Page 8 of Reckoning with the Cowboy
“You look…amazing.”
She glanced up from the paperwork she was holding, not surprised by his words but by the joy she heard in them. Her gaze met his, something she’d been hoping to avoid. The look in his eyes threatened to buckle her knees. Damn, but he looked good. She would have thought he’d have aged more than he had.
She’d hoped he would have lost that mischievous twinkle in his eyes that kept her awake so many nights. She’d hoped that when he smiled, he wouldn’t have that one dimple in his right cheek that made him look like the boy she’d fallen in love with.
He still had a full head of sandy-blond hair. It was actually shorter than it had been the last time she saw him. But everything else about him looked the same, from his broad shoulders, slim hips and long legs to that knee-buckling look in his eyes. Even the nonchalant way he stood was the same. He used to joke that nothing bothered him. And it had appeared that way, like water off a duck. Nothing ever stuck. She certainly hadn’t, she reminded herself.
But even when they were very young, she’d sensed something dark under the surface with Cordell that felt to her like hurt and pain and disappointment, if not fear. After all, she only knew the twelve-year-old boy who’d shown up in Dry Gulch one day with his seventeen-year-old brother and a questionable story about where they’d been and why they were there alone.
“I just need you to sign the agreement and you’re free to go,” she said now, dragging her gaze away as she shoved the paper and pen through the bars. She could understand this man no more now than she could as a teenager. She just needed to steel her heart from getting battered again.
He took both the papers and the pen, looked down at them, then up at her again. “I’ve missed you,” he said quietly. “I needed to leave to make my fortune, but I told you I’d be back so the two of us could be together.” He grinned, that dimple in his cheek making her go soft inside.
She shook her head. He didn’t look like a man who had made his fortune, but that had never mattered to her. But had he really thought he could walk back in and everything would be just as it was before he left? “Just sign the form, Cordell. You’ll be leaving again soon anyway because that’s what you do.” She wished she had bitten her tongue and stopped herself from saying anything personal.
“I’m not leaving. I just have to help Max with something. I have some big plans.”
She stared at him, reminded of that intense feeling she’d had on the porch. Something dark and dangerous.Someone.She’d thought it was personal and realized that if it had something to do with Cordell or Max, then yes, it was very personal.
“Unless you’re planning to spend your time in Dry Gulch behind bars, sign the form. I’ll tell the judge you need just a little time to get your affairs in order and then you’ll be gone.”
He looked as if he wanted to argue the point but nodded as if resigned. “Thank you for doing this.”
“You’ll be getting a bill for my services.”
Cordell smiled at that, exposing that dimple again. But it was the glint in his blue eyes that made her weaken. “You do that, Josie. Good to see you.”
“Just be careful,” she said, making his smile broaden, his dimple deepening.
His gaze locked with hers. “I feel the same way about you, Josie. Just want the best for you. Maybe that’s why I left. But now I’m back.” He turned then to the papers.
She leaned against the cell bars, watching him sign, hating that hope tried to pry open her heart. Was he really back? As he handed her the papers and pen back, his fingers brushed hers. She did her best to hide the shiver that ran through her. But she felt her face flush and knew that he’d seen both because that dimple was back.
“Take care, Josie,” he said as she walked out of the cellblock, closing the door behind her.
It wasn’t until she handed Max the signed papers so he could release his brother that she saw her hand was shaking. She dropped the pen on his desk, avoiding his eyes.
Max glanced from her to the paperwork, then swore. “Did he say he was leaving town?”
“He said he wasn’t. I’ll tell the judge he needs a little time and then he will be gone. I already assured the judge I would make sure he leaves.” She looked up then to meet the sheriff’s gaze. “Why is he back?”
“Cordell didn’t tell you?” he asked, sounding surprised, but also almost relieved.
She shook her head. “And I don’t want to know.” A lie. “He said it had to do with you.”
Max grimaced. “You should know my brother by now. He tends to get carried away pretty easily.”
Josie smiled at that, realizing that was something she loved about Cordell. “He definitely can be determined when he puts his mind to it.” They smiled at each other for a few moments. “But I don’t want him dragging you into whatever it is, Max. You’ve made a good life here. I plan to officiate at your wedding to Goldie one day.”
He smiled at that, though it wasn’t as bright as earlier. He was handsome like his brother but more serious and responsible. “You all right, Josie?”
“Why wouldn’t I be all right?” she snapped and instantly regretted it. She liked Max. She’d always wished that Cordell was just a little like his older brother. “Sorry.”
“We’re all on edge, believe me.”
She did. She stood, feeling the need to say something more, but half-afraid of what might come out. If Cordell got out of jail and right back into trouble, he’d be calling her. All she had to do was wait.
Giving Max a nod, she headed for the door. The moment she stepped outside, she felt the dark malevolence even stronger now. With a chill, she knew that feeling was back again. Haranguing and haunting her like a demon. She just knew someone was coming for Dry Gulch. Coming for the two men she loved, one like a brother, the other like the lover he’d been. She couldn’t bear to think she might lose them both.
