by Lexi Blake
He was too late.
He stood there in the house he’d grown up in and wondered when it would feel comfortable again. How long would it take before he could walk down this hallway and not see Mouse wearing a smile he’d never seen before, shutting the door behind her—shutting him out.
The door opened, and Bo shrank back so they wouldn’t see him. When he’d first realized what was going on, he’d thought about breaking down the door and beating the shit out of Trev. The rage had been right there in his gut, winding its way through his body and into his fists.
And then it hit him.
This was his fault.
Mouse walked out first, her eyes going to either side of the hallway as though she didn’t want to get caught, but he didn’t know why. Her skin glowed. Her eyes sparkled. Her mouth was swollen, and her hair mussed in an oh-so-sexy way. She was fucking beautiful. She was transformed, and not by him. Mouse was a different woman, well loved and happy.
Trev walked out behind her. He obviously didn’t give a shit if anyone saw them walking out. He had a lazily satiated look on his face. He reached out and caught Mouse’s hand, dragging her back to him. His hand cupped her face, and a soft look came over the former quarterback. Instead of closing his mouth over hers, Trev did something that made his heart ache. He leaned over and touched his nose to Mouse’s in a sweet, affectionate gesture.
“Thank you, darlin’.” Trev’s voice was low and quiet and so serious, Bo felt guilty, like he was seeing something too private and intimate.
She sighed and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m glad I could help, Sir.”
Trev kissed her forehead. “Can you get into town okay? I can take you if you need me to.”
She shook her head. “No. Lexi is going into town. She has some shopping to do. She’ll take me to the bank and bring me back. Then I’ll have my loan, and I can start my renovations.”
Trev groaned. “Be sure to buy me a home repair book. I’m afraid I’m better with cars than I am plumbing. And electrical. And woodworking.”
She slapped lightly at his chest. “It’s not that bad. Well, it is, but it’s going to be fun.”
They moved apart, but Trev’s eyes followed her. “And buy a coffeemaker, woman.”
“I will,” Mouse promised as she walked toward the kitchen. Bo had to move fast to avoid her. She walked by, her hips swaying in a sexy cadence.
This wasn’t Trev McNamara fucking the first woman to come along. The man had feelings for Mouse, and they weren’t shallow. And Mouse had never looked at him the way she looked at Trev.
Maybe because you never kissed her. You never dragged her in a bathroom because you couldn’t wait one more minute to have her. You never told her how much you want her.
There was a rustling behind him, and he turned, startled. Aidan stood there, his face grim.
“I’m happy you managed to not attempt to kill my new foreman.”
Bo closed his eyes. He’d tried to talk his brother out of hiring Trev. He’d used the incredibly intelligent argument that he didn’t like Trev therefore Aidan shouldn’t hire him. He hadn’t been willing to admit why he didn’t want Trev around. But then that was the trouble, wasn’t it? He hadn’t been willing to admit how he felt about Mouse, and now he’d lost her.
“I’m not going to hit Trev. It’s your ranch. You gotta do what you think is right.” All the fight had left him the minute he realized Trev wasn’t using Mouse and Mouse wasn’t going to leave Trev because one dumbass man had finally come to his senses. It was like everything in life. Mouse would move on, and Bo would be alone. He would smile and party and be everyone’s “friend,” and no one would know him, not really. Everyone he ever opened up to had left and moved on.
At some point in time, he had to stop blaming the people who left and start blaming himself. Maybe his father had been right. He wasn’t good enough.
“I don’t like the look in your eyes. And you know this ranch is your home.” Aidan crossed his arms over his chest.
His brother could talk all he liked, but Aidan owned the ranch. There was a reason Aidan hadn’t turned over the foreman’s job to him. He was good with cattle, but he was never going to be the boss. The rest of his life played out in his brain. He would stay here in the little house he lived in and grow old, all the while spending his nights with a bunch of people he didn’t love. He would watch as Lexi and Lucas and his brother raised their odd family. They might cause the town to talk, but at least they had each other. Bo might be accepted by the citizens of Deer Run, but he wouldn’t have a woman smile at him like Lexi did at his brother and Lucas, like Mouse had smiled at Trev. It was his fate.
