Cathy Gillen - Their Inherited Triplets

His manner was so businesslike, Lulu began to realize she could lean on Sam, at least in this situation, if only she allowed herself to do so.

Determined to keep him at arm’s length, she fought the waves of sexual magnetism that always existed between them. “Sometime between eight o’clock, when I left for town to set up my lunch service for my food truck,” she confirmed. “And when the sheriff’s department notified me at around five o’clock, to let me know there had been a break-in.”

Which left a huge nine-hour window.

His big hands paused over the keys. “A customer reported it?”

Aware she was suddenly feeling shaky again, Lulu moved around the island in search of a place to sit down. “Lucille Lockhart came out to buy some honey. She hadn’t read my social media page advertising the location of my food truck today, so she didn’t know I wasn’t here.” But the thieves likely had.

Sam made a low, thoughtful sound. “And everything was gone when Mrs. Lockhart arrived?”

She settled in the high-backed stool next to him and swiveled to face him. The sincerity in his gaze was almost as unnerving as his unexpected, unrelenting kindness. “The entire apiary was emptied, and so were the storehouse shelves. Panic-stricken, Mrs. Lockhart tried to call me, and when she couldn’t reach me, she notified the sheriff. We don’t know much more than that right now.”

“Actually, we do.” He swiveled toward her, too, and braced one elbow on the counter next to his laptop. His other hand rested on his rock-hard thigh. Nodding tersely once again, he added, “I put out the word when we got here. I’ve heard back from almost all our members.”

She caught her breath at the worry in his eyes.

“Apparently two trucks were spotted on the farm-to-market road that goes by here around one o’clock this afternoon. They seemed to be traveling together and were headed north. One was a white refrigeration truck, the other a flatbed loaded with two off-road forklifts.” His lips compressed, and his gruff tone registered his disappointment. “We didn’t get an actual license number, but someone noticed the plates were from Wisconsin.”

Hope mingling with dread, Lulu laid her hand across her heart. “They’re sure it was a refrigeration truck?”

“It had the cooling unit on top of the cab.”

Relief filtered through her. She didn’t know whether to shout hallelujah or sob with relief. In truth, she felt like doing both. “Oh, thank heavens,” she whispered finally.

“That’s important?” Sam guessed.

Lulu swallowed around the ache in her throat. “Very. The bees wouldn’t survive in their boxes if they were transported a long way in this kind of heat.” She ran her hand over the side seam of her denim skirt. Sam’s glance followed her reflexive move. Realizing the fabric had ridden up, Lulu did her best to surreptitiously tug it down. Yet, maddeningly, the hem remained several inches above her bare knees.

Knees he had once caressed with devastating sensuality.

Pushing aside her rush of self-consciousness, she added, “Moving bees is hard on them as it is.”

Sam lifted his glance and locked eyes with her yet again. He regarded her with the respect of a fellow rancher. “Makes sense they’d do better if they were kept cool.” He rubbed his jaw. “That kind of truck will also make the thieves easier to find.”

Glad he had taken it upon himself to help her, even when she had preferred he leave her to handle everything on her own, Lulu drew a breath. It would be so easy to lean on him again. Too easy, maybe, given how acrimoniously they had once parted. “So what now?” she asked quietly.

Sam sobered, the corners of his lips slanting down. “I’ve already notified the sheriff’s department with all the information I was able to compile, and they in turn have put out an APB and will be checking with truck stops and weighing stations for any vehicles fitting the description.”

Feeling her first concrete ray of hope, Lulu asked, “You really think we might find them?”

He nodded. “Trucks like that can’t stick to country roads without drawing a lot of attention. On the highway, they’ll be a lot easier to find. Hopefully, we’ll know something soon.”

He shut the lid on his laptop and stood.

Feeling surprisingly reluctant to see him go, Lulu rose, too. “Sam...” She touched his arm, delaying him. He turned to gaze down at her and her heart rate kicked up another notch.

“I really... I don’t know how to thank you,” she continued sincerely. “A few hours ago, I had very little hope I’d ever see my beehives again. Now, well.” She struggled to put her gratitude into words. As she gazed up at him, she pushed through the wealth of conflicting emotions suddenly racing through her and tried again. “I never would have expected you to...help.”

Something dark and turbulent flashed in his eyes. “Well, you should have,” he said, as if fighting his own inner demons.

The next thing Lulu knew, she was all the way in his arms. His head was lowering, his lips capturing hers. His kiss was everything she remembered, everything she had ever dreamed of receiving, everything the wildly impulsive and romantic part of her still wanted.

From him...

Because the truth was, no one had ever affected her like Sam did. No one had ever made her want, wish, need... And as his lips ravished hers, she moaned at the sweet, enervating heat. The touch of his tongue against hers sent her even further over the edge. Wreathing her arms about his neck, she shifted closer. Nestling the softness of her breasts against the solid, unyielding warmth of his broad chest. His hand swept lower, bringing her even nearer. And, just like that, the walls she’d erected around her began to crumble and her heart expanded, tenfold.

One kiss melded into another. And then another...and another. Until he had her surrendering to the firm, insistent pressure of his mouth as never before. She clung to him, soaking up everything about him. His strength, his scent. His warmth and tenderness. Years of pent-up emotion poured out of her as she rose on tiptoe and pressed her body even closer against the hardness of his.

And still he kissed her. Slowly and thoroughly. Softly and sweetly. With building need. Until a low, helpless moan escaped her throat. And she recalled everything that had once brought them together...and had ultimately torn them apart...

* * *

Sam hadn’t meant to kiss her. Hadn’t thought he would even come close. But when Lulu had looked up at him with such sweet surprise in her expression, well, it triggered something in him. Something primitive and hot and wild.

It had made him want to claim her again.

As his woman.

As his...

He cut off the thought before it could fully form. Knowing there was no way either of them could go back to that tumultuous period of time, even if the hot, intense connection that had always been between them was definitely still there. And she knew it, too, as he felt her begin to tense the way she always did when she began to have second thoughts.

With a sigh, he drew back. Sure of what he was going to see.

She gazed up at him, eyes awash with the kind of turbulent emotion that had always signaled trouble for them. Lower lip trembling, she flattened her hands over his chest and pushed him away. “We can’t do this again.”

And once again, the need to possess her got the better of his common sense.

“Why not?” he demanded gruffly.

“Because we already proved it will never work between us,” she whispered, the shimmering hurt back in her pretty eyes, “and I really don’t want to go there again.”

* * *

To Lulu’s relief, after a moment’s consideration, Sam seemed to concede it wouldn’t be wise to complicate their situation any further.