706 Sugarbush Lane: Older Man, Younger Woman Small Town Romance

by Penelope Wylde

  “It’s a simple question. What are you doing here?”

  She shrugged, her eyebrows pulling together, confusion clear in her gorgeous eyes. “I work here. Have been for the last three years.”

  “I got that, sweetheart.” At the endearment, her eyes widened further. “You were supposed to be gone.”

  Her head dipped, eyes glued on mine. It gave her a schoolteacher look like she couldn’t believe what I said and wanted to give me another try.

  “Gone?”

  “I didn’t expect you to be in Wild Ridge when I got back. I really hoped you had gotten out.”

  I knew immediately I’d said the wrong thing. The confusion faded from her face and her nose wrinkled. She narrowed her eyes and glared at me. She stopped cowering in the corner, leaning forward while her hands landed on her curvy hips.

  I fought down a grin. It was almost worth pissing her off, just to see how adorable she looked when she got angry. But I figured I had enough of an uphill battle ahead of me convincing her we belonged together, without angering her further.

  And make no mistake she would be mine.

  “And just where the hell did you expect me to be, Sawyer Becker? I didn’t realize sharing the same town with me offended you so deeply. Ya know. Maybe you can tell me a place you never plan on visiting and I can head there right this minute!” Her voice rose as she spoke so she all but yelled the last word.

  I leaned forward, pinning her to the back wall, my elbow above her head and my chest brushing against hers. Her nipples grazed against my pecs and fuck if I didn’t want a taste of those berry tips. Would they be soft pink or a dark dusty pink?

  Her chin rose as she flattened her palms against my chest, her fighting spirit coming to the front.

  With a chuckle, I grazed the back of my knuckles down the side of her soft cheek only to get my hand shoved aside. While it was supposed to be a move of defiance all it did was color her cheeks with a pretty shade of red and thrust her beautiful breasts up through the low-cut V of her T-shirt with the Rusty Nail logo over the left breast. My mouth watered from the sweet promise the glimpse teased me with.

  “Feisty.” I lost the battle with my smile. I grinned down at her even as I prepared to grovel. But before I got the chance, another voice intruded.

  “What is going on here? Why aren’t you waiting on tables like I pay you to do, Trinity?” Birdie pushed her way into the cubby.

  I lost my grin. “Birdie,” I growled and my voice dripped with warning.

  Birdie’s gaze flew up to my face. She shook her head and offered me a placating grin, placing a hand on my arm. “I’m sorry, Sawyer. I should have known Trinity would pull something like this the second you got back into town. You know what they say...” She threw a sneer in Trinity’s direction. “Like mother, like daughter. I’m sorry she’s ruined your homecoming. I’ll tend to this right away. I should have never let her take her mother’s place.”

  The words hit me like a punch to the gut. Anger and sheer animalistic rage pushed out all common sense and logic.

  I glared at Trinity as memories of her mother bombarded me. Rena Douglas was the town joke. She worked at the Rusty Nail only weeks before I left town to work the private security job. She would swish around in tight, barely-there clothes and laughing about working at a place like this when all she wanted to do was trap herself a man.

  And she’d made her way through any and all of the male population that would have her, desperate to find one who’d keep her.

  Trinity was the exact opposite of her mother. Everyone always thought she was sweet and helpful. Shame she had that woman as a mother, were words often heard when Trinity’s name came up.

  I reared back, a snarl tearing from my lips. Disgust rose inside me when I saw Trinity had resumed cowering in the corner.

  “Trinity here has the same hopes as her mother. Tell him, girl. Why else do you wear hooker heels like those?”

  “Birdie!” Trinity bit out, wrapping her arms around her middle, eyes pinned to the floor by my feet. “How could you say that?”

  Pretty feet. Just like the rest of her.

  What the hell is going on here?

  “Birdie, back the fuck off. You and I will have words later.” I turned back to Trinity uncaring how I left Birdie. “Is any of that true?” I had a hard time believing it but the longer I stared down at Trinity and the longer she stayed silent the more I wondered. I mean, I’ve been gone a long time. People change, don't they?

