“A little birdie told me you were seen with Leah Woodworth a few nights ago.” Hank cast a glance around before continuing in the same soft tone. “Any progress with the two of you and her?”
James shrugged and rubbed his forehead with one hand. A headache was coming on. “It was fine but we’ve had a setback. I’m still hoping. She has a lot of irons in the fire right now and every time I think that things are about to uncomplicate themselves they get worse.”
“I hear ya. Listen, if you want to grab a beer after you get off of work this evening, I’d be happy to meet you at the Pony if you need a listening ear.”
“I wouldn’t want to take you away from Veronica.”
“Nah, it would give Nika and Travis a little time alone. I’m sure they’d appreciate that considering his hours lately. Speaking of hours, I was wondering if I could get a little bit of public service out of you for a project of mine.”
“Sure,” James said, as they continued down the steps. “You know all you have to do is ask.”
“Good. I could use some help with the self-defense classes I’ve been teaching. Interest has increased and the classes are getting so big that Wyatt and I are spread too thin. I’d like to get a few members of local law enforcement involved. I think it might also be good if we got out into the community when we’re not patrolling, and get to know people.”
“That’s a great idea. You should talk to Vincent, too. I’m willing to bet he’d like to be involved.”
After the conversation finished, he went out to his patrol vehicle and got ready to go. Thoughts of Vincent’s decision to drive to Abilene kept cluttering his mind as he went about his morning.
Vincent had sounded sincere when he stated his reason for going, but James also knew that he tended to leap first and look afterward.
Sitting on the side of the road after pulling someone over to warn them about a burned-out brake light, he asked himself the hard question. “Are you jealous he had her to himself?”
He pondered the question as he stopped in at Divine Drip for a cup of Cassie’s coffee.
What was he the most pissed off about, the fact that Vincent had her to himself or the fact that Vincent had jeopardized everything with his impulsiveness?
Before his death, Patterson had visited her on several occasions by himself, bringing her meals at work occasionally, and once he’d brought a movie to her home to watch with her. He’d thought she worked too much and had tried to find ways to distract her. But James also knew Patterson had never made a move on her alone.
He was mostly angry because Vincent was changing the game and trying to force her hand when they’d agreed long before Patterson died that they’d never do that. Once James set out on a course, he stayed with it until it was done and wanted Vince to do the same. Vince? Not so much. He went with what worked in individual situations.
She hadn’t gone into specifics, but Leah had told him that the time she’d had with Vincent the night before had been wonderful and he could hear the sincerity in her tone despite their subpar cellular connection. When she’d asked him if he minded her talking about it with him, he’d been sincere in telling her no. Jealousy wasn’t the issue.
“That’s something at least,” he muttered to himself.
“I’m sorry, James, I didn’t catch that. Did you want something else?” Cassie asked as she handed his big travel mug out the coffee shop’s drive-thru window. “I have fresh apple fritters. I just iced them and they’re still really warm.”
She giggled as he stopped in mid-denial because his mouth was watering so much. He could smell the delectable scent wafting through the window into his patrol car. No decent man refused practically homemade baked goods. “I can’t resist your apple fritters, Cassie. You’re furthering stereotypes here, you know?”
Cassie burst into laughter and said, “James, you and I both know you’ll burn all those calories off.”
“I’ll take one but promise me if you see me getting tubby that you’ll start baking sugar-free muffins?”
She scrunched up her nose. “What’s the fun in that? Maybe you’ll just have to finally wrangle Leah into being your girlfriend and go dancing every weekend?” She gave him a wink.
James groaned. “This town has got the fastest working gossip mill I’ve ever seen.”
“Don’t worry, I never carry tales. But I do hope you and Vincent work things out with Leah. She’s sweet and I hate seeing her looking so sad all the time. She was always a little more serious but lately she looks like the weight of the world is on her shoulders.”
James nodded and thanked Cassie when she handed him his treat and he went on his way.
“Yeah, she’s got the weight of the world on her shoulders, and if she moves to Abilene, it’ll only get worse.”
* * * *
“Everything’s fine, chief,” Vincent said as he stood in his boss’s office doorway.
“I hope so. I don’t like hearing that two of my most reliable officers are squabbling in the locker room.”
“Unrelated to work, sir. A misunderstanding.”
“Good. Work it out at home from now on. Hank Stinson was in earlier looking for you. You might give him a call.”
“Will do, sir.”
“You get things worked out with that little Woodworth gal?” Chief said as he got up from behind his desk. “I figured I’d be hearing wedding bells, or binding bells, or whatever the hell it is people do around this town these days. How come you haven’t taken that little gal off of the market yet?” Chief had a way of speaking his mind but Vincent valued him as a friend as well as his superior, which was why he gave him a real answer instead of glossing it over.
“It’s only been four months, sir.”
Chief nodded as he looked down at his boots. “Sometimes it seems like he’s been gone from us longer than that, other times I expect him to come walking around the corner whistling a tune.” He clapped his hand on Vincent’s back, demonstrating that no matter what he had on him in years he didn’t lack in strength.
