“Not many men can handle the demands of a doctor’s life—except maybe another doctor.”

“Or a cop,” Carrie said.

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation,” Kelly replied. “Trust me, there is absolutely no chance of a relationship between Cole and me. None. Zip. Nada.”

Carrie grinned. “But you have to admit he’s a hunk.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Li-ar,” Carrie singsonged.

Kelly only smiled, and they parted company.

Oh, she’d noticed that Cole Younger Outlaw was a hunk. Every female hormone in her body was on red alert. She glanced toward him and found him watching her.

He winked.

Good Lord, could he read her mind?

Dear Reader,

This is the last of three stories about the Outlaw brothers, The Sheriff, The Judge and now The Cop, all from a family traditionally named for famous outlaws and all in law enforcement and public service. When I was creating Cole Younger Outlaw’s story, I first considered setting it in Houston—logical, since the oldest son had been in HPD homicide for many years—but the colorful characters in the small town of Naconiche (NAK-uh-KNEE-chee) had grown on me. To prove that good things can come of terrible incidents, I brought Cole back to his hometown to recuperate from his serious injury…and to find a whole new life in the place of his roots.

Now, there’s no real town named Naconiche—and, no, it’s not patterned after Nacogdoches, the historical small town where I lived for many years—but there is a Naconiche Creek in East Texas, and I liked the sound of the Indian word. The Outlaws’ hometown is a composite of many places in the heart of the Piney Woods where my ancestors lived when Texas was still a republic.

Naconiche and the Twilight Inn seem to be magical places, and with one gorgeous redhead thrown into the mix, the cynical and battle-scarred cop is about to be turned every which way but loose. I had fun writing about the sassy Dr. Kelly Martin and the tough Cole Outlaw, and I can promise that you’re in for lots of love and laughter! Join me and see if I’m not right.

Visit me at www.eclectics.com/JanHudson.

Jan Hudson

The Cop

Jan Hudson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

For Karen Solem, Agent Extraordinaire

And with special thanks to Sherry Wallace,

Hospice of Deep East Texas

and Greg Sowell,

Nacogdoches Police Department

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Epilogue

Chapter One

“Pull off your pants and lie down,” she repeated.

Cole Younger Outlaw turned from the bedroom window, and his eyes swept her with a slow, clothes-stripping scrutiny that sucked the air from her lungs. One corner of his mouth twitched upward. “Tell you what, Red,” he said in a low rumble that sent an acre of goose bumps racing over her skin. “I’ll pull off my pants if you’ll pull off yours.”

For a nanosecond she actually considered taking him up on the offer. He was without a doubt the most…phenomenal man she’d ever encountered. Even in ragged sweats and with several days’ growth of dark beard, sex appeal oozed from his pores and wafted across the room like nitrous oxide. Hard. Dangerous. Survival instincts would have sent a lesser woman screaming from the room, which, she was sure, was what he intended.

She was made of sterner stuff.

“That’s not an option, Mr. Outlaw. And please don’t call me Red. My name is Kelly Martin. Dr. Kelly Martin.”

His dark brows lifted a tad, and he gave her another slow perusal. “You sure don’t look like any doctor I’ve seen lately.” He flashed a full-fledged grin, and her knees almost buckled. “The offer still holds.”

“Look, Mr. Outlaw—”

“Call me Cole, darlin’.”

She ignored the “darlin”’ part. “Look, Cole, I have an office full of patients waiting, and I don’t have time for games. Dr. Ware is in surgery all day, and I’m here as a favor to your mother. She and your dad are worried sick about you, and so are your brothers. You’ve holed up in this room and refused to go to physical therapy. You won’t cooperate with anybody who’s trying to help you. You haven’t—”

“Put a sock in it, Red.” He scowled and turned back to the window which was festooned with a bright holiday swag.

Kelly was torn between clobbering him with her medical bag and stalking from the room. Instead she tossed the bag and her jacket on the bed and walked closer to him. “Exactly what is your problem?”

“My problem?” He glared at her with storm-cloud gray eyes. “Besides losing a chunk of lung, getting my hip and leg shot all to hell and being a cripple the rest of my life, you mean?”

She waited only two beats before she shot him a cheeky grin. “Yeah, besides that, flatfoot.”

He ducked his head, but not before Kelly saw a hint of a smile. When he looked up a few seconds later, he was scowling again. “I’m not a flatfoot. I’m a cop. Was a cop.”

“You can be a cop again—if you’ll go to therapy.”

“Sorry, Red, it won’t wash. There’s no way in hell I can work homicide again, and I’m not cut out for being a desk jockey. You got a cigarette on you?”

Kelly patted all her pockets. “Nope. Fresh out.” She fished a small sucker from her purple lab coat. “This is the best I can do.” When he reached for it, she popped it back into her pocket. “The examination comes first. Take off your pants.”

“Don’t try to play games with me, Red,” he growled. “I eat little gals like you for lunch.”

Kelly burst into laughter. His scowl only deepened. “Try it,” she said, then deepened her voice to add in her best Dirty Harry imitation, “Make…my…day.”

She thought the corner of his mouth twitched upward again, but she couldn’t be sure because he suddenly hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his faded sweats and stripped them off. Next the shirt landed on the floor beside the pants, and he turned to her. “Examine away.”

Her woman’s breath caught for less than a heartbeat before the physician kicked in. “I see the incisions seem to be healing nicely. Let me get my gear.” She retrieved her bag from the bed and took out her stethoscope. Automatically she held the diaphragm in her fist and blew on the metal, warming it before she placed it on his chest. “Take a deep breath.”

After listening to his heart and lungs, she carefully checked the surgical sites and damage to his chest and back. The scar from the exit wound was more vicious than the one from the surgeon’s scalpel. She knew that things had been touch-and-go with him for several days after he was shot and that he had spent weeks in a Houston hospital before his folks had brought him back home with them to finish recuperating. Naconiche was a small town, and everybody had known about his gun battle with a murder suspect. Too, she shared an office suite with Noah Ware, the surgeon who was Cole’s local doctor.

When the time came to check his left hip and leg, Kelly pulled up a nearby straight chair and sat down to examine the places.

“Ugly looking mess, isn’t it?” Cole asked.

“I’ve seen much worse. I worked in Ben Taub ER in Houston for a year. I saw more gunshot wounds than most doctors see in a lifetime. Bet this hurt like a son of a gun,” she said as she gently probed the sites, which were now patched with pins. Kelly asked him to move and bend, then walk a few steps.

He had to use his walker and limped badly.

“Your injuries are healing properly, but it’s imperative that you go to physical therapy daily,” Kelly said. “I can’t find any reason to contraindicate PT, and it will do wonders for your recovery.”

“Sure you haven’t got a cigarette?”

She took a patch from her bag, peeled off the back and slapped it on his right hip.

“What’s that?”

“A nicotine patch. I’ll have the drugstore deliver some more. You’re not to smoke a cigarette under any circumstance, and don’t pester your folks to buy any for you.” She retrieved the sugar-free lollipop from her pocket. “Suck on this. It’ll help some.”

He scowled at the smiley face on the plastic-wrapped candy. “Like hell it will.”

She glanced at her watch. “Okay, hardcase, I have to get back to my office, and you need to keep your PT appointment at the hospital.”

“No.”

“No? For goodness’ sakes, why not?”

He glared at her for several seconds, but she didn’t so much as blink. Finally he turned away and mumbled something.

“Say again.”

“I said I can’t get down the damned stairs, and I’m not going to have my brothers carry me down like a baby.”

Pride. Big time. She nodded. “I understand.”

“I should have never given in to my folks and come here. I should have stayed in Houston. Mama’s hovering is driving me nuts.”

And his recalcitrance was driving his mother nuts. She nodded again. “I’ll work on a solution, Cole. You can get dressed now.”

He glanced down at his nakedness. “Bother you, Red?”

“Nope. But you might look a little better if you’d shave.” With that perfect exit line, she turned and walked from the room.

“Red,” he called after her.

She stopped at the door.

“Forget something?”

Kelly turned and saw Cole standing there, still naked, with her medical bag dangling from his fingers.

She stalked back, grabbed her bag and hurried out. His laughter followed her as she clattered down the stairs.