  I moved a piece of hair from her face and tipped her chin high. “Tell me the truth, baby girl. Is that why you didn’t want to tell me why you didn’t leave this mountainside when it was all you ever talked about before I left?”

  Her eyes chased my expressions as they morphed from confusion to pissed off but still said nothing.

  Anger snarled deep inside my chest. “I see. Maybe it’s better this way.” I rolled my shoulders and brushed past them both, striding straight to the front door of the bar.

  Mac called my name, but I didn’t slow down until my truck hit the city limits and I had a choice to make.

  Chapter 4

  Trinity

  I blinked. What the fuck just happened? And why did the look on Sawyer’s face as he stalked out of here cause my chest to ache?

  A red-tipped nail wagged in front of my face. “That’s the last straw, Trinity.” Birdie’s snotty voice shook me from my shocked stupor. “I can’t have someone like you working here. It’s bad for business and for Sawyer. You’re fired.”

  My heart stuttered in my chest. I needed this job. It’s why I kept my mouth shut and took what the old coot dished out. Why I didn’t say shit when she accused me of being like my mother.

  But, you know what, this time I let her go too damn far with her verbal jabs.

  My plans depend on me keeping this job. I’d obviously failed to escape this town before Sawyer’s return, but even if I went back to my original timeline, I’d been depending on my tips from this part-time job to help me pay my tuition and living expenses once I got to Syn City.

  Despite the heaviness in my chest, I stirred up a smile. I’d been looking forward to seeing the last of Birdie fucking Holt since the moment I took this job. And I’d be damned if I gave her the satisfaction of seeing that she’d struck a blow.

  “Fine by me,” I said. I yanked my apron from around my waist and tossed it to her. She fumbled for it and almost fell over. “And let me be perfectly clear.” I raised my voice. “I’m not the one hitting on every swinging dick in this joint. A man can’t walk through those doors without you slathering on more of that God-awful puke pink lipstick and you making them feel there’s more than one way to pay for their meal. Just sayin’. Toodles, biatch.”

  Well, there goes the last bit of respect I had. But the look on her face would fuel my feel-good dreams for years to come.

  Birdie stumbled back like I’d struck her across the face.

  Nothing would have made leaving this place better than seeing the woman who lorded my mother’s reputation over me for years fall on her ass, but she righted herself just in time before eating the hard wood.

  Bummer. I never wished anyone harm, but just this once...just this once.

  I sighed heavily. I guess I had to settle for walking out and never returning.

  Good thing I had kickass bitch heels to do it in. I turned on my spiked heel and marched to the break room to get my stuff. In less than a minute I was stomping toward the door, keeping my eyes fixed straight ahead, more than ready to put this place behind me for good. I’ve been fine without Sawyer Becker in my life until now and just because he wounded my heart a little tonight didn’t mean I would spend an ounce of my time crying.

  Then why did my eyes sting so damn hard?

  “Trinity!”

  I didn’t recognize the male voice calling my name just as my feet hit the gravel of the parking lot.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I caught sight of Sawyer’s brother Mac, walking in my dir
ection.

  Great. Just what I needed. One more Becker hassling me. I picked up my pace and all but jogged past a couple of rows of parked cars, not an easy task in heels.

  I tugged the collar of my denim jacket tighter around my neck, bracing myself against the cold breeze that stung my cheeks and nose. Cursing Mother Nature again, I hurried through the lot, more than ready to go hide out in my apartment and lick my Sawyer Becker-inflicted wounds while I figured out how to replace the income from my job at this stupid bar. The Sugarbush Hot Cocoa and Coffee didn’t do nearly enough for my pocket.

  “Trinity, damn girl, hold up. I need to talk to you,” Mac called out.

  While Sawyer went off and did God knows what, his brothers and best friend had stayed in the service, coming home on leave every so often until they finally all got their discharge papers a couple of months ago. It was big news in a town this small. I should have known Sawyer wouldn’t be far behind, but I’d missed all the signs.

