Her Man Behind the Badge
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Stella Bagwell
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Chapter One
Connor Murphy fastened the seat belt across his broad chest and darted a glance at the dark landscape whizzing by the passenger window of the truck.
“In case you’ve forgotten, Joe, the sheriff’s office is in the opposite direction. And there’s no sense in you getting the idea that we’re a two-man posse tonight,” he added with weary sarcasm. “The thieves who burgled the Wallace house are probably over in California by now.”
“Wrong. We’ll find the rats right around Wickenburg. And soon,” Joseph Hollister replied. “Right now I want to make another stop. Jazelle, the woman who works as the housekeeper for my family on Three Rivers Ranch, lives right over this next rise. I want to make sure her place wasn’t hit by the same thieves.”
Connor groaned. “Damn, Joe, don’t you think she would’ve already called the sheriff’s office and reported it? We’re not riding horses down the main street in Tombstone and you’re not Wyatt Earp.” He jabbed a finger in the direction of the radio built into the dash of the truck. “These days we have instant communication and transportation.”
“So we do,” Joseph said, unaffected by Connor’s grumbling. “But Jazelle often has to work late at Three Rivers. She might not even be home yet. At least we can look around and make sure the doors and windows are all intact.”
The two men had already pulled a sixteen-hour shift and Connor was dog tired. He wanted to go home, drink a beer and fall into bed. But he wasn’t going to argue with Joe. The man wasn’t just his work partner, he’d been a close friend since childhood and Connor had learned long ago that it was next to impossible to win an argument with the man.
Scowling, Connor asked, “Doesn’t this woman have a husband to see after things?”
“No. And she’s always too busy taking care of everyone at Three Rivers to have time to do much at her own place.”
Connor sighed. “Okay. But let’s make this safety check snappy. I’m about to fall flat on my face.”
“Right.” Joseph glanced at him and chuckled. “What you need, Connor, is two kids and a wife to go home to. They’d make you forget all about being tired.”
He cocked an eyebrow at Joseph then snorted. “Sure, Joe. If I thought I had to go home to a nagging wife and a pair of screaming kids, you’d have to send the law out looking for me.”
Joseph grinned. “Tessa doesn’t nag. And my kids don’t scream—well, only when they’re mad about something.”
Connor didn’t bother to reply. He couldn’t dispute a man who was deeply in love with his wife and doted on the son and daughter she’d given him. And that was well and good, Connor thought. He was glad for his friend. But that kind of life wasn’t for him. No way in hell.
Joseph flipped on the turn signal and steered the truck to a stop behind a ten-year-old Ford truck with faded red paint. “Looks like Jazelle is home. If we’re lucky, she might have noticed something as she drove by the Wallace place.”
On a small planked porch flanked by two gnarled juniper trees, Joseph knocked on the door of the little stucco house. Connor stood to one side and peered around the dark yard.
“The woman needs a yard light,” Connor observed. “You couldn’t see a prowler around here if he walked two feet in front of you.”
Joseph frowned. “Yeah. I’ll talk to Mom. She’ll send a couple of the ranch hands out to put one up for her.”
Since the Hollisters owned and operated Three Rivers Ranch—one of the biggest cattle and horse ranches in the entire state of Arizona—they didn’t lack for money. Erecting a yard light would be penny ante stuff for them.
With no sound coming from inside the house, Joseph knocked again.
“I don’t think she’s going to come to the door, Joe. It’s after ten. She’s probably already gone to bed.”
Connor had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when a light suddenly flooded the porch, followed by the rattle of the latch. As the wooden door finally creaked open, Connor peered around Joseph’s right shoulder to see a very young woman with long blond hair standing on the threshold.
She stared at the two men in stunned fascination. “Joe! What are you doing here? Is something wrong at the ranch?” she asked anxiously.
Joseph quickly held up a hand to allay her fears. “Don’t worry, Jazelle. Everything at the ranch is fine. Actually, we’re here to check on you.”
