Love Me, I Dare You! (Hell Yeah!)

by Sable Hunter

  “Hey, Miss Emma.”

  Emma jerked, hearing the familiar greeting. But it wasn’t Josh, it was Joseph. “Hello, Mr. McCoy. What can I get you to drink?”

  “I’ll have a beer. Have you seen Josh yet?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “I guess he went home to clean up before joining you. Did you hear the good news?”

  Emma shook her head as she sat a cold one in front of Joseph. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “He’s got a big decision to make. Stay here and work with Aron or go back on the circuit. Aron offered to partner with him in his saddlery business. But some man just offered Josh a big job buying bulls for the PBR. Can you imagine? Doesn’t that sound just like him? He’s going to have a hard time deciding what is most important to him. I’m sure he’ll be talking to you about it.”

  “I’m sure he will,” she agreed quietly. She didn’t pretend to know all of his priorities, but she’d just learned she wasn’t one of them.

  A rising panic threatened to overwhelm Emma. She had to get out before she embarrassed herself in front of everyone. Easing down the bar, she listened until she heard Doris’ voice. “Doris?”

  “Yea, honey, what’s up?”

  “I’m not feeling well. Could you cover for me?”

  “You betcha. Isaac should be back any minute, he’ll help too.”

  “Thank you.” She removed her apron.

  “Are you all right?”

  “Oh, yes, I’m fine. I just need some air.”

  She took her cane and hurried to the back. Finding Fergus, she didn’t wait for him to lead, she pulled him along behind her. Ignoring several people who called her name, she fought to get outside, feeling unable to breathe. Without giving it a lot of thought, Emma set out to walk to Josh’s house. If she didn’t say what she needed to say in the next few minutes, she might not be able to say it at all. She hadn’t gotten out of the driveway before Fergus seemed to pick up on where they were going. With a happy bark, he took the lead, heading to what he was fast coming to think of as home.

  Well, it wasn’t their home. It never was.

  Emma wasn’t even sure what time it was getting to be or how dark it was. She only hoped to get to Josh before he left to come to the bar. What she had to say was for his ears only.

  Every step she took, tears flowed. She was angry at Josh. Who was she kidding? She was furious at Josh. How could he have done this? Had what they shared meant nothing to him?

  A rustle behind her caused Emma to jump and Fergus to bark hysterically.

  “Keep going. We can’t stop now. We’re closer to Josh’s than we are to the bar.”

  Emma shivered. What if the person who’d beat on the side of her trailer was back? What if he was right behind her? “Let’s hurry, Fergus.” She wanted to run, but she managed to calm herself enough to walk. All she needed was to break a leg. Her fury was beginning to cool and a profound sadness was setting in. Who was she kidding? This wasn’t all Josh’s fault. Some of the mistakes made were hers. She’d known the rules. No strings. No promises. Just sex. If she hadn’t broken the rules and let her heart get involved, this wouldn’t be hurting her so much.

  * * *

  Josh picked up his hat and set it on his head. He couldn’t have kept the smile off his face if he tried. Nothing looked the same, not even his old house. Everything looked brighter. He had a future, a bright future. Maybe it wasn’t what he used to envision it would be, but it was one he could certainly live with. While he was riding the high, Josh had called The Make-A-Wish Foundation and put himself back on the roster. Two children were already on his list, their requests already registered, asking to meet him. Just the thought humbled him. He couldn’t wait to go see them. Hopefully, Emma would want to accompany him when he went to grant their wish.

  Knock! Knock!

  “What in the world?” He hoped to God it wasn’t Keira returning for another round. Josh didn’t feel like arguing with her anymore. He had someplace he’d rather be and plans with someone he couldn’t wait to see.

  Imagine his surprise when he opened the door to find Emma. She was standing there, holding Fergus’ halter. He noticed the dress she had on was ripped as if she’d hung the hem on a branch. “Emma, what are you doing here?” He looked outside. “Did you walk?” When she didn’t say anything, he knew the answer. “You did walk. You know how dangerous that is for you. I told you I was coming to pick you up.” Yea, his voice was raised. She had scared him. “Don’t you know you’re too precious to take chances like this?”

