by Becky McGraw
"No, but I have a white t-shirt and a magic marker...I'll wear it if you'll go," she said with a chuckle.
Wade raised his hands and took a couple of steps back. "I don't want to get within fifteen feet of you and that magic marker of yours," he told her with mock fright on his face.
Karlie burst out laughing and it felt damned good, she laughed until she was bent over with it. Snorting a couple of times trying to get control, she made Wade started laughing too. The snorting made her think of Gabe, and how much he liked her snort too, and her laugh dried up and the tears in her eyes turned misty.
Wade noticed then dropped an arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze, "Let's just make it beers and dancing, you look like you need a little Bud therapy....but you do have to wear that t-shirt," he told her and she sniffled, then chuckled. God, she was an emotional mess.
She nodded then said, "It's a deal...but we at least need to let Imelda feed us, so we don't get sloppy."
"I'll get cleaned up then meet you at the house," he told her then kissed her cheek.
"Thanks for being a friend, Wade...I need one, badly," she told him and smiled then walked out of the barn toward the house.
She didn't see the SUV there anymore, and breathed a sigh of relief, as she stepped up on the porch and opened the door. Walking through the house, she went up the stairs to her room, then grabbed a robe and underwear then went to the shower. She scrubbed herself with honeysuckle shower gel, then shampooed her hair trying to wipe away any trace of Gabe from her body. Now, if it was just that easy to get him out of her heart, she'd be good. Emotion shoved up from her chest to her throat and she pushed it back down, then got out of the shower and dried off, and blow dried her hair.
Karlie cringed when she looked in the mirror and saw the purple bruises were turning green now, but the swelling had gone down some. Maybe she could mask most of it with some concealer, she hoped so anyway...she really didn't want Wade to get his ass kicked, she thought with a chuckle.
She didn't use it often, so she had to dig around a while in her makeup bag before she found some and applied it liberally to the bruises, then covered that with a light layer of foundation, which made her pale, so before she finished, she had a full face of makeup on, including mascara and lipstick. It wasn't often she went this heavy with her makeup, so it felt kind of odd, but it did the job to hide what Jake had done to her...on the outside at least.
Tightening her robe around her, Karlie walked to the bedroom, then dug around in her things and found a low-cut clingy black shirt that accentuated her cleavage, and bared part of her stomach. She was surprised that Jake hadn't cut it to shreds, he had forbidden her from wearing it, which made her all the more determined to wear it now. Karlie was done hiding and running.
She put it on with a pair of hemmed and bedazzled jean shorts that were pretty brief, adding her black dress boots and a black Stetson. The hat kind of shaded the bruises on her face, making them less visible, so that was good. She put a rhinestone clip in her hair making a loose ponytail, then clipped on some dangly rhinestone earrings. She looked good, and didn't give a damned who didn't like what she had on. This was her fresh start, her new life, and she wasn't going to let any man run it anymore.
Karlie shoved her cell phone in her pocket and grabbed her credit card from her purse, then walked down the stairs to the kitchen, where she smelled something good cooking. Cassie, Luke and Wade were already at the table and looked up when she walked in.
Wade and Luke shoved their chairs back and stood up, and Cassie smiled at her then said, "Holy shit girl, you trying to set the town on fire tonight? Wade said ya'll were going out dancing, but wow...you look great!"
Karlie grinned at her and told her friend, "Not trying to set anything on fire...maybe put something out though."
Wade choked and beat his chest with a fist, and Luke didn't look happy about her statement, but Cassie belly laughed, "I'm sure there'll be plenty of cowboys signing up for the bucket brigade."
"I'm just kidding...the last thing I want right now is another man...I want some beer and dancing with this handsome cowboy here, then some uninterrupted sleep," she said with a nod at Wade, who really was looking smoking hot tonight in his dark wranglers, and red and black flame western shirt. He didn't have his hat on, because he was at the table, but she knew it was around his chair somewhere. She would probably be the one having to beat the cowgirls off of him tonight.
"Let's eat so we can get going," he told her then came around and pulled out a chair for her. God, she loved southern manners, and southern men...most of them knew how to treat a woman. She thanked him, then sat down and dug in, jumping in the conversation when she could about the ranch, and Titan and how things were going. When they finished, Cassie and Luke shooed them out of the kitchen and told them they'd clean up.
They walked outside and the sun had just set, so the air was a little cooler than it had been, and there were lightning bugs dancing across the pasture. She pointed and said, "Is there anything more beautiful than that show?"
He looked over at the field, then back at her and he said with his brown eyes filled with warmth, "Yeah there sure is..." He held her gaze for a second, then opened her door and helped her into the truck, then shut it and walked around the truck.
Oh, Lord, she hoped Wade wasn't getting the wrong idea here...she really wasn't ready for anything romantic, and wouldn't be for a while. She didn't want to hurt him...he was being a good friend...and that is what she needed right now.
"So...what did Gabe do to get on your shit list?" Wade asked as he pulled down the long driveway of the ranch.
"Accused me of trying to trap him into marriage, by getting pregnant," she said bluntly.
