9781618850034TroubleHunter Read online

  Twisting off the bottle cap, he took a long drink, extracted his pocketknife from his front pants pocket, and proceeded to remove the bubble wrap.

  Shit! This was not belt buckles!

  He took out the contents and held it up, nearly choking. In his hand was a large hot-pink dick! Damn! Ky dropped the vibrator like a hot potato! Shit! He knew stuff like this existed, but he had never actually held one in his hand. He gingerly picked up the package again, turning it over to read the writing on the package.

  Our Personal Vibrator Will Make You Purr. The soft jelly like ears will really turn up the heat. Turn up the power and the rabbit ears provide extraordinary clitoral stimulation. The comfortable shaft moves with a circular motion and undulates to your very own body rhythms. The central portion of the mechanism contains pink pearls, which rotate to create extra stimulation. You can use all these features simultaneously, or in any combination that brings you pleasure! This vibrator is guaranteed to bring your orgasms to a new level. The insertable soft jelly shaft is 7 inches long and about 1.25 inches in diameter. Uses 3 C batteries (not included).

  Laughing, he looked again. Only 7 inches? Whoever would be using this was going to be cheated. Seven inches! Pitiful! Rising, he went and retrieved the hastily torn up box from the floor. Looking for the address, he realized UPS had been one house off. He nearly swallowed his tongue. The name was on the address label was C. Lawson. Cooper? His Cooper?

  His Cooper used a dildo? She needed him more than he thought. But this was an opportunity! He had wanted to see Cooper again and here was the perfect excuse. After all, the U. S. Mail had to be delivered; it was his civic duty as a good American. A grin crept across the handsome face of rugged cowboy, Kyler Landon. This was going to be fun.

  * * * *

  Cooper lay on the couch, a wet washcloth over her eyes. It had been worse than she expected. Still, there was no doubt throwing up, chills, and fever were a small price to pay for Ky’s safety. If a full dose of venom had entered his artery that high on his thigh, he could have died. In her case, the ante venom was probably responsible for most of her problems.

  Sleep was what she needed. Anything, to take her mind off Ky. She knew he had stayed with her most of the night, and frankly, she didn’t know what to make of that. A man had actually spent the night with her! Not that anything had happened—except some really hot dreams. She had dreamed he held her tight—full up, right against him. She dreamed he had rained kisses all over her face. God, how she had wanted him to take her lips.

  Christ! She was sweating! Dreams like the one she had last night should be illegal. Still, it was nice of him to have looked after her for a little while. She would have to come up with some way to repay him. Some way that wouldn’t crowd him. She didn’t want to make a nuisance of herself. And she would pay him back the money, in fact, as soon as she could walk straight, she was going to get her checkbook and see how much she could spare.

  When the phone rang, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Leaning off the couch, she grabbed the receiver, her heart pounding with the possibility. “Hello?”

  “Cooper? It’s Ky. How are you feeling? And tell me the truth.” His voice sent chills up her spine.

  “Better. It was rough for a little while. I threw up this morning, but I think I just need to get something in my stomach. I’m resting on the couch now.”

  “I’m so sorry, baby. Do you want me to come and fix you something to eat?” he suggested.

  “No, I can do it, but thank you. You can stop worrying about me now. I think I’ll live. I’m just really, really tired.”

  “Okay, you get some sleep. I’ll call you tomorrow, Cooper. Is that all right with you?” She knew he was asking permission for more than just a phone call.

  “Oh, Ky.” She paused then in a near whisper, she said something foolish. “I look forward to hearing from you. Goodnight.”

  * * * *

  Coming back from the dead wasn’t so hard. Especially, if you were never really dead. In reality, Richard Hawkins had needed to disappear for a while. He had trouble. The Mexican drug cartel he had been doing business with had put the screws on him. They were accusing him of cheating them out of a quarter of a million dollars.

  They were right.

  Through some fairly good sources, Richard had been informed a hit had been put out on him. So, he had conveniently perished. With the help of his running buddies, and his brother, he had arranged to be shot in a fake burglary chase. It was his best bet at taking the heat off. The pretend gun battle ended with him in the river and the boat exploding. His body had not been found.

