He wasn’t a man who wanted much, but he wanted this woman.
“I’m not letting you push me away,” he said. “You don’t like people making choices for you. Don’t make them for me.” He thrust inside her and stilled.
Her eyes flew open. He knew they would. He’d touched a raw nerve in her heart.
“You hear me?”
She nodded. “I hear you.” She pushed his hips away and then pulled them forward. He rolled over and let her set the pace. He closed his eyes and felt everything from the way she rode him to the way she made him feel. Three made him want to be more than a cowboy. For her, he’d become anything.
When he felt the start of her core fluttering, he gripped her hips and slowed her motion so he could feel every pulse. Seconds later, he followed her to the end.
She lay on his chest while he drew circles on her back. They should have been cold. They weren’t.
He was so content that he didn’t notice the storm had passed until he heard the neigh of one of the horses.
“I guess that’s our signal to get up and get dressed.” He patted her bottom and watched her rise. He’d never get tired of looking at her.
She tugged on her wet underwear and jeans.
He tied off the condom and tucked it into the pocket of his pants.
Just as they were pulling on their shirts, the door to the shelter opened, and there stood Cade.
Chapter Nineteen
She looked up to see her brother blocking the doorway.
If the universe was going to kick her while she was down, she wondered why she hadn’t gotten hit by a lightning bolt when they were racing through the storm for shelter. It would have been a quicker and less painful way to go.
She tugged her damp shirt to the center to fasten the last button.
“We’re okay.”
He lifted a brow. “I can see that.”
“It’s not what you think.” Her heart hated the lie. It was exactly what he thought. Sadly, finding her in the shelter with Wyatt, both of them dressing, would only confirm the rumors about her reputation. She’d just proven every lie to be true. How could she say she didn’t sleep around when she was caught? “We were wet from the storm. Did you think we’d sit here and get hypothermia?” She gave Wyatt a don’t-say-a-word look. Thankfully he didn’t.
“Is that true? Were you undressed to dry off?” He stepped inside the room and glanced around.
What did he think, there’d be spent condoms laying everywhere? She snapped her head toward the cot, hoping he hadn’t left the one they’d used sitting out in the open. Wyatt tapped his pocket as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.
She released the breath she hadn’t known she’d been holding.
“Is it true?” Cade asked again.
Her shoulder rolled forward, and she sighed. “No, it’s not true. I mean yes, we took our clothes off to let them dry. It’s true, we didn’t want to die from hypothermia, but that was our excuse—our justification.”
“I warned you, Trinity. No sleeping with the staff.”
Wyatt stepped in front of her. “That’s not fair. I’m tired of the men at this ranch not giving her the benefit of the doubt.”
“Oh, I doubt her a lot. If she were a guy, I’d say she was thinking with the wrong head. Ignoring my rules means she’s not thinking at all.”
She tried to step to the side of him, but he stood in front of her like a shield. Although he was tall and muscular and had broad shoulders and washboard abs, he wasn’t as big as her brother.
“She wasn’t breaking your rules. I wasn’t working for you. I was working for Lloyd. We started this relationship weeks ago.”
Cade seemed to grow bigger with each inhale. “Time to end it. Make-ups and break-ups destroy a business. I can’t risk losing mine.” He turned and walked out of the shelter.
Her knees buckled, and Wyatt caught her. She rarely let her emotions show, but standing there for those few minutes and seeing the judgment in Cade’s eyes destroyed her. She had to choose right there. Would it be Cade or Wyatt? One would destroy two lives, the other only hers.
“We can’t do this.” She wrenched herself free and walked out the door. “I’ll get Red back to the stables.”
“Trinity,” he called after her. It was kind of like being in trouble. When she was in her family’s good grace, they called her Trin. When she was in trouble, those three syllables were spat out like darts seeking a target.
Thankfully, Red was munching on grass in the middle of the field. She rushed to him and looked him over. He didn’t seem worse for the wear, though she was certain he’d be happy to get the soppy saddle off his back. “Ready to go home, boy?”