He shrugged and tried to give his brother a careless grin. “Whatever, man. It doesn’t matter.”
“Are you just going to lay down?”
He hated that tone in his brother’s voice. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m going to get back to work. I have to pick up a feed order.”
“Stop.” Aidan strode to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Talk to me about this. Don’t put on a brave face. Talk to me. I’m your brother.”
Yeah, Aidan was his brother. Aidan was his perfectly happy, heroic brother. Aidan had honorably served his country and fought back from a bullet to his spine. He’d taught himself to walk again. He’d told society to go to hell and found his happiness. Bo didn’t want to explain to his perfect brother how thoroughly he’d fucked up. But he knew he wasn’t getting out of this house without a fight unless he gave Aidan something. “There’s nothing to talk about. Mouse found a boyfriend. I might not like him, but she seems happy enough.”
Aidan stared at him. “Bo, you love that girl.”
“Like a sister.”
“Lying isn’t going to help. You love her, and you’re going to lose her if you don’t take action.”
“There’s nothing to do, Aidan. She made her choice.”
“She didn’t know she had a choice to make,” Aidan insisted. “But that’s beside the point. You know I’ve never thought you would be good for that girl.”
Yeah, Aidan had always insisted Mouse needed someone else. “Well, then you got what you wanted, didn’t you? I would think you would be thrilled.”
Aidan’s fists clenched at his sides. “Damn it, you never understood me. I’ve always thought Beth needed a strong hand.”
He was so sick of this shit. “A fucking Dom. You thought she needed a Dom.”
“Yes, and I think I’m right. I think you’ve seen the way she looks today. She’s a whole different person. Trev gave that to her. What if he could give that to you, too?”
It took all he had not to punch a wall. “Goddamn it, Aidan. I’m not gay.”
Aidan sighed. “You don’t have to fuck him. You just have to listen to him. You have to let him make you stronger by being able to rely on him.”
“Trev McNamara is the last person I would rely on.” Not after the way Trev had let him down. He had to hope that Trev had learned his lesson and he wouldn’t let down Mouse.
“I don’t know about that. I was upset that Julian strong-armed me into hiring him, but he’s been through a lot. He seems to be solid now.”
“Once a fucking addict,” Bo heard himself say.
Aidan nodded. “Yes, he’ll always be an addict, but at least he knows what his problem is. He knows what he can and can’t do. Can you say the same?”
Bo didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. He slammed out of the house in time to catch Mouse walking back in.
Her face lit up as she saw him. “Bo. Thank god. Lexi isn’t feeling well. Any chance I could get a ride into town?”
Tell your fucking boyfriend to take you. It was right there on the tip of his tongue. He could tell her to go to hell and be done with her.
And never see her again? He wasn’t willing to do that. He might never be willing to break with her.
“Sure.”
He walked her to his truck, his heart in his throat. She might not
be his, but he would always take her where she needed to go.
Chapter Nine
Mouse felt sick as she walked out of the bank lobby into the brilliant light of day. After the chilly office, the heat hit her like the blast of a furnace, but it didn’t really sink in. All she could hear was the loan officer telling her she’d been turned down for her loan. The loan she’d been told last week would be a sure thing. She’d talked to the bank and gotten preapproved. Now she’d been turned down, and all they would tell her was that she lacked enough collateral.
She owned her property outright. The house itself might not be worth much in its current condition, but the land was worth far more than the amount she requested.
The stony-faced loan officer, who Mouse knew a couple of days before had approved a loan for Janie Harte who got out of prison last month and didn’t even own her TV, hadn’t been willing to listen to any arguments.
Tears blurred her eyes. How was she going to fix up the house? She’d counted on that loan. She’d never been so much as late paying a bill, but they’d turned down her loan?
