Bounty Hunter (Temptation)

THE BOUNTY HUNTER by VICKI LEWIS THOMPSON

MILLS &. BOON

ANYTIME TWO-DOZEN red roses arrived, Dallas Wade liked to know why.

She had no reason to expect the extravagant bouquet awaiting her Friday night when she arrived at Rowdy Ranch, Tucsoxis premiere country-western night spot. She ran one of five mall-type shops located in a corner of the complex, whose main attraction was a large dance floor. The scent of roses engulfed her as she entered the shop, an exclusive hairstyling salon for men.

Her assistant, Amber Dalton, dressed to match Dallas in fringed shorts, boots, snug western shirt and hat, tucked a stack of towels into a dark-paneled cabinet. “You must have given some guy one heck of a haircut .”

Dallas pulled the small envelope from its plastic holder. “I can’t imagine what these are for.”

“And here you were telling me there’s nobody special right now.”

“There isxi t. I really don’t…” Dallas stared at the enclosed card. Thanks for believing in me. Neal Parnell

“So?” Amber leaned over her shoulder. “Who’s the secret admirer?” She paused and read the card. “My God, Dallas. Neal Parnell. Did you speak to him personally or something after the trial?”

“No, of course not.” Dallas tried to fit the strange gesture into a logical framework. “But considering I was foreperson of the jury, he might think I was somehow responsible for finding him not guilty.”

“Maybe. But how would he know where you worked?”

Dallas thought back over the trial. “He was sitting right there when the jury was chosen, and we had to give our names and occupations.” She met Amber’s concerned gaze. “I suppose he could have called around this afternoon, looking for me.”

Amber shivered. “That gives me the creeps. After all he was on trial for rape. “

“And he was acquitted.” Dallas looked Amber straight in the eye. “He had a fair trial. He was found innocent. Now he should be treated like everyone else: ‘

“Yeah, but it he called salons until he found out where you worked-that’s sort of weird, don’t you think?”

“Not if he had some secretary at the dealership do it for him.”

Amber glanced at the flowers and slowly nodded. “you’re right. And after all the money his father spent on that shark of a lawyer, what’s a few more bucks for roses? Parnell Motors probably treated this like the conclusion of a big business deal or something, with gifts of gratitude passed out all around: ‘

“That’s discrimination.” Dallas was irritated by

Amber’s “shark lawyers” assessment. Her assistant was subtly implying Dallas and the jury had been duped, when, in fact, the prosecution had had no case. She turned to hang up her fringed jacket. “The press coverage was discriminatory, too. you’re prejudiced because he s rich.” “you’re darned right I am. From all reports, he’s a party animal who’s probably never worked a full day in all his twenty-six years. That’s enough information for me to write him off.”

Dallas held on to her temper and turned slowly back to Amber. “But it doesn’t make him a criminal.”

Amber shook her head and grinned. “That’s just like you, Dallas. Youre so damned unbiased that you should make a career of jury service: ‘

“No, thanks.” Dallas knew Amber didn’t really intend to needle her. She just enjoyed speaking her mind, a quality Dallas appreciated most of the time. “I missed going through my usual routine these past few days ” she added, meaning it. She wanted to put the trial behind her.

Amber stroked one silky rose petal and leaned forward to sniff the heady fraqance. “Gonna keep these?”

“No, I’m not: Dallas ripped the card and envelope into four neat parts and tossed them into the trash.

“Sending me flowers for doing my civic duty is inappropriate he’s probably so excited about being acquitted he’s not thinking, but it just looks bad. Like a payoff or something.

“Then let me have them. I can drive Vince crazy wondering who sent them to me: ‘

“Fine, as long as you take them out to your car right now.” Dallas picked up the heavy vase and started to hand it to her. “don’t tell me they’re not your color,” said a male voice from the doorway of the shop.

Dallas glanced around and looked straight into the blue eyes of Neal Parnell.

GABE ESCALANTE PUSHED open the heavy oak doors of Rowdy Ranch and was greeted by a Dolly Parton song on the sound system. The bouncer waved him through. Nobody had ever checked Gabe’s ID, not even when he was underage.

Once inside he shoved back his hat and surveyed the complex. He immediately spotted Parnell talking to a tall blonde in fringed lqlack shorts, red boots and blouse and a red Stetson. Gabes eyes narrowed. The sexy outfit changed her some, but he could swear she was the one his sister had pointed out as the foreman-no, they called them fore persons now-of the jury. And she held a vase stuffed with roses.

Parnell was all duded up in western gear-a loud cowboy shirt, tight black jeans, a black hat. Gabe wondered if this was a hangout for the guy. How convenient that the foreperson of the jury just happened to be a woman, and happened to work here.

Gabe ambled toward them in the nonchalant way he’d perfected over the years. He wanted to find out where the flowers had come from, but there was no need to get anybody Excited. Yet.

He hadn’t been inside Rowdy Ranch in years. Back when he was a kid the building had been a discount warehouse. The place was huge, with enough room for a large racetrack style dance floor, three bars, at least fifteen pool tables and a slew of pinball machines and video games. The new management had replaced the live band with a deejay booth that loosely resembled a stagecoach and had set up an inexpensive all-you-ca neat buffet. Gelled lights and two revolving mirrored balls flung rainbows over the dance floor, and neon glowed from every wall.

The place wasn’t crowded yet, but in a few hours Gabe knew it would be packed. “Rowdy Ranch-where spurs jingle and folks mingle; warbled the radio ads. The country-western dance craze had transformed Rowdy Ranch from a struggling cowboy hangout into the most popular nightclub in town.

The mall-style concessions in the far corner were something new, too. The leather shop selling boots and hats made sense to him, and the old-fashioned photography studio where people dr2ssed up like gamblers and dance-hall women seemed logical. Western shirts, jewelry and tourist-trap pottery always made money. But the Cutting Pen, where Pamell was, puzzled Gabe. Even though the atmosphere was masculine, with lariat5 , spurs and ten-gallon hats hanging on the walls, what kind of guy would get his hair shampooed and cut in front of a dance hall full of people?

Three pool tables, all unoccupied, squatted in front of the row of shops. Gabe headed for the one closest to the Cutting Pen and pulled a cue stick from the rack. He took his time examining the tip and sighting down the stick while he listened to Pamell and the woman.

“I watched you during the trial; Pamell said. “I could tell you weren’t buying that crap the prosecuting attorney was dishing out : ‘

“I just tried to be fair; the woman replied. Her voice was low and well modulated, a kind of voice that pleasantly stroked Gabe’s nerve endings. In another context he might spend the evening trying to find out if the woman matched the quality of her voice-but not tonight.

“Oh, you were the fairest of them all, Dallas, Parnell said. “That’s why I sent the flowers.”

Gabe’s jaws clamped together. Sothe son of a bitch had sent them. Flowers to the foreperson of the jury, a woman he seemed to be on a first-name basis with. The cue stick trembled in Gabe’s hands. He laid it on the green felt and gripped the edge of the table to steady himself. Everything depended on his keeping his cool. He walked toward the bar, away from the cozy pair. He’d heard enough.

He’d wait until Parnell left. Then he’d get a haircut in that ridiculous place, so he could find out something about this woman named Dallas. Maybe Parnell had bought her off. Maybe he’d bribed the entire jury. If so, Gabe would find out. He would poke and probe into every action Parnell had taken and would take in the future. And somehow, someday, Gabe would nail the bastard. The jury may have decided differently today , but as sure as rattlesnakes had fangs, Neal Parnell had raped his sister.

THE FLOWERS WE RING necessary, Mr. Parnell, Dallas said, fight inga nervous flutter in her stomach. “I was only doing the job I was assigned to do: ‘

“Callme Neal. And I don’t believe a word of it. A lot of people on that jury wanted my head on a pole. It would have made a great scandal and people love scandal. But you were different. I’ll bet you talked some people into changing their minds .”

She had, but she decided not to say so. “They could see the evidence was lacking.”

“Because you pointed it out. I’d say I owe you dinner at the Tack Room. When are you free?”

Over Parnell’s shoulder Dallas could see Amber’s wide eyes and gaping mouth. The Tack Room was Tucson’s only five-star restaurant, and she and Amber joked about going there when they won the lottery.

“You don’t owe me a thing, Neal,” Dallas said gently

“Then let’s do it for the hell of it: ‘

“I think it would be better if we didn’t: ‘

He looked confused. Then his expression cleared. “Oh, I get it. You think people will talk. you’re not used to that. Listen, Dallas, you have to say to hell with public opinion and enjoy yourself.” He pointed a finger at her. “I can see you work way too hard. Take a break. Have some fun for a change.”

Dallas could understand why Neal was unpopular with the public. He flaunted his indolence as if it were a virtue. Parnell Motors, a family business for three generations, provided him with a pseudo sales job, but nobody believed Neal put in long hours on the car lot. Yet he drove a black Corvette, ate at the finest restaurants , dressed in the best clothes. Working people had a hard time with that sort of unearned life-style.

Dallas gave him her firm-but-friendly brush-off. “I don’t think so, Neal: She smiled, but her tone didn’t leave room for discussion.

He laughed. “Okay, I can see you’re spooked by this trial business, but people will forget about that, and you’ll be able to relax. In the meantime I’ll hang around.” He touched the brim of his hat. “you’re worth waiting for, ma am.” He turned and headed for the dance floor, where a few people had begun a spirited line dance.

Dallas watched as he inserted himself into the group. He didn’t know the dance, but he quickly coaxed a woman in a short denim skirt into teaching him.

Amber came to stand beside her. “Looks like Rowdy Ranch just landed another regular custom. “

Dallas sighed as she thought of trying to fend Neal off night after night. “

“And I’ll bet he’s not used to being turned down for dinner at the Tack Room: ‘

“Probably not.” Dallas glanced toward her. “Listen , one of us needs to hit the buffet line and get something to eat. I’ll cover the shop if you want to go first “

“Sure. Signal if you need me: ‘

Dallas watched Amber walk toward the long buffet table. Several of the cowboys gathering at the bar watched her, too. Amber was good for business. They both worked Friday and Saturday nights to allow each other breaks during the nonstop activity that would begin in about another half hour. Dallas had hired Amber seven months ago when it became obvious the customer load demanded it. She and Amber traded off weeknights.

Shed chosen Amber primarily for her excellent hairstyling skills, but also for her great legs. Men paid a fair amount of change for a shampoo and haircut at the Cutting Pen and Dallas had found they paid it willingly if the stylist wore shorts to good advantage. She was idealistic enough to wish the world were different, and practical enough to accept that it wasn’t.

“Open for business?”

Dallas snapped out of her reverie. The man leaning against the far side of the wide entrance had approached silently. She glanced at his scuffed ostrichskin boots, worn jeans and faded blue plaid shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbow, and decided that he dressed this way all the time, not just to fit into the atmosphere at Rowdy Ranch.

His skin was darkened by the sun, and beneath the brim of his black hat the strength of his features reminded her of an Aztec warrior she d seen depicted once on a mural in Mexico City. His dark hair curled down past his nape. This man hadn’t seen the inside of a barber shop, let alone a styling salon, for at least three months.

“Have a seat; she said, giving him a careful smile that welcomed, yet drew boundaries around that welcome She allowed herself to be a maxi s fantasy for the time he rested within her chair. Her customers seemed to understand the unspoken rules and she’d rarely had a problem with unwanted advances. Amber hadn’t yet perfected the technique, but Dallas was slowly teaching her.

The man hung his hat on a rack by the door and sat in the chair gingerly. He was probably the sort of guy who paid a bare minimum to a male barber whenever some woman heckled him into gettinga haircut. Dallas wondered why he was here. Maybe to settle a bet or prove he could handle anything. Dallas suspected he’d worked himself up to the experience, possibly even had a couple of drinks to bolster his courage.

She turned the chair to face the mirror. “I’ll need your name. “

He frowned. “Why?”

“For my files, so I can record what we did tonight. Then next time I’ll remember your preferences.” The subtle suggestion there would be a next time was one of her time-honored techniques for getting repeat business

“Gabe: He cleared his throat and looked slightly uncomfortable. “Gabe Escalante: ‘

“What a wonderful name: ‘

He made no response as she copied it onto an index card, but when she glanced into the mirror he’d composed his expression so that he once more resembled a haughty war nor prince from another age. She wondered again what had motivated him to come into her salon.

She accepted his reticence as a challenge. “Just relax ; she said, picking up the massage wand and running it across his shoulder blades. His facial expression didn’t change, but his muscles flexed uneasily beneath the soft shirt. Lots of muscles. “I’ll bet you work outdoors , she said.

“Some: ‘

Dallas smiled. The strong, silent type still existed, but she could usually break them down a lit8e during the time she had them in her chair. “Construction?” The vibrating wand was having an effect and the tense set of his shoulders eased a fraction. She imagined a softening of the flint like dark eyes.

“Not exactly.”

“The mines, then.” She moved the wand in a semicircle beneath his shoulder blades, working through the knots.

“Once upon a time.”

Dallas thought she heard him sigh, which told her she was making progress. Men who had a sensual experience in her salon always came back. She’d consider it a feather in her cap if she captured this stressed-out cowboy. “I have a brother who worked out at Duval. When the bottom dropped out of the copper market he was laid off, like a lot of miners .” Dallas flipped off the switch on the wand and laid it on the counter beside her. “Times are tough.”

“Not for everyone.” He sounded bitter, almost as though he were insinuating something.

Dallas wondered what he could be getting at but shrugged it off. She pulled a cape patter red to look like rawhide around him and lifted up his hair to snap it at his nape. He immediately freed his arms from under the cape and gripped the arms of the chair. He was back on guard, but she’d soon fix that.

She ran her fingers up through the back of his hair, lightly caressing his scalp. The texture was surprisingly silky. He had good volume. He’d take a styling cut well, if he’d let her experiment a little. “How much are we taking off tonight?”

That comment usually brought some harmless joking from her customers, but Gabe seemed at a loss for words. Some powerful energy radiated from him, though, coaxing her to stroke through his hair again,

although she had no professional reason to. “I’d recommend some layering, to show off that natural curl .”

The choked sound he made could have been laughter or distress.

Dallas chose to interpret it as laughter. She met his gaze in the mirror and smiled. “Okay, Gabe. I know you’re not used to this sort of place, but bear with me. You’ll be glad you did.”

The look he gave her was direct and strong, shocking her as if shed stepped from an air-conditioned building into the hot Arizona sunshine. She didn’t often meet a man with such a self-confident gaze. It was a quality she’d nurtured in herself, and for a moment she and Gabe seemed to understand each other perfectly , although no words were spoken. A man who could match her strength. She’d about given up finding one.

GABE STARED at the blond Amazon in the mirror and wondered what the hell he’d gotten himself into. This woman wasxi t at all what he d expected. She seemed so self-possessed and sure of herself he couldn’t picture her stooping to consort with the likes of Parnell. But she d said times were tough, and she was trying to keep a business going. Maybe Parnell had offered her financial help.

It became more difficult to think straight with every moment in this chair. He’d been on a plane for thirty six hours in an attempt to get back to Tucson for at least some of the trial, only to arrive at the courthouse after it was all over. That would work to his advantage because neither Pameil nor this woman could tie him to

Celia. But he hadn’t taken a break since leaving Celia at the courthouse. He was jet-lagged and emotionally whipped. He looked away from the mirror before Dallas could see any vulnerability in his gaze.

“I’m going to tilt you back, so I can shampoo and condition your hair; she said in that sultry voice of hers.

“You doxi t have to do that.”

“It’s part of what you pay for, Gabe.” She moved a lever and he didn’t have much choice except to lean back. Sheslipped a soft towel under his neck to cushion the porcelain basin. “I’ll bet you’re a man who likes to get his money’s worth.”

Well, she had that right. And his tax money hadn’t bought him much when it came to putting away a slimeball like Parnell. He’d better concentrate on why he was lounging in this fancy excuse for a barber shop. Except concentrating wasn’t easy when she ran warm water over his scalp and massaged something creamy into his hair. Nobody had washed his hair since… he couldn’t remember. When he was a little kid on the ranch, maybe, except that had probably been in a horse trough, and designed for efficiency, not pleasure.

And pleasure described what Dallas was giving him. His eyes refused to stay open as her clever fingers worked the lather through in long, kneading motions that nearly made him groan with delight. She leaned over him, her breasts tantalizingly close, her lush perfume filling his nostrils. And he’d wondered why men subjected themselves to this.

The running water subdued the sounds of country music, the voices from the bar and the crack of a cue ball on the tables nearby until they were nothing but inconsequential background noise. Gabe was totally immersed in the experience of having this woman minister to him. She d stopped talking, and for the life of him he couldn’t summon the energy to speak.

Warm water sluiced through his hair, followed by a caressing motion of her hand. To his disappointment she turned off the water, but she rubbed his wet hair with long, languorous strokes of the towel, and the mood remained.

“That’s better, she” murmured. “I’ll lever you back up now. “

As she raised the chair he opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the damned flowers. The sensuous haze evaporated as he stared at them. She must have noticed his gaze because she swiveled him toward the mirror with more vigor than he thought necessary. She didn’t want him focusing on those flowers. Guilty conscience , perhaps?

He glanced in the mirror, but she was busy choosinga comb from the sterilizing jar on the counter. Or maybe she didn’t want to look at him right now. The party, sweet though it might have been, was over. Time for him to do a little questioning of his own.

“Will you let me use my own judgment on the style?” she asked as she combed his damp hair back from his forehead.

“Sure: ‘

“Good. I think you’ll like the results.”

He decided to go for the jugular. “Is Neal Parnell one of your regular customers?” ,

She froze in mid-motion. Then she began studiously snipping at his hair. “No. Why do you ask?”

“I saw him in here a while ago.”

“Yes.” Her voice had lost its soothing texture. Such a pity.

“I wouldn’t think having him hang around would be very good for business.”

“He can go wherever he wants.” Her snipping became more vigorous. “He s an innocent man: ‘

“So the jury said.”

She stopped snipping and glared at hirxi in the mirror’ Were you at the trial?”

“Got there after it was over, unfortunately. But someone pointed you out as the foreperson.”

Her chin went up a notch. “That’s right: ‘

He jerked a thumb back toward the vase of roses. “Nice flowers .”

She laid down the scissors and the comb. “Just what are you implying, Mr. Escalante?”

He’d meant to be more subtle, but exhaustion pushed him toward the accusation he’d been restraining for hours. “No implication. The plain truth. You turned a rapist loose. “

“That’s not true!”

“Oh, yes, it is .” He wrenched off the cape, scattering hair, and pushed himself out of the chair. “And for a little reward, he sends you flowers. What else has Neal

Parnell done for you lately, Miss Dallas?”

Her face went dead white and she began to tremble.

“Get out of my shop .”

“Sure thing.” He pulled money from his wallet and threw it on the counter. Then he snatched his hat from the rack. “But justice is a hobby of mine. And I’m not going away ,

DALLAS DIDN’T MOVE as Gabe stormed out of the shop. Then she grabbed a broom and began furiously sweeping the bits of dark hair that had scattered when Gabe pulled off the cape.

“Dallas?”

She looked up to find Dave Fogarty, operator of the old-time photography concession, standing in the doorway.

“Did that fellow cause a problem?”

Dallas gripped the broom handle and took a deep breath. “No .”

Dave stroked his full gray beard. “I’ve never seen anybody take off like that from your shop. Usually they leave looking sort of dazed:

‘

“I ordered him out.”

Amber hurried in, carrying a half-full mug of coffee that she nearly spilled in her haste. “You did what? Did he try to hit on you or something?”

“No : More in control now, Dallas took the dustpan from a corner and swept the snippets of dark hair into it.

