“Is that what you think I’m doing?”
“I can’t remember when I’ve had a more enjoyable evening,” Jim offered.
“You’ve been in jail,” she reminded him.
The corner of his mouth twitched. “Good point.”
Noah’s smile widened. “You don’t seem like the type of woman who needs looking after, and it’s definitely not a chore to talk to you.”
“You forgot I’m the daughter of a politician and I was married to one. I can see the crap flying a mile away, and you two are neck-deep in it.” She shot a glare at Jim. “Neither one of you needs to sit here, forced to keep me company because Logan’s suddenly taken the notion to sow his wild oats with Crimson’s finest.” She slapped her palms against the table. “There’s a group of guys hanging out at the bar. Maybe I’ll just find my own entertainment for the evening.”
She went to stand but both Noah and Jim clamped a hand on her arm.
“Not a good idea,” Noah told her.
“And why is that?”
“Because I’m not much for bar fights anymore. Logan would go ballistic if any one of those guys looked in your direction.”
She scoffed. “As if he has any right. You’re saying it’s okay for him to cozy up to the blonde who’s shellacked herself to the front of him, but I can’t even talk to another man?”
“You can talk to me.”
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she said through clenched teeth, then remembered her manners. “No offense.” She sank back into her chair. “You’re a nice person and a good friend.”
Noah made a face. “Nice?”
Olivia continued as if Noah hadn’t spoken, “Logan doesn’t owe me anything. I know I’m making a spectacle of myself.” She plastered a smile on her face, hoping it looked more self-deprecating than watery. “You’d think I’d have gotten my fill of having men make me look like a fool by now.”
“You’re not the fool here tonight.” Jim gave her a warm smile and stood, releasing Olivia’s arm as he did. “But I see where this train is headed and I don’t want be around when it hits the station. Olivia, I appreciate you letting me stay with Logan in the apartment for the night.”
“Of course,” she said, regaining a bit of her composure if not her pride. “It really was lovely to meet you.”
He chuckled. “Ex-cons aren’t called lovely very often.” He smoothed a hand over his chest. “I think I like it.” He picked up her hand and bent over it, dropping a gallant kiss on her knuckles.
Something crashed on the other side of the bar, making Olivia jump. But when she looked over, Logan’s back was to her as helped the blonde bimbo line up a pool shot.
“The train is picking up speed,” Jim murmured, releasing her hand and heading for the bar’s exit.
Olivia began to pick the label off her beer bottle. “You really don’t have to sit here with me,” she said sullenly.
“I really want to,” Noah answered.
“Thank you,” she whispered and turned to look at him.
At that moment, the waitress sat a beer down in front of Olivia. “I didn’t order—”
“It’s from him,” the waitress told her, hitching her thumb over her shoulder toward the group still standing at the bar.
“Oh,” Olivia said on a tiny breath.
“Oh, no,” Noah muttered next to her.
“No trouble,” the waitress told Noah, pointing her finger at him.
“You’re the one who delivered the drink.”
She smiled at Olivia. “I knew Craig from when we were kids.”
Olivia grabbed the bottle of beer and took a long swallow. Her throat burned.
“He was always a smooth talker but not much meat to him, if you know what I mean.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Olivia said, rising slowly. “My divorce was final today.”
She heard Noah groan.
“I’d say that’s cause to celebrate.”
“I thought I was going to but...” She trailed off and couldn’t help that her gaze strayed to Logan. Who continued to ignore her, the big lug.
The waitress linked her arm in Olivia’s. “Come over here, sweetheart. Let me introduce you to these fellows.” She jabbed one finger on the table. “This fine lady deserves a bit of attention, Noah.”
“What does it look like I’m doing, Amy?”
The waitress made a funny noise. “No trouble,” she repeated and led Olivia away.
* * *
A half hour later, Logan smacked the cell phone out of Noah’s hand. It skittered to the far end of the table.
“Dude. My eBay auction is ending in minutes. Do you mind?”
“Where the hell is she?”
Noah reached for his phone but Logan grabbed it and held it out of reach.
“She’s at the bar,” Noah said. “I’m keeping an eye on her.”
Logan pointed to where several men stood laughing and talking in front of the bar. Olivia was nowhere to be seen. “She’s gone. I asked you to look after her and she’s gone, Noah.”
“She can’t be.” Noah’s gaze followed Logan’s. “Damn,” he mumbled.
Logan had half a mind to shove the cell phone where it would take a team of doctors to retrieve it. “You lost her.”
Noah rose, standing nose to nose with Logan. “Back off, Travers. She wasn’t mine to lose in the first place.” He held out his hand and with more force than necessary, Logan shoved the phone into it.
“Was there a point to your little display at the pool table? I thought Josh was an idiot before he met Sara, but you give him some stiff competition. Why the hell am I sitting with your woman while you ignore her all night?”
“Because I...” Logan stopped before he revealed too much. Noah’s affable, good–old boy charm masked a sharp perception. He knew he’d been a world-class jerk all night, but he’d been completely rattled when Jim had shown up. As much as he wanted to put his past behind him, he was afraid remnants of it would always find their way to the forefront. He couldn’t stand to have Olivia tainted by who’d he’d been and what he might still become again. “She’s not my woman. She needs to see who I really am, Noah.”