Wade coughed and beat his chest then said, "Come again?"
"He said I was refusing to move in with him, because I was holding out for a ring...and I was trying to get pregnant to trap him."
Wade shook his head then slammed his hand on the steering wheel, "Wow, that guy really is stupid, huh?"
Karlie snorted then said, "Yeah, since he was the one with the dry-rotted condoms...and with that attitude why the hell would I want to move in with him?"
"Holy shit!! Dry-rotted condoms? Are you pregnant, Karlie?" he asked incredulously, and stomped on the brakes. If she was, he would probably turn them around and head right back home.
"Nope, dodged that bullet, then got on the pill...he just didn't bother to ask, just jumped off the deep end when he forgot to use one last time."
Wade whistled and shook his head again, "Dumbass for sure...."
"Yeah and that's something I've had more than enough of in my life, thank you," she told Wade then folded her arms under her breasts. When she saw his gaze go there and linger, she unfolded her arms and crossed her legs.
"Might want to watch the road, sugar," she told him when she saw his eyes traveling down her legs now.
He chuckled then looked back at the road and drove them to town. They found a celebrity parking spot on the side of the street right down from the bar, and Wade shoehorned his truck in there and shut off the engine. After slamming his hat down on his head, he opened the door and came around to her side and helped her out. There were a couple of cowboys loitering on the sidewalk across the street and they all wolf-whistled when she stuck her legs out to slide down. Wade turned around and gave them a hot look, and they turned away.
Putting his arm around her waist, he put his thumb through her belt loop and rested his hand on her hip, as they walked to the door. Wade held the door open, and walked inside the dark, smoky bar beside her. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust from the street lights outside, and when they did she saw the bar was really packed tonight. It was Friday, so there was a live band, the music was loud, and the dancers plentiful.
Multi-colored cowboy shirts lined the bar shoulder to shoulder, and Wade led her over there, then leaned between them near the bartender and ordered them beer. Someone nudged her shoulder and she turned around and saw on
e of the guys she'd danced with the last time she was here, and he smiled at her and asked her to dance.
She turned him down, then tipped her head toward Wade who had just stood back up with two longnecks in his hand. He raised an eyebrow at the guy then handed her a beer, and the cowboy faded off into the crowd.
"That's a talent you know...that eyebrow thing," she told him with a giggle trying to do it, but only managing a waggle.
"Comes in handy when someone's trying to steal your girl," he said then kissed her cheek. Karlie started to correct him, but let it go, because pretending to be his girl tonight kept other men from hitting on her. Smiling up at Wade, she said, "I like that song, Let's take our beers and go dance, we can juggle, right?"
"Anything for you, sugar," he said, his eyes glittering. He grabbed her hand in his then led her to the dance floor and pulled her to the middle, then into his arms. It was a two-step song, but they'd have to wing it until they finished their beer. A jitterbug worked, she thought, as he took her free hand and spun her under his arm, then rolled her up into his body, before pushing her back out. They clinked bottles when he spun her forward to him, and laughed.
Wade really was a good dancer, he had great rhythm and led her perfectly. It took two songs for them to finish their beers, then he led her to the side and they put their empty bottles down, then he grabbed her and spun her into a two step around the edge of the floor. The song ended and she stopped him and said, "I need to go to the ladies room, sugar...I'll be right back."
He grinned then kissed her lightly on the lips and said, "I'll go get us another beer, you're not nearly deep enough in your therapy yet."
With a laugh, she pushed herself away from him, she really did need some space. She liked Wade, but he was crowding her a little. She put her hand on his cheek, then told him with a chuckle, "Okay--you get the beer, and I'll go get rid of some," then turned and pushed through the crowd toward the restrooms.
When she stepped into the hallway where she had a little elbow room, she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes to breathe for a second. A deep, familiar, but very slurred voice said near her ear, "You trying to hurt me, sugar?" She heard a cough that sounded more like a sob then he said, "If so, you're doing a damned fine job of it..."
Karlie opened her eyes and turned her had toward Gabe, who was leaning a shoulder against the wall, it looked like that might be all that was holding him upright. His eyes held so much misery and hurt, she almost felt it in her own chest. "I'm not trying to hurt you, Gabe...what are you doing here?"
"Cole and I have been here, since we left the Double B...well mostly," he said then lifted his beer and finished it, smacking his lips. "Time for another one...maybe if I have enough, I'll be able to sleep," he told her then pushed off the wall, and almost did a facer into the other wall.
She ran over there and grabbed his arm, then told him, "You need to go home, Gabe."
"Nothing to go home to, baby," he said morosely, and his throat worked a couple of times, then he sucked in a breath and jerked his arm from hers, and walked back to the bar. She saw Cole grab his arm and help him onto a barstool, then he leaned over and whispered something in his ear. Gabe shook his head then raised a finger to the bartender to order another beer.
It was obvious he was way past intoxicated, and she knew he hadn't slept in god knew how long. He needed to go home, and if Cole was any kind of friend, he'd get him the hell out of here, and she was going to tell him that. Stomping across the floor to the bar, she grabbed Cole's arm and told him through gritted teeth, "I need to talk to you, now."