“Hey, Dallas; Dave said. “I’ve been running the shop across from yours for eighteen months, and I’ve never known you to throw somebody out. What did he do?”

Dallas dumped the contents of the dustpan in the trash and faced them. “He accused me of having some underhanded deal with Parnell, of somehow rigging the trial .”

Amber gasped. “Oh, wow. He’s lucky he didn’t go out of here looking like van Gogh.”

“I considered aiming the scissors a bit lower than that .”

Dave adjusted his gray Stetson down over his eyes. “He’s at the bar. Maybe I’ll go have a little talk with him.”

“No, please.” Dallas picked up the cape from the floor and folded it. “Let’s not make this into a bigger deal than it is .”

“That darn Parnell would have to come in here.” Amber glanced nervously at the vase of roses. “I suppose the guy figured out about the flowers, too.”

Dave’s eyebrows rose. “Parnell sent you those?”

“Unfortunately. He has some idea that as foreperson of the jury I deserve his gratitude.”

“That’s not all he thinks you deserve, Amber said. “He’s developed a crush on you, Dallas. I watched him while I was eating dinner, and in between dances he kept looking over at the shop.” She turned to Dave. “He invited her to dinner at the Tack Room: ‘

Dave let out a low whistle.

“She declined.”

“That’s good.” Dave glanced back at his studio where a couple lingered, looking at the sepia-toned photographs on display. “I’d better get back, but I’ll keep an eye on you over here. If either of those clowns pester you again, I’ll drop by.”

“Thanks, Dave.”

Amber put down her coffee and started toward the roses. “Maybe I’d better take those out to my car before they cause any more trouble.”

“Wait. I know I promised them to you, but I’d appreciate it if you d leave them here, after all.”

“You want these flowers?”

“No, but I refuse to be intimidated by that son of a bitch.” Dallas glared out the door of the shop. “Those roses are staying until they wilt. Just let him try and make something out of it!”

Gabe new he’d screwed up. He sat at the bar where he had a view of the Cutting Pen and nursed a beer. Alcohol probably wasn’t such a great idea, either, but the crisp bite of the ice-cold liquid fit the bill right now.

He’d done everything wrong. His plan had been to get a haircut and some information. To cooly, calmly lead Dallas into some sort of compromising confession What had gone wrong?

Just about everything.

He should have refused the massage. Refused the shampoo. Refused to meet the laughing challenge in her eyes, gray eyes with little flecks of gold that sparkled when she smiled. He’d become fascinated with the spirit reflected in those eyes, had wanted to study them far too long. In spite of damning evidence that she was dishonest , he’d begun to like her. Not to mention the baser emotions her touch stirred in him.

Apparently imagining this desirable woman dealing with Parnell had been too much for him. Instead of questioning, he’d accused. Instead of playing it cool,

cascading down her back shimmered the way aspen , g he’d worked himself into a hot rae. He could blame it leaves danced in a breeze. But he d lived in the world on lack of sleep, on the frustration of not being there for Celia during the trial, on the fury blasting through Icng enough to know that beautiful hair and a great him when he’d heard the verdict. body could just as easily be decorating treachery as

He could sit here and make excuses all night, but he’d honesty.

ruined Dallas as a source of information. And if she was

Another man walked into the shop, took off his cozy with Parnell, she d tip him off before the eve rung cowboy hat and eased into the chair Gabe had va was over. Parnell might even have the resources to un-ca ted Dallas reached for the massage wand, and Gabe cover Gabe’s identity as Celia’s brother, even though flexed his shoulders, remembering how soothing the they no longer had tkqe same last name. deep vibration had felt. When Dallas tipped the man

His lack of judgment could mean that Parnell would back into the shampoo bowl, Gabe could feel her fin slip through his fingers. If that happened, he’d never gers on his scalp, smell the fragrance of her skin. He was forgive himself. definitely turned on, not a good condition to be in right

“Another beer?” the bartender asked. now.

Gabe nodded. The bartender had been eyeing him He looked away, distracting himself by examining the strangely ever since he sat down. He scratched inside updated decor of Rowdy Ranch. On the wall behind the his collar where sharp barbs of hair had fallen when deejay booth a black metal sculpture of wild horses was he’d pulled the cape away. He knew his hat didn’t dis-backlit in red. On another, a stagecoach backlit in blue guise the fact that he had half of a haircut, and he careened across the desert, the driver’s whip a vivid probably looked pretty stupid. But stupid-looking or slash of purple neon. The untamed West. Leave your not, he’d keep an eye on Parnell for the rest of the night. inhibitions behind.

But he was here to monitor Parnell, and he’d better And Dallas. remember that. Spotting him in the crowd wasn’t hard.

She moved with the short, jerky gestures of anger that he recognized in himself. She was probably relay-His gaudy dress and loud manner made him easy to ing the whole story to the photography-shop guy and find. He’d already bought some new friends by makthe other woman, a brunette with long, straight hair inga big deal out of paying for a round of drinks. and a figure almost as good as Dallas s. Gabe shook his Gabe was taking the first shift of watching Parnell, head, angry at himself all over again. He should have but he’d lined up two guys to spell him. They were known that after months of being without sex he’d be working cheap because they were friends of his and

, susceptible to a beautiful woman’s attention. they didn’t like Parnell’s kind, but Gabe would have

And Dallas was breathtaking, with hair the color of paid his last penny to snare this particular lowlife. Ceaspen leaves in the fall. When she moved, the curls lia deserved to see him behind bars, along with anyone who had helped him get away with his crimes. If that included the beautiful Dallas, so be it.

It was the Longest Friday night in history for Dallas. She closed the shop at midrught. Amber had gone home a half hour earlier, and Dave had a run of business and would obviously be staying late. Dallas didn’t feel like waiting around so he could walk her to the parking lot, as he often did and undoubtedly wanted to do tonight. But she was a big girl, and she always carried a small caruster of pepper spray in her purse for the times she left the dance hall alone.

Following her usual precaution, she pulled the spray out once she pushed through the oak doors into the night. She wore her fringed leather jacket but the late February chill nipped at her bare legs. When she saw the black Corvette parked several spaces down from her truck, she wondered if it could be Neal’s.

She was too mentally and physically exhausted to care, but as far as she knew, he was still dancing. The Aztec warrior had been glued to his bar stool. She’d passed him with her head high, her eyes forward, and silently wished him a vicious hangover in the morning

To thixtk that she’d thought herself mildly attracted to that arrogant man. She wondered if he was some sort of vigilante type who ran around second-guessing judges and juries. For all she knew he was dangerous. She got a firmer grip on her spray as she unlocked the door of her pickup.

Just as she was about to get in, a car swerved up next to her. She whirled, her thumb on the trigger of the spray.

“Hey, don’t shoot!” said the driver of the black Corvette

Dallas looked closer and recognized Neal. It had been his car, after all, and now he was heading home. “A woman can’t be too careful in a parking lot late at night; Dallas said, lowering the spray slightly.

“Yeah, I suppose you’ll be especially careful after listerung to the testimony of that woman at the trial.”

“That’s right: Dallas turned to get into the truck.

“Good rught now.”

“You know we could just have a drink sometime. I looked for you during your breaks, but I couldn’t find you. “

Dallas had spent her breaks in the women’s rest room for that very reason. Dodging Neal all rught was one of the reasons she was so tired. “I doxi t think we’ll be having a drink, Neal; she said, and swung into the truck. “don’t be too sure,” he called out, just before he peeled out in a cloud of dust that settled over the peacock blue finish of Dallas’s truck.

Cursing under her breath, Dallas started the engine. Then she noticed another truck pull out and drive in the same direction as Neal’s Corvette. She had a strong suspicion the battered old pickup belonged to the Aztec war nor Well, at least he was following Neal instead of her.

The trip to her mobile home in Avra Valley seemed to take much longer than the twenty minutes her dash board clock registered. Once there she pulled into the dirt driveway and parked under the dusk to-dawn light she’d installed last week, before the trial had begun eating up all her spare time.

Behind a high chain-link fence, Gretchen, her Great Dane, barked a greeting. Dallas checked automatically to make sure both her horses, a bay mare named Sugar and a roan gelding named Spice, stood peacefully in the pipe corral. A three-quarter moon puddled cacti shadows on the desert floor and outlined the clefts of canyons in the nearby Tucson Mountains. Tomorrow she’d go for a ride into one of those canyons, the irst outing she’d had time for since the trial.

Gretchen started whining, and a large form detached itself from the edge of the fence. Dallas leaped from the truck, the pepper spray in her hand. “Get out of here, Igor!” she shouted.

A huge dog, half Irish wolfhound, half Saint Bernard , bounded away down the road. Dallas was glad he’d left of his own accord. She didn’t want to use the spray on him, but he was making a real nuisance of himself.

Adrenaline still pumping, Dallas locked the truck and strode toward the gate. Gretchen whined and yipped, trying to get out. “And you, you harlot, get away from that gate. He’s not for you: ‘

Gretchen barked once in protest, but she backed away from the gate as Dallas unlocked it.

“I know in your present condition you don’t understand this, Dallas said, rubbing the dog’s large head.

“But you’re meant for better things than that mongrel.

I’m saving you for Mr. Right, who will be so purebred he’ll probably brin ga valet when he comes calling: ‘

Gretchen licked her hand and trotted beside her up the flagstone path, which Dallas had laid last summer before the rains. Her list of projects was long, but each one completed gave her immense satisfaction because she was building her life herself; without depending on anyone else, least of all some man.

She unlocked the dead bolt on her front door and stepped into the living room she’d furnished bit by bit as she could afford it. The sofa and easy chair were upholstered in blue denim, and she’d found chair pads for the rocker in a red bandanna print. Her coffee and end tables were solid oak. She was proud of the room, proud of the whole place, for that matter. After buying the land six years ago from her earnings as a beauty operator, she’d gone into debt for the single-wide mobile home, but it would be paid for in another two years. Then she d only have her loan for starting the business to worry about.

“We have to learn to control some of our urges for instant gratification, Gretchen; she lectured the dog as she flicked the dead bolt into place and turned out the living room lights. “If you scratch that itch without thinking, you may live to regret it.”

Guiltily she remembered an urge she’d had tonight , one she’d scarcely been willing to admit to herself. When she’d leaned over Gabe Escalante, with her fingers buried in the black luxury of his hair and his eyes drifting closed, she’d had the crazy desire to lean just a little farther… and taste those sculpted warrior’s lips.

GABE SAT on a kitchen chair in Celia’s small kitchen, a bath towel pinned around his shoulders. He felt slightly more rested than he had the night before. Jasper had relieved him of watching Parnell’s apartment at two that morning, and he’d gone home to sleep until nearly ten. Then he’d called Celia and talked her into finishing his haircut. But first he’d had to tell her why he needed her services, and she d had a fit.

“I shouldn’t be doing this,” she muttered as she snipped at his hair. “If you’re going to act like an idiot you may as well look like one.”

“How do you knowd’m not right? Pamell could have bought her off, couldn’t he?”

“No. You weren’t at the trial or you’d realize what an imbecilic thing it was to accuse that woman of something illegal. She’s not the type. Now hold still.”

“You should have seen how Parnell talked to her calling her by her first name. And sending roses. What do you think of that?”

Celia combed a lock of hair away from his ear. “He does that sort of thing with women all the time. He sent me roses before I even knew who he was. That’s how he operates. It means nothing: ‘

“So you say:” He noticed that Celias scissors squeaked like an agitated mouse. Dallas’s scissors had been well oiled and silent.

“Listen, Gabe, you went off half-cocked, like you tend to do when you haven’t had enough sleep and you’re upset. I wish you’d have told me you planned to follow Neal around. Instead you just headed out from the courthouse like some crazed version of Charles Bronson.”

“I had to do something, Cel .”

She waved the scissors dangerously close to his nose. “So you marched into Rowdy Ranch and insulted the foreperson of the jury.”

“Who let that scumbag walk!”

Celia sighed and continued clipping. “I tried to prepare you for this, but you were so sure they’d accept my testimony. If anybody’s to blame for Neal Pamell getting off, it’s me.”

Gabe shifted in his chair. He hated having to think about what had happened to her. It made him want to close his fingers around Pamell’s throat and squeeze until all the life left his worthless body.

“Be still, Gabe, unless you want to end up looking like the lead singer in a heavy metal band.”

“I don’t like you blaming yourself. You reacted instinctively”

“And destroyed evidence. The prosecuting attorney told me from the beginning it would be hard to prove.”

“But Dallas is a woman! “

“Hold still, Gabel”

He quieted himself with effort. “She’s a woman,” he repeated more calmly. “She should have listened to your testimony and known you were telling the truth.”

“When Neal had an alibi? When I’d showered away all the evidence before I worked up the courage to report it? When he wore a ski mask so I couldn’t see his face? When I’m a divorced woman who dated several different men during the time I went out with Neal? you’re in law enfprcement, Gabe. Be realistic .”

“I still say she knew him before and she swayed the jury so he’d be sure and get off.”

Celia laid down the scissors and took his face in both hands. She leaned down so her dark eyes looked directly into his. “I know you’re hurting, but doxi t strike out at someone who doesn’t deserve it .”

He grasped her wrists. “I want to kill him, Cel: ‘

Fear leaped into her eyes. “No, Gabe. Please don’t talk like that. You’d be the first person they’d come after if something happened to him: ‘

He took a deep breath. “That’s the only argument that’s kept me from wringing his lousy neck. I won’t be any help to you in j all Qr on the run. I won’t add to what you’ve been through.”

“Thank you.”

“But I’m going to get that guy. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to get him.”

“And you’re going to apologize to the jury foreperson ?” ,

“Uh…”

“Gabe Escalante! What would our mother and father have said if they were still around to say it? They taught you to be a gentleman, to treat others as you would like to be treated.”

“But I still don’t know that she didn’t “

“I do!” She shook him gently. “And so do you, if you think about it.” She smiled. “I realize apologies aren’t your long suit, but you really acted like a jerk. You owe it to her. Now promise me, or I wozi t finish this haircut”

“Hey, Cel, give me a break.”

“Promise me.”

He sighed. “Okay.”

SATURDAY night when Dallas arrived at the shop she changed the water in the flower vase and made a new diagonal cut on the stem of each rose. Then she placed the arrangement in the front of the shop, just so Gabe Escalante wouldn’t miss it if he happened to come back. Not that she expected him to. And she’d certainly prefer that he didn’t.

She wondered what he’d done about his unfinished haircut. Served him right. She’d saved the money he’d insolently flung on the counter and had placed it in an envelope. If he showed up at Rowdy Ranch, she d get one of the waitresses to deliver it to IZim. There would be much satisfaction in doing that, but, of course, if he didn’t show up, so much the better. She never wanted to see that chiseled warrior face again.

An overflow crowd kept the hair salon busy. Amber had recently started offering manicures, which had become surprisingly popular, so both women worked nearly nonstop for the first three hours they were open.

Finally there was a lull and Amber slipped out to grab a cup of coffee while Dallas took a quick inventory of supplies for her regular run to the beauty supply store on Monday. She was firushing the list when Neal Parnell walked in.

“The roses are looking good; he said with a sly wink. He wore a bright orange shirt patterned with cattle brands, and a rattlesnake hatband on his Stetson

“They’re very nice .” She tucked the supply list in her pocket and hoped she was wrong about what was coming next. He took off his hat and hung it on the rack at the front of the store. Her stomach clenched.

“Thought I’d get myself a haircut.”

She was trapped. Amber was takin ga well-deserved break, and besides, Amber wouldn’t be happy if Dallas passed Neal along to her. She forced a smile. “Fine. Have a seat.”

He took the chair as if it were a throne, leaned back and closed his eyes. “I checked out the routine here. I want the works, whatever it costs.”

“I give all my customers the same service.”

He chuckled and opened his eyes. “That’s not what I hear. The word is you threw some dude out of here last rught when he was only half-done. I woulddt want that happening to me. I like to finish what I start:

‘

“He was rude.” Dallas picked up the massage wand. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be rude.”

“That’s right. During the trial, did I ever lose my temper? Did I ever say anything tenible?”

“No .” She snapped on the wand and eased it across his shoulders.

“Ah, that feels real good, Dallas.”

“It’s meant to relax you.”

“I’m already relaxed, sweetheart. you’re the one who seems uptight:

‘

And she was. She worked with the public nearly every day and she’d learned to accept all types of people Nearly everyone had some characteristic she could relate to, something that would provide enough common ground to last the space of a shampoo and haircut But with Neal she didn’t even want to try.

She recalled her own words to Amber, protesting that Neal deserved to be treated like anyone else. She resolved to live by her belief. “How’s the car-sales business ?” she asked, pumping cheer into her voice.

“I don’t want to talk about car sales, sweet thing. I want to talk about you and me .”

Dallas’s jaw tightened. This wouldn’t be easy, but she’d handled persistent men before. She laughed as she turned the chair to face the mirror and shook out the cape. “Neal, we wouldn’t get along at all. You said it yourself. I’m a workaholic. Always will be. You like to party. Besides, I’m almost thirty-too old for you.”

“I prefer older women. They know the ropes.”

“Well, this older woman is not a possibility for you ” she said and adjusted the chair backward toward the shampoo bowl. As she tucked a towel under his neck, he grinned up at her. “you’re playing hard to get. That can be lots of fun. Just don’t run away too fast.”

“You completely misunderstand me, she said, and turned on the water with more force than necessary. As she worked the shampoo through his dampened brown hair, he angled his elbow so she had to work to avoid brushing her leg against it. She’d encountered that maneuver , too, but not so much recently. Usually the signals she sent out were received and her customers enjoyed the experience without pushing for more than she offered.

“You have wonderful hands, Dallas, he said.

She didn’t reply, but some instinct made her glance out the front of the shop into the dance complex. There at one of the nearby pool tables stood Gabe Escalante.

Even though he wore a hat, she could tell that the sides of his hair had been evened by someone. The job didn’t look quite up to her standards, but it was passable His brown plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled back looked like a twin of the one he’d worn the day before. She could still remember how the soft material yielded as she’d moved the massage wand over the tight muscles of his back.

He held a cue stick in one hand, and his hair sprinkled forearm flexed as he tightened his grip. He glanced with disdain at Neal reclining in the chair. When his gaze returned to her, his uncompromising expression told her exactly what he was thinking. She lifted her chin defiantly, and he turned away.

“Dallas, you’re not paying attention to your customer ; Neal complained.

She looked down at her hands and realized she’d stopped lathering his hair. She finished up quickly and rinsed the soap away.

Gabe had figured Parnell would return to Rowdy Ranch tonight. The punk had dragged along a couple of his drinking buddies this time, both of whom had been carded at the door. Gabe wasn’t surprised that Parnell’s friends were younger than he was. They were obviously his lackeys, impressionable kids who were susceptible to a guy with money to throw around.

Parnell had danced a little and had a couple of beers while he watched Dallas and Ambe in the shop. When Amber had left, Parnell had started over. Gabe had decided he could use a game of pool. And there was the matter of an apology. He might as well get the damn thing over with once Parnell left the shop.

He hadn’t counted on having such a visceral reaction when Dallas began running her lathered hands through Parnell’s hair. Gabe didn’t want her touching that piece of slime. It took all his self-control not to go in and drag Parnell from the chair, or better yet, drown him slowly in the shampoo bowl-although drowrung was too good for him. As Gabe had followed the bastard around the past two days, he’d amused himself by dreaming up all sorts of exquisite tortures designed to punish a rapist.

But he could do nothing now-except maybe get the six ball in the side pocket. He was lining up the shot when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He glanced around and saw a man with a full gray beard eyeing him none too graciously. Gabe straightened.

“I don’t know what’s going on around here; the man said, “but I don’t much like it when my friend Dallas has to put up with scum.”