Miss Nonie, Cole’s mother, waited for her at the foot of the stairs that ended in the back of the Double Dip ice-cream parlor. Nonie and Wes Outlaw lived in the apartment upstairs from the business that Nonie had run since she retired from teaching and Wes retired as sheriff of the East Texas county. Two or three years before, the couple had divided their extensive ranch property among their five children, leaving their big house to their son Frank and his twins, and moved into town.

Miss Nonie looked worried. “How is he, Dr. Kelly?”

Kelly patted Nonie’s back. “He’s doing very well considering what he’s been through. He simply needs time and physical therapy.”

“But he refuses to go to physical therapy. His father and I have talked to him. His brothers have tried to talk to him. He won’t listen to any of us, and we’re all at our wit’s end.”

Kelly smiled. “He is a little hardheaded. Let me work on an idea that I have, and I’ll get back to you later today. How about an ice-cream cone for the road? Butter pecan would be good.”

Between the ice cream and leaving her coat in Cole’s room, Kelly nearly froze before she got to her car. An early December norther had blown through the day before, and the morning temperatures were in the forties. But she’d sooner be switched with a peach limb than go back for her jacket. She’d pick it up later.

COLE STOOD at the window and watched Kelly Martin drive away. Now there was a woman. And a doctor of all things. Tall, long-legged and gorgeous. Any man would give a month’s pay to have that curly tumble of red hair spread across his pillow. With those snapping green eyes and kiss-me lips, she revved his motors more than any female he’d run across in years—for all the good it did him now. Hell, he couldn’t even dress himself without breaking out in a sweat.

He snagged his clothes from the floor and hobbled the few steps to his bed. Sure enough, by the time he’d pulled on the pants and shirt he was breathing hard and dripping wet. He wasn’t any use to himself or anybody else like he was. If he hadn’t been so doped up on painkillers, he would never have agreed to come to Naconiche.

Of course, his apartment in Houston was on the third floor, but he could have made out with pizza delivery and a few groceries from one of those online places. Here, he was worried about his mother. She ran up and down those stairs a dozen times a day checking on him, and she was no spring chicken anymore. Cole thought again about taking his brother Frank up on his offer to stay with the twins and him, but he didn’t want to impose, especially now that Frank was engaged. J.J.’s place was out—stairs again—and he was engaged, too. In fact, J.J. and Mary Beth were getting married in a few days. They had plenty going on without having to worry about their gimpy brother.

Nope, that wasn’t an option.

Hell, he knew he needed to go to PT. The sooner he got able to tend to himself, the sooner he could be out of everybody’s hair. Cole wasn’t used to being dependent on anybody, and he didn’t like being helpless. Not a damned bit.

He was just going to have to try to get down those stairs by himself.

KELLY DROPPED BY the Twilight Tearoom at the end of the lunch hour and had a quick bite as she sometimes did when she had time. In the odd spare moments she’d had since she’d seen Cole Outlaw that morning, thoughts of him had preyed on her mind. In some ways he looked very much like his brothers, J.J. and Frank, both patients of hers. Tall, dark, handsome. But life had carved a different character into his features, his bearing—and she found him stunningly seductive. Odd, since she’d never had such feelings about a patient before—not that he was actually her patient.

Of course she’d noticed that his brothers were good-looking guys, but being around them had never assaulted her senses and jolted her libido. The family patriarch, old Judge John Outlaw, thought naming his sons for notorious characters was politically smart—they’d have a leg up on opponents or in business. The tradition had continued through his grandsons. Of all the current crop of Outlaws named for famous desperados, Cole Younger Outlaw came closest to living up to his name. He might have been a cop, but he was as menacing as any gunslinger who ever lived. And, she admitted, turned her on like crazy. Interesting. Very interesting. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to pursue these unusual feelings or not.

When Kelly finished her chicken quesadillas, the tables were almost empty, and she went back into the kitchen to talk with Mary Beth Parker. Mary Beth owned the tearoom and the adjacent Twilight Inn, a small motel she had restored. She and J. J. Outlaw, the current county sheriff, were getting married on Saturday.

“Got a second?” Kelly asked as she stuck her head in.

“Sure,” Mary Beth said, wiping her hands and coming to the door. “What’s up?”

“Do you have a vacancy at the inn?” she asked quietly.

Mary Beth grinned. “Need a place for a rendezvous?”

Kelly rolled her eyes at her friend and patient. “I wish. No, I’m trying to find a place for Cole to stay while he recuperates.”

“I thought he was staying with Miss Nonie and Wes.”

“He is, but he needs to be on the ground floor…and he needs a place where he feels some independence but where his family could drop in with casseroles occasionally. The inn would be ideal. And I thought that since he’s family…well, that the cost wouldn’t be too prohibitive.”

“That wouldn’t be a problem, but we’re full. Besides our regular guests, tomorrow I’m expecting out-of-town friends for the wedding.”

Kelly sighed. “So much for that.”

“Wait a minute. I may have another solution.”

When Mary Beth told her the idea, Kelly grinned. “Perfect. Can you talk to him this afternoon? And maybe it would be best to present the notion to him in a…delicate way.”

“The male ego thing, you mean?”

“Exactly.”

“Gotcha.”

COLE HADN’T MADE IT past the third step when he had to sit down on the stairs and catch his breath. Three steps was one better than he’d done that morning. Shaking and sweating from his effort, he muttered a string of oaths that would have shocked his mother if she’d heard them. He felt as useless as hip pockets on a hog.

After resting several minutes, he was about ready to try again when he saw J.J. and Mary Beth coming upstairs.

“Hey, big brother,” J.J. said. “Whatcha doing sitting out here?”

“Waiting for a bus,” Cole said.

“Need any help?”

“Nope.”

“Mary Beth wants to ask you something.”

“Ask away.”

“It’s a big favor,” Mary Beth said, “and if you don’t feel up to it, just say so. I have a problem. You know that I own the Twilight Inn and Tearoom.”

She looked as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a roomful of rocking chairs, and Cole tried not to grin at his future sister-in-law, a pretty blonde who J.J. had been crazy about since they were kids. “Yes. Heard that you inherited it and fixed it up.”

“Right. It was a mess. The problem now is that Katy and I—you know my daughter, Katy?”

He smiled. “The little blond imp who wanted to see my bullet holes.”

“Yes, sorry about that, Cole. Anyhow, Katy and I are moving from the manager’s apartment to the new house. We’re trying to get settled before the wedding, but the person who was supposed to move in and take over as night manager has backed out, and I’m in a predicament. I was wondering if—oh, no, forget it. It’s too much of an imposition.”

“What is?” Cole asked.

“She was hoping that you might be able to fill in for a few weeks,” J.J. said.

“Just till after the Christmas holidays,” Mary Beth said. “I’m sure I can find another college student then who’ll take over the job for room and board. But you’re probably not up to it yet, Cole. It was a crazy idea. I’m sorry I mentioned it.”

“Whoa, darlin’,” Cole said. “What does a night manager have to do?”

“Not a lot, actually,” Mary Beth said. “Answer the phone in the evening and check in an occasional traveler who rings the bell for a room at night. You don’t even have to stay up. Basically just be there for security and to handle emergencies. The only emergency we’ve had was when the toilet overflowed in Unit Three. I had to call the plumber at midnight. The domino bunch takes care of the day shift.”

“The domino bunch?”

“Four old geezers who work around the motel for lunch and a place to play dominoes,” J.J. said. “I imagine you know all of them.”

Cole was naturally suspicious, but he didn’t care if it was a put-up job or not. Mary Beth’s offer sounded like an answer to his prayers. “I’ll be your temporary night manager.”

“Are you sure you feel like it?” Mary Beth asked.

“I’m sure.”

Mary Beth knelt on the stairs and threw her arms around Cole. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said, planting kisses on his face.

“Hey, there,” J.J. grumbled, “that’s enough of that.”

Cole laughed for the second time that day. “When do I start?”

Chapter Two

Shortly after lunch Kelly tapped on Cole’s bedroom door. The biggest and burliest of the hospital’s physical therapists stood behind her with a wheelchair.

When the door opened, Cole scowled at her. “What are you doing here?”

He still hadn’t shaved, and he had on well-worn gray sweats that looked even worse than the ones he’d worn the day before. On his feet were a pair of fleece-lined moccasins that looked like something his mother might have bought him—or that Wes had received for Christmas sometime.

“We’ve come to move you to your new digs,” Kelly said, smiling brightly. “Are you packed?”

