Chapter Seven
T-Rex tossed and turned through the night. Sierra’s words stuck with him, making it hard for him to clear his mind. For a woman who’d been in an abusive relationship, she was still optimistic about finding love.
As morning light edged through the curtains, T-Rex gave up on sleep, put on his running shoes and sweats and went out for a jog. Whenever he needed to think, he ran. He had a lot to think about, and there didn’t seem to be enough time or road to ponder everything on his mind.
Number one was the last bit of conversation he’d had with Sierra. No matter how hard he tried to push it to the back of his mind, he couldn’t. The last thing he needed to be thinking about was love. He was married to the corps. He was first, and foremost, a marine.
Any woman who dared to fall in love with a career marine was setting herself up for heartache and sacrifice. She would be left alone more often than not. Any children from the relationship would be raised by their mother. Deployments were a given, and they could be as long as fourteen months at a time. Gunny had missed more birthdays and dance recitals than he’d managed to attend. What kind of life was that for a woman, or children, for that matter?
Then why were so many of his troops married? Sure, some had deployed to come back to an empty house, their wives picking up and moving the kids back to their mamas. But there were those who kept the home fires burning and greeted their loved ones when they stepped off the planes. They were there with love in their eyes, truly happy to see their husbands.
Why couldn’t that be him?
An image came to his mind of Sierra waiting at the airport or on the tarmac of a military landing strip, her blue eyes alight with happy tears, a pretty little girl, with her blond hair and blue eyes standing beside her, clutching her hand.
His heart pinched in his chest, forcing him to slow to a walk. He’d seen wives like that with their little ones gathered around their legs. Waiting for their husbands and fathers to step off the plane. The happy reunions always made him rethink his stance on his own bachelorhood.
Then he’d see a casket unloaded from the bowels of a plane, the widow and children of the fallen marine there to meet the transfer detail with the hearse.
No matter how much he longed for the love and comfort of having someone waiting for him at home, T-Rex couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t put a woman through that kind of heartache. He picked up the pace until he was running again. Anyone who would go willingly into a relationship with a career marine had to either be so in love to the point she couldn’t think straight, or just insane. The worry alone would age the one left behind.
Again, he thought of Sierra, who still believed in love, despite having escaped an abusive husband. She deserved a man who would go to work and come home each day. A man whose job wasn’t to kill, and in the process be shot at, have bombs lobbed in his direction or IEDs explode beneath his feet. She deserved an accountant, banker or rancher. A man who would always be there for her, who would always be home at night to protect her.
The thought of someone else coming home to Sierra made T-Rex’s heart pinch even tighter. He pushed past the irritating pain and ran even faster. By the time he was almost back to the bed-and-breakfast, he was running full out. No amount of physical exertion was enough to push thoughts of Sierra from his mind. He might have to move out of the bed-and-breakfast to get away from her and the attraction he was feeling toward her.
As the bed-and-breakfast came into view, he slowed, winding down from the punishing pace. Whatever he did, he had to stay away from Sierra Daniels. She was everything he wanted but couldn’t have. The sooner he accepted that, the better off he’d be.
Mrs. McCall was awake and setting the table in the shared dining room.
“Good morning, Mrs. McCall.”
She glanced up with a smile. “Good morning, Mr. Trainor. You’re up early.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He didn’t bother to inform her that he couldn’t sleep because of one blond-haired, blue-eyed beauty on the other side of the wall of his bedroom. What good would it do?
Mrs. McCall laid out another napkin and placed a knife and fork on it. “How do you like your eggs cooked? And how many?”
“Two, over easy, and a slice of toast.”
“Coffee?”
“Yes, ma’am. Black.”
“It’ll be ready in ten minutes. Just enough time for you to get a shower.” She winked. “Would you happen to know when Miss Daniels will be awake?”
And why would Mrs. McCall think he’d know Miss Daniels’s hours? Had she heard them kissing and talking?
“I’m awake,” a soft voice said from the top of the staircase.
T-Rex’s pulse stuttered and then raced as he turned to face the woman who’d been on his mind nonstop since he’d closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep last night.