“Me? I don’t understand.” She pushed the door wide and gestured for the two deputies to enter. “Please, come in.”
Connor followed Joseph inside, stepping to one side and waiting as the woman shut the door then came around to stand in front of them.
Clearly confused by their visit, her gaze vacillated between Connor and Joseph. “Okay, now tell me why I needed to be checked on. Did someone report me driving erratically in town or something?”
It was a good thing Joseph chose to do the explaining because, for once in his life, Connor wasn’t sure he could form a cohesive sentence if his life depended on it. This woman was too young and pretty and downright sexy to be the Hollisters’ housekeeper!
“Nothing like that. And don’t be alarmed,” Joseph told her, “but your neighbor’s house was broken into tonight. You didn’t notice anything amiss at their place on your way home, did you?”
Shocked, she said, “Oh, no! Were the Wallaces home when it happened? Was anyone hurt?”
Joseph said, “They were gone at the time of the break-in. Some valuables were taken.”
Connor barely heard the conversation between Joseph and the blonde. He was too busy staring and too stunned to hear much of anything being said. Like an idiot, he’d been expecting a stereotypical middle-aged woman with a thick waist, tightly permed hair and crepe-soled shoes. Instead, this woman could hardly be past twenty-five. Her blond hair was sleek and smooth, and hung far below her shoulder blades. Bare toes, sporting bright pink nail polish, peeped out from beneath the frayed hems of her faded blue jeans.
“That’s awful!” she exclaimed. Then, with a rueful shake of her head, added, “Sorry, Joe, but I didn’t drive by the Wallaces’ tonight. I had to pick up a few things in town, so I drove home from the opposite direction.”
“I see. Well, I thought I’d ask just in case.”
The woman named Jazelle looked straight at him and Connor felt a surge of energy suddenly sweep away his fatigue.
Stepping forward, he said, “Since Joe hasn’t seen fit to introduce us, I’m his partner, Connor Murphy.”
She offered her hand to him and Connor was quick to wrap his around her soft, slender fingers.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Murphy. I’m Jazelle Hutton.”
There wasn’t a speck of makeup on her face and yet it was full of rich color, he noted. Her eyes were a warm brown that made him think of caramel and coffee all mixed together. Slanted cheekbones held a hint of pink, while her plush lips looked as though she’d been eating raspberries.
“Make it Connor,” he said, thinking there was nothing shy about this woman. Not with the way she was making direct eye contact with him.
“All right, Connor. And I’m Jazelle to everyone.”
Totally bemused, he continued to stare at her lovely face. She stared back just long enough for him to draw a deep breath before she cleared her throat and eased her hand from his.
From the corner of his eye, Connor could see Joseph casting him a droll look. But it would hardly be the first time his partner had shot him a hands-off warning.
Joseph turned his keen gaze away from Connor to survey the small living room with its wooden floor, braided rugs and beige walls adorned with framed photos and paintings. “Since you arrived home, have you discovered anything missing?” he asked.
“No,” Jazelle told him. “But I’ve not been here long enough to really notice.”
“What about open windows or doors?” Connor asked, cringing at the thought of thieves breaking in on this vulnerable beauty. Would she know how to protect herself?
“None of that. I entered the house through the back door and it was still locked,” she said and then glanced questioningly at Joseph. “Are you thinking these creeps might come back to this area?”
Since Jazelle Hutton lived on a lonely country road a few miles east of town, Connor figured her house and the Wallace place would always be targets. But he didn’t want to voice his opinion and scare the lady.
“Hard to say, Jazelle,” Joseph replied. “Just be sure to keep everything locked up. I really think you ought to get a dog. One that would bark if anyone drove up.”
“Oh, Joe, I’m not here long enough to warrant having a dog,” she said. “It wouldn’t be fair to the poor animal staying here by itself all the time. No. I’ll just keep a can of Mace by the bed.”
Connor was about to suggest a weapon stronger than Mace when the sound of pattering footsteps had him glancing toward an open doorway on the far side of the room.
