Runaway Temptation Read online

  A sea of people walked past them, and neither of them moved—or even noticed.

  “Why’d you wait till the last minute to walk out?” Caleb watched her, waiting for her reply. “You were in Royal a month before the wedding.”

  “I know.” She sighed and started walking again. In her heels, they were nearly eye to eye when she glanced at him. Caleb moved up alongside her. The sun was hot on her back and she was squinting against the glare. In the bustle and noise of the city, she kept talking. “I felt...trapped. I’d said yes already and so I let Jared’s mother steamroll me. It was easier to go along than to try to stop what I had put into motion, you know?”

  “Not really,” he said.

  She gave him a wry smile. “Yeah, I don’t really understand it now, either. But the day of the wedding, I just suddenly knew I couldn’t go through with it. Couldn’t let one lie become a lifetime lie. So I ran.”

  She glanced at him and was relieved to see him nod as if he got it, though his mouth was a grim line. Shelby didn’t know why she cared what Caleb Mackenzie thought of her, but she did. Talking about the wedding, the Goodman family, all brought back what the sheriff had said to her earlier and as his words replayed in her mind, she worriedly chewed at her bottom lip. Shelby hadn’t wanted to make a big deal about it at the time, but the more she thought about it, the more nervous she felt. “What if the Goodmans do sue me?”

  “They won’t.”

  She wished she felt as sure as he sounded. “We don’t know that.”

  “Yes, we do.” He stopped at an intersection along with what seemed like half the city as they waited for the light to change. Caleb glanced down at her and though his eyes were shadowed by the brim of his hat, she could read the reassurance there. “Simon Goodman’s a lawyer—and honestly, not all that good a one. He’s not going to start up a court case he’s not sure he can win.”

  Sounded reasonable. And yet... “But like you said. Small town, people know him and don’t know me, why wouldn’t he win?” Shelby smiled at a baby in a stroller.

  “Mainly because people do know him,” Caleb told her as the light changed and they moved with the herd. “Know him and don’t much like him.”

  “Isn’t he your lawyer?” Shelby hurried her steps to keep up with his much longer stride. Even on a crowded sidewalk, Caleb walked like a man with a purpose. Determined. Unstoppable. Was there anything sexier? Back on track, Shelby. “I mean, Cam told me that’s why you were at the wedding in the first place.”

  “Yeah,” he admitted. “He is and that’s my fault. He was my father’s lawyer. I just never changed. Should have. Just got busy.”

  “Wow. Five sentences in a row.”

  “What?”

  “The stoic cowboy spoke—almost at length,” she said, tipping her head up to look into his eyes. It was weird, but now that she’d told him why she’d come to marry Jared and why she hadn’t, she felt...free. Shelby had never been good with secrets. They always came back to bite her in the butt. So having the truth out there and Caleb’s seeming understanding, lifted a weight off her shoulders.

  He looked down at her and his mouth quirked again. Score.

  “I must be a good influence on you,” she said, giving him a wide smile. “I bet until I came around, nobody at the ranch talked much.”

  “Nobody comes close to you, that’s for damn sure,” he muttered.

  “Isn’t that nice?” He didn’t mean it as a compliment but she was taking it as one. When he smiled again, as if they were sharing the joke, Shelby’s heart gave a quick flutter.

  “Caleb!” A feminine voice called his name and beside her, Shelby sensed him flinch in reaction.

  They stopped, let the pedestrian crowd flow past, and then Shelby watched what was left of the crowd part, like a scene from a movie, to allow a drop-dead-gorgeous woman rush forward.

  Her hair was long and blond, her eyes were blue and she wore a sleek, black dress that hugged every voluptuous curve. Black heels completed the outfit and Shelby, despite her pretty new dress and shoes, suddenly felt like a country bumpkin. Whatever that was.

  “Caleb, you look fantastic!” The blonde hurled herself into Caleb’s arms and even Shelby caught the cloud of floral scent that clung to her.

  “Marta,” Caleb said, extricating himself as gently as possible. “Good to see you.”