She looked over her shoulder to see Wyatt moving toward the fence where Rex stood. She gave the horse a soft nudge and steered him toward home.
All the way, her emotions scraped at her insides to let go. She swallowed so much that her throat hurt. Her eyes bulged with unshed tears, and she raced toward the stables. She needed to talk to someone. Someone who would understand what she was going through. Someone who’d sucked up everyone’s negativity and taken all the punches. The only person she knew who’d walked through fire and came out cool on the other side was Goldie. The weeks she’d worked with her were entertaining as she shot her vlog posts and told people to keep it real.
She’d understand how it was to have to be someone she wasn’t to survive.
When she reached the stable an hour later, she made sure to groom Red and check for injury. Short of a few swollen spots on his muzzle, he looked fine. She walked out as Wyatt walked in.
He stopped her. “Please don’t shut me out. We can make this work. Your brother doesn’t have to know. We can keep this off the ranch.”
She shook her head. “I’ve never been a good liar. Look what I did in the shelter. All I had to do was say yes, it was all about drying the clothes, and he would have accepted it, but I’ve never been a liar. It’s not in my nature to be dishonest or disloyal. Loving you and Cade is a problem for me. I want to be loyal to my feelings for you, but I owe my brother loyalty too. Don’t ask me to choose.”
She walked away, feeling lower than low. Her biggest complaint in life was that someone always tried to make choices for her. Now she was faced with one of the hardest decisions, and she wished someone else would decide.
She didn’t bother going into the bunkhouse to change. She was almost dry anyway. What she needed was wise council. She wasn’t sure if she could get it from Goldie, but she’d try.
Knowing her schedule, she bypassed town and drove up the country road to where Tilden and Goldie had built their new home. Like the stable, the Cooper brothers had erected the structure in weeks.
She was no sooner out of her car when Goldie opened the door of the old cabin and waved her inside.
“What are you doing here?”
Trinity took three steps and burst into tears. “I … I … I’m a mess.” She fell into Goldie’s arms and went wherever she was led.
“Let’s make some tea. It’s really the cure for all ailments. And chocolate. And sex.”
At the mention of sex, Trinity wailed louder. “I’m giving it all up.” She swiped a napkin from the holder and dabbed at her eyes. “Not the tea. I’ll take that.”
Goldie opened cupboards and pulled containers down. When she popped the tops, there was a bin of chocolate, one of cookies, and one of hard candy.
“You help yourself while I get the tea.”
“I’m not giving up chocolate either, but I’ll have to give up sex.” She looked around. “You don’t have that in a plastic tub, do you?”
Goldie laughed. “No, but I did get sponsored once by a sex toy company.” She set two cups on the small table. They weren’t dainty and feminine like Abby’s but sturdy man cups. “If you’re keeping men around just for the sex …” She looked left and right. “There’s no need. They’ve got a device for that. The Womanizer is all a girl needs for satisfaction. Love
is something else. If you’re crying, it’s a pain in the heart that’s driving it.”
“You’re so right. No pain in the ass is worth these tears.” She swiped at them again, but they kept rolling down her cheeks. She’d had one big cry since she became an adult. Wasn’t she entitled to one a decade?
The kettle whistled, and Goldie gathered tea bags and honey. “This is from Abby. Her bees make the best honey. I bet she sings to them.”
A vision of Abby standing in front of her hives singing broke the sorrow and replaced it with a laugh. “I don’t know her well enough to say, but she’s sweet. She’s got a good heart. Hell, she puts up with my brother, and that means she’s a damn saint.”
“You gonna tell me what happened, or do I need to put you into a sugar coma and squeeze it out of you?”
Trinity settled back in the chair. It dawned on her that they were in the old house. “Why are you here when you’ve got that big house next door?”
She held up two fingers. “Two reasons. One is because I love it here. Two is because we’re letting a guest stay, and I needed to get it ready.”
