Desperado Dad

Without the raincoat, she looked like a drowned rat. Well, actually, more like a drowned mouse. Thin and pale, her long, straight hair had almost dried, and he noticed only that it was the color of dishwater. She had on a dark pants outfit that appeared to be permanently wrinkled and stained by the rain.

The only memorable things about her were her eyes. In the light he saw their magical color. Hazel, he supposed they’d call them on a rap sheet. But one minute they were pale green ringed by steel blue, the next minute they were a deep gold with bronze flecks. The vulnerability he’d found within them haunted him more than the interesting colors.

Suddenly conscious of what a wet mess he was making, Manny stepped onto one of the braided rugs covering the wooden plank floor. Holding the baby against his shoulder, he silently apologized to the child for having to make up a name and for continuing to drag him along during an investigation. He stayed at the far end of the room and let his eyes adjust to the dim light.

He slowly focused, staring into the wide-open area that served as a kitchen and looked as if it had been furnished in the forties. His gaze took in all the details of the room: the propane-powered icebox with the fan on top, the floor-to-ceiling, free-standing breakfront, used as a pantry, and the two-foot thick, butcher block table in the middle of the room.

The out-of-date feel to the place reminded him of Mexico. Everything here was well-worn but also well cared for and spotless.

Randi busied herself shoving chopped wood into a cast-iron stove, the kind that had become very trendy in some areas of the West. Manny seriously doubted if she’d bought the thing to be fashionable. It looked ancient, but usable.

She lit the fire and fiddled with a damper. “It won’t be long now.” Her gaze caught his and flicked away. “Let me get some towels and a blanket for your baby.”

When she disappeared down a hall, Manny was shocked to realize he’d been studying her with more than just the professional eye of an undercover special agent. He found he’d been sidetracked once again by those amazing hazel-green eyes.

As she spoke, she’d looked like a timid fawn. Her skin was pearly with a dash of freckles across the nose. Only average height and a little too thin, as well, he thought. But her hips did curve rather seductively in the dressy slacks she wore.

All in all there wasn’t a reason in the world for the lick of desire he’d felt when their gazes met. He’d most assuredly felt it, though. And was, in fact, still trying to recover from the jolt.

Randi came back into the room with an armful of linens. “Here, let me have Ricky. You get out of that jacket and start drying off.”

After she set the pile of towels and blankets on the counter, he handed her the little boy and peeled off his soggy leather jacket. Manny was surprised to find the room considerably warmer than it had been just a few minutes earlier. He didn’t bother trying to figure out whether the warmth was related to the temperature or came from the nearness of the woman.

He took a deep breath and smelled a heady combination of mesquite smoke, dried herbs and tangy oranges. Reaching to pull off his boots, he had the weird sensation of being here before, of feeling at home. Maybe it was because the place felt like a safe haven, reminding him of his grandmother’s house in Mexico.

Manny stood transfixed, with a water-filled boot in each hand, watching as Randi undressed the baby and towel dried his hair. She was easy with Ricky, warm and motherly, and she turned Manny’s senses to mush.

Son of a gun. This innocent couldn’t possibly be involved with the baby smugglers. It wouldn’t be fair.

For the first time since he’d taken the oath, he hated what he did for a living. Hated having to pretend to be something he wasn’t. Hated having decent people be afraid of him.

But the truth was, when push came to shove, if Randi was involved with the smuggling ring, he’d do his job and take her down. The ruthless, international baby snatchers deserved no mercy. He just had to pray this guileless young woman was exactly as she seemed.

As soon as humanly possible, Manny needed to banish his emotions once more and get out of her house and her life—with his libido and his soul safely intact.

Two

“The phone’s on the wall behind you.” The sound of Randi’s voice broke into Manny’s daydream.

“Can you dial the operator and ask to speak to the sheriff’s office?” She kept a hand on Ricky while speaking to Manny over her shoulder. “I think we should report your wreck and see what needs to be done.”

Before they contacted any sheriff, Manny needed to contact his boss at Operation Rock-a-Bye. Without saying a word to Randi, he shoved his wet jacket and boots into the washroom and picked up the phone. “The line’s dead.”