Gabe braced his cue stick on the carpet and leaned against it. “And?”

“She told me what you accused her of last night: ‘

Then Gabe remembered who the guy was. “you’re the photographer.”

“I’ve known Dallas for better than a year, and you won’t find a straighter shooter than she is. I don’t think much of that Parnell fellow, either, but if Dallas believes he’s innocent, then I believe he s innocent. And I won’t have you or anybody else tarnishing her good name. “

“I appreciate that, Mr.-?”

“Fogarty, Dave Fogarty.”

Gabe held out his hand. “Gabe Escalante: ‘

Fogarty hesitated, then shook his hand with obvious reluctance. “I meant what I said, Escalante.”

Sizing up Fogarty and digesting his loyalty to Dallas , Gabe was beginning to see just how wrong he’d been about her. His gut had told him she was okay, but he’d ignored his instincts-always a mistake-and jumped to some stupid conclusion. Celia had been right. He’d gone off half-cocked. “Well, I plan to apologize to Dallas tonight for what I said.”

A gleam appeared in Dave Fogarty’s eyes. “Do you? I’m glad you told me that. Should be fun watching.”

Gabe glanced uneasily at the hair salon. “Why is that?”

“If you knew Dallas better you’d understand just how deep you cut with that accusation. I’m not sure a simple apology will do the trick, but it’ll be entertaining to watch you try.”

Gabe groaned inwardly.

“I also have to ask myself why you seem to be around whenever this Parnell shows up : You following him or something?”

“You might say that .”

Fogarty’s gaze narrowed. “Are you one of those guys that takes the law into his own hands?”

“No. I just want to keep an eye on him. You and Dallas can believe he s innocent if you want, but I don’t .”

“Why do you care?”

Gabe forced himself to remain casual. “Let’s just say I’m a concerned citizen.”

“and you’re not such a bad pool player, either; Fogarty said, his tone reflecting grudging respect. “I’ve been watching you.” ,

Gabe noticed the photography studio hadn’t yet attracted any customers, and Parnell’s haircut was still in progress. “Looks like you don’t have any business at the moment, and I have some time to kill before I can make that apology. Care to play?”

Fogarty studied him, obviously weighing the advisability of consorting with someone Dallas had thrown out of her shop. Finally he made up his mind. “don’t mind if I do,” he said, and pulled a cue stick from the rack.

While dallas trimmed Neal’s hair he kept her engaged in small talk, mostly centering around how many pounds he could lift at the gym compared to his friends and how many beers he could drink in a night and still beat everybody at pool. She made appropriate admiring remarks while she watched from the corner of her eye as Dave Fogarty approached Gabe.

She could imagine the conversation from Dave’s stance and the belligerent tilt of his hat. Gabe stood his ground, too, and Dallas hoped they wouldn’t start swinging. Dave was at least fifteen years older and thirty pounds lighter than Gabe. Gabe’s poise in the face of a challenge told Dallas that he was used to winning physical confrontations.

When Gabe held out his hand to Dave, Dallas nearly poked Neal in the eye with the scissors.

“Watch it, hon!” Neal said.

“I’m sorry.” She focused more intently on her task. She’d never injured a customer yet, and now wasn’t the time to start, especially with someone like Neal who would probably sue for all she owned. But why were those two men shaking hands?

“I need my baby blues, you know; Neal said.

“I promise it wont happen again.” She thought “baby blues was a perfect description for Neal’s eyes. In fact, his whole face had a childlike softness. Although by haditional standards he’d be called handsome , Dallas preferred a face with a more lived-in look. A face like… Gabe’s. But Gabe was a jerk.

And when next she looked, the jerk was playing pool with Dave. Apparently defending her honor had become less important to Dave than a challenging game of pool. Men.

She completed Neal’s haircut and put in a few finishing touches with a comb and blow dryer while Neal gazed at himself admiringly.

“You have the touch, he said. “As flf now I’m yours for life .”

Dallas controlled her expression and managed a smile as she unsnapped his cape. “I’m glad you like it.”

Neal stood and reached for his wallet. “I’ll show you how much I like it.” He handed her a hundred-dollar bill. “Keep the change.”

“Neal, this is far too much for- ,

He closed her hand around the money. “There’s more where that came from. Listen, if you’re nervous about seeing me here in town, we could go away for a couple of days. Let me take you to Vegas, or La Jolla. Hell, San Francisco’s a plane ride away. How about it?”

Dallas withdrew her hand. She’d been able to dismiss this sort of overture easily before. But Neal was different. Rejecting him seemed like a form of discrimination , as if she considered him tainted just by being accused of a crime. She didn’t believe that was right. But she didn’t want to go out with him, either.

“I can see you’re thinking about it: ‘

“No, not really. Listen, it’s not the trial, Neal. I just don’t think we’re right for each other: ‘

“Oh, yes, you do. You watched me during the trial , and I could tell how you felt about me. Give in to your fantasies, Dallas.” He lowered his voice. “Let yourself go, baby. I can make it good for you, better than you’ve ever had it: ‘

Appalled by his audacity, Dallas backed up a step. “I’m sorry, but our relationship will have to remain as customer and client: ‘

“What’s the matter, got a boyfriend?”

“No : She should have said she had, but she hated lying, no matter what the circumstances.

Neal grinned. “A girlfriend?”

“No!”

“Because I wouldn’t care if you did. Might make things more interesting. “

“If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do .” She tucked the money in her pocket and reached for the broom.

He wagged a finger in her face. “you’re avoiding me , and that’s not nice. But I’m stubborn, and I’m not giving up yet .”

She stared at him. Was this spoiled rich boy so lonely that he’d hang around waiting for her to change her mind? “I’m sure there are lots of women here at Rowdy Ranch who would be delighted to spend their evenings with you. Why waste time on a lost cause? “

“you’re not a lost cause, and you’re the one I want, he said, and plucked his hat from the rack. “See you around, sweet thing. ” ,

Dallas shook her head in wonder as he headed for a table full of people and clapped a young man on the back. The man, who looked barely twenty-one, handed over his beer and Neal tipped his head back and chugalugged it. Dallas looked more closely at the friend and realized he was the one who’d been Neal’s alibi for the night Celia Martinez claimed she was raped. As Dallas watched, another young man passed his beer to Neal, who drained that glass, too. Then he signaled for a waitress.

“He’s a real piece of work.”

She glanced to her left and found Gabe standing near the entrance to the shop, watching her. Her back stiffened’I believe weve had this conversation.” She turned away and began sweeping.

“We need to have it again.”

She whirled back to him. He’d stepped inside. “I don’t recall inviting you in to chat.”

“We need to iron out some things, Dallas .”

“We doxi t need to do anything. You need to leave , unless you want me to call security and have you thrown out .” She quickly calculated whether Frank and Turner, the bouncers on duty, could handle somebody like Gabe. She wasn’t convinced they could, but he didn’t have to know that.

“I’m not leaving until we get a few things straight: ‘

She hung the broom on its hook and glared at him. “That imperious air won’t work with me, Mr. Escalante I’m not easily intimidated. Shall I call security , or will you leave quietly?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Dammit, Fogarty was right about you.”

“Excuse me?”

“He said you might not accept a simple apology.”

Her mouth dropped open. “A simple what?”

Gabe glanced away. “Apology, he Said, as if forcing the word past his lips.

“That’s what you’ve been doing?” She began to laugh. “You call ordering me to talk with you an apol “

He stuffed his hands in his back pockets and gazed up at the ceiling. “If I call t talk with you, how can I tell you that I might have been a little out of line last night?”

“A little out of line?” She folded her arms across her chest and narrowed her eyes. “You mean you’re reconsidering the idea that I have the hots for Neal Parnell, or worse yet, took a bribe from him?”

He met her gaze. “That’s right: ‘

Too bad he looked so magnificent standing there, but she had her principles. “I’m truly touched.”

“You have to admit it looked bad, with him coming in here the same day as the hial ended, calling you by your first name, giving you flowers.”

“I don’t have to admit a damned thing, Mr. Escalante My conscience is clear, but I hope yours is really bothering you, because what you did was arrogant, judgmental and exceedingly rude.”

The muscles in his jaw tightened. “Now wait a minute Considering Parnell’s reputation, I had every right to “

“You had no right, and you’ve run out of time for this so-called apology, mister.” She turned and picked up the envelope containing his payment for the haircut. Taking one step forward, she extended the envelope. “Here’s the money you gave me last night. I refuse to accept payment for a job I didn’t finish. Take it and leave .”

He made no movement toward the envelope as he gazed at her. “You took Parnell’s money ” q “Of course.” A shiver of awareness passed through her as she realized how closely he must have been watching her with those dark, compelling eyes. “I finished that job.” But she’d had a tough time with Neal’s haircut, especially with Gabe hovering nearby. She resented the unsettling effect Gabe had on her.

“Dallas, he’s a dangerous man.”

She braced her hands on her hips. “What are you, the king of the world? A modern-day version of Sigmund Freud or Solomon? What gives you the authority to pass that kind of judgment?”

He sighed. “I’m a bail-enforcement officer.”

She paused and turned the label over in her mind. “You mean a bounty hunter?”

“If you insist, yes.”

“Is there a bounty on Neal’s head?”

“No, but he’s bad news. Over the years I’ve learned to read people and

“

“Oh, I see. And you’re so good at reading people that you just knew I was the sort to rig a trial, right?” She rolled her eyes. “Boy, am I impressed with your insights , Mr. Bounty Hunter: ‘

“I was tired. I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“That’s for darned sure: ‘

“Listen, your opinion of me doesn’t matter, but stay away from Parnell. Get your security guys to escort him out of your shop next time. Make sure someone walks you to the parking lot every night. Reinforce the locks on your doors and windows at home.”

“First a bogus apology, now scare tactics. I can take care of myself, thank you. And Neal is a mixed-up young man, but he’s not a criminal. Go chase somebody else: She waved the envelope at him. “Here’s your money.

“I don’t want it; he said quietly. “And you need to take me seriously about Parnell. I’ll be around, if you want to discuss it some more:

‘

“What are you going to do, watch over me?”

He regarded her steadily. “Yes .”

Unexpected warmth cascaded over her, and she maintained her defiant pose with effort. “That’s ridiculous”

“Not if Parnell’s picked you as his next victim: Gabe turned and walked out of the shop.

MINUTES AFTER GABE LEFT the shop, Dave Fogarty showed up, looking sheepish.

Dallas glared at him. “I thought you offered to protect me from him.”

,

“Well, I talked with the guy and ” He shrugged. “He seems okay.”

“He plays a good game of pool, is what you mean to say. “Now, Dallas, it’s not just that. I put a lot of store by a person’s handshake, and if they look me in the eye when I meet them.” Dave scratched his beard. “Didn’t seem like you accepted his apology.”

Dallas’s laugh was short and harsh. “That man wouldn’t know an apology if it bit him in the backside”

“I figured as much. But I think he’s okay. Doxi t know what his deal is with Parnell, though.”

“Let me tell you.” Dallas lined up the bottles of shampoo and conditioner more precisely on the shelf behind the shampoo bowl. “Mr. Escalante should have been born a hundred years ago, when differences of opinion were settled at high noon in some dusty cow town

Street He’s trying to create drama where there is none, because he’s bored with the civilized life the rest of us enjoy. Did you know he s a bounty hunter?”

Dave’s eyes widened. “No, I didn’t.”

“My guess is he’s between jobs right now and needs something to occupy his time. Go ahead and play pool with him if you want, Dave, but I sure wouldn’t take anything he says seriously.”

Dave glanced back at the bar where Gabe was sitting with his hand wrapped around a mug of beer. “A bounty hunter, huh? I didn’t think they existed anymore

“He calls himself a bail-enforcement officer.” Dallas’s voice slid mockingly over the description. “I think he has an exaggerated idea of his importance in this world.”

Dave returned his attention to Dallas. “I hope it won’t bother you if I play pool with him now and then. He can really shoot out the lights with that stick: ‘

Dallas shook her head. Apparently men were more easily fooled by macho swagger than women. “No, I doxi t care, Dave. just so I don’t have to deal with him anymore.

During THE rrE7CT week, Dallas wondered if Neal realized he had a shadow. Every time he came into Rowdy Ranch, she had only to look around a few minutes later to see Gabe at the bar or choosiqg a cue stick at the pool tables near her shop. But other people came into the dance hall every night, so maybe Neal hadn’t taken notice of Gabe.

Dallas wished she could ignore him, too, but his presence unsettled her more than she cared to admit. Apparently she wasn’t the only woman who experienced a rush of adrenaline whenever Gabe showed up.

He began getting dance requests, and eventually he accepted a few. When he was on the floor with someone in his arms, Dallas battled an underlying agitation that made no sense. Why should she care if he danced, and with whom? But she found herself judging each partner s attractiveness and skill. Even Amber noticed her preoccupation, and Dallas had to do some fast talking to convince Amber she wasn’t interested in Gabe.

During the evening she tried not to leave herself open to advances from Neal, but he caught her on Thursday rught when she stopped by the bar for a glass of soda.

“Takinga break, sweet thing?” He leaned against the bar, nearly touching her.

She shifted away from him. “Just getting something to drink.”

“How about a dance?” He glanced toward the shop. “Nobody’s waiting for one of your famous haircuts right now.”

She grabbed the cold glass that the bartender handed her. “Thanks, anyway, but I’m expect inga customer any minute;’ she said, starting away from the bar.

“Is that right?” Neal caught her arm and she flinched. “I’d hate to think you were telling old Neal a story.”

She glanced back at him and eased her arm from his grip. “I work for a living; she said with more acidity than she’d intended. But he was restricting her freedom of movement, and she didn’t like it. “I can’t go running off whenever I get the urge.”

“And are you getting the urge?” he asked with a smile.

“Excuse me. I have to get back : She turned and hurried toward the shop, but her way was blocked by her other nemesis, who stepped away from the pool table and into her path.

“Yoa’d better think about what I said. Parnell’s becoming more persistent; Gabe said, studying her.

“I’d say you both hold the world’s record for that hait .” “don’t let anger make you careless : The rough timbre of his voice and the intensity in his eyes stopped her from walking away

She swallowed. “I can handle him.”

“In here, maybe. But out there? Doxi t kid yourself.” His glance moved over her. “And that outfit doesn’t help your cause, either. You must know you’re dressed like every cowboy’s dream: ‘

Against her will her body responded with a warm flush.

“Now it’s real nice for those of us with some restraint ; he continued, “but tempt inga man like Parnell with tight little shorts is dangerous”

“I beg your pardon!” she exclaimed, glad for an excuse to be angry. “What I wear is none of your concern !”

“I’m only trying to warn you.”

“Save it : She pushed past him and stormed into her shop, her heart beating wildly. Once again he’d completely destroyed her composure. What right did he have making such personal comments about her appearance ? Some nerve, to discuss her tight shorts.

Which means he’s noticed, whispered her libido And you like that, don’t you? Desire, so carefully monitored and controlled, began stretching within her. She didn’t want to feel this craving for Gabe Escalante, but apparently she couldn’t help herself.

As the minutes ticked away, she was aware of every move he made over by the pool tables. And with that awareness, passion shouldered its way to the forefront of her consciousness. She’d never paid much attention to the lyrics of the country songs played at Rowdy Ranch, but tonight the words of love and lust wouldn’t leave her alone. I want you, crooned a song, and instinctively

Dallas glanced over at the pool tables.

As if sensing the direction of her gaze, he looked up. She turned away, not ready to confront that heated stare. Moments later, she found herself watching him again, and again he lifted his head from the shot he’d been about to make. This time she didn’t look away. Love me tonight, demanded another song. Love me now. Love me right. She noticed Gabe’s fingers tighten on the pool cue and saw a muscle hvitch in his jaw. Longing exploded within Dallas and she trembled. Her customer spoke to her, and with an effort she broke the charged connection with Gabe.

She forced herself to concentrate on her work, until a familiar phrase from a new song distracted her again. Somethingabout “a cowboy s dream.” That’s what Gabe had called her. She’d been unable to forget the way he’d looked at her when he’d said it, as if he wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. She’d reacted to his comments with anger because she couldn’t allow him to see that he’d touched a deep chord of sensuality that was still vibrating.

She tried to ignore the song, but the words hammered at her. And I’m going crazy, no matter how cool

Iseem, ‘cause she is the answer to this cowboy’s dream. Dallas clenched her jaw. She wouldn’t look at Gabe. She wouldn’t. But at last she peeked in the direction of the pool tables. He wasn’t there. Disappointment felt like a soggy lump in her stomach.

Wondering if he’d left for the night, she glanced out toward the bar. He sat on a stool, a half-empty mug of beer in one hand, his gaze fastened on her.

The song’s refrain swirled between them-cause she is the answer to this cowboy’s dream. Dallas’s heartbeat quickened as he slowly raised the mug in salute. Then he winked, tilted back his head and drained the contents of the mug. When she returned to her haircut, her hands quivered so much she almost snipped off the tip of her customer s ear.

THE NExT MoRNING Dallas made a long-overdue phone call across town to her mother. She hoped Lucille Frakes had found a job. When she and Dallas’s stepfather had decided to relocate from Texas to Arizona, Dallas had thought she’d be able to convince her mother to find work. Lucille was far too dependent on Jeb Frakes for Dallas’s taste, but then her mother had always allowed men, including Dallas’s father, to dominate her.

After answering the phone and sounding delighted to talk, Lucille chattered in southern-belle style about the activities of Dallas’s trvo brothers, two sisters and their respective offspring. Dallas listened patiently until her mother wound down.

“Any luck with a job?” she asked finally.

There was a pause. “Well, you know that Jeb prefers I not work.” Lucille sounded as if she were sitting on a veranda sipping mint juleps and supervising the help.

But Dallas knew they didn’t have much money, and Jeb was making very little as a clerk in an auto-parts store. “Mom, I don’t think “

“Dallas, you’re not married, and you don’t know about these things. Most men’s egos can’t stand up to a woman bringing in money of her own. I tried that with your father, and you see what happened.”

Dallas wanted to scream, but even screaming wouldn’t change the way her mother looked at life. Deserted by one weak man when Dallas was sixteen, Lucille had promptly found another whose self-esteem fed on denying any to his wife. Dallas had moved away from Amarillo partly to free herself from her stepfather’s dictatorial ways. But ten years had passed, and Dallas foolishly had dreamed that she could influence her mother to lead a more productive existence than catering to the whims of a middle-aged man.

Apparently that wouldn’t happen. Dallas took a deep breath. “If men are all that sensitive, then I’d rather not have one around.”

Her mother’s chuckle lacked humor. “You may not have to worry. You plum scare men off, Dallas. I’ve told you that before.”

“Maybe I just scare off the wrong ones. Maybe the right one wouldn’t be scared at all.”

“If there is such a man, her mother said. “you’re such an idealist.”

Dallas gripped the phone. “I’ll tell you this. I’d rather live alone all my life than be tied to someone who tells me what to do .”

“They all try, honey.” Her mother’s sigh, heavy with resignation, drifted across the telephone line “They all try.”

THE tension built between Gabe and Dallas each night at Rowdy Ranch. Dallas suspected that without Neal in the picture, they might have acted on their obvious attraction to each other. But Gabe’s hostility toward Neal stood between them.

During the day Dallas distracted herself with the routine she loved-taking long horseback rides into the Tucson Mountain foothills, making improvements to her property and having an occasional lunch and shopping trip with Amber.

The weather continued unseasonably warm for February , which brought more than the usual flock of winter visitors to Tucson. Cadillacs and Lincolns with out-of-state plates clogged the roads as Dallas drove into town one sunny morning to pick up dog food.

