Only His fg-3

by Susan Mallery

  But he wasn’t staying. He’d never planned on staying. Staying meant taking things to the next level with Nevada. He wasn’t interested in that. He didn’t believe in happy endings or forever. Love was…

  “I can see by your expression you’re not ready to commit to being in town longer than the job requires,” the older woman said. “I hope you’ll change your mind. You need us, Tucker, even more than we need you.”

  With that, she collected her purse and left.

  He continued to sit at the small table, trying to figure out what had just happened. Talk about unexpected and just plain weird, he thought. Sure, he liked Nevada and he liked the town, but staying? Moving the company here? That wasn’t going to happen.

  He wasn’t looking for permanent. Not personally or professionally. Sure, he would be taking over the company, but he still planned to go around the world for the big jobs. Maybe not to be in charge, but he wasn’t going to become some guy, stuck in an office. He needed more.

  As for Nevada, he knew he’d screwed up there. Let things get too far. He’d been trying to back off before, but then Cat had happened. As always, having her around was like dealing with a natural disaster. He’d reacted to the situation and now Mayor Marsha thought things between him and Nevada were more than they were.

  That made him wonder if Nevada thought the same thing.

  He stood and returned to his desk. But once he was there, he found himself restless. He swore.

  He didn’t want to hurt her. She was great and he really liked being with her. She got him and he got her. They were a good team, both in and out of bed. He liked watching her move, he liked making her laugh. He wanted to be around her.

  Sure, he trusted her more than he’d ever trusted another woman and maybe, if things had been different, she would have been the one. But they weren’t different. He knew what would happen if he gave in to love. He knew the price and he wasn’t going to pay it. Not again. Not for anyone.

  TUCKER’S LONG MORNING turned into an even longer afternoon. Nevada showed up after lunch, flushed and chilled from working with the guys. She talked about how the digging was going and which pipes had been delivered. Rather than pay attention, he watched her, trying to figure out how badly he would miss her when he was gone.

  “Are you even listening?” she demanded.

  “Sure. To every word.”

  “I don’t think I believe you. You have the strangest look on your face.”

  Will’s arrival was the perfect interruption. His second in command bounced into the trailer, grinning like a fool.

  Nevada glanced at her watch. “Nearly two. Guess you’re not an early riser anymore.”

  “I called.”

  “You left a cryptic message on the voice mail saying you’d be late. Not exactly the same thing.”

  “Good enough for the likes of you two.” Will crossed the small trailer, grabbed Nevada by the waist and spun her in a tight circle. “Congratulate me. I’m engaged.”

  “Woohoo!” Nevada flung her arms around him. “Finally. I was tired of being mad at you.”

  Will laughed and released her, then walked over to Tucker and held out his hand.

  “I’m the luckiest guy ever,” Will told him.

  Tucker did his best to conceal his shock. Will engaged? They’d always been nomads together.

  “Congratulations,” Tucker said automatically.

  “When did this happen?” Nevada asked, hugging him again.

  “Last night. Technically, early this morning.” Will laughed. “She made me work for it, though. I’ll tell you that.”

  “Married.” Nevada clapped her hands together. “I’m not sure Jo is the big wedding type. Are you two going to do something in town or run off and get married?”

  “Whatever she wants is good with me.”

  Will sounded happy. Or whatever was beyond happy, Tucker thought, confused by the rapid change of events.

  “You’ll be staying here,” he said.

  “Yup.” Will chuckled. “If I don’t, Jo’s gonna hunt me down. Gotta love that in a woman.” He sighed. “I’ll finish the job, then look for work in town.” Still looking pleased with himself, he laughed. “I guess I’m giving my two-year notice.”

  Will leaving the company? Just like that? For a woman?

  Nevada walked to her desk and picked up a stack of magazines. “My sisters left these for me,” she said, waving the bridal magazines at him. “Want to look them over?”

  Tucker waited for his friend to make the sign of the cross and then run for the hills. Instead Will grabbed them.

  “Sure,” he said with a chuckle. “That’ll get her attention. Hey, is there a jewelry store in town? I need to buy my woman a ring. A big one.”

  “I know just the place. Jenel’s Gems. Jenel will be able to help you find the prefect ring.”

  Will tucked the magazines under his arm, then headed for the door. “I’m out of here, boss. See you tomorrow.”

  With that, he was gone.

  Tucker stared at the closed door, not sure what had just happened. Everything was getting out of hand and somehow he had to figure out a way to stop it.

  “THIS IS REALLY SUDDEN,” Nevada said, not sure how she felt about Cat’s announcement. Despite everything that had happened, Nevada wasn’t sure she was ready for Cat to leave. They’d barely become friends. Well, as much as anyone could be a friend with Cat.

  “I’ve created and now it’s time for me to move on,” Cat told her.

  They were in front of the Gold Rush Ski Lodge and Resort. A long, dark limo idled next to them, the driver and Herbert, her assistant, already loading piles of luggage.

  “You know the sculpture is finished,” Cat said. “You’ll be the one to present it to the town.”

  “Lucky me.”

  “I knew you’d enjoy being the one.”