Sierra descended the steps, her hand trailing along the rail. She wore a form-hugging light blue knit blouse the color of her eyes and a navy blue skirt. Her long, slender legs were encased in dark navy tights, emphasizing her tight calves and narrow ankles. She had her long blond hair loose around her shoulders.
The overall effect left T-Rex breathless, the desire he’d hoped he’d run off surging back in full force. “I’ll go shower,” he said through tight lips. He passed her as she took the last step down.
For a brief instant, their gazes connected.
T-Rex felt as if he’d been blasted by a bolt of lightning when he looked into her eyes.
Her irises flared, and she caught her bottom lip between her teeth.
Swallowing a groan, T-Rex jerked his glance away from hers and stumbled on the first step. Cursing softly beneath his breath, he caught himself.
Sierra touched his arm. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” he forced out, his arm on fire where her hand lay. He was freakin’ great. The one person he needed to avoid was touching him, and he was going hot all over like a teenager in lust. Tearing himself away, he started up the steps.
“Is there anything I can do to help?” Sierra said behind him.
“Yes, thank you,” Mrs. McCall responded. “If you could finish setting the table, I’ll start cooking. How many eggs would you like and how do you like them cooked?”
“Two eggs, over easy, and a piece of toast would be nice, thank you.”
Halfway up the staircase, T-Rex stubbed his toe on the riser in front of him. Had Sierra heard him order his eggs, or did she truly like hers just like his?
“Did you hear that, Mr. Trainor?” Mrs. McCall called out. “Just like you. You’re making this easy. You’re two peas in a pod.”
T-Rex said something inane and continued up the stairs.
“Coffee or tea?” Mrs. McCall was asking.
“Coffee, definitely. Black,” Sierra said in her soft voice.
At the top of the stairs now, T-Rex groaned. Could the woman be any more perfect? If she was a Denver Broncos fan, he might as well throw in the towel and ask her to marry him.
* * *
AFTER A RESTLESS night of very little sleep, Sierra had promised she wouldn’t let herself get all wrapped up in T-Rex that morning. She’d been thankful she had the bathroom all to herself, without bumping into the man. If she was honest with herself, she had been a little disappointed that she hadn’t seen him.
Determined to wipe him from her mind and get on with her life, she’d left her bedroom, ready to make it a wonderful day spending time with the children at the community center. Working with children always took her mind off her own troubles and made her smile.
Then she’d seen T-Rex at the bottom of the stairs, and all bets were off. He was right back front and center in her thoughts. Not that he’d ever left them. And he was all sweaty, his face and muscular arms glistening in the dining room lights.
Sierra’s heart skipped several beats and butterflies fluttered in her belly. She could feel last night’s kiss tingling on her lips.
And when she’d touched him... Holy hell, she was going to be sorely disappointed when the man left Grizzly Pass. She hadn’t felt this excited by any man. Ever. Not even when she’d first started dating the captain of the football team in high school. That had been back when Clay was at the top of his game. He’d been nice to her and treated her like he really cared. She’d been flattered and thought she was in love with him.
But never had she felt the spark T-Rex set off in her by merely touching her.
As she set flatware on the dining room table, she listened for the sound of the water running in the shower upstairs and imagined T-Rex naked.
He’d told her not to get attached. And she had no intention of doing so. But what would it hurt to have a fling with the man? Sierra shivered and her core heated in anticipation of getting naked with T-Rex and making love.
He’d be so powerful in bed. All those muscles would be hers to touch, if only for a night. Then perhaps she’d get him out of her system and move on to finding a man she could fall in love with and who would fall in love with her.
She finished laying out the silverware and napkins and helped Mrs. McCall by bringing the toast and an insulated carafe of coffee to the table.
Mrs. McCall smiled. “Thank you for helping. The eggs are almost ready. I’ll bring them out in a minute. Why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the dining room?”
Sierra wandered out to the dining room. She couldn’t hear the sound of water running. Her senses perked and her pulse sped. T-Rex would be down soon, and they would have to sit at the same table for breakfast.
How should she act? How could she look at him and not show how very attracted she was to him? Taking a deep breath, she purposely turned away from the staircase. She would not let T-Rex or any other man have that profound an effect on her. Letting her breath out slowly, she paused to stare out the window as the morning sun bathed the trees and other houses along the street in light. If she concentrated on the beauty of the world around her, instead of the marine in the shower upstairs, she might make it through breakfast without drooling.
