Papina (Bearville County)

by Katie Hamstead

  My gaze lifted to her face as Sarah and Megan fell silent. She smiled gently and nodded. I smiled back, as tears welled in my eyes. "You're going to ruin my makeup."

  She giggled and wrapped her arms around me.

  I kissed her head and stroked her hair. "Thank you, Nova."

  She squeezed me tighter, then let me go.

  Megan wrapped her arm around Nova’s shoulders. "You and me, Nova. We're going to have some fun with these boys."

  She grinned.

  Sarah tugged my arm. "Let's go."

  I hurried into the living room, kissed Jackson on the head, then followed Sarah to her car.

  She talked the whole way into Bearville, telling me about all the normal things that happen, and which men to avoid. When we arrived, several other women I recognized from around town met us at the door.

  They led me inside. There, the first thing I saw was the bull. A robotic bull to be exact, with a bottle blonde girl—probably there with a fake ID—riding it, while a group of guys, decked out in the cowboy look, whooped and whistled at her. Nope, I definitely wouldn't ride the bull, and wouldn't let myself get drunk enough to do it either.

  The girls led me out to the dance floor where several guys joined us dancing. They seemed to know them well, and when a slow dance came on, they partnered off.

  Sarah grasped my elbow. "Come on."

  She tugged me over to the bar, where she waved the bartender over and ordered us drinks. I sipped at my cocktail while she swung around and took a gulp of her beer. "Anyone catch your eye?"

  I scanned the crowd. "They're all cowboys. Not my thing."

  "Oh come on, Bray! Look at where we are. This is cowboy country. You'd be hard pressed to find something else. Anyway, cowboys aren't bad. They're good, god-fearing types who respect women, well, usually anyway."

  She nodded across the room. "What about him?"

  I glanced over at a tall, lean man with a huge white cowboy hat. "That hat's a bit much."

  She giggled. "Yeah, he's over compensating, that's what the girls all say." She winked at me.

  I chuckled.

  "How about that one?" She pointed at a smaller, burley blond.

  I shrugged. "He's all right, I guess."

  "That's Luke. He owns a huge cattle ranch and does very well for himself. His only problem is he thinks girls want him for his money." She leaned closer to me. "Not all cowboys are dirt poor rednecks."

  I rolled my eyes. "I never said that they were." I glanced around. "Isn't there any you're interested in? You seem to know a lot about the people here."

  She shrugged. "Yeah, it's pretty much the same crowd all the time. Some eventually get married and move on, while new young ones come up."

  "Yeah, but is there anyone you're interested in?"

  She pursed her lips. "I'm a one man girl, Bray."

  Paul. She had all these apparently great guys around her and she still pined for the one who didn't want her.

  "Hey, those guys are looking at us."

  I glanced over and they all looked away.

  "Ohh." She grinned. "I think one of them has his eye on you."

  My cheeks burned. "Let's move somewhere else."

  "Bray." She laughed as I caught her arm and pulled her onto the dance floor. "Nova said you were to meet someone nice, remember?"

  "So?"

  "So…." She glanced back at them. "All those guys are nice. Come on, Bray."

  I grunted. "If they're really interested, they'll come over, but I'm not going to seek it out."

  "But you were the person who told me a girl has to go after the guy she wants."

  I paused, before slowly turning to face her. "I did, didn't I?"

  She nodded. "Yeah."

  I thought about Paul, but quickly brushed it aside. He hadn't spoken to me since the trial. He wasn't an option for me anymore, as much as my heart wished he were. "We'll see. I don't even know which one it is."

  She grinned and let out a quick shriek. She took my hand and led me back to the group of girls to dance.

  Several dances passed and the group of guys hovered. Then, one locked eyes with me. He must be the one interested. I glanced away.

  Sarah squeezed my arm. "Hey, I'll be right back okay?"

  "Okay."

  She dashed off through the crowd and disappeared. I continued dancing, and saw the same guy trying to make eye contact with me again. I smiled and focused on the girls around me.

  When Sarah came back, she was all smiles. "That guy is hovering."

