Tyler

by C. H. Admirand

  “Hell,” Dylan bit out. “We’re gonna need a roll of duct tape.”

  Jesse backed away. “Hey, I’m not gonna let you to do that to me again… I was ten years old, damn it.”

  Tyler snorted. “Man, after Grandpa found you like that in the barn, Dylan and I couldn’t sit down for a week.”

  Dylan smiled. “Use your head, Jess. We need duct tape so we can cover Tyler’s bandages with plastic food bags.”

  “There’s still that half a roll of plastic out in the barn from that greenhouse project we never had time to finish.” Tyler hoped getting it wrapped around his mid-section, so he could take a hot shower without getting his stitches wet, wouldn’t hurt quite as much as piecing together a patchwork of the much smaller bags would be. Either way, he wasn’t looking forward to either of his brothers pulling the duct tape off.

  “You get the plastic, Jess,” Dylan said. “I’ll help Tyler upstairs.”

  “Don’t start the show without me.” Jesse headed for the back door.

  Tyler was tired and sore. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  Jesse was halfway out the door, but he stopped to answer, “I’ve got a couple of dollars upstairs,” he said. “Don’t strip ’til I get there!”

  “I’m gonna kill him—”

  Dylan grabbed a hold of Tyler’s arm and chuckled. “You can kill him later.”

  “Man, you said that the last time.”

  “Yeah,” Dylan said.

  From the look on his brother’s face, Tyler knew he was remembering the other time Grandpa took a switch to them. “If Jesse’s leg hadn’t broken, we might have convinced him to jump off the barn roof a second time.” He grinned. “That was one hell of a homemade parachute.”

  “Jesse was having a good time, ’til the sheet tore right above where you’d knotted it.”

  “Yeah,” Tyler said, “the sheet was old, but the knot held.”

  Helping Tyler toward the stairs, Dylan asked, “So just how far down do you strip?”

  Feeling good enough now to razz his brother, Tyler drawled, “All the way.”

  Chapter 24

  “Oh. My. God.”

  Emily turned to see what had her cousin resorting to one-word sentences and felt the blood rush from her head to her feet. Three gorgeous dark-haired hunks were walking down the hallway toward the bar.

  Her heart skipped a beat. They were tall, they were good-looking, and the middle one was all hers… well, until he’d told her flat out that he was ending it. She’d thought long and hard about their argument that morning and it all came down to trust. She hoped she could get him to listen long enough to point that out to him.

  As Tyler and his brothers got closer, she noticed that the men on either side of Tyler were actually holding him steady. Her heart plummeted to her stomach as she rushed toward him. “What happened?”

  Standing close, she noticed his skin was pale and pasty, and there was a thin sheen of sweat covering his face. “Are you sick? Where are you hurt?” She reached for his hands and he all but fell into her arms. Tears pricked the back of her eyes, but she held steady. Something was wrong with Tyler, and until she found out what, she needed to stay strong and focused.

  “Ladies,” the two other men tipped their black Stetsons. “We’re—”

  “Dylan and Jesse,” Emily interrupted. “Tyler’s brothers. Tell me what happened.”

  “It seems Widowmaker had to get one last parting shot in,” Dylan answered. “Tyler just happened to be standing closest when he let loose.”

  “Your ribs again?” Emily actually hurt thinking about it.

  Jesse nodded. “This time he broke a couple… that and all of those stitches.”

  “From getting kicked?” Jolene sounded as if she didn’t believe him.

  But before Jolene could say anything, Dylan shook his head and added, “Damned bull head-butted him right into the barbed wire fence.”

  “How many stitches?” Jolene whispered.

  “Enough,” Tyler rasped. “I didn’t want you to think I’d just desert you, boss, after all you’ve done for me.” He looked down at Emily. “Em, I need to talk to you.”

  Emily nodded as Jolene asked, “Where are they?”

  Tyler started to lift his arm, then stopped, wincing in pain. “From my side around to my back.” Then he captured her gaze and whispered, “It ain’t pretty.”

