Evidence of Trust Read online

  Mark grinned, tapped a quick beat on the top edge of the stall door, and backed toward his office. “She’ll be here in the mornin’.”

  She leaned her head over the partition. “How are you getting her here?”

  Just before he slipped through the doorway, he said one word. “Tranquilizer.”

  Chapter 8

  An unseasonably warm Sunday night found Joel in the company of his fellow rangers and a multitude of other seasonal employees from around Estes Park for the Third Annual Summer Kick-off Party. Held at the Watering Hole Bar and Grill, the owner, Billy Marshall, had posted a ‘Private Party’ sign on the door.

  Positioning himself at the end of the well-worn yet polished bar, Joel ordered a drink and surveyed the hot, crowded room. Most of the people did no more than nod in his direction, and some not even that, but that was fine by him. After finding another dead animal on the southeast side of the park earlier that morning, he’d come to observe, not make friends.

  A redhead sitting nearby caught his attention by flashing him a sensual smile as the live band returned from their first set break. She leaned forward to allow him a clear view of her generous cleavage, then uncrossed her long legs. His gaze slid down as she slowly re-crossed them.

  It was a blatant, hot invitation and he felt nothing more than a slight twinge of lukewarm interest.

  You are friggin’ nuts, man.

  With a smile that felt more like a grimace, he turned back to the mirrored wall that ran the length of the bar. He lifted his drink, watching the reflection as the door behind him opened. His hand halted in mid-air, then slammed his glass down on the bar so hard he was amazed it didn’t shatter.

  Brittany Lucas.

  He slowly turned to regard the vision face to face. Through an opening in the crowd, he got a split-second glimpse of a gray sleeveless dress, long bare legs, and black cowboy boots. Bodies shifted, and he looked up again, focusing on those blond curls cascading in wild waves past her shoulders.

  Now, there was a woman who aroused his emotions. The first being anger, and the second, desire—much as he hated to admit it. The second fueled the first, and he was halfway through the crowd before he even realized he’d moved. When he reached her, he clamped a hand on her arm to spin her back toward the door.

  “Hey—”

  He glared down into her startled green eyes and marched her right back outside. She tried to pull away, but he refused to release her until they reached the parking lot.

  The moment she was free, she whirled to confront him, eyes flashing, chest heaving with indignation. “Who do you think you are? Grabbing me like—”

  “I’m the one who walked for hours because you took my horse.” He leaned forward, forcing her to tilt her chin at a very awkward angle or retreat. She took one step backward, then stood her ground.

  “Maybe next time keep your smart-ass comments to yourself.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Don’t do me any favors,” she mimicked. “Ring a bell?”

  His gaze narrowed. “You couldn’t have heard that.”

  “I have exceptional hearing.”

  “Pity you don’t have manners to match. It still doesn’t excuse you taking my horse.”

  Now she hesitated, and her gaze dropped. “About that—”

  “Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it is to walk seven miles—”

  “Nine.”

  “Nine?” The look on her face said she wished she’d shut the hell up. He gave a short sarcastic laugh. “Well, thank you, Brittany Lucas. That makes me feel so much better.”

  She lifted her gaze. “I’m sorry.”

  “What?” He leaned close again and forced himself to ignore the fresh scent of summertime in the mountains. “My hearing must not be as exceptional as yours.”

  “I’m sorry,” she repeated louder.

  The genuine remorse in her voice and her willingness to look him in the eye while taking full responsibility for her actions took the wind out of his sails. As their gazes held, the air became charged with something he didn’t want to identify.

  He was just thinking it was time to get the hell away from her when she broke eye contact with a glance toward the bar. “Well, I’ve apologized. I, ah, I guess I’ll see you around.”

  See you around? So much for sincerity. A single sidestep halted her move to brush past. He motioned to the sign on the door and took her arm again. “This is a private party. It appears as though I have the pleasure of escorting you off the premises—again.”

  “Your first escort wasn’t so pleasurable, was it?”

