by Tessa Layne
Damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing he’d ever experienced. And now she’d be calling the shots in bed later tonight. His cock twitched in anticipation.
“Sinclaire, I do believe you’ve been schooled.” Gunnar saluted him with his beer.
Axel shook with laughter. “Maddie Jane, you know it’s not nice to run the table like that.” He handed her drink over after she replaced her stick.
She’d played him hook, line, and sinker. He’d been foolish to underestimate her. He turned to Axel and Gunnar. “You knew.”
Gunnar chortled. “Welcome to the family, man. She schools everyone at least once. And when she’s pissed, look out. It’s brutal.”
“I’m right here, you know.” She rolled her eyes, taking a sip.
“How’d you do that?” he asked, trying to keep the shit-eating grin off his face. “I’ve never seen anyone run a table like that.”
Maddie shrugged and giggled, adjusting her glasses. God he loved her laugh – all husky and sweet.
“Physics. It’s just angles, velocity and rotation”
As if.
“I used to win spending money in college playing pool. In fact, that’s how I first met Jamey.” She glanced up at him, apprehension flitting across her eyes. “You’re not mad?”
“I’m impressed,” he assured her, putting his arm around her shoulders, and kissing her temple. And very turned on. “Promise me you’ll show me how to make those combo shots when we get home.”
He caught Kylee out of the corner of his eye, balancing a tray full of beverages in one hand and three beers in the other. She paused, a smug smile on her face. A flash of understanding hit him, but he was too late. Even as he moved to protect her, Kylee tripped and dumped her tray onto Maddie. She shrieked in surprise as beers and sodas poured down her shirt. To anyone else it would have looked like an accident, but he knew better.
Rage prickled at the corners of his vision. He turned to Axel and Gunnar, who’d managed to avoid the spill. “Quick. Go grab some towels from the bar. Maddie, honey, are you okay?”
Hurt and humiliation flooded her eyes, but she nodded.
His heart shredded.
Kylee Ross was a vindictive, manipulative bitch. He’d put an end to this, one way or another. Even if he got hurt in the process.
“Oh… sorry.” Kylee giggled, her eyes glittering. “It’s so crowded. Someone bumped me and I lost my balance.”
Maddie pressed her lips together, accepting the towels Gunnar handed her.
Blake stepped up to Kylee. “What the fuck, Kylee?”
She turned on him. “What do you mean, what the fuck? It was an accident, Blake.” The venom dripped from her voice.
“Like hell it was.”
Fred Turner, the Trading Post’s owner, pushed through the crowd. “What’s going on here?”
Kylee pointed at Maddie, glaring at her. “She wasn’t looking where she was going and backed right into me. It’s her fault.”
“Bullshit,” Blake exploded.
Kylee put her hand on Fred’s shoulder, softening her voice. “Of course it wasn’t me Fred. You know I can’t afford to take any drinks out of my paycheck.” She slid a sly glance back to him. “You know I need every penny for Simon. He’s eating me out of house and home right now.”
Fred pressed his lips together, sweeping his gaze around the group. “I don’t want any trouble with my help. Just make sure the drinks get sorted out so my till doesn’t come up short.”
“Come on, Fred.” Gunnar stepped forward, but he held up his hand. “It’s crowded tonight, and I don’t have the time to play detective. No trouble, hear?”
They wouldn’t get anywhere with him tonight and Kylee knew it. She shot Blake a malicious smile and turned, following Fred back to the bar.
“I’m going to the ladies to try and clean up,” Maddie mumbled, slipping through the crowd.
Blake shot a glance at Gunnar. “Make sure she’s okay? I’ll settle up.”
He threaded his way through the crowd and waited at the bar to pay the tab. Including the spilled drinks. No sense in causing another scene in front of Maddie. Or poking Kylee. She had the upper hand here at the bar and she knew it. He’d been wrong to bring Maddie here. He should have been more sensitive to her concerns. But he’d wanted her to stand up to Kylee, to see that Kylee and her kind had nothing on her.
