Hitting Ty on the shoulder with my own, I walked by him and out the front door, and he called out, “Who are you pissed at now?”
“Me,” I whispered, low enough so no one would be able to hear.
Three hours later, I tipped the bottle back and finished off my beer. I’d lost track of how much I’d drunk since I’d walked into the Blue Moose.
“You’ve got Mom pretty worried.”
I looked at Ty and scoffed. “Yeah, well, I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself.”
A voice from my other side said, “You’re drunk, is what you are.”
When I turned, the entire room felt like it was spinning. My eyes landed on Tanner, our younger brother.
Tanner was on the rodeo circuit. He was part of a roping team. He was the header, and his best friend from high school, Chance, was the heeler. They were ranked number three in the world, and I was proud of them both. Mama was just glad Tanner hadn’t fallen in love with being on top of a bull. He’d tried it once and had gotten thrown and stepped on. That was enough for him. His only true love was being on top of a horse . . . and a woman.
With my travel schedule and Tanner’s, we didn’t see each other much. I knew my folks hated that we were both gone so much. If they had their way, all four of us would be safely at home.
Four of us.
I glanced at my two brothers, and a feeling of sadness swept over me. We were missing Beck.
He’d joined the marines right out of high school. He was determined to serve his country, and my parents were damn proud of him. Hell, we were all proud of him. He’d graduated top of his high school class, and he could have gone to college anywhere but chose the military.
He was an adrenaline junkie. Loved bull riding but didn’t want to make a living out of it. It was purely for fun. So, when he’d joined the military and took on some special force ops shit, we weren’t surprised. He was only a few months away from getting out, told us he’d had his fun and was ready to come back home and work the family ranch.
Then, on his last mission, something went horribly wrong. We never did get the full story, but he had been shot and killed. His fellow marines had carried his body back to the pickup point, and my mama was able to bury her son and say goodbye. From that day on, she never talked about Beck. To anyone.
“Holy shit. Tanner fucking Shaw. You’ve got to be kidding me.”
A wide smile grew over my brother’s face. “You look like shit, Brock. When was the last time you got laid?”
I laughed and wrapped my hand around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. “It’s good to see you, little brother,” I said as Tanner slapped my back. I hadn’t seen him in almost three months.
“Good to see you too. We were close by, so I thought I’d stop in for a few nights. Chance sprained his wrist and needed a few days to recover, so . . . here I am.”
I smiled as I gave him a once-over. He was a male version of our mother. Dark-brown hair, hazel eyes, and a square jaw that said he was determined as hell to make his way in this world. Kid was good looking as well, or so I’d heard from the ladies. I was relieved to see no broken bones this time. “Damn, you look good.”
He gave me the same once-over. “You too. Nothing broken?”
I shook my head and grinned. “Nah. Last thing I broke was my collarbone.”
“I guess that’s good. Means you’re staying on. I try to keep up with you and all.”
With a nod, I motioned for another beer.
“Where did you find this little bastard?” I asked, pointing to Tanner with my beer but looking at Ty.
“He showed up when I was leaving to come find you. Decided we would both come down to make sure your drunk ass didn’t get into any fights.”
They both laughed, and I rolled my eyes. “I’m not that drunk.”
It was a lie. I was pretty toasted but still in control, which was why I also ordered a water with my beer.
“Holy hell. Who are those two pretty little things?”
Lifting my gaze to follow Tanner’s, I felt myself sit up a little bit more when I saw Lincoln and who I was guessing was her friend. Kaylee, I thought her name was. Then I smiled. For some ungodly reason, I was happy seeing Lincoln here. What was it about that woman? She was getting under my skin already, and that hadn’t happened in a long time. A very long time.
“It’s the beer,” I mumbled to myself. “Has to be.”
Ty set his beer down and looked at Tanner, seemingly not hearing me. “That, my little brother, is Lincoln Pratt, the one with the brown hair, and the blonde is her best friend, Kaylee, whom I’ve called dibs on.”
