d tried to hide in. The paint-spattered sweater. Those paint splotches that seemed to embarrass her but that he found somehow endearing. But he couldn’t express that now.

No, nothing in him wanted to talk right now. Every single cell wanted to act, to pursue satisfaction, to find the answer to his manhood in her womanhood.

Risking breaking the spell he felt growing between them, he turned her a little in his arms. His mouth descended to the base of her throat, his tongue licking her warm skin, feeling her pulse beat rapidly. Then he boldly slipped a hand up beneath her sweater, beneath her shirt and found the bare skin of her midriff.

She froze, and for an instant he thought he had blown it all. But then a soft moan issued from her, a quiver passed through her and her fingers dug even harder into his shoulders.

She whispered his name brokenly. “Don’t stop...”

Music to his ears, timed exactly to the throb of his entire body. The drumbeat of his blood nearly deafened him then, but those words, spoken in a broken whisper, resounded in his head. Don’t stop. He wasn’t even sure he could now and need hammered him ever harder.

He’d rolled up the damn sleeping bags, and even in his impassioned state he didn’t want to take her on a wood floor. Splinters, roughness...anything but good.

He had enough presence of mind to lift her. Then he settled on the armchair. There was just enough room for her to straddle him. He saw her eyes widen with surprise, then narrow again as she realized what was happening.

She smiled sleepily, delighting him. She thrilled him even more when she leaned in to kiss him. Whatever her wounds, she had clearly decided to get past them.

Acutely aware of the burden that placed on him, momentary nervousness filled him. She took care of that in short order by leaning into him and wrapping her arms around his neck. There was no doubt this woman knew what she wanted, and that pleased him hugely.

Nervousness vanished. As he returned her kiss, he grasped her rump in his large hands and pulled her closer until their hips connected. He almost groaned as she pressed against his staff and her moist heat reached him even through two layers of denim.

He slipped his hands upward now, sliding them under her sweater and shirt, running his palms over her satiny skin. Edging steadily upward he sought the clasp of her bra, wanting to free her to his touch more than he had wanted anything in a long time. Women were no mystery to him anymore, but this one was affecting him as if she were a brand-new one, like the very first one, filling him with need and fear, anticipation and apprehension all at once. He wasn’t sure she wouldn’t change her mind. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t disappoint her. Both kept him on exquisite tenterhooks of deepening hunger and inescapable uncertainty.

He found the clasp. She felt it and arched backward, almost as if offering herself to him. He quickly slipped his other hand beneath to join the first and when he released the hooks she gave a soft moan. His finger felt the bra pull open as it ceased to support. He didn’t hesitate now, but slipped his hands around until he cupped both her breasts.

She groaned. He closed his eyes in absolute delight as she filled his hands, as he felt the hard, big pebbles of her nipples pressing into his palms. He now had no doubt she was coming on this ride with him, as hungry as he.

The pounding in his body grew harder and more insistent. His staff had stiffened until he felt it would explode, good, so good.

Running his thumbs across her nipples, he reveled in the shivers that ran through her, in the way she almost jerked at his each touch. He squeezed and kneaded, and even pinched her lightly, trying to wring every drop of pleasure out of this for both of them.

But most especially her.

She pushed hard on his shoulders, holding herself up, making her breasts available to his caresses. As she pushed against his shoulders, she brought her center even closer to his groin, and began a slow, steady rocking against him. He could feel her thighs tighten around his with each movement.

This was incredible, he thought hazily. Had it ever happened so hot and hard for him before?

They were going to reach a peak before he even unbuttoned their jeans, and damned if he cared. He rose up to meet her, savoring the pressure and her immediate response.

Finesse vanished. They were riding a sudden storm and with each movement of their hips the deep ache grew, goading them closer to the precipice.

Then, as if shot out of a bow, they flew. He heard her quiet keen, she bucked once hard, then collapsed on him weakly. An instant later, with one last upward jolt, he followed her.

He hadn’t even started to catch his breath when the radio across the room started crackling, Lucy calling his name impatiently.

