by Luxie Ryder
They sat in front of the TV while Misty changed her clothes and served supper. She tolerated their teasing over the almost inedible meal with good humor. ‘Okay, so I can’t cook. But I’m good in bed,’ she said, repeating an old joke she used many times before. Aiden and Seth shuffled in their seats and didn’t meet her eyes while a blush that could heat a room crawled over her flesh. ‘I didn’t mean…’
Aiden got to his feet and put a hand on her shoulder. ‘Relax, okay? Now, you got anything to drink around here?’
‘There’s some beer in the fridge’ she said. She pointed to the kitchen rather than look at him.
‘Come sit down and talk to me a minute,’ Seth said after she stayed rooted to the spot for God knew how long.
Misty took a seat opposite the sofa, perching on the edge of a chair. Aiden returned with the beer and the awkward silence descended again as they all took a sip.
‘So what brings you here, Misty? The last time we heard anything of you, things were going well.’
Seth’s blunt question might have pissed her off under normal circumstances, but at that very moment, she was grateful for the distraction.
‘Wade. That’s what happened.’
‘Who’s Wade?’
‘The guy I was with. He’s still my manager. Not for much longer if I have my way.’
‘What did he do?’ Seth asked.
‘It’s more what he didn’t do. He didn’t keep his part of the bargain, nor did he see any reason why I shouldn’t keep funding his gambling habit.’
‘How did you fall for a loser like that?’
Misty didn’t appreciate the censure in Aiden’s voice. ‘Hey, I’m not stupid. He wasn’t like that in the beginning, and of course, I was the last person to know when things changed. In fact, I didn’t discover what he’d been up to until I’d kicked his ass out after I caught him in bed with one of my best friends. I went to see a lawyer to try to break my contract with him and like the fool I was, I wanted to give him his fair share of the money we’d made together. That’s when I found out there was nothing left.’
‘He’d stolen it?’
‘Technically, it was our money so he couldn’t steal it. Wade just spent my share when his ran out. He’d been my manager and agent as well as my lover, so I’d put all my faith in him for years and never thought to check what he was doing. He managed to juggle the finances just enough to keep me in the dark. I never knew anything was wrong.’
‘He took it all?’ Seth shook his head as if stunned anyone would do anything so mean and stupid.
‘Every last cent, it’s not like we were rich. A little bit of airplay a few years back and a couple of TV shows was as good as it got, but we made enough to have a nice life, you know? Things fell apart very quickly after I found out what he’d done. We lost the house, the cars, everything. So I did the only thing I could. I left Wade, went back on the road, and tried to rebuild my life and career. But Wade didn’t want to lose his meal ticket and began stalking me. If I refused to see him, he’d turn up at shows, drunk out of his head and causing a scene. More than once, I had to give him money to get rid of him. That’s why I eventually ended up here. Hopefully, he won’t find out where I am.’
‘So he doesn’t want a divorce?’
‘Divorce? No, thank God. I at least had the good sense not to marry him, although it wasn’t for his lack of asking.’ Her gaze went from Aiden to Seth and back again. ‘What made you think I was married?’
A look passed between the two men and she saw Aiden give an almost imperceptible shake of his head. She guessed it didn’t matter if they’d assumed she was married by now. Most women her age were.
She sighed. ‘He loves me, I guess, in his way. And I did love him too, once. But it wasn’t just the money or the cheating that ended it. I put up with his drinking for years, although I hated the effect it had on him. I fell out of love with him a long time ago, and this was the last straw.’
‘Wow.’ Aiden took another beer from her after she tried to end the conversation by going to get them all another drink. ‘As talented as you are, I guess we always thought you were living the high life.’
‘I did, for a while anyways.’ Misty shrugged, trying to hide her pain from them. They obviously didn’t realize that the world in general and country music in particular, was full of people who were younger, better looking, and way more talented than she could ever be. She’d been given a chance to shine, and just didn’t have what it took to be a star. That had never been Wade’s fault.