The influx of tourists would bring more business to Rowdy Ranch, she reasoned. The idea cheered her and she began singing along with Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee on the radio. She swung into the parking lot of the pet store to pick up the special brand of dog food she fed Gretchen. She’d be glad when Gretchen wasxi t in season anymore. Usually she brought the Great Dane along on shopping trips and left her guarding the truck. But Gretchen couldn’t socialize again until she stopped panting after every male dog within a square-mile radius

Inside the pet store she wasted no time. She still had a list of projects for the day, including putting another coat of paint on the tack shed. She’d just hefted a twenty-pound bag of chow into her cart when Neal Parnell sauntered down the aisle, grinning at her.

GABE HAD STAZ’ED with Parnell until nearly five in the morning. Parnell and his buddies had closed down Rowdy Ranch at two before heading out into the desert to drink beer theyti bought at a convenience store. Gabe had followed at a safe distance and parked off the road about a half mile from the spot where Neal and his friends partied around a makeshift fire of mesquite and creosote. The pungent odor of the burning wood and the loud voices didn’t draw the attention of any passing patrol cars. Gabe had hoped they would, so he could go home to bed, but no such luck.

Parnell seemed to be drinking more recently and spending fewer hours at the dealership: Jasper and Diego’s reports indicated he put in less than two hours at work each day. Gabe figured the wilder Parnell became , the greater the chance he’d tip his hand by molesting another woman. His continued attentions to Dallas told Gabe who that woman was likely to be.

A little before 5:00 a.m. the party finally broke up and Gabe followed Parnell back to his apartment before putting in a call to Diego to spell him. He felt lucky both Diego and Jasper were available. If a more lucrative job came along, either of them might be forced to take it, but for now they were unemployed and willing to help out for a modest fee.

Once Diego arrived, Gabe drove home and fell into bed with his clothes on. Something would break soon, he thought, just before sleep claimed him.

The phone woke him and he reached for it with the automatic reflex of someone used to interrupted sleep.

Diego spoke without preamble. “he’s found out where she lives, amigo. I followed him to the turnoff to her house. He waited behind some bushes until she drove away, then tailed her into town and went into the pet store after she did. They came out together, arguing It looked like he wanted to carry her dog food and she wouldn’t let him .”

Gabe rubbed one eye with the heel of his hand. He’d been right. The campaign was escalating. Maybe Dallas would realize that now. “What happened after that?” he asked.

“She drove away, and I guess he was ticked, because he peeled out and tore over to the grocery store muy pronto to buy some beer before he went home. He’s still in his apartment, probably polishing off the six-pack. Thought you’d want the update: ‘

“Si. Gracias, amigo. Stay there until I can grab a shower and call Jasper. I want to take it from here today”

“Want some help?”

“Not yet, but maybe soon. Adios.” The excitement of the chase banished his tiredness. It always did.

DALLAS HOPED THAT AFTER the argument in the parking lot of the pet store and Neal’s abrupt exit she’d be rid of him for good. But that night, when he showed up at Rowdy Ranch, that hope died.

“You womens-lib types are making a mistake; he said, leaning in the doorway of her shop while she was firushinga trim on a customer. “If you don’t let us help out once in a while, we’re liable to quit offering.”

“Hello, Neal,” she said. “You’ll have to excuse me. I’m busy with a client just now. “

“Yeah, okay.” He pushed away from the doorway. “Just wanted to mention a mutual acquaintance we have, Stewart Ellison, The Ellisons lived next to us when I was growing up. I understand you know him, too.

Small world, huh?”

Dread touched the small of her back with icy fingers Stewart Ellison held her business loan. Was Neal threatening to have that loan called in? “Yes, I do business with Mr. Ellison, she said, not looking at Neal.

“Well, like I said, he’s a good friend of the family s. Thought you d want to know.”

She looked up, trying to gauge the level of menace in his statement. She didn’t like the speculative expression on his face.

“See you around, sweet thing.” He turned on his expensively booted heel and swaggered away.

“Sounds like he’s trying to make an impression on you,” the customer said.

“I guess he is .” Dallas unclenched her teeth and willed herself to relax. Maybe that was all Neal meant, after all. He just wanted to let her know he had important friends. “That takes care of you for another couple of weeks, Mr. Nelson.” She unsnapped the cape and removed it before handing him a mirror.

“Somebody should tell that poor boy he has the wrong approach.” He held the mirror and admired the back of his head. “Nice job, as usual, Dallas.”

“Thank you: She accepted his payment and smiled her goodbyes, although a piercing headache had lodged just behind her right eye. Neal was getting very tiresome She heard loud laughter and glanced out the door in time to see Neal hugging Beth, one of the waitresses. With luck he would find someone else to bother. She fervently hoped so, because she couldn’t have him embarrassing her in front of customers. Maybe she would have to speak to the security staff, although she hated to make an issue of his behavior. She wished this wasn’t Amber’s night off. She’d like to discuss the situation with someone.

As if on cue, Gabe Escalante walked in. Definitely not the person she wanted to discuss her problem with.

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his worn jeans and cleared his throat. “There’s something you need to know.”

Willing her heart to stop beating so fast, she turned away and reached for the broom to sweep up. “I can just imagine. “

“Parnell didn’t find you at the pet supply store by accident. He followed you there from your trailer.”

She whirled and stared at him, her stomach churning’ How do you know that? And how do you know I live in a trailer?”

He looked slightly uncomfortable, but he met her gaze. “I have two men on Parnell. The three of us have him covered around the clock. One of the guys followed him to your place, or at least he figured out it was your place when he saw you drive away.”

Dallas backed up a step, a protective hand to her chest. “You are certifiable. What in God’s name are you doing following that man twenty-four hours a day?”

“I told you. He’s dangerous.”

“According to you!” Dallas saw a customer coming toward the shop and lowered her voice. “Look, I doxi t have much experience with this sort of reckless bounty hunter mentality, but I think it’s pretty stupid. Neal could have you arrested for harrassment: ‘

“He could.” Gabe hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and gave her a hard look. “Especially if you tell him about it. I took a chance by coming in here. I had some idea you should be warned.”

Dallas inclined her head toward the bar, where Neal had one arm around Beth. “Maybe you’d better warn her, too. And everyone he dances with.”

Gabe followed the direction of her glance. “Might not be a bad idea. But you’re the only one whose home he’s staked out .”

“Staked out?” She rolled her eyes. “you’re giving me dialogue out of a grade-B movie. This version may not fit your sense of drama, but I’ll bet he happened to drive that way and recognized my truck. Avra Valley Road is a well-traveled road.”

“And he followed you into town. don’t you get it?”

“Hehas a crush. That’s all.” She turned toward her customer with a forced smile. “Mr. Abernathy! How great to see you again. “

Gabe stepped closer. “Listen; Dallas “

“I have work to do,” she said in an undertone.

He strode away, obviously furious. She was surprised that he didn’t leave Rowdy Ranch, but apparently he was still on his appointed mission and stayed nearby for most of the night, playing pool with Dave Fogarty. Dammit, he was getting to her, making her jumpy when there was no evidence she should be. Neal hadn’t done anything wrong. He was heavy-handed , but there wasn’t a law against boorish ness

That night she drove home constantly glancing in her rearview mirror, but she never spied a black Corvette or a battered old truck behind her. Once home she checked and rechecked her locks. Damn that Gabe, anyway, for frighterung her. Fortunately the next night was Friday, and Amber would be working with her. For the first time, she was uneasy about being alone

THE tqrEx’r nFrExqrOoN Dallas decided to make a coffee icecream run. When life puttered along without incident , she didn’t much care what she ate. But when the bumpy times arrived, she needed her number-one comfort food. She’d finished off a half gallon during the trial, and she needed another one.

“You could probably use a little yourself; she told Gretchen. The dog whined and wagged her thick rope of a tail. “In fact, you may be under more stress than I am. But the vet and I think it’s best, Gretchen. You’ll have stronger puppies if we just wait this one out, okay?”

Gretchen cocked her head and wagged her tail harder.

“I knew you’d see it my way. Be back in a flash.”

Driving felt good, with the window down and the radio blaring on KIIM-FM, a Tucson country station. She took along a small cooler in which to bring back the ice cream.

On the freeway she glanced back to change lanes and saw a black car about half a mile behind her.

“I’m getting paranoid; she muttered, and turned the radio up louder.

She took the Ina Road exit. At the first stoplight she checked her rearview mirror. Sure enough. A black Corvette. She felt as if someone were playing marbles in her stomach. Maybe it wasxi t Neal. There were other black Corvettes in Tucson. She turned off the radio.

By the time she reached the icecream store her hands were slippery on the wheel. The black car turned into the shopping center and pulled up beside her. She sat in the truck with the motor still running, her legs shaking so much she had a hard time keeping her foot on the brake pedal.

Neal was the driver of the car.

DALLAs wISHED she’d checked behind her earlier, when she’d pulled out on Avra Valley Road. She had no real proof that Neal had followed her from there, or that he’d parked somewhere nearby to watch her. But if he had… He got out of the car and glanced around. Then he demonstrated great surprise when he saw her sitting in her truck. With a smile he started toward her.

Dallas didn’t stop to think. She threw the truck into reverse and backed out of the parking space. By some miracle no one was behind her. She put the truck into gear and shot out away from the icecream store without looking back.

She drove around with no pattern, her thoughts racing , her attention constantly flicking to the rearview minor. After fifteen minutes with no black Corvette in sight, she began to relax a little. Was she overreacting? Neal could have ended up at the same icecream store by coincidence, couldn’t he?

She knew what the answer was, but she didn’t want to face it, because facing it would mean she’d have to admit that Neal was acting in a threatening way. If he could have her business loan recalled, then taking action against him could have serious consequences. And there was the other, more disturbing question. If he was capable of harrassing her like this, was he capable of other, more sinister things?

“No; she said aloud. “He’s just a mixed-up, spoiled rich boy.” She glanced at her watch. Time to go home and change for work. And if Neal showed up tonight, she’d tell him to quit following her. She could handle this.

“DALLAs, I AGREE with Gabe. Neal’s dangerous.” Amber stood her ground as they faced each other in the shop that night. “Get some help.”

Dallas gazed at Amber, the cleaning rag in her hand forgotten. While they’d been readying the shop for business she’d told Amber about the two incidents with Neal and his comment about being friends with her banker. She’d almost hoped Amber would brush them off as unimportant. “But logically he’s done nothing wrong. Probably he just needs a firmer declaration from me. “

“you’ve left no doubt about your feelings, and he hasn’t given up. Stop using that damned logic of yours and pay attention to your gut. How does that feel?”

Dallas pressed a hand to her stomach. “Terrible: ‘

“Then do something about it. Call the police.”

“The police? What about my business loan? He said-“

“Your life is more important than your business. These past two meetings sound like he’s turning into a stalker.”

“But there’s still the chance that I’m overreacting , that Gabe has me spooked and-“

“I don’t think so, Dallas. Listen, if you don’t feel right contactqng the police, what about talking to Gabe? Dave really likes him, and I’ve been impressed myself. The man looks like he could handle Neal Parnell with one hand tied behind his back. He probably has some intimidation tactics of his own.”

Dallas certainly believed that. But what would it cost her to deal with G abe, a man whose mere glance in her direction caused an internal meltdown?

“Talk to him; Amber urged, squeezing Dallas’s arm.

Dallas felt her options narrowing. She’d vowed not to make the first move in Gabe’s direction, but Neal was scaring her and she probably needed Gabe’s help. Perhaps the smoldering looks she’d exchanged with him during the past few nights meant less than she thought they did. Then again, maybe they meant that once they were alone they’d tear each other’s clothes off.

No, they wouldn’t. She wasn’t that sort of woman. She didn’t act on impulse, and her basic character wasxi t about to change just because of one sexy man. She sighed. “All right. I’ll talk to him.”

As GAsE srEPPEo into the neon grotto of Rowdy Ranch Friday night he wondered if Dallas finally understood she had a problem. But he d decided to let her come to him. Her fierce independence reminded him of the spirited mare he’d ridden years ago on the ranch. Try to chase her down and you’d never get anywhere. But if you stayed still, let her think things over, she’d sometimes come right up to you. Sometimes.

Gabe had been third in the caravan to the icecream store. She’d left without her ice cream, which told him she was finally getting scared. Good. She needed to be IF AMBER HADN’T threatened to go in her place, Dallas scared enough to come to him for help. So he would wouldn’t have followed through on her promise to talk to Gabe about Neal. After all, Neal seemed to be to wait tally involved with Beth tonight and hadn’t even made

As the eve rung wore on, Gabe noticed that Parnell as usual passes by the salon. But Dallas knew Amber didn’t go near the shop. Too bad, Gabe thought. He would go to Gabe if she didn’t, and she preferred to wanted the threat underlined for Dallas, so she’d have keep some control over the situation by talking to him , no doubt. Maybe Parnell was smarter than he’d herself. She watched him from the corner of her eye , thought. The punk spent most of his time with Beth. and when he hung up his cue stick she happened to be She wore what looked like diamond studs in her ear-without a customer. She started toward the pool tables lobes, and Parnell kept rubbling them. Gabe con-just as he turned toward her. included that the sickerung interplay meant Parnell had His direct gaze disconcerted her. She’d meant to apgiven her the earrings. If the creep didn’t leave her proach him subtly, coming up from the side, catching alone he was liable to get her fired. him slightly unaware and maybe a little unguarded. She

The music grew louder as the crowd thickened like wondered if he was ever unguarded. simmering chili. After three line dances in a row to stir As she approached, she felt as if she were walking things up, the disk jockey played a waltz while the mir-along an unrolled red carpet toward an audience with rored ball flicked shredded light over the dancers like a prince. Perhaps the Prince of Darkness, she thought, transparent confetti. Gabe turned down two requests as his brown eyes studied her with an intensity that to dance and challenged a college kid in a Uruversity of made her shiver. He lifted his eyebrows ever so slightly in question as she drew near. Arizona sweatshirt and Reebok ruruiing shoes to a “I’d like to talk with you privately,” she said. game of pool. All the while he kept watching, watch-Something flickered in his gaze. “Let’s dance, then.” ing. “Oh, I dozi t-“

Finally about rune-thirty he snapped the pool cue “don’t dance? I find that hard to believe: back into its holder and opted out of the next game. He “No, I can dance. But I doxi t think dancing is neccouldn ‘t wait for Dallas to come to him, after all. Par-essary to our conversation: ‘

nell could easily try something tonight, and she needed “It’s the most private place I can think of.” His lips

” to be prepared for it. He’d talk to her, whether she curved. No one can overhear you if you keep movwanted to listen or not. He turned toward the salon anding “

stopped abruptly. She was qvalking in his direction. At

“All right.” Darn her silly heart, beating like crazy last. as he took her hand and led her to the polished wooden floor. His touch was firm, the skin on his fingers slightly chapped. She liked that work roughened feel, had never quite trusted baby-soft hands.

A two-step was in progress, and he whirled her into his arms with practiced ease. His hand against her shoulder blade exerted just enough pressure to guide her into the rhythm. She rested her left hand lightly against his collarbone, keeping several inches between them, although he didn’t try to maneuver her closer. The flannel of his shirt teased her palm with softness as he moved in time with a Clint Black song. As if they’d been partners for years, they danced unerringly around the oval floor, her bare legs brushing the denim of his jeans.

His scent reached her-a woodsy fragrance mingled with the tang of beer. His hand was warm against her back. She leaned back just a little, and he supported her. Safe. That’s what she was feeling, for the first time in days.

Startled by the emotion, she glanced into his face, and the illusion shattered. She wasn’t safe with this man. When she looked into his eyes her pulse leaped and her throat went dry. He’d offered to help protect her from Neal Parnell, but who would protect her from Gabe?

The music ended, but he still held her firmly in his arms. Before she could suggest they leave the floor, a waltz began. Gabe moved into the flowing rhythm as if born to it.

Dallas sighed involuntarily. She’d forgotten how much she loved to waltz. And this man knew how to do it. Long, languorous strides carried her through the dip and flow, lift and whirl. Her cares slid away as he led her smoothly, never miss inga step, never allowing her to falter.

“You wanted to talk?” His breath feathered her ear.

She glanced into his knowing eyes, her lips a fraction away from his. “Not yet.”

A spark kindled in his dark gaze. His grip on her shoulder tightened and his lead became more forceful. On a swell of music they soared-swooping like hawks riding the desert wind. She would give a great deal to have this go on… and on.

But the music ended and she gazed at him with regret Another two-step followed, and with a slow smile he urged her gently backward in the familiar six-count movement.

“I love to waltz; she confessed, keeping her eyes focused on the curve of his shoulder.

“So do I.” His deep voice, so close, drew a tremor of reaction from her.

“I suppose you know Neal followed me to the icecream store today.”

“I know.”

“I’m not admitting he’s anything more than a nuisance “

“That’s your privilege, although you’re wrong.”

She took a steadying breath. “Maybe we shouldn’t have this conversation: She shifted as if to move out of his arms.

“Stay.” His grip tightened slightly, but she could feel the restrained power and knew that if he really wanted to hold her there she’d be unable to get away. “Please.”

She glanced up at him. “What’s your stake in this?”

“I told you. I don’t like to see slime like Parnell get away with intimidating women.” The lines of anger bracketing his mouth made him look capable of avenging all the wrongs of the world.

“Well, Amber told me I should get some help.”

The angry lines softened, and he looked down, deliberately capturing her gaze. “Here I am.”

She had trouble breathing. Here I am. Three simple words. Ah, but how they complicated her life. This rough, tough bounty hunter scared her to death. She , didn’t want to need him, didn’t want to need anyone , but it seemed at the moment she had no choice. “What-” She stumbled over the question, hating to ask it of anyone, least of all this man. “What do you th_ ink I should do?”

“For starters, let me check the security on your trailer.”

“My locks are fine.”

“I’d like to make sure.”

Well, she’d asked for his help, and she wasn’t an expert on locks. In his line of work, he probably had to be. “When?”

“Tonight, if possible: ‘

She hesitated. Maybe Dave liked his handshake and Amber liked his buns, but Dallas didn’t know Gabe well enough to be alone at night in an isolated trailer with him.

As if reading her thoughts, he spoke. “I can give you the numbers of two bail bondsmen I’ve worked for. They’ll vouch for me.”

“Tonight?”

Gabe chuckled. “They call me at all hours. Besides , they’re both night people. They’ll be up.”

“All right. I’ll call.” And if he checked out okay , which she guessed he would, she would be alone tonight with this man who made her skin tingle wherever he touched, who made her completely forget herself as she whirled in his arms on a crowded dance floor. What would happen when they closed the door on the world?

Nothing. This man was too hot to handle. If she ever gave up a small measure of her independence to someone , it wouldn’t be some vigilante type who thrived on drama and danger. She wiped all emotion from her face before she met his eyes again. “I’ll let you know when I’ve contacted your references.” She could tell by the slight falter in his gaze that he’d noticed her subtle rejection His expression closed down.

At that moment Neal tapped on Gabe’s shoulder. “My turn, buddy.”

Gabe glanced over his shoulder and Dallas felt him stiffen, but he didn’t interrupt his rhythm. “No: ‘

Neal shoved a pair of dancers aside and followed. “Hey, I-“

“Sorry.” Gabe ground out his denial as he placed himself between Neal and Dallas. In seconds they’d danced away from where Neal stood, face distorted with fury.

Dallas gratefully accepted the man8e of Gabe’s protection as it settled over her. Like a fool she’d imagined Neal’s obsession with her had ended, but she’d been wrong. Everything Gabe had predicted so far had turned out to be true. And Gabe thought Neal was a rapist. Dallas turned away from the thought. Gabe hadn’t heard the testimony, and he, like most people, was ready to believe the worst of someone like Neal.