  To Shelby, it looked as though he was trying to get away from an octopus and he didn’t look very happy about it. Which really made her feel better. Although why this little scene should bother her at all was beyond her. She and Caleb weren’t a thing. She’d only known him a short time. And yet...logic didn’t seem to have a lot to do with what she was feeling at the moment.

  “God, it’s been forever,” Marta exclaimed, stepping back, but keeping a tight grip on one of Caleb’s hands as if afraid he might try to escape.

  “Yeah,” he said, “I’ve been busy.”

  She playfully slapped at his chest. “You and those cows of yours.”

  “Cattle,” he corrected, but Marta obviously didn’t care.

  “How long are you in the city for?” She gave her hair a playful toss and pouted prettily. All the while continuing to ignore Shelby’s presence completely. “We’ve got to have dinner, Caleb, do some catching up. You can come to my place and—”

  “Sorry can’t do it,” Caleb said, interrupting the flow of words and startling Marta into temporary silence.

  Caleb looked down at Shelby. “We’ve got to be getting back, isn’t that right, darlin’?”

  Stunned, Shelby could only stare into those icy-blue eyes of his. His gaze was fixed on hers and she could see that he wanted her to play along with him. For his own reasons, he wanted to get rid of Marta and that worked for Shelby. She smiled, letting him know that she was on board, ready for whatever he had in mind. Briefly, he let his forehead rest against hers as if in solidarity.

  “That’s right, honey,” she said softly.

  Smiling then, Caleb draped his free arm around her shoulders, pulled her in tight to his side and dropped a kiss on top of her head. “Shelby, honey, this is Marta. An old friend.”

  “Really. How old?” she asked innocently, and watched Marta’s eyes flash and narrow.

  “Marta, this is Shelby and we’re together now, so...”

  The blonde gave Shelby a quick inspection and judging by the look in her eyes, wasn’t impressed. Then Shelby wrapped her arm around Caleb’s waist and rested her head against his chest in a clearly proprietary gesture. A few seconds later, the blonde surrendered.

  “Well, all right, then, if that’s how it is.”

  “Good to see you, though,” Caleb said.

  “And I just love meeting my honey’s old friends,” Shelby added, snuggling in even closer to Caleb.

  “Yes, I can see that,” Marta said, amused now. “Well, you two enjoy your day in the city. Caleb, you’ve got my number if things change.”

  “They won’t be changing,” Shelby assured her. A part of her really wished that were true.

  “Right. Well, I’ll be getting along to my lunch appointment. Still, it was good to see you, Caleb.”

  “Yeah. You, too.”

  Marta walked away and they watched her go. Caleb’s arm was still around Shelby’s shoulders as she tipped her face up to look into his eyes. “You know those boobs are fake, right?”

  He laughed and gave her a hard squeeze before letting her go. “You can trust me on this. They’re real.”

  “Hmm.” People streamed past them like a creek rushing past rocks in its way. “You know what? After all this shopping, the least I can do is buy you a late lunch. Or an early dinner.” She glanced around. “Is there a diner or a burger place around here?”

  Caleb shook his head. “I think we can do better than that.”

  * * *

  “Mr. Mackenzie,�
� the hostess at the Houston Grille said, giving him a wide smile. She had jet-black hair cut into a wedge that hugged her cheekbones. “Good to see you again.”

  “Thanks, Stella,” Caleb replied, looking into the main dining room. Windows fronting on the busy street boasted dark red awnings over them, giving the diners a nice view without being blinded by the sun. The atmosphere was muted, with weeping violins at a whispered volume pumped through speakers mounted discreetly on the walls. Tables were covered with white linen and the waitstaff moved across the floor like ballet dancers, with grace and efficiency. “Is my regular booth available?”

  “It sure is.” She picked up two menus, smiled at Shelby and then stopped when Caleb asked her to keep their shopping bags for them. Once they were stowed, Stella preceded them to a booth with a wide view of downtown Houston.

