by Diane Leyne
“Don’t rat me out, okay, Murphy?”
He squatted down and tugged the bag out. Slowly, he started to pull down the zipper. Just then, Murphy barked and then he could hear the sound of her Jeep. Tugging the zipper back up, he shoved the bag back into place and sat back down on the bed just as the door swung open.
“So how’s Sleeping Beauty doing?”
Her tone was as light as her words, and Murphy realized that he couldn’t spoil it with questions about the call, not yet, anyway. Or, maybe he could get her to tell him about it? Was she a thief? That was a hell of a lot of money. What kind of trouble was she in? He hadn’t liked the sound of the man on the phone, not even when he’d changed tactics. Murphy hadn’t liked him, and he always trusted a dog’s judgement of character.
He wanted, very badly, to ask Jess, but what if she cut and run? He needed to talk to Cole before he confronted Jess.
He watched as she unpacked a pile of dog food before opening a can and filling up a dog dish, which she placed on the floor beside the water bowl. Murphy looked at it and then up at Jess before whining and thumping his tail on the ground.
“Don’t want regular dog food now? Tough nuggets, pooch. You’re a dog and you eat dog food. Get over it!”
“Oh, I like a woman who can take charge!”
“And you, get your ass out of my bed and back to your own!” She watched as he leaned down and pulled on his boots.
“Ugh. I have work to do. You’ve already cost me a whole morning, woman!”
“Don’t blame me. Up and at ’em, Sleeping Beauty. Time to get back to work, then.” She laughed as she reached down to grab his hand and pull as if she knew and expected him to pull her across his lap and kiss her silly and he didn’t want to disappoint her.
“I’m the boss. I can play hooky if I want to!”
“Well, I’m not the boss.” He knew she could feel his hard cock pushing against her thigh and wanted nothing more than to push her back against the mattress and have his wicked way with her. “Candy is my boss and she’s going to be here in fifteen minutes. We’re going shopping.”
“I can do a lot in fifteen minutes!”
* * * *
He was right, he could. He’d pretty much kissed her senseless during fourteen of those fifteen minutes. He spent the last one helping her to stand up on legs that felt limper than overcooked pasta.
“You melted my bones!” she accused.
“Maybe you should lay down for a few minutes! I’ll get rid of Candy.”
Jess laughed and pulled away just as the door swung open.
“Don’t you knock?” Murphy demanded. “I was just making some progress.”
“In that case, lock the door. You ready, Jess?”
“Yup. Can Murphy come?”
“Let me just call my foreman!”
“Not you, Murphy. Doggy Murphy!”
“Doggy Murphy is very welcome to come,” interjected Candy. “You, two-legged Murphy, go to work. Jess and I have errands to run and then the lunch shift. It’s already almost ten and we have to be back in less than an hour.”
Gratefully, Jess followed Candy out the door, whistling for four-legged Murphy to follow, which he did reluctantly.
“Traitor!” She ruffled the hair on his head affectionately as they followed Candy to her truck.
“Normally, Katie delivers, but she’s got a flat tire so I told her we’d go and pick up. Katie owns the local organic market and they deliver. She should have everything ready for us and we’ll be back in plenty of time.”
“You really didn’t need me for this, did you?”
“No, but I figured you might need an excuse to get away from Mu…the rancher.”
“Are you warning me against him?”
“No, not exactly.” Candy seemed to be choosing her words carefully, and Jess waited. “He’s a good guy. So is Cole. They are best friends, too.”
Jess felt herself blushing. She’d kissed both of them not even a day apart. She felt terrible.
“I’m not leading them on, really I’m not, Candy. I met them both at the saloon before I met Cole at your place for dinner. I thought they were both coming. I…”
“Slow down there, Jess. That’s not what I’m trying to say. I am trying to warn you, but not about what you might think. Have whatever fun you want to with them. They are great guys. Play around with both of them, but if you really are planning on moving on at the end of the week, try not to break their hearts.”
“Break their hearts? We hardly know each other. I hardly know them. We just met yesterday, the three of us. Besides, it’s not like I’m planning on getting involved with two men.” Jess laughed at the thought, but Candy stayed serious.
“That doesn’t matter, hon, and neither does how much time you’ve known each other. For example, I’ve only known you since yesterday, too, and I don’t want to see you get your heart broken either.”
“Thanks, Candy. But I don’t think there’s much chance of that. I’ll be leaving just as soon as my brother’s back in El Paso. According to his work, he should be back within a week.”
“You came all the way down here without knowing if your brother was home?”
“Yeah, well, the trip was kind of an impulse. I’m a writer, or I’m trying to be a writer, so money’s tight. On the positive side, I don’t have any set work hours or place. I can write anywhere. I just finished a story and needed a change of venue. Tait’s been asking me to visit, so I grabbed Murphy and jumped in the Jeep, and here we are.” Mentally Jess crossed her fingers. Her story was partially true. She was a writer, but she was mainly a journalist, but that could lead to too many questions. She’d done a little fiction writing on the side and she decided to play that up if she couldn’t chance the subject.
