A Dark & Stormy Knight: A McKnight Romance (McKnight Romances)

by Quint, Suzie

  She—he, Georgia mentally corrected herself when the picture reached her, stood in that beveled stance Vegas showgirls often posed in, with one leg in front of the other. The forward leg, revealed in the dress’ side slit, deserved the envy of women everywhere.

  “Holy cow,” Sol said, leaning in to see the phone in Georgia’s hands. “Are you sure that’s a guy?”

  “Flip to the next picture,” Rachel said.

  The next picture showed Mac, Rachel, and another woman with the man in the killer dress.

  “The other woman in the picture,” Rachel said. “That’s his wife. She was really nice.”

  “I notice Mac’s on the end,” Sol said.

  Rachel laughed. “Yes, by then he didn’t know whether to shit or go blind.” She poked her husband in the ribs playfully. “He’s not used to being attracted to men.”

  They were still talking about the unusual convention after Rachel put her phone away.

  When the band started playing Gary Allen’s Drinking Dark Whiskey, a girl asked Ephram to dance. Georgia was surprised it had taken so long. The McKnight boys were highly sought-after dance partners.

  “Hey, Mac,” Jake yelled down the table. “Get out there and show those kids how it’s done.” He winked at Georgia. “Taught him everything he knows.”

  “Now there’s a scary thought,” Sol said.

  “On the dance floor, you ass,” Jake said. The girl on Jake’s lap stood and tugged on his hand. Zach and Maddie followed them onto the dance floor.

  “Wanna dance?” Sol asked.

  She would have loved to, but Missy had just walked in with another girl. They were dressed to attract men, with lots of visible cleavage and tight, tight jeans. Georgia shook her head. She took a deep breath. “We need to talk.”

  Like any man, Sol hated hearing those words, but she hadn’t expected the panicky look she saw on his face.

  “Okay,” he said in a measured tone that revealed his reluctance.

  Just get it over with. Tell him. But she was enjoying herself and didn’t want to ruin it before she had to, which could happen since Sol wasn’t going to like what she and Tommy were planning.

  He might even think she was lying to keep him from interfering with her love life as he’d done on numerous occasions in the past.

  Now why had she never thought of that? Really, Sol, there’s nothing romantic going on. I’m just helping him make his ex jealous.

  Would it have worked? Probably not but it would have been worth a try.

  Knowing Tommy and Missy, however, Sol might accept the situation for what it was. In spite of what she’d told Tommy, the biggest danger was Sol spilling everything to Missy.

  “Not now,” she said, not ready to give up the good time yet. “But sometime before the night’s over.”

  Sol leaned back in his chair, looking like a man reprieved. A second later, he grabbed her hand. “There ain’t no reason we can’t dance, then.” He dragged her to the dance floor, not listening to her protests, and before she could stop him, he was guiding her across the floor.

  As long as they were dancing country swing, she was okay. There was an unwritten rule somewhere that a woman who dated bartenders or members of the band could dance with other men as long as she didn’t slow dance or let one guy monopolize her. With that in mind, after two songs, Georgia caught the girl who was dancing with Ephram and got her to swap partners for a song.

  Sol held his hands in a what-the-hell gesture, but she only laughed and pushed the girl toward him.

  Ephram wasn’t as smooth as Sol, but he was almost a decade younger. Even so, he clearly had the McKnight gene for dancing, and Georgia had fun. Dancing with the McKnight boys was a treat she didn’t get to enjoy often.

  She swapped him for Jake then Zach and finally Mac. She danced once more with Sol then begged off to make a trip to the ladies’ room. Before she could enter a stall, Maddie walked in.

  “Oh, no.” Maddie laughed. “They’re going to think we planned this.”

  Georgia grinned back. “I must have sent out some psychic signal. ‘Red alert. Woman on her way to the bathroom alone.’“

  “That must be it. You don’t have to worry. I’ve got your back.”

  They continued chatting in the stalls.

  “That was fun, dancing with all the guys,” Maddie said as she headed for the sink. “I’m glad you started that.”

