Saddled On The Cowboy: A Hot Western Romance

by Amanda Heartley

  She still wondered why Marti didn’t get along with Tommy. Did something happen between them? She grabbed her cell phone and called Marti’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. “Marti, it’s Annie, call me when you get this message.”

  She went into Marti’s room and started searching for something, anything that might tell her where Marti went or who she was with. Who were her friends? She had been so obsessed with Annie; Marti hadn’t even seen anyone else the whole time she had been here.

  Annie rummaged through her dresser, looking for any notes, addresses, phone numbers, something that told of Marti’s life when she wasn’t at the ranch.

  She found an envelope tucked neatly away in her top drawer. Annie reached for it and pulled out the contents. There were some pictures in the envelope. Annie started thumbing through them.

  She smiled. There was an old picture of Marti and her dad when she was a baby. A couple of old pictures of them in elementary school. Who is this? Is that Tommy? She looked at it again, not believing what she saw. She put her hand over her mouth and gasped. On the bottom of the stack were pictures of Marti and Tommy, very together, definitely more than just friends. She fell to the floor, her back against the wall. So this is what she had been hiding. This is why Marti didn’t want her and Tommy together. Tommy had been her man before Annie moved back.

  Why didn’t she tell me? Why didn’t HE tell me? No wonder Marti was so snotty to him. What happened? Did I break them up? No. He was single when we reconnected. Neither one of them ever mentioned their past.

  Annie hesitated before she picked up the phone again. Where is Tommy now? He said he was going into the city, but did he? Was he with Marti? So many questions raced through her mind.

  She called Tommy.

  “Hello, baby! You’re awake? I’m on my way home right now. I have a big surprise for you!”

  “Uh, okay, have you seen Marti?”

  “No, why would I have seen Marti, isn’t she there?” he asked, a little teed off she wasn’t interested in her surprise.

  “Just asking, honey, see you in a bit. I love you. Be careful. Bye.”

  Annie tapped her fingers on the dresser. Think, think, think, where would she be? Shit, Marti. Where are you?

  Annie called her again. Voicemail. Left a message.

  Tommy finally drove up while Annie was on the porch, texting Marti again. He walked up to her with a huge bouquet of roses and some shopping bags filled to the brim. “Hey, sexy lady, these are for you.” He bent down to kiss her cheek.

  She hurriedly glanced at him and then back down to her phone.

  “Hey,” he said as he lifted her chin up to look in her eyes. “I’m up here. What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

  “I can’t find Marti. She’s gone. I can’t find her and I’m scared something has happened to her.”

  “Are you sure? Did you call her mama? You know her mama lives in town?”

  “I called her mama; I yelled for her by the peach trees; I called and texted her a hundred times. I know she’s mad and heartbroken, but I wanted to talk to her and explain us, and now I am afraid something has happened to her.” She couldn’t even think about the pictures in her room.

  “Okay, honey,” he pulled her into his arms, “we’ll find her. Let me call the station and put out an APB.” As he held her in his arms, he pulled out his phone and called it in.

  Annie started crying hysterically, her body shaking and trembling. He held her tighter. She was his woman and no matter what happened, she would always be his love.

  She cried. Cried about the two lives she had changed, her two broken-hearted lovers she had hurt, two people who had done nothing but love her and show her an amazing wild side of her she didn’t even know existed.

  As she composed herself, still in his arms, looking up at him, she thought about the pictures of them. The money in the trust he didn’t even know about. The whole bi-sex with Marti and Tommy watching them. All the lying, cursing, crying, hurt and pain over the last few days. She wondered if it was all worth it.

  She wriggled out of his arms. “Tommy, go, just go.”

  “What?”

  “Go! I don’t want you here. Go away!”

  “Annie, I—”

  “Go away!” she screamed and ran into the house, flew up the stairs and slammed the door.

  Tommy stood there for a second, heartbroken. He contemplated going back into the house and talking to her. The vision of his beautiful fiancée and Marti having sex came back. He needed to think. She needed to think. He turned and walked down the steps, wiping his tears.

