A Randall Returns (4 page)

“Wait. I’m coming with you.”

“Why?”

“Because they have two little girls. I have to make sure they’re all right.”

“Okay. Get changed.”

She hurried into her office and changed into a pair of clean scrubs, then grabbed her coat.

Mike was hanging up the phone when she returned. Without a word, he led the way outside to his SUV. “One of my deputies will meet us there.”

On the short drive, he asked, “This is the woman that made you ask a question about wife-beaters, isn’t it?”

Caroline nodded, fighting to hold back tears.

Outside the Long house the deputy was waiting in his car. He got out when he saw the sheriff do so, and Caroline joined them. Mike knocked on the door after telling her to hang back until they’d determined what was going on. “Sheriff! Open up!” he yelled.

At first, there was no response. Then they heard movement. Finally the door swung open and Tracey’s husband, obviously drunk, glared at them. “What’s a’ matter?”

“Jerry Long, you’re under arrest for assaulting your wife and causing the death of your unborn child.” Mike didn’t wait for his response. He whirled him around and had him cuffed before Jerry could rise out of his drunken stupor.

As soon as the cuffs were on, Caroline pushed past the men and hurried into the house. She found both children asleep in their beds, unharmed and unaware of what had happened.

She woke them up gently, telling them that their mommy was sick and in the hospital, and they were going to spend the night at Caroline’s house. She told them to put on their coats over their nightgowns, and gathered up clothes for the morning.

Mike appeared at the bedroom door. “I’ve sent—the deputy is taking care of the other issue,” he said cryptically so as not to alert the children. “Where are you taking them?”

“To my house. I have a guest room.”

“Okay. I’ll drive you three there.” He knelt and tied Jenny’s tennis shoes for her. “Hi, I’m Mike. What’s your name?”

“Jenny,” the child said, shying away from him.

“Mike is the sheriff,” Caroline said. “He keeps us safe.”

Mike introduced himself to Beth. Then he offered to carry them to his car. Much to Caroline’s surprise, both girls allowed him to lift them in his arms.

“I can carry one of them,” she said.

“Your job is to open doors for us, right, girls?” he said with a smile.

Beth agreed, while Jenny giggled and clung to his neck. Caroline nodded and proceeded to do her duty.

When they reached her house, Mike carried the girls again, following Caroline inside.

“I’ll make some cocoa for all of us, so the girls can get back to sleep,” Caroline said.

She got busy in the kitchen while Mike took the children into the living room. While they drank their cocoa, Mike told them stories about a dog named Chipper. Both girls suddenly wanted a dog.

Then he carried them to the big bed in Caroline’s guest room, where Caroline tucked them in and kissed them good night.

They stepped out of the room and Caroline gestured to the living area. After they sat down, she said, “You were very good with the children. Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“Can we make the charges stick?” she asked, cutting to her main concern.

“Depends. I’ll call Nick Randall in the morning. Once Jerry sobers up and makes bail, I don’t know about keeping him behind bars.”

“This isn’t the first time he’s hit her. But she said it’s usually only on Friday night. I guess she told him about the baby, and that might have set him off. But when did he have time to get drunk?”

“I’ll investigate tomorrow,” Mike promised.

“I wish I’d told you earlier today.”

“I understand that you couldn’t betray a patient’s trust.”

“But the baby—” She broke off, realizing she was losing control.

Mike left his seat and stepped forward, bending down to wrap his arms around her. “I know, honey, but you did what you could.”

“It wasn’t enough!” she complained as tears flowed from her eyes.

“It never is,” he said sadly. “But we can’t control the world. We just have to do what we can to pick up the pieces.”

He rocked her against him, dropping several kisses on her brow. She looked up and his lips covered hers, as they had last night, but this time, in her weakened emotional state, her response was more intense. As if of their own accord her arms wrapped around his neck, and she pressed her breasts against him.

Mike deepened the kiss. His embrace made her feel weak and protected, almost loved. Of course, it was an illusion, she reminded herself, even as she welcomed their closeness. Tonight had shaken her badly. When she wanted a baby more than anything, to see one thrown away, as Jerry Long had done, was tragic. She sought solace in his kiss.

She found so much more.

Mike’s lips left hers and trailed a hot path across her jaw and down her neck to the pulse point that pounded due to her suddenly rapid heartbeat. He feasted on her sensitive flesh, and she felt herself come alive. All over, her body seemed to sing out for his touch, for his wet kisses.

Mike took her lips again, hard and demanding. His tongue plundered her mouth, urging a response. And Caroline answered him.

Then, without warning, he pulled away. “Caroline, we can’t do this.”

She felt bereft, and longed to draw him close again. “Mike,” she said on a ragged breath, “what’s wrong?”