He glanced to a black duffel bag on the bed. “Not much to pack, but I’ve been ready since daylight. My brothers are supposed to come by when Frank gets out of court.”

He frowned at the therapist. “Who are you?”

“Dan Robert Thurston, sir.” The therapist offered his hand, and Cole shook it. “Thought I’d give you a ride down.” He motioned to the wheelchair. “Hop in and buckle up.”

“Down the stairs? In that?”

“Dan Robert’s a pro. It’s a piece of cake for him,” Kelly said. “Not only is he a physical therapist, he’s a weight lifter.”

Cole didn’t look convinced, but he shrugged and sat in the lightweight chair. Dan Robert strapped him in while Kelly collected the duffel and the walker from Cole’s room. In a couple of minutes, they were downstairs.

“You make this seem easy,” Cole said.

“It is easy,” Dan Robert said, “with a little experience. It’s more a matter of leverage than muscle. Shoot, they even got machines now that you can attach to wheelchairs and climb stairs by yourself.”

“Why haven’t I heard about them?” Cole asked.

Kelly grinned. “It’s the sort of information you get if you’re in physical therapy.” She ignored his rude snort.

Miss Nonie bustled over as they passed through the shop. “Are you sure you’ll be all right alone, son?”

“I’ll be fine, Mom.”

“Your dad and I will be over tonight with your supper. Is there anything else you need?”

“Not a thing,” Cole said. “And don’t worry about my supper. I’ll order a pizza or something.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry about it, Miss Nonie,” Kelly said. “Mary Beth plans to leave a plate from lunch in the fridge. He won’t starve.” She waved as they went outside and loaded into her car, Cole in the passenger seat and Dan Robert in the back.

When she pulled away and turned left, Cole said, “Aren’t we going the wrong way to the Twilight Inn?”

“Nope. I have to drop Dan Robert by the hospital, and we thought while we were there that you could go in with him and have your physical therapy session.”

Cole cocked an eyebrow at her. “Who is we?”

“Think of it as the imperial ‘we,”’ she said with a flutter of her hand. After a few moments of silence, she said, “What? No argument?”

He shrugged. “Would it do any good?”

“Not a bit.”

Dan Robert made a slight choking sound from the back seat.

When they stopped at the hospital entrance, Kelly said to Cole, “I’ll pick you up here in an hour.”

“Don’t you have patients to see?”

“It’s my afternoon off. I’ll…be…back.”

Cole started to say something, then clamped his mouth shut. She could see his molars getting a workout.

COLE HAD BEEN RIGHT, Kelly thought. He hadn’t had much to pack. In the duffel she found the sweats from the day before, four pairs of pajamas, a robe, some ratty underwear and three pairs of white and two pairs of gray socks. Besides his shaving kit, two paperback novels—and her forgotten jacket of all things—that was it. Why did he have her jacket in his bag?

She shrugged and checked the sizes of his few belongings. Obviously the man needed some clothes. At least some more sweats to knock around in. Easy on and easy off, they would be simple to manage.

By the time she drove to the hospital door an hour later, she’d been able to do a fair amount of shopping. Dan Robert was just wheeling Cole out the door as she pulled up. Cole looked exhausted.

“Tired?” she asked when he was settled in the front seat.

He merely nodded.

By the time they reached the Twilight Inn, he was sound asleep. He looked so peaceful that she hated to wake him, so she sat in front of the manager’s apartment and let him sleep.

B.D., one of the four old fellows who worked at the motel and played dominoes in the office, came outside to check. Kelly held her fingers to her lips and shook her head, and he ducked back inside.

While Cole slept, she studied him. In the way that sleep softens features, his had modified to more a boyish cast, but he still looked far from innocent. He was a handsome man, but he reminded her more of a battle-scarred gladiator than a romantic Lancelot. The creases bisecting his forehead, though relaxed, were permanently etched there, and his jaw was clenched—probably a permanent state, as well.

An old scar carved a crescent on his left cheekbone, and another furrowed through his beard at his chin. His nose looked as if it had been rearranged a couple of times, and a lone pockmark faintly pitted his cheek an inch below the thick, dark sweep of lashes. The scar was probably the result of childhood chicken pox or adolescent acne, and it made him somehow seem more…vulnerable. Well, maybe not vulnerable.

The whole package that was Cole Outlaw made her toes curl and her fingers itch to run themselves through the waves of his thick hair and over the planes of his face and—

She squirmed in the seat and turned her attention to a mockingbird sitting on a power line. What was with her? Good Lord, she felt as giddy as a high school girl.

After about twenty minutes, Kelly gently shook Cole awake.

He sat up with a start, instantly alert and scowling.

“We’re home,” she announced in her perkiest voice.

“Home?”

“The Twilight Inn.”

“The old place looks a lot different from the last time I saw it.”

“Which was?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” he said. “Maybe five, ten years ago. It was a dump.”

“It was boarded up and falling down when Mary Beth started renovations last spring. A lot of folks pitched in and helped. Now it’s a charming little motel,” she said, motioning to the row of neatly painted units with yellow chrysanthemums still blooming in the window boxes. “And the restaurant has been refurbished as well. Mary Beth serves the best lunch in town.”

“No breakfast or dinner?”

“Nope,” she said, “but I bought some breakfast items at the grocery store, and one of the guys will bring you an extra meal at lunch to stash in the fridge for dinner.”

She hopped out and got the wheelchair from the trunk. By the time she got to the passenger door, Cole was struggling to get out.

When he saw her with the chair, he waved her away. “If you’ll hand me my walker, I can make it in.”

“Humor me this time and let me push.”

He started to argue, then clamped his mouth shut and sat down in the wheelchair. They hadn’t gone three steps when the office door opened and the four old guys spilled out.

“Land sakes,” one of them said, sticking out his hand to Cole. “I haven’t seen you in a coon’s age. Bet you don’t remember me.”

“I sure do, Howard, but it looks like you’ve lost a little more on top.”

Howard cackled and ran his hand over a head covered only by a few liver spots and a pink patch or two. “That’s for sure. Then you probably remember B.D. and Curtis and Will here.”

After Cole shook hands with all the men, Will said, “Need some help getting in?”

“I have some things in the back seat and in the trunk,” Kelly said.

“You supervise the unloading,” B.D. told Kelly, “and I’ll roll Cole inside.” B.D. was wisp thin and looked as if a powder puff could knock him over. When Cole appeared concerned about the prospect of an eightysomething guy pushing him, the old fellow must have caught the wary expression. He patted Cole’s shoulder and said, “Don’t you worry none, son. I’ve handled one of these contraptions more times than you can shake a stick at.”

He proceeded to expertly wheel Cole into the office unit while the other domino players brought the rest of the items from Kelly’s car.

The apartment behind the office was more like a small suite: two rooms, one with a kitchenette in the corner, and a bathroom. The main room, which had been Mary Beth’s, held only a few pieces of furniture including a sofa and a large leather recliner. Cole settled in the recliner, and Kelly stood his walker next to it.

“There you go,” Howard said, setting the last of the grocery bags on a small table in the kitchen corner. “We’ll get on about our game. You need anything, Cole, just give a holler.”

“I’ll do it, Howard. Thank you.”

“You might have to holler twice,” Will said with a wink. “Couple of us are a mite hard of hearing.”

“He don’t have to holler,” Curtis said. “All he has to do is push that little button right there.” Curtis pointed out the intercom on the phone base beside Cole.

After the old fellows said their goodbyes and left, Kelly took off her sweater and draped it over the back of a chair in the kitchen nook. She stowed the perishables in the small fridge and the other groceries in a cabinet under the microwave, listing the items to Cole as she worked.

“You should have plenty for a simple breakfast and for snacks.” She picked up another large shopping bag. “And I bought you some new sweats and things—without holes.” She grinned.

He glanced down at his shirt where the “HPD PIGS” across the chest was faded almost to oblivion. “You don’t like my football outfit?”

“It’s charming, but I think it’s nearing retirement.” She stashed the new clothes in the chest by the bathroom door. “Your pajamas are in the top drawer here.”

“I don’t wear pajamas.”

Her heart tripped. She didn’t dare look at him. “You have several pair.”

“My mom bought them.”

“Oh.” She closed the drawer and turned. Playing perky again, she said, “Let’s see. The bedroom is through there. The bathroom is here. I put your shaving kit on the counter. The fridge and the microwave and the coffeepot are over there. The remote for the TV is on the table beside you with the phone. I guess that about covers it.” Why was she babbling? She took a deep breath. “Want something to drink?”

