Forever Buckhorn: Gabe

His mother used to accuse him of being part lizard, because the heat seldom bothered him, and he was always drawn to the sunshine.

Life had been different since his two oldest brothers had married. Different in a very nice way. He enjoyed having Honey around. She made the house feel homier in some small indefinable ways, like the smell of her scented candles in the bathroom after she’d been indulging in a long soak, or the way she always hugged him when he left the house, cautioning him to be careful—as if he ran around risking his neck whenever he went out the door.

Gabe grinned. He could still recall how Honey had cried when Morgan had moved to his own house. Never mind that it was just up the hill; she liked having all the brothers as near as possible. It was a huge bonus that Morgan had married her sister, Misty. The two women were very close and managed to get together every day, especially since Misty had given birth to an adorable little girl seven months ago. Amber Marie Hudson was about the most precious thing he’d ever seen. And watching his brother fuss over the baby was an endless source of entertainment.

Females flat-out fascinated Gabe, whether they were seven months, twenty-seven or seventy. He didn’t think he’d ever tire of learning more about them.

He was pondering what he might learn from a certain redhead when he saw a car pull into their long drive. Gabe stopped the tractor and watched, a feeling of foreboding creeping up his sweaty back. The car, a small purple Escort, looked suspiciously like the one he’d seen Lizzy park at the docks. He’d noticed because the purple clashed so loudly with her hair.

And sure enough, even from this distance, when she stepped out of the car, there was no mistaking the fiery glint of the sun off her bright head.

Scowling, he put the tractor in gear and headed toward the house. He was aware of a strange pounding in his chest, hoping to intercept her before any of his brothers saw her. Or worse, before Honey or Misty saw her.

But his hopes were in vain. Just as he neared the drive the front door opened and there stood Honey, her long blond hair moving gently in the breeze, her killer smile in place.

Oh, hell.

He watched in horror as Lizzy was evidently invited in, as she accepted and as the door closed behind her. The tractor was too damn slow so he stopped it, turned it off and ran the rest of the way.

His chest was heaving and he was dripping sweat by the time he bolted through the front door. No one was in sight. He hurried down the hallway to the family room, finding it empty. He stopped, trying to listen. A feminine laugh caught his attention, and he raced for the kitchen. He had to stop her before she said too much, before she started in with her questions—before anyone found out he’d been kissing her....

He skidded to a halt on the tile floor. The kitchen was crowded, what with Honey and her sister and Amber and Sawyer… Gabe stared at Lizzy, seated at the table with her back to him.

Sawyer was looking her over—not politely, but in minute detail. He leaned over Lizzy with his fingers grazing her cheek, so close to her she could probably feel his breath, for God’s sake.

Gabe’s brows snapped down to match Sawyer’s frown, and he demanded, “What the hell is going on?”

Everyone looked up. Honey was the first to speak, saying, “Gabe. I was just about to come get you.”

Misty shook her head at him in a pitying way, as if he’d gotten himself into trouble somehow, and Amber cooed at the sound of his voice. Gabe ignored them all to stare at his oldest brother.

Of course Lizzy would have to call at lunchtime, he thought darkly, when everyone was bound to be around. Normally Sawyer would have been in his office at the back of the house, treating patients. Luckily, to his mind, Jordan always ate lunch in town. Morgan used to, too, until he married Misty. Now he was likely to show up any minute. Gabe needed to get Lizzy out of the house before she said too much about their association. He could imagine the ribbing he’d take if his brothers knew he was interested in—as in majorly turned on by—a prickly little redheaded witch with freckles!

His face heated at the mere thought.

Then Lizzy turned to look at him, and he knew the heat in his face was nothing compared to hers.

His frown intensified, but for different reasons, as he drifted closer, studying her every feature. “Damn, Lizzy, what happened?”

She was bright pink with sunburn, her nose red, her soft mouth slightly puffy. Without thinking about his rapt audience, he knelt in front of her chair and smoothed a wayward tendril of hair gently behind her ear. God, even the tops of her ears were red!

She licked her lips, looking horribly embarrassed and glancing around at the others. “I’m fine, Gabe,” she murmured, trying to get him to stand up while sneaking glances at his family. “There’s no reason for this fuss.”

He paid no attention at all to her words, too intent on discovering every speck of skin that had been reddened. “I thought you had sunscreen on yesterday.”

