Hard to Hold

by Nicole Edwards

  Oh, she knew she would have to provide her social security number, birthdate, and all that crap in order to receive a paycheck, but she was hesitant. Being paid biweekly meant she had a little time. If it meant she worked for two weeks for free, so be it. At the end of next week, if she felt comfortable enough, she’d give it to him.

  If not, then she’d walk away. It was that simple.

  “Okay,” she agreed, turning toward the stairs.

  Amy waited while Wolfe closed up the shop, setting the alarm and locking the doors before he made his way to his truck. He walked her around to the passenger door and opened it, lingering there while she climbed inside.

  The truck was a beast. Thank goodness for step bars or she never would’ve managed to get inside without help.

  “Buckle up,” he said, closing the door and then moving around to the driver’s side.

  When he joined her, Amy had the seat belt locked into place. She scanned the interior of the truck, not at all surprised to see it was clean. Wolfe’s office was unorganized, but she had to say, everything was always spotless. That characteristic carried over to his vehicle as well. It made her wonder what his house looked like.

  As Wolfe steered the truck out of the lot, he picked up his phone and hit a button.

  “Hey, Sheriff. Thought I’d let you know that I’m takin’ Amy out to the range behind my house. Gonna teach her how to shoot a gun.”

  There was a brief pause. Wolfe glanced both ways at a stop sign, his expression unchanged.

  “Yep. Just thought you should know. Later.”

  Amy got the feeling that it wasn’t customary for residents to inform the sheriff when they were going to be shooting on their own land. She was pretty sure Wolfe had done it for her benefit. It did make her feel better knowing that someone was aware of where she was going, although, if she was completely honest, she wasn’t worried that Wolfe would hurt her. In fact, she felt safe with him.

  Safer than she had in a long, long time.

  And she wasn’t sure what to think about that yet.

  Wolfe disconnected the call and tossed his phone into the center console.

  He could feel Amy’s eyes on him.

  “Do you always call the sheriff when you’re gonna be shooting?”

  The doubt in her tone told him she knew better.

  He smirked, cutting his eyes to her briefly. “Not usually, no.”

  A smile formed on her face and he could see that she had relaxed somewhat.

  His reasons for calling Rhys had been twofold. Mainly to put Amy at ease. He figured she’d be more comfortable knowing that the sheriff was aware of where she was and who she was with. And two, because he’d wanted to entice the sheriff to show up. He didn’t bother to mention to Amy that Rhys wasn’t on duty at the moment. Nor did he share with her what Rhys had said.

  “You callin’ to brag? Or is that an invitation?”

  “Yep. Just thought you should know. Later.”

  Wolfe would let Rhys figure out which question he’d been answering. Either the sheriff would show up or he wouldn’t. Knowing Rhys, he’d be there. Since Rhys had avoided Wolfe since the day he’d confronted him outside the shop, Wolfe figured it was time for him to make a move. It wasn’t like him not to go after what he wanted, and since he had half of what he wanted right there in the truck with him, he simply needed to get Rhys on board for everything to fall into place. Wolfe had waited long enough.

  “Where do you live?” Amy asked, her attention fixed on the scenery passing by the truck.

  “My family’s got about two hundred acres out on the edge of town.”

  “Two hundred?” Her eyes were wide when she looked over at him.

  “Yeah. We lease about half of it out for cattle. Another portion is used for hay. The rest we live on.”

  “And play on?”

  Was she teasing him?

  Smiling, he nodded. “And play on.”

  “My aunt and uncle had some land.” She didn’t look at him as she spoke. “I lived with them for a brief amount of time. They didn’t have a lot, only eight acres, but it was wooded and I spent some time wandering.”

  Wolfe could’ve sat right there in his truck all damn day if she would simply talk about herself more. He was still amazed that she’d agreed to come with him. And he had more than one reason for inviting her. Sure, he wanted to spend some time with her, get to know her. Not only because he was curious about what she was running from, either. He’d come to like the woman. A lot. But Wolfe figured if she wanted him to know about her past, she’d tell him. In the meantime, he could be her friend, teach her how to defend herself if it was necessary.

