Back in the Saddle by Desiree Holt Page A

up whenever he thought of her. A rage heavily colored with lust. In twelve years, that feeling had built itself to quite a level.
    Get over it. She wasn’t worth it then and she’s not worth it now.
    So why, after all these years, did his traitorous dick still get hard whenever he remembered her naked body? Why did his hands twitch, remembering the feel of her young breasts in them? His nose still remembered the scent of roses and honeysuckle in her hair. His mouth, the taste of her tempting juices. One would think by this time he’d have himself under control.
    Except Jamie Randall was like a festering sore inside him, one he needed to lance and get rid of, once and for all.
    All these years, he’d been able to deal with the way she’d just flat out left him because she’d been far away in a different life. But to see her every day now, to know the contempt she’d held him in, would be an impossible situation.
    No way was she coming back to Amen, Texas and twitching her ass in front of his face. She left town once. He planned to make sure she did it again. Jamie Randall would have to leave whether she wanted to or not. Only this time it would be on his terms and not until he’d satisfied a twelve-year-old itch.
    Easier said than done, cowboy.
    He cranked the engine a little too hard, and pulled away from the curb, heading out on the dusty highway. She should be home by now. There was no time like the present to get on with business, but it wasn’t business he was looking forward to.
    All the way to the scrubby patch of land her father had left her, Zane talked to himself. Face her. Get it over with. Move on.
    The caliche driveway leading to the old Randall house was potholed and bumpy, a sign of long neglect. The house itself was a reflection of the man who’d lived there, alone. Decaying, rotting away, making a pretense at something but not quite pulling it off.
    He pulled the department’s big Expedition in behind Jamie’s smaller SUV and cut the ignition. As tiny as Amen was, he hadn’t been in this house since Jamie left town. He didn’t even want to go there now, but the whole mess from the past was like dry toast stuck in his throat.
    Suck it up, man. Speak your piece and get it over with.
    Taking his time, he climbed out of the car and walked up the cracked cement path. The inside door stood open and, through the screen door, he could see her moving around in the kitchen. Gritting his teeth, he raised his hand and knocked on the wood door frame.
    “Go away.” The words had a harsh bite to them. “No curiosity seekers allowed today.”
    Zane cleared his throat. “Jamie, it’s Zane Cameron.”
    She froze in place, then turned in his direction. For a moment, he wasn’t sure she’d even come to the door. Finally, she padded over the wood floor on bare feet, slowly, not rushing. He guessed she wasn’t any more anxious for this meeting than he was.
    “Well, well,” she drawled. “Nice of you to drop by, Sheriff. Did you come to arrest me?”
    “I came to talk to you. How about letting me in?”
    She shook her head, the tight, angry look still on her face. “I don’t think so. I’m in no mood to play Twenty Questions today.”
    “Damn it, Jamie. Open this door.” He pulled, but the door was latched on the inside.
    “Go away. I can’t think of anything we have to say to each other.”
    “Oh, I have plenty to say. Open the damn door, or I’ll break it down.”
    Nice going, asshole. Smooth.
    She stared at him through the screen. Then he heard the snick of the latch being released and she stepped back to allow him to enter.
    “Okay.” She posed arrogantly in front of him, hands planted on her hips, mouth in a thin line. “Say what you came to say and get the fuck out of here.”
    It was obvious she’d been working. A few wisps of her hair had straggled loose from her ponytail, clinging to her cheeks like threads of fine silk. A smudge of dirt decorated her straight nose, and a thin scratch