Page 16 of Wanted by the Lawman

“You didn’t answer my question,” Rudy enforced.

“If I knew the answer, I’d tell you.” That was the God’s honest truth and he couldn’t tell his buddy about the counterfeit bill. Zander didn’t want to put Rudy between a rock and a hard place. Zander had thought about little else besides his beautiful neighbor since she’d moved in last week. He’d been busy working with the horses and hiring hands most of that time, and probably a good thing so he wasn’t tempted to drop by and ask if she needed anything. Maybe he’d been too presumptuous to call his buddy, Travis, to slide over and give her a good deal on a new furnace, but at least he knew she had heat now and wouldn’t freeze to death. He’d also called Hughes to bring her a load of wood. Zander saw it stacked up beside the house when he got home yesterday. He was just being neighborly, but there was something more that he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

Looking at the piece of paper his buddy held, Zander wanted to chalk up the need to see her record because investigating was in his blood. Yet, would the pretty brunette consider this an invasion of privacy? Hell, he had a reputable excuse. After all, he could have arrested her for using a counterfeit twenty. And why did Zander care what she thought? Were his instincts correct that she was involved in something and she didn’t even realize the severity.

Piercing his friend with his narrowed gaze, Zander swiped a hand down his cheek. “I’ll take it.”

“Somehow I had a feeling you would.” He handed over the paper.

Zander slid it into the pocket of his jacket for later. “So, everyone knows she’s in town, huh?”

“About two seconds after she crossed the county line, gums started smacking. Lanie was joking that it was about time you weren’t living all the way out there with just a dog and a handful of horses.”

“She did, did she? Why is my living situation such a conversation starter? I like living out there all alone. That’s the point.”

“I bet Miss Makelti feels pretty safe having a Special Agent of your caliber living next door.” When Zander gave a short shrug, Rudy sighed. “Wait. You didn’t tell her?”

“Why would I? I don’t wear a star on my shirt for a reason. And I certainly don’t introduce myself as Special Agent Cade to every person I come across.”

“Oh hell, man. It’s only a matter of time that she’ll hear. This town is only so big. Maybe you have your own reason for not telling her.”

Zander snorted. “And what reason would that be, pray tell?”

“The badge was what brought you and Sam together and what tore you two apart, wasn’t it?”

“It was a lot more than the star, Rudy. For a long time she needed me, but once that ended she had no use for me.”

“Humph. Anyway, I heard Harrison say she stopped into his hardware store and bought a shitload of supplies. What do you think she’s doing over there at that dump house? I can’t believe she’s living there. It’s been empty for a while and hasn’t been in good condition for at least ten years.”

“Hell, I don’t have a clue what she’s doing, and don’t care either. Is there a reason why you’re telling me?” he grumbled.

“Just thought you might be interested since you did ask for a background check on her.”

His buddy had a point “I don’t pay attention to what she’s doing.”

“Really? She’s your neighbor. If she’s over there pounding shit, you’ll have to listen to the banging. There goes that peace and quiet.” Rudy whistled.

Another good point. “I’ll be back to work soon, but in the meantime, I have plenty to keep my mind off pounding.”

Zander turned up the radio volume a notch, until…

“Maybe not as much now.”

He brought his chin up fast. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

“I hear she’s pretty.”

No way he’d get by denying that fact. His mind conjured up an image of peaches and cream complexion. Dark brown hair that tumbled in large, bouncy waves. Lips that were made for a man’s kisses. She was very pretty. Scratch that. She was gorgeous. “Yeah, been there done that in the past. Ain’t going back.” His chest filled with uneasiness.

Although he hated climbing into a cold, lonely bed, he also didn’t seek to jump into a relationship. They all seemed to start out warm and cozy, and sooner or later turned cold. He especially didn’t want to find himself involved with a beautiful wavy-haired vixen who could hypnotize him into believing once again that fantasies do come true. Hell, she’d acted like he was in the wrong for keeping a watch on her property, as if he’d inconvenienced her. He didn’t trust her any farther than he could throw her, and even seeing her warranted after-effects in his body that he didn’t need or want.

His chest filled with something foreign—something he wasn’t about to own up to now. She’d plucked his every nerve ending, but he wouldn’t allow that to happen again. Not ever. Getting over the break up with Sam had taken long enough. He’d been accused of burying it by his family. Fine by him. He’d placed those feelings in a coffin and sunk it six feet deep. What he felt now, well, he considered was the weakness of his wild, manly side…the side that enjoyed being with a woman who could turn his Stetson inside out. Yeah, Wynn fit the description to a tee. He could only imagine what she’d feel like under his touch. Keeping his imagination under wraps might be a tad hard, just like parts of his body that were misbehaving.

Looking back, he’d never been right for Sam. He never could quite understand her or what she needed. If he’d said one word out of tone, she’d burst into tears. She once asked him if an outfit made her look fat and he’d responded with, “You don’t need to worry about your weight. You look beautiful in everything.” Wrong answer. He knew that after she turned on heels, rushed into the bedroom and slammed the door. Still today he wasn’t sure what he had said wrong. Just like when she acted in the local civic theater. One year she played Catwoman. She looked sexier than hell in a tight, black bodysuit and he’d suggested she wear it to bed for a little kinky play. Again, he’d stuck his foot in his mouth and had no clue how. She wouldn’t talk to him for days, but after that, he kept things simple and never dared suggest they do something exciting. In the end, they still didn’t work.

Hell, if he’d unleashed his baddest fantasies she would have tried to bleed him dry in divorce court.

“You hear me?” Rudy asked.

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