Still, she was very glad Gabe hadn’t allowed Neal to cut in. “Thank you; she murmured.

“Anytime.” His tone had become impersonal and instead of holding her gaze, he glanced toward the hair salon. “I doxi t know if you’ve noticed, but Ambeqs up to her eyebrows over there. Two guys are waiting, and a third just walked up.”

Chagrined, Dallas broke away from the circle of his arms. “My God, I never take this long a break: ‘

He caught her arm as she started from the dance floor. “Let me give you those numbers : ‘

“Oh. Of course: With the way he’d championed her on the dance floor she felt less need for references, but checking them would be the prudent thing to do. She waited while he pulled a card and a pencil stub from his back pocket and scribbled on the back before handing it to her.

“Thanks, she said, taking the card. It was curved , pressed that way by the shape of his buttocks, and still warm. She made the mistake of glancing into his eyes, and a potent image of making love to Gabe hit with a force that took her breath away. “I’d better go; she managed in a breathy whisper and nearly ran toward the salon.

Suddenly Neal blocked her way. “Why did you tear off like that today? I was ready to buy you an icecream cone. “

“Neal, I “

Gabes abrupt appearance cut off her reply. He stepped in front of her and faced Neal. “The lady has work to do .”

Neal sneered. “You her boyfriend or something?”

“Yes : ‘

“She said she didn’t have one.”

“I guess she and I will have to talk about that.” Gabe reached for Dallas and guided her gently toward the salon. “Go ahead. I’ll take care of this.”

“Gabe, maybe-“

“I can deal with him. Go .”

PARNELLS EYES GLITTERED as he faced Gabe. “You can’t tell me who I can talk to and who I can’t, cowboy.”

“You were keeping her from her customers.” Gabe clenched his hands at his sides. If Parnell provoked him into a fight, they could both end up being escorted from the place in a squad car. He’d love to see it happen to Parnell, but the jerk could probably post bail quicker than he could, and Dallas might be in danger.

Parnell hitched his belt up a notch. “Well, I’m a pretty good customer myself, if you know what I mean.”

His smirk nearly tempted Gabe into throw inga punch. “Doxi t push it, Parnell.”

“Oh, you know who I am?”

“Unfortunately.”

Parnell looked him up and down. “Well, I could buy and sell you, buddy. You don’t have a chance with me around.”

It took all of Gabe’s control not to strangle him on the spot. “We’ll see about that.” Then he turned his back and walked away.

God, he wanted a beer, but now was not the time. He needed a clear head for the next few hours. Alcohol might lower his resistance to Dallas, and despite what he’d said to Parnell, he had no intention of making a play for her. For several nights now he’d enjoyed the spice of knowing there was some powerful chemistry between them, and for a while there, when they were waltzing, he’d imagined… but no.

He was good at reading people’s expressions, and he could tell from hers after the last dance that it wouldn’t work out between them. She disapproved of how he made his living and mistrusted his pursuit of Neal. Perhaps she suspected him of being uncivilized. True, he hadn’t spent much time in elegant social situations , and if it hadn’t been for his mother, he wouldn’t even know how to waltz.

How his mother had loved to dance. During breaks from her duties as cook for the ranch where they’d lived, she’d taken a battery-operated tape player out under a mesquite tree and conducted dance class for both him and Celia. She’d taught them the fox-trot, too, which he d been able to translate easily in later years to the two-step. But the waltz had been her passion, and she’d schooled him mercilessly until his gangly fifteen year old body had obeyed the lush rhythm of the dance.

“If you want to know a woman, and let her know you, waltz with her,” his mother had said.

And so he had waltzed with Dallas, and for the space of that song had believed he’d finally found a woman to fill his soul. But later, when the waltz no longer claimed her, her eyes had told him a different story. So he would check her trailer tonight and continue to watch over her. He would try to protect her from Neal Parnell and thereby attempt to avenge his little sister. But he would keep his hands off Dallas Wade from now on. Apparently she thought he wasxi t good enough for her. He wouldn’t try to convince her otherwise.

DALLAS HELPED AMBER restore order in the shop before heading for a bank of pay phones near the rest rooms to make her calls in private.

When Dallas returned, Amber confronted her, hands on hips. “What’s going on? I’ve been dying of curiosity I saw you two head for the dance floor. Did you ask him to help you?”

Dallas nodded. “He’s coming out to check the security on my trailer,” Dallas said, wiping the shampoo bowl with a damp towel. “I just called the two references he gave me and they think he’s the greatest .”

“I’m not surpised. When is he going to check the trailer?”

Dallas concentrated on the shine of the porcelain beneath her polishing towel. “Torught. After we close up here.”

“Wow. He works fast: ‘

Dallas glanced up and caught Amber’s grin. “Hey. He’s only checking my locks.”

“Wonder if I could get him to check mine .”

“It’s not what you think, Amber. He’s sure Neal’s about to try something.”

“That may be. It’s also a wonderful excuse to go home with you torught. And I’ll bet you’re twisted in knots over the idea of being in close confines with that gorgeous cowboy.”

Dallas returned to her polishing. “I’ve told you , Amber. I’m not interested in his type.”

“Sure you’re not. That’s why you have that towel in a death grip. Look, your knuckles are white.”

Dallas glanced down at the towel and tossed it into the dirty-clothes bin. “Nothing will happen,” she said, more to herself than Amber.

“That’s your loss, then; Amber said with another grin.

ON THE wAY HOME, with the lights of Gabe’s old truck shining in her rearviet.v mirror, Dallas struggled with the protocol of this visit. Should she offer him coffee? He was, after all, doing her a favor. But a cup of coffee might suggest more than she was prepared to handle. Better just let him check the locks and go home. A1tfiough she’d never feared living alone she’d installed good locks because it seemed stupid not to, and the ones that had come with the trailer hadn’t been adequate.

She pulled up in front of the chain-link fence, her headlights picking out Gretchern’s fawn-colored coat as the dog barked a greeting.

Gabe parked beside her and swung down from his truck. He wore a faded denim jacket over his flannel shirt, making him look more like a rogue than ever. “I’m glad you have a dog,” he said when she got out of her truck and walked toward him.

“I’m not sure if Gretchen would guard me or not.” Dallas unlatched the gate and grabbed Gretchen’s collar’ She’s still young, and if you brought a male dog around to entice her, she’d be gone in a flash.”

G abe stepped through the gate and reached to scratch the dog’s ears. “So it’s like that, is it, Gretchen?”

“Down the road there’s a huge dog, part Irish wolfhound and part Saint Bernard, who has designs on her.” Dallas suspected she was babbliq g, but Gabe’s presence beside her as they went up the walk was unnerving’I’ve had to reinforce the fence to keep him out.”

“And her in?” Gabe asked, a smile in his voice.

“Yes; Dallas admitted, unlocking the dead bolt. “If I left things up to her, she’d run off with the first mongrel that came along.”

“But you have other plans for her.” There was an edge to his voice as he walked into her pine-paneled living room, Gretchen close at his heels. He turned to face her. “Don’t you?”

Dallas closed the door. “Yes. I’m not going to breed her now, and possibly not until she’s about two years old. When I decide the time is right, I’ll pick out a pedigreed stud.”

He nodded and continued to scratch behind the dog’s ears. “can’t have indiscriminate breeding. No telling what that could lead to.”

“I have a feeling you don’t approve of my plans for Gretchen.” She took off her hat and ran her fingers through her hair. “Are you one of those people who thinks we should let nature take its course?”

He studied her for a moment without answering and her words seemed to echo between them. Her fingers trembled as she combed them back through her hair again.

Finally he shrugged. “I’ve met my share of pedigreed studs, and I’ve found the temperament of mongrels to be a whole lot better.”

“Is that right?” Leaving her jacket on, she turned to hang her hat on the rack beside the door, as much to break contact with his compelling gaze as to be tidy. She had a feeling they werexit talking about dogs any longer. “Is that part of your problem with Neal?”

His jaw tightened. “It could be, but it isxit.” He glanced around. “Do you have a back door to this place?”

“Near my bedroom. I’ll show you.”

She was aware of his tread behind her down the narrow hallway, could feel his gaze on her back, even the heat of his body in the small space. He was too close. If he touched her with those wonderful hands, would she be able to shrug away with the proper indignation? Or would she lean into his touch with a sigh and turn a waiting mouth up to his? She didn’t want to test herself

She walked past the door to give him access to it. She’d left a soft light on in her bedroom, as she always did, to welcome herself home. The white chenille spread was tucked neatly under the pillows, and pictures of her family were arranged artfully on her bedside table. She’d decorated with southwestern prints of Indian women against a backdrop of red cliffs and rustic pueblos.

His glance moved past her to the bedroom. “You have good taste: ‘

“Thank you: ‘

“Is there a gun in one of those bedside table drawers ?

She was startled. Most people didn’t guess that there was. She nodded. “A Lady Smith & Wesson. Five shots .”

“I know how many bullets it takes. Do you know how to use it?”

She faced him. “I grew up in west Texas. My daddy wasn’t much of a family man, but he taught us all how to ride and shoot, how to mend a fence and put up a corral. you’re not talking to a hothouse flower, Mr. Escalante”

“I didn’t expect I was; he said, and turned to the door.

“I put in the locks .”

He nodded and opened the door and a draft of cool air came in, making her realize how heated her skin had become.

She watched the movement of his fingers as he shot the bolt and tested it for strength. Tension built low in her pelvis. Could she manage a quick affair and be done with this craving? She knew the answer even before the question was fully formed. She’d never been the type ; her passions ran deep. But they must not run with this man, no matter how he stirred her.

She tried to ignore the flex of his shoulder muscles as he pushed against the door. “He could always force these doors. He works out in a gym and I think he’s in pretty good shape.”

She had to concentrate to remember who Gabe was talking about With Gabe around, she didn’t have room in her mind for Neal. Gabe’s scent surrounded her pulling her in. “Would you like some coffee?” she blurted, desperate for an excuse to get away from him.

He turned, transfixing her with his deep-set eyes. “The usual answer is, “If it’s made; but of course you don’t have coffee ready.”

“I’ll make some.” Why was she even offering? She didn’t want him to linger and tempt her further.

“Dozi t bother. I’ll be finished soon.” He walked into the bedroom. “Let me check out these windows. It would suit him to come through one of them and surprise you before you’re fully awake.”

She balanced unsteadily against the wall as he put one knee on her bedspread and leaned toward the window over her bed. His jeans pulled tight across his buttocks , and she closed her eyes momentarily. Her hands were clammy. “I’m making coffee; she announced, and fled to the kitchen.

COWARD, DALLAS THOUGHT as she spooned coffee into the basket, scattering some over her clean counter in her haste. He’s only a man. Her hand was steadier as she poured water into the coffeemaker and switched it on. She took off her jacket and hung it over a chair while listening to Gabe moving through her trailer locking and unlocking windows. Gretchen kept him company, judging by the accompanying jingle of dog tags.

By the time Gabe appeared in the kitchen she’d composed herself and could face him with a semblance of equanimity. “What’s the verdict?”

A corner of his mouth tilted up. “You’re a good carpenter”

The words of praise filled her with a ridiculous amount of pride. She cared too much about his opinion , she told herself sternly. “So you think I’m pretty well barricaded in?”

“Probably. Do you still have my card?”

She nodded.

“I have a machine and I check it regularly when I’m out. But call 911 first if Neal shows up. Gretchen will tell you if anyone’s around.” At the sound of her name Gretchen shoved her muzzle into his hand. “She might

” g g, ” not attack, he continued, strokin the do but you never know. You haven’t had a chance to test her.”

“

“True .”

He rubbed Gretchexi’s head and her tail whapped back and forth, knocking against the kitchen doorframe Dallas liked his manner with her dog. Most people kept their distance from Gretchen because of her size, but Gabe treated her with the nonchalance of someone used to big arumals.

“Do you have a dog?” she asked.

“Can’t. Wouldn’t be fair with the kind of life I live.” He squatted down so his face was level with Gretchen’s and she responded byqlicking his cheek and knocking off his hat. Laughing, he picked it up and scrubbed a hand over her neck. “But I’d love to. I’d love to have a dog just like you, you big, clumsy, beautiful mutt.”

Gretchen swiped her tongue over his face again. -“Wet kisses will get you anywhere; he said, laughingagain.

Dallas stared at them as her image of Gabe tumbled into a new dimension. The sound of his laughter had surprised and charmed her. She’d become so used to his intensity she’d discounted the possibility of a softer side.

He glanced up at her. “I think the coffee’s done.”

With a start she turned to discover the coffeemaker had stopped gurgling.

“Smells good; he said, rising and setting his hat on the courZter. “Guess I could use a cup, after all .”

“Me, too.” Or something stronger. She opened a cupboard and considered her collection of mugs. Each was different. Some had clever sayings inscribed on them; others she dchosen for their beauty or connection to a place she’d loved. Smack in the front of the shelf was the mug Amber had given her for Christmas. Hair Stylists Get You Lathered Up. Gabe was standing directly behind her. Unless his eyesight was bad, he could read the inscription easily. Damn. She didn’t need more reminders of sex around here.

She reached for a mug she’d picked up at the Grand Canyon and another with a picture of a fawn-colored Great Dane on it. Then she closed the cupboard and poured the coffee. “Do you take anything in it?”

“No : ‘

She schooled her expression to casual disinterest before turning to hand him the mug. He accepted it without comment.

“Your… your haircut isn’t too bad.”

“Tharqlcs.” He leaned one hip against the counter and Gretchen heaved herself down in front of him, nearly lying across his feet.

“Did you finish the job yourself?”

He shook his head and sipped his coffee.

For the first time it occurred to her he might have a girlfriend. She d been arrogantly assuming she’d have to protect herself from his advances. Maybe he had no interest in her whatsoever, except as a damsel in distress The thought chastened her.

“I wouldn’t have pegged you as a Texas girl, he said, cradling the mug in both hands. “What happened to your accent?”

She sipped her coffee and wondered how much to reveal about herself. Every bit of information seemed to strengthen the link between them, and she shouldn’t be doing that. “I took elocution lessons; she said at last.

He raised both eyebrows.

“I’ve always wanted my own business, and I decided a long time ago I’d have more success with barqlcs and leasing companies if I dropped ‘y all’ and ‘honey from my vocabulary.” She neglected to mention that she didn’t want to sound anything like her mother, who represented the worst side of feminine frailty to Dallas

He seemed to accept her explanation. “You really think things through, don’t you?”

“I’ve seen what happens when you don’t.” The declaration sounded prim and possibly judgmental, but she couldn’t call it back.

Gabe chuckled and gazed at the ceiling. “Ah, yes.”

“I guess we’re not alike in how we look at things.” First prim and now defensive. Where was her usual poise?

He pierced her with that warrior’s stare. “No, we’re not alike, Dallas.”

She shouldn’t like the way her name sounded when he said it. She shouldn’t like the picture he made lounging in her kitchen in his worn jeans, his jacket open and the top two buttons of his shirt undone. By his subtle admission he was the sort of guy who took life as it came. Maybe she was a conservative prude, but now wasn’t the time to fall for someone like Gabe. When he finished his coffee she’d send him on his way. Better not to learn more about this cowboy.

Then she remembered what Gabe had said to Neal at Rowdy Ranch. “I guess Neal thinks you’re my boyfriend”

Gabe shrugged, his face expressionless. “At the time it seemed like the best way to make an impression on him.” A ghost of a smile flickered. “If the idea bothers you I can tell him we broke up .”

“Boy, that was quick.” The retort masked a slight wrenching of her heart as he discussed their phantom relationship so casually. “Dumping me already.”

“Your call; he said evenly. “I “

Gretchen whined and leaped to her feet.

In one fluid movement Gabe set down his coffee and turned toward the living room door in a semi crouch as Gretchen stood in front of it, her ears pricked forward.

“Gabe, it could be “

“Stay there.” He crept toward the window and eased back the vertical blinds.

Dallas watched him in awe as adrenaline pumped through her. Gabe obviously was good at his job. The intruder could be Neal… or the mongrel down the Street Despite Dallas’s brave words about the gun in her bedside table drawer and her confidence in her locks, she was trembling. And very glad to have someone like Gabe around right now.

“Dallas?”

“Yes?” She held her breath.

“Does Gretchen’s boyfriend have long shaggy hair?”

She sighed with relief. “Yes .” She walked to the door and took Gretchen by the collar. The tension, followed by a reprieve, made her giddy. “Not tonight, my eager young virgin. “

Gretchen wouldn’t budge from the door. She whined again and strained forward, as if she would hurl her self through the wooden barrier if Dallas gave her a chance.

Gabe let the vertical blind fall back into place and came over to kneel beside the dog and scratch behind her ear. “Hey, Gretch, he’s an ugly son of a gun. You’d have really scruffy children.”

Basking in the comradery of danger faced and unmasked , Dallas dropped to one knee on the dog’s other side and threw an arm around Gretchen’s neck. “Listen to the man. He doesn’t like your choice any better than Ido:’ ,

“I didn’t say that.”

Dallas’s gaze snapped up to meet Gabe s. They eyed each other across Gretchen’s head.

“I just said the puppies would be scruffy, he said gently. His fingers continued to massage behind Gretchen’s ear, only inches away from where Dallas’s arm lay draped around the dog’s neck. “That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be good dogs or that Gretchen and her friend wouldn’t have a hell of a time making them: ‘

An invisible fist squeezed her heart, then turned it loose to gallop in a furious rhythm. She swallowed. “Gretchen doesn’t know what’s good for her.”

His dark gaze softened as his tone caressed her. “Maybe that mangy hound outside does.”

Scraps of a waltz floated through her mind. She could feel his arms around her and his firm lead as they whirled around the floor. She d never been loved by a man who didn’t fumble. She put out a mental hand to steady herself. “Gabe, I-“

He reached over and placed a finger against her lips. She closed her eyes as he traced the outline of her mouth while he spoke. “I’m leaving now;’ he murmured. “Much as I don’t want to. I don’t even think you want me to .”

Her mouth tingled; her body ached. No, she didn’t want him to. “I have no more sense than Gretchen.”

“Yes, you do .” He cupped her chin and she opened her eyes. “You know exactly where you’re going and what you want. I woxi t mess up your life for you, Dallas

Wade : In one easy movement he rose and walked toward the kitchen to retrieve his hat. Pulling it low over his eyes, he opened the door. “Lock up after me.”

GAsE ToOK the trailer steps in one bound and headed out toward his truck. Another minute in that room with Dallas and he might have forgotten all his reservations about becoming involved with her. The huge mongrel slipped into the shadows as he opened the gate and walked to his truck.

“Better beat it; he said to the hulking canine. “Neither of us belongs inside that fence, amigo, no matter how much they flirt with us. We wouldn’t be thanked for giving them what they want. You can count on it.”

But restraint hadn’t been easy, he thought, swinging up into the truck seat. He’d had a tough time ignoring the outline of her nipples through her soft cotton shirt, or her smooth thighs beneath shorts that mesmerized him with the dancing movement of the fringed hem. His groin tightened at the memory of Dallas turning to reach into the cupboard for coffee mugs. Hair Stylists Get You Lathered Up. No kidding.

As he maneuvered down the dirt lane toward the paved stretch of Avra Valley Road he almost missed the car parked beneath a mesquite. He glanced in the rearview mirror to make sure the low-slung vehicle was a Corvette.

His pulse quickened and he relished the renewed challenge as just the distraction he needed right now. So the bastard was out there. Good. He’d tip his hand any time. And when he did, he was dead meat.