I pulled my brows up and turned to Ty. “You’re going after Kaylee?” I asked.
“Yeah. I already told you, I like her better.”
Relief washed over my body, but it was soon pushed away when Tanner stood.
“Then I think I’ll go ask Lincoln to dance.”
I wanted to pull his ass back down into the chair and call my own damn dibs. But I didn’t. I didn’t move at all as I watched him make his way over to both women. Tanner was a charmer. He had a way with women. Just a smile from him and they were putty in his hands.
The idea that he could charm Lincoln had me feeling slightly panicked. And pissed off. I couldn’t pull my eyes off her. It wasn’t like it was the first time I was noticing how beautiful she was either. That wavy brown hair, those green eyes. A body any man would want to curl up with at night and wake up to in the morning.
I shook my head, clearing my wandering thoughts.
“You’re not interested in her at all?” I heard Ty ask from my left. “You’re just going to sit there and let Tanner go after her?”
Shrugging, I stated, “What do I care? I’m not interested in getting involved with anyone.”
Ty stood and placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s a shame you’ve put yourself into this endless-punishment thing you’ve got going on. It’s not like you have to marry her, but you could at least have some fun while you’re in town. I see the way you look at her, Brock. And I ain’t ever seen you look at a woman like that before—not even Kaci.”
I flinched at the mention of her name. I reached for the beer and took a long gulp.
“Fine, sit here and wallow in your guilt. Looks like Tanner charmed his way in.”
Scanning the bar, I saw my brother holding Lincoln in his arms as they two-stepped across the wooden dance floor.
“Doesn’t matter,” I mumbled. “She hates me anyway.”
Ty laughed. “Whatever, dude. You enjoy your solitary night while your two brothers get lucky.”
I huffed as Ty slapped my back and made his way toward Kaylee. He soon had her in his arms and was spinning her around the floor too.
After letting me sit at the bar for another thirty minutes, Tanner finally came over and dragged me to the table where everyone was sitting. As we walked up, Dirk approached the table. He gave me a knowing look when our gazes met. He nodded, and I nodded back.
“You aren’t answering your phone,” he said.
“I left it in my truck.”
His gaze met mine again. “You’re drunk, dude.”
With a half shrug, I sat down, followed by Dirk. Dirk knew I only got wasted when I was pissed or trying to numb myself from feeling anything. He’d seen it enough times.
“How about some introductions,” Ty said. “Kaylee, Lincoln, this is Brock Shaw. Lincoln, you had the honor of meeting him earlier today.”
Lincoln looked at me and forced herself to smile. I returned it, then looked to Kaylee. “Pleasure meeting you, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?” Kaylee said, jerking her head back in surprise. “My grandmother is called ma’am. Please call me Kaylee.”
I raised my beer at her.
“Kaylee, Lincoln, this is Dirk Littlewood. Brock’s best friend and fellow bull rider.”
Dirk tipped his cowboy hat at them both. “Pleasure, ladies.”
They both gave him a polite grin.
>
It didn’t take long for Dirk and Lincoln to fall into a conversation. The more he talked to her, the more jealous I got, and that pissed me off even more. Why was I feeling so territorial over her?
It was right about then that Lincoln’s gaze lifted to me, and she frowned before looking away. She shook her head and politely smiled at Dirk.
When Dirk looked my way, he lifted a brow. “Dude, is everything okay?”
I nodded. I was positive Dirk saw it on my face. Hell, even I kept catching myself staring at Lincoln, and I was two sheets to the wind.
“You want to talk about anything?” he asked.
Pressing my beer to my lips, I took a long pull and looked away. There wasn’t anything to talk about. I was confused because of the alcohol, and Lincoln was a beautiful woman. That was all.
Dirk could read me, drunk or not. I wasn’t in the mood to chitchat. “Well, ladies, it was a pleasure meeting you both.” He stood and grinned, looking between Kaylee and Lincoln. “A word of advice: stay away from the Shaw boys. They’ll love ya and then leave ya.”