  "I know."

  She laughed.

  I couldn't believe I somehow still had it. I thought for sure I'd lost it after several years of marriage and a baby, but apparently there was still something appealing about me. I grinned, my confidence growing.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The music changed to a song that made everyone jump into lines. Ugh.

  Sarah grabbed my hand. "I love this one!"

  I laughed. "I don't line dance."

  "Aw come on, Bray. Please."

  I shook my head. "You go ahead. I need to get something to drink anyway."

  She pouted.

  I laughed again. "Go on."

  "Fine." She squeezed my hand and rushed onto the dance floor with the other girls. I watched as several men joined them, and one even showed a subtle interest in Sarah. He said something to her as they kicked their legs like country bumpkins, and she laughed as she spun around. I smiled, turning toward the bar.

  I sunk down and ordered a cocktail. While the bartender mixed it, the man who had been watching me sat beside me. He looked about a year or so older than me, had a pleasant face, but like every other man in the building, the cowboy hat was a real deterrent.

  "Hey." He stretched out his hand to me.

  "Hi." I shook his hand.

  "I've never seen you here before."

  Really? How cliché. "Nope, first time. Just here with some friends." I motioned to the girls.

  "The Papina girls, huh? Local or family connections?"

  The bartender set my drink in front of me. I plucked it up. "Fairly recent local."

  He shifted closer to me. "I'm Heber."

  I sipped my drink so I didn't need to respond.

  "You're a very beautiful woman." His fingers ran down my upper arm. "Can I buy you a drink?"

  I titled my glass. "Already got one."

  "I'll cover it." He set some cash down on the bar.

  "Mmm." Great, this was the last thing I wanted.

  "Would you like to dance?"

  I shrugged. "I'm over here because I don't like line dancing."

  "After line dances, they often have slow dances."

  "How nice," I muttered sarcastically.

  He removed his hat and turned to face me directly. Without the hat he was far more attractive, and I gave him a quick look over. Brown hair and eyes, kind smile. Not so bad.

  "I'd like to get to know you a little better," he said. "Including maybe knowing your name?"

  I paused, considering my options. I chuckled and took another sip. "Braydon."

  "Braydon." He slid off the stool and rested his hand on my hip. "Well, Miss Braydon, I'd be very appreciative if you agreed to dance with me?"

  "You're not a creeper are you?"

  He smiled. "I don't believe I am. My friends have never told me so."

  I chuckled as I finished my drink. His eyes took in my face before he brushed my hair back over my shoulder. Definitely keen. I set my glass down and he took my hand. "Come on, the song is almost over."

  The second we reached the edge of the dance floor, the music changed. He pulled me out and into his arms.

  Sarah walked behind him and mouthed, "Nice!" and gave me a wink. Good to know he wasn't a known psycho.

  "So, how long have you lived in Papina?"

  I looked into his eyes. "Just over a year now."

  "Oh, but you've never come out to mingle?"

  I shook my head. "I wasn't really in the righ
t place to meet anyone."

  A wide smile spread across his face. "But you are now?"

  I blushed. "I think so."

  His arm tightened around my waist. "So, where did you move from?"

  Our conversation moved easily along and I found myself enjoying his company. Then, near the end of the song, several guys surrounded us.

  His gaze flashed between them. "I'm kinda in the middle of something."

  "Heber," one said. "Do you know who this is?"

  He looked down at me. "Yes, this is Braydon—"

  "Did she tell you all about herself?" said another.

  Sarah pushed through and grabbed my arm. "Hey, hon, I think..."

  They closed around in front of her, cutting her off. "This is the widow of Papina."

  Heber's eyes shot to my face. "What?"

  I winced.

  "Yeah, rumors say she killed her husband when he slept with a little native girl."

  I gasped at the stabbing sensation in my gut. "No, I didn't, he didn't—"

  "Braydon?" Heber stared at me.

  "It's not like that. That's why this is the first time I've come out."

  His expression softened and he reached for me, but the guys cut him off.

  "She'll kill ya," one said. "Don't risk it, Heber."