  His hand tightened on her arm as he led her further into the parking lot. With each step, he felt her rising temper in the stiffness of her body beside his. He didn’t care how mad she got. She didn’t belong here and she wasn’t staying.

  “Where’s your car?”

  She silently pointed to the next row over, then stopped him in front of a black truck. It looked so brand spanking new, he gave a low whistle. “Work hard for that, did ya?”

  The sarcastic comment made her jerk free and she glared up at him.

  “It’s really none of your business what I drive or how I got it. Once again, you’ve made assumptions about me when you have absolutely no idea what my life is like.”

  A vehicle rolled to a stop behind her. Joel flicked a glance over her shoulder to see Casey Fuller with a female passenger.

  “And another thing,” Brittany continued. “I’m sick and tired of you ordering me around. You can’t make me leave.”

  “I can and I will.”

  Casey let out a derisive laugh. Brittany glanced back as he leaned closer to the open passenger window. “No one makes Britt do anything, Morgan. Besides, as one of the best damn wranglers Highlands has ever had, she’s got more of a right to be here than you do.”

  Joel shifted his gaze to find her watching him. The defiance in her eyes buckled under an onslaught of guilt. Each furious beat of his heart made the blisters on his feet throb. Very softly, very calmly, he asked, “You work at Highlands?”

  Her gaze wavered. With the corner of her lower lip caught between her teeth, she confirmed the fact with a small nod. His fingers curled into fists at his sides, and he consciously unfurled them.

  “Highlands has unlimited access to the park.”

  She swallowed hard, then raised her chin with a hint of that infuriating defiance. “Yes.”

  Joel cast Casey a pointed look and the truck engine revved as the guy wisely drove ahead to park. Brittany gazed after them, looking as if she’d lost her best friends.

  Crossing his arms over his chest, he managed to keep his voice level. “I assume you have a really good reason for not informing me of this at any point during the fourteen or so hours we spent together on the mountain?”

  When she finally met his gaze once more, he gave her a ‘still-waiting’ raised eyebrow.

  She threw up her hands. “I don’t know!” She turned away, but then spun back just as fast, her dress whirling around her thighs. “Actually, yes I do. You assumed I was a spoiled little rich girl doing whatever I wanted. I just didn’t correct your assumption.”

  “Oh, I see. Better to be a rich bitch than a conniving, lying, rich bitch—”

  “I did not lie.”

  “It’s the same thing.” He shook his head in disgust. “You know, I’m beginning to think women are just born dishonest.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “The only thing I did wrong was take your horse, and I’ve apologized for that. There’s nothing more to say.”

  Joel watched the swing of her hips as she strode away in those black cowboy boots. Deliberate or not, the movement was damn sexy all the same. He sighed, looking up at the stars while running his hands through his hair.

  She was infuriating to say the least. And deceitful. Spunky, headstrong, beautiful—

  Whoa, stop right there. Wrong damn road.

  He dropped his arms back to his sides and decided to call it a night. He
hadn’t been enjoying himself before, no way the evening would be any better now.

  Not two steps toward his own truck, he spotted Casey crossing the lot with the woman from his passenger seat. They were talking as they walked, holding hands, and even from a distance, it was impossible to miss the air of intimacy about them. Joel had noticed the wedding ring on the man’s hand last night, so he figured the brunette must be his wife.

  As Casey held open the door for her, he cast a narrow-eyed glare across the vehicles. Joel’s jaw tightened with the realization the sonofabitch had known exactly what’d happened on the mountain when he sought him out at the restaurant to talk about wayward campers. He knew there’d been something fishy about the whole thing, just hadn’t expected it to be connected to Ms. Lucas.

  She’s got more right to be here than you do.

  The words echoed in Joel’s mind like a silent challenge. He abruptly switched direction to follow them all back inside. The redhead from earlier was about to get exactly what she wanted.

  Chapter 9

  Women are born dishonest.