‘Anyway, enough about me. What about you guys? What happened with the ranch?’ Misty didn’t want to think about her mess of a life anymore.
Aiden answered. ‘It’s still there but barely. We were sinking fast earlier this year, so we knew we had to do something. Don’t tell Hoagie, but the only reason we are here is to check out his setup. We’ve got something like this in mind for our place.’
‘A rodeo?’
Seth shook his head. ‘More like a dude ranch.’
Misty didn’t want to dismiss their idea, but had they thought it through? ‘Aren’t there already too many ranches offering the same kind of thing in Missouri?’
Aiden sat forward. ‘There aren’t any within a hundred miles of our spread. We’re just off the state highway and I figure with the right kind of advertising, we can get enough tourists to make it worth our while.’
‘We were thinking about offering a singles-type holiday. You know a kind of matchmaking thing.’
Misty laughed. How in the hell would they be able to advertise it when Seth couldn’t say it without blushing.
‘What’s so funny?’ Seth seemed more amused than offended.
‘Nothing.’ She changed the subject. ‘So why work here to find out all you needed to know? Why not stay as guests?’
It was Aiden’s turn to look awkward. ‘Well, we haven’t been able to take a wage for ourselves in over a year. It seemed sensible to get paid while we did the research, you know.’
Misty yawned before she could help it, when the emotional rollercoaster of a day she’d had caught up with her. ‘Sorry.’
Seth and Aiden stood instantly, as if by some silent signal, Seth spoke. ‘It’s time we were going anyway. Morning comes early ’round these parts.’
‘Thanks for supper, I think.’ Aiden grinned at her pout. ‘Seriously, it was great to see you again.’
‘You too.’
She showed them to the door and said her farewells and then had a moment of doubt at whether she should hug them. The decision was made for her when Aiden stretched out his arm and pulled her against his chest. He planted a kiss on her forehead and let her go. Seth did the same, except he kissed her cheek.
Misty watched them lumber down the stairs, making enough noise to wake the dead, never mind the people in the other apartments. She closed the door just as they would have turned around and seen her watching them leave.
Sad—that’s how she felt the moment they had gone and maybe a little disappointed. They’d been very well-behaved and acted like perfect gentlemen. Misty didn’t want to spend too much time dwelling on the fact that she didn’t like it.
Not one bit.
Chapter 4
Seeing Aiden follow him out of the bunkhouse, even though it was past midnight and both of them should have been asleep, didn’t surprise Seth.
‘Aiden, go back to bed. I’ll be in soon.’
‘Gomez is snoring like a chainsaw. I couldn’t sleep anyway.’
Seth let it slide, but he knew good and well Aiden had been out for the count only a few minutes earlier. Seth should have done a better job of hiding his mounting frustration. Aiden asked a few times what in the hell was eating at him, but so far, Seth managed to keep his thoughts to himself. They agreed not to put any pressure on Misty and to just accept that they would only ever friends. He’d gone along with it at first, but now, it was killing him.
Aiden fell into stride beside him when Seth headed up the path leading
away from the bunkhouse. ‘You ain’t fooling anyone, buddy. I know what’s wrong with you.’
‘Oh yeah? And what would that be?’
‘Misty.’
Seth’s throat tightened. ‘What about her?’
Aiden fell silent until Seth was forced to turn around and face him. ‘You know damn well what I mean.’
He looked back to check how far they were from the sleeping quarters. Far enough for him to let Aiden know just what he thought of him and his insane plan for them all to be friends.
‘Oh, so now my feelings matter!’ Seth knew he started shouting, but he didn’t care. ‘I thought you got to decide how my life turned out. Seems to me, you and Misty get to make all the decisions and I just have to go along with it, whether I like it or not.’
He’d have smirked at Aiden’s stunned expression any other time, but now—right this fucking minute—Seth wanted to punch him. ‘Why the surprise, Aiden? Did you expect me to be happy that I can’t be with the woman I love because you say so?’
