Mason (Remington Ranch Book 1) (Contemporary Western Romance)

by S. J. McCoy

  “Gina, what's wrong with you? We came all the way out here to see you and you're not even going to spend the evening with us?”

  She was furious. “Liam, I asked you to come and see me. I don't know why you brought them. I didn't want to spend the weekend with your friends. I wanted to spend the weekend with you.”

  “Well, we still have work to do. We're pulling the Avery show together, but we changed our plans to come out here for you. You could be a little more gracious about it.”

  “You shouldn't have bothered coming at all if you couldn't spare the time for me, Liam!”

  “I'm starting to wish I hadn't.”

  Damn him! This wasn't going anything like she'd hoped it would. “I'm sorry. I'm disappointed, that's all. I thought you understood how important this was to me.” She had been a little hasty walking out like that. She should go back in. She had been planning on spending the night here with him.

  Silence buzzed on the phone. “What time will we see you tomorrow?”

  Wow! He was dismissing her. That was always his line when he didn't want to argue. And she'd thought he wanted her to stay. “How about you call me when you're ready?”

  “Fine. Good night, Gina.” He hung up.

  Gina threw her phone so hard the battery came out when it hit the passenger door. “Screw you, Liam!”

  The tires screeched as she pulled out of the parking lot.

  Chapter Six

  “Is there any point in my hanging around to meet the guy today?”

  Gina made a face at her dad. “I told you. I'll bring him over around lunchtime.”

  “You said you'd bring him over last night, too. That didn't happen, did it?”

  She scowled. “He was tired after traveling all day.”

  “And judging by the mood you were in when you came home—and the fact that you came home at all—everything is less than rosy in the garden.”

  Gina sighed. Things couldn't be less rosy. Liam was here, but instead of making things better it was making things worse. She was angry with him. Hurt by the way he was treating her. Hurt by the way he was treating Kaitlyn. She was starting to wonder if marrying him was the mistake her dad seemed to think it was. But if she didn't marry him, where would that leave her? Liam—and the gallery—was central to her life. If they split up what would she do? She shook her head. She couldn't think about that. She needed to get back over to the resort and make things right with him. She needed to feel happy with him, convinced that marrying him was the right decision before she saw Mason. His words kept echoing in her mind. I'm going to remind you how I make you feel. She'd need all her strength to resist his determination, and right now she wasn't even sure she wanted to.

  “I'll call you when we're on the way, okay?”

  “Whatever you say, love.” Her dad came and wrapped her in a hug. “I want to see you happy. You know that, don't you?”

  She nodded. She did, too. She just wasn't sure anymore that Liam was the one she could be happy with.

  As she drove out to Chico, she wondered again whether she could ever be happy with anyone who wasn't Mason.

  ~ ~ ~

  Mason stared at himself in the bathroom mirror and grinned. He looked good, if he did say so himself. The way Gina had looked at him had made it clear she was bowled over by the man he'd become, the same as he was bowled over by the woman she'd become. He had a good feeling about tonight. The fiancé couldn't have much of a hold on her. She wasn't even wearing a ring! What kind of man would ask a girl to marry him without giving her a ring? And no matter what kind of hold the guy had on her, Mason was convinced that the hold he had was stronger.

  He hadn't thought of much other than Gina since he'd seen her coming out of the pharmacy the other day. She might say there was nothing left between them, but her body told him otherwise. He shifted in his pants as he remembered her arching up underneath him. He'd bet the fiancé had never made her come for him on the kitchen table without even unfastening his pants. He grinned. He was looking forward to the time when he would unfasten his pants. Maybe she'd do it for him. The thought of her little hands on his zipper had him aching for her. He pulled himself together. He shouldn't be thinking like this. He'd never gone after another guy's woman before. Didn't believe it was something a decent man would ever do. But this was different. This was Gina. She wasn't another guy's woman, she was his girl, his woman and all he needed to do was remind her of that. He knew it now. Whatever her reasons for pushing him away all those years ago, it didn't matter anymore. He'd been stupid for way too long. It was time to make things right.

