“What are you doing?” Cade rolled over, his head propped on one hand, looking like the most delicious centerfold ever.
“I’m getting dressed.”
He sent her a knee-weakening smile. “That’s your first mistake. You should walk into the bathroom and hop into the shower with him. Tell him everything. Or you can wait and I’ll heat up breakfast and you can tell us both what’s going on.”
“I thought this was casual.” She pulled on a bra. She used to be able to go without one, but since she’d lost her job she’d given up on things like exercise and eating properly, and it seemed to all go to her boobs. Damn it. Even when she did get her old clothes out of storage, she wouldn’t fit into them. She grabbed a flannel shirt. She used to wear designer everything. She used to be somebody. Now she just pissed men off.
“It isn’t casual for Jesse.” He frowned. “And I don’t know what it is for me. I need some time to figure it out. I’ll be real honest. I never planned on settling down. I still don’t know if I like the idea.”
Harsh words but honest. She wondered if this was brought on by the revelation that she was in trouble. Maybe he didn’t like the idea that she was the kind of person other people hated, sometimes on sight. “Well, I was surprised you were still here this morning. I kind of thought you would leave.”
He sighed. “I tried to.”
Honesty sucked. It was kind of a kick in the gut. “Well, no one’s stopping you. The door is that way.”
His face screwed up in the sweetest grimace. “Yeah, your mom and Naomi are out there. The first time I tried to leave, they caught me in all my glory.”
She felt every inch of her skin go up in flames. “My mother is out there?”
“Yeah. She wasn’t real happy with me, but then I made her breakfast and Jesse threatened to kidnap both of you after he found out about the whole heart thing, so now I think she thinks I’m the reasonable one.”
Her fists clenched at her sides. “You came back in here and fucked me while my mom sat in the other room listening in?”
Cade seemed to finally realize he was in trouble. “Baby, your mom knew we fucked. And I don’t think she’s listening in, although she probably heard because you make a ton of noise. And damn, you’re cute when you blush.” He sat up. “Gemma, don’t look like that. I love the noises you make. They’re hot.”
Tears threatened. They hadn’t even bothered to tell her. No, they’d come in with a plan. She could see that now. What she’d thought had been passion had been a careful dialogue meant to trick her into saying she was Jesse’s woman so when she lied about nothing being wrong they could trap her. She was done. She needed to breathe. She thought briefly about climbing out the window, but it was awfully small. She needed to take a long walk and cool off and figure out how to deal with this crap. It felt like every man in her life had betrayed her this morning.
“Don’t you walk out of this house.” Cade moved fast. He was reaching for his pants as she opened the door.
Sure enough, her mother and Naomi were sitting at the small kitchen table. Her mom looked up and smiled. Naomi gave her a big thumbs-up, but Gemma didn’t want to talk or hear about how hot her two rat-fink bastards were. She wanted to get away.
There was a brisk knock on the door. That was what she needed, more company, more people to see what an idiot she’d been.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” her mom asked.
Naomi stood up. “Don’t be embarrassed. We didn’t hear that much, and what we did hear sounded pretty damn good. I know I’m jealous.”
Well then they obviously hadn’t heard the fact that this morning’s lovemaking—fucking—session had been one long power play. She threw open the door, ready to blow right past whoever stood on the other side.
She stopped. Patrick stood there dressed in what he would likely call casual chic. Perfectly pressed slacks. Flawless dress shirt. Thousand dollar shoes. A pair of designer aviator sunglasses covered his eyes, but he slid them off as he looked at her.
“Gemma? Holy crap. What happened to you?” Patrick asked, his voice a shocked gasp.
The bedroom door opened and Cade sort of fell through it. He was trying to get into his jeans, but he tripped as he hit the doorway. “Gemma Wells! You do not walk outside this cabin. I swear to god I will spank your ass, and I don’t have Jesse’s practice with it so it will probably hurt like hell.”