  Emily could not stop the tears from filling her eyes. She blinked, but her eyes welled up with more. “Are you really worried about that?” When he shrugged, she sensed that he was worried about her reaction. “Scars don’t bother me.” She laid her hand on his arm. “You should have stayed home tonight, Tyler.”

  “I tried to tell him that, ma’am,” Dylan said, “but it seems our brother was worried about his job.” He looked Jolene in the eye before looking over at Emily. “And setting you straight about how he feels about stripping.”

  Tyler stiffened. “I can handle this myself.”

  Dylan shrugged. “Why not go for sympathy when you can?” he asked. “It’ll soften her up enough that she’ll listen when you finally stop thinking about how to tell her and just plain tell her.”

  “Sit down, Tyler.” Emily eased him onto a chair.

  Jolene followed and waved her hand toward one of the tables. “Please,” she said to the men, “have a seat.”

  “Obliged.” Jesse took the chair on one side of Jolene, while Dylan sat on the other side of her.

  Jolene looked from one brother to the next. “Isn’t this cozy?”

  Emily ignored everyone but Tyler. Pulling her chair as close as possible, she laced her fingers with his. “Can I get you anything?”

  Tyler’s lips lifted on one side. “I really need to talk to you alone, Em.”

  Emily could see the lines of pain bracketing his mouth. “You could have called,” she said. “It’s a long ride into town.”

  Dylan turned toward her and said, “I told him that, but he’s convinced he’s irreplaceable and that you were dumping him.”

  Emily looked from one brother to the other. “He told you about that?” She wasn’t sure how she felt about Tyler talking to his brothers about their argument. When Jolene reached over to touch the back of Emily’s hand, she relaxed. She’d already told her cousin; why shouldn’t Tyler do the same with his brothers?

  “It was the only reason we duct taped him up and tossed his ass… er… butt in the shower,” Jesse said.

  Jolene raised one eyebrow. “Duct taped?” Her low laughter surrounded them. “You’re full of surprises, aren’t you, cowboy?”

  “Damn, Jolene,” Tyler bit out, “you know I hate it when you call me that.”

  She tapped her fingernail to the middle of her bottom lip. “You’re hurting. Did you take any painkillers?”

  He nodded.

  “Well then,” she smiled and turned back to his brothers, “how much do I have to pay you to shoot that damned bull?”

  Dylan’s chuckle was echoed by Jesse and then finally Tyler.

  Emily sighed. Lord, the three of them were a sight, so darkly handsome and full of life. She’d seen how hard they worked their land and knew how tight they were as brothers. She didn’t want to miss out on the chance to get to know them better, but more, she didn’t want to miss out on the chance to have Tyler in her life. “You three must have broken quite a few hearts over the years.”

  “From the way Tyler dug deep for the strength to come here tonight,” Dylan said, “I’m guessing his heartbreaking days are at an end.”

  Tyler squeezed Emily’s hand then lifted it to his mouth, brushing his lips across the back of her knuckles. “You’d be right about that, Dylan.” His gaze met Emily’s, and she saw everything she felt for Tyler mirrored back at her.

  “I’d never want to break your heart,” she whispered, leaning close enough to brush her lips to his whiskered cheek. He looked like he needed to lie down. “Do you want to go upstairs?”

  “Man,” Dylan rasped,
“give him a break; he’s got three broken ribs and more stitches than I could count.”

  ***

  “Your brother needs to lie down.” Emily’s sharply indrawn breath had Tyler chuckling.

  “You could take him out to the hallway,” Jolene said. “It’s closer. While you do, I’d like to have a word with his brothers in private.”

  Jolene had that look in her eyes… like she had the day she’d hired Tyler. He wanted to warn his brothers but thought it just might be interesting to see how they reacted to her little test. Too bad he wasn’t going to be around to watch them.

  “Go easy on them, Jo,” Emily warned, taking Tyler by the hand and helping him to his feet.

  “They can handle it,” Tyler assured her. “We Garahans come from strong, stubborn stock.”

  “Come on then,” she urged. “Let’s get you settled on one of the velvet benches. You’ll feel better if you can stretch out. You’re way too pale.”

  “I hate missing all the fun, but…” he lowered himself onto the bench with her help.