  Mainly, because he was still using it.

  So, a cat and mouse game had ensued between him and the Mexicans. They wanted evidence of his death; they weren’t so easily fooled. Earlier today, when he called Steve, he learned there might be others involved. His brother informed him some damn Texas Ranger was snooping around and to top it off, there was talk of the Arabs and the Israelis getting their fingers in the pie. If he didn’t get a handle on this soon, he was going to be boxed in like a Betty Crocker cake mix.

  Since, he had been forced to run; he decided to hide his record book. He had a bad habit of meticulously writing everything down. Every deal, every dealer, even every time he had slapped his wife. It was a scorebook. Like a fool, he had hidden it in Cooper’s box of family papers. He knew she had the box with her, she never went anywhere without it. Inside of her stupid box were useless items; pictures, her granddad’s army records, crap like that.

  Without a doubt, she had brought it with her to this tiny, East Texas sawmill town. She thought she had gotten away, that she was well hidden. Funny thing was, it wasn’t him she was hiding from. After all, he was dead. Richard knew Cooper was hiding from his brother. Steve had always coveted Richard’s wife. Of course, his brother wanted her for an entirely different reason than he did.

  Regardless, he needed the book. He had gotten into the house twice so far, but the damn book wasn’t where he thought it would be. In the moonlight, he had stood by her bed and watched her sleep. It was all he could do to refrain from waking her with an upper cut to that chubby little jaw of hers.

  Her hair was longer and he could have wound it twice around his fist, drug her out of the bed, and reminded her just what she was good for. Lord, he missed his wife. It had always felt so good to hurt her.

  And he would hurt her, at least one more time. Maybe for the last time. After all, she knew more than she realized.

  First, he needed that damn book. And he intended to get it—one way or the other.

  * * * *

  The East Texas No-Kill Animal Shelter was Ky’s baby. One of forty humane centers in Texas, it was committed to finding homes for their dogs and cats, instead of euthanizing them. He had worked tirelessly until ensuring its continued success with sound investments and committed philanthropy.

  Making his way to the canine enclosure, Ky was greeted by a chorus of barks, woofs and general good cheer. Feeding time was certainly popular with the current inhabitants. At present, there were eleven dogs. Seven of them were pups and would be easy to place, but five of them were grown and there weren’t many people who could be talked into adopting a fully-grown dog. Ky’s heart went out to them. He loved animals.

  “Easy, guys. There’s plenty for everybody.” He handled the fifty-pound bag deftly, filling the big containers with dry dog food. Checking the water bowls, he noticed the Bassett hound was still hanging back. “Come on, boy. Come see Ky.” Kneeling down, he held out his hand to the cowering dog. “I’m not going to hurt you. Nobody is going to hurt you ever again. I promise.” It was impossible to know the details, but somebody had obviously abused this animal. Ky hated cowards that took advantage of helpless animals, little kids, or women.

  The dog slowly came forward, and Ky rewarded his courage with a gentle hand and an extra treat he had hidden in his pocket. Picking the sixty-pound dog up, he carried him over to the nearest bowl and sat him dow
n, joining him there until the dog felt comfortable enough to begin to feed. “We’re going to find you a good home. There’s somebody out there who is going to love you.”

  He stood a few more minutes and checked everybody out. When he was sure nobody was being overly hoggish, he headed to the cathouse. The cathouse. He always liked to say that, it made him laugh. Opening the door to the enclosed area, he was met by a bevy of purring and meowing felines. Not many men liked cats, but he did. He might as well. This was as close as he had come to petting a pussy in quite a while. Gutter! Get your mind out of the gutter, Kyler, he cautioned himself with a grin. Besides, things were looking up. He had met Cooper.

  One determined little orange tomcat climbed Ky’s leg like a tree. “Hey there, little monkey.” Picking up the small cat, Ky cuddled him close. “Do you want some attention?” A purr like a diesel engine erupted from the wee creature as the big man stroked his soft fur.