He caught Kylee threading her way through the crowd again, and stalked over, pulling her elbow and moving her to a corner by the jukebox. “I don’t know what you’re playing at, but this stops. Now. Maddie’s never done anything to you.”
She glared at him and tugged her elbow back. “Except exist. We had a deal, Blake,” she snapped.
“It’s long dead, and you know it.” Why couldn’t she leave well enough alone? At some point the whole lurid story would come out. He could just feel it. What would Maddie think of him then? Between Kylee’s sneering innuendos and Warren’s ultimatums, he was neck deep in quicksand.
“I don’t think so.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “I need more money.”
“Like hell you do. What are you spending it on? More cigarettes? More booze?”
“I hate to interrupt this little tête-à-tête,” Maddie glared at both of them, eyes angry and full of hurt. “But I’m going to go home with Gunnar and Axel.” She turned on her heel and threaded away through the crowd.
“No. Maddie, wait.”
Disappointment and anger stabbed through him. Anger at Kylee, anger at the Hansens, at Warren, at this whole fucking situation that was bound to blow up in his face if he didn’t tread carefully.
He’d hurt her feelings. He could see it all over her face. He was an ass. He scowled at Kylee, who stared back, a triumphant light in her pale eyes.
“We will discuss this later. You do anything to hurt her again you’ll have me to answer to. Understand?”
He turned on his heel, hoping to catch Maddie. This evening was blowing up in his face.
CHAPTER 20
Ben and Brodie were waiting on the front porch when Blake stepped out of the truck, slamming the door.
“Heard about the incident down at the Trading Post.”
“Which one?”
Brodie handed him a cold beer from the fridge.
“How Britannica schooled you.”
“Don’t call her that, Brodie.”
“Also heard Kylee managed to make a scene.”
Ben nodded his agreement, taking a long pull on his beer. “Why is it she always manages to get your goat, brother?”
“Yeah,” chimed in Brodie. “You know she’s a user, Blake. Don’t even know why you talk to her.”
Blake let out a long breath. “Hard not to in a town this size. The point is, I don’t think she’ll be bothering Maddie anymore.”
“I rode out to check the south pasture,” Brodie volunteered. “We noticed signs of a coyote pack down there.”
“Saw that too when I was out earlier today. They shouldn’t bother the cows. We still have a few weeks before they start to calve. We’ll have to watch closely then.”
Ben spoke up. “I’m more worried about the flooding. The water’s high down by the homestead.”
Blake raked his hands through his hair trying to shift gears.
“Warren’s neglected our land. And he’s not going to be able to do much when he gets home. Why don’t you two start clearing out the underbrush down there.”
“Don’t you think he’ll go on a rampage if he knows you’ve been down there?”
“I’ll talk to Maddie about it.”
Ben studied him, taking a long pull on his beer. “You make some kind of a deal with Warren?”
He hated that Ben could read him like a book. Even as a little kid, Ben had always been startlingly perceptive. Always seeing the unspoken truth. It made him believe the stories about their great, great, great grandmother’s sixth sense.
“No,” he lied, refusing to meet Ben’s eyes. “No. Just being neighborly.”
“Liar. You were never interested in being neighborly with Warren until you and Maddie hooked up.”
Blake looked at him sharply, senses suddenly on high alert. “What do you mean?”
“It doesn’t take a scientist to figure out what’s going on. You go see Warren about buying our property back, next thing you two’ve gotten engaged.”
Shit.
Was it that obvious? If Ben figured it out, who else had? He took a sip, concentrating on the cool liquid, and pointedly ignoring Ben’s musings.
“Yeah, and you’ve turned into Prince Charming, spending all that time at the hospital. You didn’t have two kind words to say about Warren until he had his heart-attack,” Brodie accused.
Damn.
It was two on one now. Once Brodie got involved, he’d hang on with the tenacity of a bull rider in the national finals.
