Hard to Hold

by Nicole Edwards

  Still, he called Rhys.

  “’Sup?” the sheriff greeted, his voice a rough rasp in Wolfe’s ear.

  “Amy and I are headin’ to the lake.” Wolfe glanced over at Amy. “She wants to know if you wanna join us.”

  She smiled back at him.

  “She wants to know?” Rhys sounded skeptical.

  “Actually, yes,” Wolfe assured him.

  “When?”

  “Right now.”

  Rhys yawned. Apparently, Wolfe had woken him up.

  “Yeah. I’ll meet y’all there. I assume you’re takin’ her to your lake?”

  “Yep.”

  “Cool.” Another yawn. “See you in an hour.”

  “We won’t wait on you.” Wolfe chuckled. “And we’ve got donuts. You’ll be lucky if there’re any left. Amy’s eyein’ them right this minute. Later.” Wolfe hung up and set his phone in the center console. “He’ll meet us in an hour.”

  “How long have you known Rhys?” Amy asked, pulling one of the glazed donuts from the box.

  “Since elementary school. Maybe before that.” He cut a quick glance her way. “We’re both from Embers Ridge.”

  “Are y’all … close?”

  Wolfe chuckled, his thoughts drifting back to last night on his front porch when Rhys had jacked him off. Couldn’t get much closer than that, but still, Wolfe said, “Not really, no. He’s five years older than I am. Our families aren’t exactly on good terms.”

  “No?”

  “No.” He laughed. “It’s a redneck thing, I guess. A lot of glares and grumbles. Although it’s calmed significantly over the past few decades.” Even more so since Rhys’s old man died. People said Rhys’s grandfather was an ornery old shit. Rhys’s old man had made the guy look like a fucking teddy bear.

  “Is there a reason for it?”

  Wolfe shrugged and turned off the main road. “Probably. If I had to guess, someone stole someone’s girl or gun or land. That’s the way it usually goes.”

  Amy laughed softly. “It must’ve been fun growing up in a small town.”

  “I wouldn’t trade it,” Wolfe admitted. “No small-town livin’ for you?”

  Amy shook her head. “Not unless Houston counts as small.”

  Wolfe didn’t say anything immediately. He didn’t know if Amy had meant to tell him something so personal. She’d been careful not to talk about herself and he’d been careful not to pry.

  “Well, I’d say Embers Ridge is much smaller than Houston.”

  “I like it here,” Amy told him.

  “What do you like most?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “The people? The pace? The eggs at the diner? Or maybe seein’ the cattle graze alongside every road that goes through town?” He smiled at her, then cocked an eyebrow. “It’s the donuts, right?”

  Honest to God, Wolfe had never seen someone react to donuts the way Amy had the day Lynx brought them into the shop. It was as though she’d been deprived of them her entire life. And that beaming smile was the very reason Wolfe had gone forty minutes out of his way to get donuts this morning.

  Another laugh from Amy and Wolfe felt the tension in his spine ease. Being around her felt right, but every time he was, he was apprehensive. Not necessarily because of any tension between them, either. His problem came more from the fact that he didn’t want to intrude on her. He liked that Amy was opening up to him slowly. They were becoming friends, as she’d said. And yes, he wanted to get his hands on her, but that was something he could wait for.

  “You,” she said softly.

  Wolfe’s head jerked toward her. “What about me?”

  He noticed the blush that colored her cheeks. “That’s what I like most about this town.”

  “Is that right?” He couldn’t deny his ego swelled from that knowledge.

  “And Rhys.” She grinned. “And maybe Reagan and Lynx, too.”

  Laughing, Wolfe turned the truck down the dirt road that led to the lake. “Aww, come on now, girl. Why you wanna wound my pride like that?”

  “I seriously doubt anyone could wound your pride.”

  “Why do you think that?” It was probably true, but he still wanted to hear her take on it.

  “I’ve seen you, Wolfe. The way all those cowboys look at you. They’re intimidated, but it’s like they can’t let anyone know it.”

  “Naw. They’re intimidated by Lynx.”

