Page 12 of Pay Dirt

Chapter 6

“I couldn’t possibly impose,” Clayton said.

Nathan patted Clayton on the back. “I’ll feel better with another agent around to watch her back.”

“Great,” Clayton said, as if he’d just been told he needed a root canal. “Please tell me your father doesn’t have farm animals. I’m allergic to them.”

“Which ones?” I asked as the conveyor started to move and the luggage began to come through.

“All of them,” Clayton answered.

I wasn’t sure if my sister even realized how much she’d missed the mark on sending Clayton to be our driver. He was dressed as if he were off the New York runway and not someone that might step in horse manure.

We strolled out through the electronic doors. The smoldering heat smacked my face like a sopping dishrag, and pressed heavily on my chest. The sun seemed about five times brighter than in my hometown. A limo was parked outside. It contrasted with all the other vehicles, mainly consisting of beat-up pickup trucks and four-wheel drives. People in the distance rode on horseback, corralling sheep.

“Aren’t we going to stand out in that thing?” I asked.

‘Your sister insisted on the best.” Clayton said.

Nathan grabbed for the door handle, but Clayton knocked his hand away. “I’m the chauffeur. At least let me do my job.”

“I’m sorry that my sister got you into this,” I said, sliding inside onto the leather seats.

Clayton poked his head in to meet my gaze. “I owed her. She saved my life. The least I can do is watch out for her sister.”

Nathan slid in next to me while Clayton loaded the luggage in the trunk. “You sure dohave an interesting family.”

“My life was boring, but that all changed when Fillpot showed up in town. See, my sisters and I all have unique abilities, and now Special Agent Fillpot has convinced Gwen that our baby sister is still alive. He has her hunting a ghost she can’t ever expect to find.”

“Crazy genes and all, I appreciate you helping. We ran out of leads a long time ago until one of the bills resurfaced.”

I understood the need for closure. When my parents and sister died, I’d been lost in a dazed whirlwind trying to process the overwhelming grief. I knew what it meant to need things finalized in orderto breathe.

I glanced out the window, taking in the scenery. Millville, Texas, was exactly like I thought it would be after looking at it from in the sky. The vast openness of the land catered to farm equipment and tumbleweeds. The town was clumped together in one area with tendrils that reached farther out for those who didn’t enjoy congregating with people.

I refocused on Nathan. “If you grew up here, you must know everybody in town. Do any of them strike you as bank robbers?”

He shook his head and turned his gaze out the window. “Not a one, but if I find out one of them was responsible for my mother’s death, it’s going to be hard not to take justice into my own hands.”

The window between the driver’s compartment and the back lowered as the car was started. Clayton glanced in the rearview mirror. “Gwen told me you two just met. You’re sitting too far apart to be a happy romantic couple. You might want to get the awkwardness out of the way while behind the tinted windows.” Clayton chuckled as the window rose again, blocking us off from his commentary.

“He’s right,” I said. I slid the dress up my legs and climbed onto Nathan’s lap.

His body tensed with my unexpected action, but relaxed as he grinned. His palms rested on my hips. “You don’t have a shy bone in your body, do you?”

“In my line of work, I’ve had to play all kinds of parts to get close to my targets to serve papers or sweet talk information on my bail jumpers. Granted, it didn’t involve climbing onto laps, but I’m a closet actress. I don’t just help Nancys looking for their lost car keys.” I smiled, staring into his eyes. “Kiss me.”

Nathan swallowed uncomfortably as he met my gaze, but that didn’t stop him from following through on my demand. His hand rested on my lower back. His lips met mine, slow and sensual. He kissed me like a man savoring my taste until he broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against mine. Our heated breaths mingled.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Hold that thought,” I said seconds before I kissed him like I meant it. There was nothing slow or essential about the way I took his lips, devouring him and tasting him in a single breath. I pressed my body against him as desire pulled within me. His hand on my back slid into my hair, tilting my head, giving him better access. Our erratically beating hearts matched until I broke the kiss.

His gaze lingered on my lips as we both fought to catch our breaths. “That was hot.”

He opened his mouth and then closed it again. His hands still holding onto me, he leaned in and kissed me again as if he’d needed just one more kiss to validate the heat sizzling between us.

The feeling was mutual.

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