Duty or Desire Read online

  He rubbed his hand down his face. He hadn’t thought that part through yet. At that moment his cell phone went off and he quickly clicked it on. “Sheriff Higgins.”

  “Pete, this is Bane. Crystal said you called.”

  “I did and thanks for getting back to me. I remember you mentioning a while back that Flipper had developed some sort of special high-tech video camera.”

  “Yes, that’s right. You know Flipper—whenever you can keep him out of the water, he’s inventing some high-tech gadget or other.”

  “If possible, I’d like to use it in a case I’m working on. I think it might be helpful.”

  “Then you’re in luck. Flipper and Swan will be here this week. They’re coming to town with the baby. I’ll tell him to bring it when he comes.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it.” Pete knew Flipper and his wife recently had a little girl. “And by the way, how’re Mac and Teri doing? And all your other SEAL teammates?”

  Because Bane was so close to his teammates, namely Viper, Coop, Mac and Flipper, all the Westmoreland family and their friends had gotten to know the guys pretty well.

  “The McRoy household is doing fine. I talked to Mac the other day and he said the twins are climbing all over the place and getting into anything that’s not nailed down. I told him to stop whining. He wanted sons and now he has two.”

  Yes, now Mac had two sons and four daughters. “Well, I’m glad he got what he wanted and I heard the ranch they bought in Texas is pretty damn nice.”

  He talked to Bane for a few minutes more and before ending the call, he asked about Bane’s family. Bane and Crystal were the parents of three-year-old triplets: two sons, Adam and Ace, and a daughter, Clarisse. Adam and Clarisse had been named after Bane’s parents.

  Turning his attention back to the computer screen, Pete jotted down some notes but again his mind began wandering. He’d never allowed a woman to interfere with his work before. He would push thoughts of Myra to the back of his mind. It wouldn’t be easy, but he was determined.

  * * *

  “Welcome to McKays.”

  Holding Ciara in her arms, Myra smiled up at the waitress. “Thanks. I’m meeting someone here. Sheriff Pete Higgins,” she said, glancing around the restaurant. This was her first time here, but she’d heard it was one of the most popular eating establishments in town.

  “He’s already here and asked for a high chair for the baby. Please follow me.”

  “Thanks.”

  Myra was led to the back and around several couples dining. It seemed a number of them recognized Ciara and smiled to greet her by name. Myra figured Pete must have brought his niece here often for her to be so popular. When they rounded a corner, she saw Pete the moment he saw them. The minute their eyes connected she felt like she was burning from the inside out.

  He stood and smiled and she could no longer ignore the deep attraction she had for him. She had awakened that morning giving herself a pep talk. Although she had enjoyed their kiss immensely last night, she knew it couldn’t happen again. First of all, she was his employee and living under his roof. The last thing she wanted to indulge in was an affair with her boss. Okay, she would be honest with herself and say she would love to indulge in one, but it wouldn’t be right. Besides, the man was older and not her type. But he could kiss the panties off a girl without much effort. And there he stood, looking as handsome as sin and with a body to die for.

  “Da-da!”

  Ciara stretched her hands out and he took her out of Myra’s arms. Myra watched the little girl wrap her arms around his neck tight and kiss him on the cheek. It was obvious she’d missed him. This was the first time Ciara had seen her uncle since dinner yesterday. Myra could tell Pete had missed his niece, as well.

  “Hello, Pete.”

  “Myra. I hope you found this place without any problems.”

  “I did,” she said, sliding into the seat at the booth. “I’m glad you wrote down those directions for the short cut. GPS would have probably had me in the middle of rush hour traffic.”

  “Yes, it would have. How was your day?”

  Myra could tell him she had spent a lot of the day thinking about the kiss and trying to convince herself it was one and done. She’d pretty much succeeded, too. But it was hard sitting across from him and staring at his lips and recalling what they’d done to hers last night.

  “It was great. That song I taught Ciara at the beginning of the week, she has it down pat now. But please don’t ask her to sing it. She gets loud and stuck on what is obviously her favorite part. I don’t think you want to get her started in here.”

  He laughed, placing Ciara in the high chair. “I’ll make sure I wait until we get home.”

  Her breath wobbled at what he’d said. It was as if they were a couple and he was referring to his house as their home. She tried forcing the thought to the back of her mind, but his smile was mesmerizing her.

  At that moment the waitress brought them their menus. Myra broke eye contact to look down at it. “What do you suggest?”

  “I would say their meat loaf but yours even tops the one here.”

  “Thanks, that’s a kind thing to say.”

  “I wouldn’t lie to you.” He then said, “Since we’ve taken meat loaf off the list, I suggest their pork chops. For Ciara, I usually order the kids’ meal ravioli. She seems to like it.”

  The waitress took their order and Myra glanced around, noticing how crowded the place was and the number of people staring at them. She glanced back at him and knew he noticed, as well. Before she could say anything, he said, “If you recall, I gave you fair warning.”

  Yes, he had. Not that it mattered for her, but he was the town’s sheriff and happened to be single. People were probably curious as to what was going on in his life. Although Denver was a large city, certain parts were pretty close-knit and it seemed this area was one of those.