“Oh, dear. The storm must be worse. That means the electricity will be next.” She wrapped the lethargic baby in a heavy blanket and handed him over to Manny. “We’d better get a move on. There’s a shower stall off the mud room. You and the baby get under the warm water. I’ll start a fire in the front room.”

When she turned to move away from him, Manny clamped a hand over her arm. Her skin was ice-cold.

“Is there anyone else in the house? Anyone you’re expecting?”

She shook her head and jerked on her arm, but he didn’t release her. Not just yet. “You need to warm up as much as we do. You’re shivering. You take the baby into the shower. I’ll start the fire.”

“No…no.” She eased her arm away from his grasp, and he released her reluctantly. “I know where everything is. You don’t. I’ll light some kerosene lanterns just in case. And I’m pretty sure there’s a trunk in the attic with some baby things—maybe even clothes that’ll fit you.”

She tilted her head, letting her gaze travel up his full length, making him feel naked and taking him in a direction he didn’t want to go.

“Well, maybe at least something that’ll do in an emergency.” With that pronouncement, she swiveled on the balls of her feet and headed to the door. “I’ll get changed while I’m upstairs. I’ll be okay.” She turned her head to look in his direction. “Everything will be okay.”

“Right,” he muttered as she disappeared. “Everything’s going to be just swell.”

Randi almost made it back downstairs before the power went out. Almost. Instead, she wasted time speculating about the dangerous-looking man and child she’d taken into her home.

The lights blinked once, then plunged the house into a familiar darkness. Without missing a step, she reached for the candle and some matches she’d stashed in the attic for emergencies. Lately one problem or another caused a power outage every month, and she simply didn’t have the money to buy a new generator.

Lighting the candle and inching her way to the darkened stairs, Randi’s mind went back to the broad-shouldered man who’d been dressed head to toe in black. When he’d stepped into her kitchen and taken off the leather jacket, she’d caught a glimpse of rippled muscles under his inky-colored T-shirt and jeans.

The man emanated power and excitement. Never in her life had she seen so much macho packed into one person. He was charming and terribly good-looking, in a sexy sort of way. But all that was just window dressing.

He made the words take charge, dynamo, and daring seem inadequate. Did his honey-brown eyes really absorb her every thought, word and deed, especially when she hadn’t said or done anything at all? Did he really manage to discover her wishes and desires without a word? Even his body appeared to vibrate with static energy as he stood perfectly still.

No, Manny Sanchez was nothing like any of the men she’d ever known. Randi had read about such heroes in novels, had seen a couple in movies when she was a girl. She’d even dreamed about them from time to time, but the idea of really meeting one this dynamic had never crossed her mind. And now she’d taken him into her house.

A shiver rippled along her spine as she crept down the stairs. If it hadn’t been an emergency situation, and if it hadn’t been for the baby…

The thought of Ricky made Randi hasten her steps. Precariously balanced, with a basket of clothes in one hand and a candle in the other, she worried about the child. That little one didn’t seem well to her, his eyes were glazed and his cry weak. She fervently hoped that with some warmth and dry clothes he might be okay.

When she crept into her front room, she found a massive hulk huddled by the fire. Manny must have found another blanket. This one totally covered him like a tent as he kept his back to her and faced the warmth of the hearth.

Randi accidentally stepped on a creaky floor board and jumped nearly a foot at the noise.

“Did you get a shower before the power went out?” Manny asked. Wincing at the pain from his tender shoulder, he shifted the baby against his chest before turning. He’d known by her light footsteps that he’d be facing the young woman who’d given them shelter.

She’d changed into well-worn jeans and a frayed, navy sweatshirt with a Texas Aggie logo. The sweatshirt was thin with age, and he couldn’t help but notice the way her nipples beaded against it in the cold.

With her wet hair tied up in a towel, she looked so fragile his first impulse was to gather her up in his arms and set her on a shelf somewhere. In his current state of undress that would be more than stupid on his part, even if she would allow it.

Randi set down the basket she’d been carrying by the hearth. “No, no time for a shower. But I’m fairly dry and the fire will warm me up fast enough.” She pulled a kerosene lamp from the mantel and lit it before blowing out her candle. “Did you find everything you needed?”