A towheaded boy, somewhere near five or six years of age, and dressed in striped pajamas, stumbled sleepily into the room.
“Raine! What are you doing out of bed?” Jazelle asked as the boy sidled up to her leg.
Using both fists to rub his eyes, he mumbled, “I heard you talking, Mommy.”
Joseph said, “Sorry, Jazelle. We didn’t mean to wake your son.”
Mommy. Your son. This boy was hers! Connor didn’t want to believe it was true. Especially since he had a steadfast policy never to be interested in a woman with a child. Keeping things simple and uncomplicated with the women he dated was difficult enough without bringing a child into the equation. No thanks. Blond beauty or not, as far as he was concerned, Jazelle had just slipped off his romance radar.
The boy must have recognized Joseph’s voice because he suddenly dropped his fists and looked at the two deputies.
“Uncle Joe!” he cried and raced toward Joseph.
Connor watched his partner squat and gather the boy in a tight hug. “How’s my boy?”
The child leaned back and patted Joseph’s cheek. “I’m good. Why are you here? It’s dark outside,” he asked, “and you have your badge on.”
Smiling, Joseph reached up and pushed a thick hank of blond hair off Raine’s forehead. “Well, my partner and I just happened to be driving by and we thought we’d stop and say hello to your mommy.”
Connor glanced over at Jazelle and saw a look of relief pass over her face. Obviously she hadn’t wanted her son frightened by the thought of bad men coming into the house. He could tell just by the gentle way she looked at her son, that she was one of those mothers who’d fight like a wildcat to protect her child. Too bad his mother hadn’t held those same protective instincts, Connor thought ruefully. Hell, it was too bad he’d never had a mother period.
“Oh.” Raine glanced suspiciously at Connor and asked, “What’s your name?”
Moving a step closer, he gave the boy a friendly smile. “My name is Connor. What’s yours?”
“Raine. And I’m this many.” Easing away from Joseph’s hug, he turned to Connor and held up five fingers. “I went to kindergarten all day long, too. But it’s summer now, so I don’t have to go to school.”
“Wow! All day. You’re going to be a smart boy with all that learning.”
“I’m already smart. That’s what Mommy tells me.”
Joseph laughed while Jazelle let out a good-natured groan.
“Then you’re going to be even smarter,” Connor told the child, glancing over to see his mother’s face had turned a dull pink.
“Come here, Raine,” she said. “We need to let Joe and Connor be on their way. They have more deputy work to do. And it’s time for you to get back into bed.”
The boy trotted to his mother’s side and Connor followed Joseph to the door.
“See you two later,” Joseph said.
Connor glanced over his shoulder at the woman and the boy. “And be sure to lock up behind us,” he told her then winked at Raine. “’Bye, Raine.”
“’Bye,” the boy said shyly.
Jazelle smiled at Connor and, in spite of his watch reading a quarter to eleven, he could’ve sworn the sun had just come out.
“I’ll do it right now,” she said.
As they stepped off the porch, Connor could hear her bolt the door behind them. He was relieved that she was taking precautions to keep herself and her son safe. But he was hardly relieved at the strange feelings that had been flashing through him ever since he’d laid eyes on Jazelle Hutton.
From time to time, he’d heard Joseph speak of their housekeeper, but he’d never met her personally. In fact, Connor hadn’t been out to Three Rivers in a long while. Not since he and Joseph began putting in long work hours.
“That was certainly a surprise,” Connor said as the two men climbed back into the truck. “Why didn’t you tell me about Jazelle Hutton before now?”
Frowning, Joseph started the engine and put the gearshift into Reverse. “What do you mean ‘tell you about her’? You’ve heard me talk about our housekeeper. Well, she’s not my housekeeper any more since Tessa and I live on the Bar X,” he corrected himself, “but she’s a part of the family on Three Rivers.”
Connor wiped a hand over his face as fatigue began to flood back into every muscle in his body. “That’s not what I mean. Why didn’t you tell me she was young and beautiful?”
There was a long pause and then Joseph shook his head. “You have plenty of women in Yavapai County without Jazelle.”