* * *

The sound of the radio was an unwelcome, unwanted intrusion. Sky straddled Craig’s lap, sated, wanting to melt into him again, amazed that they had visited such heights in such a hurried fashion. Cripes, like kids in the back of the car, she thought. She might have been embarrassed except that she hadn’t gone there alone. Craig had been right with her.

And that warmed the kernel of hope in her heart even more. The most basic of sex, and it had been good for both of them. No wine, no roses, no dinner, little foreplay, no romance and it had been exquisite.

Then the radio. She didn’t even bother to stifle a groan of protest as she tried to find strength to lever herself off him. Long-ago training rose to take over: you didn’t ignore a radio call. Ever.

He seized her waist and helped her to stand, standing with her at the same time. Then he eased her back into the chair.

“I’m going to kill Lucy,” he remarked.

“Don’t bother. She doesn’t know.”

He paused long enough to brush her hair lightly and drop a kiss on her mouth. “Wonderful,” he said. “More later, unless you object.”

Her cheeks flamed but she smiled. He returned the smile then headed for the radio, which sat on the shelf next to his hat and gun belt.

“What’s up, Lucy?”

“Something’s going on, Craig. Don is on his way. You’re still at the cabin, right?”

“I was taking a comp day.”

“Sorry, it’s over. I’ll let him know where to find you. Out.”

He put the radio down and looked at Sky. “The comp day was over, except for you, since Micah showed up.” Walking over to the window, he stood looking out at what had become a steady rain. “I wonder what the hell is going on.”

“She didn’t seem to want to say on the radio.”

“No, she didn’t.”

They both understood what that meant. Whatever the news was, it wasn’t meant to be overheard.

* * *

“There’s too many forest service guys in the area,” Cap said.

Buddy shrugged. “They’re looking for a blocked stream. It’s important.”

“Well, we blocked the stream, so how do you think that’s okay?”

Buddy bridled a bit. Sometimes he didn’t like the tone Cap took with him. “This is my land. I can do whatever the hell I want on it. Those rangers can’t even cross my boundary without my permission.”

“You were sure eager enough to show that sheriff around.”

Buddy glared at him. “You want to draw attention? The best thing to do when the sheriff pays one of his courtesy calls is to act like everything’s normal. Be friendly. If I stop doing that, he for sure knows I’m up to something. Cut it out, Cap. He didn’t see a damn thing he doesn’t always see.”

“You hope. He saw the new barracks and he didn’t look like a dope to me.”

“I told him it was because I needed more storage. There’s no reason on earth for him not to believe that. He knows I got a lot of food stashed out here. Never made a secret of that.”

“Well, maybe you should have.” Cap frowned at him. “You’re a little too open for a prepper, Buddy.”

“I’m also too far out for anyone to care when the stuff hits the fan.”

“You can’t be sure of that.”

“Well, that’s what you’re here for, right?”

Cap didn’t answer immediately, which made Buddy nervous. He was seriously wondering if he’d made a mistake by inviting the man here. The questions seemed to grow by the day. Before Cap, he hadn’t had any trouble with anyone.

“My men are out there working, Buddy. I told you that. The day is coming. They’re already starting to come this way as they finish their jobs. But in the meantime, we’re going to have to keep an eye on those rangers. If they find out we’ve diverted most of a stream to make a reservoir, they can tell you to remove the dam, right?”

“It’s my land,” Buddy said stubbornly. “They can’t tell me anything.”

“They’re the government. I wouldn’t be too sure of that. Anyway, we need to keep an eye on them so they don’t get too close. What’s going on here needs to be absolutely secret.”

“What we need to do,” Buddy said off the top of his head, “is make them less suspicious. You start following them around the woods with your patrols, and they’ll get even more suspicious. We need a way to look like the good guys.”

“Got any plan for doing that?” Cap asked sarcastically.

“I’m thinking on it,” Buddy said stubbornly. “I’ll come up with something. By the time I get done, we’ll look like heroes and they’ll leave us alone.”