“Fuck off, Dirk!” Tanner shouted.
Loraine Wilson was currently sitting on my little brother’s lap, which meant he had given up on the idea of Lincoln or Kaylee. I was sure he had seen the way Ty was sticking by Kaylee, and I was pretty sure Lincoln had turned down his invitation to head out to his truck “to get to know each other better.”
After finishing off my beer, I ordered another one.
“Did you drive here?”
Her sweet, velvety voice made me look across the table at her. Those green eyes were filled with concern.
Damn. She is so beautiful.
“I did. Why? You need a ride home?”
Shit. Am I slurring?
“No, but if you keep tossing them back like that, you’re going to need an ambulance out of here.”
I laughed. “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about me, darlin’. I can take care of myself.”
Lincoln rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. When the waitress returned and went to put my beer down, Lincoln reached across the table and took it. “I think he’s had enough, don’t you?”
When Betty Jane and I stared at Lincoln, she looked like she was about to hand me back my beer, but then she pulled it to her chest.
Betty Jane let out a sigh before she spoke to Lincoln. “Honey, listen, I know you’re new in town, and you city folk do things differently. But here, we take care of each other, and if Brock wants to drink himself under the table, he can. We’ll make sure he gets a ride home.”
Lincoln chewed on her lip, her eyes darting everywhere, as if waiting for someone to jump in and agree with her.
“Give me back my damn beer. I’m not looking for a babysitter.”
“Fine,” she said as she put the beer down hard in front of me. Betty Jane smiled and walked off as Lincoln went on. “Drink your stupid beer and get drunk out of your mind. It’s none of my business, right?”
I saw red. Who in the hell did this woman think she was? “You’re right, it’s not any of your bus . . . ness. Biznestle. Fuck. Business.”
Christ Almighty. I was drunk.
Her brow lifted. “Do you always drink like this?” Then Lincoln covered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes before she dropped the hand and said, “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that. That’s none of my business either. I got angry because all you’ve been doing is giving me dirty looks all night.”
“No, I haven’t,” I slurred.
“Ha!” she said. “Listen, I don’t give a rat’s ass if you like me or not, but your folks are my neighbors, and they’re good people. And Ty’s nice, too, along with your brother Tanner. I’m positive we’re going to be seeing each other around. If you don’t like me, fine, but can you lay off acting like a complete dick whenever I’m in the vicinity?”
I absolutely hated that she thought I didn’t like her. It was the opposite. I didn’t understand why I was so attracted to her.
I looked around the bar for Ty and Kaylee. They were nowhere to be found.
“You’re not worried about your girlfriend?” I asked, deciding I was too wasted to try to have that conversation with her. Hell, even I couldn’t figure out how I felt about Lincoln.
She shrugged. “She’s been through a lot the last few years, and if she wants to hook up with someone, that’s her business. Much to your surprise, I actually am not a nosy person.”
Ouch. That hurt.
Lifting my beer, I winked at her. She rolled her eyes again and moved so that she was facing the dance floor. I couldn’t help but laugh.
Feisty. I wondered what she was like in bed.
My beer brain was in full effect right now, and a part of me wanted to know the answer to that question more than I wanted to admit.
Chapter Seven
LINCOLN
I could feel Brock’s eyes on me the rest of the night. Ty and Kaylee hadn’t been gone long, which led me to believe nothing had happened between them.
Kaylee sat down in the chair and gave me a look I couldn’t read.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She nodded. “Yep, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?” Leaning in closer to her ear, I asked, “Did he do something?”
“No, the opposite. I wanted him to do something, and all he did was kiss me. Then he sort of freaked out on me and asked me to dance.”
“Really?”
Kaylee nodded. “Yep. Guess maybe I’m a bad kisser or something.”
I chuckled. “No, I sort of think these brothers have . . . issues.”
My eyes glanced over to a very drunk Brock. Some little bleached blonde was sitting next to him, clearly trying to take advantage of the fact that he was wasted.
