by T. J. Kline
Chapter Seventeen
BAILEY SAT AT the bar of The Watering Hole, toying with the shot glass of tequila in front of her. It had been nearly a week since she’d last seen Chase. Sure, she might have found herself taking the long way around town to the spot he usually parked to bust speeders, barely managing to talk herself out of another ticket, but she refused to admit she been looking for him. Maybe it was true that when she’d received the copy of the citation Chase issued, she’d gone to the police station to find him only to run into his stone-faced father instead. Just because she didn’t hang around the station, wasting time paying her fine, didn’t mean she wasn’t searching the office for signs of Chase’s presence.
This town wasn’t so big that she shouldn’t run into him at least once during the week, which could mean only one thing—he was avoiding her.
It surprised her how much she missed his annoying teasing, or the way he seemed to just show up when she needed a laugh. But each time he crossed her mind, the hollow ache of betrayal followed. Even talking to her cousins hadn’t erased it. According to Jessie, Chase had asked if she minded him taking Gracie to the river and Julia insisted she’d only been asked if she wanted company for dinner. Justin, on the other hand, remained tight-lipped, and Bailey was sure he knew far more than he was revealing.
As much as she wanted to avoid Chase, she wanted to see him even more. The anticipation of accidentally running into him was becoming more agonizing with each day that passed. It was bound to happen, and she just wanted to be past the awkward moment already. Watching the front door, Bailey willed time to speed up. Tomorrow was the first day of the rodeo and, even if Chase wasn’t speaking to her, she wasn’t going to miss his event. She was worried sick about the three of them getting hurt doing something as stupid as the Cowboy Poker event, and just wanted it over already. Even if it was only to hear him say “I told you so” when the three of them walked away unscathed.
She tossed back the shot of tequila, hoping it would still the nerves bubbling in her stomach. She wanted to blame it on stage fright but she knew better. The emotional upheaval this past week along with the prospect of Justin, Gage, and Chase getting hurt tomorrow had her nerves shot, so when Bart, the owner of The Watering Hole, begged her to fill in when his regular live entertainment canceled at the last minute, she figured it would get her mind off the dangerous scenarios her overactive imagination kept concocting.
Usually, Bailey avoided performing in town. There were far too many people who felt the need to report back to Justin, each with their own opinions of what she should be doing and how best for her to do it. Most of the time, it was snide comments berating her father and cousins for allowing her to sing in bars. Not that there were many other opportunities here. And it was making quite an assumption of the influence people thought her cousins had to think anyone could order her around. She was sick of these small-minded people judging, criticizing, and forcing their expectations on her.
Bart took the stage and introduced Bailey and the musicians he’d found to fill in tonight as she made her way onto the stage, scanning the larger than usual crowd. The rodeo had a tendency to bring all the wannabe cowboys out to the bars, and it looked like Bart’s was filled to the brim with them tonight. Since it was always a challenge to fill in with a band she hadn’t practiced with, she was glad to see friendly faces onstage with her. The lead guitarist, Miller, had been a friend for years, and they’d played together a couple of times, so they were able to read each other well—plus he knew most of the songs in her set list. Bailey kicked off their night belting out a Miranda Lambert song before following it up with a fast-paced Lady Antebellum tune.
Watching the dance floor fill with couples, she slowed things down with a classic ballad while the pairs two-stepped over the slick, wooden surface. Her eyes skimmed over the crowd, spotting the familiar face at the bar.
I wonder what finally brought him out of the woodwork.
Chase lifted a glass in acknowledgment before turning his back on her to speak with the redhead approaching him. Bailey felt her breath hitch as his head dipped forward toward the beauty and she coyly slid her hand to his bicep. Chase led her toward the dance floor and Bailey’s lungs constricted, forcing her to shorten a run in the song, her heart racing as if she’d just finished running a marathon as she tore her eyes from the pair. A dull ache began to build in her chest and she could feel the tears threatening, which only made her angry. She didn’t cry like this. She certainly wasn’t going to cry over some Podunk cowboy with a badge who was toying with her emotions in some warped sense of loyalty to her cousin.