Frowning, Connor glanced at him. “We’re the same age, Joe. So why do you always have to treat me like you’re the big brother?”
He shrugged. “Just bossy, I guess. Anyway, Jazelle’s been with the family for seven years or so now. She’s like a sister to me. I guess the times you’ve visited the ranch she wasn’t around. Otherwise, you would’ve probably seen her.”
The moment Connor had seen her standing in the doorway, questions had started swimming around in his head. Why was a lovely woman like her single? Where was the father of her child?
“Seven years...” Connor repeated thoughtfully. “She must have been mighty young when she started working for your family.”
“Eighteen. Just out of high school.”
So that made her twenty-five now, Connor thought. Eight years younger than him. He’d never let age stand in the way of a beautiful woman before. Still, he couldn’t forget about the boy. His policy of not dating a single mother was a good one. It kept him out of messy entanglements and made it easy when the time came to say goodbye.
“What about Raine’s dad? Is he around?”
“No. And good riddance, I’d say. Chandler met him once, but I never did. He was a day hand on the Johnson Ranch. I’m not sure what happened between him and Jazelle, or why it didn’t work out. All I know is that the guy was out of her life long before Raine was born. That was about a year after she’d come to work on Three Rivers.”
Connor was suddenly thinking of the heartache and hardship Jazelle must have endured because of the shiftless cowboy. And then there was little Raine with his round, freckled face and big blue eyes. He’d never know his biological father. Connor was surprised at how much that fact bothered him. Unfortunately, there were plenty of kids around without a father or a mother. In his line of work, he saw many of them.
“Uh, does Jazelle have a special guy in her life now?”
A scowl wrinkled Joseph’s forehead. “I don’t think so. I’ve heard Mom remark that Jazelle is carrying around too many scars to ever want another man in her life. Sometime back, my sister Vivian tried to set her up with a park ranger she works with, but Jazelle flatly refused to meet him.”
Sounded like Jazelle wasn’t interested in dating or in finding a father for Raine. Well, he could hardly blame her. She’d been burned in the worst kind of way. Yet he couldn’t help thinking that she was too young and lovely to go through life alone. And that little boy could sure use the comforting hand of a father.
“She’s not your type.”
The last of Joseph’s words tugged Connor out of his rambling thoughts and he frowned at his buddy. “Who’s not my type?”
“Damn. You are tired. Who do you think? We were talking about Jazelle.”
Trying not to bristle, Connor replied, “I never said she was my type. Why would you even bother saying such a thing? You know I don’t go out with women who have children.”
“Jazelle only has one child.”
“One is all it takes for me to push on the brakes.” Connor leaned his head against the headrest and closed his burning eyes. “But he’s a cute little guy.”
“You don’t even have enough patience to get along with your cat much less a child.”
Connor didn’t bother opening his eyes. “That damned tom doesn’t want to get along with anyone or anything,” he muttered. “He only stops by once in a while to beg for a meal. And don’t be worrying about my lack of patience. I don’t want to be a father now. Or ever.”
“Okay. Got it. As far as you’re concerned, Jazelle is off limits,” Joseph muttered. “For her sake, I hope you remember that.”
Connor scowled. “You know just the right button to push to make me feel about two inches tall. Well, go ahead. Remind me that I’m a sorry son of a gun. At least I recognize my limitations.”
“Is that what you call them?”
Ignoring the sarcasm in Joseph’s voice, Connor let out a tired grunt. “Look, partner, I’ve already forgotten Jazelle and her son. I have a date tomorrow night with a luscious little redhead. That’s what I have to look forward to.”
Joseph sighed. “One of these days, Connor, you’re going to end up crying in your beer.”
No, he thought, his partner was wrong. Connor would never shed a single tear over a woman, or child, or anything else. The last time he’d cried, he’d been fifteen years old and he’d watched his father’s lifeless body being carried away in the back of a hearse. Since then, his eyes had dried and his heart had hardened. He no longer knew how to cry.