The shower shut off. Any minute Jesse would walk out and she would be surrounded by men she should never have slept with. She took the easiest way out. She grabbed Patrick’s hand and hurried down the steps. She immediately saw the rental car in her driveway. A Lexus. Naturally.
“Let’s go.”
Patrick beeped the car. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere but here. Now get a move on or you’re going to have to deal with two angry men.”
Patrick slid into the driver’s seat. Gemma buckled her belt. She couldn’t miss the smooth smile of satisfaction that crossed Patrick’s face. He winked her way. “Looks like you’re in trouble again, babe. Lucky for you, I’m here.”
She watched in the rearview mirror as Jesse and Cade charged out of the cabin. Jesse only had a towel wrapped around his waist. She was worried, for a moment, that he would start running after them, but both men stared at the car, scowls on their faces.
Gemma took a deep breath as Patrick turned back toward town and wondered if she hadn’t made a terrible mistake.
Chapter Twelve
“So, do you want to explain to me what you’re doing in this crap hole?” Patrick asked, pushing the plastic menu away.
The better question was why she was sitting with her ex-fiancé when there were two half-naked men at home. Angry men, she mentally corrected. Really angry. Probably done with her men. That was what was waiting for her. She took a long breath, banishing the tears that threatened to fall. She wasn’t going to cry around Patrick.
“My mom grew up here.” She looked down at the menu and wondered what the special was. Sushi. Thank god. The way Hal prepped, she might actually die from eating it.
Patrick sat back, giving her a high-voltage smile. “I forgot about that. It’s easy, you know. You’re so intelligent that it’s hard to believe you came from such humble roots. God, I drove into town, if you can call it that, and wondered how bad it’d gotten that you’d end up here.”
She put the menu down. Like being from the city meant a person had brains. She’d met more incredibly intelligent people here in Bliss than she’d ever known in New York. “It’s a nice town. I came here to be with my mom, who is recovering from cancer.”
“And the guy climbing out of the bedroom?” Patrick’s eyebrow arched.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but his name is Cade.”
“You’re seeing someone?”
Gemma leaned forward, ready to dispense with the bullshit. “Why are you here, Patrick?”
God, it was supposed to be her wedding day. She should be getting ready to walk down the aisle to meet her picture-perfect groom and start her well-planned life.
Her picture-perfect groom leaned toward her. “I made a mistake, Gemma. I knew it the minute you walked out.”
Pat might look good in photos, but she could see through him now. “Well, it’s six months later, so you couldn’t have been too sure.”
“Babe, you have to understand. That scene you made was all over the papers. The partners were horrified. I couldn’t simply go back to you. I had to think about how it would look. I had to play a long game.”
He couldn’t go back to her? As if she would have had him. She looked up at the clock. Straight up noon. She’d forced Patrick to drive around for what felt like forever before she settled on hiding out at Stella’s. Maybe she should have driven into Creede, but she was half hoping they would come after her. What was she doing?
She should call Jesse. No. She wasn’t going to call Jesse. Damn it. This was what happened when she acted on emotion. She should have sat do
wn and made a decision matrix and decided what to do from there. But no, she’d run on pure fear and now she’d probably wrecked everything.
“Earth to Gemma?”
She’d nearly forgotten he was here. And why was he really here? She didn’t buy the whole long-game crap. “What?”
“See, there’s the Ice Princess. I worried she was gone for a minute. You walked out of that cabin looking all soft and flustered and, god, feminine. I nearly didn’t recognize you.”
Yeah, she could guess why. “Packed on a couple of pounds, huh?”
His head shook vigorously. “They look good on you. When the hell did you get boobs? I mean it. You look damn fine, Gemma, but I need the real you. I need the killer lawyer.”
“Why?”
“Because I can get your job back,” he said with a smug grin. “I didn’t come here empty handed. Look, that whole meltdown thing is history. The partners realize what they lost. I’m here to talk to you about coming back.”
“Are you kidding me?” Her job? She’d never thought they would even consider it.