As they approached the first break in their set, the drummer announced, “We’re going to grab drinks and we’ll be right back. But don’t let that stop you from dancing.”
Bailey cued six songs on the DJ’s soundboard, buying herself at least fifteen minutes, and hurried toward the bar, reminding herself it was time to pull up her big-girl panties and vowing to ignore Chase. She’d figured out his game at Julia’s and knew it was all a sham. She wasn’t going to play into his hands tonight. So what if he was flirting with other women. She was leaving. She didn’t care who he slept with.
Except she did. The idea of him having sex with the redhead made her stomach churn and her throat close.
“Can I get a bottle of water?” she cleared her throat and asked the bartender.
“Bailey? Is that you?” She spun in time to see Gage, Dylan’s younger brother, making his way through the crowd forming around the bar. She’d never been so happy to see a man in her entire life. If there was anyone who could take her mind off of Chase, it was Gage.
“Holy crap, woman,” he said, holding her at arm’s reach. “If I’d realized you could sing like that when I first met you last summer, I’d have taken you back to Boston with me.” He slid his arms around her waist in a warm hug and spun her around.
Bailey laughed and slapped at his massive shoulder. “You had your chance, big shot, and you decided one date was enough.”
She hadn’t seen Gage since he’d testified at Julia’s trial last summer, just before heading back to his fancy IT company in Boston. While they went out the one time before he’d left, it had been pretty clear that, hot as he was, Gage just didn’t make her blood simmer the way the man dancing with a redhead across the room did. It would have been so much easier if Gage was the guy who warmed her with nothing more than a look instead of Chase, who was casting wary glances her way.
“That was only because you refused my proposal,” he teased back, his dark eyes shining wickedly.
“Call me crazy, but I like to wait until at least the second date to get engaged. When did you get in?” She wasn’t sure how he’d managed it but he’d only gotten better looking in the past year. She frowned as he put her back on the floor and she looked up at him. He looked tired, but the man was still built like a tank. Not that it was going to help him when a two-thousand-pound bull charged and he was too tired to get out of the way. “Please tell me you aren’t seriously going to go through with this tomorrow.”
He gave her a cocky grin, the dimple sinking into his cheek, and crossed his arms. “Do I look scared?”
“You probably should be.”
Gage chuckled as the dimple creased his cheek and his eyes twinkled mischievously. “Then maybe I should live it up tonight.”
Bailey knew without a doubt, this man was going to have every woman in this bar eating out of the palm of his hand in less than ten minutes.
“Wild Hart, we’re up again,” her bass guitarist called, waving her toward the stage.
She cringed at the nickname and looked from him back at Gage. “Wild Hart?”
“Don’t,” she warned, shaking her finger at him before laying a hand over his arm. “Can we catch up after I finish?”
“I’d wait forever.” He laid his hand over his heart before leaning to kiss her cheek. “Until then, I’ll just be checking out the scenery.”
Bailey didn’t m
iss the way he scanned the room. “You know you’re a dog, right?” she accused with a laugh before jogging back to the stage, a water bottle in hand. She reached for the mic on the stand. “Who’s ready to speed things up tonight?” A cheer rose as she worked the crowd, belting out Keith Urban’s “Hit the Ground Running.”
Bailey spent the next two hours trying to focus on singing for the rodeo crowd. They wanted a show and she wanted to give it to them; however, her heart wasn’t cooperating. It just wasn’t into the music tonight. Between missing her cue and sounding flat, she’d messed up two songs already because she couldn’t manage to keep her eyes off Chase and the various women pulling him onto the dance floor, all trying to capture his attention. It had never been a secret—Chase was a hot commodity in their small town—and she’d heard enough women claiming they’d be the one to tie the sexy cop down, in more ways than one. But Bailey had no intention of being witness to the gory details tonight.