“I did,” she assured him, looking more wretchedly miserable by the minute. “I guess it wasn’t strong enough, or maybe it washed off in the water.”

Sawyer made an impatient sound, recalling Gabe to the fact that he was on his knees in front of Lizzy, treating her like the most precious woman in the world. He jerked to his feet, but he still couldn’t take his concerned gaze off her. “Does it hurt?”

“No.” She tried a weak smile, then flinched. “Truly. I’m fine.”

Sawyer rudely pushed Gabe aside. “I’m going to give you some topical ointment for the sting. In the meantime, stay out of the sun—” and here he glared at Gabe “—and wear very loose clothes. It doesn’t look like you’ll blister, but I’d say you’re going to be plenty uncomfortable for the next few days.”

Honey stepped up with some folded paper towels soaked in cool tea. “This’ll help. I’m fair-skinned, too, and it’s always worked for me.”

Misty leaned close to watch as Honey patted the towels gently in place on Elizabeth’s bare shoulders. Gabe realized that Lizzy wore a shapeless white cotton dress, so long it hung to her ankles. He looked closely and could see by the soft fullness beneath the bodice that she wasn’t wearing a bra. His heart skipped a beat.

She’d said she never went braless, and her breasts were so firm and round, he believed her. The sunburn must indeed be painful for her to go without one.

To distract himself, he looked around the room and settled on smiling at the baby. At his attention, Amber flailed her pudgy arms from her pumpkin seat on the table, gurgling and blowing spit bubbles. Gabe laughed. “Sorry, kiddo. I’m too sweaty to hold you right now.”

Elizabeth watched as he reached out and tweaked the baby’s toe, and he knew she was planning on putting that into her little notebook, too. He scowled.

Morgan stepped in through the kitchen door and went immediately to Misty, lifting her into a bear hug that led to a lingering, intimate kiss. The way Misty continued to flush at her husband’s touch always tickled Gabe. Morgan had been well and fully tamed.

He turned and hauled Amber out of her chair and against his chest, then nuzzled the baby’s downy black hair. Amber squealed as he settled her in the crook of his arm.

Only then did Morgan notice Elizabeth. One dark brow shot up. “Hello.”

Misty shook the dreamy look off her face and smiled. “Morgan, this is Elizabeth Parks, a friend of Gabe’s.”

Morgan’s enigmatic gaze transferred to Gabe, and Gabe felt his face heat again. “She looks done to a crisp, Gabe. I suppose you weren’t…ah, paying attention to the sun? Had your mind on…other things?”

Gabe stiffened and said, “You know I can’t hit you while you’re holding the baby. Care to give her to her mother?”

“Nope.” He kissed the baby’s tiny ear and with a grin turned to Elizabeth. “Nice to meet you, Elizabeth.”

She nodded. “And you, Sheriff.”

“You’re joining us for lunch?”

“Oh. No, please. I just… I’m sorry to impose. Really.” Her attention flicked nervously to Gabe as all his interfering relatives assured her she was no imposition at all. “I just had a few questions, if you have the time.”

Morgan pulled out a chair. “Questions about what?”

Gabe stepped forward before she could answer. “Lizzy, I’d like to talk to you. In private.”

She stalled, staring at him with a guilty expression.

Sawyer nudged him aside. “I’ve only got fifteen minutes left before I have to see a patient. You can wait that long, can’t you, Gabe?”

He wanted to say no, he damn well couldn’t wait, but he knew that would only stir up more speculation. So instead he took the cool towels from Honey and began placing them on Lizzy’s shoulders. A thought struck him, and he looked at her feet, set together primly beneath the long skirt. She wore thick white socks and slip-on shoes.

He gave her an exasperated look. “Your feet are burned, too, I suppose?”

Not since he’d met her had Lizzy been so withdrawn. She kept her wide eyes trained on him and nodded. In a tiny voice, she admitted, “A little.”

Gabe knelt and very carefully pried off her loose loafers, then peeled the socks off her feet. Like a wet hen, Lizzy fussed and complained and tried to shoo him away. He persisted, despite Morgan’s choked laugh and Sawyer’s hovering attention.

Her feet were small and slender. Looking at how red they were, Gabe had the awful urge to kiss them better, and instead looked at her with a warning in his gaze. “You should be at home, naked, instead of running around all over the place, asking your crazy questions.”

Honey gasped. Morgan guffawed, making Amber bounce in delight. Misty smacked Gabe’s shoulder.