  Shelby slid across the maroon leather bench seat and Caleb followed right after. “Can we get a couple of iced teas as soon as possible?”

  Stella said, “Right away,” and moved off.

  Shelby’s eyes were wide as she took in the restaurant before turning to him. “This place is beautiful.”

  “Why are you whispering?”

  She laughed and he wondered why the sound of it should affect him as much as it did.

  “It feels like I should. Everything is so dignified and well, quiet.”

  “You’ll have to come back on a Saturday night. It’s a lot louder then.” He nodded to the waiter who brought them their drinks, then looked at Shelby again. She really was beautiful. That new dress of hers hugged her figure and highlighted everything he wanted to touch.

  “This has been a really terrific day, Caleb. Thanks for bringing me.”

  “Stop saying thank you.”

  She shrugged, took a sip of her tea and set it back down again. “If you want me to stop saying it, then you need to stop doing nice things for me.”

  A waiter came to the table then. “Are you ready, Mr. Mackenzie?”

  Turning to Shelby, he asked, “How hungry are you?”

  “Very.”

  “Okay. Trust me with the order?”

  She looked at him and those grass-green eyes fascinated him as they always did. “Sure.”

  Nodding, he looked at the waiter. “We’ll each have the strip steak, rare. Cheese potatoes and the bacon asparagus.”

  “Right away.” The waiter hurried off and Caleb looked back to Shelby.

  “Is there anything else you want to buy while we’re in the city?”

  “No,” she said, her fingers delicately tracing the prongs of the sterling silver fork in front of her. “This will do me until I get my own clothes back from the Goodmans.” She looked at him. “How much longer do you think?”

  Irritation spiked. Caleb had been raised to do the right thing. Always. To have the Goodmans treating Shelby this way, holding back her property from her, just for spite, annoyed the hell out of him. Especially since Nate was convinced that if Caleb did anything, he’d only make the situation worse.

  Caleb didn’t much care for waiting.

  “No telling, really,” he finally answered. “But Nate’s a good man and an even better sheriff. He’ll take care of this and get it all sorted out as soon as he can.”

  “That’s good,” she said.

  “I hear a but in there,” Caleb pointed out, his gaze fixed on her. The woman held his attention no matter what she was doing. And now her eyes looked anxious and the way she was chewing at her bottom lip sent tugs of heat to his groin even while he wondered what the hell she was worried about.

  She smiled. “But, I can’t just stay at your ranch forever. That’s not right. I’m nearly finished clearing out your mother’s collection and when that’s done...”

  He didn’t want her to leave. What the hell? Caleb told himself it was because he was used to having her around. But the truth was more unsettling. He simply wanted her. There. In his house. In his bed. Under him. Over him.

  He wanted Shelby Arthur like nothing else ever in his life.

  But he could hardly admit to that. “Don’t worry about it,” he said dismissively. “Stay as long as you need to. There’s plenty more in the house that could use organizing. Talk to Cam about it. In fact, have her show you the attic when you’re finished with the kitchen and great room.”

  “The attic?”

  “There are things up there dating back more than a hundred years.” This was, at least, the truth. “It’d be good to get it sorted out, with the family papers and such filed properly.”

  Her eyes gleamed and he smiled to himself. The woman was hell on wheels when it came to straightening things out. Heck, if it kept her in his house, he’d create new chaos somewhere.

  “Hey, Caleb.”

  He turned and smiled, holding out one hand to the man greeting him. Reese Curran, best horse trainer Caleb had ever seen and now married to Lucy Navarro Bradshaw. Just a few months ago, Reese had come home to Royal and it hadn’t taken long for he and Lucy to find each other again. It was good to see Lucy happy again. “Reese. Nice to see you. Lucy,” he added, with a nod to the woman standing beside the tall, lanky cowboy.

  “I’m so glad to see you,” Lucy said, then turned her gaze to Shelby and held out one hand. “You must be Shelby. Good to finally meet you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Shelby, this is Reese and Lucy Curran. They run a horse rescue operation at Paradise Farms, on the McKittrick ranch. Not far outside of town.” Caleb looked at his friend. “So what’re you two doing in the city?”