  “In case you couldn’t tell, I’m close to my family,” Wolfe told her. “The Caines have lived on that land for generations. My grandparents’ house sits empty since they passed, but Lynx usually takes care of it. I’m still out there, though. In my own house. I built it out on the northeast corner a few years ago. It keeps me out of sight of everyone. Lynx’s dad’s got a place, too, but he’s a shut-in now. Never leaves.”

  “And your dad? Does he live out there?”

  Wolfe shook his head. “Nah. After my mother died two years ago, he moved into the apartment above the store. He said he didn’t need much space, was tired of having to deal with upkeep around his house.”

  “I’m sorry about your mom.” Amy continued to stare out the window.

  “Thanks.”

  “Did he sell his house?”

  “Nope. Lynx decided to move in there. He’d been rentin’ a house in town when he was with his … ex-wife. He hauled ass back as fast as he could.”

  “Do you have horses?”

  Wolfe shook his head. “Nope. Not enough time to take care of ’em. Cooter had some at one point. Ended up sellin’ ’em about six years ago. Couldn’t handle all the work on his own.”

  When Amy didn’t shoot off another question, Wolfe thought of the million he had spinning around in his head, but he held them all back. If Amy wanted to ask him about his family, he was more than willing to share the details. He loved his family. Didn’t matter how fucking crazy they were. And he hoped one day she’d feel comfortable enough to share a bit of herself with him.

  When they reached the Circle C Ranch, Wolfe pulled up to the gate and hit the button in his truck that would open it electronically.

  “It’s solar-powered,” Amy said softly. “That seems to be a thing now.”

  Wolfe didn’t respond, figuring it didn’t require him to.

  Assuming Rhys wouldn’t be far behind him, Wolfe left the gate open as he headed down the long dirt road that forked off to his house. The other direction headed out to his uncle’s place.

  Not wanting to make her uncomfortable, Wolfe opted not to stop by his house. He had the guns he needed with him, enough to help her get started, anyway. However, he did have to pass by the place.

  “Is that your house?” Amy leaned forward and stared out her window as they passed.

  “Yeah.”

  “Wow.” Her head jerked around, her eyes stopping on him. “It’s beautiful, Wolfe.”

  “Thanks.”

  “You said you built it?”

  He was a little surprised that she’d caught that part. “Yeah.”

  “With your own two hands?”

  Wolfe chuckled. “Yeah. Well, I had some help. My dad’s pretty handy with a hammer and Lynx’s good with tile.”

  “How long did it take?”

  “About a year.”

  “That’s impressive. More so that you had family to help you.”

  “Yeah, well, in return, I helped my dad upgrade the kitchen in the apartment.” Wolfe smirked. “And Lynx … well, because he helped, I don’t stomp his ass when he makes a fool outta himself.”

  He pulled the truck to a stop out near the makeshift range he and Lynx had put up. It wasn’t much more than a tin roof awning with a railing and a few barrels set up about thirty yards from two bales of hay along the fence
line.

  “This is it?” Amy glanced around, her eyes wide as she took it all in.

  Wolfe had no idea what she was thinking.

  “This is it,” he confirmed. “I’ve got a couple shotguns in the back. Figured we’d start with that.”

  “Okay.”

  Opening his door, he glanced over at her. “Stay there. I’ll open the door for you.”

  Not waiting for a response, he hopped out of his truck.

  As he headed over to help Amy out, he hoped like hell he could make it through the next hour without making a complete fool of himself. Whatever it was about this girl, he felt like a gangly teenage boy all over again. His hormones were on the fritz.

  God only knew how bad it would get when Rhys showed up.

  Rhys pulled up in time to see Wolfe getting Amy situated with a shotgun. He was helping her with her stance, and Rhys had to sit in his truck for a second longer than he should have.