But Sawyer agreed. “He’s right. Wearing clothes right now is just going to aggravate the sunburn. Taking cool baths and using plenty of aloe, and some ibuprofen for the pain, is the best thing you could do for yourself right now.” He glared at Gabe. “Of course if baby brother here had remembered that not everyone is a sun worshiper with skin like leather, there wouldn’t be a problem.”

Gabe gritted his teeth. “I’m well aware of how delicate a woman’s skin is. I thought she had sunscreen on. Besides, we weren’t really out in the sun that long.”

Lizzy stirred uncomfortably. “Gabe’s right. This is my fault, not his. I guess I hadn’t counted on the sun’s reflection off the lake being so strong.”

“Water does magnify the sun,” Sawyer agreed, then propped his hands on his hips and asked in his best physician’s voice, “Are you burned anywhere else?”

Lizzy shook her head and at the same time said, “Just my legs.” But as Gabe started to lift her skirt she slapped his hands away. Her tone was both horrified and embarrassed. “Don’t even think it!”

He grinned. She was behaving more like herself, and he was vastly relieved. He didn’t like seeing her so quiet and apprehensive. “Sorry. Just trying to see how bad it is.”

She scowled. “Mostly on my knees, and you can just take my word on that, Gabriel Kasper.”

Morgan leaned back in his seat, both brows lifted. Everyone stared at them, transfixed. Gabe remembered what he was doing and came to his feet again. How the hell did he keep ending up on his knees in front of her?

After setting a platter of sandwiches on the table, Honey said, “Join us for lunch, okay? What would you like to drink? I have tea and lemonade and—”

“Oh, no. Really, I didn’t mean to catch you at a bad time.” Lizzy reached for the towels on her shoulders, meaning to remove them. “I can just come back another time if you agree to a short interview.”

Gabe let out a gust of relief. “That’s a good idea. Come on, I’ll walk you to your car.”

But Lizzy hadn’t even gotten the first towel removed before everyone rejected her intentions and insisted she stay. Hell, they begged her to stay, the nosy pests.

Well, they could do as they pleased, Gabe decided, but that didn’t mean he had to stick around and take part in it. “I’m going to go shower,” he announced, and of course, that was just fine and dandy. No one begged him to stick around! Irritated, he stomped out of the room, but before he’d even rounded the corner, he heard Morgan start chuckling, and before long, they were all laughing hysterically.

Everyone but Lizzy.

CHAPTER FIVE

ELIZABETH BIT her lip, not sure what was so funny. She hoped they weren’t laughing at her, but then Honey gave her a big smile and said, “Gabe is so amusing sometimes.”

Elizabeth had no idea how she meant that, and she didn’t ask. She cleared her throat and said, “I’m doing a thesis on heroes for my college major. I’ve been working on it for some time, and I’d just about finished, then I heard about the boating incident here last summer and decided to add Gabriel to my notes.”

Morgan tilted his head. “What boating incident?”

That set her back. His own brother wasn’t aware of what had happened? But Misty waved a hand and explained to her husband, “I’m sure she’s talking about Gabe saving that woman and her children, right?”

Elizabeth nodded.

“That was right after our wedding. Morgan wasn’t paying much attention to what happened around him back then.”

Morgan gave his wife a smoldering look. “You’re to blame for that, Malone, not me. Can I help it if you’re distracting?”

Honey laughed. “Stop it, you two, or you’ll embarrass our guest.” She sat herself on her husband’s lap, and Sawyer wrapped his arms around her. “Gabe is a real sweetheart, Elizabeth. We just enjoy teasing him a little.”

Elizabeth could attest to the sweetheart bit. From what she’d found out so far, there didn’t live a finer example of the term lady’s man. She cleared her throat. “So you do remember the event?”

“Sure.” Honey settled comfortably against her husband’s wide chest. To Elizabeth’s amazement, Sawyer Hudson managed to eat that way, as if having his wife on his lap was a common occurrence. He quickly devoured three sandwiches, which was one less than Morgan ate. Misty and Honey each nibbled on a half. Since they were insistent, Elizabeth took a bite of one herself. She hadn’t realized she was hungry until then.

The sunburn had made her so miserable she’d only wanted to find something to do, to keep her mind off it. Her skin felt too tight, itchy and burning. Clothes were a misery—Sawyer Hudson was right about that. But she simply wasn’t used to parading around naked and had decided to take her mind off it by finding out more about Gabe before their trip to the movies.

