Callahan's Gold (Southwest Desert Series Book 3) by Mary Tate Engels

kiss you."
    She nodded. "I hope our basic curiosity has been satisfied."
    His brown almond eyes squinted at her, and she couldn't tell if he were serious or teasing. "I don't know about your curiosity, city lady, but this cowboy isn't content with just a little sniff of the brandy."
    She smiled sweetly. "But too much brandy gives you heartburn."
    "I'm burning all over just thinking about another kiss. And more. Maybe if we took it slow and easy, we'd get used to the heat."
    "Maybe . . ." She tore her gaze from his, feeling the same burning inside her. Desperate to change the subject, Tory surveyed the wrecked room. "Whoever did this didn't take it slow and easy. He went berserk."
    "Yep."
    They picked their way into the bedroom amid the upturned suitcases, the disarray of her clothes mingled with the overturned bedside lamp and corner chair. Even the sheets had been stripped off and the mattress scooted awry.
    "My thirty-eight!" Dodge yelled suddenly and dashed back into the living room where he'd hidden the weapon. "Dammit, it's gone! He took my gun!"
    She looked at Dodge mildly. "I'm not surprised."
    "I'll damn sure report this to the police," he muttered furiously.
    "Oh? You won't report two break-ins, but you will report your gun being taken? That's crazy logic, Dodge."
    "When something's taken, it's burglary. This is serious. That thirty-eight was made specially for me," he fumed.
    "Well, should we go now and not touch a thing until the police have completed their investigation? We might mess up the fingerprints or something."
    "Oh, I won't tell them about all this. It'll only point out we might have something to hide and alert them to the fact that you're still in town. They'll want to know details of our trek up the mountain, all about the gold, who we're going with, and what we're going for." He shoved his Stetson back on his head and propped his hands on his hips. Standing with legs apart, he surveyed the room. "No, I'll stop by the station tomorrow and report it missing."
    Tory looked at him curiously for a moment, and decided to let him handle the security problem. She turned back to the mess before her. Shaking her head, she muttered, "My clothes will never be the same. But these hardy things made it fine." She lifted a new stiff pair of jeans with tags still attached.
    Dodge rejoined her in the bedroom. "We need to wash those about a dozen times to soften them up and make them fit comfortably."
    "Soft? Is it possible for these jeans to ever get soft?"
    "Sure." He rubbed the thigh of his well-worn jeans. "Mine are."
    Her eyes dropped to his thigh and the large hand stroking it, and she tried not to think about that hand . . . and that thigh . . . and how they would feel against her. Certainly not soft. "Yes, but you live in yours. I only intend to wear mine for the duration of this trip. After that, it's—"
    "Back to your silks and the big city?"
    She nodded. "Yes." When he didn't respond right away, she added, "In my business, I can't very well appear in well-worn jeans."
    "Fancy business, huh?"
    "Well, not fancy, but . . . nice. It's a rather selective shop. Jeans do not have panache."
    "Panache? Does that mean fancy pants?"
    "No! It means stylish. The latest vogue."
    "Stylish, huh?" He looked down her length, taking purposeful notice of her slender hips and long legs. "You're that, all right. But I'd call you Fancy Pants." Then he grinned and picked up a pair of lace panties and dangled them. "See? Very fancy."
    She snatched the meager item from his large hand. "You should talk about fancy pants! You, with your navy blue briefs!"
    "Oh? You noticed?"
    She turned a brilliant shade of rose blush. "I —I couldn't help but notice when you barged in like that."
    "I was only trying to help a lady in distress." He grabbed the small barbell and flexed his arm with the weight a couple of times before giving it to her. "Better not let yourself get out of shape while you're here. You might need your strength."
    She took