He suppressed a chuckle. “I didn’t even bother looking. I did find the clothesline in the mud room and hung our soggy stuff over it, but Ricky needs a few things you probably don’t have.”

She dug into the basket and pulled out a square white cloth. “Like this, you mean?”

At his raised eyebrow, she laughed. “Diapers. My mom kept an entire trunk full of my baby things for…later.” She blushed and laughed again. “Mother was an eternal optimist.”

Randi held out her arms, waiting for him to transfer the baby. It was a delicate maneuver, considering the precarious state of the towel he’d wrapped around his own waist and the blanket that kept slipping down his shoulders.

She laid the baby down on the rug in front of the fire and unwrapped the clumsily tied towel he’d used as a diaper. “Well, you didn’t do so badly. With nothing else handy, the towel was actually a good idea.”

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” he murmured, chagrined at his own cliché but too beat to be clever.

Quickly and expertly Randi diapered Ricky and pulled a fuzzy yellow jumpsuit with a hood over his arms and legs. The kid would’ve looked like the Easter Bunny if he’d had floppy ears.

“His skin seems warm enough, but he’s too quiet to suit me,” she said.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ve been thinking about that. I don’t think he’s in shock, his skin isn’t clammy at all. But I’m concerned that he’s dehydrated…or maybe even in the first stages of starvation. His belly looks distended to me.”

She jerked around to face him and arched her brows in disbelief. “You think your own son might be starving?”

“He’s not mine, Randi.” It never occurred to him she might think Ricky was his child. After he’d blurted out the truth, he wondered if maybe he should have lied and spared himself a lot of trouble and explanations later.

“If he’s not yours, what were you doing driving him around the countryside in the middle of a storm, and where’s his mother?”

Yep. Good questions. Ones he wasn’t positive he wanted to answer.

“Can we talk about that later? I’m a lawman, Randi, just trying to do a job. I promise, you’re safe and I’ll tell you everything eventually. But right now we need to find a way to get some liquids into the baby.”

He had to hand it to her—Randi hesitated only a fraction of a second before she dug back into the basket. If he’d been in her shoes, he wasn’t sure he’d have let the subject drop so fast. That fact alone made him wary, putting his instincts on alert.

She held up a glass baby bottle. “I found a few of these, but only one nipple that seems to be usable.” Getting to her feet she said, “I have some distilled drinking water stashed away for emergencies. I suspect Ricky is well over six months and we can get by just washing the bottles instead of sterilizing them. It’ll save a lot of time.”

She handed him the baby and headed for the kitchen, turning back at the doorway for one last word. “But if you think we’re done with the questions about this baby, better think again. I want answers.”

In a few minutes she was back. Gently taking Ricky in her arms, she cradled him to her breast. It took a bit of coaxing to get him to take the bottle of water into his mouth, but soon the baby’s instincts kicked in and he sucked mightily.

Manny breathed a sigh of relief at the tranquil sucking sounds. He’d made a promise to the baby to keep him safe and healthy, and by heaven, he intended to do everything in his power to see it through.

The sight of Randi holding the baby stirred something deep inside him that he had no business feeling. Long ago he’d buried his most basic needs—the need for the softness of a woman—the need for family. It had been several years since he’d contacted his own family, and he suddenly missed them more than he thought possible. He was sure that since he’d last seen them, his nieces and nephews would be nearly all grown up.

Manny positively refused to contemplate how long it had been since he’d felt the comfort of female companionship. But the sight of Randi and the baby seemed overwhelmingly erotic somehow. Man, when this mission was over, he’d better find himself some sweet little senorita. How long had it been, anyway?

“I’ve set a pan of water to boil on the stove,” Randi whispered, trying not to disturb Ricky. “I think I’ve got a box of powdered milk on a shelf somewhere, too. If he can get this down, we can try a little milk.”

Manny’s gut wrenched as Randi concentrated on Ricky. There was an innocence about her that tugged at his conscience. Taking a breath, he systematically closed and locked off the physical and emotional needs that had been assaulting him. He needed to be strong and tough till he discovered her exact involvement in the baby-smuggling ring.