She would have preferred not to talk about it at all, but she did have to explain why a reasonably intelligent and educated woman was apparently unemployed and driving around the southwest. Besides, Candy was like a prosecuting attorney and wouldn’t stop.
“What do you write? Fiction, non-fiction?”
“I am hoping to write my first fiction novel. I’ve had a few novellas published, I’ve been eating a lot of Kraft Dinner and Ramen noodles, waiting for my big break.”
Oh, god. I’m going to hell for all of this lying. How do people do it? She decided to stick as closely to the truth as possible. She’d done a few novellas on the side. They were fun and brought in some extra cash as being a free-lance journalist wasn’t exactly lucrative, but hadn’t ever really considered quitting her job to write a novel. However, to salve her conscience, she might have to at least make a stab at it.
“Writing’s a tough field to break into, I guess.”
“It is, especially when you are working full time. Finally, last year, with my thirtieth birthday looming, I decided that it was time to take a chance. I decided that once I made my first sale, I’d quit my job and give it a year. That was nine months ago. I’ve sold half a dozen novellas, nothing fancy, but they sell well through an ePublisher, and now I’m working on a full-length novel.”
“That’s wonderful. Do you use your own name or a pen name?”
“Oh, definitely a pen name for the novellas. They are, er, a little racy.”
“You mean like Fifty Shades of Grey?”
“Yeah, kind of. Did you read it?”
“I did. I couldn’t really see what all the fuss was about. I prefer writers like Lexi Blake and Lynda Aicher. You have to tell me your pen name. Maybe I’ve read your stories.”
“Probably not. I’m with a small online publisher. And I never tell anyone my pen name.”
“Are you ashamed of what you write?”
“Of course not, it’s just, that, well, some people look at you differently when they read your stories. I mean, I don’t want to offend you, but…”
“Not to worry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I hope that one day you feel comfortable enough telling me your pen name, but if you don’t, that’s oka
y, too. Ah. Here we are!”
* * * *
Candy had offered to pay her in exchange for helping out with the lunch shift and she’d jumped at it. It would be nice to have some cash in her pocket. She was running low on funds and actually had considered dipping into the stash, but she wanted to avoid that if at all possible. The cops probably wouldn’t have any info on the serial numbers or whatever they would normally use to trace cash, but Lance and the people he worked with might have ways and means she had no understanding of, and she didn’t want to take any unnecessary chances.
The lunch shift passed quickly and soon they were cleaning up.
“One last task and then you can call it a day. You did very well, by the way. If this writing thing doesn’t work out, you have a future in waitressing.”
“Thanks, but writing is easier on the feet. What do you need me to do, Candy?”
“Can you take this care basket to a friend of mine? He usually comes by for lunch, but sometimes he gets so caught up in work that he forgets. It’s almost three and he’ll be starving when he takes a break.”
Ten minutes later, Jess and Murphy set off for the address that Candy gave her. It was a beautiful day, so they walked. Twenty minutes later she was approaching a largish structure on the edge of town, not too far from the Whips and Spurs Saloon. There was a large glass window with a door to the right. The sign across the window said “Reacher and Son, Blacksmiths and Farriers,” and a small sign in the corner said “Open”.
She looked around. She could see Cole’s truck parked to one side, but the rest of the parking spots were empty. The building had a railing in front and a water trough that would be just the thing for tying up and watering horses in need of shoes, or thirsty dogs.
“Wait out here, Murphy. I won’t be long.”
Chapter 6
Cole didn’t hear the door open, but he did see the lights flickering. His father had that little innovation installed after burning his arm pretty badly after being startled by an unnoticed visitor. Checking the clock on the wall, Cole realized that he’d been working for almost seven hours without a break, other than to guzzle water.
He switched off his blowtorch and grabbed a sports drink from the small fridge in his workshop. He definitely needed to replenish his electrolytes after a long day of smelting and welding. He then picked up his shirt in the other hand and strode out to the front waiting area, hoping it wasn’t tourists. He wasn’t expecting any customers today. His wasn’t the kind of business that got a lot of walk-in traffic. You just didn’t wake up one day and decide you needed a bunch of horseshoes or a new wrought-iron fence.
Most of his walk-in traffic were tourists who came by in the summer and seemed to think a blacksmith’s shop was a tourist attraction and not a working business. He didn’t mind them stopping for photos out front and had even designed the hitching posts and trough to be picturesque, but he couldn’t keep stopping his work to satisfy their Old West fetishes. He held a few demonstrations during the summer to satisfy that crowd, including at the town’s Wild West Days in September, but it was only June.
He stopped abruptly when he saw it was Jess, a big grin splitting his face. He saw her smile and then drop her eyes. Ah. His shirtlessness was affecting her. Maybe he’d leave it off a little longer and see how she reacted.
Brushing the sweat off his forehead with the back of his forearm, he then twisted the top off the sports drink and took a long swallow. She clearly didn’t realize that he could see her in the mirror on the other side of the store as she stared at him, and he had to try not to smirk as she looked away again once he lowered the bottle.
So, she was clearly affected by his half-naked body. Good. Very good. Hopefully he’d get to find out soon how she reacted to the sight of his totally naked body.