“Yeah. A beer would be nice.”

“Sorry. No beer with the medication you’re on. You may have Coke, cream soda, milk, orange juice, apple juice, tomato juice or water. Or coffee. And Mary Beth left a big plate of brownies.”

“A cup of coffee would taste good. And the whole plate of brownies. Join me?”

“Only if I can have two brownies,” she said as she poured water into the coffeemaker. “I’m a sucker for chocolate.”

“I’ll arm wrestle you for them.”

She laughed. “Don’t look so smug. I’m stronger than I look. I could probably take you two out of three.”

His playfulness vanished. “In the condition I’m in, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Fighting the urge to sigh, Kelly said, “Don’t use that as an excuse, buster. I could probably take you on your best day.”

There was a flicker at the corner of his mouth. “Okay. I’ll let you have a brownie.”

“Two.”

“Okay, two. I’m easy.”

She doubted that. Her instincts told her that nothing about Cole Outlaw was easy. While the coffee dripped, Kelly curled up on the couch. “How did the therapy go?”

Cole shrugged. He shrugged a lot. He didn’t seem to be much of a talker.

“Your dad said that either he or one of the domino guys will drive you to your appointments.”

“He told me. You’re not from around here are you, Red?”

She shook her head. “I’m originally from Dallas. And my name is Kelly.”

“How’d you get from Dallas to Naconiche?”

“I drove.”

Cole let out a short bark of laughter. “Let me rephrase that…Kelly. What happened between the time you were a kid in Dallas and your arriving in Naconiche as a doctor?”

“You want the long version or the short?”

“Let’s start with the short, and we’ll flesh it out later.”

“Well, I grew up in Dallas.”

“Big family?”

“I had a younger sister, but she died when I was in junior high. Leukemia.”

“Parents?”

“One of each,” she said. “My mom is president of a bank, and my dad is a biology professor at SMU.”

His eyebrows went up. “Interesting. Did you go to SMU?”

“Nope. I went to the University of Texas. Your brother Frank’s fiancée and I were sorority sisters there. How about you?”

“I never joined a sorority.”

Kelly smiled. “I meant where did you go to school?”

“Sam Houston in Huntsville. It has the best criminal justice department in the state. Why did you decide to become a doctor?”

“I’m not sure. Probably because I was always good at science, and I wanted to help people. Maybe losing my little sister had something to do with it.” She got up and poured coffee and brought the brownies over to where they were sitting. “Why did you become a cop?”

“It’s in the genes. All the Outlaws are cops of one sort or another.”

“I haven’t read anything in the research that suggests career choice is genetic.” She polished off her first brownie and reached for another. “These are good. Mary Beth is a great cook.”

“Yep. J.J.’s a lucky man. How did you get from sorority girl to doctor to here?”

“I went to medical school in Houston and did my internship and residency there and stayed on to work for a while. I learned that one of the doctors in Naconiche was retiring, and I applied to work with him and take his place. And here I am.”

“You never married?”

“Nope. I never had time. You?”

“Once. It didn’t take. I learned I’m not the marrying kind.”

For some reason Kelly’s heart sank, which was silly. She barely knew the man. And as soon as he was rehabilitated, he’d go back to Houston. Nothing about him indicated that he was a candidate for a relationship. Still, she had a mighty urge to swan dive into those marvelous, mysterious eyes.

She stood. “I’ve got to run. You need to rest, and I have to check on a couple of patients at the hospital. Need anything before I go?”

“Not a thing. Say, I want to pay you for the stuff you bought, but I don’t have any money or a checkbook. You take a credit card?”

She laughed. “Don’t worry about it. I charged the clothes to you at Olsen’s, and the groceries are on me.”

“Thanks, Red.”

“Kelly.”

“Kelly. Come back and visit sometime.”

“I will.”

“Is that a promise?”

“It’s a promise.”

As soon as she left Kelly realized that she’d left her sweater behind. Oh, blast it! Now both her jacket and her sweater were there. Freudian slip? An excuse to return? Maybe. Cole was an intriguing man, and she couldn’t deny that she was affected by him. She would drop by tomorrow night after aerobics class and pick up her forgotten items.

COLE DECIDED he wanted another cup of coffee, but he quickly learned that he couldn’t carry a full mug and navigate with it and the walker back to the recliner. He cursed and drank the coffee standing up. When he finished he noticed the brown sweater hanging on the back of the straight chair.

He picked the soft garment up and sniffed it. A faint scent of spices and field flowers. The material smelled of her—just like the jacket she’d left behind. He hung the sweater over his walker and moved back to his recliner to sit down. Wadding the sweater in both hands, he buried his face in it and breathed deeply. He was bone tired, but not too tired to imagine what it would feel like to have the woman under the fabric. He felt himself stir.

Oh, hell! he thought, disgusted with his behavior. Now that he was a cripple, he was turning into one of those perverts who got off on fetishes. He started to throw the sweater across the room, but he couldn’t quite make himself let go. He dropped it across his lap and reached for another brownie.

Chapter Three

He’d learned a lot in the past twenty-four hours, Cole thought as he poured coffee into the Thermos. Mostly tips from Dan Robert during his therapy session. Now he had snap-on bags and a basket on his walker that reminded him of the gear on his bike when he was a kid. He stuck the Thermos in one of the side pockets, a mug into another and made it back to his chair without worrying about spills.

B.D. and Curtis had driven him to the hospital that afternoon, and his dad had picked him up. He’d been too tired to talk much with his dad. In fact, he’d fallen asleep soon after they returned to the motel. He hadn’t awakened until J.J. stopped by about five. He hadn’t stayed long.

Sometime later, the doorbell rang, and Cole opened the door between the apartment and the office. He smiled when he saw Kelly Martin standing there in a bright green sweat suit, her hair wadded on top of her head and held by a big yellow clip.

“You look like a leprechaun.”

She grinned. “Leprechauns are wee folks. At close to six feet, I’m more like the Jolly Green Giant.”

“You’re not six feet tall.”

“Near enough. I’m almost five-ten.”

“That’s two inches, and two inches can make a world of difference.”

She raised her eyebrows, an amused expression on her face. “Really?”

“Yep. If that bullet in my chest had been two inches over, I’d be dead.”

“And if you’d been wearing a protective vest, you wouldn’t have had more than a bruise.”

“I wasn’t planning on a shoot-out.”

She touched his face and ran her fingers lightly along his jaw. “You’ve shaved.”

“Yeah. This morning. Want a cup of coffee?”

“Thanks, but I don’t have time. I’m on my way to aerobics class next door. I hope we don’t disturb you. The music can get pretty loud.”

“I’ll manage.”

“Do you need anything?” she asked.

“Not a thing. Maybe you can stop by after your class. I have a couple of those brownies left.”

“Don’t tempt me. I wish I could, but I have to make rounds at the hospital.”

“Some other time then.”

“It’s a deal. See you later.” With a flutter of her fingers, she was gone.

He stood there for a few minutes after she left, feeling funny. Uplifted, he thought, trying to put a word to his feelings. No, that was dumb. Sounded like a spiritual experience in a tent revival.

He pushed his walker back to the recliner, eased into the seat and sat there for a minute, the backs of his fingers absently brushing his jaw. Then he dry washed his face with his hands and turned on an old Gunsmoke rerun.

KELLY WAS STRIPPING down to her exercise shorts when the door to Unit 2 opened. She glanced up toward the new arrival and was delighted to see the dark-haired woman who entered. “Hey, Carrie! When did you get into town?”

“This afternoon.”

“And you’re in exercise class instead of with your fiancée?”

Carrie Campbell, an old sorority sister from UT days and newfound friend, was engaged to Judge Frank Outlaw. She was a landman for an oil company and finishing up some projects before she moved to Naconiche and set up a law practice.

“Frank wanted to talk with his brother Cole, so I thought I’d drop by and sweat with the gang for a few minutes,” Carrie said, smiling and waving to some of the other women gathered. “I’m going over to meet Cole after Frank has time to use his persuasive skills.”

“His persuasive skills?”

“Yep. Seems that Cole has announced that he isn’t going to J.J. and Mary Beth’s wedding.”

“For heaven’s sake, why not?” Kelly asked.