It didn’t add up that she would be living alone. Someone that fragile-looking couldn’t operate a working ranch by herself. So where was everybody?

He had no desire to hurt this ethereal young thing, but he had to do whatever necessary to find out if she was a suspect. It was part of the job.

Randi looked down at Ricky sleeping and felt a twinge of sadness in her heart. She was around children all the time at her nursery school job. Yet having a baby here, sleeping on her hearth and totally dependent on her for his well-being, seemed different. It reminded her too much of things she couldn’t have—of things she’d probably have to bury forever.

Ricky took half the bottle of water and a full ounce of the powdered milk. When she’d placed him into the nest in the basket she’d made, he barely stirred.

His sweet face seemed so peaceful Randi began to relax. He’d lost that scrunched-up frightened look. She stroked his tiny hand, grateful that he no longer clutched it into a fist.

Meanwhile, Manny took her daddy’s old clothes into the mud room to change. When he’d left the fireside, she’d felt a momentary chill, as if his leaving had changed the temperature and the physical forces swirling around her.

Shaking off the strange sensations, she tried to focus on the situation. She had a potentially sick child on her hands. The flooding river had no doubt cut them off from town for the time being. The phone wasn’t working to call for help, and since they had no electricity to run the furnace’s fan, they’d need to stay downstairs here near the fireplace or in the kitchen by the stove. And to top it all off, she still didn’t know what Manny’s relationship to this child might be.

Just who was this dangerous man, really, and why was he in her little town in the middle of a horrific rainstorm and flood? She’d be stuck throughout the emergency with a man who made her body alternate between shivers and hot sweats. What on earth had she gotten herself into?

If he wasn’t Ricky’s father, why was Manny in the car with the baby? What did his being a lawman have to do with Ricky? Randi had seen the way he treated the child, softly petting him and murmuring encouragement. She refused to think that he might have taken Ricky for a bad reason, but she was determined to get to the truth.

He was dangerous looking, what with the shaggy, ebony hair and the stubble darkening his chin and cheeks, but would it be fair to judge a man by appearances? She’d been taught never to jump to snap conclusions based on a person’s looks.

“Is the baby asleep?”

Randi heard Manny’s whispered words before she knew he was in the room and felt his hand on her shoulder. Instead of being startled, she felt heat settle over her in a liquid rush. Sort of like the burning sensation she’d experienced when she’d tried her one and only swallow of whisky but better…less bad tasting and more electric.

She nodded silently and lowered her chin to stare at the floor. Randi knew she couldn’t look at him right now and still think clearly. Nervous tension made her body taut, and her mind fogged with unrealistic panic.

“You sure are handy to have around,” he began in a soft and friendly tone.

Without looking up, she knew he’d eased himself down on the rug next to her. He wasn’t touching her in any way, but she felt his presence tingling along the nerve endings of her skin. He was close enough that she could smell the cedar chips her mother had used to store her dad’s clothes.

“I mean, you saved Ricky and me from drowning in the van and now you’ve taken us in and given us warmth and shelter from the storm. You’ve even come up with diapers and a baby bottle…and you know how to use them.” He chuckled deep in his chest, the sexy rumbling vibrating inside her.

She peeked out from under her lashes to check his expression. When she saw his deep-set, chocolate-colored eyes flare to gold and his devastating features reflecting in the glow of the fire, she quivered with a strange anticipation. Randi felt a tide of color wash over her face, bathing her in a fiery flush and embarrassing her even more.

From the tips of his sock-clad feet to the top of his now-dry hair, the man reeked of power and sex.

Geez, she was way out of her depth here.

Manny watched the young woman sitting next to him while her skin turned from pale and cool to bright pink and heated. And his body reacted with a jolt of heat all its own. He understood about basic survival needs, about adrenaline causing lust and the need to reaffirm life, but that didn’t explain the magnetic pull and his craving to protect her to his last breath.

He felt a bit more in control now that he’d changed and replaced his weapon in its hidden holster at his waist. He set his jaw and swallowed hard. She might be a suspect, and he must uncover her involvement in this international ring before they went any further. What did she know? It was urgent he find out.