  From outside, he heard the unmistakable noise of an approaching vehicle. The crunch of the rocks announced it had stopped in front of the main office building. “You get down, now. Maybe someone has come to take one of you guys home.” Hastily, he fed the cats, secured the door, and put away the supplies. It was still an hour and a half before Marcia came to relieve him. Thank the Lord for willing volunteers!

  Entering the office from the back, he was momentarily frozen in place by the sight of the woman who stood before him. “Hello, sweetheart.” The sweet talk just came out—he couldn’t seem to hold it back. Not with her. “Cooper, I’m so glad to see you.” He wanted to go to her, welcome her with a kiss, but he held back.

  She looked as shocked as he did. “Ky, what a surprise! I didn’t know you would be here. I’m not following you, I promise.” She blushed! God, she blushed. He didn’t know women could blush anymore.

  “I don’t care what your reason is. I’m just glad you’re here.” God, he let his gaze slide down her body. Damn! She was absolutely stunning. She wasn’t so covered up, today. A little pink camisole showcased round, full, high breasts and a small waist. While soft, worn blue jeans showed off a curvy bottom he wanted to grab onto and knead as he pulled her up close to him. By God, he was totally smitten. “Have you come to take a lonely guy home with you?” Like Me?

  “Yes, I’ve come to adopt.” The voice that came out of her mouth was low and sexy, yet as gentle as a soft, spring rain.

  Ky held out his hand. “Come with me. I’ll show you around.” She placed her hand within his and he almost shivered with the realization of how right it felt. Before he could stop himself, he let his thumb draw a sensual circle in her palm.

  A lump came in his throat when he noticed her hand trembled within his. She tugged it free and he reluctantly relinquished his hold on her. “Do you work here?”

  “I volunteer here a couple of days a week.” He was trying desperately to think of something safe to say that might put her at ease, when suddenly, he remembered something. Her package! She didn’t know he was in possession of her jackrabbit vibrator. Ky thought his dick was going to jump out of his pants! Within seconds, he was big and hard, and when he glanced over at her, he caught her looking at his groin. As she stared, that delicate pink tongue of hers made a lazy circle around her lips. Ky knew then; she was as affected by him as he was by her. Glory Hallelujah!

  Chapter Three

  Relieved to know Cooper was not immune to his charms, he chuckled. “I think a package of yours was delivered to my house by mistake.” She looked up, and the grin on his face let her know that he had caught her looking at his swollen manhood. What she couldn’t figure out was—why was he was aroused? He couldn’t be attracted to her…could he? He must be huge!

  Richard had been so small. For such a big man, he had a tiny penis and his testicles had shrunk up like small marbles. Richard had cooked his manhood to death with ’roids. However, Ky was another story. He was hung! Thank God there was no law against looking! Heat shot up her body, making her face flame with discomfort.

  Ky’s statement about the package he had received went in one of Coop’s ears and out the other. She had heard the word package, but the only package she could find herself concerned about was his.

  She couldn’t get over how big he was! Not just the bulge in his pants, Ky was big all over. Yet, he didn’t strike that familiar fear in her the way most big men did. Richard had been big and mean. This man was massive, but he was not scary. And he was beautiful. Really, he took her breath away. Cooper wished to high heaven she was the kind of woman a man like this could find attractive.

  But she wasn’t.

  She had learned that the hard way. If Richard had told her once, he had told her a thousand times. She could still hear his taunting voice. The sight of your naked body turns my stomach! You look like a huge beached whale! Cover yourself up—you are disgusting! Fat cow! Why don’t you try to lose some weight? Let’s see if I can’t beat some of that fat off you!

  She had tried to lose weight. Not to please Richard, she couldn’t have cared less if she was physically attractive to her husband or not. She tried to lose the weight so he would stop hitting her. But no matter how long she went without food, her hips were always the same size. Her hipbones were wide set; Cooper could feel the bones through her skin. It was just the way she was made.