The weatherman had predicted the morning would be clear and sunny. Later that evening clouds would roll in from the west. For now, the sunshine filled Sierra with a feeling of hope, and hope was a good thing when you were divorced, dirt-poor and somewhat homeless while your apartment was being reroofed.
A dark pickup pulled up to the curb on the other side of the street.
As if a cloud descended on her spirits, the hope Sierra had felt faded, replaced by a heavy pall of anger and dread. “Damn him,” she whispered, her hands shaking as she stepped back from the window.
Arms came up around her and a deep voice asked, “What’s wrong?”
Sierra spun in T-Rex’s arms and pressed her cheek against his chest. “Out there,” she said, refusing to look again.
T-Rex stiffened. “Ellis.” He gripped her arms and set her away from him. “I’ll take care of him.”
“No. Let the sheriff. I have a restraining order against him. If he gets any closer than fifty feet, the sheriff can arrest him.”
“He’s harassing you.”
“He never liked to lose.” Sierra stared up into T-Rex’s face. “I’ll call the sheriff.”
“Do it. And if they don’t show up and he’s still there when we’re finished with breakfast, I’ll have words with him.”
She smiled and touched his arm. “You don’t have to fight my battles for me.”
“Ellis doesn’t have to harass you.”
“Now that I have the stun gun, I can take care of myself.” She stepped away and pulled her cell phone from her purse. As she hit the number for the sheriff’s department, she left the dining room and entered the front living area.
“Sheriff’s department,” a woman’s voice answered.
“This is Sierra Daniels. Is Sheriff Scott available?”
“One moment, please.”
After a short pause, a deep, masculine voice came through the receiver. “Sierra, Sheriff Scott here. What’s up?”
She sighed. “Clay’s at it again.”
“When is that boy going to get it through his thick head you aren’t going back to him?”
“I don’t know. But he’s parked outside Mrs. McCall’s bed-and-breakfast, where I’m staying. I didn’t call, but I had two altercations with him yesterday.”
“Sierra, you did right. We’ll do something about it.”
“I know. I just need to remember to call.”
“That’s right. We’re here to help. I’ll send a unit by,” Sheriff Scott said.
“Thank you.”
“Are you going to be okay?”
Sierra glanced across the two rooms at T-Rex standing by the window, staring out at her ex-husband. “Yes. I’m okay. I can protect myself. I just don’t want him hanging around and scaring my landlady.”
“We’ll take care of it.”
Sierra ended the call and joined T-Rex in the dining room.
Mrs. McCall entered, carrying their plates of steaming eggs.
As they settled in for their breakfast, Mrs. McCall asked, “Would you mind if I put the news on the television?”
“Not at all,” Sierra answered.
“I’d like that,” said T-Rex.
The bed-and-breakfast owner hit the remote for the fifty-inch television mounted on the wall in the corner of the dining room. She gave them a sassy smile as she adjusted the volume. “I love my big television. I occasionally open the dining room during football season. I love my Denver Broncos.”
“I was here during your airing of the last playoff game.” Sierra said. “The food was great, and the company was so much fun.” It had been shortly after her divorce. She’d dared to venture out by herself and had thoroughly enjoyed the football game. “I’m a huge Broncos fan, too.”
Beside her, T-Rex choked on his coffee.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
He set the cup down and covered his mouth. “Wrong pipe.”
Mrs. McCall tuned in to the news station based out of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the closest station to Grizzly Pass. “Look, there’s Grady Morris on the steps of the state capitol.”
“Isn’t he the guy who was here a few days ago, campaigning for state senator?”
Mrs. McCall nodded. “He’s been campaigning all over the state. The elections aren’t far off and the incumbent is getting old, but he is a favorite.” She turned up the volume.
A woman in a gray skirt suit raised her hand. “Mr. Morris, what’s your stance on global warming? Will you vote for legislation to reduce greenhouse gases?”
The candidate stood straight, his gaze on the gathered crowd more than the female reporter asking the question. “I will study the situation and make the best possible decisions based on the scientific findings and what my constituents want.”
“Great way to avoid the question,” Sierra muttered.
