Rubies for Whitney

NINE

Whitney calmed her fiercely racing heartbeat. She needed her wits at a time like this, which meant putting her fear aside. She would use her sweetness to try and get the intruder to leave.

Taking a deep breath for courage, she spun around... and smacked against a man's wide, muscular chest. Immediately, his scent of spice and leather enveloped her and calmed her fear. She tilted back her head and looked into the caring eyes of the man she couldn't get out of her thoughts.

"Jake," she whispered a relieved sigh as she placed her palms against his chest. But as his face came clearer, she noticed the swollen cheekbone and the cut lip. "Jake?" Her voice lifted. "You are hurt." Gingerly, she touched his cheek.

He smiled and cupped her hand, holding it against his face. "If you think I look bad, you should see the other guy."

Chuckling, she relaxed slightly. "Then am I to assume you caught him?"

"I did." His gaze briefly moved toward the barn, and he nodded. "And am I to assume you found the second one that got away?"

When he looked at her again, she grinned. "You assume correctly, Marshal Sterling."

"How many men are in the barn?" His arms circled loosely around her waist.

She pulled her hand away from his face, but she was hesitant to leave the comfort of his arms. Being this close to him felt too good. Yet, it was inevitable. She must step back. His nearness always left her in a dither.

"From what I can see, there is just the one man." She turned toward the barn, but he left one arm around her waist. Her heartbeat danced with excitement. Perhaps she should enjoy the moment while it lasted. After all, she wouldn't get this change with a man again.

"How did you know he was here?"

Jake's whisper breezed against her neck, and she shivered with delight. "After you left, I decided to follow you, just in case you needed my help. That's when I noticed the second bank robber trotting through town, looking as if he was on his way to church."

He chuckled softly. "Church?"

She glanced over her shoulder at him. "Of course. Someone like him wouldn't be very eager to go to church."

He softly caressed her cheek. "You are adorable. Do you know that?"

Whitney's pulse raced, and although she tried to convince herself that nothing could happen between them, her mind wasn't in on the plan and had other ideas. She shook away the tempting thoughts and turned back toward the barn, taking steady breaths. Heavens, Jake was a hard man to resist.

"What should we do next?"

His voice was so deep, she almost couldn't hear him. She wished she knew how to answer, but right now, her mind wasn't working properly... especially when it held inappropriate thoughts about her and Jake in each other's arm, doing things that would make a nun blush.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps again – more than one person, this time. They were going to notice her and Jake. They might even make a scene and let the thief across the street know that she and Jake were here.

She gasped and turned to face Jake again. By his expression, she could tell he had heard the people coming their way, too. The footsteps were growing closer, and there wasn't time for her and Jake to hurry out of the alleyway. That meant whatever she did needed to be done quickly. Her wicked thoughts could only think of one thing to do.

She rose and swung her arms around Jake's neck. His eyes widened in surprise, but there was no time to tell her of her plans. Instead, she pressed her mouth against his.