Instead, she tried to keep her eyes glued on Gage. He was fun to be with and just as nice to look at, not to mention that he’d been content to remain fixed on his stool at the bar, alone. Too bad her heart wouldn’t be convinced by her logic to join Team Gage. By the time last call sounded and the band finished its set, filling in the last thirty minutes with recorded songs, Bailey was physically exhausted from singing and emotionally drained from fighting her own painful heartache. When she met up with Gage at the bar, she was barely standing on wobbly legs and couldn’t wait to head home. If anyone woke her before nine tomorrow, that person would be picking his or her teeth up from the floor.
“Why didn’t someone tell me what Cowboy Poker was?” Gage asked, spinning on his stool to face her as she walked up. Before she could even open her mouth to answer, Chase chimed in from the other side of him.
“Because it’s pretty common knowledge around here, City Boy.”
Bailey’s heart leaped into her throat before pounding against her ribs like a jackhammer. How had she managed to keep her reactions to him under wraps for so many years when she could barely put a coherent thought together when she was near him now? What happened to her usual smart-mouth quips? She had to figure out a way to get a grip on her body’s responses to him.
“Yeah, the same way everyone knows to get the ambulance ready and ER on alert because someone’s going to the hospital,” she pointed out irritably, refusing to look at Chase. “Seriously, Gage, back out.” She patted his chiseled jaw playfully, pinching his cheek. “I don’t want to see you mess up that pretty face of yours.”
Gage chuckled as he reached for her hand, pressing a quick kiss to her palm before twining his fingers with hers. “Would you still go out with me again if I did?”
Bailey’s couldn’t help the way her gaze quickly flicked toward Chase. His lips were set into a pencil-thin line of barely contained anger, the muscle of his jaw ticking sharply, but he said nothing.
What did he have to look so angry about, anyway? He’d been knee-deep in swooning women all night and he knew Gage was just a friend. Bailey wanted to play along with Gage’s flirting, to fish out some sort of response from Chase, but she was afraid it would only end in her disappointment and decided to nip this game in the bud.
“Why? You’d just break my heart when you head back to Boston.”
Gage reached behind him for his drink on the bar. “I’m not sure I am going back. I’ve been thinking of getting myself a place here in town.” He laughed at the surprise on her face. “Why are you looking at me like that? I decided to take a step away from the rat race in Boston. We’re opening an office in San Francisco, and this way I can keep an eye on the progress.”
“You’re really moving here?” Gage loved his IT company and the work it did, regardless of how nerdy the job sounded to her. Imagining him as a man of leisure wasn’t possible. Like his brother, he had a strong work ethic and couldn’t seem to sit still for long. She was shocked that he would give up control of the business. “When? Where?” She frowned and looked at him closely. She was sure there was more to this than he was revealing. “Why?”
“What do you mean, why?” The deep rumble of his laughter set her on edge, making her square her shoulders defensively. “For one thing, my brother is here. I’ve missed having family around since he moved out. Not to mention that there’s next to no commuter traffic and I could buy three houses here for the price of a one-room flat in San Francisco. Plus there’s no real crime to speak of, right?” He turned to Chase for confirmation.
Chase smirked at her and Bailey wanted to smack him. The jealousy was gone from his expression and now he just looked arrogantly confident. “I’ve been trying to tell Bailey that, but she’s still bound and determined to move to LA in a few weeks.”
“LA? Are you sure?” Gage spun back toward her, his eyes growing serious. “I mean, I could see you in San Francisco. That’s one thing, but LA is a different beast altogether.”
