“I’m asking you to help me catch the man who raped your sister.

Something loosened in his chest, and the outpouring of anguish left him dazed. How he loved this woman! This stubborn, courageous, foolhardy woman He stepped forward, his movements restrained, and touched her cheek. “All right, he said quietly.

She gazed up at him in wonder, then reached to brush her thumb across the corner of his eye. Only then did he realize his eyes were damp. “you’ve asked me to willingly risk what is most precious to me,” he said, his voice shaking. “don’t ever doubt the depth of that sacrifice.” Then he swept her up in his arms, her warmth against his chest reassuring him, soothing his pain, as he carried her to the bedroom He gazed into her eyes and saw mirrored there the same fierce agony that suffused him.

He closed the door, locking out the dog, and laid her on the bed. He undressed her slowly, carefully, as if she were a hologram that might dissolve if he moved too fast. With his own clothes he took less time, all the while holding her gaze with his.

When he finally lay next to her, she turned her face to him, like a flower moving toward the light.

“I love you,” he murmured, brushing his knuckles across the pulse point at her throat. “But I didn’t know until now how much. It seems I will do anything for you. Anything.”

She didn’t answer, and he was glad. A confession such as he had made required no answer. He’d humbled himself completely before her, and he hoped to God she would not take advantage of his vulnerability The amount of trust he’d placed in her, through no conscious decision of his own, staggered him.

He leaned toward her, his hand cupping her cheek. “But now I need… this…”

Her lips parted in invitation.

“Dear Lord, he whispered, accepting the invitation

He treasured everything-the sweet waft of breath as his mouth neared hers, the texture of her full lips, the supple movement of her tongue. With a touch light as a butterfly’s wing he outlined the summit of each breast, the curve of her ribs, the dip of her waist to the swell of her hips. How smooth her thighs, how fragile the backs of her knees. He cherished her delicate ankles , which he circled with thumb and forefinger, and the graceful arch of each foot.

Ripples of awareness marked the passage of his touch, as a wheat field reveals the passage of the wind. She grew warm and trembly beneath his hand, and when at last he brushed across the cleft of her womanhood , he found her wet with desire.

He sheathed himself and moved over her, capturing her gaze as he slid slowly inside, gentle as a man initiatinga virgin. He knew the wildness in her, knew she could match the wildness in him. But tonight there would be no ferocity in his touch, no desperation in his kiss. He moved unernngly forward until he rested securely within the cradle of her hips, her arms clasped around him. They paused, cocooned in each other, breath matching breath, heartbeat matching heartbeat

His subtle rhythm was nearly imperceptible, yet she responded as he knew she would, from the depths that he touched with such soft insistence. Burgeoning desire rose within her, closing him securely inside her. He loved her the way driving rain penetrates rich dark earth, and she began to swell with promise. There was no sharp moment of release, only a deep thrumming that gathered speed until waves of passion washed endlessly through their locked bodies. When he could hold back no longer, his essence rushed forth in a torrent , joining with her, binding them together in silent testimony-a covenant forged between souls.

THEY DECIDED THAT GABE wouldn’t appear inside Rowdy Ranch again and that no one should know of the plan except Gabe’s two friends, Jasper and Diego.

That next evening duringa break Dallas announced to Amber that the following night she’d stay late to take inventory.

Amber stopped repair inga nail she’d broken earlier. “Want me to stay and help?” Her offer lacked enthusiasm

“No, thanks. You and Vince have plans. I can handle it: ‘

Amber put down the emery board. “Wait a minute. I wasn’t thinking straight. This isn’t a good time for you to be here alone after closing. I am staying: “don’t be silly. Neal Parnell ha sri t bothered me in quite a while. See him out there having a good time with Beth?” The sight of Neal made Dallas’s skin crawl, but she forced herself to seem nonchalant.

“I don’t care. With Gabe out of the picture, I doxi t feel right about-“

“I woxi t be alone. Irving Skinner told me he’s staying to take inventory, too Dallas hated to lie to her friend, but Amber would throw up a million roadblocks if Dallas told her the truth.

“And you’ll leave when Irving leaves?”

Dallas held up her hand. “I promise.”

“Okay, then.”

One down and one to go, Dallas thought, noticing that Neal had stopped at the bar for another beer. “I’m parched; she said. “Would you watch the shop while I get a soda from the bar?”

“Sure,”

Dallas chose a spot halfway down the bar from where Neal sat. He didn’t look at her. What ifhe really has lost interest? she tqought, and was ashamed of the feeling of relief that surged through her at the possibility

Neal wouldn’t attack her, after all. But if she didn’t send him to prison, he would rape someone else. She caught the attention of Tom, the bartender on duty.

“How’s it going, Dallas?” he asked as he squirted soda from a nozzle into an ice-cube-filled glass.

“I’m so behind,” she said in a wail that she figured would carry down the length of the bar to Neal. “Looks like I’ll have to stay after closing tomorrow night to take inventory. “

Tom handed her the fizzing glass. “Bummer.”

“Isxi t it?” She started to turn away.

“Say, Dallas, what’s the story on that guy, the one who always wears the flannel shirts? First you throw him out of your shop, then you act like you’re going together , and now he’s vanished.”

He couldn’t have fed her better lines if she’d handed him a script. “I should have followed my first instincts with that man, Tom. Let’s just say it didn’t work out.

He’s history.”

Tom shook his head. “Dating’s tough in the nineties is all I have to say.”

“No kidding.” With a wave of her hand, Dallas returned to the shop with her drink. Unless Neal was hard-of-hearing, she’d just baited the trap.