“Sir, can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” Chief replied as he poured himself another cup of coffee.
“What would you do if there were officers on the force involved in a ménage? A committed ménage? As far as I know, and if she says yes to us someday, we’d be the first.”
“I measure a man by his commitment to his family, his duty, and his community, not public opinion. The gossip mill has its uses but swaying my opinion has never been one of them.” He turned to Vincent and looked over the tops of his reading glasses. “If any of my officers want to make a commitment to form a family unit, I won’t stand in their way. Doesn’t matter to me whether they’re man and wife, men and wife, straight, gay, bisexual, black and white, or rainbow-colored. What counts is what’s in a man’s heart, not what’s on his marriage license or in his wallet. Life’s too short to live it for public opinion.”
“I’ll head out then, sir.”
“Don’t forget to get in touch with Hank.”
“Yes, sir.”
It wasn’t the most pressing piece in the puzzle but knowing his chief wouldn’t object to any relationship that developed between the three of them was something at least. Now he just had to make peace with his brother and convince the woman he loved that he was worth forgiving.
By noon, he couldn’t stand himself or the situation anymore. He should’ve talked to his brother before he’d rushed off to Abilene. They were both right. He was too pushy and impulsive. And he should’ve kept a clear head and used that condom.
The thought of Leah having his baby didn’t bother him in the least. He knew she’d be a fantastic mother. But she was righteously pissed at him, and if she was pregnant, he knew marrying him was by no means a foregone conclusion. That woman was perfectly capable of taking motherhood on, much the way she handled any responsibility.
“Damn.”
He took out his cell phone and dialed her number but it rolled to voice mail
, just like it had all the other times he’d called. He didn’t leave another message. He’d already left several and nothing said restraining order like a voice mail box full of messages pleading and making excuses like a pitiful schmuck.
Next, he called James. When his brother answered, he said, “Rudy’s got King Ranch Chicken on the lunch special.”
“You know I have a weakness for Rudy’s King Ranch Chicken but I can get it to go if all you’re going to do is make more excuses.”
It stung but James was right. “Yeah, I’ve done some thinking. I know I fucked things up and I want to help get her back.”
James let out a long-suffering sigh. “Damn it, Vincent. Meet me at Rudy’s in ten minutes,” he said, sounding like he was talking to a simpleton. Vincent frowned wondering what burr was up his butt now.
Ten minutes later he knew, after they’d sat down and Rudy had brought them both tall glasses of ice water.
James took his cowboy hat off and laid it on the seat beside him and rubbed his face. “There’s nothing you can do to get her back. That’s your problem. You want to take action, which in your case means you want to force her into a decision. You want to push her. If you want her back, give her space and win her gradually.”
“You talk like you’ve enjoyed being without her. I’m tired of it.”
“She’s not like the other women you’ve dated in the past. She’s a forever kind of woman and those don’t come around very often and they aren’t easily won. Patterson knew that. Of the three of us, he was the closest to having her eating out of his hand. Otherwise his death wouldn’t have destroyed her the way it did. She loves you, even though right now you don’t deserve it. If your seed takes root, it’ll change her life forever—”
Vincent cut him off. “That’d be the case if she had a baby under any circumstances—”
“Stop talking before I hurt you again. The difference is that you took away her choice.”
Vincent hated feeling like such an inept jackass, but even he was in agreement with his brother. He’d been thinking with his dick. “What can I do?”
James let out a longsuffering sigh but at least this time he grinned. “Always a man of action. That quality can be a strength, but strengths taken to extremes are weaknesses.”
“It’s gotten me in more trouble than anything lately,” Vincent said, a little relieved that his brother had finally smiled at him. “So what do I do?”
“Stop thinking about the future and what you want. Start thinking about how you can encourage her, how you can lighten her load. Look for ways to make her feel special. Edify her. And if she sounds like she’s open to the possibility of moving, you don’t say a word. You go back and start over. Encourage her. Make her feel special. Edify her.”
“So what? Buy her flowers? Gifts?”
James shrugged but didn’t look thrilled by the idea. “You can, but material things can be a lame substitute for words she really needs to hear from us.”
Vincent let out a sigh. “That guy she was out to supper with last night was telling her she was a special lady, and he kissed her hand.”
James turned the glass of ice water in its pool of condensation on the table and smiled. “She told me you got up in his face. I can relate to the territorial feeling. In your shoes I probably would’ve done the same thing.”
Vincent doubted it and knew James was trying to make him feel better. His brother would’ve approached a whole lot more calmly and peaceably and introduced himself before questioning what the guy was up to.
“But, Vince, if you want to win her, then you’ll need to gag the caveman for a while.”
Feeling like an idiot, Vince said, “Encourage her. Make her feel special.”
“Women love being told they look beautiful. Have you ever seen her when you didn’t think she was beautiful?”
“No,” he said honestly.
“How often do you tell her, besides when you’re having sex with her?”
“I don’t know, but it’s always implied.”
James raised an eyebrow and shrugged and the message was received. “Women love knowing that we like the way they smell, too.”
