sure you’re a very good deputy. Sheriff Hamilton wouldn’t have any other kind. But don’t you ever worry that you might find yourself in a dangerous situation?” he asked.
Something flickered in her eyes just before they dropped to her plate, but the glimpse was too quick to determine what she was thinking or feeling.
“I’ve been in dangerous situations before and I’ve learned how to handle them. As a matter of fact, I teach a self-defense course to women one night a week at the community center. The way I see it, the stronger a woman is both mentally and physically, the safer she’ll be.”
She was not a petite woman. Her height was probably taller than average and there was nothing fragile about her generous curves. No doubt she would be physically strong. But were her defensive skills enough to wield off a gun or a knife? It was an image he didn’t like to contemplate.
DeeDee hadn’t been physically strong. She’d been a tiny little thing that thought lifting a hair brush was enough of a morning workout. But mentally, she’d been as wily as a cat. She’d known exactly what buttons to push and what cards to play to get what she wanted. In the beginning her wants had been Tyler. But that had quickly changed once Trent stepped in and began working his charm on her.
“Your family doesn’t worry about you having a dangerous job?” he asked.
“My family understands that I don’t have to be a deputy to be threatened.”
He was trying to figure out that odd statement when a shadow loomed up beside their table and he looked up to see a stocky, auburn-haired man dressed in a deputy’s shirt and jeans. He was squinting at the two of them as though he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. For some reason, the idea irked Tyler.
“Rosa, is that you in a dress?” he asked incredulously.
The moment she glanced away from Tyler and up to the other man, instant recognition hit her face and she smiled as though she was seeing an old friend.
“Hank! I thought you were off duty tonight, too!”
He shook his head. “I had to go back out to the Chaparral.”
She scowled faintly. “Why didn’t you let me know? I could have joined you.”
The deputy, who appeared to be in his early thirties, shrugged one shoulder. “You needed the rest. And it was a matter I could deal with myself.”
She let out a long breath as her eyes darted awkwardly from Hank to Tyler, then back to Hank. “Well, thanks. Mr. Pickens and I just happened to be having supper at the same time tonight and decided to have our meal together,” she explained. “Have you two met before?”
“I don’t believe so,” Tyler said as he glanced to the other man.
“Hank and I usually work as partners,” she told him.
Tyler extended his hand to the lawman. “I’m Tyler Pickens. Nice to meet you.”
Hank shook his hand. “Deputy Hank Harrigan. Same here,” he said. “I think I remember seeing you at the Chaparral several years ago. When the rustling ring was busted.”
“You probably did,” Tyler replied. “I was there to help hunt for Alexa. Thankfully, Jonas found her before anything terrible happened.”
Hank nodded. “Yeah. A real Texas Ranger to the rescue. All of us around here were impressed by him.” He glanced over his shoulder to a table across the room, then back to Rosalinda. “Well, I’d better get over to my table. My buddies are waiting. See you in the morning, Rosa. And you take care, Mr. Pickens.”
Tyler nodded at Hank’s parting words before he turned his attention to Rosalinda. Now that her coworker had left, her expression had become strained.
“What’s the matter?” he asked her. “Are you worried about him seeing you having dinner with a suspect?”
“You’re not a suspect. Not exactly,” she corrected, with a grimace. “I just wish—well, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, one way or the other, he would’ve probably heard about you and me having dinner together.”
Tyler put down his fork. “Are you interested in him? I mean romantically?”
She grimaced. “No. But he’s sort of interested in me. And I’ve always put him off by telling him I’m not interested in dating. Now he’s going to think I was lying to him.”
Tyler glanced across the room to where the deputy had taken a seat at a table with two more law officers. From the corner of his eye, he noticed all three men were glancing surreptitiously in their direction. He didn’t know whether to be amused or irritated by the attention.
“Your partner is going to believe we’re dating just because we’re having a meal together? That’s being pretty presumptuous, isn’t it?”
She didn’t answer immediately and he glanced across the table to see a faint blush had painted her cheeks a soft pink. The color made her features even lovelier.
“I’m sorry. That was silly of me to say. It’s just that … well, I don’t do this sort of thing for any reason. And Hank knows that.” She quickly dabbed her lips with a napkin, then changed the subject completely. “If you’re finished, I’d like to leave now.”
Clearly, she was flustered. But whether he was the reason for this change in her, or if it was the sudden appearance of Deputy Harrigan, he had no way of knowing. Something Tyler was certain of, though, was that he was far from ready for his time with this woman to end.
“Sure. I’ll signal the waitress and we’ll get out of here.”
Five minutes later, Tyler had settled the bill and the two of them left the restaurant by way of a side door. The exit led onto a large deck where patrons could take their meals outdoors. Since it was dark, only a handful of people were sitting around the wooden tables partaking of drinks.
Beside him, Rosalinda lifted her face skyward and let out a long sigh. “It’s good to be away from prying eyes. Besides, the night is beautiful. It’s much nicer out here, anyway.”
Not wanting her to make a quick dash to her vehicle, he curled a hand around her elbow. “Let’s walk over to the back of the deck and look at the creek,” he suggested.
She hesitated, but only for a moment. “All right.”
Since the restaurant and adjoining deck were built at the base of a mountain, the property behind it consisted of thick forest. Directly beneath the back side of the deck, a small creek tumbled its way down the hillside toward a larger branch of water. In the light of day, trout could be spotted swimming in the crystal clear stream. Tonight, the only things visible were shiny dapples created by moonbeams slanting through the pine boughs.
As they stood side by side, staring down at the moving water, Tyler told himself he should drop his hold on her arm, yet he couldn’t bring himself to lose the contact. Her skin was warm and soft and her nearness made him feel like a man again. A man strong enough to love and protect a woman. It was a sensation he’d believed he would never experience again and it filled him with immense pleasure.
He said, “I’m sorry if my being here tonight will cause you trouble at work.”
“It won’t. I’ll simply explain to Hank that you and I had a few more things we wanted to discuss.”
“You mean about the arson? Or each other?”
Her attention on the creek, she let out another long breath. “We’re not supposed to be discussing each other.”
Releasing his hold on her arm, he eased his hand onto her shoulder. The moment his fingers pressed into her bare skin, her face twisted around to his, her lips parted and Tyler’s heartbeat quickened.
“There are other ways for a man and woman to learn about each other besides talking,” he murmured.
“Mr.