Bailey pinched her lips, trying to keep from letting loose the string of well-chosen expletives she wanted to throw at Chase. How dare he try to recruit Gage into his attempt to convince her to stay? She clamped her jaw together, refusing to look at either man as she made her way behind the bar and retrieved her purse, thanking Bart for thinking of her before he rushed off to collect a tab at the other end of the bar. She tried to pretend she didn’t notice as Gage watched the interaction between her and Chase like he was suddenly figuring out a confounding puzzle. She sure hoped Gage would just drop it because the last thing she wanted was people to assume she and Chase were anything more than old friends. Hell, she wasn’t even sure they were that anymore.
GAGE LEANED TOWARD Chase as Bailey headed behind the bar and lowered his voice. “Man, if I’m crossing some sort of line here, let me know. I didn’t realize the two of you—”
Chase held up his hand. “Don’t worry about it. We’re not.”
“Are you sure?” Gage arched a disbelieving brow. “Because that’s not the vibe I’m getting.”
“Yeah, well, your vibe is wrong. She’s made it abundantly clear, we are nothing more than friends and, right now, I’m not even sure she sees me as that.”
“And you want her to?”
“I did.” Chase tossed back the rest of his beer as Bailey returned, eyeing them suspiciously.
“I hate to break up this party, but I’m beat so I’m heading home.” As if to drive home her point, she let out a loud yawn.
“Need a lift? I’m happy to take you home,” Gage offered.
Chase simply glared at the man. Just because he and Bailey weren’t dating didn’t mean she was fair game. He hadn’t expected Gage to go ahead and make a play for her.
“Nope, I’ve got my bike outside and I’m sober as a judge now.” She tipped her head to one side and smiled sweetly at Gage. “But thanks for the offer.”
“What about dinner tomorrow? You can be my date to the rodeo dance.” Gage glanced at Chase, grinning like an idiot, and Chase knew he was up to something. Knowing Gage was up to something didn’t mean watching him flirt with Bailey was any less aggravating.
She laughed at him and pretended to think about it. Chase couldn’t help but be jealous of the sweetness Gage summoned in her, where he seemed to elicit only antagonism. And that was only if she noticed him at all. Most of the night, she’d ignored him completely.
“You’re assuming you’ll be able to walk after your event, but, if you don’t end up in the hospital, I’ll go to the barbecue with you.” She shot Chase a sideways look—more like a glare—and a quick, mumbled good-bye before heading for the door, leaving both men watching after her. Those damn tight jeans of hers hugged curves that made Chase’s body beg for release or, at the very least, a cold shower.
Gage laughed. “I don’t know what you did but, damn . . . ” He drew out the last word and shook his head. “She is pissed at you.”
Chase shook his head in disbelief, clenching his jaw. “This is what I get for being a good guy and trying to make everyone happy.�
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“Oh, you were just a good guy doing the right thing and she’s the out-of-control shrew for no reason?” Nodding, Gage broadened his smile. “Or maybe, and just hear me out, you stomped on a nerve and you’re both too stubborn to back down to the other.”
“You don’t know shit.” Chase tossed back the last of his drink. “I’m the one who asked her out and wanted to try to make this work. She practically ran the other direction.”
“Give me a break. I saw the two of you together while I stayed here with Dylan last year. She might give you a hard time, but as far as Bailey is concerned, you’re Prince Charming to her Cinderella. Trust me, I figured that out pretty quickly or I would have gotten my heart broken. You know exactly what to say and do to get her riled up and if she’s this pissed at you, you did something that hurt her.” Gage crossed his arms over his chest. “You need to make it right.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Chase insisted. “First off, I care too much about Bailey to hurt her. And second, have you met Justin? I like my teeth where they are, and if he thought I’d hurt her, they wouldn’t still be in my face.”
“What does he say about all this?”
“I did most of the talking after he found me in her bed.”
Gage’s brows shot up his forehead. “And he let you live after that? With all your teeth? He must be mellowing now that he’s married and a father.”
“Nothing happened. She drank too much the night before and was sick so I was taking care of her. All that aside, he’s still not too happy with the idea of us together.”