Blake shrugged. “Pure coincidence. Nothing more.” He took a sip of his beer for emphasis.
“Looks more like you’re a puppet and he pulled the strings.”
He silently cursed Ben’s sixth sense.
So what? Even if Ben figured it out, he’d play it cool and wouldn’t meddle. Brodie was the one that could sink him. He was a hothead and would spout off at the wrong time.
Ben narrowed his eyes, pinning him with his gaze. “So is marrying Maddie his price for the property?”
Blake choked on his beer. “Hell no.” He wiped his mouth.
“What I can’t figure out, is how you convinced her to marry you so quick.” Brodie grabbed another beer out of the fridge.
He grinned at his brother. “Got the goods, man.”
“Come on, Blake. We might not have the big MBA, but we’re not idiots.”
“What can I say? We fell in love.”
The lie stuck in his throat. He felt dirty even saying it. Like it betrayed whatever it was they did have, even if it wasn’t quite love.
“You don’t know the first thing about being in love,” Brodie said. “The only thing you’ve ever known how to do is break things.”
Blake glared at Brodie, clenching his fingers around the bottle, tamping down the temper that flared deep inside at the accusation. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Brodie didn’t have the least bit of understanding about how complicated things were. Of the messes he’d fixed. Of how he’d fought to keep them together when Jake was off the rails. The phone calls at college from mom, asking for food money. How he’d bought ramen at the local gas station and sent her his money so the rest of them could eat. His whole life, he’d done what needed to get done to keep the family and the ranch intact. Agreeing to marry Maddie was a continuation of that, nothing more. And when she was gone, once again, he’d be the one left to pick up the pieces.
“I think it’s time you saw to the horses.”
Brodie glared back at him, clenching and unclenching his fist. “Dismiss me if you like. But this is not over.” He turned and stalked toward the barn, leaving them alone in the twilight.
“Don’t let him get to you,” said Ben, reaching into the mini fridge for another beer. “He’s always this way when he hears about Kylee.”
“It’s been twelve years. Maybe it’s time to get the fuck over it.”
“Maybe. But you can’t help him do it. He’s got to figure things out on his own.”
Blake nodded. “He can be as pissed as he wants, but he needs to stay focused on things around here. I have enough to worry about without babysitting him.”
“Easy there, big guy.” Ben reached out and patted him on the shoulder. “You’ve got bigger fish to fry right now.” He grinned. “Gunnar said something about you fetching Maddie when you were ready to do the proper amount of groveling.”
“Groveling, huh?” Well he deserved that. He could see he’d hurt her, standing there arguing with Kylee. And he felt like an ass. But there was too much on the line to confide in her until after he got the deed to the property.
“Don’t go down the rabbit hole, Blake. Go apologize and start fresh. No need to carry on the worst of dad’s behavior.”
Blake’s eyes shot up. Ben’s eyes bored into him. He hated it when Ben did that. It was like Ben crawled into his brain and set up camp. All the bluffing in the world wouldn’t put him off. “Want to say more about that?”
“Nope. No need to. You know exactly what I mean.”
He did. Jake Sinclaire was never wrong. He didn’t recall ever hearing his father apologize to his mother. Not once. Quick to anger, he’d ruled with an iron fist, the other holding a bottle of Jack Daniels.
Growing up, all of them had felt the sting of his discipline more than once. Thankfully, his little sister had been spared most of it. But the Hansens had always been the recipients of the worst of Jacob’s ire. It had only increased when he’d lost the land to Warren in a poker game.
Ben stood and stretched. “I know you hate apologizing. Just go sweet-talk her.” His brother pinned him with a stern gaze. “Ma always said you catch more flies with honey.”
He didn’t like where this conversation was going. The last thing he needed was Maddie uncovering his closely held secrets. Laying him bare. It was bad enough she was already under his skin in the worst way. Forming an emotional attachment would only make things worse when they inevitably ended things. And things would end. The best he could hope for would be that they ended on friendly terms, and maybe they could see each other again the next time he visited Chicago.