  He knew he had to get her back, had to find a way. There was no way he could go on without her. He jumped into his truck and sat there for a moment, thinking about what just happened. He loved her, but would probably never understand her.

  He turned up the radio and drove away.

  Southern Heat - Book 3

  Amanda Heartley

  © 2017 Cheeky Books Ltd

  Chapter 1

  Annie curled up on the big brown sofa. She had her own special spot, perfectly worn out and broken in, making it the most comfortable seat in the house. Sipping her tea, she thumbed through the pictures of her fiancé and her best friend Marti. Naked. Having sex. In various positions. And it fucking hurt. She discovered the pictures in Marti’s things when she ran away from home at the ripe ol’ age of twenty eight. What fuckin’ drama!

  Grandpa had left her the old antebellum ranch when he passed away last year and she had it restored to almost original after she moved in. She couldn’t restore everything to its original state because of building codes, but it was pretty damn close. She was happy with the work the construction guys were doing and even happier they had finally finished the inside of the house. All the sawing, pounding and banging were getting to her. Not to mention the lack of privacy. They were all working outside now and it was coming along very nicely. Too bad her heart wasn’t.

  Her phone rang. It was Tommy, again. He had called four or five times a day for the past few days. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to talk to anyone. She put the phone on the table next to her. It beeped. Shit! Leave me alone! Voicemail. She picked it up to listen. Beeped again, text message.

  “Honey, omw. love u.. got gr8 news.”

  Oh great he’s fucking coming over and I am a hot fucking mess.

  The past few days had been hell for Annie. Crying, eating, drinking and then crying some more. She was hung-over, dirty, tired and exhausted. She sat there in the same robe she had on when Tommy left. The roses he brought last week were still sitting in the kitchen on the big oak table, wilting in the heat. She hadn’t even opened the card.

  Annie had absolutely no reason to leave the house since the big blow up. She gave up her menial job at the sushi bar the day Marti left. She liked her job, she just didn’t need it. With the few million dollars Gramps left her, she knew she would be okay for a while. Set for life.

  She exhaled. She knew she caused a big mess coming back to Mountain View. The look on Tommy’s face when he caught her and Marti having girly sex said it all. And then the butt sex with him? And then to have the audacity to kick him out? And the pictures? The scenes kept playing over and over in her head like a really bad B-movie.

  What are they doing? Are Marti and Tommy still together? They can’t be. She is with one of them almost all the time. Are they still hiding something? God, what is she doing to them? I miss both of them so much. Why does this hurt so fucking bad?

  She walked over to the antique liquor cabinet and poured a shot of whiskey. She shuddered as the alcohol burned the back of her throat. She poured another. It was the middle of the day and she didn’t care. She needed something to take the edge off. To calm her nerves. Tommy would be there any minute. She slammed down one more shot of Southern Comfort just before she heard him drive up.

  Shit! He was on his way up the steps, gently tapping on the unlocked door as he walked in with a bouquet of roses in
his hand, a silly smirk on his face and a twinkle in his eye. She turned to look at him, her hair hadn’t been combed in three days and her eyes stung from all the tears.

  “Hi baby, we found Marti, she’s okay, in Savan – what the hell happened to you?” He rushed over to her. “Baby, what happened?” setting the roses on the table.

  She looked up at him, “Tommy, what do you mean what happened? What the hell is goin’ on? Why did you leave? What do you mean you found Marti? Are you still fuckin’ her?”

  “Fucking her? What do you mean by that?” Raising his voice, “You told me to leave, what the hell was I supposed to do? Beg? Cry? You broke my fucking heart!” Exhaling as he ran his fingers through his hair, glaring at Annie.

  “…When I left here, I went to find Marti… for you, I wanted to – What’s that?” he asked grabbing the pictures from the table, flipping through them. “Oh shit, is this what’s bothering you? Oh my God, Annie, that was so long ago. Fuck!” He paced back and forth across the hardwood floor.

