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  "I can barely believe my corset survived what just happened."

  He roared with laughter. "Such a quick tongue. One of the many things I adore about you."

  "Oh, crap." Sapphire tried to sit up but he held her down with ease. "No, Deputy—I mean, Crawford, I have to get downstairs. Poor Ruby is on her own! I told her I'd only be ten minutes!"

  "I'm sure she can manage."

  "That's not the point! I can't just lie around here… snuggling with you, when I should be working."

  "Can I just give you the going rate, and we'll call this work?"

  Something inside Sapphire snapped and she wriggled out of his arms and leapt off the bed. "There you go again! For someone who professes to love me, you sure have a strange way of showing it!"

  Crawford held out his palms, his expression serious. "I'm sorry, Saph, I really am. It was a joke. A very bad one, admittedly." He frowned, apparently considering something. "Maybe, deep down, I make all those comments about your… profession… because of the way I feel about you. I can't say for sure, as I've always been careful never to get close to a woman before, but truthfully, when I picture you up here… with someone else… hell, honey, I can barely stand it. You're bringing out a possessive and jealous side in me I didn't even know I had. On the other side of the coin, I don't feel it's my place to tell you to quit working here. I guess those awful remarks are my foolish way of handling it."

  She regarded him carefully, trying to gauge how sincere he was being. "So you don't look down on me or the other gems?"

  "Christ, no!" He sat up, reaching for her hand, squeezing it gently. "Please believe me, sweetheart. All right, let's turn the tables. Imagine it's me going up to my room with different ladies every evening… while you wait downstairs, not knowing exactly what I'm doing but knowing that I'm showing them a good time."

  The mere thought of that made her heart pound and her stomach twist with jealousy. "I'd want to scratch their eyes out," she admitted truthfully.

  "You see? Come here, darlin'." He pulled her into his lap and held her close. Sapphire inhaled his scent and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his heart beating against her back. "It's not going to be easy but I want to make this work. I'm aware we barely know each other, but I believe we feel this attraction to one another for a reason. I've never wanted to be with anyone before the way I want to be with you. I meant it when I said I love you. Did you mean it when you said the same thing?" She could hear the smile in his voice. "Or was it just because you wanted me to stop blistering your ass?"

  She shifted in his lap, her hot backside a tingling reminder of what they'd just done. "No," she said at length. "I didn't really want you to stop. But I did want my reward. To answer your question: yes, I meant it. I love you too, Deputy Crawford Slade."

  "Then that's the best start we could hope for. Now, you find a new pair of drawers, as I have the feeling I ruined the ones you were wearing, and then get downstairs, back to Ruby. We'll talk more later. Is that all right with you?"

  Sapphire twisted around and kissed him hard by way of a response.

  He was the first to break away. "Ten more seconds of that and you will be spending the rest of the night right here with me, naked, doing whatever I tell you to."

  The thought was incredibly alluring, but Saph was nothing if not responsible. She already felt bad for having left Ruby to cope on her own for so long. "As much as I like the sound of that, I guess it will have to wait," she grumbled, once more clambering out of his arms and off the bed. When he made no move to get up, she cocked her head to one side, eyeing him curiously. "You going to stay here and wait for me?"

  "Do you want me to?" he countered.

  "Aren't you on duty?"

  He shrugged. "Jeb gave me the evening off. Told me to get my head on straight."

  Sapphire wasn't sure what Crawford meant by that, but now wasn't the time to question him further. "You're welcome to come downstairs with me," she offered.

  He ran a hand through his thick hair, slicking back the escaping lock that stubbornly refused to stay put. "Will I have to watch men pawing at you all evening?"

  She gave him a mischievous smile. "That's an excellent point. You'd better wait here."

  Quick as a flash, he had jumped off the bed and was buttoning up his trousers. "On second thought, I think I should accompany you. Keep an eye on my girl."

  As they both finished straightening their clothing, Sapphire felt absurdly happy. How quickly things could change. An hour ago, she had wanted to die. And now…

  His girl. An expression that both delighted and terrified her.