  "But—"

  "She's pretty though," said another. "We could definitely have some fun."

  "Hey!" Heber yelled as they closed around me.

  I spun around, terrified. "Please, it wasn't my fault. Please just—" A hand squeezed my butt and I yelped.

  "Bray!" Sarah called.

  "Hey, stop it!" Heber yelled over their laughter.

  They loomed over me. "You probably haven't been laid in a while."

  I spun wildly, trying to escape.

  "I bet that's what you came looking for."

  A sharp shove sent me forward into one of the men. They laughed.

  A roar erupted, and two of them flew backward onto the floor. Paul snatched my arm and pulled me free.

  "Sheriff!" someone said, and they scampered.

  "Yeah, you better run. I'll have you all locked up for this," he mumbled.

  Heber and Sarah rushed to me. Sarah threw her arms around me. "Are you okay?"

  "I'm a bit shaken," I said.

  "Braydon, I'm so sorry." Heber touched my arm, but Paul pulled me away from him.

  "What makes you think you can have her when you can't even protect her from your own stupid friends?"

  "Paul!" I gasped.

  "Davis," Heber said. "They caught me off guard. I won't let it happen again."

  "Yeah, because you won't go near her again."

  Heber's brows lowered. "Davis, why don't you go round them up so I can finish here?"

  "Finish what exactly?"

  His eyes flashed to me. "Braydon?"

  I glanced up at Paul then looked at Sarah. I reminded myself—as I saw Sarah's pained expression—that Paul was off limits. I moved to step around him.

  "Bray!" Paul grabbed my shoulders.

  Suddenly, he stumbled backward. I looked up to see Heber shaking his fist. "Back off, Davis."

  I gasped and Sarah rushed at me. "We're out."

  "Braydon." Heber came after me. "Don't go."

  "Maybe I'm more trouble than I'm worth," I said to him.

  "No. Please, we were getting along so well."

  "I have a lot of baggage, including a fatherless child."

  "Braydon."

  "Please just forget about me."

  He grabbed my arm and spun me around. "No."

  Paul pulled me away again. "She said; leave her alone."

  Heber's jaw clenched. "Davis, you're really starting to piss me off."

  "She's trying to be gentle with you because she's with me."

  I gasped, shocked.

  Sarah pulled away.

  I swung to her. "Sarah?"

  "You said you weren't!"

  Something must have happened between the two men, because suddenly, Heber swung at Paul. Paul caught his arm and a fight broke out.

  "Hey!" I yelled, grabbing Paul's shoulder.

  But Sarah swung me around. "You lied to me?"

  "We're not together."

  Tears ran down her cheeks. "But he just said you are!"

  "We're not! I swear."

  "Find your own way home." She stormed away.

  I rushed after her, but as I forced my way out to the parking lot, her truck sped away. Crap.

  I swung back around to a full bar brawl. I scanned for someone, anyone, I knew, while dodging glass beer bottles flying around.

  Then, Paul snatched my hand. He pulled me out the door and around the side of the building. He pinned me against the wall and looked into my eyes. "Bray."

  I slapped him across the face. "How dare you? I can't believe you'd interfere! I'm glad you helped get those guys off me, but then you… He didn't do anything. He didn't… and you, you haven't even looked at me in weeks. How could you—"

  He slammed his lips against mine. I moaned as my whole body tingled. But I was still angry. I shoved him off. "Don't think—"

  He pushed in and kissed me again, but that time I yielded. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him against me, sandwiching myself firmly between him and the wall. I wrapped my arms around him, his muscles tightening as he clung to me.

  His caressed my face, brushing my hair back as his tongue slipped into my mouth. I moaned, aching for him, desiring every inch of him to be closer, for him to never let me go.

  His lips broke away. "Bray?"

  "Don't stop." I pulled him back in, kissing him with ferocity.

  He pushed into me, causing my head to press back into the wall. My hand reached up and ran through the hair on the back of his head. He moaned. His lips broke away, but we stayed pressed together. "Bray, you drive me wild."