“Search me. I think J.J.’s feelings are hurt, and Miss Nonie’s beside herself. Frank’s going to, quote, ‘try to talk some sense into him.”’

Mary Beth Parker, soon to be Outlaw, hurried in. “Sorry I’m late, gang, but it seems as if I have a million things to do. Wanted to remind you that I won’t be here next week.” She grinned. “We’ll be on our honeymoon, but Beverly will take over the class for me while I’m gone. Bev, will you get the music?”

“Listen, my friend,” Carrie said to Kelly as they lined up, “I’m going to be swamped with all the family doings tomorrow, but I’ll see you at the wedding on Saturday. I’m eager to catch up on all the latest.”

“Great.”

KELLY GOT A BEEP from the hospital about the time the exercise class was over. One of her patients was having problems, so instead of going home to shower and change first, she headed immediately to Naconiche Memorial.

She knew she was in trouble when she spotted Warren Iverson and his wife at the nurses’ station. The moment Mr. Iverson caught sight of her in sweats and damp hair, his beady eyes popped, and his bulldog jowls began to quiver. Mrs. Iverson stood beside him like a cornered mouse. Warren Iverson was one of the few human beings on Earth who she could actually say she detested. Unfortunately he was the chairman of the hospital board. And to put it mildly, she wasn’t on his Christmas card list, either.

He looked her up and down as if she were a fresh pile he’d just stepped in. “Dr. Martin!”

She forced a bit of a smile with her curt nod. “Mr. Iverson. Mrs. Iverson.”

“I can’t believe that you’re in the hospital dressed like that!”

Biting her lip to hold back a stinging reply, she simply shrugged and stepped around him to get her patient’s chart and speak with the nurse. Bedamned if she was going to make excuses to that jerk, nor was she going to be goaded into creating a scene. He would love an excuse to yank her hospital privileges.

Watching him from the corner of her eye, Kelly saw his mouth working like a hooked catfish and steeled herself for another assault. Thankfully it didn’t come. Mrs. Iverson timidly tugged at his coat sleeve, and he stalked down the hall.

Lorene Cuthbert, the middle-aged R.N. at the station, glared after Iverson. “Sanctimonious old fart!” she muttered as she and Kelly went in the opposite direction. “What does he have against you anyhow?”

Kelly chuckled. “Maybe he doesn’t like redheads.”

But that wasn’t what he had against her. Kelly knew exactly why Warren Iverson hated her. He had found the birth control pills that Kelly had prescribed for his daughter Rachel. Forget that Rachel was eighteen. Forget that she was sleeping with most of the single men in town and a few of the married ones. Forget that Kelly had talked with her repeatedly about the physical dangers of her behavior. Iverson had found the pills and gone into a rage, calling Rachel a whore and calling Kelly worse. When his daughter turned up pregnant a few months later, he threw her out of the house and blamed everything on Kelly for encouraging such abominable and licentious behavior.

Kelly shook off the effects of her encounter with him and put on a pleasant face for her patient.

Mrs. Phelps, an eighty-seven-year-old widow, smiled sweetly as they entered her room. “Now, don’t you look pretty in green?”

“Why, thank you,” Kelly said. “I hope I don’t smell like a horse. I’ve been to aerobics class.”

“With Mary Beth? I liked going to her seniors stretching class when I felt up to it. I hate to miss her wedding. She will be such a beautiful bride, and J.J. will be a handsome groom.”

Kelly only smiled and listened to Mrs. Phelps’s frail heart. This was the hardest part of being a doctor. There was very little she could do except to make her patient as comfortable as possible. Oh, how she wished the hospice program was in place already. She’d been working to get it going for a couple of years, and, if luck was with them, it would be up and running in a few months.

But too late for Mrs. Phelps.

AT SEVEN FORTY-FIVE on Friday morning Kelly heard a car drive up in front and a door slam. She lifted a slat on the miniblind to look out. Why she bothered, she didn’t know. As always, it was Gladys Sowell, her maid, climbing from the back seat of Naconiche’s only taxi and gathering her black coat around her. Taxi fare was part of her pay. There were no buses in Naconiche, but the taxi fare was nominal and the driver, Gladys’s cousin, dependable.

A stocky woman with graying hair gathered up in a bun, Gladys was in her midfifties but looked older. She arrived every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at seven forty-five on the button to feed the cats and Kelly, do laundry and keep the house spotless. A better housekeeper than she was a cook, she also cleaned the office rooms every afternoon at a reduced rate in exchange for medical attention. Since she was a terrible hypochondriac, Gladys probably got the best end of the deal, but she was a legacy along with the retiring doctor’s practice.

Kelly finished dressing and walked into the kitchen where Gladys was feeding the cats and talking baby talk to them. Rocky and Pierre adored Gladys, and they were winding themselves around her legs as she pulled off her coat and put on her apron. Kelly had given her the coat last Christmas.

“Mornin’, Dr. Kelly. How ’bout some bacon and eggs and biscuits?”

“Just fruit and cereal this morning, thanks.” Gladys’s idea of breakfast was greasier than anything at the City Grill. “How are you today?”

“Only tolerable. I had a sour stomach all night last night, and it kept me up and down a right smart.”

“Have you been taking your medicine and watching your diet?”

“I’ve run out of them little purple capsules.”

Kelly knew it was futile to scold Gladys about her diet. “I’ll leave some samples at the office for you.”

“And I’m out of my nerve pills, too.”

“I’ll get some from my bag.” She kept a supply of Gladys’s harmless “nerve pills” in an unmarked vial and dispensed them a few at a time.

“I’ll have you some oatmeal done in just a jiffy. It’s cold as a cast-iron commode out there, and you need something to stick to your ribs. You’re likely to be busy today.”

Gladys turned out to be right. Kelly had a booger of a day. It seemed that half her patients had ailments, and two emergencies kept her at the hospital until after eleven that night. Even her cats, Pierre and Rocky, yowled at her when she walked in the door.

“Sorry, guys,” she said as she scooped some food into their dishes and gave them fresh water. “I’m pooped. Don’t wake me early in the morning or you’re toast.”

She fell into bed and slept until almost eight. She would have slept longer except that she had two phone calls. One was a patient in labor, the other was Nonie Outlaw. She returned Miss Nonie’s call on her way to the hospital.

“Dr. Kelly, I’m at my wit’s end,” Miss Nonie said. She sounded distraught and near tears. “It’s Cole.”

Kelly’s heart gave a lurch. “What’s wrong?”

“He refuses to go to J.J. and Mary Beth’s wedding. We couldn’t even pry him out to go to the rehearsal and dinner last night. Everybody in the family has tried to talk to him, but he’s a stubborn as Vick Trawick’s mule. I—I thought that since you seem to have a way with Cole that perhaps you could persuade him.”

“Does he have a suit to wear?”

“Frank was going to lend him one, but nobody would care if he came in pajamas and bathrobe.”

He would, Kelly thought. “I’m on my way to the hospital now, Miss Nonie, but tell Frank that I’ll drop by and pick up the dress clothes when I’m done. The wedding’s at three, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but the clothes are already at the inn. Everything is hanging in a bag in the office. Frank left it there last night—in case Cole changed his mind.”

“I’ll do my best, Miss Nonie. Stop worrying about Cole and enjoy the day.”

BY THE TIME Kelly got home, showered, tamed her hair and dressed in a rust-colored outfit, it was after one-thirty. She ate half a protein bar on the way to the Twilight Inn.

When she walked into the office, she saw the garment bag hanging on a hook behind the desk. Picking up the clothes, she took a deep breath then knocked on the door to the apartment.

Cole opened the door wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of the new sweatpants she’d bought. He gave her the once-over, then smiled. “You look mighty fine, Red. Going somewhere?”

“I am. To a wedding, and I need a date.”

“Can’t help you there. But I can offer you a cup of coffee.”

“Got any brownies left?” she asked as she breezed by him with the garment bag.

“Nope. Ate the last one this morning for breakfast.”

“With your eggs?”

“Instead of my eggs.”

“Works for me,” Kelly said. “Had lunch?”

“Yep. You?”

“Yep. Take off your pants.”

He looked amused. “I think we’ve had this conversation before.”

“A slight variation.” She unzipped the bag and took out the dark suit pants. “Put these on instead.”

“I’m not going to the wedding, Red.”

“Don’t call me Red. And you already told me that you’re not going to the wedding with me. You did, however, ask me out for coffee, and how would it look with you in sweats and me in my finery?”