For a few seconds he said nothing, then finally murmured, “I can’t keep kissing you. It’s not enough for me.” His hazel eyes met her blue ones. “And I can’t lose control. Not with you. I know you don’t want more than this.”

Even as she shook her head, her heart was screaming,
Yes!
She wanted more than this, all right. She wanted all of Mike Davis. But she couldn’t tell him. Instead, she dropped her arms at her sides and said, “I’m sorry, Mike. It’s just that I was so upset…”

He seemed to gather himself right before her eyes. “Well, then,” he said after he cleared his throat and put on his hat, “I’ll go back to the office and make sure everything’s set there. You’ll be all right with the girls?”

“Yes. I’ll be fine. They’ll sleep until morning, I’m sure. And I don’t work tomorrow. Jon is on call.”

“Good. I’ll check with you in the morning.”

She followed him to the door—to lock it, of course, after his departure, she told herself. But when he bent his head and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, she didn’t back away. Then he straightened and said, “Lock up.” Touching her cheek, he strode out the door and stood there looking at her.

It took her a minute to realize he was waiting for her to follow his order. She tried to give a brisk nod, but she wasn’t sure she could pull it off. Instead she shut the door, turned the lock. He softly called good-night through the door and she heard his footsteps fading away.

She was alone.

Mike’s first thought the next morning was of Caroline…and the girls. He was the only one on duty, so the other men could attend church. When one of them came in at noon, he’d be free to check on his favorite doctor.

He shook his head at the thought. He couldn’t go to her. Not with his intentions. Caroline Randall was out of his league and he’d best remember it. Not only was she a doctor, but she was also one of the wealthy Randalls. While Rawhide paid a good sheriff’s salary, he supposed because so many wealthy ranchers contributed to it, it would never match Caroline’s resources.

He’d sat up all night, thinking of her, reliving their kiss, planning the next time they could be alone together. Around dawn, he’d come to his senses.

He was successful, all right, and proud of what he’d made of himself, of his life. As proud of what he’d become as what he’d overcome. Raised by a single mother after his father died when he was a young boy, he’d worked hard for whatever he’d gained. Thank God for Uncle Bill, he thought. The man had helped out whenever he could. But it had been the promise of a
secure job and a steady paycheck—not to mention the self-esteem—that had lured Mike to the army a couple of years after high school. After having been an M.P., he’d considered the jump to the police force a natural one after the military.

Throughout his life, no one had ever handed anything to Mike Davis. Not even his job. He’d worked to distinguish himself in the Chicago PD, to build an untarnished record of service that made him a viable choice to succeed Bill as sheriff of Rawhide.

It was that same tenaciousness and righteousness that forced him to see how wrong he was for Caroline Randall. How they could never have anything but a secret dalliance. And wasn’t it she who’d said nothing was ever secret in this town?

No, he’d just have to stay away from her—socially, anyway.

He’d check on her and the children because he’d said he would. But that was it. Doing his duty. That was all he’d do.

The phone rang. “Sheriff’s Office,” he said briskly, trying to erase his thoughts about Caroline.

“Mike? Is that you?”

Mike recognized the voice. “Yes, Mr. Randall. How may I help you?”

“You the only one on duty?”

“Yes, sir. I can call in some men if I need to.”

“No, not necessary. Are you being relieved at noon?”

Mike was becoming a little irritated because Jake Randall hadn’t yet told him what was wrong. “Yes, Mr. Randall. But if you’ll tell me the problem—”

“Sorry, son, I didn’t mean to mislead you. There’s no problem. We just wanted to ask you to join us for Sunday dinner about one o’clock.”

Mike was pleased to be welcomed so warmly into the community, but Caroline wouldn’t be happy about this invitation. “Uh, Mr. Randall, that’s very nice of you, but I don’t want to put anyone to any trouble.”

“No trouble, boy. But you can do me a favor. I was going to go by and pick up Caroline. Could you bring her for me? She’ll show you where to go.”

“Of course I will, if that’s what she wants. But she has two children with her. Will it be okay if they come?”

“Children? Whose children?”

“One of her patients. Tracey Long. I believe she and Caroline went to high school together.”

“I’ll call Caro. But if you don’t hear from me, pick up her and the kids at twelve-thirty, and we’ll all dine together.”

“Yes, sir.” Mike hung up the phone, wondering what Caroline’s reaction would be.

Probably he shouldn’t have accepted the invitation, because he suspected it would upset her, but he needed to get to know the people he served. Besides, his uncle had had a special relationship with the Randalls.

If Mike kept his hands off Caroline, maybe she wouldn’t object to his presence. She hadn’t objected last night, his inner voice reminded him. And it was true. Until he’d cautioned her about continuing.