“She always smells good. Lavender mixed with vanilla and something else that’s really sexy. I don’t know what it is but it gets me hard if I inhale in that soft little spot under her ear, and also between her breasts. Makes me want to lick her all over.” God, he could practically feel her soft skin beneath his lips and his tongue. He shifted uncomfortably when the memory made him a little hard, and James chuckled at him, obviously reading his mind.
“It’s called pheromones. Her scent gets to you and makes you want her. I feel the same way. Next time you see her tell her she smells good enough to eat and let her draw her own conclusions.”
“And edify her?”
“Yeah. When her name comes up in conversations, talk positively about her.”
“That won’t be hard.”
James shook his head. “I don’t mean just giving her compliments. Tell others about how much she accomplishes at the store instead of telling people she works too much. Talk about the good she does outside the store in the community. Look for ways to build her up to others so their esteem for her grows. Never point out her flaws in front of others. Trust me, she knows she has flaws.”
“This is complicated. Like what?”
“Like for starters, don’t call her fluff in public. I know why you do it and I think it has value, but keep it behind closed doors. Among women, fluffy is just another euphemism for fat.”
Vincent scoffed. “She’s not fat. We talked about this the other night. She knows what we mean.”
James lifted a hand and cut him off. “I know we talked about it, but when she’s around other women, don’t use it. It’ll make her self-conscious. And for your information, you can tell her she’s not fat all day but she won’t believe you. You’ll think you have her convinced and then she’ll turn around and show that insecurity again. How you get around it is by reminding her she’s beautiful and sexy.”
“There’s no way to win, is there?”
“We’re not trying to win anything, Vince. Flowers need constant care. I hear men stay stupid shit like ‘I told her I loved her the day I married her and that’s all she needs to know’ and I want to smack the crap out of them. Remember Mom’s rose bushes?”
“Yeah?” Vincent said as the waiter brought their steaming hot plates to the table.
“She worked on them year in and year out. She used to say a rose bush could go for a few years with very little care but there comes a point where the neglect starts to show. That was why she pruned them and fed them every year and took care of them in between. Women are the same way. They can go a long time on just a few kind words, but if you give them the care they really need, their beauty just grows and everyone notices them.”
“I don’t want any other man noticing our woman,” he replied with a frown.
James rolled his eyes and dug into his plate. “You’re hopeless, you know that?” He took a bite and Vincent could practically hear the wheels turning in his head as he chewed. “You remember Grace back before she was with her men, when she lived in town with that little shithead. His name was Owen-something.”
Vincent grimaced. “I was on that call the night we arrested that alky fucker for harassing her.”
“Do you remember how she changed after she finally got him out of her life?”
“Yeah. She did a one-hundred-eighty-degree shift and not just in her appearance but also in her personality. She seemed genuinely happy where before she was totally in her shell.”
“She saw herself differently and I’d bet you any money it’s because Jack, Ethan, and Adam did all those things I mentioned.”
“Where did you learn them?”
“From Mom, while I was helping her with the rose bushes.”
“I thought you were just hauling branches and such to make some money.”
“I was but she’d talk
to me while we worked.”
“Wish I’d taken her up on it when she offered me commissions for helping her out there. I thought it was sissy work.”
James snorted. “I still have scars from those thorns and some of those bushes were damned huge. Anyway, I think you understand the point I’m making. Make her your focus and not what it is you hope to achieve as far as a ménage is concerned.”
Vincent sighed and took a sip of his water. “When I get around her…” He breathed in deep as he imagined her little hourglass figure and the way her round tush swayed when she walked. He could practically feel her soft, supple body in his arms. She fit just perfectly up against him. And spooning her the night before…He wanted that back.
“I know. It’s like that for me, too. She’s like a double shot of whiskey. Goes straight to my head. Keep your focus on her.”
“Tell her she’s beautiful and that she smells good.” He felt like an idiot repeating it. He was used to winging all that shit and being his usual charming self. That clearly wasn’t going to work right now.
“And if you ever have a chance, talk to Jack, Ethan, or Adam. You might bend their ears a bit, since they have a few years in a ménage under their belts. Hank invited me to meet him at the Dancing Pony for a beer after work tonight. Maybe you ought to come with me.” James chuckled and Vincent rolled his eyes.
“Laugh it up, brother. Lord knows I could use all the help I can get.”
Chapter Eight
That morning, she was running late as she left the bed-and-breakfast. Mrs. Miller was out on the front porch watering all of her hanging ferns and turned to greet her as she pulled the front door closed and hurried to the steps. She didn’t see the puddle on the slick surface until it was too late and she was on her ass on the wet porch.
“Oh, Miss Woodworth! I’m so sorry! Are you all right?” Mrs. Miller asked as she helped Leah to her feet.
Feeling silly for not watching her step, Leah brushed at her soaked, dirty slacks and replied, “Nothing bruised but my pride…and my butt.” Her cheeks flamed at the mental image of how ridiculous she must’ve looked flying through the air.
Brokenhearted Beauty [Divine Creek Ranch 19] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11