Gabe continued at the same pace, not letting on he’d noticed anything. The black car was deep in the shadows , and most people would have missed it. Gabe wondered when Parnell had decided to drive a black car. During the day it stood out, as he probably hoped it would. But after sunset the car was camouflaged by darkness and became nearly as invisible as other creatures of the night.

Gabe rolled down his window a fraction. Cold air wafted past his face as he listened for the sound of a car engine. He’d have to go back to Dallas’s trailer, but he didn’t want to let Parnell know about it. And he didn’t want to take too long.

FoR sEvERaL MINCrTES after Gabe left, Dallas leaned her forehead against the locked door and battled her emotions She’d wanted him to kiss her. More than kiss her. And he hadn’t done it. Why not?

Her image of him shifted yet again. She’d thought of him as aggressively sexual, someone shed have to control. He’d controlled himself, and she didn’t think it had anything to do with being faithful to another woman. Most men would haveqseized the opporturuty to seduce a willing partner. Gabe hadn’t done that. Obviously she’d underestimated him.

And now that he’d gone, what was she to do about the ache he’d left behind? Dallas wasn’t used to men rejecting her for her own good. She didn’t much like it. Gabe had been absolutely right to leave, and she was furious with him for having the strength to do it.

With a sigh she rolled around to lean her back against the door. “Guess we’d better hit the hay, Gretchen; she said, unbuttoning her blouse. “Neither of us is getting any action tonight : ‘

A soft tap on the door brought her heart into her throat. She clutched Gretchen’s collar and thought of the gun resting uselessly in the drawer a long, long way from where she stood.

“Dallas? It’s Gabe: ‘

Air whooshed out of her as she whirled toward the door. “Gabe?”

“Let me in. Now.”

She hurried to obey and he slipped inside the door, bring inga cool wash of air with him.

He snapped the lock in place behind him and turned toward her. “Pamell’s parked down the road.”

Her hand went to her mouth. He was out there, after all. Breathing became more difficult as she fought feelings of panic.

“I circled back around and came in the other way. My truck’s behind some creosote. I figured if he has plans , better if he tries something without knowing I’m still around. That way we have the element of surprise.”

She stared at him. “You came through the wash? That’s a terrible road.”

“Yeah, it is, he said with a grin. “I may have lost a muffler on the trip.”

,

“You look like-you look like you’re enjoying yourself !”

He stuck his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and surveyed her from head to toe. “Some; he said, almost drawling the word, “although not nearly as much as I’d like. I’m trying to be a gentleman, Dallas, but you do make that a difficult proposition.”

She glanced down at her unbuttoned blouse and flushed. “I was going to bed: She hastily refastened the buttons.

His voice rumbled, low in his chest. “Let’s not make any hasty invitations, lady. “

“I wasn’t! I-“

His laughter stopped her. “Relax, Dallas. I’m here to guard you from Parnell. That’s all. If you have an extra pillow and blanket, I’ll park on your denim sofa for the night, or until he shows himself.”

“You think he really might?”

“I think it’s only a matter of time before he tries something. Obviously you’re still not convinced. I guess I understand that. Because if Parnell tries to rape you, you’ll have to conclude he s probably raped before” She lifted her chin. “That was a fair trial.”

“Fairness isn’t always justice. I prefer justice myself. But we could argue that point all night. Entertainingas that might be, I think you’d better get me that pillow and blanket .”

Staying in her trailer all night? Dallas tried to imagine how that would work, with her hormones raging every time she looked at this tall cowboy. “Gabe, this seems like too much of a sacrifice on your part. Maybe we should call the sheriff.”

“We could do that, but once a squad car enters the area Parnell will be gone. After that, we won’t know where he is, and all the sheriff’s department can offer is an occasional drive-by to check on you. I’d rather know where a rattlesnake is than scare him off and wonder where he’ll turn up next.”

She combed her hair back from her face. “You have a point.” She glanced behind him to the sofa. “But you’re not going to fit very well on that.”

“Aw, shucks, Miss Dallas. Let’s not get into a discussion of where I’ll fit, thank you kindly.”

She gazed up at him, her heart hammering in her chest. Why not just take him into her bed and be done with it? “No, he said softly.

Again! He’d rejected her again. Without a word she whirled and stalked back to the linen closet. Could he interpret her thoughts so accurately? Apparently so. Maybe guessing what people were thinking was part of be inga good bounty hunter. It was part of be inga good lover, too. She’d never known a man who could read her so well. He d be able to anticipate her needs, fulfill . dammit! She wrenched the pillow and blanket from the closet and stormed back with them.

“Here, she said, thrusting them forward.

“Such graciousness: “you’re confusing me.” Now she sounded petulant. Terrific.

“Confusing you is preferable to a few other things I could be doing to you.” He turned and tossed the pillow on the end of the sofa. “Good night, Dallas: ‘

Dismissed, she left the room and walked back down the hall, her poise in riotous disarray. She wanted him so much she could taste it. And she didn’t want him. But neither made any difference, because he was turning down the possibility. She closed her bedroom door with a little more force than necessary. “don’t lock it; he called out. “You might need me during the night .”

She just knew he’d said that on purpose.

GRETCHIN’S SHORT BARK woke Dallas. Disoriented in the darkness, she propped herself on one elbow. “What is it, girl?” she mumbled.

Gretchen barked again, then growled and faced the window over Dallas’s bed. With a cry Dallas bolted from the bed and wrenched open her door. On the other side she collided with Gabe, who was still buttoning his jeans.

He moved quickly around her to the dog. “Is he out there, Gretchen?” he asked softly.

“She b-barked at the window.” Dallas wrapped her arms around her body to try to stop the shaking. The luminous clock dial on her bedside table read three thirty

Gabe walked quietly to the drawer beneath it and took out Dallas’s handgun. Checking the chambers in the light from the clock face, he came back and offered it to her, butt first. “I’m going out the back door to take a look. Lock it after me.”

“You should take the gun: ‘

“I work better without one. Always have.”

Dallas wondered if she’d be able to hit the broad side of a barn the way she was shaking, but not a tremor passed over Gabe as he slipped to the door, opened it and stepped into the night. She opened her mouth to call him back, but he was gone before the words came out.

Locking the door as he’d ordered, she padded into the living room to wait in the dark. She could dimly make out the blanket and pillow he d tossed on the floor in his haste to get up. He must have come instantly awake to pull on boots and jeans in that short time from Gretchexi’s first bark to the moment she’d collided with him in the hall.

It took two tries before she managed to pick up the blanket in her nerveless fingers. She wrapped it around her shoulders before sitting in the rocker, the gun resting on her knee. She’d bought the gun, practiced with it, bragged to Gabe about knowing how to use it, but she’d never really expected to. She even hated to shoot rattlesnakes and usually called the fire department to transport them farther out into the desert. If she couldn’t shoot a snake, how could she be expected to take aim at a man? Some tough broad she was.

She rocked nervously back and forth while Gretchen paced the room, whining. The blanket held Gabe’s scent, and Dallas brought it to her nose and inhaled. Gabe, out there facing unknown danger in the cold darkness, had stayed the night to protect her. Her stomach hollowed with dread. He was trained for this, she reminded herself. He knew how to hunt men, how to outwit them. He would be okay. The need to have him safe again grew steadily as she waited.

Gretchen whined again.

“Be quiet, Gretch, she whispered, trying to hear any noises from outside. A pack of coyotes yipped in the distance, and an owl hooted from somewhere nearby,

but Dallas heard nothing that sounded like a scuffle. What if Neal had been lying in wait and had already knocked Gabe unconscious? What if he was prying open a window in the bathroom, where she might not hear him? She wrapped the comforting blanket tighter and pretended Gabe was holding her.

Besides, Gretchen would alert her to someone coming in. The dog kept up her interminable pacing.

At last someone tapped on the back door. Her heart pounding, she dropped the encumbering blanket and started cautiously toward the door, gun cocked.

“It’s me; Gabe said from the other side of the door.

The sound of his voice sent her chilled blood singing through her veins again. She let him in, along with a gust of frigid early-morning air “What happened?”

He relocked the door. Blowing on his hands and rubbing them together, he turned to her. “Couldn’t find a thing, but I’ll bet anything he was out there, saw me come out the back door and took off. Bullies don’t enjoy being evenly matched. He thought I was gone and you were fair game. I doubt he’ll be back tonight: He glanced down. “Would you mind pointing that somewhere else?”

“Oh!” She lowered the gun, which she’d been holding waist high, aimed right at him.

“God knows I’ve done a few things I deserve to be shot for, but I’d as soon not go out that way, if you doxi t mind : ‘

Feeling like a fool, Dallas eased the hammer back in place and started toward the bedroom. “I’ll put it away. Sounds like the danger’s over for the night.”

Behind her, he let out a shaky sigh. “I wish I could say that .”

She turned in surprise. “But I thought you said-“

“Put the gun away. Parnell won’t be back.”

“Then what-“

“For a smart lady, you can be damned stupid.”

He stood unmoving, a dark shadow just outside her bedroom door. In the weighted silence she remembered that she wore only her nightgown, a white-lace and -chiffon affair that reached to mid-thigh. He might , not be able to see her well, but obviously he could see her well enough. And imagination could be more powerful than sight.

Slowly she rested the gun on the dresser beside her. A word from her and he’d return to his bed on the sofa. He’d proven his iron will, but now she could hear his rapid breathing and knew that his will was being tested. She trembled but stood her ground, her body tightening in response to his quiet presence.

His voice sounded strained. “Come and close this door.”

“No; she whispered.

With a soft oath he stepped over the threshold and kicked the door shut. “I promised myself I wouldn’t do this : ‘

“So did I.”

He crossed the room. “Then we’re both fools.” With a groan of surrender he reached for her.

She fit perfectly in his arms, as she had on the dance floor. Except now she enjoyed the entire length of his rock solid body, and her own seemed to swell with promise in response to the coiled power of his. She ran both hands up his back and felt his muscles contract beneath her touch

His large callused hand cupped her cheek in the darkness and she closed her eyes to savor the controlled passion in his caress. He seemed in no hurry to kiss her, as if he wanted their bodies to shimmer with heat until they burst into flame with the first touch of their mouths. When his fingers brushed across her parted lips, she wet his fingertips with her tongue and his breath caught.

He combed her hair back from her face and cradled her head as he leaned close enough for her to feel his soft breath on her face. “A cowboy s dream; he murmured , closing the distance until she was submerged in his embrace, dazed by the unleashed power of his kiss.

His mouth claimed her with a sureness that left her no time to think. She gasped, helpless before the onslaught of emotions he drew forth. She was not the sort of woman to whimper, but she whimpered now. He stroked the length of her body and brought her hard against him. Her first quivering response turned to molten desire beneath the force of his compelling touch.

Her thighs were slick with moisture even before his knowing hand slid between their bodies to find her. He made a noise deep in his throat, a sound of appreciation so basic it sent goose bumps skittering over her skin. He urged her against the bed. When the backs of her knees touched the mattress, he lowered her down across the edge of it, his mouth hard against hers.

He groped for the handle of the bedside table drawer and wrenched it open. Vaguely she realized he had to have known what the drawer contained as he unbuttoned his jeans and sheathed himself.

The ache within her widened, crying to be filled. He didn’t bother to remove his shirt or her nightgown. With one hand braced beside her head and the other guiding her hips, he took her in one strong, deliberate thrust that made her gasp. Never had a man claimed her like that. Never had she quivered with the beginnings of a climax with only one sure stroke.

Ah, but never was over. Gabe was here. He eased back and shoved home once more. Her body welcomed him, throwing down all barriers and inviting him back again. And again. In wanton delight she lifted her hips and wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing him closer and deeper. Each time he came to her, ripples of pleasure spread from the pulsing center of their joining with an increasing intensity that left her breathless.

She began to spin on the axis of that center as she begged incoherently-whether for more sensation or final release she didn’t know. Only he could know. His touch filled her uruverse, his body held every delight she’d ever imagined.

The flowering began slowly, then picked up speed as she unfolded in a dazzling display of surrender that wrunga cry of wonder from her lips. Annointed with passion, she clung to him as he answered her cry with one of his own, a sound that seemed to arise from deep within his soul. His massive body shuddered once, twice, a third time, and his fingers pressed against her skin.

Slowly, slowly his bunched muscles relaxed. While they were still joined he eased her forward until they could lie together. He remained braced above her, not giving her his full weight, as he leaned his damp forehead against hers.

She held him, rubbing her hands across his back as a measure of sanity returned. Perhaps she wouldn’t ever be quite sane again where this man was concerned. He’d just given her the most satisfying sexual experience of her life. Did she have the inner strength to put that memory aside? Not tonight, she thought. Definitely not tonight.

He sighed and lifted his head to gaze at her in the dim light. “Ah, Dallas; he murmured, touching her cheek. “You don’t inspire a man to be subtle.”

She caught his hand and kissed his palm, savoring the taste of him, the scent of him. “And who says subtle is good?”

“You might .”

He’d changed her world and he didn’t even know it. She was touched by his modesty… and insecurity. “Did you follow your instincts? “

“Every single one of them .”

“I’d say you have pretty good instincts.”

She felt the quiver that ran through him, but he said nothing, as if waiting, his breath held, for her to go on. He deserved the truth, no matter where it led them. “I’ve never been loved so well, Gabe.” She chose the word “loved” on purpose, because she’d never felt as valued as now, never as sensual or desirable.

His face relaxed into a smile. “Thank you for telling me that: ‘

“I caxi t believe you didn’t know.”

His smile widened. “Women have been known to fake it.”

“I don’t.”

“No, I don’t suppose you do.”

She ran her fingers up his nape and through the thick luxury of his hair, remembering when she’d first done that, when he was seated in her chair at work. Had she known, even then, that one day she’d hold him like this? “I have a question. How did you know I had condoms in the drawer?” ,

“After I checked your window lock in here I opened both drawers to find out which one had the gun in it. I suppose I’ve been thinking about that package of condoms ever since. It didn’t make resisting you any easier , knowing they were there within easy reach.”

“So you snooped!” She struggled and tried to roll out from under him, but he held her fast.

“I checked things out.” He raised his head and dropped quick, conciliatory kisses on her lips as he spoke. “I’m a careful man, Dallas. That’s what’s allowed me to survive this long in a dangerous profession “

She shuddered, even as she found herself responding to the warm kisses raining on her mouth. “I don’t like to think about that.”

“I know. We don’t have to. At least not now. don’t go away ” He levered himself away from her, got up and went into the bathroom. Moments later he returned. Lying beside her, he began working on the tiny buttons of her nightgown that reached down to the middle of her breasts.

“Have you ever come close to being killed?” she asked.

“As I said, let not think about that.”

Her breath quickened as he parted the lapels of her gown and cupped her breast in his palm. “What should we think about, then?”

“This : He stroked her nipple with his thumb and the firmness of his renewed desire pressed against her thigh. As he leaned down to run the tip of his tongue around the areola of her throbbing breast, she could think of nothing but his moist caress.

Then he took her nipple in his mouth; building the tension that caused her to move her hips in restless invitation In so many ways he was the wrong man for her, but at this moment, in this bed, nothing had ever felt so right.

GABE USED HIS teeth to scrape lightly over her nipple, and she arched her back in the age-old gesture of submission to her man. His heartbeat pounded loud in his ears as that simple gesture stirred the hot embers of his need to take her again. The sharp edge of the first time had been replaced by a deepening ache that frightened him just a little. But not enough to stop.

He slid an arm under her shoulder blades to support the arch that offered her breasts to his questing mouth. She tasted of honey, smelled like crushed wildflowers fermenting into a heady wine. He burrowed against her with his seeking mouth. Ah… the texture of her nipple against the curved pull of his tongue, the bounty of her breast drawn into his mouth, brought pounding tension to his groin. Yet he d already demonstrated impatience. Perhaps this time he had the strength to demonstrate restraint.

With a superhuman force of will he subdixed his own desire to fill her and settled his mouth between her breasts. While continuing to tease her nipples to erect ness with his fingertips, he kissed a path downward, stopping to dip his tongue into her navel. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as he continued his journey over the smooth skin of her belly and the soft tangle of hair between her thighs. When he reached his destination , she trembled. He wanted to hear her cries, now, when he wasn’t buried in her and deafened by the cannon fire of his own needs.

He nibbled and tasted the rare fruit of her passion, grasping her hips when he’d driven her beyond the ability to keep still. She moaned, and he probed more boldly, feeling her swell beneath him. Her first, small panting cries ignited a fierce happiness in him. He never remembered giving pleasure with this much joy. He kept on as her legs quivered and her cries grew stronger, until at last she bucked in his arms and gasped his name. His name. He was not some featureless lover.

Driven by a desire that left him no choice, he pulled the latex tight over his throbbing penis and claimed his due, sinking deep, deep into salvation. He felt her tighten again, and the spasms of her second climax drew the essence from him in one great rush. As he lay against her, dazed and panting, he knew that she’d seared his heart, changed his direction. After this night, he would never be the same man again.

“EVER BEEN MARquq, Gabe?” Dallas stopped placing strips of bacon side by side on the microwave rack and turned to where he was frying eggs in a skillet on the stove. She’d let Gretchen out to run in the yard, so they were alone. Early morning light gave the kitchen a soft focus look, which suited her blissful mood after the dazzling amount of pleasure she’d enjoyed the night before.

“Yes, I’ve been married.” He glanced up with those impenetrable eyes of his. “Why?”

“Why?” She shook her head. “Only a man would ask why a woman wants to know that. don’t you understand that it matters a lot?”

“To who? Or is it ‘whom’?”

“Now that doesn’t matter, but the fact of your marriage matters to anyone you ” She paused. Maybe she’d just backed herself into a corner. They’d spent the night together, shared the chore of feeding the horses this morning and decided on bacon and eggs for breakfast , but that’s as far into their combined future as they’d ventured. “Well, it’s important to anyone who wants to know more about you.”

His mouth quirked. “I assume that includes you: ‘

She nodded and went back to her bacon, pretending great interest in aligning the slices on the rack. “So, once or more than once?”

“Once: ‘

She cast him a covert glance and discovered his attention was on the skillet in front of him.

He eased the spatula under an egg and flipped it over. “That bacon going to be done soon?”

“Yes .” She shoved the bacon in the microwave and set the timer. “Will you tell me about your marriage?”

“Not much to tell : ‘

Dallas raised her eyes heavenward. If only some men had little buttons in their necks marked “communication mode.” Obviously it wasn’t this maris normal setting, but he definitely needed an override button for certain situations, and this was one. “You could start with a few facts, like when you got married, how long you stayed married, if you had any children, if you see them, if you see her, if she’s pretty.” That last was actually more important to Dallas than some of the other things she’d mentioned. But you couldn’t trust a man’s evaluation of pretty, either. Still, she’d like to know his opinion of his former wife. Was she living in Tucson? Did she repair bad haircuts?

Gabe flipped another egg. He’d obviously spent many years cooking for himself. “Eggs are ready.”

The microwave dinged and with a sigh Dallas took out the bacon. When theyd filled their plates and poured the coffee, they sat across from each other at her small oak table. She really had no right to pester him about his past loves, she thought, as she peppered her eggs. They d spent one night together, and even she had no idea where they were going from here. The question had popped out, and she’d better pay attention to what that said about her motives, conscious or unconscious The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to call her question back.

“Forget what I asked you a while ago; she said. “It’s none of my business : ,

“Are you going to be able to find your eggs under all that pepper?”

She stared down at her plate in dismay. Her eggs looked as if they d been directly under Mount Saint Helens when it erupted.

He reached over and took the pepper shaker out of her hand, keeping hold of her hand in the process. “It is your business; he said gently. “I’m not used to talking about my personal life, that’s all : ‘

“I understand: She tried to pull her hand away. “I was prying. I didn’t mean to.”

His voice was soft. “Didn’t you?”