  “Are you coming out of there any time soon?” shouted Shane.

  “Be right out.” He took one last look in the mirror and nodded.

  Shane wolf whistled when he stepped out into the hallway. “Damn, Mase! You're going for the kill, huh? If I wore panties, I think I'd throw them at you!”

  Mason laughed. “I need to remind her what a real man looks like.” He was wearing his best Wranglers and a black, long sleeved T-shirt that clung to his muscular chest and stretched over his biceps.

  Shane laughed. “She might not be able to see you with all the girls that'll be flocking around you looking like that.”

  “I'm sure you can have fun fending them off for me.”

  Shane nodded. “Anything to help out.” He sniffed the air. “You even smell good, too.”

  Mason grinned. He'd added a splash of the cologne that Gina used to love so much. Whenever he wore it, she used to bury her face in his neck to smell him. Then she'd wriggle her way underneath him, telling him that she could never resist it and he needed to just take her now. He'd always been happy to oblige. He'd give anything for her to do that tonight. He'd heard that smell was the sense most closely linked to memory, and he was hoping that this particular scent would evoke memories she'd want to re-create.

  “Are we ready?” called Chance from the living room.

  “Give me a couple,” called Shane and pushed Mason out of the way so he could get into the bathroom.

  Mason pulled his favorite boots out from the closet in the hallway.

  Chance grinned at him. “You're going all out tonight, aren't you?”

  Mason nodded grimly. “I am. I have to. I want her back. I intend to get her back, and I need to see off this fiancé in order to get her.”

  Chance nodded as he watched him pull on his jacket and cram his hat on his head. “The poor bastard doesn't have a hope.”

  Mason looked at him. “If it were just about two guys and her having to pick one, I'd agree with you. But she's held something against me for years, something that I don't even know about. I have to get past whatever that is, as much as I have to get past the fiancé.”

  “Yeah, but you seem pretty sure you can get past it.”

  Mason nodded. He had to believe he could. “There's only one way to find out,” he said. “Come on, Shane. It's go time.”

  They all piled into Shane's truck.

  ”So you think things aren’t good between them?” he asked Shane again once they were out on East River Road.

  “For the hundredth time, Mase! No. I don't. She told me she didn't think I would like him. And she was right. He'd left her to go park the truck while he checked in, some gentleman, huh? And he seemed a little too close with the blonde chick that was with them. While Gina was playing valet for them, he was making sure blondie had the best room at the inn.”

  Mason frowned. “So what's she doing with a guy who'd treat her like that?”

  Chance punched his arm. “That's what you're going to find out isn't it, Mase. But we need to get there so that you can—and quit playing twenty questions in the truck!”

  Shane laughed. “See. Listen to your Uncle Chance, why don't you? And give my ears a rest.”

  Mason smiled through pursed lips. “Sorry, guys.”

  ~ ~ ~

  Gina sat on the end of the bed watching Liam get ready. She'd never known a man take so much care over his appearanc
e. He was almost as engrossed in the mirror as he had been on his computer since they'd come back to his room.

  “Your dad's going to have a hard time in New York, isn't he?”

  She nodded sadly. That had become very clear this afternoon when she'd taken Liam out to the ranch. Her dad had made a big point of talking about everything he loved about his life here. He'd had his two old hounds by his side the whole time and kept making a fuss over them, saying he would never be able to leave them behind.

  Liam had at least made an effort, telling him about things he might enjoy in New York. It had been a pretty awful afternoon though.

  “So what are you going to do?” asked Liam.

  That brought Gina back to the present. What was she going to do? For months, Liam had been talking as we. Making plans for how we would work things out to take care of her dad and get him settled into a new life. The only we she'd heard from him this weekend had included Kaitlyn and Ian, not her.