  Amy giggled. “Yes, I’d say they are. But also by you.”

  Silence descended as Wolfe steered the truck down to the edge of the water. He parked beneath a tree. Although it was only nine in the morning, it was already ninety degrees.

  “You ready to do this?” he asked, noticing Amy was wringing her hands in her lap.

  She peered over at him from beneath her lashes, a small smile forming on her lips as she reached over and unbuckled her seat belt.

  Her smile widened. “Last one in’s a rotten egg!”

  Wolfe roared a laugh as Amy launched herself out of the truck, running full out toward the lake.

  It took a second for him to toe off his boots, but Wolfe was right behind her.

  Jeans and all.

  When Rhys arrived at the lake, he found Wolfe and Amy already in the water. She was splashing him and attempting to get away while Wolfe was laughing and swimming circles around her.

  Rhys found himself transfixed by the sight of Amy above all else.

  The woman was so damn pretty when she smiled. With her hair slicked back, shirt plastered to her body, showcasing her perky tits, she looked like an angel sent down to wreak havoc on Rhys’s good sense.

  But still, that smile. It did something for him in a big way.

  Considering he hadn’t seen her do it that often, perhaps that was why he was so taken with her. He still didn’t know the first thing about her—not where she was from, who her parents were, if she’d gone to college or simply decided to work for a living, who she was running from—but he found he didn’t care. Whatever her demons were, they didn’t matter. Not while she was here and certainly not when she was laughing like that.

  “’Bout time, Sheriff,” Amy taunted, her arms moving to keep her afloat.

  They weren’t far from the water’s edge, but obviously far enough Amy couldn’t touch the sandy bottom. Wolfe didn’t seem to be having the same problem.

  “I brought coffee,” Rhys announced.

  “Wolfe brought donuts!” Amy informed him.

  “I heard. Did you eat ’em all?” Rhys lowered the tailgate on his truck and set the coffee cups in the back before heading over and retrieving the donut box from Wolfe’s truck. He peeked inside and noticed there was only one missing.

  “Not yet,” Amy answered, her response delayed when Wolfe tried to grab for her.

  After depositing the donuts on the tailgate, Rhys turned to find Wolfe walking out of the water with Amy on his back. She had one arm curled around his neck, holding on tight, while she giggled. Wolfe still donned his jeans but lacked a shirt. To his dismay, it looked as though Amy was wearing her shorts along with her T-shirt.

  Wolfe set Amy down on the tailgate, then shook his head, spraying water over Rhys.

  “I think you should get wet,” Amy teased, her eyes locked on Rhys.

  “Yeah?”

  She nodded.

  “If I go in, I’m takin’ you with me.”

  Amy hopped off the tailgate. “You’ll have to catch me first!”

  She took off and Rhys looked at Wolfe, shocked by the complete one-eighty this woman had done in the past week. He briefly wondered if working for the Caine cousins had brought her out of her shell. If so, he hoped she continued doing it.

  Wolfe shrugged and Rhys toed off his boots and ripped his shirt off over his head, then took off after her. She was already in the water by the time he caught up, so he dove in, coming up beside her. He pretended to grab for her, gauging her reaction. Surprising him even more, Amy belted out a laugh, then dunked him with her hand on hi
s head.

  Rhys came up for air and put his arms around her. He didn’t try to hold her tight, but that didn’t matter because she clung to him, hopping on his back, her legs coming around his waist.

  Sucking in a breath because the feel of her body against his was damn near enough to take him out at the knees, Rhys steadied himself.

  “I need a donut, Sheriff,” she whispered against his ear.

  “Your wish is my command.” Without hesitating, he carried her out of the water and back over to the truck.

  Rhys knew he looked bewildered, which he was. This side of Amy was something he hadn’t expected. Oh, he liked it, all right. More than he could say. He liked seeing the light in her eyes and a smile on her face, the carefree, almost naïve attitude she seemed to have. Hell, he’d go so far as to say he loved to hear her laugh.

  He caught Wolfe watching them, a heated look in his emerald eyes.