  “Shopping,” Lucy crowed, with a grin as she wrapped an arm around her husband’s waist to give him a squeeze.

  “Lot of that going around,” Caleb mused with a sly smile at Shelby. She grinned back at him and a fork of heat sliced right through him.

  “Yes, but we’re shopping for maternity clothes,” Lucy said with a delighted smile.

  “Well, congratulations.” Caleb shook Reese’s hand again, then pushed out of the booth to give Lucy a quick hug. He’d known Lucy’s family his whole life, so Lucy was like a little sister to him. He’d watched her suffer when she’d lost her first husband, the father of her boy, Brody. He’d seen her worry over her brother Jesse and her step-brother Will when they’d recently tackled some hard family issues. And he’d celebrated with her when she and Reese had found each other not too long after Jesse and Will had both found loves of their own.

  “That’s wonderful,” Shelby said as Caleb settled back into the booth.

  “It really is,” Lucy agreed. “And it’s one more reason I’m glad to meet you. Cam told me what a whiz you are at organizing things. I’d really like you to come out to the ranch and take a look at our plans for the new house Reese is building. Brody needs a big-boy space all his own and I’d love to get your opinions on what to do for the baby’s room.”

  Eyes sparkling at the idea of a new challenge, Shelby said, “I’d love to.”

  “Great.” Lucy grinned at her husband again. “As soon as you get some time, come on over to the ranch. I’m always there.”

  “Because she doesn’t trust anyone but herself to take care of the horses,” Reese said wryly.

  “Wrong, I trust you.” When he quirked an eyebrow at her, she added, “Now.”

  Their food arrived, and Reese and Lucy said their goodbyes. Once the waiter was gone, too, Caleb looked at Shelby. “See? No reason for you to think about leaving. Reese and Lucy’s place is close to mine. So looks like you’ll be busy for a while, yet.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” Satisfied, she turned to her meal and was unaware that Caleb watched her silently for a long minute, lost in his own thoughts.

  * * *

  Later that night, Caleb was restless. Maybe it was seeing Marta again. He hadn’t seen her in more than six months and truth be told he hadn’t given her another thought sinc
e the last time he’d walked out of her apartment. All they’d shared was sex. Great sex, but nothing more than that. So if he hadn’t thought about her in all this time, why would seeing her today make him feel like he was about to jump out of his skin?

  “Because it’s not Marta,” he muttered. “And it’s not seeing Reese and Lucy so damn happy and now pregnant on top of it.”

  No, it was the memory of holding Shelby. The feel of her. The smell of her. The touch of her hand at his waist and the feel of her head against his chest. They’d left Houston soon after a late lunch and the minute they got back to the ranch, Caleb had dived into work to keep his body so busy his mind wouldn’t have time to dredge up images to torture him with.

  That hadn’t worked.

  Hell, nothing had. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Shelby all evening. Caleb had even skipped dinner because he hadn’t trusted himself to sit across a table from her and not make a move. So now he was restless and hungry.

  He walked through the silent house without making a sound. Caleb didn’t bother to hit the light switches. He could have found his way around blindfolded. The kitchen was dark, as always, once Cam had cleared up and gone home. There was just moonlight sliding through the windows, casting a pale glow over everything. He noticed as he walked into the huge room that Shelby had made some headway in the kitchen, too.

  His mother had collected kitchen appliances. Antiques, new, didn’t matter. She had teapots, kettles, coffeepots, mixers and so many bowls she could have opened her own pottery shop. His mom had been like a magpie—if something shiny caught her eye, she had wanted it.

  But Caleb didn’t want to think about his mother—or Shelby. He just wanted to grab some cold fried chicken and then try to get some sleep before morning.

  He was halfway to the fridge when he heard a voice from the eating nook by the bay window. “I think I should tell you, you are not alone.”

  “Shelby.” Caleb stopped dead, glanced over his shoulder and spotted her in a slant of moonlight.