  Well, damn. If he weren’t so darn good-looking—and bossy, let’s not forget the bossy and arrogant, Britt—maybe she’d be able to keep her head straight and not do stupid things like lie—

  No, she hadn’t lied. There was a difference. And besides, either way, it didn’t give him the right to blame her for every bad experience he’d ever had with women. She didn’t blame him for Daniel’s faults.

  A lilting ballad replaced the rowdy country music the band had been playing. Gina went to refresh her drink while Casey and Jayne joined the other couples on the dance floor. Watching them snuggle together, she found herself picturing one man, the man she most wanted to forget—and it wasn’t her no-good cheating ex.

  When a dark head suddenly appeared at her shoulder, a start of surprise tripped her pulse. Mitch chuckled, his breath warm against her ear.

  “Since you won’t go out with me, you can at least dance with me.”

  Relief spiraled through her, and she accepted his hand. She didn’t object when he pulled her close on the dance floor, either. He’d been a harmless flirt from the moment they’d met at the start of her third summer, and she appreciated his friendship.

  “You and that redhead seemed to be getting pretty well acquainted,” she remarked, referring to the woman she’d seen him dirty dancing with a short while ago.

  “Yes. Because Lindsey appreciates a good man when she sees one.”

  She laughed—until she caught sight of said redhead with a certain tall, dark-haired ranger a few feet away. Her smile vanished when she met a pair of steely golden eyes. How could such a warm color appear so cold?

  Mitch spun her around and she saw his brow furrow the moment he noticed the other couple. Summoning a grin, she teased, “You were saying?”

  He danced her into another dizzying spin that didn’t fit the music. “I was saying…sometimes women need a little help with the obvious.” He tapped Joel’s shoulder. “Mind if we switch?”

  Without waiting for a reply, he released her and swept an overly-eager Lindsey into his arms. As they moved away, Britt fumed inwardly, but forced a polite smile for Joel as she turned away. “Excuse me.”

  “Not so fast.”

  He snagged her hand and lifted her arm above her head in a fluid motion, maneuvering her into a dance spin that landed her in his arms. Her dress whirled against his thighs, and she found herself aligned with solid muscle from chest to hip.

  “Bad enough you left me on the trail, walking away on the dance floor is just plain rude.”

  A push on his chest proved ineffective, so she leaned back. “I prefer to choose my own dance partners.”

  “I prefer to choose the way I get down a mountain,” he countered.

  “A gentleman would accept my apology and let it go.”

  “I never claimed to be a gentleman.”

  Something in his tone reminded her of that kiss in her tent. Her gaze shifted to his lips. As she stared, his head lowered. Her breath caught and her pulse skipped, but he bypassed her mouth to rest his cheek against hers. She barely contained a sigh of disappointment as the scent of cedar boughs and citrus assaulted her senses.

  “I knew it. You enjoyed that kiss as much as I did,” he taunted softly.

  His breath—or was it his lips?—brushed the sensitive skin under her ear. With a conscious effort to gather her raging emotions, she pushed harder against his chest. He only allowed her a few inches and kept their bodies swaying to the music.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered. “You don’t even like me.”

  “I’m just trying to get an honest response,” he explained.

  “You want honest? You took advantage of me. I was still half-asleep and—”

  He laughed, a low, deep chuckle that stirred something in the pit of her stomach.

  “If that’s what you need to believe.”

  “I don’t need to believe anything.”

  “And just a minute ago, when you thought I was going to kiss you—”

  “I did not—”

  “—you weren’t the least bit disappointed?”

  “No.”

  “So you did think I was going to kiss you.”

  “I didn’t say that!” Exasperation raised her voice. “If you’d just let me finish.”

  A hint of a smile played on his sensual lips. “By all means.”

  “No, I did not think you were going…to…”

  He’d lowered his head again. She pulled back; he followed, until their lips were a mere inch apart. “Do you now?”

  “I…no.”

  “Do you want me to?”

  The seductive whisper made her shiver. Yes. “No.”

  But she’d hesitated a fraction too long because he’d already closed the distance and captured her mouth in a gentle, bone-melting kiss. She knew she should resist—he’d even given her time to—but she was unable to keep from opening to him like a morning glory to the rising sun.