  “You’ll miss the unveiling,” Nevada reminded her, thinking there was a whole lifetime of things she would rather do than be in charge of giving her hometown a giant vagina.

  “I’ve done the important part,” Cat told her, then touched her shoulder. “Come with me.”

  “Cat, you know I can’t.”

  “No.” Cat’s green eyes darkened. “You don’t want to. There’s a difference.”

  Nevada bit her lower lip. “I’m sorry. I know this is important to you, but there’s no way I can be in that kind of relationship with you.”

  “Your loss,” Cat said lightly.

  “Tell me about it.”

  Just then Cody, one of the college guys who rented from Nevada, walked up.

  “Hey,” he said, handing Herbert a duffel bag. He slid into the back of the limo.

  Nevada looked from the open door back to Cat.

  “No way.”

  Cat’s smile turned mischievous. “He’s not you, but he gets me through the night.”

  “He’s a boy.”

  “Yes. All that youthful enthusiasm and energy. He’s good for at least three times a night and I’m teaching him exactly how to please me. There are worse fates.”

  “He didn’t give notice that he was leaving,” Nevada said, knowing she should probably be more worried about Cody’s future than her rental income.

  “He’ll be back and, in the meantime, I’ll pay his rent.”

  Cat leaned in and kissed her. Nevada didn’t turn away in time, or maybe she felt she shouldn’t. Either way, Cat’s soft lips pressed against hers, then lingered for a heartbeat before she drew away.

  Cat sighed. “If I could convince you.”

  “It’s not just the girl thing,” Nevada admitted. “It’s that I want something permanent. Like what my parents had. A forever kind of love. My sisters have found it and I’m hoping it’s out there for me, too. You’re amazing, Cat, but you don’t do long term. You can’t. Not with your gift.”

  Cat’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re right,” she whispered. “My art always comes first. Eventually I’d feel confined and my work would s
uffer.”

  Nevada realized that for once, they were both speaking the truth. Even if she was interested in Cat, the other woman couldn’t give her what she wanted.

  “I’ll miss you,” Nevada told her.

  “And I’ll miss you.”

  They hugged.

  When they straightened, Cat smiled at her. “If I could have loved anyone, it would have been you.”

  Nevada touched her cheek. “I’ll bet you say that to all the girls.”

  Cat climbed into the limo. Herbert shut the door, then scurried around to the passenger seat and got in. Seconds later, the long, black car drove away.

  Nevada stood there in front of the hotel. The afternoon was clear, but the forecast called for snow that night. It was perfect weather for a fire and maybe a man in front of that fire.

  But she wanted more than that. Telling Cat the truth had opened up something inside of her. Something she’d been afraid to admit.

  She did want more than a lover. She wanted a husband and a family. She wanted to have roots and traditions. She wanted to hear the man she loved tell her he loved her back. She wanted to know they would be there for each other, no matter what. She wanted it all.

  THE DRIVE TO THE WORK SITE had never taken so long or seemed so short, Nevada thought as she parked her truck next to the trailer. She’d had enough time to try to talk herself down, all the while considering what she was going to say.

  She knew there was risk involved, that the conversation could go very badly, but still she had to try. She owed herself that.

  She walked into the trailer. Tucker was on the phone. He smiled when he saw her and motioned he wouldn’t be long. A few seconds later, he hung up.

  “What did Cat want?” he asked.

  “To say goodbye. She left.”

  “What about the statue? Did she change her mind?”

  “No such luck. It’s finished and she wants me to present it to the town.”

  “Better you than me. Mayor Marsha isn’t going to be happy.”

  A problem for another time, she thought, walking toward him.

  She took the seat next to his desk and drew in a breath. She was shaking a little and thought she might have to throw up. Not the best combination, but waiting would only make things worse.

  He drew his eyebrows together and touched her cheek. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “I have to tell you something.”

  “You’re running off with Cat.”

  “No. Although she did ask.”

  “You have to give her points for persistence.”

  “I do.” She looked into his eyes. “Tucker, I know your relationship with Cat was difficult. That you were obsessed with her.”

  He leaned back in his chair. “Tell me about it. What a mistake.”

  “It was, but you were a kid.”

  “Nearly twenty-three. I should have known better.”

  “How? You’d grown up all around the world, never settling in one place. You didn’t know what it was like to just date someone. To have a crush and then get over it. Then you met Cat, and even someone with a whole lot more relationship experience couldn’t have handled her very well. You did the best you could.”

  He looked uncomfortable. “Why are you saying this?”

  “Because you learned the wrong lesson. Love isn’t a trap. Love is a gift. It makes us stronger. Look at Will. He’s a great guy and loves his job and his life, but have you ever seen him happier? He’s walking away from all of this because he wants to be with Jo.”

  “That’s his decision.”

  “Do you think he’ll regret it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yeah, you do.”

  He shrugged. “Okay, he’s happy. So what?”

  Here it was. The moment of truth. Did she have the courage to say it? To put herself out there? Until this moment, she never had. She’d always taken the safe road, made the easy decision. The biggest risk in her life had been applying for this job. Now it was time to take the next step.

  “I love you,” she told him. “We’re good together. I want you to stay and be a part of my life. I want us to have a future.”

