Hard to Hold

by Nicole Edwards

  Giving a brief shake of his head, Rhys said, “Can’t talk about it here.”

  He actually did have something he wanted to talk to Wolfe about. It concerned the woman he’d imagined walking naked across his bedroom toward him, in fact. Nevertheless, his interest in her wasn’t limited to getting her naked and beneath him. That was something entirely separate. What he wanted to talk to Wolfe about was more along the lines of Amy Smith’s history and her need to keep a safe distance between herself and everyone around her.

  The truth was, Rhys was concerned for her well-being. He’d become rather adept at reading people. More importantly, helping people. If he was right, Amy Smith was in desperate need of some help. Maybe a friend or two.

  However, Rhys wasn’t about to tell Wolfe that he was looking into Amy Smith’s history. Not here, anyway.

  “You gonna be around?”

  A short nod was Wolfe’s answer as he pulled out two twenties and tossed them on the table alongside the other one lying there. “See you around, Sheriff.”

  Leaning back in his chair, Rhys watched Wolfe saunter out of the building. He didn’t take his eyes off the man until he’d climbed into his big black Silverado, either.

  One of these days…

  3

  __________

  Amy had absolutely no idea why she’d come here in the first place. The second Lynx had made the job offer, she’d been suspicious.

  That didn’t mean she wasn’t interested, just that she knew she needed to be cautious. Staying off the radar was important, and she’d be better off working at the diner and at Reagan’s, even if she wasn’t getting paid nearly enough. Being so visible wasn’t exactly the best way to hide out, but so far, it seemed to be working. People saw her, which made them believe they knew her, which, in turn, had caused some of the curiosity to die down. Oh, sure, they were still asking questions, but people didn’t seem to mind when she brushed them off with a smile. At least she didn’t think they minded.

  Unfortunately, the lure of more money was more than she could refuse. The house had drained every penny she had. The money she’d received when her parents died had been left alone in an account for the past nine years drawing a little bit of interest. It had been a whole lot more than she’d ever anticipated; still, she hadn’t expected it to go far. Fortunately for her, the houses were relatively cheap out in this part of the country. After buying her used Nissan, a few pairs of clothes, and the house, Amy had no choice but to work in order to eat. Sadly, one job didn’t cut it, though, so she was wearing herself thin at the bar and at the diner.

  So, she’d spent the majority of her morning thinking about it, tossing around the idea of being an office manager. How hard could that be?

  No, she didn’t have any experience, but she hadn’t had any experience waitressing when she applied for those jobs, either. She was confident that it was something she could learn over time.

  “You gonna come in?”

  Amy spun on her boot heel at the deep, rumbling voice. She found Wolfe leaning one shoulder against the doorjamb, his grin wide, straight white teeth flashing. He’d obviously been watching her pace the parking lot.

  “I’m thinking about it,” she admitted, a small smile tilting her lips.

  She wasn’t quite sure what it was about Wolfe, but Amy found herself relatively comfortable in his presence. He definitely was the type of guy you didn’t want to mess with, but Amy didn’t feel threatened by him. Perhaps it was his laid-back nature, or the protective gleam in his pretty green eyes. Whatever it was, she found she didn’t fear him. Not physically anyway, even though by anyone’s standards, he was the kind of man you would walk away from, not toward, if you encountered him in a dark alley. His sheer size alone overwhelmed everyone and everything else around.

  Word around town was the Caines were a bunch of badasses. From what she could tell, people didn’t mess with them unless they were drunk or stupid. She’d witnessed some of both working at Reagan’s.

  Wolfe gave her a quick nod. “Well, when you’re ready…”

  She watched as he disappeared back inside, his butt looking damn fine in those jeans.

  Damn it.

  She wasn’t supposed to look at his butt.

  Taking a deep breath, Amy debated on whether she should hop back in her car and go home or suck it up and go inside. Since her car didn’t have any air conditioning and it was at least a hundred degrees in the shade, she figured the interior of the big warehouse was probably significantly cooler than the parking lot.

