Once Forbidden.... Carla Cassidy

I need to talk to you.”

      She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t even want to look at him. She’d hoped he’d never return to Inferno, that she’d never, ever have to see him or talk to him again.

      She pulled her arm out of his grasp. “It’s been almost nine years, Jerrod. What on earth could you need to discuss with me?”

      “Erin McCall.”

      The name exploded in Johnna’s head—the name of the woman who’d stolen any hope for happiness that Johnna might once have had. The name sounded like blasphemy on his lips, and she flinched as if he’d physically hit her.

      “I guess you’ve heard she was arrested two days ago for the murder of her husband?”

      Johnna refused to meet his gaze. “I heard. But that has nothing to do with me.” How could she not have heard? The whole town of Inferno had been buzzing with the news of Richard Kramer’s murder.

      She pushed past him and walked out of the court-room and into the lobby of the courthouse, aware of him following close behind.

      “She wants you to represent her.”

      Johnna whirled around to face him, her heart banging against her ribs. “That’s absurd!” she exclaimed. “Why on earth would she want me?”

      “She asked me to speak to you,” he replied, not answering her question. He took a step closer to her, his blue eyes compelling her to acquiesce.

      There had been a time when a single glance of those deep blue eyes with their thick dark lashes had been able to twist her inside out. But that had been another lifetime. They held no power over her now.

      “You can tell her you spoke with me and my answer was no.” For the third time she turned and walked away from him, exiting the building and walking out into the stifling heat and relentless sunshine.

      To her surprise, he didn’t follow. She walked to her car, got in, then drew a deep breath as the trauma of seeing him again fully infused her.

      She’d thought she’d forgotten his irregular features, the thick dark hair and sensual lips, the nose with the small bump and his mesmerizing eyes. She’d tried to forget everything about him, but now her head was filled with the sum of him.

      There had been a time when she would have driven a thousand miles just to catch his scent—that wildly masculine, clean fragrance that emanated from him. And there had been a time when she’d have done anything to taste his kiss, to know the heat of his mouth against hers.

      There had been a time…a long time ago.

      She started her car and pulled away from the curb, attempting to shove aside thoughts of him. Her hands trembled and her heart still beat an irregular rhythm.

      She glanced at her wristwatch and realized if she hurried, she’d be able to make it to the ranch for dinner.

      And after dinner she’d have to put in at least three hours of work—work that had nothing to do with her cases or chosen occupation, but rather work she’d been forced to endure by the terms of her father’s will.

      Bitterness swept through her as she thought of her father and his last will and testament. Adam Delaney had died almost three months ago, leaving behind a fortune in the form of a successful dude ranch.

      Unfortunately he’d stipulated that all four of his children must work the ranch for a year, and only then would they be free to sell the place and split the profits. If they defaulted, the ranch went to Clara Delaney, Adam’s spinster sister, whom none of the Delaney children could stand.

      Johnna hadn’t wanted anything to do with the ranch, but she’d agreed to abide by the terms of the will for her three brothers’ sakes. Still, spending twenty-five hours a week working the ranch, in addition to her work as the only defense attorney in the small town of Inferno, was taxing her both physically and mentally.

      And now Jerrod had entered the equation. He’d probably lied when he’d said he’d been back in town for a week. He’d probably heard about Erin’s arrest and ridden back into town to her rescue.

      Where had he been all these years? Was he married? With children?

      Nine years was a long time, and yet for just a moment, when she’d first seen him, the years had faded away, leaving the taste of fresh betrayal and bitterness in her mouth.

      She’d always thought that eventually they’d see each other again, couldn’t believe that somebody who had been her world, somebody who had marked her life, her heart, in such a profound way, could just drift away, never to return.

      In all her imaginings, she’d always been arrogantly smug about how well her life had turned out without him. She’d imagined him as a convict, a drunk, a man whose life had been filled with guilt and unhappiness.

      But he hadn’t looked wasted or dissipated. He’d looked vital and strong, successful and self-assured. She hated him for not looking like a man who had suffered.

      Why on earth would Erin McCall—now Erin Kramer—ask her to represent her? Erin had to know that Johnna would not entertain fond feelings for her, that the betrayal in their past would forever stand between them.

      As she turned into the entrance of the Delaney Dude Ranch, she once again consciously pushed aside thoughts of Erin…and Jerrod. They belonged in her past and she’d decided long ago that she’d never allow anything or anyone the power to hurt her again.

      He’d blown it. He’d waited nine years to come back to Inferno, nine years to see Johnna again, and he’d totally blown it.

      Jerrod McCain pulled into the trailer park where he had lived for the first twenty years of his life. And miserable years they had been, he thought as he pulled up in front of the double-wide trailer his father still called home.

      He cut his engine, but remained in the car. Within minutes the exterior grew stuffy with the fiery end-of-day heat. Cracking open his window to allow in what little breeze there was, he stared at the trailer.

      Few pleasant memories were associated with his time here. He knew there were trailer parks in other areas of the country where life was good and family values prevailed, where lawns were neatly tended and children’s laughter rang in the air.

      The Inferno Trailer Park was not such a place. Rather it had been, and continued to be, a den of iniquity, a dark place peopled with miserable souls, bad choices and the torment of hopelessness.

      Reluctantly Jerrod left his car. Although he knew the interior of the trailer would smell of booze and stale cigarette smoke, he also knew the air conditioner would be a welcome relief from the heat.

      “Ah, my saintly son has returned.” Jerrod’s father sat at the small burn-scarred kitchen table, a bottle of beer in front of him. From the look of his red-rimmed eyes and the slur of his words, it certainly wasn’t his first drink of the day.

      “Have you eaten today, Pop?”

      “Not hungry.” Mack McCain finished his beer and shoved the empty bottle aside. “Did you get all settled over at the church?”

      Jerrod shrugged out of his suit jacket and grabbed a skillet from the cabinet. “Yeah, starting in two weeks, I’m ready to begin converting the sinners of Inferno every Sunday morning.” He withdrew a stick of butter and a carton of eggs from the refrigerator.

      Mack leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand across his grizzled jaw. “Still can’t believe it. My son—a preacher. Wonder what your ma would have made of it.” He frowned and stood unsteadily. “Think I’ll have me another beer.”

      “Why don’t you have some eggs and toast with me, instead?”

      Mack fell back into his chair. “I suppose I could eat a little.”

      Dinner was a silent affair, and once again Jerrod’s thoughts returned to Johnna. Since coming back to town last week, he’d driven by her law office a dozen