Cole looked down into her eyes with his serious green ones, his jaw tight, and just held her gaze for a second, then nodded and took her arm to lead her back into the hallway by the bathroom. Before she could say anything, he said through gritted teeth, "What the hell are you trying to do here, Karlie, gut the man?"
Karlie shook her head, not quite sure she was hearing right, then she figured she had, when she looked at his face again. Anger ratcheted through her system and her heart rate kicked up, then she took a step toward him and put a finger in his chest, "Let me tell you about gutting, butthead...that man who's acting so pitiful out there accused me of trying to trap him into marriage, so I don't have an ounce of sympathy for that asshole."
Cole's eyebrows shot toward his hairline, and he shouted, "He did what?"
"You heard me...but you know what? I'm not here trying to hurt him...I didn't even know he was fucking here, until a minute ago," she spat then finished, "If you were any kind of friend, you'd get him the hell out of here, he's drunk as a skunk." With a heated look, Karlie pushed past him and went to find Wade by the dance floor. He was out on the dance floor with another woman, and seemed to be enjoying himself, so Karlie went back to the bar and got her another beer, then sat at the bar to drink it.
"Your boyfriend's dancing with someone else, you want to dance with me?" Gabe said near her ear, then licked her ear lobe sending shivers along her nerves, even though his touch should disgust her. He kissed her hair, then his hot breath teased her ear, "C'mon baby, dance with me...I need to hold you."
"Well, I don't need that...and I don't need your drunk ass hitting on me," she told him then pushed against his chest, although she wanted to pull him closer. What was wrong with her, she wondered, this man had insulted her this morning to the highest degree, yet her body still responded to him like butter on a griddle. She was the one who was pathetic...needy and pathetic.
"I'll beg, darlin'...I'm so sorry for the shit I said this morning," he said in a choked voice.
"Too late, sugar...once the words are out, you can't take them back," she told him then shrugged and fiddled with the label on her bottle. "You just said what you believed about me, so there's nothing to apologize for, right?" Karlie told him then tilted her head to look at him with a wry half-smile.
Gabe's face turned red, then he grated through his teeth, "No--that's not right, that's not what I think of you. My head was fucked up from that dream, and that's the only reason I said what I did."
"You did that last time too, remember? Lashed out at me," she reminded him then said firmly, "I'm not anybody's whipping post, Gabe...those days are behind me. I'm not letting any man degrade me like that again, regardless of the reason."
He groaned, then told her, "It wasn't the same dream...it was different, and it scared the hell out of me."
"Tell your therapist, see if he can help," she said coldly, because she couldn't buy into this, or she'd be sucked back in like quicksand. Karlie pushed up off of the stool and stood then told him, "Take care, Gabe," turning on her heel to go find Wade.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It had been two weeks, since she'd seen Gabe at the bar, two weeks where day by day her heart shriveled up like a raisin in her chest. Once her anger faded, all she was left with was pain, and regret. She wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping right, and her nerves were shot. Even the horses could sense a change in her...that was the only reason she could think of for Titan to be so skittish he almost tossed her off his big back. That horse was solid as a rock, and her riding him like she was would ruin him, so she'd asked Wade to take over riding him for her, until she got herself back together. Karlie had no idea how long that would be.
Gabe had tried to call her on the house phone several times, but she didn't return his calls. That wouldn't do anything, but make them more miserable...or her anyway. Wade had asked her to go out a few times since the night at the bar, but she'd turned him down, so he didn't get the wrong idea. She was thinking about going to the Rockin' D this weekend to see Dixie and her sister, maybe check out the new stock for Cassie.
Cassie was a month from delivering the baby now and couldn't do much. She looked like she'd swallowed a watermelon...and Luke was hovering over her like a farmer watching a seedling. She'd seen Luke sitting on the sofa in the family room reading baby books, birthing books, and parenting books, they were scattered all over the tables in there. It was really
kind of sweet, but she could tell it was aggravating Cassie to no end, because every five minutes he was saying 'the book says this' or 'it said this in the book'. Karlie wouldn't be surprised to see a bonfire going in the field soon, fueled by Luke's book collection.
Karlie put the last shovel of manure in the wheelbarrow and pushed it out of the barn and across the field to the fertilizer pile. After she dumped it, she saw a police car out front of the house, it was a Texas Ranger car, so she figured they must be here to talk to her. She looked down at her dirty clothes and hands and groaned, then hopped the fence and went to the house. She went into the family room and saw Luke and Cassie sitting and talking with a good looking younger, well not younger really, maybe twenty-six or seven, lawman with dark hair. When she walked in, they all looked her way and smiled, "Hey, Karlie...this is Officer Bowman, he's here to take your statement."
He stood up and stuck out his hand to her and said, "You can call me Beau...and I apologize that it's taken us so long to get out here."
Karlie looked at it then put hers behind her back and laughed, "I don't think you want to shake my hand right now, I just finished cleaning stalls. Can you give me fifteen minutes? I want to go clean up."