“A guest?”
She leaned in and whispered. “Yes. You remember that guy who owns the dry goods store?”
Trinity didn’t know why, but she remembered his name. “Jake Powers?”
Goldie sat up, and her eyes grew bright. “I knew I recognized him. He’s a life coach. You know, the guys that tell you how to be successful and stuff. He’s got a huge social media profile. We used to have the same agent before mine canned me. Anyway, since I kind of know him and Tilden got some help from Doc at one time, we’re paying back the favor and letting him stay here until he opens the store and moves on.”
“Do you know what they’re putting in?”
“No, it’s like area 51. Top Secret. If they tell you, they’ll have to kill you.”
It was irrelevant to Trinity. On the way up, she’d thought about her options. A week ago, she would have been stuck, but Blain wanted her back. Her father always said to never cross the same bridge twice, but right now, Blain was the only bridge that could get her away from here.
“I’m sure it will be great. You’ll have to text me and let me know when it opens.”
She frowned and shook her head. “You can see for yourself.” She doctored her tea and picked through the candy to get a chocolate kiss. “You look like you need this.”
“I really do.”
Trinity spent the next ten minutes telling her everything, and when she was finished, Goldie just stared.
“Your brother is a dolt. Doesn’t he know that a well-sexed cowboy is a happy cowboy? That a man who has something at home doesn’t spend his nights getting in trouble elsewhere?”
“All my brother is thinking about is his ranch. I can’t blame him. His ex-wife did a real number on him. Took everything and put his plan ten years behind schedule. There’s merit to his argument.”
“But you love Wyatt. That has to mean something.”
“It means everything. To me. Not to Cade.”
“Don’t go back to Texas. That guy you worked for is a bigger idiot than your brother. If Wyatt lets you go, then he’s the biggest idiot of all.”
She tasted her tea and made a face. It wasn’t anything she was used to. “What kind of tea is this?”
Goldie smiled. “It’s called Happiness Tea. I read the ingredients, and it has everything from flowers to fruits.”
Trinity put another helping of honey into it. “It tastes like dirt.”
“I know, right?” She picked up both cups and dumped them into the sink. “Makes you happy to toss it away.”
Trinity laughed. “I knew this was the right place to come. You’re such a funny person.”
She shrugged. “Funny used to pay the bills, and now getting real does.”
“Where’s Tilden?”
She clapped her hands. “He’s fishing with Cannon, Bowie, and Ben. When he gets back, I’m gutting trout for my fans.”
“What if he doesn’t catch anything?”
“Then, I’ll show them how to gut Tilden.”
“You two are so fun together.”
“Oh yeah, it was a barrel of laughs at the beginning. He was a dog, and I was a cat. We spent the first few weeks barking and scratching at each other.”
“But it worked out.”
“It did because I learned that nice trumped everything. I also learned that being honest with myself helped me to be honest with others, and that opened a lot of doors. Maybe you’re the flipside. Be honest with others about how they make you feel, and maybe then you can be honest with yourself. I mean, really honest. Are you willing to give up Wyatt because your brother is shortsighted? You’re thirty years old.”
“It would be different if I wasn’t living on his land.”
“Tell you what. As soon as Jake Powers leaves, you can live here.”
“Really?” Could it be that easy? “I don’t make anything living and working at Cade’s, so I’ll have to get a job.”
“Come back to the Brewhouse.”
“Oh, Lord no. I was awful.”
Goldie laughed. “You were. I was bad, but honey, you were worse. We’ll find you something. I learned that in Aspen Cove, anything is possible.”
She left Goldie’s feeling like things were going to be okay. If she didn’t work on her brother’s ranch, she couldn’t be breaking his rules. All she needed to do was hope for Mr. Powers to finish up his business and move on.
