Hard to Hold

by Nicole Edwards

  “For his tenth birthday, he wanted a shotgun of his own,” Calvin said from his perch on a barstool. “His momma wasn’t on board with the plan. But she knew how much it meant to him, so she took him out on the range and worked with him. Turned out, Wolfe taught his momma a few things about guns that day.”

  Wolfe smiled, his eyes warm. Amy liked the way he interacted with his father; the love and admiration between the two was apparent. Not to mention the respect. And they both obviously missed Wolfe’s mother.

  It made Amy miss her family. Her parents had been taken from her so suddenly. There was still a void deep inside her, one that would forever be empty. Then her aunt and uncle… The thought of how they’d suffered. Why they’d suffered. The ache in her chest had never gone completely away, and times like this, it intensified. She felt short of breath because of it.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Amy jerked her attention to Wolfe. It took her a minute to shake off the thoughts. “Nothing. Why?”

  Wolfe frowned, clearly not believing her.

  Feeling too many eyes on her, Amy dislodged herself from Wolfe’s grasp. “I need to take care of some customers,” she murmured, then headed for the bar.

  Amy took a deep breath, tried to compose herself. This was a party. She was supposed to be having a good time, not getting trapped in the past.

  “The surprise party turned out great,” Reagan said. “You did good.”

  The unexpected praise helped to ease some of the longing that had consumed her. “Thanks. I couldn’t’ve done it without your help.”

  “Pfft. Whatever. It was all you.”

  Amy rolled her eyes. It wasn’t all her. Not by a long shot. Sure, it might’ve been her idea initially, but she suspected someone would’ve come up with it if she hadn’t. Wolfe was popular in this tight-knit community. They would’ve pitched in to celebrate his thirtieth birthday without her.

  The thought didn’t sit well though.

  Amy hadn’t realized how much she’d come to love this small town, the people, the interaction. It was so much more than she’d ever had. She almost felt like family, and she didn’t want to think about how it would be if she wasn’t here.

  A warm hand curled around her hip and Amy turned to see Rhys standing behind her. “You okay?”

  She nodded, wishing she could lean in and kiss him. Wolfe was all about public displays of affection when it came to her, but she and Rhys had to remain distant. He had never out-and-out said anything, but Amy had gotten the sense when they were in public. He always seemed to keep a safe distance between them. With them but not with them.

  She briefly wondered if it would always be like that. Should this thing between them become permanent, how would that work out?

  Geez. She needed to get her head back in the game here. Why she was thinking about things that didn’t matter, she wasn’t sure. This thing they had going was great. It was simple and easy and…

  It wasn’t either of those things, she realized.

  Not simple.

  Certainly not easy.

  However, now was not the time to be dwelling on shit like that. She had more important things to do.

  Like celebrate Wolfe’s thirtieth birthday and enjoy herself. There’d be time to get lost in her own head later.

  Much, much later.

  When Wolfe asked Rhys to check on Amy, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He’d been sitting at a table on the far side of the room when Wolfe came over. The first time since he’d arrived, in fact. Although Rhys hadn’t known what the man would say, he admitted he’d been a little disappointed when Wolfe had mentioned she was acting funny. Rhys had figured Wolfe was being overly dramatic, but now that he was looking at her, he could tell something was bothering her.

  “I’m good,” she said, although her eyes seemed far away.

  “Sure?”

  “Positive.” She paused for a moment, studying his face. “Well, that’s mostly true.”

  Rhys frowned, hoping she would elaborate.

  When she leaned in, her mouth close to his ear, he tried to ignore the chill that raced down his spine. The woman turned him on simply by breathing.

  “I’d be better if I could kiss you right now.”

  Rhys jerked back, his eyes locking with hers. The sexy smile on her face had him tempted to give her exactly what she wanted. Except half the town was in that bar right now, and the last thing Rhys needed was for people to start talking about the three of them. In all the time he’d held out for a permanent relationship with a man and a woman, he hadn’t thought about the logistics. How it would play out in public. He still wasn’t sure what to do about it. And he’d admit, he’d been giving it some serious thought these past few days, but he hadn’t come to a conclusion.