  Trying to regain focus, Cooper realized she hadn’t heard his last statement. Attempting to get back on track, she informed him, “I would like to adopt a dog, please, and perhaps, a couple of cats.”

  * * * *

  “I think I can fix you up. Follow me.” He was surprised she hadn’t reacted when he told her about the delivery he had received by mistake. Most women would have made a joke about it, or ran for cover. Strange. She had acted as if it was no big deal. Intriguing. Well, at least he had another excuse to see her. And he intended to see her. There was no doubt about that.

  Holding the door for her, he took pleasure in watching her move. Closing his eyes, he inhaled her scent. It was something dusky, yet still fresh, clean. It reminded him of an ocean breeze on a moonlit night. Where had his peaches gone? It must have been a shampoo, or something. It didn’t matter, he liked them both. He loved everything about Cooper Lawson.

  Ducking her head as she drew near, he was amused how carefully she went past him. Even though their bodies were close, she took great pains to ensure she did not brush up against him. Fine. There was time for that later. “We didn’t get to talk very much yesterday. So, tell me how long you’ve lived in Redlandss?” He knew he had seen her car for the first time over two months ago.

  “About three months. I moved up from the Golden Triangle area, a small town in JeffersonCounty. Before that, I came from West Texas, Riverbend. Didn’t I tell you that, already?”

  “Yeah, you told me that much, but I want to know everything about you, Cooper.”

  “My memory of our time together the other night is really hazy. I’m having a hard time distinguishing between what really happened and what I dreamed. And I had some crazy dreams that night—it must have been the anti-venom.”

  “I loved taking care of you, Cooper. But, there’s some things I really need to know.” Jumping right in, Ky started gathering information. Important stuff first. Yesterday, she had said she was alone, and he knew she wore no ring, but he wanted to hear that she belonged to no one else. And he wanted to hear it from her lips.

  “Don’t break my heart, baby. Tell me you’re single.” Letting her step ahead, he guided her toward the barking dogs. As he usually did with women, Ky placed a hand on the small of her back. It served two purposes, head her in the right direction, and get her used to his touch. He had spent a lot of time touching her already, but she hadn’t been aware of most of it. Or she was attributing it to a dream. That would never do. To his consternation, Cooper sidestepped and avoided the possessive gesture. It hadn’t been twenty-four hours since he held her in his arms and kissed her, not on the lips—not yet—but he had kissed her. Today, she was trying to pu
t distance between them. Damn!

  “I was married, now I’m a widow. My husband,” she paused, almost choking on the word, “died in the line of duty. He was a countySheriff.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Ky really was, for her and for himself. “How long ago?”

  “Almost two years. I’ve been moving around quite a bit, since then. Hopefully, I’ll get to stay here for a while—if things work out.” Yeah, if she could stay under the radar and out of Steve’s heinous clutches “That’s why I’m ready for a pet.” Her answer was short and to the point, letting him know the subject was closed.

  The welcoming committee made entering the dog pen a challenge. Intrigued, Ky watched her expression change from guarded to overjoyed. Before he could stop the dog, Samson charged. The Great Dane was hungry for attention and here was a new friend. Rearing up on Cooper, he firmly planted both big front paws on her shoulders and pushed. He stood at least three inches taller than her head and the force he unexpectedly applied, knocked Cooper backwards into Ky’s waiting arms. He grinned, laughing to himself. I always knew that dogs were man’s best friend. There was contact from her shoulders nestled against his chest to her hot bottom pressed deliciously into his groin. There was no way he could hide his interest in her, it was as plain as the nose on his face.

  But miss it she did, in fact, Cooper wasted no time, before she hastily stepped out of his embrace, almost stumbling in the process. “Forgive me, Ky. I didn’t intend to barrel into you like that. I’m so sorry. I meant nothing by it, I swear.”

  Ky was confused. Her reaction was way out of proportion to the casual contact. She seemed almost panicky. Something was not right. Soon, he would get answers. Soon, he promised himself. “It’s all right, babe. No harm done. You never have to apologize for touching me.” She made no further comment, seeming to just wish for the moment to pass.