“Not at all. Look, they had to hire two people to do your work, and they still weren’t as efficient as you.” He reached across the table, his hand covering hers. “And they aren’t the only ones who miss you.”
So soft. His hand was actually soft. It shouldn’t have shocked her. She’d gone on weekly manicures with the man. She couldn’t imagine Jesse or Cade sitting around and letting someone clip their nails. Their hands were rough, callused from hard work. She shivered when she thought about how those hands made her feel. Safe. Wanted.
She pulled away from Patrick. It felt wrong to have him touch her. “What happened to Christina?”
She winced when she realized she’d left off the “Big Tits” part of Christina’s moniker because it really was rude.
He had the good sense to look ashamed. “She went back to the West Coast. The partners sent her there. She was far more trouble than she was worth. And I was an idiot. I got cold feet. I should have talked to you about it, but you can be intimidating.”
“Yes, talking to me would have been better than sleeping with someone else.”
Stella walked up to the table, a notepad in her hand and a smile on her face. “Hey, there, hon.” She looked to Patrick, her smile fading. “I was sure you would be with Jesse today. Or Cade. Who’s your new friend?”
No judgment there. Damn. She felt like a kid who’d gotten caught with her fingers in the cookie jar. A blush crept up her throat. She didn’t owe Stella any explanations. None.
Patrick smiled that photo-ready smile of his. “I’m Patrick Welch, her fiancé. I’ve come to rescue the princess and take her back home where she belongs.”
Gemma groaned, wanting to barf a little. She used to think he was charming. “Ex-fiancé. And Jesse and I have a casual relationship.”
Stella’s blonde football helmet of a hairstyle shook. “That’s not what I heard, hon. And I hear that man is hopping mad. He’s been calling all over the county looking for you. Now I understand why. So is it true? Are you heading back to the city?”
Patrick leaned forward. “I thought you were involved with the one named Cade. Who the hell is Jesse?”
She ignored him, speaking to Stella instead. “I don’t know. Patrick here claims he can get my job back. I worked hard for that job. It’s something to think about.”
Stella’s eyes turned soft and sympathetic. “You do need to think about it. It can be hard to choose between your personal life and your career. Hell, sometimes it’s hard to choose between your personal life and your pride. Remember this. There’s no corner so small you can’t find your way out of. And don’t you let this slick talker sway you. You do what’s right for Gemma. Now, what can I get for you?”
Patrick frowned up at Stella. “I suppose I’ll try a salad. Can’t mess up a salad. Get me the Cobb salad, strawberry vinaigrette on the side.”
God, if she was even thinking about going back to New York, she needed to get down to her fighting weight. They might like curves in Colorado, but she would be judged for them in New York. “I’ll have the same but nix the strawberry and give me oil and vinegar on the side.”
Stella’s foot tapped. “She’s allergic to strawberries, you know.”
Patrick shrugged. “I’m not. I would suggest you don’t get the orders mixed up.”
Stella turned back to her. “Yes, you need to do a whole lot of thinking, hon. I’ll be back.”
“The service here is horrible.” Patrick waved her off. “Now, let’s talk about how soon we can get out of here.”
It was too freaking much. And she hadn’t eaten a thing all day. She needed to sit down and cry. She only did it once a year, and she’d already done it back when she’d gotten dragged from Patrick’s apartment. It was six months before she was scheduled for another crying jag.
“I’m going to the bathroom.” She scooted out of the booth and started walking toward the ladies’ room.
She was a woman who scheduled her emotions and who had no idea how to deal with them when they didn’t get with the plan. What the hell was she doing? Why hadn’t she jumped on Patrick’s offer? Not to be with him, of course. She was utterly over Patrick Welch. She wasn’t even tempted. He had nothing on Jesse and Cade.
She noticed the man they’d been sitting next to at Trio the night before. Blond and hunky, he looked up from his burger and then back at Patrick. He frowned and sighed as though he’d always known she’d be trouble.