  Emily smiled. “I’m sure your brothers can handle themselves.”

  Tyler shook his head. “Dylan is easily distracted when it comes to redheads.”

  She grinned. “That’s right,” she said. “I forgot about that.”

  They rested for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts, until the sound of raised voices and furniture being bashed around had Tyler pushing to his feet. He swayed but Emily was there to brace him up. “I’ll go see what’s going on,” she offered.

  “Not without me.”

  “Fine,” she bit out, “but if just one stitch rips out, I’m driving you back to the emergency room myself.”

  He looked at her, saw the worry in her eyes, and felt the overwhelming urge to soothe her fears mingled with the hope that they’d be able to work through the harsh words they’d exchanged that morning. “If agreeing will make you feel better, you’ve got a deal,” he said. “Let’s go.”

  They arrived in time to see a shirtless Dylan throw a punch and Jake dodge it.

  “Hell,” Tyler grumbled, “I didn’t know he was here.”

  “He probably came in the side door.”

  “Jolene must have decided Dylan would do as my replacement tonight.” Emily shook her head and Tyler grinned. “He must have walked in right after Jolene asked Dylan to take his shirt off.” He nodded to his brother who managed to get a solid right in under Jake’s guard.

  “That’s gonna hurt.” He almost felt sorry for Jake. “If he’s going to stick around, he’ll have to get used to guys stripping in front of Jolene.”

  Emily shrugged. “From my point of view,” she said, “it’s hard to stay focused when the one you love bares it all for money.”

  Tyler stiffened, waiting to hear what else she had to say as their earlier words washed over him. “Some people don’t have a choice, if they need to make ends meet, or dig themselves out of a financial hole—”

  “I know that’s why you’re working for my cousin,” she said. “So why wouldn’t you be able to understand if I had to do the same thing?”

  “Look, Emily,” he rasped, “that’s what I wanted to tell you. I trust you… no matter what you do for a living.”

  The sound of fists hitting flesh immediately followed by wood splintering distracted him. But when he turned around, he had to blink, twice. Jolene stood with her hands on her hips, tapping the toe of her boot against the floor. His brothers and Jake were lying on their backs in the middle of what used to be a table.

  “You’re all a bunch of morons!” Jolene shouted. “I don’t need any of you to come to my damned rescue,” she bit out.

  “The hell you don’t,” Jake said, pushing to his feet.

  “That’s right,” she said, “I don’t because Emily’s got my back.”

  Emily brushed her fingertips across Tyler’s jaw. He snagged her hand and kissed it before she walked over to stand beside her cousin. “It’s been the two of us for so long, it’s hard sometimes to ask for help.” She rubbed her hand on Jolene’s back. “But deep down,” she said, looking right at Jolene, “we’re both scared.”

  “Jake’s only trying to protect you, boss,” he said, nodding at Jake who still had his hands fisted at his sides. “I’m guessing it must have looked pretty bad when he walked in just now, seeing you alone with two guys he doesn’t know, with their shirts undone and their horns showing.”

  “He could have asked.” Jolene brushed her hair out of her eyes. “But no.” She glared at the man whose heart was in his eyes. “The big bad fire marshal made up his mind and just started swinging.”

  Dylan reached out a hand to help Jesse to his feet.

  “Hey, we weren’t poaching.” He nodded in Jolene’s direction. “We’re only here to help our brother.”

  Jake looked from Tyler to his brothers and then back. “Shit,” he ground out. “Why didn’t you say so?”

  Dylan grinned, wiping the blood from his split lip. “Hard to talk with your fist in my mouth.”

  Tyler shook his head. “My boss is one pretty lady,” he smiled at her, “but she’s taken.”

  “Could have used that bit of information before, big brother,” Jesse said.

  “Hell,” Jake raked his fingers through his hair, “I’m sorry, Jolene.”

  Her sigh was long and low. “Next time ask.”

  “Damn,” Jake said. “There’s going to be a next time?”

  Jolene crossed her arms beneath her breasts and stared up at Jake. “Probably. We don’t plan on selling The Lucky Star anytime soon.”