  "Paul, you make me feel…."But I couldn't finish my thought out loud. As I gazed into his eyes, my fingers running through his hair, the tiny thought of Forrest niggled in the back of my mind. I dropped my gaze. "We can't keep doing this."

  "You're right, no more hiding it." He pushed my hair back and nibbled on my ear.

  Goose bumps rippled down my body as I caught my breath. "No, I mean… oh…"

  His fingers slipped under my shirt, caressing the skin of my hips and waist. I bit my lip as I clutched his hair. "We can't… keep… we can't…."

  "You can't even say it." His breath in my ear made me shudder.

  "No, I…." I forced myself to push him away. "We can't do this."

  He stared down at me, his breathing heavy. "Why?"

  "You've been ignoring me."

  He winced. "Yeah. You made me nervous. I didn't know what to think of you, and it was all just so…" He sighed. "But that isn't the Bray I know. I know you're a faithful woman."

  "Paul, you…"

  He stroked my hair. "I'm sorry."

  I shook my head, avoiding eye contact. "Sarah's furious. She just left, and now I need to find a ride home."

  "Sarah?" He growled. "This is still about Sarah?"

  "And Forrest."

  He took a sharp breath.

  "I can't… I don't know if a year is long enough. I still love him."

  "You'll always love him." He caressed my face.

  "But there's so much more standing between us. I'm barely struggling to keep myself, Jackson, and Nova going, without struggling through everything for…."

  He stroked my cheek. "For us?"

  My gaze fell and I tried to pull away.

  "No, Bray." He pinned me back against the wall. I stared into his eyes, startled. Fire burned in them as he spoke. "You may not have enough left to fight, but I do. I know you need to keep it together and get your family through this, but I'm going to be there for you. I'm going to fight for you, because no matter how much you think we can't be together now, I know one day we will. I love you, Bray, and I know that despite everything, you feel something for me, too."

  A so
b escaped my lips. Tears ran down my cheeks. "Paul, please."

  "I will break down every wall you see in the way, and I will wait until your heart is ready to love someone again. You keep fighting for Nova, Jackson, and Forrest, and I'll keep fighting for you."

  "That could be a very long time."

  "You're worth the wait."

  I drew a sharp breath and grasped his hair again. Our gaze locked as his thumb brushed my tears away. "I'll take you home."

  I nodded.

  He looked around the corner. "Great, the cops are here."

  I raised an eyebrow at the irony of his statement.

  He didn't notice it as he scanned. "Okay, we can get to my truck unnoticed. Did you bring a handbag or anything?"

  I patted my pocket. "Left my bag in Sarah's car and just brought in my card."

  "Hmm." By the slight twitch of his eyebrow, I knew he didn't like the prospect of getting my bag back. But, he glanced back around the corner and gave my hand a sharp tug.

  We darted across, ducking behind vehicles until we reached his truck. He unlocked it, shoved the keys in, and dropped it into neutral. "Push."

  "Are you crazy?" I hissed.

  "Hey, there's a good chance my name is being dropped as the instigator of that fight. I'd prefer to just sneak away and deal with it in the morning."

  "Oh my gosh. I feel like I'm in college again."

  "According to your rap sheet, this is nothing compared to your college days."

  "I hate that you can pull up crap like that!"

  "Just push!"

  I dashed around to the back and gave it a good push. "I'm wearing a skirt you know!"

  "Just push."

  He pushed from the driver's door, steering it out onto the road until we rolled around the corner. He then let out a soft whistle, and I dashed around to climb in. He leaped in, started the engine, and we sped away.

  We didn't say anything until we hit the road to Papina. He then sighed out of relief. "They'll come questioning me tomorrow, but I could probably get out of it."

  "How long were you there anyway?" I asked.

  "Ah…." He grimaced. "I may have followed you guys."

  "The whole time?" I gasped. "What did you do? Hide in the dark corner and watch?"

  He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

  "Are you insane?"

  "I just…." He grunted. "I didn't want you going off with someone else, or getting hurt, or the worst thing that I came up with was someone getting you drunk and taking advantage of you."