“Since when are you the expert on women?”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a woman. Just need to pay attention to the signals.”
Gunnar had said much the same thing. What the hell was wrong with him that he couldn’t figure her out? That she had him jumpy and on edge, and practically dying of want? He had listened. He’d given her space. Was letting her call the shots. And the more he did that, the more she proceeded to confuse him.
“Don’t brood too long, brother. Nothing good ever came from brooding.” Ben squeezed his shoulder and took off toward the barn. Blake stayed on the porch, watching the fading twilight, thoughts swirling around him like fog in the river bottom. He kicked his feet off the porch wall and leaned forward, resting his chin on his fingers.
Groveling.
Hell if he’d ever grovel in front of one Hansen, let alone a group of them. When had he ever needed to apologize? Never. He just didn’t do it. A thought struck him like a blow to the head. How like Jake.
Bullshit.
He was nothing like his father. He’d done nothing wrong. It wasn’t his fault Kylee had her undies in a bunch about Maddie. And it wasn’t his fault that Maddie’d gotten pissed off. Hell, he’d tried to set things straight and got blamed in the process. He was the victim here. He’d head to the Hansen’s and bring Maddie home all right, but one thing was certain.
There would be no groveling.
But something needled at him. If he charged over to the Hansen spread and dragged her home like a caveman, she’d blast him up one side and down the other. Not that he’d mind terribly. He loved it when she got all sassy and smart with him. Loved the way her sapphire eyes blazed with fire. The way her mouth moved.
His breath caught in his throat as the realization startled him.
He liked her.
A whole lot.
Hell, who was he kidding? He was nuts about her. And before things had gone off the rails tonight, he was fairly certain she liked him, too. And was finally willing to let go with him. He shifted in his seat as he grew uncomfortable. God, it didn’t take much. Just thinking about her.
The memory of his vision in the barn hung over him. Taunting him.
The only thing standing between the two of them was the creek.
And their families.
And his secrets.
CHAPTER 21
Maddie sat pushing her food around the plate. Coming home with Gunnar and Axel had been a mistake. A huge mistake.
She’d have been better off sulking back at the Big House, away from the pointed questions of her cousins. But at least she’d been able to raid Hope’s closet for a change of clothes.
There was something ugly between Blake and Kylee. She was sure of it. She’d use her question from their bet to get to the bottom of it. As for the rest of their deal… all bets were off until he came clean. She simply couldn’t be with someone who wasn’t straightforward.
No matter how much she wanted him.
“Maddie Jane, what’s got into you? You look like a prairie chicken ready to go on a rampage.”
Her head snapped up. Did every man in Prairie sound alike? “Let it go, Axe.” Underneath the table, she clenched her fists in frustration.
“You’re funny when you get all riled up.”
“Kylee did it on purpose didn’t she?” She turned to Gunnar.
“Ah hell, Maddie Jane, I’m not sure he’s a good idea.”
“Excuse me?”
Gunnar finally looked at her, his eyes serious.
“You’re too good for a Sinclaire.”
She rolled her eyes. “And you know best who’s good for me.”
“Of course.” Both of them nodded vigorously, widening their eyes at her like she was an idiot.
“And that is?”
Axel crossed his arms and leaned his chair back on two legs. “Not some pansy scientist.”
“So anyone with brains is out?” Unbelievable. They sounded just like Blake.
“Well… he could have brains,” Gunnar conceded.
“How very big of you.”
“But he has to be able to ride a horse.”
“And protect you in a fight,” Axel added.
Mother of God. Why did every man in her life have to be a walking, talking, testosterone factory?
“And Blake doesn’t measure up how?”
Axel brought the legs of his chair back down with a thud. “He’s a Sinclaire. That’s enough.”
“Well maybe you need to start looking at him differently then.” She could not believe she was defending him to her cousins. Maybe she needed to start looking at him differently…