  That was fine because at that moment the waitress returned with their food.

  * * *

  Pete smiled as Ciara entertained them during the meal. She hadn’t burst into any songs, but she was trying to tell him about her shoes. He didn’t quite understand what she was saying and Myra had to translate. That meant he got to look into her face without it being so obvious he was doing so.

  He had been anxiously watching the entrance to the restaurant and remembered the exact moment she walked in with Ciara. It was something about seeing them together that filled him with a sense of contentment that both surprised and confused him. He had pushed the feeling aside to concentrate on Myra.

  She was wearing a long flowing skirt with a pair of leather boots. Her wool sweater made the trendy outfit look sexy as hell. The way her curly hair flowed about her shoulders with this mussed-up look had lust zipping up his spine. He no longer felt guilty about wanting her and accepted that was how it would be. He could no more deny he found her desirable than he could deny his masculinity.

  And whenever she smiled, he felt his breath wobble in his throat. He would love to one day take her dancing. He could imagine holding her close in his arms while burying his face in the hollow of her throat and drinking in her scent. One he was getting used to.

  And just think, he had come close to not hiring her as Ciara’s nanny. She’d been with them for weeks now and he couldn’t help but appreciate how well she took care of Ciara and his household in Bonnie’s absence. He also appreciated how she’d reminded him he was a man. A man who’d finally realized he hadn’t been living but merely breathing, like Bonnie had claimed.

  He hadn’t counted on such a change in his life. He had thought he was satisfied with things staying the way they’d been for years. But every time he saw Myra, spent any time around her, he was well aware of what she did to him. A part of him felt he should be fighting it. After all, why get worked up over a woman who would be walking out of his life in a month
? She would be leaving Denver and their paths might never cross again. There could never be a future with them and a part of him wasn’t sure he wanted one with her or any woman. The only thing he wanted to concentrate on was the here and now. And right now, he was fully aware of Myra Hollister in every pore of his body.

  Another thing he was aware of was that seeing them together had drawn a lot of attention. McKays was one of the few eating places in town that was locally owned. The owner, Tony McKay, had been close friends with Pete, Derringer and Riley while growing up and had taken over the running of the restaurant when his old man passed away a few years back.

  McKays was a place where locals came to eat and in some cases get wind of the latest gossip. A number of the people in here had known Pete his entire life. They had known his parents and Matt and had encouraged him to run for sheriff. They were also people who’d known Ellen and most, like Bonnie, had told him at one time or another that it was time to find someone and settle down, claiming Ellen would have wanted that for him. In the past, he’d harbored feelings of resentment, thinking they had no idea what Ellen would have wanted. But they’d known Ellen as long as they’d known him. They knew Ellen hadn’t had a selfish bone in her body. She’d loved life, embraced it fully.

  He could admit now that the Ellen they’d known, and the one he’d known, would have wanted him to move on and live again.

  “Evening, Sheriff.”

  Pete snapped out of his thoughts to stare at the man and woman standing beside his table. “Good evening, Mr. Karl and Mrs. Inez.”

  He knew they expected him to introduce them to Myra. In fact, he was fairly certain that was the main reason they’d come over to his table. “Not sure if you’ve met Myra Hollister. Myra is helping me out with Ciara while Bonnie is away visiting her sister.”

  They exchanged greetings with Myra. “The Fosters were good friends of my grandparents,” he told Myra.

  “Yes, Thomas Higgins was captain of our football team back in the day,” Karl said about Pete’s grandfather. “And I was captain of the basketball team.”

  “And I bet it was a very good basketball team,” Myra said, smiling, causing the old man to blush.

  “Yes, we were pretty good. We won the state titles in both football and basketball our senior year.”

  The older couple moved on, but their approach had somehow broken the ice, and other people trickled over to their table on their way out for an introduction to Myra, as well. Since they were not sitting by the exit door, there was no doubt in Pete’s mind that everyone was making a conscious effort to come by.

  “This is certainly a friendly town. For such a large city, Denver still somehow presents itself with a small-town atmosphere,” Myra said, after what Pete hoped was the last person to interrupt their meal left.

  “Only certain parts of the city,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee. “Where you really get the big-town feel is downtown and in the newer areas, where a lot of people don’t know each other and prefer it that way.”

  They were about to order dessert when Pete detected someone else had approached their table. He glanced up and saw that Derringer, Zane, Riley and Canyon were out dining with their wives. Greetings were exchanged. No introductions were needed since Myra had met everyone at a Westmoreland chow-down a few weeks back.

  Zane told Pete that his sister Gemma had called that day to say she and her husband, Callum, would be coming to town for Christmas after missing Thanksgiving. Riley then chimed in to add that several of their cousins living in Alaska, the Outlaws, would be joining them for Christmas, as well. As much as Pete liked the Westmorelands, he was glad when they’d finally moved on, dismissing the thought that he just wanted Myra’s attention for himself.

  “You’re off work this weekend, right?”

  Myra’s question reeled in his thoughts. “Yes.”

  She nodded. “I’ll be going back to Breckenridge this weekend.”