  Emma shook her head. “Don’t, Josh. No more lies. I took off work early, I couldn’t wait.”

  “What lies? What are you talking about?” Joshua pulled her inside. “Are you crying? What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” He tried to pull her into his arms, but she resisted. “Baby, what is it? Did someone do something to you?”

  “I can’t do this anymore, Joshua. I’ve loved being with you, but this has to stop. I can’t do it anymore.”

  Josh felt like he’d just been hit by a big Mack truck. “What are you saying?”

  “I tried not to care so much, but I can’t stop. If I don’t walk away now, I’m going to be crushed. We’re too different. You can’t change and I don’t think I can deal with…”

  She turned, tears streaming from her eyes. Joshua was desperate. “Emma, stop.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her tightly against him. Never before had she struggled against him. Anytime he’d ever touched her, her small body had melted into his. This time, she pushed against him hard, intent only on getting away. Afraid he’d hurt her, Josh let her go. “Is it me? What did I do?”

  “I know what those women are saying about you. About what you did. This is all my fault. I knew what you were like when I was stupid enough to bid on you. I just can’t see you again, Josh. Please. When you come into the bar, I’ll serve you, I can’t refuse to do that. But…just order your beer and don’t make this any harder for me than it has to be. Okay?”

  So, someone had told her about the websites, about the Facebook page. She believed every word. “Emma, don’t believe everything you hear.”

  “You can’t escape your past, Josh. Sometimes it catches up with you.” Of course, Emma had known about the other women he’d been with, but she’d thought…she’d thought he just wanted her now.

  His past? God, he felt sick. “I’m not like my father.”

  “This isn’t about your father! We both knew this was only temporary. I know you’ll be leaving soon anyway, I heard about the job offer with Mr. Redford and I wish you the best of luck.” She wasn’t what he needed or wanted. “But until you’re gone, I need for you to leave me alone.”

  “For your information, I’m not going to accept Bull Redford’s job offer. I’m staying in Kerrville. I thought…” Even though she couldn’t see it, Josh held his hands up in surrender. “To hell with what I thought. If you want me to leave you alone, you’ve got your wish.”

  “Thank you.” She pushed past him and went outside. Taking Fergus by the halter, she started off down the path.

  Josh felt like he was dying. He was hurt and he was angry. But as mad as he was, he couldn’t let her walk back to the bar alone. “Let me drive you.”

  “No. I’m fine.”

  “Emma! Let me drive you.”

  “Please, Josh, I can’t stand to be alone with you.”

  He grabbed his keys and locked the door. “Fine.” As Emma walked home, shrouded in darkness, he silently shadowed her every step of the way.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Emma was considering cutting the two men off. They’d been drinking steadily, making snide comments about her, her service and anything else that caught their attention. Apparently they were locals, but no one she’d ever come into contact with before. From what she’d overheard, Mort Williams and Tom Flint, were troublemakers. They didn’t like the McCoys. They thought Isaac was a hoodlum. Emma wanted to suggest they find their liquor elsewhere, but their money wa
s green.

  Today was different. She didn’t joke, she wasn’t playful. If Isaac or Avery chose to call her on her behavior, she wouldn’t blame them. Emma was doing her job, but her heart wasn’t in it. She’d lost her heart to Joshua Long and she didn’t know how to get it back. After she’d barged into his home to break things off between them, he’d walked her home. Silent. Stoic. Protective. How did one deal with that? When they’d arrived back at the bar, she’d tried to thank him, but he hadn’t responded. He didn’t say a word. One moment he was there and the next moment she could heart his footsteps as he left her.

  Emma had never felt more alone in her life.

  “Did you hear Garrett Long’s son, Joshua, is back in town?”

  Tensing, Emma started to step away. She didn’t know if she wanted to hear this or not.

  “Really? I thought he was traveling with the rodeo. From what I’ve heard, he’s as worthless as his old man.”