“You’re a half-wit who attracts bimbos. Point made. Nice work.” His fingers punched in a few keys on the phone and he looked up again. “If that was the purpose of this entertaining evening, why do you care if she’s gone?”
Logan closed his eyes to clear his mind but it didn’t work. His whole head pounded from the frustration of trying to stay away from Olivia and the temptation she posed to his composure. He wasn’t going to discuss this with Noah Conrad. “She’s vulnerable right now. I don’t want to see her get hurt. If she left with some jerk—”
“She left by herself.” Amy, the waitress, came up from behind him. “Not for lack of trying by those guys.”
Logan whirled around. “How long ago?”
“Why should I tell you?”
Logan gave her a look that would have had the surliest of bad boys running for cover. Amy only wrinkled her nose. “You look like your brother when you’re ornery.”
Noah tipped his head around to study Logan. “Josh?” he asked.
“I was thinking of Jake, but I guess they all have the same mad face. It’s kind of cute.”
Logan let out a low growl.
Amy gave a mock shiver. “Oh, that’s very scary. I like it. Are you going to show me your teeth next?”
Logan took a step forward but Noah’s hand flattened on his chest. “I thought you didn’t want trouble,” Noah said with a laugh. “When did she leave, Amy?”
The waitress flashed Noah a sweet smile before narrowing her eyes at Logan. “About five minutes ago. I wanted to buy her some time.”
“Time’s
up,” Logan said and turned for the door.
Noah pulled him back around. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
Logan stared straight ahead. “Define stupid.”
Noah didn’t speak for several seconds, then gave him a pat on the back. “Never mind. Right now, you look a lot like my definition of stupid.”
“Thanks for the pep talk,” Logan said and walked out into the cold.
Chapter Ten
It didn’t take Logan long to catch up to her. Olivia’s neighborhood was about a half mile from the center of town. By the time he’d left the bar, snow had started falling. Heavy flakes left a slippery coating on his truck’s windshield as well as the roads.
Olivia was wearing boots, but not the kind made to trudge through snow. Hers were black, knee-high heels with dark denim tucked into them. He saw her moving slowly up the hill toward her house. She had on a light wool jacket and he knew the material of the black scoop-neck sweater she wore underneath was soft and thin. All night he’d been trying not to stare at her but he hadn’t been able to help wondering if she was indeed wearing that red bra he’d caught a glimpse of earlier.
He pulled to a stop at the curb next to her, but she didn’t look over at him. He beeped once, horrified when she whirled to face him and her feet came out from under her. He threw the truck into Park and jumped out, reaching the sidewalk just as she made it to her hands and knees.
“Don’t come anywhere near me!” she yelled.
He felt like the biggest jerk on the planet. “Let me help you up.”
“Don’t touch me.” Her voice was as sharp as a knife blade.
He watched helplessly as she struggled to her feet in the dim light from a nearby streetlamp. She dusted off her knees and smoothed her hands slowly along the front of her coat.
He saw her wince and took a step forward. “No,” she said, holding up her hand. “I’m fine.”
“At least I can drive you home.”
“How did you tear yourself away from that rousing pool game anyway? I can’t believe your barnacle would let you go so easily.”
“My barnacle?”
She gave an irritated wave of her fingers. “The woman who’s been stuck to you all night.”
“I don’t care about her.”
“You obviously don’t care about me, either.”
“That’s not—”
“Don’t say it.” She stalked toward him, slipping once. She righted herself as she stood in front of him, her eyes bright and spitting fire. “If you changed your mind, all you had to do was tell me, Logan. I wasted a lot of time and energy anticipating this night.” A wry smile crossed her face. “And I’ve been dealing with the most uncomfortable wedgie in the world for hours.” The smile vanished in an instant. “I’m a big girl. I’m used to rejection. Rejection I can handle.” Her eyes focused on some spot over his shoulder. “But the public humiliation is getting old. I’m done with it.”
“I didn’t mean to humiliate you, Olivia. I promise.”
“Right,” she said on a ragged breath. “Dumping me off on your friends while you flirted with every woman in the place except me. That was a new low. Even Craig did his running around behind my back until the end. Everyone except me knew. I may have realized it somewhere deep inside. But at least I got to pretend.”
The pain in her eyes sliced through him. He’d put that pain there, and he cursed himself over and over. “You don’t understand.”
“You’re right. If you didn’t want me, all you had to do—”
He grabbed her by the arms, ignoring her gasp of protest. “I do want you,” he whispered, bending his head to look into her eyes. “I want you so badly it practically brings me to my knees every time I look at you.”
He opened his gaze to her, let her see the intensity of his desire for her.
Her lips parted as her eyes clouded with confusion. “Then why?”
Releasing her, he turned away. “I thought I could ignore my past and it would go away. But today it landed on the doorstep in the form of Jim Thompson. How can I possibly risk tarnishing you with everything I’ve seen and done?”