  “How ’bout a rain check?” he offered. “When we leave here, I’ll be sure to cash it in.”

  Amy smiled but it didn’t quite meet her eyes.

  Did she want this thing to go public?

  Was that even possible? Being sheriff was an important role. One he hadn’t really considered until the people of his county voted him in. That meant something. If he came out in a ménage relationship, how would they take it?

  Shit.

  That wasn’t something he even needed to be thinking about right now. For one, this thing between him and Wolfe and Amy was new. It wasn’t serious. They were having a good time. A damn good time, actually. And based on that gleam in Amy’s eyes, they would be having more fun tonight.

  “Rain check it is,” she said before turning away to deliver a beer.

  Rhys peered down the bar to where Wolfe was perched on a barstool beside his old man. Beside them were Lynx and a couple of buddies Wolfe had gone to school with. They were laughing at something Calvin said. Wolfe was smiling when he looked up, his eyes meeting Rhys’s.

  It wasn’t that Rhys felt like an outsider when it came to the Caines. Not usually anyway. However, tonight he did feel a little separated. With the feud between their families a real thing, it wasn’t like Rhys could sidle up to them and join in the conversation. Not to mention, he was the law, and those boys had never been much into interacting with him in a social setting.

  Even if he wasn’t on duty tonight.

  And he didn’t even want to think about what would happen when the town figured out he and Wolfe were bisexual. God only knew how people would react to that. Theirs was a conservative town. Marriage was a sacred thing. Between a man and a woman. And once vows were spoken, only death could come between them.

  Hell, Lynx’s divorce had caused a slight stir, and that had been nothing in the grand scheme of things.

  Fuck.

  Rhys took a sip of his beer and tore his gaze from Wolfe’s, choosing to watch Amy as she maneuvered around the room. Funny how he’d been a huge part of making this party happen, yet he felt as though he shouldn’t even be there. And Wolfe damn sure wasn’t trying to make it easier on him, either.

  Sure, Rhys had put some distance between himself and Wolfe these past few days, but that was because he felt like things were moving too fast. That didn’t mean he wanted it to come to a screeching halt.

  Amy moved back to the group, leaning into Wolfe as the Caines continued to laugh and joke. When another round of laughter erupted from the group, Rhys decided it was time to go. He damn sure didn’t need to be the third wheel here tonight. And he’d rather sit at home by himself than stand on the opposite side of the room and watch the two people he cared most about enjoying themselves while he was forced to keep his distance.

  “Where you headed, Sheriff?” Reagan called out when Rhys dropped a twenty on the bar and headed toward the door.

  Raising one hand over his head in a half-ass wave, Rhys didn’t look back.

  “Hey!” Wolfe’s deep baritone rang out behind him, but Rhys continued out the door and into the warm evening air.

  He had something important to take care of in the morning anyway. Might as well call it an early night.
<
br />   23

  __________

  What. The ever-loving. Fuck.

  Wolfe set Amy aside when Rhys walked out the door without so much as a backward glance.

  “Give me a minute,” he told her, then followed the sheriff out the door.

  Rhys was already climbing into his truck when Wolfe spotted him.

  “What the fuck? Where you goin’?” he called out.

  The son of a bitch had the nerve to shut his damn truck door. Wolfe had to wait for him to lower the fucking window.

  “You got a curfew or somethin’?” Wolfe asked, scanning Rhys’s face to see if he could read him.

  “Got an early mornin’ tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow’s Sunday,” Wolfe informed him.

  “Some of us work on Sunday,” he said defensively.

  Wolfe put his hand on the door and moved closer. “What the hell’s your deal?”

  “Me?” Rhys’s expression hardened. “I’m goin’ home, Wolfe. What the fuck do you want me to do? Sit in the goddamn bar and stare at you and Amy from across the room? No fuckin’ thank you. I’ll pass. But happy fuckin’ birthday.”