“Big mouth!” he muttered to himself. Then she’d immediately shown him the door. It had been cold
outside, but no colder than his heart as he’d heard her reject him.

“That’s because you have no business starting anything with Caroline Randall. And Jake Randall will be the first one to tell you that.”

Mike piddled with some paperwork, sure Caroline would call and tell him she didn’t need him to pick her up. The phone rang three times, and each time he expected to hear her sexy voice. Instead, he turned down two invitations to Sunday dinner, one from a rancher and his family on the outskirts of town, and another from a widow down the street.

“I appreciate the invite, Mrs. Dunster, but I’ve already accepted an invitation. It’s thoughtful of you to offer, though.”

“I bet it was from those Randalls! They not only gobble up all the land, but they also trap all the single men for their girls! It’s not fair.”

“I think they’re just being neighborly, ma’am.”

“Humph! We’ll see.”

When Mike hung up the phone, he laughed. The widow didn’t seem to realize any of the Randall women could manage to find suitors on their own. They were all very attractive, not to mention they had a lot of money.

When twelve o’clock arrived and one of the deputies came in to relieve him, Mike told him where he could be found in case of an emergency.

“Hey! You’d better watch out. You’ll be married before you know it. The Randalls like to matchmake.”

“And that’s a problem?” Mike asked with a grin. “I haven’t seen any ugly Randalls.”

The deputy nodded, grinning in turn. “Good point, but just remember you said you didn’t intend to marry.”

“I will.”

Mike hurried upstairs to the apartment the town provided over the jail. He washed up and added a corduroy jacket to his jeans and shirt to keep the chill out, then pulled on his sheepskin coat.

Climbing into his SUV, he drove the short distance to Caroline’s house.

He knocked on the door, eager to see her.

But when she opened the door, her first words weren’t welcoming. “Dad said you’d be here at twelve-thirty!” she snapped, purposely looking at her watch.

“I came early because I thought you’d want to visit your patient before we went to the ranch. I didn’t think the girls should—I thought they might be bored.”

He’d changed his statement because he’d caught sight of two little faces watching him. “Hi, girls! Did you sleep good?”

“Yeah, and Caroline made us pancakes for breakfast,” Beth said adoringly.

“Did she? Wonderful. Did you save me some?”

Jenny didn’t realize he was teasing. “Oh, no! Are you hungry?”

He swung her up into his arms. “No, sweetheart, I’ve already had breakfast.” Then he looked at Caroline. “Are you going to go check on your patient?”

“Yes, thank you. Girls, I’ll be right back.”

When she’d left, he gathered both girls on the sofa for another Chipper story.

Before he could begin, Beth said, “Caroline’s going
to see Mommy. She’s her patient. Do you think Mommy will be all right?”

Mike gave her a rueful smile. “I’m sure she will be. Dr. Caroline is a good doctor. You’re feeling better, aren’t you?”

“Yes. She gave us medicine,” Beth assured him.

“And orange juice,” Jenny added.

“See, I told you she was a good doctor. Now, did I tell you about when Chipper ran away from home?”

He had their attention for the next twenty minutes.

Caroline came in just as he ended the story. Both girls jumped down from the sofa and ran to her. “How’s Mommy?” Beth asked. Jenny didn’t speak, but her wide-eyed gaze was fixed on Caroline’s face.

Caroline shot him a questioning look and he shrugged his shoulders. Then she looked at the girls. “Mommy is doing much better. After school tomorrow you can visit with her.”

Both children were excited about that. Caroline told them to go put on their shoes and they would all go to lunch at her family’s house.

Jenny immediately brought her shoes to Mike. He helped her, so she beat her sister in the race to get ready. Beth complained, but Caroline assured her it didn’t matter.

Mike and Caroline each took a child and strapped her in the back seat. As Caroline slid into the front and attached her own seat belt, she said, “I’m sorry you got roped in by my father.”

Mike raised his eyebrows. “Roped in? I thought I was accepting an invitation to lunch.”

“Don’t be naive, Mike. Besides, you probably would’ve received a number of invitations instead of providing taxi service for us.”

“I did receive some invitations. Mrs. Dunster, in fact, seemed particularly put out that I was already engaged.”

“Margie Dunster? She’s got to be fifty, way too old for you.”

“Thanks for the warning.”

“I shouldn’t have said anything. Actually, she may have been wanting to meet you because she was a…a particular friend of Sheriff Metzger.”

Mike was a little surprised by Caroline’s implication, but he only nodded.

“Turn here,” she said abruptly, pointing to a gravel road that led off the county road. He did so, but there was no sign of buildings.

“How far?” he asked.

“Just a couple of miles.”