  Her statement gave him pause. “Joining your girlfriend there again?” he asked, in what he hoped was a casual tone. That night when they’d shared peach cobbler, she’d told him where she’d gone over the Thanksgiving holidays. Unknowingly, she had solved a mystery that had plagued him.

  She shook her head. “No.”

  He thought that was all she planned to say, and then she added, “I planned to go there to get away.”

  Pete wondered if she was making a conscious effort to be gone the weekends he was off. Those first two weekends she’d spent with Ms. Miller, had that been intentional, as well? “Any reason you’re going away for the entire weekend I’m off work?” he decided to ask.

  She shrugged before saying, “Bonnie said when you had weekends off, she would use that time to return to her place to check on things. I don’t have a place to go, but I want to give you and Ciara some alone time.”

  That was thoughtful of her but not necessary. “Ciara and I will have that even if you’re there. Please don’t leave to go somewhere on our account.”

  “You’re sure? I don’t want to intrude.”

  “You won’t be.” In fact, he wanted her there with him and Ciara. He would question the reason why later. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy her company and he had only another month left to do so.

  At that moment the waitress returned with their dessert.

  * * *

  “Thanks again for dinner, Pete,” Myra said, when he opened the door to his home. He’d wanted Ciara to ride with him back home and he had an extra baby car seat in the back of his sheriff’s cruiser.

  “Did Ciara take a nap today?” he asked.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Yes, why do you ask?”

  He chuckled. “Because she was a lively one tonight. On the way home I made the mistake of telling her to sing that song you taught her and she kept it going until we got here.”

  Myra couldn’t help but chuckle. “You can’t say I didn’t warn you. But she is getting sleepy. Just look at her.”

  They both did and although the little girl was fighting it, it was obvious she could barely keep her eyes open. “I’ll get her ready for bed,” Myra said, reaching to take Ciara out of Pete’s arms. Their bodies brushed and Myra felt her heart skip a beat.

  Cuddling Ciara close, as if the little girl could serve as a barrier between her and Pete, she took a step back. “I’ll let you know when you can come tuck her in.” Faking a yawn, she added, “I had a long day and after I get Ciara ready for you, I’m going straight to bed.”

  “All right.”

  Why was she feeling a little disappointed that Pete hadn’t talked her out of going on to bed? What had she expected him to say? Meet me in the kitchen later so I can devour your mouth again? Maybe he regretted the kiss like she wanted to do. Only problem was, she couldn’t.

  “Is something wrong, Myra?”

  Too late, she realized she’d been standing there staring at him. Namely at his mouth. That very sensuous mouth. He had a look in his eyes that almost made her moan. It was a good thing he wasn’t privy to her thoughts. “No, nothing is wrong.” Holding Ciara tightly in her arms, she hurried on down the hall.

  She had given Ciara her bath and had just finished getting her into her jammies when the bedroom door opened. She drew in a sharp breath. This was the first time Pete had ever come into the room while she was here. Usually, he would wait until he knew she’d finished and had gone to her own room. He stood in the doorway looking way too fine.

  “You’re just in time. She’s all ready for you,” Myra said, trying to make it seem as if his unexpected appearance hadn’t rattled her.

  “Good.”

  He walked over to the dressing table and smiled down at his niece. Myra had wanted to braid Ciara’s hair tonight but the little girl had been too fussy to let her do so. Huge locks of curls covered her little head and she could barely keep her eyes open. But when she sa
w Pete, she smiled up at him and asked, “Want me sing, Da-da?”

  He laughed and then quickly said, “No, Ciara, it’s my time to sing to you.”

  Myra watched as he picked up Ciara and carried her over to the rocking chair and sat down. When he was settled in the chair with his niece cuddled in his arms, he glanced over at her. Their gazes collided and too late she noticed her breathing pattern had changed. She wondered if he’d noticed.

  She backed up toward the door. “Ahh, I’ll leave the two of you alone now. Good night.” She quickly reached the door.

  “Myra?”

  She turned around. “Yes?”

  “Please meet me in my man cave in half an hour.”

  She swallowed while he held her gaze hostage. “Is there something we need to talk about?”

  “No.”

  She nervously licked her lips as she felt the heat from his eyes drift over her. Her body automatically responded to each lingering visual caress. “Then why do you need me to come down to your man cave?”

  “I want to kiss you again.”

  At least he was honest and now she needed to be, as well. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” No use lying and saying she didn’t want him to kiss her again, because she did. However, it still wasn’t a good idea.

  “I don’t think so either but my mind isn’t being ruled by what’s a good idea or what’s not a good idea. It’s being ruled by the memory of your delicious taste.”

  Before she could respond, although she really didn’t know what to say to that, Ciara reached up and took a hold of his chin to force him to look down at her. “Sing, Da-da.”

  He smiled down at his niece and before he could look back at her, Myra had quickly left the room and closed the door behind her.

  Seven

  She isn’t here.

  Pete tried downplaying the pang of disappointment he felt in the pit of his stomach. Had he honestly thought she would be? He had hoped. There was no way he’d misread the chemistry between them tonight. Chemistry he was certain Myra had read, as well. But just because she read it didn’t mean she intended to act on it.