He turned up the charm and tried a grin he certainly didn’t feel. “So, what were you really doing out on that lonely road tonight?”

“Hold on, there! I want my questions about you and the baby answered before we talk about anything else.”

“Look,” he growled. “I’m not asking out of idle curiosity, Randi. I’m a federal undercover agent, working on a case. And if I find out you’re withholding information…or that you’re involved in any way, I’ll have you in custody so fast your head will swim.”

Her terrified look should have told him all he needed to know. But his emotions were so raw he ignored his own gut instincts.

He pushed ahead, overpowering the conversation and demanding the truth with mere physical presence. “Now answer my question. Why were you out there alone tonight?” he persisted.

“I told you. I was coming home from work in Willow Springs. I’m a nursery school aide there.” Her voice shook and the look in her eyes grew wilder as she automatically answered his demand.

“A pretty woman like you?” His hand went to her soft shoulder. “You sure you weren’t there to meet someone?” He knew the grin had disappeared, but the longer she carried on this innocent game, the more Manny was positive she knew something she wasn’t telling.

“N-n-n-no. Why are you asking? What kind of agent are you and what are you working on?” The words came pouring out. “It was just as I told you. Who would I be meeting in the middle of a storm?”

Manny groaned inwardly, wishing she didn’t look so naive and young. He had to remain tough in the face of all this supposed innocence. She was either the best actress he’d ever seen or she was too guileless to be believed. His first quick impulse was that she must be one heck of an actress. He decided to force the truth out of her.

“All right. Let’s go back to something else you said.” He ended up having to clear his throat to continue. “You said no one lived here on the ranch with you. I find that hard to imagine.”

“I…I didn’t say that exactly.”

Faster than a blink, Manny shoved the towel off her head. A rich, wet tangle of ash, gold and silver flowed over her shoulders. Grabbing a handful of it, he fisted his fingers into the silky strands. She gasped and her eyes opened to the size of dinner plates with his brash movement.

“Then what did you mean…exactly.” He tugged her head back slowly, exposing the satiny skin on her slender neck to his view. A wayward thought of how much he’d like to place his lips on that expanse of softness flashed in his brain before he banished it and tried to steel his features into a threatening look.

“Let go of me! We…I…there’s a ranch hand, uh, and his wife that live in the foreman’s quarters. But…”

“So you lied to me?” he demanded.

“No! You didn’t ask about the ranch. You asked about the house. Now let go…please.”

Manny saw the tears welling in her eyes and immediately released his grip on her hair. But his hand refused to let the damp tresses go completely. His fingers lingered in the intoxicating texture of the multicolored silk.

He felt like a jerk for hurting her. But it was part of the job, and he had to finish his interrogation. Ricky’s life might depend on finding the answers.

“Why all these questions?” she sobbed. “What’s going on? I haven’t done anything wrong.” Randi sniffed and touched a finger to the corner of her eye.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” His voice sounded raspy, hoarse. “But I’m the one asking the questions here. And I mean to know the truth. All of it.”

She arched her eyebrows and glanced away as if she was barely interested in this whole conversation. Damn her. He wanted her scared—scared and willing to tell him anything she might know. He was finished playing games.

Manny had his Glock out of its holster before he had a chance to think it through. “Who else lives on this ranch? Tell me,” he demanded. “And you’d better make sure I believe you.”

Her eyes widened and her hands jumped to cover that full mouth, probably to keep a scream from escaping her lips. Now he’d done it. He reholstered his weapon instantly. Drawing a weapon was just an ingrained movement whenever he needed an intimidating tactic.

This time he hadn’t really been prepared to shoot, however. The monumental significance of that potentially deadly oversight wasn’t lost on him. Nothing like that had ever happened to him before.

“Please. I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Only…please keep that gun out of sight.”

Randi forced a sob back down her throat. She refused to let him see her panic. Dear Lord, was she going to go to jail because she’d been a Good Samaritan? Lewis Lee always said that no good deed goes unpunished. She prayed she’d be around long enough to tell him he was right.