  Chapter Nine

  The coffee left in the pot was lukewarm and bitter, and for a moment Crawford contemplated making some more, before deciding against it and refilling his mug with the dregs. As he made his way back to his desk, he glanced in despair at the ever increasing pile of paperwork, none of which he had made any progress on, before his thoughts once again wandered back to the previous evening. And the night. Oh, God, the night.

  He could feel himself smile at the memory. An unusual sensation. Crawford Slade wasn't, after all, a man who generally smiled very much. But whenever he thought about that girl with the impossibly slender waist, the blue-black curls, and the rapier sharp wit, his lips curled up at the sides as if they were being tugged by an invisible thread.

  Who would have thought that any of what had transpired in her pretty blue bedroom would come to pass the way it had? He'd been fairly certain she would eventually concede to hearing him out; he had a way of getting what he wanted from people. It was one of the reasons why Jeb had made him deputy sheriff, after all. But even as he'd begun his confession, he would have bet his horse on her listening patiently and then telling him to get out of her life forever.

  Instead, they'd ended up in bed, having one of, if not the most exciting sexual congress of his lifetime. Crawford's grin widened. And that had only been the beginning. He had found in Sapphire the girl of his dreams; one who welcomed and relished receiving pain as much he enjoyed dishing it out. At first he'd been worried she had merely stated that to be the case in an effort to seduce him, or fool him in some way. But her body didn't lie. The proof that she enjoyed it had been evident, unmistakable between her slender thighs, and the rougher he'd been, the slicker she had become.

  Afterward, watching her serve drinks in that undeniably sexy costume, seeing how many men lusted after her and knowing she was his as she worked the saloon, pocketing dollars and making people roar with laughter with her wit and sass, Crawford had thought he might explode with pride. And desire. He'd taken her straight back upstairs as soon as her shift had ended, and despite the fact that they were both exhausted, he'd been unable to resist fucking her again until they'd fallen asleep, sated, in one another's arms. It had taken all his resolve to get up at the break of dawn and leave her lying there, naked, to go back to his place for a change of clothing before going to work.

  "Working hard, I see?" Jeb's familiar voice broke into his thoughts, and Crawford looked up in surprise. He hadn't realized it was already so late in the day.

  "Matter of fact, I was thinking hard," he retorted. "A bulletin's just come in about some new outlaw we need to be on our toes about."

  "And there was me assuming that faraway look on your face had something to do with that girl," Jeb said, moving over to the stove and frowning at the empty coffee pot.

  "Want me to put on some more?" Crawford offered.

  "It's all right, I can do it. I know when you're trying to change the subject." Jeb chuckled as he shook some more coffee beans from the roasting pan. "Did you take our advice and visit the saloon last night?"

  Crawford sighed. Part of what made Jebediah such a great sheriff was his inability to miss a trick. Leaning back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head, he gave Jeb a mock glare. "How much detail do you want?"

  Jebediah grinned. "How much do you want to give?"

  "As little as possible."


  "As per usual. All right, then tell me this; did you go?"

  "Yep."

  "Did you talk to her?" the sheriff probed.

  "I did. Just as you said, I went and told her how I feel about her."

  "And?"

  Crawford hesitated, unable to stop the smug smile from playing about his lips. "You were right. She feels the same way. I guess you could say I'm officially courting her now."

  Jebediah gave a whoop of delight, setting the pot on the stove and crossing the room to shake Crawford's hand. "That's fantastic news," he enthused. "Especially for me. Means you'll stop mooning about my office and start being useful again."

  Crawford pointed to his untouched pile of paperwork. "You sure about that?"

  Jeb's grin never wavered. "All right, you officially had up until this moment to be distracted and wallow in joy. But now it's back to work. So did she react the way I assumed? To your full story, I mean."

  "Ah." It was the only part of the previous evening's events which Crawford had consciously avoided thinking about. "Not exactly. Turns out she has some demons of her own, and, well, the moment wasn't right. I wasn't able to go into detail on all of it."