  His dick was being a nuisance as he took in the sight of Wolfe touching Amy. It was a sight most people wouldn’t have thought twice about, but since Rhys’s most recent fantasies involved the two of them in a similar position, only naked, horizontal, and without the shotgun, Rhys was having to count backwards from one hundred. If he got out now, there’d be absolutely no way to disguise the hard-on threatening to break his damn zipper.

  It wasn’t that he cared that Wolfe saw it, but Rhys knew for damn sure that Amy wasn’t ready for him to declare his craving to strip her naked and feast on her for a while. Hell, Rhys wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready for that. Certainly not ready to be the filling in a sandwich that had Wolfe on one side and Rhys on the other.

  Wolfe peered over his shoulder at Rhys’s truck but then turned back to the task at hand.

  One hundred.

  Ninety-nine.

  Ninety-eight.

  Wolfe said something to Amy. She adjusted the protective glasses on her face, then loosened her stance. Wolfe helped her position her hands around the gun, then pointed out toward the target. He took a step back and then they were both watching her.

  After a few seconds of hesitation, Amy pulled the trigger, the recoil knocking her back, but Wolfe was there to steady her. She looked up at him over her shoulder, shifting the ear protection off one ear, and Rhys was surprised to see she was smiling. A grin that held a million megawatts and transformed her from cute to downright beautiful. He had no idea what Wolfe said to her, but she nodded and they went through the motions once more.

  Eighty-nine.

  Eighty-eight.

  Eighty-seven.

  Yeah. This was bullshit.

  He was a grown man, not some horny fucking teenager. Surely he could get out of his truck, walk over to them, and not slobber all over himself in an effort to stave off the lust. It had been a difficult week. He’d done his best to stay away from the pair of them, wanting to play it cool. As much as he wanted to kick this into high gear, to make his move and see what their reactions were, Rhys knew he couldn’t. He needed to lie low for a while. There were too many prying eyes on Wolfe and Amy right now. Ever since she’d started working at the Cedar Door, rumors had started. There were some doozies, too.

  Amy was Lynx’s long-lost sister.

  That was an interesting one. Rhys had no idea who would’ve thought that one up, but hey. Gossip had no rhyme or reason.

  Amy was Lynx’s new wife.

  Considering the first one, that one kind of creeped him out. But still, it wasn’t as hard to understand. Since Lynx’s impromptu nuptials, no one knew what to expect from the guy. But seriously, the ink wasn’t even dry on the divorce papers.

  Amy and Wolfe were undercover, working with Rhys.

  How he’d been dragged into that one, Rhys wasn’t sure. It could’ve had something to do with his repeat visits to Wolfe. Hence the very reason Rhys had been playing it cool. The last thing he wanted was to be caught up in the rumor mill.

  Rhys opened the truck door and climbed down. He adjusted himself, his jeans damned uncomfortable, but he sure as shit wasn’t about to miss this opportunity.

  “Hey, Sheriff,” Wolfe greeted.

  Amy glanced back, her eyes rounding slightly before darting over to Wolfe.

  “It’s cool,” Wolfe assured her. “He’s off duty.”

  “Oh.”

  That seemed to appease her somewhat. Rhys wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting. Maybe she thought he was there to stop them?

  This was the country. Rhys couldn’t stop the Caines from taking up target practice on their own land. They were secluded, and with all the animals on the far side of the ranch, not even they would get in the way.

  “Go ahead, try again when you’re ready.” Wolfe stepped back.

  Amy held the shotgun steady, her eyes trained on the bale of hay at least thirty yards out.

  Rhys refrained from talking, not wanting to startle her while she was getting ready. She pulled the trigger and this time her shot went way left.

  “You’re jumpin’ before you get the shot off,” Wolfe informed her.

  “But I didn’t do that the first time,” she countered.

  “Because you hadn’t felt the recoil. Now you’re expectin’ it.”

  “Oh.”

  “Remember how to load it?”

  Amy nodded.

  “I want you to do it yourself this time. It’ll hold five in the barrel and one in the chamber.”