He checked on his passengers in the back seat. “Are you two okay back there?”

“Yes, Mike,” Beth called. Jenny smiled.

Mike smiled in return. They were sweet girls.

Lowering her voice, Caroline said, “I think Tracey is going to take them to Denver permanently. She can find work there and her mother will help take care of the girls.”

“That’s a good idea. Rawhide is too small for people to avoid each other all the time.”

Before Caroline could answer, they topped a hill and he saw all the buildings on the Randall ranch. “Quite a layout. How many people live here?”

“The four original brothers and their wives, my brother Josh, my half brother, Toby, and his wife, Elizabeth. Jim and his new wife, Patience, and her mother. Red and Mildred, and all the single cousins. And that doesn’t include the hands. They have eight cowboys in the winter, but they hire more in the spring. Sometimes the rest of the family comes for Sunday dinner.”

“The rest of the family?”

“Well, you know Jon and Tori. There’s my cousin Russ and his wife and little girl. He’s Tori’s partner in the accounting and investment firm. And Russ’s brother Rich, and Sam, his wife, and their little boy, plus she’s expecting a baby after Christmas. Griff and Camille have their own place. He’s Dad’s cousin. They have two kids, but they’re about grown. And there are cousins Nick and Gabe and their families.”

Mike wouldn’t be able to keep any of them straight. “I didn’t think people had families that big anymore. At least in one town.”

Caroline shrugged. “I never thought about that, but then, I’m so used to the crowd. What about your family? All Dad said was that you’re alone here in Rawhide.”

He nodded. “I have two sisters, but I left them behind in Chicago. My mother and her second husband live in Florida. So I guess, yes, I’m alone.” It really never seemed to bother him; he had his work and he was committed to the people of Rawhide.

“What about your father?” she asked.

“He died when I was young.”

“I’m sorry. Anyway, for today, you can share my family. There’s enough to go around.”

“Thanks. But I do have one question—how big is your table? It would have to be huge to fit everybody.”

She smiled. “Usually they feed the children before the adults. They’ll probably make all the single cousins eat with the babies today.”

“You and me? We’re single.”

“Yes, we are, but you’re a guest. You’ll eat with the adults. But don’t worry. They’ll have enough food. Red always cooks plenty.”

Mike grinned. “You had me worrying there.”

“No need to worry,” Caroline assured him. “You’ll be in good hands.”

C
AROLINE HOPED HER FATHER
was punishing her for her rudeness to Mike. If that wasn’t his purpose, she suspected he was playing another game at which he excelled: Matchmaking. But she hoped she was wrong.

They were warmly welcomed when they arrived. Jake met Mike at the door, shaking his hand and then escorting him around, introducing him to the numerous Randalls.

Caroline tried to keep an eye on her father, but she was helping Beth and Jenny to relax and enjoy themselves.

“These little girls are darling,” B.J. said.

“Yes, they are. I think they’ll be moving to Denver this week, but they don’t know that yet.”

“How is their mother?”

“Tracey’s improving, but she’s going to need some
time before she can do much. I think her parents are coming tomorrow.” Caroline watched as her father put a hand on Mike’s shoulder.

Her sister-in-law, Elizabeth, approached. “This is good for Davy.”

Caroline looked around for her four-year-old nephew. “What is?” she asked.

“Not being the oldest of the children. Beth is twice his age and the other children look at her as the leader. He was pouting at being supplanted, but I pulled him aside to try to improve his attitude,” she added with a laugh.

“I hope their visiting doesn’t cause any problems,” Caroline said, distracted by her father’s laugh rising above the buzz of conversation.

“No, it won’t.”

“Oh, Mom,” Caroline called as her mother started to move away.

“Yes, dear?”

“I’ll eat with the children, so Beth and Jenny will be comfortable.”

“No, dear. That’s not necessary. We’ve got everything organized. And after they eat, we have a new Disney movie for them to watch. You’ll be eating in the dining room.” With that final pronouncement her mother walked away.

Caroline looked at Elizabeth. “Are they matchmaking?”

“You know it,” her sister-in-law said with a smile. “But they’re giving you a choice.”

“A choice? What do you mean?”

Elizabeth leaned closer. “They invited the new accountant Tori and Russ hired recently.”

“But I thought he was young, just out of school for a year.”

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. “I guess they don’t mind if you rob the cradle. Or there’s the sheriff. He’s sexy, isn’t he?”

“Elizabeth! What would Toby say if he heard you?”

The other woman smiled. “Nothing. He knows I don’t have any complaints.”

“You’re still happy?” Caroline asked softly. In addition to being married to her half brother, Toby, Elizabeth was her closest cousin, Uncle Chad and Aunt Megan’s daughter. The sister she’d never had.