“In,” he said.

“In?”

“I asked you in for coffee, not out.”

She waved her hand in dismissal. “I prefer out. Need help with your pants?”

“Yeah.”

It was a dare if she’d ever heard one.

“Okeydokey.” She stuck her thumbs in the elastic waistband of his sweatpants and peeled them down. Thankfully he was wearing underwear. “Lift your right foot. Now your left. Good.”

She kicked off her shoes and got into an awkward semisquat behind him to help him put on the dress slacks. The process was a struggle, but they finally made it. The legs were just a tad too short, but she didn’t mention it. She figured that with him sitting in his wheelchair nobody would notice. The white shirt was snug but fit well enough.

By the time they had buttoned all the buttons, a fine line of sweat beaded his upper lip. Kelly said, “Let’s sit down and rest a while. Want some juice? Orange, tomato, apple?”

“Orange would be good.”

She poured juice while he eased into his recliner.

He emptied the glass when she handed it to him, then he leaned back and closed his eyes.

After a few minutes, she touched his arm. “Ready to put on the tie?”

He opened one eye and frowned. “Red, I’m not sure I can manage a tie.”

“I can.”

“You’re a woman of many talents.”

“You’d better believe it. I mastered the art when my dad broke his arm.”

“When was that?”

“A while back, but I figure it’s like riding a bicycle,” she said. “It will come back to me. Sit up a little.” She slipped the blue silk tie under his collar and expertly knotted it. “There you go.”

“I’m impressed.”

“As well you should be.” She glanced down at his gray cotton socks and rose to retrieve shoes and dress socks from the bag.

Frank had thoughtfully provided black dress loafers that would slip on easily. Problem was, they didn’t slip on easily.

“Push,” she said as she knelt on the floor at his feet. “Harder.”

“Darlin’, I can push from now till kingdom come, and my foot isn’t going in that shoe. Let me see it.” When he looked inside the loafer, Cole said, “No wonder. It’s too short and too narrow. I wear a thirteen double E.”

“Good Lord, and I thought my foot was big.” Kelly glanced at her watch. It was almost two-thirty. “Don’t you have some other shoes?”

“Under the bed.” He nodded toward the other room.

Kelly went looking, but all she found were the furry moccasins. She came back holding one in each hand. “These?”

“Yep.”

Restraining herself from rolling her eyes, she said, “Let me make a quick call.”

She phoned Olsen’s, the only men’s store in town that sold something other than Western wear and work clothes. They didn’t have any dress shoes in Cole’s size; they’d sold the last pair to Stanley Bickham last Thursday. They had one pair of brown sandals left over from summer. She even called the store that carried cowboy boots, hoping to find something nice in his size. The only things they had to fit were two pair of rubber boots and some tan steel-toed loggers.

Knowing that there wasn’t time to drive to Travis Lake and back, Kelly grabbed the fur-lined moccasins. “At least these will keep your toes warm,” she said as she slipped them on his feet. “Stand up and let’s put on the coat.”

The fit wasn’t too bad. “You look very handsome,” she told him.

“For a sausage?”

“Maybe the coat’s a little tight across the shoulders, but if you don’t button it, it’s fine. Let me get your wheelchair.”

“I’ll use the walker.”

“We’ll use the chair. Listen to the doctor.”

“Darlin’, you’re not my doctor.”

They finally compromised and took both.

While Cole buckled his seat belt, Kelly anxiously checked her watch and prayed that her timing would be right.

She drove to a convenience store, hurried in to make her purchase and came out with two small foam cups. She handed one to Cole.

“What’s this?” he asked.

“Coffee. I told you we were going out for coffee.”

He took a sip and frowned. “It tastes like engine sludge.”

She tried it. The stuff was ghastly. She dumped both cups in the trash and drove to the church. He didn’t even comment as she parked in the side lot.

“I thought that since we were dressed up and out anyway, we might go to the wedding,” she said.

That amused expression of his was back again. “You did, huh?”

“You’ll go?”

“Red, for most of my adult life I’ve been around the worst kind of scum who can lie easier than they can tell the truth. Not much gets by me, and you didn’t even come close.”

“If you knew my intentions, why did you go along so easily?”

“I’m a pushover for redheads.” He winked.

“You really wanted to come, didn’t you?”

He shrugged and glanced away. It was that pride again, Kelly thought. He could have never gotten dressed by himself, and he didn’t want to ask for help or be a burden to any of his family. Lord, the male ego was unbelievable.

Once he got into his wheelchair, she pushed him into the church and to the side door of the sanctuary. J.J. stood there with the minister and his brothers Frank and Sam.

J.J. broke into a big grin and slapped Cole on the back. “’Bout damn time you got here. We’re fixin’ to start.”

“Let’s take our places, gentlemen,” the minister said, opening the door.

He went in and J.J. and Frank followed. Sam, the youngest brother and a Texas Ranger, grabbed the handles of the chair and started wheeling Cole in behind the others.

“Hold it, Sam!” Cole whispered. “I’m not going with y’all. Hell, I’ve got on Daddy’s house shoes.”

“Shut up, Cole,” Sam said. “And smile.”

Chapter Four

“You may kiss your bride,” the minister said, and J.J. planted a good one on her.

When the new couple was introduced to the congregation, the entire assembly rose and burst into thunderous applause. There was a packed house. Since this was Mary Beth’s second marriage, she and J.J. had originally planned an intimate wedding with only family and a few friends, but because most of the town felt a party to their courtship, they didn’t want to leave out anyone and risk hurt feelings. They had solved the problem by posting a notice in the newspaper.

Kelly had slipped into a vacant seat at the end of the front pew, planning to wheel Cole out the side door when the ceremony was over. She grinned when her plans went awry. Dixie, one of the bridesmaids, grabbed Cole’s chair and pushed him down the aisle behind the bride and groom and the other two pairs of attendants.

While the guests left for the reception at the VFW hall—the only place in town big enough to handle the crowd—the wedding party assembled back in the church for picture taking. Cole wanted no part of it, but his family insisted that he stay. He endured about fifteen minutes of posing, then signaled for Kelly.

“Tired?” she asked as she wheeled him outside.

“Not particularly. I’m just not much on saying cheese for a camera.”

“Your being there meant a lot to your family.”

He nodded.

As soon as they were in her car, she pulled out of the parking lot and turned left. After a block or two, Cole said, “Isn’t the motel in the other direction?”

She nodded.

“Where are you headed?”

“To the reception. I’m hungry. I want one of Buck’s shrimp puffs and a piece of wedding cake.”

“Who is Buck?” Cole asked.

“You haven’t met him yet? He’s Mary Beth’s assistant at the tearoom. He and her staff are in charge of catering.”

“Why don’t you drop me off at the inn, and then you can go on and enjoy yourself.”

“Mmm,” Kelly said as if she were actually considering it. “No, I don’t think so. I’d rather have a date.”

“A date? This is more like a kidnapping than a date. And I imagine that you could do better than me.”

“Not really. The pickings are pretty slim around Naconiche.”

“I can’t believe that men aren’t lined up outside your door.”

She laughed. “They are. But they usually have sinus infections or prostate problems.”

SOMEBODY HAD REALLY fixed up the place, Cole thought as he looked around the old hall. Blue tablecloths and Christmas arrangements decorated the vintage bingo tables, and potted trees and shrubs strung with lights lined the walls. A small band was setting up in the corner.

“Looks nice,” Cole said as he pushed his walker beside Kelly.

“Yes. Florence did a good job.”

“Florence?”

“Florence Russo, Dixie’s mother-in-law. She’s a retired decorator who moved here from Dallas. She helps out part-time at the Twilight Inn.”

“I can’t believe that little Dixie Anderson is grown and married,” Cole said.

“And has six kids.”

“God, I’m getting old. Last time I remember her, she and Ellen and Mary Beth were high school cheerleaders.”

“You haven’t spent much time in Naconiche, have you?”

“Only a holiday here and there. And those were quick trips in and out to see the family. I joined the Houston Police Department the week after I graduated from college.”

As they moved toward a table, Cole was waylaid by a mob of people, several of them buddies from school days. Most of them had beer bellies and a few were bald or getting that way fast. They looked like their daddies. Everybody seemed glad to see him, and nobody paid much attention to his moccasins. Except Bull Bickham. He and Bull had played football together when he was in high school.