  Needing to smooth things over between his brothers, his boss, and his friend, Tyler walked over to stand beside Jolene. “Jake Turner, Pleasure’s Fire Marshal,” he said with a nod before turning back toward his brothers, “Dylan and Jesse Garahan, my brothers.”

  “After what you’ve done to save the ranch,” Dylan began, “we thought we could help out until your ribs mend and your stitches heal.”

  Jolene turned toward Tyler. “Ranch?”

  “The Circle G,” Jesse said. “It’s been in the family for over one hundred and fifty years.”

  Jolene looked at Tyler. “You don’t have a boss,” she said, “do you?”

  “Hell, no,” Dylan answered for his brother. “The three of us are partners. Lucky for us Tyler figured out a way to dig us out of debt and save Grandpa’s legacy.”

  There was no mistaking the pride in his brother’s words. “No wonder you got so hot under the collar when I first started calling you cowboy,” Jolene chuckled. “You’re the real deal.”

  “Why the secrecy?” Emily’s voice had gone soft. He wished she’d look at him, but she’d backed away from him and now refused to meet his gaze.

  He hadn’t gotten around to discussing that part with her but he’d figured she already knew. “I wanted to talk to you in private, Emily.”

  Dylan crossed his arms over his chest and nudged his brother. “I think you should tell her now, while Jesse and I can back you up.”

  With a glance at his brothers, he dug deep for courage and pushed past his shame. “I was afraid to tell my brothers that the only job I could get was taking off my clothes.”

  His face flamed. The heat reminded him of the passionate fire burning inside of Emily. For her, he’d humiliate himself in front of his brothers and his friend. “I’d been to a strip club a time or two and never thought anything of it.” He shrugged. “Hell, I’d even dragged Dylan with me once.”

  Dylan nodded but kept quiet.

  “I never thought much about the women who got paid to strip. I figured they liked what they did, otherwise,” he said, turning to look at Emily, then Jolene, “why would they do it?

  “I was mad at first, when you asked me to take off my shirt”—he looked down at his hands—“I figured you were playing some kind of joke on me ’cause I was dressed like a ranch hand.”

  Jolene shook her head at him. “I’d never do anything like that.” />
  “I know that now, but didn’t at the time. All I knew was I needed the job.” He looked over at his brothers. “The balloon payment on the mortgage and the feed bill were due.” He looked back at Jolene. “I needed it bad enough to take off my shirt, and later on, my dignity along with my blue jeans.”

  Needing Emily to understand, he dug deeper. “I’m sorry I never looked hard enough to see past the glittering façade and curvaceous bodies of those women working in the clubs we’d been to. If I had, it wouldn’t have been such a shock when the tables were turned, and I was the one who had to toss aside my manly pride to do whatever I had to in order to save our ranch.”

  He finally had the nerve to look at Emily. She was biting her lower lip while tears dripped down onto her dark blue T-shirt.

  “Then why can’t you understand that if I was in your place, I might have to do the same?” Emily asked. “What would be different aside from who’s stripping on stage?”

  Tyler started to reach for her but knew he’d end up kissing her instead of answering her. He looked over at his brothers. They both nodded, and he knew they had his back. “No difference, Emily,” he rasped holding out his hand to her. “I trust you and that should be enough.”

  You could have heard a pin drop. He lifted his hands, but unless she acknowledged his words he wouldn’t touch her again. He turned on his heel and walked away. Walking down the long mirrored hall, he was amazed that he’d lasted this long in a job he hated. All for the sake of the Garahan legacy, the Circle G, and the woman he loved.

  “I never should have let her get under my skin.”

  “Then why did you?”

  He turned and nearly fell over. “Emily.” The way she was looking up at him had him swallowing against the lump of gratitude in his throat. She wasn’t going to let him walk away from her. “I already told you why the other day.”

  She stepped closer. “Refresh my memory.”

  The hell with his cracked ribs; he was desperate to hold her. He wrapped his arms around her and laid his cheek on the top of her head, breathing in her unique scent: the citrus of her shampoo and the softer, sweeter essence that was pure Emily.

  “I already told you… I fell so hard the first time I saw you standing there with chocolate smeared across your breasts.”