“I’m not a fragile decoration, Logan. I can handle more than you think.” She put a soft hand on his arm. “I liked meeting Jim. You obviously mean a lot to him.”
With his back to her, he scrubbed his hands over his face. “He’s been in jail, Olivia.” Logan took three long steps away from her and then prowled back, stopping short before he allowed himself to get too close. “That’s the sort of person I’m friends with. That’s who I bring into your world.”
He ran his hands through his hair, frustrated that she still looked at him with kindness. “I’m not good for you, Olivia. I’ve done bad things, would have done worse if I’d been given half a chance. I courted trouble and I almost consider myself lucky that damned night happened. It straightened me out when I needed it most. But it also changed me, or maybe Beth’s death changed me. I don’t know. But I can’t be the man you need me to be.”
“How do you know what I need?” There was a spark in her voice he hadn’t expected.
He looked at her then, surprised to find her glaring at him, hands on hips. “I only meant—”
“I know what you meant. You think you know me. Everyone does. I’m the one who doesn’t make trouble, who deals with whatever mess someone lays at my feet and then asks for more. I’m a doormat, just like my mother. I don’t make waves. I smooth the rough edges for everyone else, right?”
He didn’t answer but she was halfway to the truth. Olivia wasn’t weak, but she’d done more than anyone else to smooth his own rough edges.
“There’s more to me than that, Logan. I thought you saw it and that’s why I wanted this. I don’t want to be coddled or handled or pushed aside when things get messy. I don’t need to be protected from you or by you. There’s more to you than you think, too. That’s why I wanted to be with you.”
She paused and her mouth thinned. “Well, that and because any woman in her right mind and most who aren’t would want to be with you. Mainly I want to feel again. To feel something for myself that doesn’t have anything to do with my mother or my ex-husband or my responsibilities. I want it to be about me.”
She jabbed the tip of one finger into her chest, as if to convince them both. Logan felt his mouth drop open. She looked so beautiful and fiery standing in front of him, snow swirling around her head.
“You know what?” She looked over her shoulder and then back at him. “This night is about me. I’m divorced now. Single for the first time in years. I’m not going to slink home and wallow in some sorrow that I don’t really feel. I’m glad to be rid of Craig. I’m better off without him.”
Logan nodded slowly. “You are.”
“Don’t patronize me. I’m sick of people handling me with kid gloves. Somebody wants me, even if you don’t. There’s a guy in that bar who wants me. Someone who isn’t too much of a coward to act on it.” A brittle smile flashed across her face. “And I’m going to find him.” She turned on her heel and walked away.
Oh, hell no.
* * *
Olivia made it half a dozen steps, propelled forward by righteous indignation, until her boot heel caught in a crack on the sidewalk. So much for a graceful exit. Her arms flailed as she went down, but before she hit the pavement, strong arms came around her middle. Logan hauled her up against his chest, pinning her tighter as she struggled.
“Don’t lower yourself to going after some random hookup,” he growled into her ear.
That’s exactly what she wanted, an outlet for the tension and anger that coursed through her veins. “You’re not the boss of me,” she said, not caring how juvenile she sounded.
He held her close until she quieted. “You’re better than this, Olivia.” His voice was softer now, a
gentle whisper against her skin.
She turned in his arms, assuming he’d push her away. His hold on her didn’t loosen. She looked up into his face, surrounded by his strength and his smell. The anger she’d felt seconds earlier disappeared so quickly her legs almost gave out. “You are, too,” she answered quietly. “You’re a good man, Logan, in spite of the mistakes you’ve made.”
She saw the pain in his gaze and something more, a tiny splinter of hope, as if he’d been waiting for someone to say these words to him all his life. For the moment she ignored her own hurt and chafed pride and spoke from her heart. “I believe in you. I believe you can make your life whatever you want it to be if you’d only give yourself a chance.”
“All I want is the chance to earn it.”
Her hands trailed slowly up his chest and neck until she cupped his face between her fingers. If he rejected her again now she might die on the spot, but she couldn’t stop herself. “Then take it.” She lifted onto her toes to press her lips to his mouth.
For several long seconds he didn’t move. This is it, she thought. This is where I test whether a person can actually die of embarrassment. But when she went to pull back, his hand cradled her head, and he crushed his mouth to hers with a bone-stirring need that took her breath away.
He engulfed her with his heat, his desire. The kiss deepened until she couldn’t tell where she began and he finished. He rained kisses along her jaw and neck, making her legs go weak when he traced his tongue over her racing pulse.
A moment later her feet left the ground as he scooped her into his arms.
“I can walk,” she protested even as she snuggled deeper into his warmth.
“The next time you’re on your back tonight,” he said, his voice a whisper full of a promise, “is going to be when you’re under me.”
He opened the door to his truck and placed her gently on the seat, his finger pushing aside the hem of her sweater and delving down to trace the sliver of lace covering her hip. Her stomach turned to Jell-O at the touch. “You know that you don’t have to buy any kind of special panties for me.” His cool fingers traced along her burning skin. “I’d actually prefer if you wore nothing at all.”
A Second Chance at Crimson Ranch Page 12