“Okay. I want to know about you, Gabe.”

His thumb brushed her knuckles. “You were right last night. We are different. But in some ways we’re not. Neither of us is halter broke His smile was wry. “That’s why my marriage didn’t work out.”

She stiffened. “I have no intention of tying you down.”

“I know.” He continued to caress her hand. “But like it or not, sometime during the night we passed the point of no return. IVo matter what happens now, we’ll always be important to each other. We can’t change that. Not now.”

DALLAS LOOKED at their clasped hands, his blunt and workmanlike, hers tapered and pale in contrast. The point of no return. She hadn’t thought it through, but she understood what he meant. Her inner debate over , whether to consider a relationship with Gabe was over. In a night filled with intimate moans and whispered desires, a relationship had begun.

“The way I see it; he began, “you could use someone around for a few days, until something happens with Parnell .”

She glanced into his eyes with a half smile. “How about for a few nights?”

“That, too .”

A thrill ran through her at the look in his eyes. He’d unmasked his desire, allowed hex to see how much he wanted her. He was far from revealing all his thoughts to her, but he no longer bothered to keep his passion a secret. He’d told her during the night how she d affected him with her sensuous washing of his hair, how he’d tamped down his reaction to her from that moment on. From the expression on his face now, he was tamped down no longer.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a roommate,” she confessed. “I’m not sure how good I am at sharing my space. “

“I’m not sure I’m any good at it, either. You might as well know I’ve been accused of being moody and stubborn : ‘

She laughed. “No, really?”

“Yeah.” He grinned and released her hand. “Our breakfast’s getting cold. I’ll tell you all about my failed marriage to Anna while we eat, if it won’t ruin your appetite.”

Anna. He’d said her name with a certain tenderness that unleashed jealousy in Dallas, an emotion she probably had no reason for or right to. She’d spent one night with this man, and she had no claims. Yet her attempt to listen dispassionately failed, and she barely tasted her food as Gabe talked of his former love.

Gradually a story emerged of two people who had married young and struggled with financial problems. He discussed Annas inability to conceive, which bothered her more than it did him. Gabe’s portrait of his ex-wife was compassionate, but Dallas could tell he thought of Anna as a child who had expected him to direct her every move. Dallas took comfort in knowing she and Anna were very different.

“Then I got into the bail-enforcement business. Turned out I liked it a lot, and she hated everything about it-the potential for violence, the uncertain hours, the trips out of the country.”

Dallas listened carefully. Was he giving her a warning about the helter-skelter life he lived?

“Anna discovered she couldn’t live for weeks at a time without someone helping her make decisions. She turned to Jose, who helped her decide to divorce me and marry him, instead.” His words sounded matter-of fact, but a catch in his voice told Dallas the hurt and sense of betrayal still lingered.

“Did you ever consider giving up-” Dallas paused and was careful to choose the right term “-bail enforcement ?”

“No. I used to think I was a quiet, family-man type, but I’ve discovered I’m not. Maybe, if we’d had kids, I might have become like that.”

Dallas studied Gabe over the rim of her coffee mug and tried to imagine him as a domesticated male. “I doubt it: ‘

“Yeah; he admitted with a sigh. “Me, too. You know that song about a little less talk and a lot more action? I’m a real fan of that song.” He pushed back his chair. “And right now I’ve had about all the sitting around I can take for a while. What are your plans for the day?”

Dallas had been so engrossed in thinking about Gabe in action, a concept she cherished despite her misgivings about his profession, that she had to stop and thixik. Of course she had plans for the day. Her free time was crammed with projects and the work never seemed to get done. But having Gabe here had drummed everything right out of her mind. “It’s Saturday, right?” she said, feeling foolish for having to ask.

“Unless last night changed the moon and stars, I do believe it’s Saturday. But anything’s possible.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment .”

His gaze softened. “Be my guest.”

She hesitated, wanting to say this right. “I… appreciate your confiding in me. “

“No problem .”

She knew he wasn’t as offhand about their discussion as he’d like her to believe, but at least he’d allowed her a look behind his forbidding exterior. Not long ago he’d been punished for being himself. That explained a lot about his wariness. Not that he’d been transformed into an open book. The air of mystery surrounding him remained, even when he smiled. Sometimes especially when he smiled.

“If it’s Saturday, she said, “I’m scheduled to pick up four bales of hay, muck out the corral, reset a fence post, give Gretchen a bath and hot-oil treatment, do a load of wash and call my mother.”

He leaned back on two legs of the chair. “That’s all? And here I thought you might be busy.”

“How about you? What’s on your agenda?”

“Keeping you safe “

Her smile faded as she remembered the terror she’d experienced the night before. Being in Gabe’s arms until dawn had temporarily blotted out that frightening moment when Gretchen’s bark had announced an intruder Or had it really been an intruder? In the daylight

Dallas was inclined to believe the disturbance could as easily have been a neighbor’s cat as Neal Parnell

She stood and began clearing the breakfast dishes. “Maybe we re overreacting here.”

There was a sudden stillness about him, like an animal pausing to test the air. Then he picked up the remairung dishes and followed her to the sink. “Meaning ?”

She shrugged. “I appreciate the thought, but I hardly think my safety constitutes a twenty-four-hour job. I’m sure you have some things to do. I feel as if this is keeping you from your work.”

“My work is sporadic, he said, almost too casually. “But I don’t want to crowd you. Your safety can also be guaranteed if I follow Parnell, so if you’d like me to make myself scarce, I can oblige.”

She turned. The cautious look on his face told her the ease they d achieved with each other was balanced precariously on this topic, but she had trouble sharirqg his obsession about Parnell. After all, the guy hadn’t really done anything yet. Maybe he would still fade away, and she wouldn’t have to worry about him or his implied threat to her financial security. She hesitated to tell Gabe what Neal had said about knowing her banker. Gabe would only get even more riled up about the guy.

But all that aside, she longed to know Gabe better, and she reached to retrieve the closeness they’d found during breakfast. “I could use some help mucking out the corral, if you aren’t allergic to a shovel; she said, keeping her tone light. “And if your back’s up to loading the hay in my truck, I wouldn’t turn down that offer , either.”

He nodded, but his openness had disappeared. “Okay. I need to get some clothes, take care of some odds and aids, but I can be back in less than two hours, if you want to put those things off until then.”

“Sure.” She stuck her hands in the pockets of the jeans she’d put on after her morning shower. “Want to help with the dogs too?”

“I can do that.”

She cursed silently to herself. He was like a desert tortoise-one loud noise and he pulled into that armored shell of his. She wished she could have known him without Neal being part of the picture, but, of course, she’d never have met Gabe without Neal. She wanted to probe into that whole business and find out what really drove Gabe to shadow Neal, but now was obviously not the time to get some answers.

He tipped his head toward her kitchen wall phone. “Can I make some calls?”

“Certainly.” She hated the formality that caused him to have to ask. While she rinsed the dishes she tried no t to listen in on the conversation, but it was tough not to hear because Gabe took no particular pains to keep his messages private.

He talked with someone named Diego and asked him to track down Parnell, who was probably sleeping off the night’s activities at his apartment. Then he covered the mouthpiece and turned to her. “I need to give my friend the number here, if it’s okay.”

“It’s okay.” She wondered if they’d bridge this gap between them once again or if they’d discover they were totally incompatible, that the night before had been a fluke, and they were better off going their separate ways. She sighed and began stacking the dishes in the dishwasher.

He hung up the phone and walked toward her. “I’ll be back about ten. Anything you need from town?”

She glanced up at him. “A half-gallon of coffee ice cream. I’ll get you some mo “

“Never mind that : He grabbed his jacket and started out the door. “Thanks for breakfast.”

After the door closed Dallas smacked her hand down on the kitchen counter so hard her palm stung. But she was glad she’d asked for the ice cream. It looked as if she was going to need that ice cream.

ALL THE wAY BACK to his apartment, Gabe lectured himself for being twenty kinds of a fool. Sure, Dallas had enjoyed last night as much as he had, but she wasn’t losing her head. She, at least, had the sense to put some distance between them. Not an impulsive person, that one. But he, on the pther hand, seemed driven by his impulses.

The pattern was becoming depressingly familiar. Once again he d allowed his emotions to rule where Dallas was concerned, and once again she’d brought him crashing back to reality. Now it was time to mop up.

Sparse Saturday-morrung traffic didn’t demand much of his attention, leaving him free to assess his situation with Dallas. The smart thing would be to stay out of her bed, but he knew himself better than that. With the experience of loving her so fresh, the excitement still humming through him, he couldn’t walk away from the chance of holding her again. Maybe in a ferv days, when the novelty had worn off, he d be able to walk away. Or maybe shed walk away herself. Probably she would be the one. But she wasn’t doing that now. For whatever her reasons, she wanted more or she wouldn’t have invited him back to share her chores. He was at least smart enough to figure that out.

But was he smart enough to get through this brief affair unscathed? His best chance, he reasoned, was if he didn’t allow her under his skin, didn’t repeat this mo ming’s idiocy of pouring out his heart to her. He’d explained why Anna had left him in terms that probably reminded Dallas’why she didn’t want a permanent relationship, either. She was a lot different from Anna, a lot more independent, but that didn’t mean she’d be happy with a guy who lived the way he did.

What was it she’d said? Maybe we’re overreacting. Once again, she wanted to downplay the threat of Parnell He could have told her about Celia, probably should have. Except he could guess how shed respond She’d accuse him of lacking objectivity and using

Parnell as a scapegoat. He couldn’t tell her yet. He needed to wait until there was a chance she’d believe Parnell raped Celia. Right now she was still clinging to the verdict she’d helped deliver.

In the meantime, he needed to remember to pick up his six-pack cooler from his apartment. She’d asked for ice cream, and he’d be damned if he’d bring it to her melted.

DALLAS WAS PUTTING AWAY the last of her clean clothes when Amber called.

“So?” Amber said. “How did last night go?”

“Uh…” Dallas should have expected Amber to call and find out what Gabe had thought of her security system.

“Okay, my imagination is going wild, so you might as well tell me: ‘

“He… thinks my locks are fine.” Dallas felt herself blushing. How could she admit to Amber that she, who always lectured about caution in relationships, had thrown it to the winds last night?

“Dallas! Something happened between you two last rught, didn’t it?”

You could say that. “Well, after he left he saw Neal’s car parked down the road and-“

“At two in the morning? I told you that guy was dangerous. Then what?”

“Um, Gabe came back and we decided, that is, it seemed the right thing to do at the time, for him to stay on the couch: ,

Amber was so quiet on the other end Dallas thought she might have been put on hold.

“Amber? You still there?”

“You little fox. You slept with him, didn’t you?”

Dallas’s shaky intake of breath was all the answer necessary.

“That good, was he?”

“Amber, I know you must think I’m out of my mind. He’s defirutely not my type. But I guess, with all that’s happened, I got carried away.”

Amber hooted with laughter. “Not your type? Lady, a hunk like that is every woman’s type. I saw you guys dancing together last night, and I kind of wondered if the two of you would get together. But then I decided you were too uptight to let that happen. Guess I was wrong, huh?”

“Amber, I-” She paused as Gabe’s battered truck pulled up outside the gate. “Listen, he’s back. I’ll have to go .”

“What? Is he staying there with you now? Dallas, you caxi t just leave me hanging. Tell me what “

Dallas watched Gabe come inside the gate, pet Gretchen and throw a ball she held in her mouth. Then he started toward the steps leading to her door. “Bye Amber. And please don’t make a big deal of this at work tonight, okay?”

“I can’t even tell Dave?”

“Doxi t you dare tell Dave. Goodbye: Dallas hung up the phone just as Gabe tapped on the door.

Her heartbeat had quickened from the moment his truck appeared outside her gate. His soft rap on her door sounded like a rifle shot, making her jump eqen though she’d expected it. Her sweaty palm slipped on the doorknob and she had to wipe her hand on her jeans before she opened the door.

He stood on her front steps, his worn black cowboy hat shading his mysterious eyes, a gym bag held loosely in one hand and a small cooler in the other. “Coffee ice cream, right? “

She nodded as he held out the cooler. She took it and their fingers brushed, a little flick of awareness that traveled to all the sensitive spots on her body. “I always do that, bring it home in a cooler so it won’t melt ” , she said.

“I figured you did: He held up his gym bag. “Where do you want me to put my stuff?”

“Oh, anywhere : She clutched the cooler with shaking fingers. He was back. Back to spend the day. To spend the night after work. To make love to her.

He met her gaze. The tilt of his hat gave him a renegade’s glance that seemed almost insolent. “I don’t want to clutter things up.”

She swallowed as that glance brought a trembling lightness to her limbs. She didn’t want to wait hours to feel his body entwined with hers. “You won’t.”

“I already have, havexi t I?”

Tension pulsed between them. He’d been gone a mere two hours, and she felt as if she hadn’t seen him in weeks. She wanted to touch him, be touched. “No,” she murmured. “No, you haven’t cluttered anything up.”

He tossed the gym bag to the couch. The hat sailed after it. “Then maybe I should start.”

She read his intent in his midnight eyes even before he took the cooler from her nerveless fingers and set it on the end table. When he reached for her she groaned.

“Was this on your agenda?” he asked, pulling her against him, letting her feel the hardening of his body.

She could only gaze up helplessly as his sculpted warrior’s lips descended on hers. At first his mouth was hard and demanding, but as she returned the force of his kiss with equal frustration, he gentled, skimming his hands over her body as if to connect with every inch of her.

Breathing hard, he lifted his head. “I thought about this every mile of the way back. I told myself you had work to do .”

“Damn the work.” She fumbled with the buttons of his shirt and pushed her hands inside the soft flannel. His heart thumped against the palm of her hand as she pressed it against his chest. She looked up and saw his mask had slipped once again to reveal the passion she stirred in him. Maybe they couldn’t talk without having him close himself off, but they could do this.

The Botcnty Hunter’ll5

She scratched her fingernails lightly across the hair sprinkled contours of his chest, and he drew in his breath. Reaching for her hand, he guided it down past the cold metal of his belt buckle to the straining denim over his erection. As she cupped him, he closed his eyes and shuddered.

Needing him in ways she’d never needed before, she unfastened the buckle and unbuttoned his fly as she gradually lowered herself to her knees.

He grasped her shoulders and started to pull her up. “Dallas, no,

I-“

“Yes: She released him from the soft cotton of his briefs and stroked him with bold insolence. “Yes; she said again, before loving him with lips and tongue until he gasped and told her to stop. This time she obeyed and he swung her up in his arms.

In the bedroom they tore off his remaining clothes and hers. A step ahead of him, she took a condom from the drawer. When it was in place, he lay on his back on the bed and drew her on top of him. As she settled over his throbbing shaft his dark eyes burned into hers, almost as if he resented the sensual power she held over him. She reached down and smoothed the furrows from between his eyes. “So fierce; she whispered “Give in, my warrior. “

His jaw clenched. “I have.”

“No.” She began to move, circling her hips and rocking back and forth. “Not really.”

He moaned and clutched her hips as she pleasured him. He threw his head back as she brought him closer to surrender. The tightening had begun for her, too, but she concentrated on Gabe, on releasing him from the demons that seemed to be driving him. “Let go; she whispered. “Let me take you away.”

The tension grew in her; she closed her eyes against its force. A low sound came from deep in his chest and she opened her eyes to find him gazing at her, desire blazing forth as he thrust upward, deepening the contact

And for that moment, pressed together just before the cataclysm claimed them both, she knew everything she needed to know about him. Then they tumbled together into the abyss.,

THE MAN KNEW his way around a bale of hay, Dallas concluded after Gabe had unloaded her truck, stacked the hay and covered it with a tarp. They’d planned the chores carefully in order to accomplish everything in the shortened amount of time that remained after their lovemaking. They’d gone together to buy the hay, but he’d been assigned to unload it and dig the new fence post while she gave Gretchen her bath and hot-oil treatment.

Gabe had convinced Dallas not to shower until later, so she’d felt sinfully decadent moving through the day with Gabe’s scent clinging to her, a subtle reminder of what they’d shared. Each time she glanced in his direction she wanted to stretch and purr like a well-fed cat. Concentrating on the chores that she’d assigned herself proved difficult, especially when Gabe took off his shirt before starting in on the posthole.

“Pretty sexy there, Escalante; ‘she called over to him as she moved the hose over Gretchen’s water-darkened coat.

He glanced up from the two-handled posthole digger and grinned, his teeth flashing white beneath the shadow of his hat. “Think I should charge extra for the floor show?” “I doubt if I could afford it.”

“For you, senorita, I make a special price; he said, and laughed before sinking the posthole digger into the soft earth. Sunlight reflected off the sheen of sweat on his muscled back as he worked.

Dallas bit her lip to keep from moarung out loud as he pounded the round metal into the ground again and again. This was ridiculous. She was worse than Gretchen panting after the hulking dog down the road. She’d never been at such a fever pitch that everything took on erotic overtones. She forced her gaze back to the dripping dog, who was beginning to shiver as the sun sank toward the mountain-rimmed horizon. “Sorry, girl, Dallas said, turning the nozzle and shutting off the stream of water. “I sure understand your problem a lot better now.”

Later she and Gabe managed to shower without tumbling into bed only because Dallas wouldn’t dream of stranding Amber with a big Saturday-night crowd. Dallas and Gabe planned to eat at the buffet provided by Rowdy Ranch, so they didn’t have to worry about cooking.

“We can have ice cream when we get home, though; she said as they headed out to her truck for the trip to town. “I think it will be refrozen by then.” The ice cream had been another casualty of their passion. By the time they’d remembered it, the carton had been soft and the contents soupy. “I’d also thought we could take a ride today, she said, cast inga longing glance back at Sugar and Spice.

Gabe laughed as he opened the driver’s door for her. “I think we did.”

“Stop talking like that, she said, giving him a warning glance. “Or I won’t be able to do my job tonight , just thinking about : She left the sentence unfinished , suddenly shy.

“Say it; he murmured, glancing up at her, his hand caressing her thigh. “Thinkingabout my hands here , and here, and my mouth-“

“Gabel” She pushed him away, but she was already steaming with fresh desire.

A smile on his face, he rounded the truck and climbed in beside her. “Doxi t forget, Parnell assumes I’m your lover. We wouldn’t want him to think any different , would we?”

“With the way you affect me, nobody in the entire dance hall will think any different : She started the engine

Gabe settled back in his seat, the same contented smile on his face. “Good.”

THEY wALKED into Rowdy Ranch together, Gabe’s arm slung casually around Dallas’s shoulder. She felt like a star arriving at the Academy Awards as heads turned and eyes widened. None of the employees at Rowdy Ranch had ever seen her with a boyfriend. She hadn’t dated much in the eighteen months she’d owned the shop, and she’d never brought one of her dates here. “you’re as tense as a roped calf, Gabe murmured as they walked toward the Cutting Pen.

“That’s about how I feel. I’to not in the habit of parading my personal life in front of the world.”

“Neither am I, toots. Gonna give me a kiss before you start work?”

“My God, Gabe.”

“I spotted Parnell over by the pinball machines. He hasn’t taken his eyes off us. Might as well make this roping look real .”

They neared the pool tables, where Dave Fogarty stood, hold inga pool cue and staring. Dallas couldn’t look at him.

“Would you ordinarily kiss somebody in public?” she asked.

“That depends.” He turned to face her and took off her red Stetson.

“Gabe, I-” “you’re beautiful, you know that?”

And before she could react he had pulled her into his arms. His kiss didn’t take long, but he accomplished a lot in a short time. She was trembling from the passion he’d conveyed as he released her with a smile and set her hat back on her head, giving the brim a tug. “Have a good evening; he said softly. “And get rid of those damn roses.” Then he headed toward the rack of pool cues.