  His boss raised a dark gold eyebrow. "All of it, or the most important part?"

  Crawford was done being questioned. "What are you, my father? We're almost the same age! Stop interrogating me, damnit!" He exhaled heavily. "Sorry. I just… believe me, I wanted to tell her but like I said, it would have been the worst timing. I'm going to tell her tonight."

  "You think she's going to react badly?"

  "Christ, I don't know! She said she loves me. That has to count for something, right? You tell me—after all, you're the one who kept saying I shouldn't have to pay for my sins forever, or make her pay for what I've done in the past."

  Jebediah's expression softened. "I meant it, too. You deserve to be happy, as does she. And I wish you all the luck in the world when you do give her the whole story. If she really does love you, I'm sure she'll see it the same way I do."

  "I damn well hope so."

  "Would you look at that? Coffee's done! Then tell me all about this new outlaw while I pour."

  Crawford was glad of the change of subject. Jebediah was a very astute and wise man when it came to sensing when to push, and when to withdraw. "A real nasty piece of work," he began, picking up the bulletin and examining it. "One Rufus Brewer, aged twenty-nine. Committed a series of unspeakably vile acts in San Francisco, including rape and murder. He seems to prefer young, pretty women; catches them alone when they're innocently going about their business. The law over there almost had him, but he managed to get away and was last seen headed this way. We were warned to keep our eyes peeled in case he comes through Culpepper."

  Jebediah shuddered. "Show me."

  Crawford handed him the drawing. The man looked average enough; a plain, nondescript face, a fairly heavyset build.

  "Shame he doesn't have anything to set him apart," the sheriff said, scrutinizing the sketch. "No lazy eye, no obvious birthmarks. Always makes it harder to tell."

  "The question is, do we warn the residents?"

  "I don't know. I don't like to start a panic when he might not even come through this way. On the other hand, I would prefer that people be on their guard." Jeb sighed. "Give me a little while to think about it. When did this come in?"

  "This morning."

  "All right. Go and pin it on the board for the time being."

  Once he had fixed the poster to the corkboard, Crawford stared at the outlaw's face, memorizing every last detail. He wanted to recognize the scumbag the very second he saw him. "I think it would be better to warn folks, Jeb," he said at length. "Just imagine this bastard gets hold of any girl in Culpepper and the residents find out we knew it might be a possibility. They'd be furious with us—and rightly so."

  "I was thinking the same thing. I know I'll be telling Red to be extra careful, and you remember to tell your lady the same thing. Between them, they should manage to warn all of the gems. Once you finish your coffee, head over to the Culpepper Daily office and ask Everett to add a statement to the next edition. I'll write one up now."

  Your lady. Crawford had never thought anyone would ever be saying that to him, but now, just hearing the words made his gut tighten and a warm glow suffuse his heart. His lady. Sapphire is my lady. He glared at Rufus Brewer's blank expression on the corkboard and clenched his fists. It was his job to protect all the citizens of Culpepper; one he did gladly and with diligence. But at the thought of anyone ever putting hands on Sapphire, he was overcome with a fury the likes of which he could never have previously imagined. Right there and then, he vowed to do whatever it took to keep her safe from harm, always.

  * * *

  "I want you to stop working here."

  Sapphire, in the process of applying rouge to her cheeks, turned and stared at Crawford in disbelief. "You what?"

  "You heard me." The look in his eyes was dark. "It's too dangerous."

  Trying to lighten the sudden tension, she gave him a flirtatious smile. "I've been fine so far," she said. "In fact, the only person posing any kind of threat to me has been you, Deputy Sheriff Slade." Drawing up the hem of her skirt, she flashed him her stocking, the bejeweled dagger clearly visible beneath the sheer material. "Besides, as you can see, I'm fully able to protect myself."