But he also didn’t want to scare her off, so he put the bottle down and pulled on his T-shirt. It was white, or rather it had been white when it was new. Now it was kind of a grey from being washed so often.
“What can I do for you?”
Jess just stared at him, which he took as a good sign.
“What can I do for you, Jess? Or are you just here to look around?”
“I, uh.”
“Is that package for me?”
“Yes, yes, it is.” She thrust the package at him and turned to leave.
“Keep me company. Please.”
“Company?”
“Yes. I hate to eat alone. And if you stay, I’ll give a tour of my workshop, and I’ll even let you see my scrollwork.”
“Is that like your etchings?” She was laughing now, which was a good sign, he hoped.
“Only the scrollwork upstairs in my bedroom.”
He saw her eyes glance up.
“You live here?”
“Yup. I’m a bachelor. It suits me. Play your cards right, and I’ll give you that tour, too.”
He waggled his eyebrows at her and smiled so she would laugh and not run away, but he wasn’t really kidding. He did want to bring her upstairs, but it wasn’t ironwork he wanted to show her, although when he was around her, his dick felt like iron. Stepping behind the counter, he discretely adjusted himself in his pants before going to a cupboard and pulling out a couple of plates and cutlery.
“Candy always sends enough for two. Why don’t you prepare a couple of plates and I’ll go into the back and get us something to drink and another chair. I have Diet Coke, iced tea, and water.”
“Diet Coke, please.”
He’d expected her to demur and had his follow-up argument all prepared, so he was at a bit of a loss when she agreed so readily. Maybe she was interested?
As he was coming back into the room with their drinks, he saw her pause and pull her phone out of her pocket. He watched as she turned away to answer it. Even from just her profile, he could see her go pale as she disconnected the call before turning the phone off and removing the battery.
Cole paused, giving her a moment to compose herself, before continuing into the room. Murphy had told him about the phone call she’d gotten earlier. He wanted to ask her if it was the same caller, but he didn’t think the time was right. Hopefully, she’d soon feel comfortable enough to tell them what was up. Even more importantly, he hoped it wouldn’t make her leave Satisfaction, without at least talking to them. Whatever kind of trouble she was in, they could help her.
Maybe it wasn’t even the other caller. It could be just your standard crank caller, but he didn’t think so, he admitted to himself. He’d eventually get to the bottom of things, but right now, he was more concerned with her bottom. And top. And everything in between.
* * * *
Jess took a deep breath. How had Lance gotten that number? Damn. But so far, he seemed to only have the number and not her exact location. She took a deep breath. He said he knew she was in the southwest. Was that a guess based on where her brother lived, or had he able to narrow down her location to the region using technology? York had told her it was possible that someone with top-notch contacts might be able to trace the phone. She had been overconfident and gotten careless. She should have been more careful about popping out the battery.
She popped it out. Better late than never.
Even if Lance knew she was headed to her brother’s, he still didn’t know about Satisfaction. She could run again or she could stay put. What were the odds that he would track her to some obscure little town? Better, she decided, to stay put and wait it out here. Just blundering around the southwest wasn’t going to solve anything.
She’d give it a few days and call Aaron, Tait’s best friend. He was one hundred percent trustworthy. She hadn’t wanted to get him involved, but if Lance was closing in, she might not have a choice. But for now, there was no evidence he had her location, just that phone number. She’d dump the phone, she decided, and get another. In the meantime…
She sensed movement and the sight that greeted her forced all other thought from her mind. She looked over at Cole. She had to stop
herself from hyperventilating, He was wearing that damned T-shirt, but it was so tight that she could swear she could see the outline of his six pack. Hell, it was more like an eight or twelve pack. The man had muscles on his muscles. They weren’t gym muscles, though, developed solely for the aesthetic look. These were a working man’s muscles, and she had such an overwhelming desire to touch them that she had to look away.
Then he took a drink and she found herself staring at his throat working as he swallowed. She saw a drop of condensation fall from the bottle and work its way down his chest and had to force herself not to launch herself at him to lick it off.
Thank goodness he was looking away and couldn’t see her almost drooling over him. When he finished, she averted her eyes again, as he put the bottle down and tried not to stare at his bulging biceps flexing at the movement. She busied herself looking around his shop, and that’s when she spotted the mirror. She could see him clearly and the bastard could probably see her watching him when she thought he was looking away.
She couldn’t be mad though. She didn’t want to go. And yet, she’d been kissing his best friend just this morning. Hell, maybe it was a good thing she’d be leaving town in a few days. Bad enough she had the hots for two men, but those two men were friends, best friends.
On the other hand, she considered as they made small talk, she was leaving in a few days. As long as she was upfront with the both of them, what could it hurt?
She smiled to herself as she unpacked the food Candy had sent. Cole was right. This was more than enough for two, with enough for leftovers for tomorrow’s breakfast.
“Does she really always pack this much?” Jess marvelled when Cole returned. She’d piled up both their plates with fried chicken, mashed potatoes, two kinds of veggies, and a home-baked role and was just putting out the napkins and cutlery when he sat the spare chair down at the desk she’d set the food on and settled on it. There was even a hamburger patty for Murphy, so with Cole’s permission, she brought him inside to join them.