Dallas struggled to reclaim her shattered composure as she walked into the shop where Amber stood transfixed , her manicure tray clutched against her chest. Dallas’s greeting was a little too bright and shaky around the edges.

“Wow,” Amber breathed. “What an entrance.”

“It’s… part of a plan.” Dallas stowed her purse in a cabinet. Then she took the roses from the vase and dropped them in the trash.

Amber watched her with a knowing smile. “Some plan. Wish I could get Vince to make a plan like that.”

“No, I mean, we’re trying to fool Neal into thinking ” she sounded out of breath and paused to take in air “-that we’re serious about each other: Her face felt hot, and she started rearranging bottles in an already neat supply closet.

“Are you saying that wasn’t real?”

Dallas turned to face her. “Well, I-“

“Dallas Wade, you’ve fallen for the guy. It’s written all over you. Go ahead and blather on if you want, but there’s a look in your eye that definitely wasn’t there yesterday. And from the way he just kissed you, I’d say it’s a mutual attraction.”

Dallas’s shoulders sagged. “I don’t know, Amber. I think I’m in over my head.”

“You?” Amber’s brown eyes sparkled. “Must have been quite a night.”

Dallas felt her flush returning.

“I just knew it!” Amber crowed. “There’s something about the way he carries himself that practically shouts what a good lover he’d be. Have you noticed how he draws women to him? He could have anyone in this place, but you snagged him. Good going, girl.”

Dallas sank back onto the arm of the swivel chair. “I could be making the biggest mistake of my life. He’s a bounty hunter, Amber. A soldier of fortune. He admitted he lives for adventure. He’s probably attracted to me because I have Neal Parnell following me around. Once I’m not in danger, I’ll be dull and boring and he’ll move on. “

Amber gazed at her thoughtfully. “And I take it that would bother you?”

“That’s what’s scaring me. I doxi t want him getting to me like that.”

“I think he already has.”

“Life used to be so simple: Dallas rubbed her forehead’I used to know exactly what I wanted-to own a business, maybe even franchise someday, live in the country and raise purebred dogs. If the right guy came along, he’d be icing on the cake.”

“And not the main ingredient in the batter.”

“Fxactly.” Dallas glanced up at her. “I swore I’d never be that vulnerable. We hear it in country songs all the time-“I’m nothing without you; “I can’t live without you; and on and on. I hate that idea.”

“But love can make you feel that way,” Amber said gently.

Dallas skipped away from the word, but it kept flashing like neon in her mind. “Then who needs it?” she said finally in frustration. “Why trade our independence for an emotion that puts us at the mercy of some guy who will probably run off and leave us?”

Amber put down her manicure tray and sat in a chair opposite Dallas. “This is partly my fault. I told you to ask Gabe about your problem. Sure, I thought you two might get it on, but you always seem to handle things so well. I thought if anything you’d be the one to break his heart. I guess I never imagined you getting hurt. I’m sorry. “

Dallas smile felt forced. “I’m a big girl. I didn’t have to go to bed with him.”

“If I’d been in your shoes, I would have. He’s gorgeous , Dallas. I don’t blame you for flipping out. But what if you’re wrong about him? Maybe he’ll end up making a commitment.

“Amber, he told me he woxi t even keep a dog because of his life-style.”

“Oh.” She frowned. “I see your point: Then she turned and glanced toward the pool tables where Gabe whipped a cue stick forward, scattering balls in a powerful break. His back to Amber and Dallas, he leaned across the table for his next shot. Amber sighed. “Nice buns :

‘

Dallas looked away from the tempting sight of Gabe’s backside. “I’m well aware of that fact.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Cut some hair.” Dallas pushed herself up from the chair. “We have customers approaching.”

THE NqGHT SEEtvqED endless. Thankfully Neal was totally engrossed in Beth, so Dallas didn’t have to deal with him. His preoccupation with the waitress made it seem even less likely that he’d been the prowler who had set Gretchen off the night before.

About ten o’clock the stream of customers had slackened off, and despite all her misgivings about their relationship, Dallas longed to be with Gabe. She glanced out to where he sat at the bar, an untouched mug of beer in front of him. Apparently he’d been watching her, because he raised his glass in salute before taking a sip.

“Take a break and go see him; Amber said.

“Yeah, that will sure help: ‘

“Go see him. People change their minds about things. And whether you want to be or not, you’re hooked, so why not spend time with the guy?” She gave Dallas a little push toward the door. “Go on.”

“I suppose.” Dallas adjusted her hat and walked toward the bar.

Gabe watched her approach, his dark eyes glinting, a small smile on his face.

“You haven’t been out on the floor tonight, she said as she drew near. As busy as she’d been, she’d kept track of him, and although the usual number of women had asked him to dance, he’d turned them all down, to her immense satisfaction.

“I’ve been waiting for you; he said, rising from the stool.

“Oh, well, I didn’t mean that we ” She realized a line dance had begun. “Do you know this?”

“You can teach me.”

When she hesitated, he took her hand and led her to the floor.

Dallas knew the song and the dance, which was why she’d hesitated. The song was about making love, and the dance-the Tush Push-included suggestive hip movements to match the words. But Gabewas already lining up with the other dancers, and she had to coach him or they’d be run over.

“Like this;’ she demonstrated. Gabe stuck his thumbs through his belt loops and followed with the fluid movement that had carried them ttvough the magical waltz. But this dance was a different story. She got him through the kicks and foot stomps. “Now pump your hips like this .”

He iznitated her perfectly, and her mouth went dry at the sight of his lean hips moving in the rhythm that had brought her such pleasure hours before. A dancer bumped into her as she stood staring at him.

She quickly got back in step, and then realized Gabe had slid to the next movement without being told.

“You knew this already!”

He grinned and continued the dance. “I liked the way you demonstrated it;’ he said as they whirled into the next phase.

“That’s unfair!”

“All’s fair in love and war.” He spun away from her.

And which is this? The music pounded at her. Love. Love. Love.

They moved in perfect synchronization. His body lured her with every swing of his hips, and she paid him back in full with suggestive rotations of her own. Each time he caught her glance, his eyes promised that this was only a pqelude to what they’d enjoy later. Her blood pumped in time with the staccato beat of the music as the lyrics asked when they would be making love. Soon, said his eyes. Soon, she silently replied.

She was so involved that she almost missed seeing Neal standing by the rail surrounding the dance floor. But Gabe didn’t miss him. She saw his body stiffen as his gaze locked with Neal’s. Gabe didn’t miss a step, but Dallas could sense the power of that single glance, feel the hate pulsing between the two men. Then Neal turned his head, and his blue eyes blazed as he glared at her.

In an instant the sexy dance took on a sinister tone. The fun of taunting Gabe vanished as she realized Neal had been watching every sensuous move. He gripped the rail, his jaw clenched and his full lips curled in disdain

“I have to get back; Dallas said and left the floor, sick dread curdling in her stomach.

CAUTION AND CONTROL had guided Dallas her entire life, yet she couldn’t grasp the concepts now. When Gabe took the truck keys from her as they walked to the parking lot that night she relinquished them and allowed him to drive home. When his hand reached for , hers across the seat, she slid her fingers unresistingly through his.

Lord help her, she was starting to weave fantasies that included Gabe. Sure, his marriage had ended because his wife was too dependent and now he lived like a vagabond who didn’t seem to want any ties, but as Amber said, people change.

In the darkness, with only the dashboard lights illuminating their faces, she felt easier about prob inga little more into his life. “Do you… have any family in Tucson?”

“Just my sister.” His answer was short, but not unfriendly

“Your folks live somewhere else, then?”

“No, they’re dead.”

“Oh, Gabe, I’m sorry. There I go again, butting in.”

He squeezed her hand. “It’s been ten years.”

She wanted to ask how they’d died, but didn’t have the nerve.

After a brief silence, he continued. “It wasn’t very pretty. Some guy d been arrested for a hit and run, and he posted bail. Then he took off, but his car quit on him, and he flagged down my folks on the highway.” His fingers tightened, but his voice remained steady. “My dad was the type to stop and help anybody. They gave him a lift. He directed them off into the desert, shot them and took off with their truck.”

“That’s horrible.”

“A bounty hunter helped track him down. I went to thank the guy and learned a lot about bail enforcement Seemed like a hell of a lot better job than digging stuff out of the ground.”

She took his clenched hand in both of hers. “That explains a lot.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” His hand relaxed in hers. “I suppose a shrink would say I’ve been avenging my parents ever since. That might have been part of it at first, but the truth is, I was bored with working in the mine, and I love this job. I couldn’t go back to a regular routine for all the gold in China .”

Or all the love in my heart? She hit the wall of reality once again. How many times did he have to warn her that he was an untamable rogue before she finally started to listen?

GABE HAD BEIN EXPECTING the question about his family A cautious woman like Dallas would want to know a guy’s background before she got too involved with him. She might even have some crazy idea he’d give up his job if she asked him to. But if she wanted him, she’d have to take him as he was. He didn’t think there was much chance she’d do that, but he’d always been drawn by a long shot.

If she’d give up her notion that all of life fit into neat little compartments, they might, just might, be able to build something together. For now he was satisfied with little victories, like that spontaneous lovemaking session today and convincing her to kiss him at Rowdy Ranch.

He wished she’d take Parnell more seriously, but apparently the scum ball wouldn’t come around as long as Gabe was in residence. That was okay. He liked being in residence. Probably liked it more than was good for him.

“I doxi t think Parnell followed us out here,” he said as he disengaged his hand to swing the truck into its parking space. “I’ve been checking the mirror, and no black Corvette showed up. Not that he couldn’t drive out later, but I doubt he will .”

“He seems pretty involved with Beth.” “don’t be fooled by that.” He turned off the engine. “A guy like Parnell gets tired of a woman who makes a conquest too easy for him.”

She gave him a smile that made his heart feel tight in his chest. “How about you? Do you get tired of a woman when there’s no challenge?”

He wanted to take her right there, on the seat of the truck. Tired of her? Not in a million years. “I’m not like Parnell, he said, climbing down from the cab. The vision of seeing her naked on the rumpled sheets of her bed made him tremble as he helped her down from the truck and opened the gate.

“Watch out for Gretchen; she warned, grabbing the dog’s collar.

He shoved the gate closed behind him and took her hand. “I must admit Gretchen’s not my top priority right now.”

She got that shy, excited note in her voice that he loved. “Maybe I should leave Gretchen out in the yard for a little while.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea.” That hesitant sexiness of hers made him want to beat his chest and yell out a wa ming to any male within ten miles that this was his territory. A primitive reaction, and one he wouldn’t admit to her, but true, nevertheless.

“I’ll get her lighted collar, so I can see she’s okay out here.”

She could get a rhinestone overcoat for the dog as far as he was concerned. Just so she did it in a hurry.

The three of them went in the front door and Gabe took off his jacket and hat while Dallas opened a drawer in the kitchen and took out a studded collar. She buckled it around Gretcheris neck and flicked a small switch. G abe shook his head in amazement. What had looked to be studs were really little red lights that blinked in sequence, like a Las Vegas sign.

“There.” Dallas opened the door and Gretchen bounded back out, her collar signaling her whereabouts even though the darkness swallowed her up. Dallas closed the door and glanced out the window. “I feel better when I can see where she is .”

He admired the way her denim shorts cupped her firm bottom. “That’s not exactly what would make me feel better.”

“Oh?” She turned, a gleam in her gray eyes. Then she took off her hat and combed her fingers back through her hair. “And what would make you feel better, cowboy ?”

He stared at her, mute with need.

With a soft chuckle she hung her hat by the door. Turrung back to him, she removed her fringed jacket with deliberate slowness, rolling her shoulders back to peel off each sleeve in a gesture that thrust her breasts forward against the white cotton of her shirt.

His mouth went dry, his palms grew moist. This demand to lie with her was growing greater, not less. “Why do I always feel as if it’s been weeks?”

“Einstein said time is relative .” She began unfastening her shirt one slow button after another.

He stepped toward her. “He must have been watching you undress. “

“Impatient, Gabe?” She arched her eyebrows, obviously reveling in her power.

“Not me : He forced himself to stop, to leave his arms at his sides. “An impatient guy would never have made it through all those shampoos, all those haircuts, where you ran your fingers through other guys hair. Then there was that line dance while you wiggled your tush right in front of me.”

“As if you weren’t doing the same; she retorted, but her lips parted and her breathing quickened. He’d evened the balance of power.

“Then I waited through the interminable balancing of the cash register receipts, he said. “There was a tiny drop of perspiration that slid down between your breasts while you were totaling the final figures. An impatient guy might have tom your shirt off and licked that little drop away, but I didn’t.”

She swayed, and he closed the gap between them. She filled his arms as no woman ever had. The blood roared in his ears. She arched against him as his mouth found hers; his tongue plunged into the soft, moist She began struggling, and he held her tighter. What was wrong? Why was she trying to get away from him?

“Gretcheris barking,” she said, breathless as she pulled free.

He shook his head to clear it. The dog was barking. He stepped to the side of the window and glanced out. Dallas’s dusk to-dawn light illuminated the huge shape of the Saint Bernard-wolfhound mix outside the fence. “It’s lover boy, he said. “Probably thirqlcs this is the red-light district.”

“Very funny.” Dallas joined him by the window, her hand holding her shirt together in front. “Let’s shoo him away. He makes me nervous.

“

“I’ll do it.” He started toward the door just as he heard a metal clinking sound. Dumb dogs were probably trying to push through the fence. The sound came again.

“Gabe, did you latch the gate tight?”

“I just pushed it closed. I thought it latched by itself” He hadn’t been thinking much about gates at the time.

Dallas raced for the door and flung it open. “She’s out!” she called as she ran down the steps and across the yard.

He tore off after her. Sure enough, far down the road bounded a pair of large dogs, red blinking lights merrily advertising the direction of their flight.

Gabe overtook Dallas and passed her. The dogs had romped into the middle of a field, and before he could get to them, the new motion of the red lights and the fevered whining told him what was happening to Gretchen. A wail from behind him told him Dallas knew it, too.

Gretchen had lost her virginity.

“WE HAUE TO GET THEM apart; Dallas said, shoving past him. “Igor! Stop that!”

“Hold on.” Gabe grabbed her and pulled her back. “Igor will tear you to bits if you try to interrupt his pleasure at this point : ‘

“I suppose you’d know; she said, sounding disgusted with all males and their propensities.

“I have some idea how he feels right now. It’s too late , anyway. You know that.”

“Damn!” She watched a moment longer as the dogs coupled enthusiastically. Then she turned away with a groan. “That gate has to be latched carefully, Gabe. You can’t just shove it closed, because the little latch doesn’t always come down.”

He didn’t like her subtle accusation, but understood she was upset. “Then I guess it needs some oil.”

“Well, I’ve been a little busy to oil gate latches , okay?” “don’t blame me.” Well, she was getting to him, after all. She could stir him to anger, just as she could stir him to passion. He shouldn’t be surprised. “I tried like hell to stay out of your bed; he reminded her.

“Oh, sure!” She spread her arms, which made her unbuttoned blouse gape open. He tried not to look and let his anger dilute. He failed.

“What was I supposed to do, with you sleeping right in the next room?” she shouted. “Do you think I’m some robot? Some creature made of some space-age material that doesn’t get hot when some guy with a body to die for is standing in the doorway of her bedroom and-“

“You really think I have a body to die for?” He couldn’t stay angry with somebody throwing out compliments like that.

“It’s very nice!” She sounded quite upset about it. “Are you satisfied notv, Mr. Egomaniac?”

“Not by a long shot.” He worked not to smile. “But I think he is .” Gabe gestured toward the male dog, who had stopped moving and now drooped across Gretchen’s rump. “Maybe I should offer them each a cigarette”

“How cute .” Dallas glanced over her shoulder. “Can you imagine what the puppies will look like?”

“You never know. They might have bodies to die for: He couldn’t keep the laughter out of his voice.

She rounded on him. “You think this is so funny , don’t you? My whole breeding program is down the tubes. And I’m sure this isn’t good for Gretchen.”

“In the long run, maybe not, but short-term I’m sure it was very good for Gretchen.” ,

“Oh!” She threw both hands in the air. “Is that all you can think about? If you hadn’t been so engrossed in sex a little while ago, none of this would have happened.”

“Excuse me? Are you saying you weren’t at all excited yourself?” He stared pointedly at her unbuttoned blouse. “Or was that the work of mysterious forces beyond your control?”

She glanced down. “Oh ” Then she began rebuttoning her blouse, keeping her chin down so she didn’t have to look at him. By the time she finished, Igor had wandered off and Gretchen stood beside her, tongue hanging out and tail wagging. Dallas hooked a couple of fingers through Gretchexi’s collar and started down the road.

Falling into step beside her, Gabe decided to offer no more excuses or explanations. Maybe that was it between him and Dallas. If she chose to end their relationship because of this incident with the dog, then he hadn’t made any progress whatsoever, and it was just as well they parted now. He’d still make sure Parnell didn’t attack her, but he could do that without being in her house and in her bed.

“I don’t like it when things don’t go the way I planned; she said at last.

He remained silent, waiting.

“I shouldn’t have blamed you. It was as much my fault as yours. More, really.”

The tenseness in his gut loosened. “I’m willing to share equally; he said, his tone mild.

“Well, you’re not equally to blame. It’s my gate, my dog and my responsibility to see that the dog stays on the right side of the gate:

‘

“Not if I’m part of your life. Then the responsibility ‘s shared.”

“Not if I don’t wish to share it.”

His insides twisted. “Is that the way you want things to be, then?” They’d reached his truck. He still had his keys in his pocket. She could send him his jacket.

She glanced up at him, her face pale in the dusk-to dawn light. “I don’t know, Gabe.”

It wasn’t really a call for a truce, but he’d take it. They were beating around the issues, but he didn’t feel ready to hit them head-on yet. Did they have a future? What compromises were each of them willing to make toward that future? He didn’t have the answers, and he didn’t think she did, either. But he ached to hold her again. That much, at least, was simple.

“Let’s get Gretchen inside and make sure she’s okay ” , he said, reaching for the latch on the gate.

She accepted the suggestion quickly. It seemed she didn’t want deep discussions right now any more than he did. Maybe the sizzling chemistry between them was enough to take them through a few more days, until they both decided how much they were willing to sacrifice for this fragile relationship blossoming between them.

They ushered a subdued Gretchen into the house. After checking her over and finding no bites or scratches, Dallas snapped off the switch on the blinking collar and unbuckled it from Gretchen’s neck. As she hung it on a hook by the door, Dallas’s shoulders started to shake.

Gabe felt instant remorse for making fun of Gretchen’s night out. He hurried over and took her by the shoulders. “Don’t cry. I’m sure everything will be okay.”

She turned in his arms, her eyes sparkling with amusement, not tears “Gretchen looked so dumb , standing there with that collar blinking away, while

Igor-” She lost the rest of her sentence to the laughter that spilled out of her like warm rain.

He grinned. “Can’t say I’ve ever seen a show like that myself.”

“I suppose…” She stopped and giggled again. “I suppose the collar would have been more appropriate wound around her tail : ‘

“I don’t think Igor needed any more directions. He found the target just fine.”

“I’ll bet he’s one happy dog tonight: ‘

Gabe molded his hands around her bottom. “Poor old Igor. He must have trouble find inga lover that fits. And he’ll never have that kind of satisfaction with Gretchen again.”

“Not if I can help it: She nestled against him, her gray eyes turning smoky as he massaged her buttocks.

“Heartless woman.” His sex swelled beneath his jeans. She could bring him to the brink of desperation so fast it was scary.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” She reached her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoe to brush her lips against his.