  “I don't know, Liam. I don't know much of anything right now.” She looked up at him sadly. “Do you still love me?”

  He turned around to face her. “Of course I do. What kind of question is that, Gina?”

  “It's a scared kind of question, Liam. I feel like everything is changing and I don't like it.” Suddenly she felt as if it would all be okay if he would make love to her. She needed him to reassure her. She lay back on the bed and held her arms out to him. “Show me, Liam. Show me you still love me.”

  “Later. We don't have time right now. The others will be waiting.”

  “Let them wait. I need you to make love to me.”

  It worked. He started undoing the shirt buttons he'd just fastened and came to the bed. “You're a sensual woman, Gina. That's one of the many things I love about you.” He took off his shirt and lowered himself onto the bed next to her, drawing her into his arms. She pressed herself against him and kissed his neck. “What else do you love, Liam?”

  He closed his hands around her ass. Gina closed her eyes trying to close out the thought that his hands didn't feel like Mason's—didn't feel as good as Mason's. That as he pulled her against his erection, he didn't feel as good as Mason. She couldn't let her mind go there. She reached up around his neck and rubbed herself against him.

  “I love the way...”

  A knock at the door cut off the words he'd been about to say.

  Gina pulled his head down to her. “Ignore it.”

  The knock came again. “Liam?” called Kaitlyn. “Are you ready?”

  He sprang up from the bed. “We'll be out in a minute.”

  Gina heaved a big sigh. “Really?” she asked him.

  He smiled. “We can get back to this later.”

  Gina pulled herself together and got up. “Maybe.”

  They found a table in the corner where they could see the band and the dance floor.

  Ian grinned at her. “I thought places like this only existed in old movies. I had no idea that people still went out in cowboy boots and hats and did all this old-time dancing.”

  Gina laughed. “It's not old-time. It's country. You've spent your entire life in New York City, Ian. You need to broaden your horizons.”

  “Thanks, but I'd sooner get back to civilization.”

  “Me too,” said Kaitlyn. “This is all very quaint to visit, but to think that people live their whole lives like this is kind of scary.”

  Gina turned to her. She'd considered Kaitlyn to be a friend these last few years, but that was wearing pretty thin this weekend. “What's scary about it?”

  “The fact that they've never been anywhere else, never done anything else. They lead such small lives and don't know any better.”

  “What do you know about life outside New York?” asked Gina. “Where have you ever been? What have you ever done to make your own life so big?”

  “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you.” Kaitlyn didn't look sorry at all.

  “Calm down, Gina,” Liam frowned at her.

  Seriously? He was going to come down on Kaitlyn's side against her? Gina scowled at him. “I'm going to the ladies' room. Excuse me.”

  She pushed her way through the crowded bar and into the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face and her wrists. She did need to calm down. She was wound up that things were going so badly with Liam, wound up at the thought that Mason would be here tonight. Wound up that she didn't know what she was doing anymore.

  Kaitlyn came in after her. “Sorry, Gina. I didn't mean to be rude about your home.”

  “That's okay. I'm a little tense. I shouldn't have snapped your head off. I'm sorry.”

  Kaitlyn smiled. “You probably have reason to be mad at me. I'm not being a very good friend, am I?”

  “I thought it was just me. What's going on, Kaitlyn?”

  “I hate to say it. But I don't want Liam to marry you.”

  Gina stared at her. “Why not?”

  “Because I don't think you're right for each other.”

  Gina couldn't believe this! “And what gives you the right to be the judge of that?”

  Kaitlyn smiled apologetically. “The fact that I've been in love with him for years. I've watched his girlfriends come and go and always known that they wouldn't stick around. I thought someday he'd realize that he and I are perfect for each other. I like you. I didn't think the two of you would last very long at all, you're so different. But once he started to get serious about marrying you I knew I had to let him know how I feel before it's too late.”

  Gina just stared. “So you're trying to come between us?”