She clutched the paperwork in her hand. She’d brought it all in, everything they had requested, and they hadn’t even bothered to look at it.
She sniffled and looked down the street toward the feed store. Bo was still there. His truck was in the parking lot. She needed to get it together before he came down to pick her up. She shoved the paperwork in her bag and started walking down the street toward Patty’s. She would get a Coke and try to figure out what to do next. She could try another bank. It would take longer than she’d hoped, but she could do it. She didn’t have much of a credit history. She’d never used credit cards, but she had land, and that meant something. She worked as an accountant for many of the businesses in town and had a part-time job as Lexi’s assistant.
She thought about the list now sitting in her purse. She’d planned on ordering all her materials as soon as she had the loan in hand. She’d spent days picking out the right fixtures and lights and paint. She could see it in her head, but it would have to wait.
“Good afternoon, Mouse.” Bryce Hughes stepped out of his SUV. It was parked in front of Patty’s.
Of all the people she didn’t want to see, Bryce was number one. He looked too perfect in his suit and tie. He didn’t look like a man who got turned down for loans.
Mouse nodded and walked on by only to walk straight into another body. Mouse gasped as she came up against a man roughly her own height. He was slight, dressed in an impeccable suit, and his eyes were covered in oversized aviators. He carried a briefcase.
“God, what is the problem with you small-town types? Fuck. That was my foot, you know.” The man had a harsh Jersey accent.
Mouse took a step back. Bryce was right behind her. He chuckled a bit as he helped Mouse steady herself. The man continued to curse, and she suddenly recognized his voice.
“You’re that man from last night. You’re Marty.” This was the man Trev was trying to avoid. “You called on Trev’s phone.”
Bryce straightened up. “Marty Klein? The agent?”
Marty visibly puffed up. “It’s good to know this isn’t the absolute ass end of civilization. I thought I was never going to find my way around. Why Trev had to come to this god-awful part of the world, I have no idea.”
“It’s his home,” Mouse pointed out. So far she wasn’t at all impressed with Marty Klein, but it was apparent that Bryce was.
“He knows that, Mouse. This man has negotiated some of the most lucrative deals in modern sports. Trev was his client. I assure you he knows Trev McNamara’s history. And his family. I’m Trev’s brother-in-law.” Bryce put out his hand. The two men shook.
Mouse wondered if Bryce had lost his mind. Everyone knew Bryce Hughes had been cursing his brother-in-law’s name since the day Trev had been fired from the San Antonio Bandits. Mouse didn’t follow football, but she remembered that day. The whole town had been quiet, like a tragedy had happened. Bryce had been one of the men leading the talk about what a loser his brother-in-law turned out to be.
“Uh, yeah, Trev has a sister. I remember that. Sharon, yes. Lovely girl.” Marty touched his ear. He had a Bluetooth in his right ear that acted as a receiver for his cell phone. “Go for Marty. Yes. Absolutely. I’m in Texas right now. Sure as fuck, I’m going to get this deal done. You tell them he won’t come back for less than twenty million a season, and we’re going to do a media blitz. People, Sports Illustrated, the whole shebang. Cokehead quarterback makes a comeback. Yeah. We’ll be out there ASAP.”
She stared. Trev hadn’t mentioned Marty was trying to recruit him back into the pros, but she was pretty sure that was a tremendously awful idea. “He’s got a job. Trev is working out at the O’Malley Ranch.”
Marty rolled his eyes. “Who the hell is she and why is she talking? It doesn’t matter. Where’s our boy? Did he tell you about the sweet deal I have cooking in LA?”
Bryce looked suitably impressed. “No, he didn’t mention that. They want to bring him in?”
“Didn’t you hear? Their QB tore his ACL and he’s on IR for the rest of the season.”
She wished the man would use words rather than letters. “Trev doesn’t want to see you.”
Bryce stepped in, smoothly pushing Mouse back. “Don’t worry about her. She’s nobody. I’m family. My office is right over here. I can set up a meeting with Trev.”