  She set her shot glass down and looked up at him again. “Tommy, you know what’s bothering me? You are. When you left here, I didn’t know what to think. Hours later I get a message from you saying you’re looking for Marti. Are you looking for her or screwing her?” she paused, catching her breath. “I have these pictures of you and her, right here, and I didn’t even know you went out with her, much less taking these fucking pictures while you were with her. This sucks, it fuckin’ sucks...Those are pictures of your naked ass and your dick fucking Marti and they were in MY HOUSE!”

  Taking a deep breath, she went on. “First of all, I lost my grandpa and had to move back to this God forsaken place, then I lost my best friend, yes, I know I shouldn’t have had sex with her, but she is still my best friend. It was something new and fun. I had just lost my grandpa and I was hurt, confused. Then, my fiancé, the only man I have ever loved besides my grandpa, runs off to find the girl he used to go out with. And then,” she hesitated, “and then, you waltz in here like Prince Charming with these flowers like nothing happened ‘cause you found Marti. What the hell am I supposed to think? What am I supposed to do? God, Tommy, this is all too much for me!”

  He sighed, reaching out to touch her arm. She flinched, pulling her arm away. “Annie, I’m sorry. I was so mad when I saw you two, I wanted to run away. I wanted to leave and never come back. But I stayed. I stayed because I love you. After we slept together that night, I knew I couldn’t leave you. I love you. You are the only girl for me. When you told me to leave, I thought if I found her, you would feel better, you would stop worrying, stop crying. I hate to see you cry. It breaks my heart.”

  She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “But you went out with her, and you didn’t tell me.”

  “Yes, I did go out with Marti. But that part of my life is over. You are my life now and I love you.” He sighed. “Damn, Annie, can’t you believe me?”

  “How can I believe you? Why didn’t you tell me before?” She sobbed.

  He reached his hand to her face, wiping her tears with his thumb. “Annie, please, darlin’, sit down and let me explain.”

  She sniffled. Her eyes puffed up and burning from all the tears “Okay, explain…What happened between you two? How come neither one of you told me?”

  He slid his hand behind her back and pulled her to the couch to sit down. Tommy looked down, took a deep breath and started, “When I got back from Iraq, Marti was working at the school and I’d seen her a few times at the club, so I asked her out. She said yes and we started dating. I wasn’t ready for a relationship. I didn’t know how to commit, I did some stupid things and we broke up.”

  “What stupid things?” She sniffed.

  “Well,” he hesitated, “It was ugly. I went out on her with a few girls in Savannah. They weren’t anybody special, I didn’t fall in love or anything, just some girls I partied with and it ended up in sex. Yes… it was more than once and yes, Marti found out and left me.”

  Annie reached over and pulled his face toward her, her eyes meeting his. “And? Are you done with these girls?”

  He took a deep breath, wavering for a moment. “Yes, Angel, I am done with those girls. Once Marti left, I knew I had to get my shit together. Marti is a good woman, there’s no doubt about that. I hurt her real bad. And I knew if I was going to be a policeman, the people of this town needed to respect me, not hate me for being a womanizer or cheater or something. I knew I needed to straighten up and fly right. I got some counseling, went back to church and haven’t been with anyone since…until you got here.” He smiled, caressing her arm.

  “But, why didn’t you tell me?”

  He reached over and hugged her in his massive arms. “Darlin’, I really didn’t want you to be a part of that disgusting time in my life. I didn’t want you to think I was an asshole. I love you. This is my life, here…with you. The past is past. I can’t change that, but I would do anything for you. That’s why I went to look for Marti. God knows I don’t want you with that girl. I don’t want my lady having sex with someone else. I pray to God you never do that again, but she’s your best friend, Annie, and I had to find her…for you.”

  She looked up at him and slid her fingers across his cheek. “Do you love me more than you loved Marti?”

  “Yes, honey, I do love you more than I ever loved Marti, more than I knew I was capable of loving anyone.” He brushed her hair away from her face, kissing her forehead. She reached over and hugged him tight, smelling him, feeling his heartbeat through his shirt. She did love this man, and that warm, safe feeling came back to her as she held him close.