  “Yea, I heard he’s not much more than a gigolo. My grandson tells me there’s some page on the intranet called JoshuaLongSucks.com something or another. He said there’s also a page on the Facebook where all these women send in letters talking about having sex with him.” The old man laughed, then coughed. “Can you imagine? He must be some kind of a pervert. I hear he let himself be auctioned off here at the bar the other night. No real man does shit like that.”

  “Have you seen that hovel he lives in? We don’t need his sort around here. He’s a womanizer just like his old man. Don’t you remember? Garrett was running out on Pearl, taking off with Ted Baxter’s wife when they were both killed in a car wreck. From what I hear about Josh, he’s cut from the same cloth.”

  “I heard he got hurt on the rodeo circuit.”

  “Yea, stomped by a bull. Pity the beast didn’t finish the job.”

  Emma saw red. “Enough! If you two don’t just drink your beer and shut your mouths, you can get up and haul your sorry asses out of this bar.”

  She couldn’t see their faces, but from their harsh intake of breath – she could imagine how shocked they were to be called out by a miniscule redheaded blind bartender.

  “Just who the hell do you think you are, you little bitch?”

  “I’m the one who’s going to see that you never drink in this bar again, that’s who.”

  “You watch your mouth…blind fuckin’ piece of redheaded trash…”

  She slapped her hand on the bar in front of them. “Joshua Long is a good, decent man. He does charity work all the time, visits sick kids in the hospital and works for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. What have you two done other than get drunk and castigate other people? You’re just jealous of Josh, that’s all. You just wish you could get women like he does, but you can’t because you’re old, ugly, incontinent and can’t get it up!” Emma couldn’t listen to another word. “Now. Get. Out.” She couldn’t speak any plainer.

  “Who’s going to make us? You?”

  “Yea, what are you going to do about it, Red? I don’t see anyone here to help you.” Flint scoffed. “Blind as a bat. Do something, make us leave.” He leaned forward. “I dare you.”

  The man couldn’t have said anything that would’ve set her off any quicker. She didn’t know where Doris was or who was sitting nearby, nobody who cared enough to speak up for her that was for sure. But she didn’t need any help. Stepping to her station, she filled two mugs with beer, walked back over to the two old assholes and let them fly. Praying her aim was true, she waited for the shit to hit the fan.

  She didn’t have long to wait.

  “What the fuck? Come here, you little cunt!”

  “Terrence!” She screamed at the top of her lungs.

  Almost immediately, a scuffle ensued. She could hear chairs being thrown. Glass breaking. Grunts. Cusses. Hell, she had a full-fledged bar fight on her hands.

  Avery was going to kill her.

  “Break it up, break it up.” She could hear Terrence weaving his way through the crowd. The bouncer had been making routine walks around the premises or he probably would’ve come to her rescue earlier.

  “What did you do, girly?” Doris placed a steadying palm on Emma, who was backed up against the wall near her station.

  “I lost my temper. Sorry.”

  “Those two old codgers deserved anything you could throw at them. I was walking behind them when I heard their taunts about Josh. I high-tailed it to find Terrence about the time you doused them with Miller lite. I don’t blame you, you did good. Avery would’ve done the same thing. During his time, Isaac took part in many a bar-fight. This is just carrying on a family tradition. And next time, if you feel threatened, I keep a loaded gun under the cash register.”

  Emma shuddered, she couldn’t imagine a time when she’d feel the need to use a gun. “I doubt my aim would be very good.”

  …In the midst of the chaos, Josh pulled up in front of Hardbodies. The first thing he saw was Kane Saucier leading two men out in handcuffs. Several others were coming out looking like they’d gone a couple of rounds with a weed-whacker and lost. Terrence, Hardbodies big bouncer, was standing at the entrance with his arms crossed over his massive chest.

  “What’s going on, Terrence?” Joshua asked, coming alongside him.

  “We had a little excitement with Flint and Williams, two old rabble-rousers who used to give us a hard time at the football games. Remember?”