“What about the pipeline running through the state and the southern border of Yellowstone National Park?” A dark-haired man, wearing a dark jacket, held out a microphone. “Will you put pressure on the federal government to put a stop to further expansion of the pipeline access?”
“I will stand by the people and do what’s in the best interest of the people of Wyoming,” Morris responded.
“Another nonanswer,” Sierra noted.
“Is it true, Mr. Morris, that you were once on the Transcontinental Pipeline Inc. board of directors?”
Morris nodded, brows dipping. “Your point?”
“And isn’t it true Transcontinental bought out Rocky Mountain Pipeline?”
Again, Morris nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“And isn’t Transcontinental in the process of negotiating their existing contract for the maintenance of the pipeline through Wyoming and for additional pipelines to pass, as well?”
“I wouldn’t know,” Morris responded. “I haven’t been on the board for nearly seven years. Next question, please.” Morris looked at the others in the crowd.
“Is it true Transcontinental is being investigated for failure to provide sufficient maintenance to the existing pipelines?” The man in the dark jacket wasn’t going to let go of the pipeline angle.
Morris’s mouth thinned into a straight line. “I’ll take other questions from other reporters now.”
The woman in the gray suit held up her hand.
Morris nodded to her.
“Mr. Morris, I’d like to know the answer to the other reporter’s question. Is Transcontinental being investigated for failure to provide sufficient maintenance to the existing pipeline?”
“If they are, it should be available as public record.” Morris straightened his suit coat and stepped down from the top step at the capitol. “If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”
“Mr. Morris, if Transcontinental hasn’t been maintaining the pipeline properly, are the people of Wyoming in danger of a pipeline rupturing?”
“I don’t have the answer to that question,” he responded.
The woman in the gray suit followed Morris as he attempted to push through the crowd of reporters. “Will you, as a senator, make certain all measures are taken to protect the people of your state from a potentially disastrous situation with the pipeline?”
Morris didn’t respond. The woman in gray turned to her cameraman. “There seems to be more than meets the eye on Grady Morris’s connection to the Transcontinental Pipeline. I’ll bring you my findings in the evening news.” She signed off and the news returned to the station and the weather report.
“Mr. Morris has an uphill battle if he plans to be the next senator of Wyoming,” Mrs. McCall said. “Too many people are unhappy about the pipeline running through our state to begin with. If Morris is in any way connected with the pipeline shenanigans, he won’t get the votes he needs. And if Transcontinental thinks they’ll put another one in with the first, they have another think coming. Ever since they bought out Rocky Mountain Pipeline, they’ve laid off everyone and quit maintaining the line. I’d be surprised if they don’t get fined and booted off the pipeline altogether.” Mrs. McCall grimaced. “Sorry. I’ll step down from my soapbox now.” She finished her tea and stood. “Can I get you anything? More coffee? Tea?”
Sierra held up her hand. “I’m full. Breakfast was great. If you keep cooking like that, I might decide to live here even after they finish the renovations on my apartment building.”
“Sweetie, you’re always welcome here. You’re practically family.”
“Thank you, Mrs. McCall.” Sierra gathered her plate and stood.
Mrs. McCall paused on her way to the kitchen, staring through the window. “Now, what is the sheriff doing on our street so early in the morning?” She left the dining room and pushed through the swinging door into the kitchen.
Sierra’s pulse sped up. She deliberately stopped beside T-Rex and piled his plate on top of hers. As she passed the window, she could see a sheriff’s car pulled up against the curb where Clay’s truck had been a few minutes before.
A smile curled her lips, and she felt a hundred pounds lighter. “Clay’s gone,” Sierra said.
“Even so, I’m following you to the community center today.” T-Rex pushed back from the table and gathered the glasses.
“You don’t have to,” Sierra reminded him.
He shook his head. “No, but I want to. Can we not argue about it this morning?”
She twisted her lips in a wry grin. “Deal. And thanks.” The smile he gave her spread warmth throughout her body.
And so, she had her escort to the community center. Clay wasn’t there waiting to harass her, but Brenda was driving up as she arrived, and by the stupid grin on her face, she wasn’t likely to let Sierra by without some good-natured ribbing.
Sierra hugged herself around her middle as she walked into the building. The man made her feel cared about and protected. No amount of ribbing would knock the smile off her face.