  Wolfe had no idea what had gotten into the man these past few days, but something was clearly bothering him. While Wolfe had tried to include him in any plans he’d made with Amy, Rhys had been coming up with one excuse after another.

  Taking a deep breath, he considered all the things he wanted to say, but he opted to keep them to himself. He’d never been big on complications or drama and he damn sure didn’t intend to start now.

  “Fine,” he said with a sigh, releasing the door. “Later.”

  Without a word, Rhys tore out of the parking lot, his tires kicking up gravel. Wolfe turned to see Amy standing near the door, watching him.

  “Is he okay?”

  Wolfe shrugged. “No fuckin’ clue.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Nothin’.”

  Amy studied his face, concern forming a deep groove in her forehead. “Are you gonna go talk to him?”

  “Fuck no.” Why the hell would he do that? If Rhys wanted to play childish games, he could do so alone.

  When Wolfe reached for Amy’s hand, she pulled back.

  “What the hell?” He stared down at her. “You’re gonna pull this shit, too?”

  Amy flinched like he’d backhanded her. Of course, he then felt like an asshole. Which was probably fitting. But it was his birthday, for chrissakes. Where the fuck had the night gone wrong? And why tonight of all nights?

  Wolfe studied her face momentarily. He could see she was concerned about Rhys. And he couldn’t really blame her. The sheriff was acting strange. Even for him.

  With a sigh, Wolfe reached for her again. “Fine. When you get off work, we’ll go talk to him.”

  She seemed to process that information and then nodded curtly. Wolfe wasn’t sure what she was thinking, but he wasn’t about to get into it with her here. It was his fucking birthday, damn it. Why the hell did everyone want to start a damn fight tonight?

  Two hours later, they were closing down the bar. Literally.

  Wolfe waited for Reagan and Amy to finish up, lock the doors, then join him outside. The two women spoke quietly, then Amy came over to where he stood by his truck.

  “You ready?”

  She nodded, but he noticed she wasn’t smiling.

  Placing his hand on her lower back, he walked her around to the passenger door, then helped her in the truck. What he wanted to do was strip the woman naked right here in the parking lot and spend the next hour of his life feasting on her.

  Instead, they were likely going to get into an argument when Amy realized he wasn’t going to go chasing after Rhys. He’d considered it for a while, but then came to the conclusion that they both needed some space. If the man wanted to talk, they could do so tomorrow. After they’d both slept on it for a little while.

  “Did you have a good birthday?” Amy asked as he was pulling out of the parking lot.

  “I did.”

  She was silent for a few minutes, her eyes scanning outside. “I thought we were gonna go talk to Rhys.”

  Wolfe shook his head. “He said he didn’t wanna be bothered. He’s gotta work in the mornin’.”

  Amy’s eyebrows lowered, her eyes locked on him.

  He cast a sideways glance her way, then turned his attention back to the road.

  “I think we need to go to his house.”

  “And what?” he asked, his tone rougher than he intended. “Beg him to give me the time of day? Not interested.”

  Wolfe felt as though Rhys was purposely trying to push him away, and if that was the way the man wanted to play it, then Wolfe could certainly oblige him.

  “Did you stop to think about how Rhys felt tonight?”

  Jerking his attention to Amy, he tried to process her question. “What?”

  “At Reagan’s. When he was sitting on the opposite side of the room. Alone.”

  Rhys hadn’t been alone, he’d been…

  Son of a bitch.

  Sighing, Wolfe pulled the truck off onto the side of the road. “What are you sayin’?”

  Amy was staring at her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “He was by himself, Wolfe. While you were with your family. And me.” She met his gaze in the dark cab of the truck. “Do you know the lengths he went to to help set up that party? It wasn’t just me. He played a huge role in getting people together, convincing them to keep their mouths shut.”

  Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Wolfe stared out the window. Honest to God, he hadn’t even thought about it tonight. He’d been happy that Rhys was there, but he truthfully hadn’t considered what it felt like for him to keep his distance. He’d thought Rhys was doing it on purpose, not because he felt he had to in order to keep this thing between them out of the public eye.

  “Fuck.”

  “You need to go talk to him.”

  Amy was right. Wolfe did need to talk to Rhys.

  And he knew exactly what he needed to say to the man.

  Amy wasn’t sure what was going on between Wolfe and Rhys, but she figured it had a lot to do with ego. That and maybe a little confusion about how this thing between the three of them was going to play out.

  There was no doubt about it, she’d seen the hurt in Rhys’s eyes tonight when he’d been sitting alone at the back of the bar. And it had damn near broken her heart not to be with him. She wanted to be with both men. Not just Wolfe and not just Rhys. She hadn’t signed on to this thing one on one, and she didn’t like the fact that they couldn’t go out in public together. Although it was an unconventional setup, for Amy, it only seemed to work if the three of them were together. She hadn’t given much thought to why that was, but she felt it deep inside.

  Sure, she would go along with it if she had to—if this was what both men wanted—but that didn’t mean she liked it. So, when it came to their private spaces, she didn’t see why the three of them couldn’t spend their time together.

  She was surprised that Wolfe didn’t call Rhys to give him a heads-up that they were coming. Instead, he pulled his truck back out onto the road, only this time he turned in the opposite direction. Toward Rhys’s house.

  They drove in silence, and Amy felt the nervous tension ratchet up a few notches the closer they got to Rhys’s house. She could practically feel the emotion bubbling inside Wolfe, and she wanted to ask him what he was feeling, what he intended to say when he saw Rhys, but she managed to keep her thoughts to herself. One thing she had noticed about both Rhys and Wolfe was that neither man was big on conversation. Not the deep, personal kind, anyway.

  As usual, when they pulled into the driveway and he shut off the truck, Wolfe climbed out first, then came around to her side and opened her door for her. She grabbed his hand, linking their fingers together as he marched toward the front door.

  Before Wolfe knocked, the door opened and Rhys stood in the open doorway, no shirt, no boots, just a pair of jeans
riding low on his hips.

  The man really was a fine specimen. Sleek, muscular, sexy. He made her mouth water.

  “Not done readin’ me the riot act?” Rhys questioned, leaning his shoulder against the doorjamb.

  Knowing these two were going to go toe to toe, Amy released Wolfe’s hand, marched right up to Rhys, and waited until he looked at her. When he did, she reached up, jerked his head down, and kissed him right on the mouth. She didn’t let it linger, though, choosing to release him before sidestepping him and going inside. If they wanted to act like fools, they could come find her when they were finished.

  Taking a seat on the leather couch, Amy made sure she had a front-row view of the showdown about to take place on the porch. Both men had squared off, staring at one another. She could feel the waves of emotion pouring from each of them although she wasn’t exactly sure what emotion that was. Anger, frustration … maybe love. Who knew. But sooner or later, they were going to have to man up and figure this out.

  Otherwise, this thing between them was going to detonate long before it ever hit solid ground.

  And wasn’t that going to suck?

  Because one thing Amy knew with absolute certainty…

  She’d fallen in love.

  With two stubborn men.

  Rhys was surprised to see Wolfe and Amy on his doorstep.

  He figured their arrival probably had more to do with Amy insisting they solve this problem rather than let it fester. He seriously doubted Wolfe would’ve backed down quite so easily.

  Rhys was gearing up to say something, but Wolfe beat him to the punch.

  With two steps, the big man closed the distance between them. Rhys held his ground when Wolfe reached for him, surprised when Wolfe wrapped his big hand around the back of Rhys’s neck and pulled him closer.

  “I don’t wanna do this,” Wolfe said, his voice low, tone rough. “I’m not gonna fight with you.”

  “Who said you had to?” Rhys countered.

  “I’m sorry,” Wolfe stated firmly.