“Excellent.” Marty began to walk off with Bryce. “You seem like a man who knows what he’s doing. Maybe you can help me out. Tell me something. Is there anyone in this town who can hook me up?”
Bryce looked back, his eyes narrowing. He said something to Marty, but he whispered it. She watched them walk away and hoped that Bryce wasn’t going to try to find some woman dumb enough to sleep with that nasty man. She was going to have to tell Trev to avoid Bryce for a while.
“Hey, you weren’t in the bank. I popped in, but they said you were already gone. I thought stuff like that took a long time.” Bo walked up, his boots resounding against the pavement. His dark-blond hair was curling over his shirt collar. He was so beautiful, but in a different way than Trev. His hand came out to touch her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
And he’d always been able to read her when he bothered to try. “I didn’t get the loan.”
She tensed a bit. Bo hadn’t wanted her to buy the house in the first place. He would probably tell her it was for the best and now she could sell the land to a developer and move someplace safer and way more boring.
“Oh, baby, I’m sorry.” Bo pulled her against his chest right there in the middle of Main Street. He wrapped his arms around her. “I know what that meant to you.”
She froze for a moment. He usually kept his affectionate nature private. It was sweet to be held by him, something she’d dreamed of a thousand times. He still smelled like the soap from the shower he’d insisted on taking before they left for town. His well-worn cotton shirt was soft against her cheek, but his chest was all muscle. After a moment, she let herself sink into him. The tears were back. She couldn’t hold them off when he was giving her a place to cry.
“I don’t know what to do. They said I don’t qualify. I have to have that money. I can’t fix up the house without it.”
His hand found her hair. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll find another bank. Hell, Aidan knows lots of people with money. You’ll see. It’s going to be okay. Now, come on, dry those tears and let’s go get some pie. I was talking to Jerry at the feed store, and he said Patty had pecan today.”
She loved pecan pie.
Relief washed over her as Bo began to lead her toward the diner. She’d been terrified that Bo would be angry that she was seeing Trev. She’d played it off as nothing, but she’d been scared he would turn away.
Instead, he opened the door for her and started to ask her about her plans. He seemed interested for the first time. Bo ordered for them both and then gave her his full attention. He was quieter than she’d eve
r seen him before. Well, except for that night when she’d had to find her way to Austin to get him. He’d been quieter then. He hadn’t talked for days. She didn’t like to think about that night.
“Hey,” Bo said, leaning over and putting a hand over hers. “It’s going to be okay, you know. We’ll find a way to get your house fixed up. Tell me something, is that boyfriend of yours going to be worth anything beyond hauling you into bathrooms in the middle of the day? Does he know anything about home repair?”
She flushed, but Bo had said the words with no accusation in his tone, just a sad smile on his face. She shook her head. “He told me to buy a book.”
Bo sighed. “We’re in trouble. Well, show me your plans. Let’s see how screwed we are.”
He gave her that smile that lit up her world and reminded her of all the reasons she’d fallen in love with him in the first place. He was a sunny presence. He always made her laugh, and deep down, he understood her.
Trev was her lover, but she would miss Bo. She would miss him so much.
She showed him her list, and by the time they were done, she felt better.
She would find a way. She would fix her house, and she would keep Trev and Bo in her life. She needed them.
* * * *
An hour later, Mouse had a small coffeemaker, some filters, and a pound of French roast in hand as she got out of Bo’s truck and began to walk into her house. Despite the earlier problems, she was feeling unaccountably cheerful, and she knew why. Bo. She loved to be with him. She loved the way he teased her and got her to smile even when she was sad.
“Thanks,” she said as he hopped out of the truck.
“You’re welcome. You know I’ll always help you out. No matter what happens with the guy you’re dating.”
She hadn’t known it. Somewhere deep inside she thought he would go away someday. And why? He’d never gone away before. He hadn’t exactly been with her, but he’d never let her down when she called. “Did you really get out of bed with Darla Jackson on prom night to come pick me up when my bike was stolen?”