“Can you tell me about it?” Elizabeth asked after a large drink of icy lemonade. With the cool towels on her shoulders and the uncomfortable shoes off her feet, she felt much better.

“Sure.” Honey looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Morgan. “You ended up arresting the driver of that boat, right?”

Morgan growled, his tone so threatening that Elizabeth jumped. “The fool was drunk and could have damn well killed somebody. If it had been up to me, he’d have lost not only his boating license, but his driver’s license, as well. As it turned out, though, he was banned from the lake, got a large fine and spent a week in jail. Hell, that poor woman was so shook up, Sawyer had to give her a sedative.”

Sawyer nodded and his tone, in comparison to Morgan’s was solemn. “She thought one or both of her kids would be hurt. She was almost in shock.” Then he smiled. “When I got there, I found Gabe with a kid in his arms, one wrapped around his leg, and the woman gushing all over him. The look of relief on Gabe’s face when he spotted me was priceless.”

Elizabeth reached for her bag on the floor by her chair and extracted her notebook and pencil. “Can you describe it for me?”

“What?”

“The look on his face.”

Sawyer appeared startled by her request, then shrugged. “Sure.”

IT WAS ONLY fifteen minutes before Gabe rejoined them, his shaggy blond hair still wet and hanging in small ringlets on the back of his neck, his requisite cutoffs clean and dry. Elizabeth had already taken page after page of notes, supplied by all the family members, and she was ecstatic to finally have someone agree with her that Gabriel Kasper’s actions had, in fact, been heroic.

When Gabe saw her notebook out, he glared and stomped over to snag the last sandwich on the platter.

Elizabeth drew in a deep breath as he leaned past her, but all she could smell was soap. When Gabe had entered earlier, the earthy scent of damp male flesh warm from the sunshine had clung to him—an enticing aphrodisiac. That wonderfully potent scent, combined with the sight of him, had made her nearly too breathless to talk. She hadn’t thought she’d see him today. When she’d called the number Bear gave her, Honey had told her Gabe would be working all day. Elizabeth hadn’t realized she meant working around his own home.

She also hadn’t realized they’d all make such a fuss about her sunburn. She felt like an idiot for getting burned in the first place. She, better than anyone, knew how easily the sun affected her. She’d even brought along the sunscreen to apply often, keeping it in her bag. But she’d been sidetracked by Gabe and kissing and the erotic feelings he’d engendered. She hadn’t thought once about overexposure.

Honey stood to make more sandwiches since Morgan had started prowling around for a cookie and Gabe had only gotten one sandwich. Once his lap was vacated, Sawyer excused himself, saying he’d go fetch the aloe cream he wanted Lizzy to use.

Gabe downed a tall glass of iced tea, and Elizabeth watched his throat work, saw the play of muscles in his arms and shoulders as he tipped his head back. He lowered the glass, caught her scrutiny and frowned at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, Morgan thrust the baby into Gabe’s arms and he got distracted by a tiny fist grabbing his chest hair.

The contrast between Gabe, so big, so strong, golden blond and tanned, and the tiny dark-haired baby held securely in his arms made Elizabeth’s chest feel too tight. She’d have thought a man like him, a Lothario with only hedonistic pleasures on his mind, wouldn’t have been so confident while holding an infant. But Gabe not only held the baby without hesitation, he blew raspberries on her soft belly and nibbled on her tiny toes.

Elizabeth decided it was time to make a strategic retreat. She knew, despite his gentle touch with the baby, that he was angry with her. She supposed that negated her deal with him; there’d be no movies at the drive-in. But at least, she told herself, trying to be upbeat instead of despondent, she’d gotten what she wanted. She had an entire notebook full of details, and hadn’t that been her single goal all along?

Sawyer reappeared with a large tube of ointment and handed it to Elizabeth. “Put that on every hour or so, or whenever your skin feels uncomfortable. It’s mostly aloe. You can keep it in the refrigerator if you like. Drink as much water as you can—rehydrating your skin will help it feel more comfortable. Oh, and take cool baths, not showers. Showers are too stressful to the damaged skin. If it doesn’t feel better by tomorrow evening, give me a call, okay?”

Feeling horribly conspicuous, Elizabeth nodded. “How much do I owe you for the cream?”