Aiden’s patience faltered at the accusation. ‘Get off my back. I can’t do much about the fact that Misty doesn’t seem to want us, either.’
‘That’s bullshit and you know it. You both want this just as much as I do. The only difference is I’m not afraid to say it.’
When Aiden fell silent and glared at him in disbelief, Seth simply stared right back. He had enough of the games. Their work at the ranch ended in just over a week and then she’d be gone and they would have let it happen again.
He didn’t want her to leave, yet a part of him longed for the relative peace he had before she came back into their lives. Seth was tired of wanting her so bad that he could think of nothing else. Of jerking off every night after the torturous hours spent in her company, his gaze roaming over curves and flesh he wasn’t allowed to touch. Every time she looked him in the eye, his balls tightened and his heart thudded harder. And whenever he listened to her breathing softly beside him as they sat together watching TV, he longed to do the things to her he had before and make her pant for him again.
Aiden sighed, snatched his hat from his head, and threw it to the ground. Seth’s anger dissipated at the sight of his friend looking so torn. ‘Damn it, man. You love her, too. Why can’t you just admit it?’
‘I never said I didn’t love her, but what difference does it make? She’s made it clear that friendship is all she wants.’
‘That’s what she’s been saying, I’ll give you that much. But don’t tell me that you haven’t wondered if all this time we’ve been spending together hasn’t changed her mind some.’
Seth didn’t see how things couldn’t have changed for her since they first walked back into her life. She’d spent every night with them, either hanging late at the bar after her show or inviting them to her place for supper. And he’d seen the way she looked at them every so often. It wasn’t friendship he saw burning in her eyes then. Misty could lie to herself, but she couldn’t lie to him. Reminding Misty that Seth had seen, and remembered only too well how she looked when she wanted something bad, might do her good.
‘I want her to trust me, Seth. To trust us. She hasn’t had an easy time of things and if all she needs right now is a friend, then I’m happy to be that for her. What we want doesn’t matter, and I’m not gonna let you put pressure on her to do something she’s not ready for.’
‘So you think that’s what I’m trying to do? Pressure her into something?’
Aiden raised his hands, trying to pacify his friend, but his doing so no more than infuriated Seth further.
‘I’m not saying that. I just think we should let her decide, you know? I don’t think it would help if you told her how you felt. That’s all.’
‘See, that’s the thing. You don’t get to decide what happens in my life. If you don’t want a relationship with her right now, that’s okay. Maybe it means you should back the fuck off and give her and me a chance to see what happens.’
Seth tensed when he saw Aiden’s reaction to his taunting, preparing to fight off the attack he felt sure was coming. Seth didn’t know why he’d said it, he didn’t even mean it, but maybe Aiden needed to know Seth had no intention of letting Misty get away this time.
Aiden took a step toward him, looking like he still wanted to kill him. ‘Stand down. I was just testing you.’ Seth gestured for Aiden to stay where he was.
The rare display of anger from Aiden made Seth wonder why she never came between them before. If someone asked him a few years back if he’d be able to share the woman he loved with someone else, he’d have laughed in the person’s face. But the fact that the only other person in the world he cared for besides Misty, wanted the same woman he did, made sense somehow. In some ways, he and Aiden shared the same brain. In others, such as their attitudes toward this situation, they couldn’t be more different.
‘That’s a dangerous game you’re playing. Why are you doing this? Let it go before we both do something we regret.’
Seth couldn’t heed the warning. The cost seemed too great. ‘Come on Aiden. You know her as well as I do. Stop telling yourself how you think you should feel and be honest. You know she wants to be more than just friends.’
‘Don’t you get it? It doesn’t matter what you or I think. She says it’s all she wants. If she’s lying to herself, then there is nothing we can do about it.’ He bent down, retrieved his hat from the dirt, and banged it against his thigh to shake off the dust. ‘I’m tired. I’ve had enough of this shit. Just let it be, okay?’