  “Tommy?”

  “What, honey?”

  “Thanks for the flowers.” She sniffed, rubbing her eyes. “Thanks for finding Marti. I love you, too. And I’m sorry I told you to leave.” She squeezed him as tight as she could; her body ached to feel him again. She was glad to be back in his arms.

  “Annie?”

  “Yes, honey?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I love you so much. No more secrets, huh, no more lies, no more of this bullshit, okay?”

  “Ok, baby. I promise.” She thought about the money in the trust. Would now be a good time to tell him we’re millionaires?

  “Tommy?”

  “Mmm-huh?”

  “Can we throw those nasty pictures away?”

  He leaned down to her, his mouth tenderly kissing her lips and whispered. “Anything you want, angel. Anything you want.” She shivered at his touch, his soft kisses tracing her lips, moving down her neck. He slipped his arm under her legs, lifted her up and carried her up the stairs.

  Chapter 2

  Marti slapped her debit card down on the desk of the Greyhound bus station.

  “I need a one-way ticket to LA. How much?” She knew she couldn’t stay in Georgia anymore, the last few days had been hell and Marti had to get away. Tommy knocking on the hotel room door didn’t help. Who did he think he was? Some freakin’ Dog the Bounty Hunter?

  LA sounded like a great place. She had heard so much about the nightlife and Hollywood from Annie, she figured it would be a great place to start a new life.

  “That’ll be $298 ma’am with taxes, out the door.” Shit! I don’t have that kind of money. It’s a freakin’ bus! What happened to 69 bucks to anywhere? “$298? Uhm, you sure?

  “Yes, ma’am. $298. Just one ticket?”

  “Thanks, but no, thanks.” She grabbed her bag, turned and stomped out the door.

  She walked over to the little café around the corner and went in to grab a glass of sweet tea and figure out what the hell she was going to do.

  She didn’t want to go home. Her mama didn’t have any time for her anymore since she got a new husband. She shook her head and sighed. UGH! Old people in love. Who has time for that shit? I better text her and let her know where I am.

  She flopped down at a booth and sighed. Digging her phone out of her purse, she thought about Annie, the last few days and how much
her life had changed since Annie came home. Flipping through the pictures on her phone, she giggled to herself, remembering the iPhone sex and how Annie was all freaked out about it. That was the night Tommy caught them having girly sex. Asshole. Not a good end to what started as a great night.

  Oh...the memories…When her best friend moved to Los Angeles right out of high school to be a famous actress, Marti was crushed. Annie had been her best friend since pre-school. They did everything together. She moved back to town, right after Grandpa Gibbons died. Marti was happy to finally have her best friend back home. But it really fuckin’ sucked that Annie hooked up with Tommy and now they were “living happily ever after”.

  Oh, Annie, why did you have to fall for HIM?? She thought about the first night when it all started. The booze, the sex, Annie’s perfectly shaved pussy. God, she was sah-weet! The hugs, the love, the girly tenderness.

  She never thought one night of drunken sex would blossom into a full-fledged love affair, but it did. She was head over heels in love with Annie. Or was it just lust? Marti hadn’t been with a man for over a year. She hadn’t even thought about it. She had Annie. And now that was over. She lost her lover and her best friend all in the same day.

  On top of all of that, Greyhound wanted way too much money to take her to L.A. It’s a fucking bus for God’s sake! She shouldn’t have quit her job so soon, but she had to leave. The mess she started between Tommy and Annie was just too much to bear and in this po-dunk crappy ass town, everyone already knew.

  Dear Lord God Almighty, please help me, I’ll be good, I’ll do whatever you ask, just please, make this all better.

  Bad ending to a really fucked up week.

  And she had the scowl on her face to prove it.

  Chapter 3

  “Tommy?”

  “Yes, baby?” He and Annie lay on the bed, freshly showered, naked and cuddling.