“Want to come back to my place, Brock?” she asked in a sultry-sounding voice.
I wanted to gag.
“Not tonight, Lee.”
“Oh, come on! I promise to take good care of you.”
“Kaylee, would you mind if I drove you home tonight?” Ty asked, causing both of us to swing our attention to Ty instead of Brock.
This was an interesting turn of events.
“You want to drive me home?” Kaylee asked, confused. “Why?”
Ty’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink, and I hit Kaylee on the leg.
“I mean, sure. Lincoln, are you going to be okay getting home alone?”
With a wide grin, I nodded. “Of course I am. This isn’t Atlanta, after all. I’ve had only one beer, and that was a few hours ago. Um, Ty, what about your brother?” I asked, pointing to Brock.
Giving him a hard look and then frowning, Ty replied, “Betty Jane already took his keys. She’ll make sure he gets to his truck and sleeps it off.”
My mouth gaped open. Holy crap. Was that normal in a small town? Just put your drunk kin in their truck, and they’ll sleep it off? That would be a good way to get yourself hurt back in Atlanta. “You’re just gonna leave your brother here to sleep in his truck?”
With a half shrug, Ty answered, “Yep.” He held out his hand and asked, “Kaylee, you ready?”
It was a little after midnight, and I was also ready to leave. I didn’t want to follow Kaylee and Ty out the door, though, especially if they wanted some privacy to talk or whatnot.
Sitting back in my chair, I crossed my arms and watched the scene playing out in front of me. Lee was now rubbing her hands all over Brock’s chest, his arms, even running her fingers through his thick brown hair.
It was sickening to watch. Especially since Brock seemed to be completely ignoring her.
“Come on, Brock. Let’s get out of here.”
Betty Jane walked up and caught me shooting death rays at Lee.
“Lee!” Betty Jane called out, making the blonde jump. “Your husband called. Said he’s on his way home from his fishing trip and been trying to call your phone.”
Lee jumped up. “Howie’s on his way home? S
hit!”
She turned and hightailed it out of the bar so fast she left a smoke trail behind her.
Then, Betty Jane handed me a set of keys. “Here, these are his. Make sure he gets out of here and safely home.”
My hand instinctively took the keys, and I sat there for a few moments, stunned. When I finally realized Betty Jane was putting me in charge of getting Brock home, I jumped up and followed her over to the bar.
“Wait! Ty said you would make sure Brock got to his truck and slept it off. He didn’t say anything about making sure he got home.”
Betty Jane loaded up empty beer bottles onto her tray. It was then I looked around the bar and noticed it was almost empty.
“What time is it?” I asked, reaching for my phone. “It’s almost one!”
She laughed. “Yep, it’s been real fun watching you give dirty looks to Lee for the last hour. I figured I’d help a girl out and get rid of her for you.”
When I looked back at the table, Brock had his head on it.
Good grief. Is he sleeping?
“What do you mean, get rid of her?” I asked, still trailing behind the waitress, who honestly looked to be just a few years older than me.
She stopped and faced me. “I’ve been doing this job since I was eighteen. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that you’ve got a thing for our Brock. I can’t blame ya, really. He’s a looker. Those blue eyes and dimples. Not to mention the way the man can fill out a pair of Wranglers. Throw in he’s a professional bull rider and worth some money, and you’ve got yourself one sought-after cowboy. He doesn’t normally come in here and get drunk like this, so I’m going to guess he’s had a bad day and he’s trying to drink away his problems.
“Now, the way I see it is, he seems to be smitten with you, and you’re smitten with him. So, it only makes sense that you get him home safely. What happens after that is your business, but just know that the rest of the town will most likely find out within seventy-two hours—unless you’re discreet about it.”
I stood frozen in place. What in the world is this lady talking about?
“Okay, I didn’t really understand half of that, but you’re very wrong on one thing. Brock Shaw is not . . . smitten . . . with me. It’s really the opposite. I don’t think he can stand me.”
Never Enough Page 6