WHFN SHE CAME HOME that night, Gabe was waiting. Their lovemaking was fervent and prolonged. They didn’t speak of the next night’s activities until early morning, just before Gabe returned to his truck hidden in the nearby wash.

“Forget this code-word business,” Gabe said, holding her tight as they stood by her back door in semidarkness’I’ll break things up when I think they’ve gone far enough: “don’t step in too soon: ‘

He didn’t answer but his kiss was punishing, and he left without another word:

Dallas kept busy all day with chores. When she finally cleaned up and dressed for work late in the afternoon , her fingers shook as she fastened her bra and drew on her panties. Was she insane? Then she thought of Celia’s testimony on the stand. At the time it had seemed too calm and rehearsed to be real. But it had been real. Celia had suffered through those things. And so would others, if Neal wasn’t stopped now. She had a chance to stop him.

A light rain fell as she drove to work. Ordinarily she’d park near the door on nights like this, but instead she chose a spot near the Dumpster. Plenty of daylight remained as she got out of the truck and locked it. But it didn’t take much imagination to picture the parking lot as she knew it to be at night, with pockets of darkness beside parked vehicles and in corners where the overhead lights didn’t reach. She hurried toward the building with the cowardly thought that maybe Neal wouldn’t come in tonight.

But he did. He’d dressed all in black again, and she shivered as she contemplated why.

Diego had volunteered to be the inside man. Dallas had never met him, but when he walked in she recognized him immediately from Gabes description stocky , with a short dark beard and curly hair under a battered western hat. Lacking the comfort of Gabe’s presence, Dallas kept her eye on Diego as a welcome port in a stormy sea. She noticed that he drank only soda during the evening.

“You okay?” Amber asked her about ten, when she’d dropped a pair of scissors twice in five minutes.

“Too much coffee today, Dallas said. “I really have to cut back on my caffeine.”

“If you’re nervous about staying here after closing, I’ll call Vince. We can all work on that damned inventory”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She’d tried to avoid looking at Neal tonight, but he always seemed to be hovering in her field of vision, although he’d never acknowledged her. He moved like a panther through the dance hall, making her constantly aware of his menacing presence. She was jumpy, and if Amber had picked up on her nervousness, Neal might. She’d have to be more careful. “The inventory’s no big deal,” she said.

“Well, I feel guilty, leaving you here, even if Irving Skinner is sticking around Amber said.

“It’s really no problem. I-my God.”

“What?”

Dallas stared at the man sauntering toward her, a man with the power to ruin everything.

If circumstances had been different, he would have been, as he d promised, a sight for sore eyes. A boldly patterned western shirt accentuated the breadth of his shoulders, and stone-washed jeans displayed wellmuscled thighs and buttocks. Black lizard-skin boots added at least two inches to his height. His hat had been professionally blocked, and a tooled leather belt encircled his hips. Fred Axton had transformed himself into a cowboy.

Amber followed the direction of Dallas’s gaze. “Cute , but too short for you. And falling for somebody on the rebound is never a good idea, Dallas. Put your eyes back in your head.”

Dallas tried to gather her thoughts. “That’s not why I’m staring. You should have seen him a couple of days ago. I’m amazed at the transformation: And petrified that Neal will notice him and suspect something.

“What’d he look like?”

“Not like that: Dallas couldn’t see a way out of talking with Fred. He still didn’t look much like the chief prosecutor for Pima County. Maybe she was worried for nothing. “You couldn’t tell the guy had shoulders , or buns, either, for that matter.”

“Well, you can now. Like I said, a couple of inches taller and I’d want to know his name.”

“Well, I’ll introduce you, anyway.” Dallas smiled as Fred walked through the door of the shop. “I’m impressed ; she said.

“I’m a quick study,” Fred replied, his glance slipping toward Amber.

“Fred, this is my associate, Amber Dalton.”

Fred extended his hand and gave Amber the direct gaze that Dallas had observed mesmerizing more than one female juror during the trial. Dallas watched with amusement as Fred’s intensity brought a pleased flush to Amber’s cheeks. Short or not, Fred might be about , to give the unimaginative Vince a run for his money.

“Fred Axton was the prosecutor for the trial, Dallas continued as the handshake lasted a little longer than polite intercourse required.

“A lawyer, are you?” Amber asked.

“An urban cowboy; Fred responded. “Thanks to Dallas. She’s my wardrobe consultant.”

“She did a good job.”

“Thanks.” Fred took off his hat and tossed it on the rack. “But I think I need a finishing touch. How about trimming my hair, Amber?”

“LJm, sure: Amber glanced at Dallas, who gave her a covert thumbs-up as Fred settled into the chair. Dallas had never been crazy about Vince, Amber’s current boyfriend, and she couldn’t think of a better matchup than Amber and Fred. They both were intelligent, principled people with a sense of humor. So what if Fred was an inch shorter than Amber? It wouldn’t matter once they were prone.

Still, the niggling worry that Neal would recognize

Fred plagued her. She searched the dance hall and found

Neal in a far corner, leaning with both arms braced against the wall, imprison inga laughing Beth, who carried a tray of drinks. He seemed to have no interest in what was happening in the Cutting Pen. Rowdy Ranch was a huge place, after all. There were easily two hundred people within its confines tonight. No doubt she was imagining problems where there were none. Yet she’d be glad when Fred’s hat was back on his head.

After receivinga very thorough shampoo and hairstyling from Amber, Fred walked over to the bar. Dallas didn’t worry too much about it until she remembered Diego. She turned with a sense of foreboding , and sure enough, Fred had recognized Diego as a bail-enforcement officer.