  "Believe me, no-one is gladder than I am that no harm has come to you since you became a gem. But this is a dangerous place, with dangerous people, and I worry about you." He rose from where he had been lounging on the bed, watching her, and crouched down beside her, taking her hand in his. "Please trust me on this. I'm not trying to control you. This isn't even about my jealousy, although you know how I feel on that score. It's just that I love you, and now that you're mine, the onus is on me to keep you safe."

  Despite the warmth his words created in her heart, Sapphire glowered at him. "So what do you imagine? You want me to move in with you? Keep me chained to the stove? Shoot, I don't even know where you live! I can't even begin to picture it."

  "I will show you where I live. I rent a little house on the outskirts of town. I'm hoping to save enough to purchase it someday, and a few acres of land to go with it. And yes, I'm hoping you'll agree to live there, with me. And, God willing, one day, our children."

  Sapphire's mind was whirling. It was all moving too fast. It had barely been twenty-four hours since they had even admitted their fondness for one another, and already he was talking about giving up her job for babies? "I like working here," she said sullenly.

  He straightened back up and began to pace, his handsome face stern. "So you like being with other men? You don't want to be exclusive to me, is that it?"

  Leaping out of her chair, Sapphire went to stand in front of him, forcing him to stop and look at her. "That's not what I said. You need to work on your temper, I think!"

  His mouth twitched. "Perhaps we both do."

  "That may well be true. But aside from that, I just want you to please, please calm down and listen to me."

  His steely eyes softened and he cupped her cheek, rubbing her lip gently. "My beautiful Sapphire, how could I deny you anything?"

  Despite herself, she grinned. "Very easily, apparently, especially when I'm begging you for mercy." She was referring to the previous night, when he had kept her on the brink of release for what had felt like an eternity before finally relenting and allowing her to spend.

  That he immediately knew what she was talking about was obvious, as that dark, forbidding look of desire entered his eyes. "Speaking of which…" He inclined his head toward the bed and raised a questioning eyebrow.

  As much as every part of her body already ached from his ministrations, she would have liked nothing more than to follow his lead, but she feared disappointing Mr. Gabe and Madame Jewel if she didn't show up to work. Besides, what they were discussing was too important to let slide.

  "I have to finish getting ready in a moment," she said g
ently. "And I think we ought to conclude this conversation first."

  "It is a woman's place to obey her man," Crawford said vehemently.

  "Says who?"

  "Says everyone!"

  Sapphire huffed out an exasperated breath. "This is getting us nowhere. Please listen to me. I love you. I want to please you. But I also enjoy working here. This is where my friends are, where I feel comfortable, where I'm able to earn good money, which I can spend or invest as I see fit. I'm not sure I'm ready to give all that up, at least not yet. Not even for you."

  To her surprise, instead of getting angry, Crawford reached out and pulled her close, cradling her against his chest. "All right. I can understand that. You'd probably go insane spending day after day alone in the house, waiting for me to come home."

  Saph murmured her agreement.

  "But tell me, is there any part of working here which you don't enjoy?"

  Sensing a trap, she stiffened. "Such as?"

  "Don't play coy with me, little one. You know exactly what I'm asking."

  She sighed. "Fine. I'll admit it, I don't like bringing men up here. Other than you." She inhaled deeply, breathing in that heady, musky scent of him.

  "Christ, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that."

  Remembering how she would feel if the roles were reversed, she could well imagine it. "I'm not surprised."

  "Then how about a compromise? Go and ask Madame Jewel whether you'd be permitted to exchange your red petticoat for a pink one. I believe downstairs you'll be safe enough, you have plenty of people there to look out for you. And whenever you're not working, you'll be with me, where I can keep an eye on you."

  She leaned back, fluttering her eyelashes. "And who will keep me safe from you?"

  He chuckled. "Do you want to be kept safe from me?"

  Her heart pounding at the hidden meaning of his words, she shook her head.

  "I thought not. So, what do you think of my suggestion?"

  "What if they don't need anyone else to work exclusively downstairs? Besides, then I'll have to give up my room." She looked around wistfully. "I never had a room all to myself, decorated just the way I like it, until I came here."