Tears blurred her vision as she pushed past the door and into the small bathroom. Just two stalls, but she already felt better. That man was probably calling Jesse right now telling him she was hooking up with a tourist.
Stella was right. She was in a corner, and she didn’t know how to get out. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted anymore. She should want to go back. She should want her damn career back, but all she could think about was Bliss. And when she honestly thought about doing that job again, all she could see were pictures of those kids. No matter what the EPA said, something was wrong in that town and those children were suffering. Damn Nell. She was happier when those freaking kids had been names and ages on a page. She hadn’t thought about their pain. She hadn’t thought about what their parents must be going through.
She was the Ice Princess. When the hell had she started to melt?
“Oh, Beth, honey, you were totally right.” A pretty brunette walked through the door, followed by another brunette, though this one was visibly pregnant.
“I know a woman on the edge when I see her.” The pregnant one smiled shyly. “Hi, I’m Beth. This is Hope. You must be Gemma.”
Hope? Ah, the woman who’d had her job before. “How did you know?”
“We might not get off the G much,” Hope said, “but we listen to gossip on a daily basis. Are you okay?”
Gossip. Yeah, she understood that. And she also understood that women loved to kick each other when they were down. She dried her eyes. The crying jag would have to wait until the scheduled time. “I’m fine. I just have something in my eyes.”
“Do you need to talk about it?” The concern in Hope’s brown eyes was almost enough to get Gemma crying again.
But she’d been played too many times before. “There’s nothing to talk about. I must be allergic to something.”
“Is that the man from the YouTube video?” Beth asked.
Hope nudged her friend, her voice going low. “You can’t ask that.”
Beth looked at her with guileless eyes. “If I don’t ask, then how will I know?”
“It’s none of your business.” She hadn’t meant the words to come out harshly, but they did and Hope flinched.
Beth didn’t. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and she leaned against the counter. “It’s okay.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re safe here,” Beth said softly. “We gossip and pry, but we do it to help each other. I wasn’t born here. I come from a tiny town in Texas, and I grew
up surrounded by some of the meanest women you can imagine.”
Gemma shook her head. “Oh, I can imagine a lot.”
Beth’s hand drifted to her belly as though she gained comfort from the contact. “They called me Mouse. When I was little they ignored me. When I got bigger they liked to make fun of me. And they always loved to kick me when I was down. I often had something in my eyes. It’s hard. Even now it’s hard to think about it.”
There they were again. Stupid tears. She didn’t have a group of girlfriends she could talk to. She’d never had a group. When she’d been younger, her parents had moved so often, she’d never formed strong friendships. Later, she’d concentrated on school because it was easier.
At the time she thought she was taking the hard road, eschewing the normal rituals, but now she wondered. Homework didn’t require emotional finesse. Homework never broke her heart.
“She’s right, you know.” Hope put a hand on her arm. “You are safe here. We haven’t met, but I talk to Cam all the time, and he thinks you’re great. Cam and Nate are crazy about you. I did my job, but I admit I wasn’t like some gung-ho girl. I felt bad when Cam started bragging about all the things you’re doing at the station.”
Beth gave her friend a half hug. “You were worried about your crazy ex.”
Hope shook her head. “It wasn’t that. Well, not altogether. I never took on big projects like she has. And she’s good with Mel. I’ll admit, he scared me at first.”
Gemma snorted at the thought. Mel was so not scary. “He was freaked out that the Trading Post couldn’t get fresh beets in. Apparently the ones at Jack’s in Del Norte are actually an alien ploy. I found a co-op through Nell and I called in an alien expert to pronounce the beets both organic and alien free. Don’t look at me like it was some big thing. The alien expert is from Durango. I got him to come out by promising to buy one of his books. The Bliss County Library is now the proud owner of Alvin Marple’s Aliens and Us: The Truth About Roswell, Area 51 and The Today Show. Apparently he’s sure NBC is run by Reticulan Greys.”
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