“Not a thing. I’ll take it out of Gabe’s hide later.”

Since Gabe smirked at that, Elizabeth assumed it was a joke. “Thank you.” She glanced at Gabe, then away. “For everything.”

Sawyer kissed his wife, his niece and his sister-in-law, then went off to work again. They were a demonstrative lot, always hugging and patting and kissing. It disconcerted her.

Misty and Honey and Gabe all walked her to the door. Gabe was deathly quiet, which she felt didn’t bode well since he was usually joking and teasing. As she stepped onto the porch, Honey said, “Misty and I are having lunch in town tomorrow. Would you like to join us? The restaurant where Misty works part-time has fabulous beef stew on Friday afternoons. And afterward, we can all go to the library. I know they must have kept records of the local paper there on file. You could see the firsthand reports of Gabe’s—” she glanced at her brother-in-law with a wicked smile “—daring feat.”

Gabe gave Honey a look that promised retribution, but she just laughed and hugged him.

Misty added, “It’ll be fun.”

Aware of Gabe spearing her with his hot gaze, knowing he expected her to turn the women down, Elizabeth nonetheless nodded. “All right. Thank you.”

She could have sworn she heard Gabe snarling.

Misty took the baby from Gabe’s arms. “Great. If you know where the diner is, we could meet you there at eleven.”

“That’ll be fine.”

“Perfect. We’ll see you then!”

Misty and Honey retreated together, and suddenly Elizabeth wished they were still there. Gabe looked ready for murder.

It was his own fault, she decided, refusing to cower. She raised her chin, gave him a haughty look and turned toward her car. Gabe stalked along beside her.

“What are you doing here, Red?”

Uh-oh. He really was angry. “In each of my studies, I’ve included the accountings of family members whenever possible.”

“But you and I had a deal.”

Had. She was right, the deal was no longer valid. Disappointment swamped her, but she fought it off. It had been foolish to look forward to her time with Gabe. He was the epitome of a town playboy. He’d amuse himself with her while she was in town, and when she left he’d never think of her.

But she knew already she’d never be able to forget him. Pathetic, she decided, and deliberately tamped down her regret. She opened the car door and tossed in her bag. She hadn’t been able to carry it with the strap over her shoulder because of the burn. She was anxious to follow Sawyer’s advice and get naked. Her clothes felt like sandpaper against her sensitive skin.

Gabe watched her closely and she managed a shrug. “You never told me I couldn’t talk with your family.”

“Bull.” He leaned closer, crowding her by putting one hand on the roof of her car, the other at the top of the door frame. “You knew damn good and well I didn’t want you snooping around. That’s why I agreed to answer your questions myself.”

With him so close, her heart thundered. Memories washed over her and her belly tingled in response. She couldn’t seem to stop staring at his mouth and swallowed hard. “I understand. If…if you want to cancel the rest of it, I won’t argue with you.”

Gabe stiffened. “Cancel the rest of what?”

The hair on his chest was still slightly damp, as if he’d dried in a hurry. She’d never in her life known a man who paraded around in such a state of undress almost continually. She didn’t think he was deliberately flaunting himself for her benefit so much as he was totally at ease with his own body, aware he had no reason for shame or reserve. She curled her hands into fists to keep from touching him.

“The…the drive-in, the…having fun and loosening up.” Pride made her add, “I thought it was a dumb plan all along.”

He tipped up her chin with an extremely gentle touch. “Oh, no, you don’t,” he growled. “You’re not backing out on me, Lizzy.”

“But…” She faltered, caught by the intensity in his gaze. “You’re angry.”

“Damn right. And we’ll discuss my anger tomorrow. At the movies. If you think I’m going to let you breach our deal now, especially after all your damn snooping, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth couldn’t think of anything else to say. Relief was a heavy throbbing in her breasts. “Okay.”

Once again she stared at his mouth and felt her lips trembling in remembrance of how he’d kissed her, how he’d tasted, how hot his mouth had been.

Breathless again, she whispered, “Gabe?” and even she could hear the longing in the single word.

Gabe’s nostrils flared and suddenly he cursed. He leaned forward and took her mouth with careful hunger, that single rough finger beneath her chin holding her captive. The kiss was long and deep and Elizabeth grabbed his shoulders, though he didn’t return the embrace. His tongue thrust in, hot and wet, and she accepted it, stroking it with her own, moaning softly.