  He did. Terrence had been a year behind him in school, but Kerrville was small enough that most everyone knew everybody else’s business. Joshua hated that. “I saw them. Looks like someone baptized them with spirits.”

  “Emma did it.” Terrence leveled a look at Joshua. “They were mouthing off and she read them the riot act, then threw a beer in both of their faces. I thought they were going to go over the bar after her.”

  “What the hell was their problem? He started in. “Where is she?”

  “Wait.” Terrence grabbed his arm.

  “What?” He knew Emma didn’t want to see him, but he wanted to see her. He needed to see her.

  “She’s fine, but there’s something you ought to know.”

  “Make it fast, Terrence.”

  “Flint and Williams had it coming. They were badmouthing you, trashing your rep, digging up shit on your old man. Emma let them have it, read’em the riot act and doused them both with beer.”

  “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

  “You. Emma was defending you.”

  * * *

  When he finally made it into the bar, Emma was nowhere to be found. Josh didn’t even hesitate, he strode straight outside to the trailer and knocked.

  Inside, Emma had just stepped out of the shower. She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was go to bed and cover up her head.

  While Fergus barked an alarm, she grabbed a robe and padded to the door. “Hush, baby. It’s probably just Avery.” Without thinking, she just opened it. “I’m tired, Avery.”

  “I’m not Avery and I told you to ask who was there before you just open your door to anyone.”

  Josh. “Yea, you’re right. Let’s try this again.” She started to shut the door, but he stopped her.

  “Nope.” He wasn’t stupid. She wouldn’t let him in the second time.

  “I guess you heard, huh?”

  “I heard you threw a beer on two men who were talking shit about me. Is that true?”

  “Maybe.” She clutched the robe tighter around her. “I didn’t like what they were saying.”

  “Come sit down before you fall down. You look dead on your feet.” He caught her hand and held it, walking toward the couch and towing her behind him. “We need to talk.”

  “No, we don’t. I’ve already said all I intend to say to you.”

  “I don’t think so.” Josh wanted to kiss her so much he ached. She was pale and her eyes looked so sad, they reminded him of bruised violets. “There’s something I have to know. And if you can answer this question to my satisfaction, I’ll leave.”
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  Emma hung her head and sighed. “Okay.” She held her own hands in her lap. If she didn’t, Emma was afraid that she would reach out for him. How foolish she was to want someone who could never care for her.

  “I can’t understand how you can get angry at me over something, then defend me to men who are saying the very same thing about me that you did. It just doesn’t make sense.”

  Emma turned her face toward me. ‘That’s not what happened. At all. I know all about those websites and what they say about your Dad. I didn’t care about any of that.”

  Josh was so frustrated, he wanted to grab her up into his lap and kiss her until she had no breath to protest. “Then what the hell were you talking about last night?”

  “It doesn’t matter now. It’s over.”

  Josh took her by the shoulders. “The hell it doesn’t matter! Tell me, dammit. I’ve got to understand.”

  “Don’t make me say it. You know what happened. I…thought I was special to you. I thought…”

  When big tear drops started falling from her eyes, Josh lost it. He swept her up against him and even when she tried to get away he held her tight. “You are special to me. Please, baby. Explain what I did to make you turn away from me.”

  With her hands pressed to his chest, Emma gave up. “You had sex with that woman. She came to the bar and threw it in my face.”

  The hurt and sorrow was coming off Emma in waves. He cradled her close, kissing the tears away. It took a moment for what she said to register, and then he was struck dumb.

  “She even told me that she saw my dad’s watch, she told me what the engraving said. She was in your bed, Josh. You slept with her and then you told her about me.”

  “No.” He stated emphatically. “No, I did not. I never touched her. I wouldn’t.”

  Emma just shook her head.

  Josh just kept on defending himself. “I wouldn’t do it for two very good reasons. First, I wouldn’t do that to you. I may be a lot of things, but I am not a cheat. I am not like my father. While we’re together, I told you I’d be faithful and I have been. And second, that woman ruined me. I wouldn’t ever touch Keira Fisher again if she were the last woman on earth.”