  She paused, not sure if she could continue or not. As she was trying to make up her mind, she saw horror enter his eyes. Instead of being happy or intrigued, he looked angry.

  “Don’t start,” he said, standing. “Dammit, Nevada, why do you have to do this? I told you before. You said you understood. Don’t you get it? I’m not interested.”

  With that he walked out.

  She stared after him, her heart pounding, her mind unable to absorb what had just happened so quickly. Then she heard the rumble of his truck, the spray of gravel and he was gone.

  NEVADA DIDN’T TELL ANYONE. She couldn’t. Pain and shame were an uneasy combination she wasn’t willing to share. She finished her day, went home, got through the night and returned to work the next morning. She didn’t cry. She also didn’t sleep or eat. She was numb most of the time, but when the pain came, it was like knives.

  She walked into the trailer telling herself she was getting her hard hat, but secretly she wanted to see Tucker again. Tucker, who hadn’t called. Instead she found Will at his desk.

  He looked up when she walked in. His look of concern warned her, but couldn’t begin to prepare her.

  “Nevada,” he said. “I don’t know….” He cleared his throat. “He just…” Will crossed to her. “I’m sorry.”

  She got it then. Reality slammed into her, nearly knocking her to her knees. She looked around the trailer, seeing what was still there, noticing what was gone.

  “He left,” she said flatly.

  “I’m sorry,” Will repeated.

  Tucker was gone. He hadn’t called in sick or left to meet with a subcontractor. Instead he’d fled Fool’s Gold completely. Without a word.

  She knew without asking that he was never coming back.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  DESPITE MAYOR MARSHA’S best efforts, people found out about the unveiling ceremony. Nevada had noticed the lack of signs and postings in the online events calendar. For a town that prided itself on keeping its citizens informed, the powers that be had been completely silent when it came to the original sculpture by Caterina Stoicasescu.

  Nevada appreciated that she wasn’t asked a lot of questions. She’d managed to get through the past few days by sheer force of will. She’d done her job, and when it was time to go home, she went back to her place, curled up in bed and got up again in the morning.

  Some nights she cried. Others she laid in the dark, waiting for the pain inside to lessen just a little. One night she’d actually slept, which would have been a blessing, except she kept dreaming about Tucker.

  Before realizing she was in love with him, dealing with her sisters’ double wedding had been a little uncomfortable. Now it was going to be a nightmare. While she’d never imagined she and Tucker would join them as a couple, she’d counted on having him around. Later, she’d imagined a whole lot more. Now all of that was gone. Lost.

  Because the construction site was outside of town, no one was used to seeing him around very much. Word of his departure hadn’t spread. The guys on the site knew, but they weren’t going to talk, not to people in town or even to her. They were just a little protective on the job, and they watched her cautiously, so she figured out that they knew.

  Will kept his distance. Perhaps because he didn’t want her asking him questions or maybe because he felt bad that he was so happy. Nevada planned on telling him she was glad he and Jo were together. That having her heart broken and losing the man she’d probably loved for the past ten years wouldn’t change that. Just because she wasn’t getting her happy ending didn’t mean she wasn’t interested in other people being together.

  If she felt guilty about anything, it was keeping the truth from her family. Not so much her brothers, but her sisters and her mom. They would want to be there for her, to offer comfort. Her friends in town would
feel the same way. But she couldn’t face one of those huge “the guy’s a jerk” events that inevitably followed. Until she figured out how she was going to survive the loss, she had to manage her heartache alone and get through the unveiling ceremony without anyone figuring out there was a problem.

  The mayor had scheduled the event for three in the afternoon — just when most of the schools were letting out. Nevada guessed her plan was that the mothers and kids would be busy and unable to attend, and most businesspeople would be at work. That left only a small group of the community who would be available to attend.

  Sure enough, when Nevada arrived in the center of town, there were only a handful of residents milling around the fabric-covered statue.

  “You’re here,” the mayor said, crossing to Nevada. “I want this to be brief. No fanfare. I’ll just speak a few words, then we’ll expose the damn thing to the world.”

  The older woman looked more resigned than happy. While Nevada hadn’t seen the completed piece, she’d seen the sketches and knew it was everything the mayor wanted to avoid.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t talk her out of giving this to the town,” she said.

  Mayor Marsha shook her head. “Ms. Stoicasescu is very stubborn. No one could have changed her mind. I can only hope someone will vandalize it quickly and we’ll be forced to take it down.” She smiled. “After all, we have an insurance policy to cover that sort of thing.”

  “Have you seen it?” Nevada asked.

  “No. I couldn’t stand to watch while they installed it.” She glanced up at the fabric blowing in the light breeze. “I shudder to think what people are going to say. I hope the media doesn’t find out about this. They’ll be back in a heartbeat.”

  She glanced at her slim watch. “All right. Let’s get this over with.”

  The mayor walked to the microphone that had been set up next to the covered sculpture.

  “Good afternoon. It is with pleasure that I present the work of Caterina Stoicasescu. This gifted artist has given the town an original piece. To quote her, it represents all that is beautiful and feminine in the town of Fool’s Gold.”