“Wish I could trade shoes with you,” Bull said. “These new ones I got on are hell on my bunion. I would’ve taken them back to the store ’cept my wife wouldn’t let me wear my brogans.”

Gradually he and Kelly made their way to one of the reserved tables. Flagging, he was more than ready to sit down when he got there. He’d insisted on using his walker instead of the wheelchair, and bedamned if he’d admit that Kelly was right when she’d argued against it.

“How about something cold to drink?” Kelly asked.

“I wouldn’t mind some of that,” he said, nodding toward the champagne fountain.

“Sorry. You’ll have to drink with the teetotalers. Be right back.”

He watched her go, enjoying the swing of her hips as she walked away.

“Leave it to you to grab the best-looking woman in town.”

Cole glanced up and grinned at his youngest brother, Sam, the only one in the family taller than he was. “You got it. So hands off. How did you sneak away?”

“I didn’t sneak. The rest of the family will be along in a minute. You okay?”

“Fine. How’s rangering these days?”

Sam Bass Outlaw was a member of the elite Texas Rangers. He’d wanted to be one since he was a kid, and after a determined rise through the highway patrol, he’d made the cut two years before and was chosen to fill the only opening the Rangers had vacant in a while.

“Can’t complain,” Sam said.

“I’ve never known you to do anything else,” a tall, leggy brunette said as she strode up to them.

“Hey, Ding-a-ling,” Cole said, falling into his pet name for his sister.

“Hey, Big Buzzer,” Belle said as she leaned down to peck him on the cheek. “You doing okay?”

“Fine. Have I told you that you’re looking gorgeous today—for an FBI agent?”

She grinned. “Thanks. I like your shoes.”

Cole laughed. As the baby sister of four rambunctious brothers, she’d learned early on how to give as good as she got. Belle would tangle with a wildcat—and win.

Kelly returned with her hands full and managing to juggle an extra plate on her arm.

“Let me get that for you,” Sam said, relieving her of the refreshments she carried.

“Thanks. You must be Sam.”

“I am,” Sam said with a smooth smile. “And you’re…?”

“With me,” Cole said. He introduced Kelly to his brother and sister, and then the rest of the family arrived, including the bride and groom, and the party went into full swing.

Some time later, Cole watched as Sam led Kelly around the dance floor. He felt a twinge of envy. Hell, he felt more than a twinge when he saw his brother’s arm around her waist. Cole wanted to rip off that arm and beat him with it. Crazy feeling.

“I like your doctor,” Belle said.

“She’s not my doctor.”

“Coulda fooled me. You’re looking at her like you could eat her with a spoon.”

“I mean she’s not my doctor. She’s not treating me. Kelly’s just a…friend.”

“Uh-huh,” Belle said, as if she didn’t believe a word of it.

“We only met a few days ago.” Had it only been a few days? Seemed longer. But then the days stretched interminably since he’d been shot. “How do you like Colorado?”

“I love it. I’m looking forward to some skiing soon. You’ll have to come visit.”

“I don’t imagine that I’d be too swift on skis.”

“You’re not going to be out of commission forever,” Belle said. “It will take a while, but you’ll heal. When are you planning to go back to work?”

He shrugged. “I have no plans. How long are you going to be in town?”

“Not long. I could only get away for a weekend. Wish I could stay longer, but I’m flying out of Dallas tomorrow evening.”

“Now that you’re in a field office, are you enjoying your work?”

Belle hesitated for a moment, then said, “Sure.”

Cole cocked an eyebrow at her. He knew his little sister like a book. From the time she could toddle, she’d always come to him with her problems. And he’d been able to help her with most of them—everything from thumping Sam for burying her Barbie to wiping her tears over missing a word on a spelling test. “What’s wrong?”

She sighed. “Cole, have you wondered if you became a cop because law enforcement was a family tradition or if it was really what you wanted?”

“Nope. It’s always been what I wanted. I think that Kojac and Dirty Harry may have pushed me toward homicide, but I always wanted to be a cop. Are you having second thoughts, Ding?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe sometimes. But I’ve worked so long and so hard to get where I am, I’m not ready to chuck it all yet.” She smiled, leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m so happy to see you doing well, Big Buzzer. The last time I saw you, I was worried. You looked pretty awful.”

“The last time you saw me, I was in ICU.”

“With about a hundred tubes coming out of you or going in. Pale is not your best color. I donated blood for you.”

“Is that why I’ve been growing boobs?”

Belle laughed and swatted his arm. “I wish you could come dance with me.”

“I do, too, darlin’. I do, too.”

KELLY HAD ALWAYS loved weddings and all the rituals involved, so she had a wonderful time, oohing when the newlyweds cut the cake and aahing when J.J. took Mary Beth onto the floor for their first dance. Kelly had done a fair amount of dancing herself—with every man in the Outlaw family, except Cole, and with several of her patients.

“Looks as if you found another eligible Outlaw,” her friend Carrie said when they met at the champagne fountain.

“Sam’s too young for me, so you must mean Cole,” Kelly said. “I don’t imagine a romance between us. He’s like a bird with a broken wing right now, but when he’s healed, he’ll fly away.”

“Maybe not. It would be nice having you as a sister-in-law. Free medical care and all that.”

Kelly laughed. “I think a good insurance policy would be a better bet. I don’t see Cole as the marrying kind—and certainly not to someone like me.”

“What do you mean ‘someone like’ you?”

“As my former fiancé put it—someone who smells like a hospital and can’t sit through an entire movie without an emergency. He said marrying me would be like committing bigamy, since I’m already married to my job.”

“What a turkey.”

“Luckily I realized that in time to cancel the wedding invitations. But I think he was right. Not many men can handle the demands of a doctor’s life—except maybe another doctor.”

“Or a cop,” Carrie said.

“I can’t believe we’re having this conversation,” Kelly said. “Trust me, there is absolutely no chance of a relationship between Cole and me. None. Zip. Nada.”

Carrie grinned. “But you will have to admit he’s a hunk.”

“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

“Li-ar,” Carrie singsonged.

Kelly only smiled, and they parted company.

Oh, she’d noticed Cole Younger was a hunk. Every female hormone in her body was on red alert. She glanced toward him and found him watching her.

He winked.

Good Lord, could he read her mind?

She quickly turned back to the champagne fountain, grabbed a glass, and held it under a spigot. Her hand shook.

What was the matter with her? She chugalugged the wine and hurried to the ladies’ room.

WHEN SHE CAME OUT of the ladies’ room, Kelly saw that the party was still going strong, but Cole wasn’t. He looked tired. She slipped out to her car and got his wheelchair.

Once back at the table she tapped him on the shoulder. “How about I waltz you out of here, big guy?”

“Are you going to insist on leading?” Cole asked.

“Naturally. And get a move on. My coach is about to turn into a pumpkin.”

“Need any help?” Sam asked.

“Not a bit,” Cole replied, standing and slipping into the chair.

“You can bring the walker,” Kelly said.

“I’ll take it,” Belle said. “You go dance with Sally Easy again,” she told her youngest brother.

“Easly. Sally Easly.”

“Could have fooled me,” Belle said. “She’s been drooling all over you for an hour or more.”

“Get off his case, Ding,” Cole said. “Can the kid help it if he’s irresistible?”

Belle looked Sam up and down. “Irresistible? Him? I don’t get it.” She hooked the folded walker over her arm and led the way around the edge of the crowd.

Kelly helped Cole into her car, then she and Belle stowed the chair and walker in the back.

“Is he going to be okay, Dr. Kelly?” Belle asked quietly.

“Cole? He’s going to be fine. It’s just going to take some time and a lot of work.”

Before they left, Belle stuck her head in the window and gave Cole a peck on the cheek. “I want to spend some time with you before I leave, Big Buzzer.”

“Come by for breakfast in the morning,” he told her. “I’ll make the coffee. You bring the breakfast.”

“You’re on.”

As they drove away, Cole ripped off his tie, unbuttoned his shirt collar and leaned back against the headrest. “Thanks for rescuing me. I was ready to get out of there. I feel like I’ve been chewed up, spit out and stepped on.”

“I noticed you were looking a little tired. And my feet are killing me. I haven’t danced so much in years.”

“Are you bragging or complaining?”

“My feet are complaining. I don’t spend much time in high heels.”

“Me, either.”