  “Maybe we could rent them out for parties. Our ad could say, ‘Dancing McKnights. More fun than musical chairs.’“ The idea tickled her funny bone, and Maddie laughed with her.

  Maddie caught Georgia’s eyes in the mirror as they washed their hands. “I wish you were still married to Sol. It would be nice to have another McKnight wife to talk to. I think we’d have been friends.”

  A long-buried yearning caught Georgia off guard, and for a moment, she wished for the life she’d given up. Making dinner for Sol every night, sleeping in the same bed with him, knowing her life was settled, having the entire McKnight clan to lean on when she needed support. And Maddie would laugh with her when Sol and Zach and the others did those odd things that seemed genetically coded into men in general and the McKnight men specifically.

  “I didn’t want to be just a rancher’s wife,” Georgia said then belatedly realized how that might sound to Maddie. “I don’t mean that in a derogatory way.”

  Maddie waved off her concern. “I know it’s not for everyone. Most women feel the need to be more ‘liberated,’ I guess. What did you want to do?”

  “I don’t know.” Georgia’s laugh wasn’t amused. “Isn’t that a sad statement? I wanted something more, but I didn’t know what. I only knew what I had wasn’t it.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. She never told anyone the whole truth.

  “But you’re a teacher. You could have done that here, couldn’t you?”

  “It’s not that simple.” Georgia sighed as she washed her hands. “I used to think sometimes that I should have stayed and fought it out with Sol, then I remind myself that I was already pregnant with Eden. Even if I’d had a job, as soon as I went out on maternity leave, I’d’ve been done. Sol would have guilted me into staying home with her. By now, I’d have five or six kids, and this would be my life.”

  “Would that really be so bad?”

  Georgia shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe I’d have been happier. God knows, I sure enjoyed sharing his bed, even if the springs did squeak something awful.”

  “Maybe it’s not too late.”

  “Oh, hell.” Georgia reached for the paper towel dispenser. “Sol’s still mad at me for leaving him. That man holds a grudge like nobody’s business.”

  “Maybe he’s still mad because he still loves you.”

  “That wasn’t love. That was hormones.” And chemistry. They’d had tons of chemistry. They still did.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Love doesn’t happen that fast.”

  “You’re wrong. Maybe it’s a McKnight thing. Zach and I . . . well, it took us a while to recognize it, but it was there the first night we met. If Zach’s like Sol, and I don’t know that he is, but if he is, when he gives his heart, he’s all in.”

  Georgia tossed the paper towel and turned to lean her butt against the sink. “You really think Sol’s like that?” The words came out sounding more cynical than Georgia meant them to. She really was curious if Maddie thought Sol had fallen in that forever kind of love she’d described.

  “Sol’s hard to get to know. He’s . . .” Maddie paused. “Well, ultrareserved most of the time. Zach says he’s too concerned about his dignity.”

  “His dignity? Ha!”

  “Zach says that back in school, he and Gideon used to tease Sol about the girls who liked him. Except Sol never believed them. He thought his brothers were trying to make him look foolish. He thought if he went after the girls they said liked him that they’d laugh at him. As soon as his brothers figured that out, it was like a game to them. Zach says the
y were drunk with power, knowing they could torpedo Sol’s love life before it even got started.”

  Georgia stared at Maddie. She’d thought she’d known all the important stuff about Sol, but she hadn’t known this.

  Now it made sense that she’d had to kiss him first.

  She didn’t fail to notice the sentimental twang in her chest. The one that signaled a soft spot in her heart for that young man who’d been brash enough to suggest marriage yet so tentative she’d had to initiate their first kiss. “It doesn’t really make a difference,” Georgia said, more to herself than Maddie, trying to harden her heart. “He was never going to give up that damned rodeo.”

  “What?”

  Georgia shook her head. “Nothing.”

  The door opened and the other happily married McKnight walked in, saving Georgia from any further conversation about her and Sol. “Hey, why wasn’t I invited to the party?” Rachel asked.