  I slowed to a stop, my shoulders dropping, tilting my head up to the sky as if the answer to my question could be found there.

  “You okay?” Mac lugged his big frame to a stop at my side. I didn’t know why but the men in this town seemed larger than normal. Every single one of them looked to have shoulders made for carrying timber and arms thicker than my thighs. And that’s saying something. Curvy, tall and ample were words my best friend, Madison, liked to use to describe me and aptly so.

  I slid my eyes his way without moving my head. He stood at my side, his head tipped back, studying the sky as if he was trying to figure out what I was looking at.

  I twisted my head to look at him. “You’re not going to find any answers up there. I already looked. Millions of times. Trust me. Don’t waste your time.”

  Mac turned toward me. “Huh. Well, that depends on the question in my experience. But since you didn’t find anything up there, maybe I can help you with those answers down here.”

  He offered me a grin that invited me to share his joke. I couldn’t help but smile back. I’d always liked Mac. He’d graduated from high school before I got there, as did Sawyer.

  Mac always seemed to have a joke to tell and a smile to share. He’d never been anything but kind to me. That had always made it easier to talk to him than most of the locals. I figured a bit of honesty couldn’t hurt at this point. I’d be leaving town as soon as I could manage it. What could it hurt to tell him what was on my mind?

  “Okay, you want my questions. Here’s one. What is up with you guys tonight. Unless I’m serving beer or breakfast, most of the men around here ignore me. But tonight I can’t seem to turn around without running into one of you.”

  Mac’s eyes filled with confusion. “Breakfast?”

  “Yes, breakfast. You know. What you tend to eat in the morning. I serve beer at the Rusty Nail at night, breakfast with coffee and hot cocoa at the Sugarbush Hot Cocoa Stand in the morning and afternoon. ”

  Mac’s expression cleared. “I had no idea you worked two jobs.”

  I nodded. “Since I was in high school. I thought everyone knew that. But it’s not like we’ve had a lot of time to talk. You Beckers don’t stick around long enough to know much and hot cocoa really isn’t your thing.”

  I shrugged away his stunned silence. “Forget it. A few more months and I’m leaving anyway.” If it killed me, I’d find a way to stick to my timelines. I didn’t think I’d survive if I had to postpone my escape.

  “You’re leaving town?” Mac matched his steps to my stride, walking down Sugarbush Lane with me.

  I shot him a look. “I don’t need an escort.”

  “I don’t mind.” The amusement was back in Mac’s voice.

  “Great.” I shifted my gaze straight ahead and kept going. The sooner I got to my door, the sooner I could shake the annoying mountain man at my side.

  “You didn’t answer my question,” Mac said, breaking the silence after a few minutes.

  “Look, I don’t need an escort and I don’t owe you any explanations. And despite what your brother, Sawyer, might think because of Birdie or just sheer stupidity on his part, I’m not the town whore looking to land any man who will take me. So I really wish you’d go back to the bar and leave me the hell alone.”

  My bitter words stung him as much as they did me from the shocked look on his face and the deep burn in my chest.

  Mac grabbed my shoulder and stopped us both short.

  I jerked back in his grip and whirled to face him. “What the hell?”

  He dropped his hand as if he’d been scorched and then raised both hands, palms out. “Sorry. I’m sorry. Damn I’m screwing this up before I can get started.”

  I pressed my lips together and fisted my hands at my side. “Okay. You’ve got my attention. What could you possibly want from me, Mac?”

  “It’s about Sawyer.” He grimaced and pushed a hand through his short dark hair.

  Under different circumstances, I might giggle at his obvious discomfort. It was so different from his usual wisecracking, confident self. But right now, it was all I could do not to burst into tears at the mere mention of Sawyer’s name. I couldn’t even begin to think about the throbbing grief that held my heart in its fist when he stormed out of the bar at what Birdie said.

  Then again, I failed to stand up for myself out of fear of losing my job.