  “Best idea you’ve had all year, Caine,” Rhys muttered as he set Amy on the tailgate.

  She grabbed for a donut, kicking her legs.

  He wasn’t sure what had caused her to be this relaxed, but whatever it was, Rhys wanted to bottle it and use it all the damn time.

  “So…” Amy chewed, glancing between the two of them. “Do y’all come here often?”

  Rhys laughed. “That’s a serious line there, girl.”

  Amy grinned. “You know what I mean.”

  Rhys looked at Wolfe.

  “I come here with Lynx most of the time. My dad’ll sometimes wander out here, too.”

  “What he’s not sayin’ is that they’ve had some serious parties down by this lake.”

  Amy canted her head to the side. “Is it true what they say about you and Lynx? Were y’all really that wild?”

  Wolfe grinned. “Probably.”

  “No probably about it,” Rhys countered. “And they haven’t grown out of it, either.”

  Amy smiled, taking another bite of her donut. “What about you, Sheriff? I’m sure you weren’t all sweet and innocent.”

  “Oh, he was a good little church boy,” Wolfe said, his voice gruff, teasing.

  “Yep. I was.”

  “Really?” Amy didn’t look convinced.

  “No.” Rhys hadn’t been nearly as wild as the Caine cousins, but he’d started enough shit back in the day.

  “Do you go to church?” Amy looked from one to the other. “Either of you?”

  “Yep,” Wolfe admitted. “We do.”

  “Does Lynx?” she asked, grinning.

  “He does.” Wolfe laughed. “Why? You think he needs to find God?”

  Amy laughed. “I didn’t say that.” She took another bite. “How old are you?”

  She was looking at him, so Rhys answered. “Thirty-four.”

  Amy nodded, then looked at Wolfe, lifting an eyebrow.

  “I’ll be thirty in August.”

  “Hmm.” She tore a piece of her donut off. “Y’all are old.” Her eyes lifted to theirs and she laughed.

  “Watch it, little girl, or I’ll toss your ass back in that water,” Wolfe told her as he reached out and flipped her hair.

  Amy grinned. “I really like it here.”

  “Here?” Rhys took a sip of his coffee. “Like right here?”

  “Yes. Right here.” Her face sobered somewhat. “With the two of you.”

  There was a strange warmth that filled his chest at her admission. Amy Smith—or whatever her name really was—was going to have him wrapped around her little finger if she wasn’t careful.

  Oh, hell, who was he kidding?

  He was over halfway there.

  8

  __________

  “I’m just glad you had the sense to make me wear sunscreen,” Amy told Wolfe as he drove down her street.

  “You didn’t put it on your nose,” Wolfe teased.

  Amy pulled down the visor to look in the mirror. When she saw how red her nose was, she laughed.

  Seemed she’d been doing that all day. Laughing. It felt good. Strange, almost. But definitely good.

  Now that she was going home to an empty house, the familiar trepidation was coming back and she was dreading it. They’d spent the better part of the day at the lake, the three of them laughing and joking and enjoying the sunshine. To her surprise, both men had kept things relatively impersonal. They’d answered her questions when she rapid fired them, telling her about growing up in a small town, about Friday night football at the high school, bonfires and all-night parties, but not once had they turned the questions on her.

  Halfway through the day, Amy realized they’d done it on purpose. They were respecting her space, and she appreciated them for it, even if she did want to share a little bit about herself with them. She hadn’t had real friends in … well, not since high school. Before her parents died, before…

  Wolfe pulled up in front of her house.

  Shaking off the revelry, she took a deep breath. “I had fun today,” she told him, closing the visor and looking directly at him.

  Of course, his nose wasn’t red. In fact, his skin had bronzed more than it had been already, and he really was too handsome for words.

  “Me, too.” Wolfe turned and looked out the front windshield. “Do you work tonight?”

  “Yeah.” Amy peered up at the empty house. “But I could make dinner if you … uh … want to come inside.”

  She noticed Wolfe’s hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles were white. He obviously had something on his mind, something she probably wouldn’t like.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be forward. I … uh…”

  Wolfe’s warm gaze traveled over to her and Amy sat still, waiting for him to say something. Anything.