  So they kept her company until she was done then rejoined the men, who wasted no time dragging them back onto the dance floor.

  The energy was high by then, and the band, playing up-tempo music, kept it that way until Zach made a special request. The band announced they were playing Your Man in honor of Zach and Maddie’s first anniversary. He and Maddie took the floor for the song they’d danced to at their wedding reception. Other couples joined them.

  Before Sol could suggest they dance, too, Georgia tugged his sleeve and tilted her head toward a corner of the bar where they’d be able to hear each other without yelling.

  The time had come to tell him, but she still wasn’t quite ready to broach the subject of Tommy, so instead she said, “You need to stop swearing.”

  Sol took half a step back as though he needed the distance to see her, to be sure this was really what she wanted to discuss. “I’m careful around Eden.”

  “Really? How careful?”

  “Well, I . . . you know. I slip sometimes. Once in a while. Not often.”

  “Have you said, ‘son of a bitch’ in front of her lately?”

  “No. Of course not. I—” Sol flushed, his neck then his cheeks turning a ruddy shade of red, as though he’d remembered something he didn’t want to admit to.

  Georgia waited.

  “Okay. I might’ve. She came out to the corral, and I didn’t see her. I was talking to a bull that wouldn’t go through the gate.”

  Georgia sighed. “Look, Sol, I know she’s going to hear it. She’s at the age where some of her friends are starting to use that kind of language, but I don’t want her using it. You have a lot of influence with her. If she hears it from you, she’ll think it’s okay, so I want you to stop.”

  Sol nodded. “I’ll make sure she doesn’t hear it from me.”

  “So you’ll stop swearing?”

  Sol scowled. “I won’t use foul language in front of her.”

  “That’s not good enough. You have to stop completely. She’s at the ranch full time now, and she’s bound to walk up on you again sometime.”

  Sol didn’t look happy.

  “Look, you never swear in front of your mama, so I know you can do this.”

  “That’s different. I was ten when Mama took a switch to me for cussing.”

  Georgia couldn’t help smiling at the image that painted in her head. “If you don’t stop swearing altogether, at least while Eden’s at the ranch, I’ll ask her to take a switch to you again.”

  Sol grimaced as though he could already feel the sting. “Okay, okay. I’ll stop.”

  Now would be the time to tell him about Tommy. She took a deep breath in preparation, but the pained look on his face stopped her. “What?”

  Sol rubbed his hand over his mouth, then with forefinger and thumb, he stroked the outer edges of his mustache.

  Uh-oh. Georgia tensed. “Just tell me, Sol.”

  When he stroked his mustache a couple more times, she felt cold and her mind started making wild leaps. Eden? No. He wouldn’t be here if something was wrong with Eden, and his mother would surely have mentioned it. His family? No. Everyone at the party was too carefree. Was it Sol? Was he sick? Dying? Getting married? She discarded each possibility, though the last one caused an unexpected, panicky ache in her chest.

  “You said I don’t make decisions about Eden.”

  Was that all? The tension sloughed out of her shoulders. Eden probably wanted to go someplace with Sol’s siblings that Georgia would have nixed, and Sol had said okay. She could cope with that. Sol would never let their daughter do anything truly dangerous.

  She’d half expected his first decision to be something like this. He was testing her. Seeing if she really meant it that he should make decisions about Eden. Being supportive as he tested the boundaries was important. She’d smile and be okay with whatever it was.

  “Eden wants to ride Spitfire in a rodeo.”

  “Ride Spitfire?” she repeated, her mind responding as though he’d said something nonsensical. “Oh. You mean in the parade?”

  “No.” Sol was looking at her warily. “She wants to run the barrels.”

  All of Georgia’s good intentions evaporated. “You told her no, didn’t you?”

  Sol licked his lips. “I said she could.”

  “Are you out of your ever-living-loving mind?” She said it too loud. People turned and looked.

  Sol’s eyes narrowed. “It ain’t like she’s taking up skydiving or getting a tattoo. She wants to try this. I’m going to let her.”

  “The hell you are.”