Seth watched him walk away, his guts churning with the desire to yell at Aiden that he could let it be if he wanted, but Seth made the decisions for his own life. But he didn’t say a thing. After a few more minutes, when he calmed the hell down, he followed Aiden back to camp.
The tension between Aiden and him didn’t ease all the next day. They worked side by side through the morning and late into the afternoon, neither of them doing much more than grunting an instruction at the other or passing tools and equipment when requested. By the time they walked silently into the bar to meet Misty, Seth’s anger simmered away just below the surface, ready to erupt if Aiden so much at looked at him again.
She joined them as usual, taking her seat before she seemed to catch the strained atmosphere between them. Seth suffered a huge pang of guilt when her pretty face told him how confused she was.
He wrapped a strand of her silky hair around his fingers and gave it a little tug. ‘It’s been a tough day.’ He wanted to explain even if she hadn’t asked.
‘Are you guys still in the mood for supper? We can do it another time if you want?’
‘Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away. I can’t speak for Aiden though.’ Seth smiled at Misty, ignoring the murderous glare he got from his friend. Misty turned to Aiden, ignorant of the real reason behind the strange vibes emanating from them.
‘Are you coming over, too?’
‘Bank on it.’ Aiden didn’t even bother pretending he was speaking to Misty. His gaze locked with Seth’s and held it until Misty stood and blocked their view of each other.
‘Let’s go then,’ she said, heading for the door without checking to see if they trailed behind her. Even she knew on some level that they followed her anywhere without question. Seth wondered why he was the only one who could see the bond formed between them. Sex wouldn’t ruin their relationship. It would make it complete.
Misty chatted without pause as they walked the mile from the bar to her home. Since she had the pair of them around to escort her to her door every night, she’d stopped renting a car.
Lost in his own thoughts, Seth walked at her side, happy to let Aiden fill in the rare pauses she left in the conversation. He felt guilty about his anger towards his friend, but what in the hell did Aiden expect from him? Seth hadn’t had the love and support of a stable family like Aiden. His mother abandoned him at birth and he didn’t know to this day who his real father was.
His childhood spent being sent fro
m one stranger’s home to another. Sometimes, the families were kind people who just wanted to love someone—but other times, he found he was no more than a means of making money and at the mercy of couples who didn’t know how to care for a child.
His last foster home, when he was fourteen, had been in a small town a few miles outside of Lambert’s Creek. That’s where he met Aiden at school and he’d been his shadow ever since. The years he spent growing up there had been the happiest of his life, especially after Kate and Brian Orton legally adopted him. But when they died in a car crash just after he turned eighteen, he found himself alone again and Aiden became his only family.
He inherited a small amount of money from them, but didn’t do anything with it for a while. Not until the opportunity to invest in Aiden’s family business and finally put down roots of his own had presented itself. Seth sold his parents’ small house and moved his life to Lambert’s Creek.
Seth smiled at Misty when she shook him out of his reverie by asking if he had a good day. He didn’t have it in him to lie and tell her everything was okay, so he let her read whatever she wanted to into his silence.
An hour after they reached her apartment and they’d eaten the chili she massacred with the silence still hanging over them like a dark cloud, Misty marched into the center of the room and put her hands on her hips.
‘Okay, guys, I’ve had enough of this. What the fuck is going on?’
‘Ask him,’ Seth said, refusing to look at anyone.
‘Seth…’
He heard the warning in Aiden’s voice, but it didn’t worry him, not when the moment came to put up or shut up. Could he tell her how he felt and what he wanted? Should he? Misty squeezed herself onto the sofa between him and Aiden, turned in Seth’s direction, and lifted his clenched fist from his lap. ‘Seth, talk to me.’
Aiden put a hand on her shoulder and tried to turn her away, but her gaze stayed on Seth’s. ‘Don’t push him on this, Misty.’
Aiden peered over her head and silently told Seth with a look not to say whatever he was about to. Misty seemed as intent on ignoring Aiden as he was. She leaned forward. ‘Tell me.’