Kelly chuckled. “I doubt if you could find any in your size. Aren’t you glad now that you went to the wedding and the reception?”

Cole smiled. “Yeah. Yeah, I am. But I’m worn out.”

They arrived at the Twilight Inn a few moments later, and she wheeled him inside to his apartment.

When he stood to move to his recliner, Kelly helped him off with his coat. She started to unbutton his shirt, and when Cole put his hands on her hips to steady himself, something strange happened to her breathing. A woozy feeling washed over her, her heartbeat accelerated and her fingers fumbled the buttons. She caught herself, palms against his chest. “Sorry, I must visited that fountain once too often.”

“How much champagne did you have?”

“Only a couple of glasses.” Kelly knew it wasn’t the wine causing her reactions; it was the intimate contact. She was doing fine until he touched her.

Cole’s fingers tightened on her hips, and she glanced up. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. His eyes were almost black, and she could feel the pounding of his heart against her fingers.

Trying to ignore the sexual awareness that steamed like an overheated radiator, she quickly disposed of the shirt and unbuckled his belt. When she reached for his fly zipper, his hand covered hers. “I’ll do that later.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re exhausted, and I don’t mind helping.”

“Darlin’, I may too tuckered to pucker, but some parts of me don’t seem to have gotten the message.”

Automatically she glanced down and didn’t know whether to laugh or blush. “Well, at least you know everything is in working order.”

“Yeah, there’s that. But the timing is lousy.”

“I could come back later.” Had she really said that? She couldn’t believe she’d said that. What had gotten into her?

She didn’t have time to bemoan her gaffe any longer because Cole seemed to have gotten a second wind. His arms went around her, and he pulled her into a kiss that blew her away, stole her breath and set her reeling. His mouth was greedy, and her response was just as hungry. She plastered herself against him and savored every sensual moment.

Her pulse raced and her belly vibrated—

Kelly went still. Her belly vibrated again.

“Sorry,” she said, pushing away. “My pager.”

“Ignore it.” He reached for her mouth.

“Can’t. I’m not on call. It must be an emergency. I have to go. And you need to rest.”

He cocked one dark eyebrow. “Darlin’, right now rest is the last thing on my mind.” He sighed and loosened his arms. “Call me later.”

Chapter Five

Kelly charged in the back door of the hospital and collided with Warren Iverson. “Sorry,” she said and tried to step around him.

He blocked her path. “Careful, Dr. Martin. You could have injured someone. Have you been drinking?”

She wanted to clobber him. He knew very well she’d toasted the bride and groom—and had a second glass of champagne. He’d been at the reception taking notes.

“Excuse me, I have an emergency.” She pushed past him and hurried for the nurses’ station. Let the old goat stand there and sputter. She didn’t care.

The news on her elderly patient, Mrs. Phelps, was not good.

After Kelly checked her, she said to the nurse, “I think you should call her niece immediately.” Mrs. Phelps’s only relative was a niece in Shreveport. “And her pastor.”

Kelly elevated the frail woman’s bed to make breathing easier, smoothed damp gray tendrils back from her forehead with a cool cloth and sat holding her hand until someone from the church came to stay with her. Dammit, this was a perfect example of the town’s need for hospice care. She felt totally inadequate. Nothing in medical school had really prepared her for having to say goodbye to her patients. Oh, there was the usual admonition about staying objective and emotionally detached, but she’d never been able to do it. She cared too much.

But could anyone care too much?

She said a silent prayer and slipped quietly from the room.

When Kelly got home, she took a long bath and put on soft knit lounging pants and a top. She heated a can of chicken noodle soup, but she ate only a bite or two.

Restless, she turned on the TV, then turned it off.

Neither Rocky nor Pierre seemed in the mood to cuddle. They had retreated to their hidey-holes.

Pacing didn’t help. She wanted to scream or weep or…something. But she didn’t dare start crying or she might not stop. She hugged herself and shivered. She desperately needed—

“To hell with this!”

She grabbed her keys and hurried to her car. The car headed toward the Twilight Inn on autopilot.

When she arrived, Kelly hesitated before she knocked on the apartment door. He probably wasn’t even there. With all his family in town, he was probably visiting with them or—

The door opened.

Cole smiled when he saw her. “I thought I heard someone drive up. I’m glad it was you. Come in.”

She strode past him and stood stiffly in the middle of the room. Only a table lamp by his recliner was on, and a paperback book lay opened and facedown on the chair seat. She nervously smoothed her wild hair. “I look like a witch.”

“You look like an angel. Maybe a little wild-eyed. What’s wrong?”

She took a deep breath. “I need—I need—”

“What do you need?” he asked softly.

“I need to be held.”

He opened his arms wide, and she flew into them.

Being enclosed in his warmth and strength felt heavenly, and her head fit perfectly against his shoulder. Tension eased as she melted against his chest. Even the walker rails between them didn’t bother her…at first.

Then she gradually realized what those rails meant. “I’m sorry,” she said, pushing away. “You don’t need to be holding me up.”

“Sure I do.”

“No. You don’t.”

“Then let’s move to the couch, and I can do a better job of it.”

Kelly didn’t argue. She was too forlorn to argue. Mindful of his injuries, she cuddled against him on the couch, and he held her. More tension eased, and she allowed herself to free-fall into the comfort and security he provided. He held her for the longest time and didn’t say a word. And the longer he held her, and the more she savored the solace of his arms, the more she realized how desperately she had needed this for years—someone to lean on now and then.

She was a strong woman. She’d had to be to make it as a doctor, but even the strongest person needed TLC once in a while.

“Want to talk about it?” Cole asked quietly.

Kelly shook her head. “Not now.” She burrowed closer. “This feels so good.”

“Glad to oblige.” He rubbed his chin against the top of her head. “Your hair is so soft. I thought it would feel different.” He sifted strands through his fingers.

“It’s like kinky kitten fur,” she mumbled against his chest.

He chuckled and she felt the rumble against her cheek. “It’s like a blazing fire. I love your hair.”

“You should try to brush it in the mornings.”

“Be glad to give it a try.” He nuzzled her forehead.

The nuzzling became kisses, and slowly the kisses became caresses. She hadn’t worn a bra, and soon she wasn’t wearing a top. She ought to stop this, she thought, but his touch consoled such a deep ache that it mesmerized her, and she just couldn’t stop.

When he stroked her breasts and drew them into his mouth, she lost it, and all thought of stopping ended. She gave herself over to glorious sensation.

Piece by piece their clothes landed in heaps on the floor as they fondled and kissed and explored. He whispered praises for her body, and she basked in the praise; he kissed her deeply, groaned his desire, and she soared.

“I want you,” he said.

“I want you, too.”

“I’m not sure I can. My hip, my—”

Her lips stopped the words. “Let the doctor handle it. Lie back.”

She knelt, straddling his hips, and leaned over to kiss him as she slowly slipped herself onto him.

“Oh, darlin’,” he groaned. “Take it easy.”

“Am I hurting you?”

“Not hardly. But I want this to last.” He drew her down to take a nipple into his mouth and suck hard.

It sent her through the roof.

“Forget lasting,” she said as she moved up and down in a frantic pace.

They both climaxed powerfully and quickly. Backs bowed, release shuddered their bodies and drew gasps and groans.

Still kneeling with him inside, she snuggled against him, her head on his shoulder. He hugged her tightly, and she savored the last throbs of their passion.

“If this kills me,” he said, “just tell everybody that I died happy.”

Kelly laughed. “I don’t think you’re in danger of dying.”

“Then just throw a blanket over me and wake me in the morning.”

“Cold?”

“No, but I might be when the lather wears off. We don’t have any clothes on.”

“Sure we do,” she said, rubbing her foot along his leg. “We have our socks on.”

He chuckled and kissed her forehead. “You are some kind of woman.”

“What kind is that?”

“The good kind. I’ve had a hard-on for you since the first time I saw you.”

“Really?”

“Yep. You’ve been on my mind a lot.”

Smiling smugly, she twirled damp strands of chest hair around her finger. She’d never thought of herself as the object of anyone’s sexual fantasies.

Reluctant to move she stayed there until the chill became uncomfortable. Finally she rose, snagged her clothes and went to the bathroom.

She’d barely had time to dress when Cole tapped on the door. He’d pulled on sweatpants.

“Your cell phone is ringing.”

Kelly knew what the message would be before she answered, and she was right. “I have to go,” she told Cole.

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