  “I’d like to go inside your house. And I’d love for you to cook for me,” he said, his voice soft, deep. “But I’m not sure that’s a good idea right now.”

  “Oh.”

  Oh. Right.

  Rhys.

  Amy shook her head. “I didn’t mean… I…” She swallowed hard. “I know about you and Rhys.”

  Wolfe cleared his throat.

  “I mean, I don’t know about you. It’s not like anyone has said anything, but it seems to me that you like each other.”

  “Like each other?” Wolfe’s words echoed with amusement.

  Amy squared her shoulders and looked directly at him, her face flaming. “It’s okay. I get it. I didn’t expect … anything. I mean, I like you as a friend and all. If you and Rhys are in a relationship, that’s cool.”

  Wolfe laughed, the sound booming inside the truck.

  “What?” Amy’s face heated more. “What are you laughing at?”

  “Is that what you think?” He grinned and Amy couldn’t look away. The man was so incredibly good-looking. “That Rhys and I are…”

  Amy swallowed hard.

  “Darlin’, there’s a lot you don’t know.”

  “Then tell me.” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but she could handle the truth. She’d accepted the fact that whatever was going on between her and Wolfe and Rhys was friendship. She liked both men immensely, and she was sort of happy that they liked each other. It meant she would never have to choose between them, because honestly, she wasn’t sure she could at this point.

  “It’s … complicated.”

  Amy nodded, understanding. “I get it. I promise I won’t say anything to anyone. It’s really not my business.”

  Wolfe turned to face her, his arm sliding behind her head, over the seat back, his hand brushing her neck. He tilted his head forward, holding her gaze with such intensity it stole her breath.

  “I guarantee, darlin’, it’s not what you think.”

  Amy held her breath, silently willing him to tell her. There was a tiny ray of hope lingering deep inside, although she had no idea where it had come from or why it was there.

  His touch, his mere presence was so comforting Amy wished it could be different. She’d never thought she’d want anything to do wi
th another man after the hell she’d been through, but when she was with Wolfe and Rhys, she felt safe, cared for.

  Then again, Wolfe was her boss. Her friend.

  And here she was pushing for something that she couldn’t have no matter what she wished for. She wasn’t at a place in her life where she could share anything about herself, and Wolfe deserved to have someone who could be honest with him. He’d been nothing but honest with her, and she couldn’t return it.

  On top of that, Amy wasn’t sure she was ready for anything as serious as a relationship. It seemed she’d been under someone’s thumb her entire life, and she wasn’t interested in doing that again. Wasn’t sure she ever would be.

  “It’s okay,” she told him, leaning into his touch slightly as she reached for the door handle. “Thanks for today. I hope we can do it again.”

  Wolfe nodded, but he didn’t say anything. She noticed how his eyes dropped to her mouth, and for a second, Amy thought he might kiss her. Instead, he pulled back, put both hands on the steering wheel again.

  “I’ll see you at Reagan’s tonight.”

  “Okay.” Not wanting to make things any more uncomfortable than she already had, Amy hopped out of the truck and shut the door quickly.

  The hair on the back of her neck prickled as she walked to her front porch. Rather than look around like a scaredy-cat, she shored up her nerve and went right for the door. If Wolfe hadn’t been there, she probably would’ve walked around the house a few times, peered in the windows to ensure nothing had been tampered with. She didn’t think he’d found her yet, but Amy knew he would eventually. If he’d figured out that she wasn’t dead, he would try to find her.

  Swallowing against the lump of fear in her throat, she inserted the key into the lock and twisted. Forcing a smile, she turned to look back at Wolfe. He was watching her. Amy offered a quick wave and then slipped inside, her heart thumping painfully in her chest. Closing the door, she leaned up against it and strained to listen for any unusual noises. Her eyes darted around the room, taking it all in. She didn’t notice anything out of place. The throw pillows were still in the same position on her couch, the coaster holding last night’s glass of water still on the coffee table, her sandals still tucked underneath.