  He broke the kiss so abruptly, she would’ve stumbled without the support of his arms.

  “Still going to tell me you didn’t want that?”

  Dazed, she kept her gaze leveled on the collar of his charcoal gray shirt, annoyed that she’d played right into his hands, and afraid he’d read his effect on her. “Would you believe me if I said I didn’t?”

  “No.”

  “Then what does it matter what I say? You’re going to believe what you want anyway, just like you did in the mountains. You think you’re irresistible? Go ahead, I’ll let you keep that fantasy.”

  His deep chuckle surprised her. “I assure you, should I decide to prove to you how irresistible I can be, it’ll be one fantasy you’ll never forget.”

  That did it. She thrust his arms away and poked his chest. “Don’t flatter yourself. All you’ve proven is that you can kiss halfway decent. Any guy can do that.”

  She spun around and left him standing alone on the dance floor whether it was rude or not.

  Back at the table, she noted the dark look Kelly Stevens cast her way, and rolled her eyes at the raised eyebrows her ranger buddy Randy Gifford tossed over from a neighboring table. Sitting with her back to the wall, she snatched up her soda and willed her pulse back to normal.

  Kiss halfway decent? Major understatement.

  The chemistry she felt when near the man—hell, just when she thought of him—was stuff she’d only read about in her favorite romance novels. She’d certainly never felt it with Daniel—had in fact told herself writers made it up for a good, hot read.

  Then bam! A couple kisses from Joel Morgan, and she knew the true meaning of desire. And he knew it, damn it. Too bad she couldn’t just have some fun and be done with him. Looking around, she knew there were plenty of people who had relationships based on nothing more than the physical. Mitch. The redhead Lindsey. Undoubtedly Kelly. Why not her?

  She left the table and sidled up to the bar where Gina and B
illy were doing their best to talk as he flipped bottles and mixed drinks. He was so much faster than the other two bartenders, he’d gained a considerable audience along the length of the bar.

  The guy to her right offered his stool, and she accepted with a smile of thanks before turning to Billy. “You’ve upped your game,” she called over the noise.

  “I can say the same for you,” he hollered back. “What are you drinkin’?”

  “Same as always. Juice or soda, whatever you've got.”

  He passed off a tray of drinks, exchanged glances with Gina, and reached for a glass from beneath the counter. “Just thought I’d ask.”

  “In the years you’ve known me, have I ever ordered alcohol?”

  “We’ve never seen you kiss anyone like that, either,” Gina said. “But it seems there’s a first time for everything.”

  As her friend sipped her drink and raised her eyebrows, heat flooded Britt’s face, then spread throughout her body. It made the warmth of the crowded bar so uncomfortable, she had to resist the urge to fan herself with her hand.

  Billy set a glass of orange juice in front of her, then folded his arms on the bar and leaned close. “So, what’s the scoop, Ms. Flirty Skirt?”

  “You make it sound like I’m a tease.”

  “Well you are. A horrible tease.”

  “I am not.” Then, despite his joking tone, she leaned back and frowned at both of them. “Am I?”

  “No,” he said. “But seriously, what’s the deal with Morgan? You haven’t dated since you and Randy struck out that first summer.”

  “He’s completely conceited and stuck on himself. Joel, not Randy.”

  “No way. Of all the ‘pretty-boy’ rangers, that guy is the most down to earth I’ve met.”

  “Put on a dress and you’ll see.”

  Gina grinned as Billy straightened and swiped a rag across the bar to wipe up stray drops of alcohol.

  “Ha! I don’t think he’d be attracted to my hairy legs.” He leaned to the side to listen to a drink order, then started pouring and talking again. His voice rose as the band began a new song. “He seems like a nice guy to me. You know how small Estes gets in the winter, without the tourists? News of his arrival spread like wildfire, and not only because of his job. I’ve seen him here at the bar a few times, and he doesn’t strike me as a conceited womanizer.”