  “Look, Sawyer’s going to be kicking his own ass when he comes to his senses. I’m sorry he acted like such a jerk, but you have to understand, he’s at his limit when it comes to you. There’s a lot of things he keeps bottled up. Dark moments he’s gone through in the last couple of years. Shit that has fucked him up in ways he’ll never talk about. But you and how he feels about you...” Mac shook his head as if gathering his thoughts. “Tonight is the first time in a long time that I’ve actually seen him smile and when it happened his eyes were on you.”

  “How he feels about me?” For a second my insides started to flutter with hope. And then I remembered. Sawyer was here today gone tomorrow on whatever secret job that took him away for years at a time. And by the look of him tonight, when he did come back, he had new scars and a darker vibe about him.

  I wrinkled my nose at Mac. I shook my head. “You know what, Mac? I’m not sure of much, but I do understand one thing. It really doesn’t matter whether Sawyer thinks I’m sleeping with every man in this town or not.” I somehow managed to hold back the humorless laugh his words brought to the surface. I definitely didn’t want to examine just how much it did matter to me.

  “I’m leaving soon. I just lost my job at the bar. I’ll give my notice at the Sugarbush Stand as soon as I can afford it, and after that, I’m heading off to Syn City to get my degree in business while I show my portfolio of jewelry to the high-end shops there.”

  Fear crossed Mac’s face. Actual real fear as though my plan caused him pain.

  “Uhh, you can’t do that, Trinity. You have to forgive Sawyer.”

  I stared at Mac, totally bewildered. “Why? Why could it possibly matter whether or not I forgive Sawyer?”

  He turned away, blowing out a harsh breath before he turned back to face me. “It’s not for me to say. But trust me, you can’t leave town.”

  “I’ve had these plans for a while now. I have no clue what’s going on tonight. Maybe it’s some moon phase that’s making all you men crazy or something, but Mac, I am leaving town. As soon as I have enough money saved, I’m out of here.”

  “I have an offer for you.” Mac’s voice held a note of panic. “Sawyer, Dyson, Eeli and I are starting a business. We need to hire an office manager. I want to give you the job.”

  I shook my head. “I just told you I’m leaving town. Not to mention, you have no idea if I have the skills needed to manage your office. Why would you offer me a job?”

  Suspicion grew inside me and my temper grew along with it.

  “Despite what Birdie Holt or anyone else in this town might think, I’m not like my mother.” I bit each word out. “If
you and your friends think you’re going to pass me around your office like some fuck toy…”

  “Trinity, no. God.” Mac stepped closer and put a finger under my chin, holding it there so I had no choice but to meet his gaze. “None of us think that. I’m offering you a job because you’ve always been smart and friendly and a hard worker. I have no doubt you can figure out how to do everything you need in order to get the job done.”

  His voice was soft and earnest. I stared into his handsome face and blinked at his emphatic words. He seemed completely sincere.

  As I stood close to him, his finger still under my chin, his warm, masculine scent filled my nose and I couldn’t avoid taking in every feature of his striking face. And for the first time, a thought hit me.

  Mac was hot. I’d known him as long as I’d known Sawyer. But not once had his good looks or hard body ever impacted me the way Sawyer’s had.

  Don’t get me wrong, I might have admired him. Maybe even ogled him a little when he walked past me wearing a certain pair of jeans. I’m not dead, after all.

  But…I’d never felt like I couldn’t control myself around him. Never had the urge to throw myself into his arms. Never had the sense that he was anything but a nice guy.

  Every once in a while, I’d catch a glimpse of the warrior beneath the man’s skin, but even in those moments, I wasn’t attracted to him with a craving I could barely control.

  That feeling only surged through me when I was near one man.

  I quickly squashed the thought and ripped my chin from Mac’s hold, taking a big step backward. No way was I going to stand here on the sidewalk in the cold and contemplate the wild attraction I had for this man’s brother.

  “Trinity, I mean it. We never thought of you that way. If some of the guys in town kept their distance, well, we had our reasons. But those aren’t mine to share. What I can say is that most of the people in this town know you’re not like…”

  He paused and the way his eyes shifted to the side and his mouth flattened, I knew he was uncomfortable saying the words out loud. Who wants to insult someone’s mother right to her face?