  That had been the wrong thing to say. As uncomfortable as Sol had been about telling her, she was pretty sure she could have talked him out of it, but her knee-jerk reaction put that stubborn look on his face.

  “Oh? You think you can stop me?” He sounded almost amused.

  She should have backpedaled, tried to sound reasonable, but she couldn’t. “She’s not riding in a rodeo. She’s not getting sucked into your family’s obsession. I won’t have it.”

  “You won’t have it?” Sol’s tone was incredulous. “You won’t have it.” Not a question this time. His jaw set and his eyes sparked. “Look. You wanted me to make decisions about Eden, so I made a decision.”

  “But you knew I didn’t want her to catch your rodeo fever. You knew that.”

  “Oh, I see. These ain’t really supposed to be my decisions. They’re your decisions coming out of my mouth. Is that how this is gonna be?”

  “Well . . . well, no, of course not. I want you to make decisions. Just not this one.”

  “So which decisions can I make? Where she lives? Oh, no. ‘Coz she lives with you, and you have to live in Dallas. She wanted a belly button ring when we were in Galveston last summer. Would that have been okay?”

  He must have read the horror on her face.

  “No? How about what school she goes to, or what she watches on TV, or who her friends are? No, wait. She’s in Dallas with you, so you get to make all those decisions. When she starts dating, will I get a say in who she goes out with or how short she wears her skirts? Again, I won’t be there, so you’ll get to decide. So what decisions are left for me, Georgia?”

  She wished she had an answer that wouldn’t sound trivial.

  “So this is it.” He stabbed a finger in her direction. “This is my decision. She wants to ride the barrels at the rodeo, so she’s gonna get her shot.”

  “But—”

  His glare cut her off.

  She was so upset, she was shaking.

  He turned his back on her and started for the table.

  “Sol, wait.”

  He spun on his heel, but his face was drawn tight. He wasn’t going to listen, but she had to try.

  “Please, Sol. Please don’t do this.”

  “I told her she could ride. I ain’t takin’ it back. She’s going to that rodeo, and I’m paying her entry fee.” He didn’t give her the chance to plead her case. He turned and headed back to their table.

  If he thought the subject was closed, he was go
ing to be sadly disappointed. She took an aggressive step forward, intent on running him down. He was halfway across the room when Missy waylaid him and dragged him onto the dance floor. Georgia stopped short.

  She’d bet money Missy had been waiting for her chance at Sol. They reached the dance floor at the end of one song, and the band started a new one.

  Georgia felt as if smoke should be coming out of her ears. The fun had gone out of the night, and they’d both need time to calm down before Sol would listen to her, so she paid her tab at the bar and left, but this conversation was not over. She was not going to let Eden set herself up to get her heart broken over some rodeo cowboy like Grams had. Not as long as Georgia had breath in body.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Georgia hadn’t planned on doing any dating while she stayed with her parents, so her selection of “date” clothes was pathetically slim. Not that a drive-in movie required anything fancy, but she didn’t want Missy thinking she hadn’t made any effort at all. Whatever sort of husband Tommy had been, no one deserved to be treated the way Missy was treating him.

  She decided a pair of snug-fitting jeans, cowboy boots, and an off-the-shoulder peasant blouse would do. A spritz of Estee Lauder’s Beautiful that Eden had given her for her birthday, and Georgia was ready to meet Tommy at his place.

  “Don’t stay out too late,” her daddy said when she walked out the door.

  What was it about coming home? It didn’t matter how old she was or that she had a daughter of her own, her parents still treated her as if she had a curfew. “It’s the drive-in, Daddy. The movie doesn’t start till dark.”

  “Who’re you going with?”

  “A friend.” She came back and kissed him on the cheek. Her parents drove her crazy, but she loved them. “I’ll be up in time to fix breakfast before we go to church. Promise.” She held out her hand, pinkie finger extended. She saw a flash of surprise on her father’s face before he twined his finger with hers, the way he’d done when she was young.

  “You be careful,” he said as she turned to go. “Oh, and Georgia?”

  She turned back at the door.