  Rhys leaned against the wooden rail and watched. Amy caught on quickly. She loaded the shotgun in no time and had it up and aimed before Wolfe said anything more. When she fired the shot, her aim was significantly better, although she missed the target by at least three feet.

  “I’m gonna step back here. You’ve got plenty of ammo. Shoot until your heart’s content. Remember, five in the barrel, one in the chamber. And when you’re not using it, keep the barrel aimed at the ground.”

  Amy smiled up at Wolfe, and that lightning bolt of lust shot through Rhys once again. There was something seriously hot about a pretty woman with a pump-action shotgun. Provided the shotgun wasn’t aimed at him, of course.

  Wolfe joined him, hefting his big body up on the railing beside Rhys. They weren’t quite close enough to touch. Rhys was tempted to remedy that, but he kept his cool. He had all the time in the world when it came to moving this forward. He’d waited years for an opportunity at something that wasn’t casual. Which meant he couldn’t treat it as such.

  No reason to push when the timing wasn’t right.

  With every shot, Amy’s aim was better, the slug moving closer and closer to the target.

  “She’s good with the twenty gauge,” Rhys said, keeping his voice low.

  “She is.”

  Rhys didn’t have to ask why Wolfe had made the offer to teach her to shoot. That was pretty damn obvious. The woman was running from something. It only made sense that she knew how to take care of herself.

  “You have a .22 in your truck?” Wolfe asked.

  “No. Got a .45 though. Plus, a twelve gauge and a thirty ought six.”

  Wolfe shook his head. “Nah. I want her to focus on aim this go ’round.”

  “Next time you invite me, I’ll bring one.” Rhys peered up at Wolfe.

  “You do that.”

  They sat in silence for a few minutes while Amy continued to load and shoot, load and shoot. She was getting better, the target taking a few slaps from the slug with the last shots.

  When she turned around to face them, she was sweating, but she was smiling. “I never thought shooting a gun would be fun.”

  Rhys smiled, then looked at Wolfe. “You up for a little friendly competition?”

  “Always.” Wolfe hopped down from the wooden rail. “Mind if I borrow that, darlin’?”

  Amy handed over the shotgun, and Rhys grabbed the other that was lying across one of the barrels.

  Rhys smiled at Amy as he passed her, and his breath slammed to a halt in his lungs when she smiled back at him. It was a feeling he
knew he would never forget for as long as he lived. Why it meant so much that she’d smiled at him the same way she’d smiled at Wolfe, he wasn’t sure, but it was something, all right.

  “You ready, farm boy?” Rhys taunted, then hopped the railing to the side closest to the targets.

  Wolfe hopped over, then reached back and grabbed several shells. Rhys did the same. Once loaded, he turned to his friend, nodded, then faced the targets.

  There was no doubt who would win, but Rhys was all for giving it his best shot.

  6

  __________

  Amy had never in her life felt the sort of exhilaration she felt when she’d fired Wolfe’s shotgun. She wanted to continue, but her shoulder was already sore, her arms like cooked spaghetti noodles, loose and limp. So, she stood back and watched as Wolfe and Rhys hopped the small wooden fence and moved toward the target.

  Another shot of adrenaline flooded her veins as she watched the two men. Sexy men wearing boots, jeans, and T-shirts and wielding shotguns. She wasn’t sure she was supposed to be turned on by the sight of them, but she was.

  They both exuded some serious sex appeal. Tall, lean, muscular… And their butts. Yum. Encased in Wrangler jeans, these two were the reason for the saying “Wrangler butts drive me nuts.” Or at least Amy thought that was a saying. If not, it was still true.

  Did all women find this hot? Or was it just her?

  They pulled the shotguns up to their shoulders, aimed.

  Wolfe’s deep voice rumbled something Amy couldn’t make out and then…

  Click-click. Boom!

  Amy jumped when they fired their first shots, the sound reverberating off the trees in the distance.

  Click-click. Boom!

  Both men continued, rapid-firing the full six shots as they moved one step closer to the target each time. Wolfe got all six of his shots off first, but Rhys wasn’t far behind.

  Both men looked at one another and grinned.