  She hoped.

  “How hard could it be?” she mumbled to herself as she made the trek to the door.

  When she stepped inside, she was instantly assaulted by the sweet smell of sawdust. Not surprising, considering it was everywhere.

  The metal building was even bigger than it looked from the outside. Probably a couple thousand square feet on the main floor with three-story-tall ceilings, at least. It would probably hold two of her houses inside just on the ground floor. Maybe three.

  Laid out on the concrete slab before her were various pieces of furniture all in different stages of assembly. Tables of all shapes and sizes, various styles of chairs, dressers, media stands, even mirrors. The far end of the warehouse held planks of wood standing on their ends against the walls and shelves full of other items—paint cans, brushes, a wide assortment of tools. It was just as she’d expect a furniture warehouse to look. Not that she’d ever given it much thought, honestly.

  “Can I get you somethin’ to drink?” Wolfe offered.

  Amy shook her head. “I’m good. Thank you.”

  He watched her for a second and she felt the urge to smooth down her dress. It was the only one she owned, but she’d figured she needed to wear something other than the jeans and T-shirts that had become her go-to wardrobe these days. This was, after all, a job interview.

  At least she thought it was.

  “Come on into the office.” Wolfe nodded his head toward a metal staircase that led to the second floor.

  Amy followed, taking it all in.

  The second floor extended over one end of the warehouse with a metal railing that allowed one to see everything down below. Three doors lined the narrow walkway. Nothing fancy, but she doubted they needed to be. Since their main focus was building furniture, she didn’t figure they had much need for office space.

  Wolfe stopped at the door closest to them and pushed it open, then stepped back and waited for her to enter.

  Keeping her eyes down, she quickly moved past him. His sheer size had her sucking in a breath, but she fought back the fear that tried to take hold. Wolfe Caine wasn’t going to hurt her. She knew that much.

  Then again, she’d thought the same thing about…

  “So, what do you think?”

  Amy lifted her gaze to his face. “About?”

  “The warehouse?”

  “It’s … uh … big?”

  Wolfe grinned and the smile changed his features from handsome to devastatingly attractive.

  No wonder all the women in town talked about him.

  Admittedly, Amy didn’t have much interaction with him, but that was by choice. Although she saw him at the bar and at the diner, she’d done her best to keep her distance. Befriending people in this town would only cause more problems. Didn’t matter that there were some days she’d give just about anything to have at least one friend.

  Realizing she looked like an idiot staring back at him, Amy glanced around the room. “What does the job entail?”

  Wolfe leaned back in his chair and the creak of the leather caused Amy to look at him again.

  “A little this, a little that.” He steepled his hands and set them on his flat stomach. “But mostly, it requires you to answer the phone, take orders, call the customers when there are questions. Maybe some light accounting work to start off. Every now and again, my old man might need help over at the store.”

  Amy nodded. That didn’t sound too difficult. Well,
except for the accounting part. She didn’t have the first clue about that, but again, she was a quick learner.

  “In the summer we work from six to three with an hour lunch. Monday through Friday.”

  That meant she would have to quit the job at the diner, but she could continue to work at Reagan’s.

  “Do you have any experience?”

  She should’ve known he’d ask that question. Although Amy had considered lying to him, she knew he’d figure it out soon enough if he did hire her. “No, I don’t.” She bit her tongue to keep from telling him that the two jobs she now held were the first time she’d worked in her life.

  Wolfe nodded but didn’t say anything.

  Amy had to chew on the inside of her cheek to keep from rambling. Wolfe made her nervous, but not the panicky kind. There was something in the way that he looked at her. Like a man who liked what he saw but wasn’t exactly sure what to make of her yet. It made her want to tell him things, to assure him she was responsible and could be trusted.