  Kaitlyn nodded. “Why do you think Ian and I came along this weekend? I need to make it clear to Liam that you're all wrong for him, and that I'm all right.”

  Gina didn't know what to say.

  “I hope you don’t hate me, but I want to be honest with you. If I thought you truly loved him I don't think I'd be able to do this, but you don't, do you?”

  Gina swallowed. “Of course I do!”

  “Really? You see, Gina, I love him. I want to see him happy. I know what makes him happy. I don't want him to be any different than he already is. You do. You want him to care about the things that are important to you. You want him to show you more affection. You want him to be interested in your opinions. And we both know he isn't. You don't love him, you love who you want him to be.”

  “So what are you saying?” Gina's head was spinning, trying to make sense of it. Trying to deny the truth of it.

  “That I am making my move to get the man I love. I don't want you to hate me for it. And I'm saying you should take a long hard look at yourself and figure out what you want.” She turned around and walked back out leaving Gina staring after her.

  She let herself into one of the stalls and sat there dazed. It was true. She was always wishing that Liam was different. She didn't know what to think or what to do. Did she love him? Was Kaitlyn right, that she didn't love him at all? And how could she hate Kaitlyn if she loved Liam and always had? She sat there for a long time, confused by it all. She heard someone come in to the bathroom.

  “Gina?”

  “What, Kaitlyn?”

  “I think you should come out. Liam is getting worried that you've been gone so long.”

  She opened the stall door.

  “I'm sorry.”

  Gina shook her head. “Don't be. At least you're honest. But don't expect me to know what to say to you yet either.”

  Kaitlyn nodded and left.

  Chapter Seven

  Mason watched their table from his perch at the bar. He'd been surprised when Shane had pointed out the fiancé. He'd expected a big guy, someone like himself. Gina had always joked that she needed a big man, a real man. This guy was more of a weedy city type. Not Gina's type at all. He was sitting there sipping a glass of wine, chatting with his friend, looking way too clean and primped to belong out here. Gina was nowhere to be seen.

  After a while, a blonde woman came and sat at the table. She put a hand on
the fiancé's shoulder and from the way he smiled at her, it seemed Shane was right and those two were a little too friendly. Mason bristled with indignation on Gina's behalf. How could he even notice another woman when he had Gina? What kind of asshole would mess around on her? The kind of asshole who wouldn't have her for much longer if he had anything to do with it. But where was she?

  Mason watched as the fiancé and his friends sat and chatted for a few minutes then fell silent. After sitting that way for a while, the guy started to look agitated. He said something to the blonde woman and she stood up again and headed for the ladies’ room. She came out a few minutes later and Gina followed shortly afterward. She was so beautiful. But she looked pale and shaken. What was going on? He wasn't going to wait any longer to find out. He turned to Shane. “Are you coming?”

  Shane grinned and nodded. “Let Operation Get Gina Back begin!”

  Chance got down from his stool. “No way I'm missing out on this. Let's go.”

  Mason pushed his way through the crowded bar. He shoved Shane in the back when he stopped to let a pretty redhead pass in front of him then crowded against her. She smiled up at him. Mason did not have time for Shane's flirting. He looked at the girl. “I'll send him to find you later, okay sweetheart?”

  She smiled at him and then Chance. “I hope you'll both be coming with him? I'm with my friends over in the corner.”

  Mason shook his head and pushed Shane forward.

  Chance stopped to talk to the girl a minute and then caught up with them.

  As they got closer to the table, Mason could sense the tension in the group sitting there. He had to wonder what was going on. Gina turned even paler when she saw them. The others looked up when Shane spoke.

  “Good evening, folks. How's the visit going?” He looked around the table, but Ian was the only one to smile. He turned to Gina. “I thought you'd be pleased to see some more old friends.” He gestured to Mason and Chance.

  She didn't say anything for a moment, just stared at Mason. He didn't know what was going on with her, but she certainly didn't look like the visit was going well.