Chapter Twenty
Wyatt waited on the porch for Three. She walked away from him like it was over. It was never going to be over. She had crawled under his skin. She lived in his cells. It wasn’t the sex that brought him to this place. He broke the cardinal rule of dating women. He courted her before he dated her and before he slept with her. It was so much easier to walk away when you didn’t know the person’s heart. He knew her heart, and it was all good.
His first instinct was to beat some sense into her brother. He understood his position. A new ranch didn’t need to be rumored to have discontent. He could also understand her brother’s distrust of his sister. If the rumors flowed about her, no matter how untrue, it wouldn’t take many repeats to put doubt in anyone’s mind. But Three was Cade’s sister. She had been raised on the same values.
Wyatt rubbed his jaw and growled.
In the distance, a cloud of dirt kicked up with the arrival of someone tearing down the unpaved road. His hope of it being Three was dashed when a blue truck arrived.
Tom pushed the door open and climbed out.
“Are you pining for your lost love?” He slammed the door shut and walked toward the bunkhouse.
“Why are you such an asshole to her?”
He walked up the steps and leaned against the railing. “She’s been an asshole to me since the day I met her. What did big brother think when he found you naked in the shelter?”
“Wait … how did you know?”
Tom laughed. “It was a good guess. Put Trinity near a mattress, and she’ll lay flat on her back every time.”
Wyatt lunged toward Tom. “Your problem is she would never spread her legs for you.”
Tom stood his ground. “And you think you’re special? She is what she is, and now her brother knows it for sure.”
Wyatt pushed against Tom, nearly toppling him backward over the rail. “You told her brother to check on us.”
“Just being neighborly. The hail was large, and you two were gone for a while. How was I supposed to know?”
Wyatt threw the first punch, and it was a doozy. Tom’s head snapped back, knocking his Stetson off and sending him over the rail. He hit the ground but popped up like a pugilist ready for the next round.
Not wanting Tom to have to put himself out, Wyatt jumped the rail and landed in front of him, fists at the ready. He was prepared to take a hit or two but wasn’t prepared for the velocity at which it struck. He reached out and grasped Tom’s collar before he stumbled back. T
he collar tore free, leaving a strip of plaid in his hand. He used it to wipe the blood from his nose and tossed it to the ground.
“This one is for Trinity,” he yelled as he threw the punch and connected with Tom’s jaw.
The man took a step back and regrouped to charge forward. Wyatt wound up in a bear hug rolling on the ground.
Their fight must have been loud because the next thing he knew, Tom was pulled off him, and Cade stood between them.
“What the hell is going on here?”
Wyatt stepped back and dusted off his jeans. “He started it.”
Tom picked his Stetson up and shoved it on his head. “You threw the first punch.”
Cade looked between them. “Is that the truth?”
He’d seen what the truth did for Three—nothing. He bent it. “His mouth fired first.”
“Don’t tell me this is about my sister.”
“This isn’t about Three.”
“Who?” Tom and Cade said simultaneously.
“I’m talking about Trinity. You know, bold, ballsy, and beautiful in heart and soul. This fight isn’t about Trinity. It’s about choices.” He turned to Cade. “You’re choosing this asshole over your sister. Maybe you should listen to her. You said this afternoon that if she were a man, you’d accuse her of thinking with the wrong head. All I’m saying is open your eyes, man. Take your eyes off your ranch and cattle for a second, and see what’s really happening.” He marched past Cade and threw another punch, hitting Tom directly in the nose. “That one’s for me.”
He turned and faced Cade. “If you want me gone, I’ll pack up and leave now.”
Cade threw up his hands. “What I want is for you two to figure out a way to work together. If you can’t, I’ll replace both of you.”
Wyatt turned on his boots and walked into the bunkhouse. He would have thrown his shit in his truck and left if it wasn’t for Three. He’d hoped to see her before he fell asleep, but the hot shower and the fight had taken the last of his energy. When his head hit the pillow, he was out.
One Hundred Choices (An Aspen Cove Novel Book 12) Page 14