  When he leaned forward, Amy’s gaze slammed into him. The sudden movement made her jump, and she realized there was no way to hide the reaction, so she kept watching him, praying he wouldn’t ask her why she was so twitchy. It’d been a year since the attack that had nearly taken her life, but Amy still remembered it like it was yesterday.

  Wolfe’s tone was soothing when he spoke again, the deep rumble of his voice reassuring. “The job’s yours if you want it. You can start whenever you’re ready, but the sooner the better.”

  “And the pay?” That was what it would all boil down to.

  “We’ll start you out at twenty dollars an hour if that’s good for you.”

  Twenty dollars an hour? Wow. She wasn’t expecting more than thirteen or fourteen. And that had been more like wishful thinking on her part. She didn’t even know what the going rate for an office manager was.

  Nodding her head, she tried to calm the pounding of her heart. “I’ll … uh … need to give notice at the diner.”

  Wolfe nodded, then pulled open a drawer.

  Amy’s eyes flew to his hand, watching intently.

  He pulled out a packet of paper and slid it over.

  “I’ll need you to fill out the paperwork.”

  Amy’s palms started to sweat. This was the part she was dreading. She’d managed to convince Reagan to pay her cash. She’d agreed since most of Amy’s earnings were from tips, anyway. The diner had been a little more difficult, but they’d finally agreed, with the warning that if she stayed for more than a couple of months, she would have to go on the payroll. The day Amy had walked in, the place had been in chaos, their last waitress having bolted after a heated argument with the cook. Luck had been on her side that day.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t have the necessary documents for employment. She had a birth certificate and a driver’s license. The birth certificate had been in a safety deposit box, which had allowed her to get another driver’s license after…

  “That gonna be a problem?” Wolfe’s tone didn’t change.

  “No,” she lied, wringing her hands together in her lap. “Can I fill it out at home?”

  “Of course.”

  When Wolfe didn’t say anything more, Amy got to her feet, smoothing her dress down and picking up the papers.

  Ever the gentleman, Wolfe moved to the door and opened it for her.

  This time, when Amy passed him, she breathed in deeply. He smelled like sawdust and something spicy. It was a smell she could get used to.

  Not that she would.

  “Just let me know when you wanna start,” Wolfe said as he followed her back down the stairs.

  “I … uh … will.” She didn’t look back at him, instead keeping her attention on the door.

  She thought she was home free when another looming presence filled the space.

  Sheriff Trevino.

  She fought the urge to look at Wolfe, to question whether this was a setup.

  The sheriff’s deep blue gaze swerved to her, following as she traipsed down the stairs. If she wasn’t mistaken, he was checking out her legs.

  She was okay with that.

  Well, more okay than if he’d come here to corner her.

  Deep breath.

  Amy continued toward the door, half expecting the sheriff to lunge for her.

  He didn’t.

  In fact, he didn’t move, but he did remove his hat and offer a smile.

  The relief that hit her was nearly enough to take her out at the knees.

  Fortunately, she managed to keep the starch in her legs as she marched right for the door.

  And out into the blistering Texas sunshine.

  Wolfe watched as Amy slipped past Rhys. Her back ramrod straight, shoulders tensed, chin tilted in a slightly defiant manner. She seemed to keep as much space between her and the sheriff as the doorway would allow. All the while, Rhys kept his eyes on her. Wolfe saw the man’s interest, knew what he was thinking.

  It should’ve bothered him, but it didn’t. He wasn’t quite sure why that was, because his own interest in Amy had come to a head when he’d been sitting just a few feet away from her in his office. The dress she wore was sexier than should’ve been allowed. Cream-colored lace over a cream-colored fabric that hung a little loose on her thin body. It showed off her tanned legs and arms and had him wondering whether or not she had any tan lines. That combined with a pair of boots had damn near made his mouth water when he’d watched her pacing the parking lot earlier.

  When she’d finally appeared inside the warehouse, Wolfe had seen the hesitation in her dark espresso eyes. The woman seemed to always be taking in her surroundings, scanning every corner of the room more than once. Even when they’d been in his office, her gaze never stayed put, straying to the door at least a dozen times.

  And holy shit, had she smelled good. Something sweet had wafted by him when she stepped into the small office, and he had inhaled deeply—twice—trying to make out what it was. Honeysuckle had been his best guess, but what did he know?

  Although mixing business with pleasure was never a good idea, Wolfe couldn’t deny the way his body reacted to her. Hell, more than once while they’d been in that small office, he’d thought about sitting her atop his desk and sliding his hand beneath that short dress while his mouth followed close behind.

  He was a dog, no doubt about it.

  Not that he’d let her know that. He figured sharing with her all the dirty things he wanted to do to her was a surefire way to have her running for the hills. He’d deal with that when the time came. If. He meant if, not when. Damn.

  But right now he had a different issue to deal with.

  “Twice in one day,” Wolfe grumbled. “Either you’ve developed a crush on me or whatever’s on your mind must really be important.”

  Wolfe preferred the former.

  Admittedly, he’d had a few fantasies that included the sexy sheriff and the sweet girl who’d just slipped out the door. They usually involved the three of them naked and his hands roaming all over both of them.

  Rhys moved into the warehouse, his attention drifting out the door momentarily before he turned toward Wolfe. He raised his dark eyebrows in question and Wolfe knew what he was wondering. However, he’d never been the kind to give up information without a little interrogation.

  So he waited.

  And waited.

  After several painfully tense seconds, Wolfe finally sighed and relented. “She’s gonna work for us.”

  “Really?”

  Wolfe nodded but didn’t elaborate.

  “New office manager?”

  “Yep.”

  “She have experience with that?”

  “Nope.” Wolfe frowned. “You the office police now? What’s with the twenty questions, Sheriff?”

  Rhys moved closer, placing his hat back on his head, the move catching Wolfe’s attention. He let his gaze stray over the man’s lean form. Dark blue Wranglers encased his muscular thighs and a bright wh
ite button-down covered his well-built chest. The sleeves were rolled up to show off his tanned forearms.

  Wolfe couldn’t deny the attraction he felt for the man. He was solidly built and carried himself with an air of authority that should’ve irked the shit out of Wolfe, but it didn’t. There was something about Rhys Trevino that made Wolfe want to strip him slowly and see how quickly he could get the man to unravel.

  He got the feeling it wouldn’t be all that easy.

  Good thing Wolfe was up for a challenge.

  “You get any information on her?” Rhys questioned.

  Lifting his gaze higher, Wolfe studied the sheriff’s face. He’d shaved that morning, obviously. His angular jaw was still smooth, his face expressionless.

  “No,” he said bluntly.

  He wanted to know what the man’s angle was. His curiosity wasn’t completely out of character. Rhys Trevino was the sheriff of their small county. He’d been elected by an overwhelming majority and he was good at what he did. Mainly because he paid attention, so it only made sense that he was taking an interest in Amy. However, Wolfe wasn’t entirely convinced that it was for the good of the community. It seemed more personal than that. Much more personal.

  “She didn’t fill out an application?”

  Wolfe shook his head, continuing to watch Rhys. “Why so concerned?”

  That question seemed to shock Rhys, but he merely shrugged as he glanced around the warehouse. It was obvious the man was trying to pretend he didn’t really care when it was obvious he did.

  “I’m not concerned. More like worried.”

  “And you’re worried about her why?” Wolfe let his confusion ring in his tone.

  “I think she’s runnin’ from somethin’.”

  The full impact of Rhys’s midnight-blue stare hit Wolfe head on. He had to admit, the man could be intimidating when he wanted to be. Between the badge and gun and the intense look in his eyes, Rhys Trevino was a sight to take in. Wolfe would even go so far as to say that a lesser man would probably back away from the sheriff if he came up against him. Not that Wolfe was intimidated. He had at least two inches and a good thirty pounds of solid muscle on the guy.