Tying You Down

by Cheyenne McCray

  “What do you two have in common?” Jo asked.

  “We like similar things, like the same movies and sports.” Charlee shrugged. “I’m still getting to know him, yet it feels like I’ve known him forever.”

  “So, what kinds of things have you been doing this week with David?” Jo asked. “I haven’t seen you in Jo-Jo’s.”

  Charlee lowered her hands. “Breakfast on Monday at the Hummingbird and lunch there on Tuesday, drinks at Nectars on Wednesday, and dinner at Rosa’s last night. He had to go back to Phoenix this afternoon so we didn’t have a late night last night.”

  A nail tech started on Jo’s pedicure. “Where does David live when he’s here?”

  “He has an apartment, not far from where I live,” Charlee said as a different nail tech began to give her a pedicure. “Wow, Jo, it feels like you’re giving me the third degree.”

  “Just interested,” Jo said while hoping that the relationship between Charlee and David wouldn’t go as far as sex too quickly. She didn’t think her sister would go to bed with a man so soon, but it was hard to tell what a woman would do when she was infatuated with a man. Sex made things more difficult and blurred the lines between dating and a relationship.

  “What about you and Tate?” Charlee gave Jo a grin. “Didn’t you agree to go out on a date with him tomorrow? What are you going to do with him?”

  Jo tried not to show any sign of the thrill the thought of going out with Tate gave her. Then there were the images that “do with him” gave her that she tried to crowd out of her mind.

  She acted nonchalant. “He’s picking me up in the morning. I’m not sure what he has in mind—he just said to be ready at ten.”

  “Intriguing.” Charlee twirled a curl of her hair around her finger. “I’ve always liked the McBride brothers. They’re all really good guys.”

  Jo didn’t say anything. She hadn’t been around any of the McBrides since she was eleven and her experience with men had really sucked since then. A man could appear to be a “good guy” when he in fact wasn’t. She apparently didn’t have great radar when it came to men, which was obvious due to the fact that she’d been hurt far too many times. Men had liked her because of her looks and the fact that she was a model. But that hadn’t stopped them from treating her like a doormat to wipe their shoes on.

  She was a stronger person for it now, at least she thought she was. But she was also warier and far more cynical than she’d been when she was young.

  “I can tell something’s bothering you.” Charlee reached over from her chair and squeezed Jo’s hand, which was resting on the armrest of her own chair. “You know that I’m here for you if you need me. Even when you were gone all I had to do was call you and you’d help me through whatever it was. I’ll never forget it.”

  “That’s what sisters are for.” Jo squeezed Charlee’s hand in return. “I just wish I could have been here for you more than I was able to.”

  Jo released Charlee’s hand as the young woman furrowed her brow. “The way Mother treated you was wrong. I hated her for sending you away.”

  “Don’t let that ruin what good memories you have of your mother.” Jo studied her sister. “I was a reminder to her of both my father being gone and of how much he’d loved my mom before she was killed.”

  Charlee gave a wry smile. “Like Cinderella.”

  Jo laughed—she’d had the same thought more than once. “Not exactly. You aren’t an ugly or mean stepsister, and there’s been no glass slipper or prince that’s come my way.”

  “Maybe Tate is your prince in cowboy boots.” Charlee looked hopeful, her blue eyes bright. “You know I want you to be happy more than anything.”

  “I know you do.” Jo gave her a smile. “But a prince—no.”

  Charlee turned her attention to the nail tech who was speaking to her and Jo leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes and tried to relax and not think about cowboy princes and her day tomorrow with Tate.

  * * * * *

  Tate strode down the street toward his truck, having just come from the barbershop. Jo crossed his thoughts yet again. He pictured the gorgeous redhead and how she had looked last week when he’d had a few drinks with her and her sister, and the new guy Charlee had just met.

  The thing with Jo was that she wasn’t just beautiful on the outside, but she was a beauty within as well. She never mentioned it, but Tate knew she was actively involved with the local charity that cared for abused and neglected children, not only volunteering her time but donating a considerable sum to the organization yearly. Jo didn’t make that public knowledge, but Tate had a friend who ran the charity and had been told of Jo’s generosity.

  She’d also dropped everything in her former life to return to Prescott for her sister because Charlee had been alone in the world once her mother had died. Jo was loving and protective, and from everything he knew and from what others had said, Jo had a heart of gold.

  He had a feeling she used her sophisticated appearance as a shield. He wasn’t sure from what, but he knew she was hiding something and that deep down inside she was still that little country girl he’d known when they’d just been kids.

  Just as he reached his truck, he saw Jo and Charlee walking out of some kind of beauty salon several doors down from where he stood. Jo’s radiant smile as she talked with her sister made his heart thump a little faster and his gut tightened.

  Damn, but Jo looked great in a pair of black pants and a russet brown blouse that draped softly over her breasts and tapered in at her waist. Her long red hair fell over her shoulders and down her back and her slender but curvy figure made his fingers itch to touch her everywhere.

  He braced one palm on the hood of his truck and watched as the sisters hugged each other. As they drew apart, Charlee noticed him and gave him a little wave. Jo turned to see who Charlee was waving at and a hesitant smile touched her lips as she met his gaze.

  “See you, Tate,” Charlee called out before turning and heading in the opposite direction.

  He pushed away from the truck and walked toward Jo. She remained standing just outside the salon.

  She pushed hair over her shoulder and looked almost nervous before straightening and putting on one of her sexy smiles. He liked the moment of vulnerability she’d shown that he knew she hadn’t intended to reveal.

  He reached her. “Ready for tomorrow?”

  She tilted her head to the side. “Maybe. If I knew what we were doing I might be more prepared.”

  He couldn’t help a grin. “That would ruin the surprise.”

  The corners of her mouth tipped up. “Jeans, huh?”

  With a nod he said, “Yep.” He drew out his cell phone and checked the time. “How about a little lunch? It’s almost noon.”

  She hesitated. “All right.” She glanced across the street. “At the Hummingbird?”

  He tucked his cell phone back into its holster. “Sounds as good a place as any.”

  They fell into step beside each other as they crossed the quiet street. The day was sunny but on the cool side and it smelled of an Arizona fall.

  He held the door open for her and they walked into the formerly struggling but now thriving restaurant. All of the booths were filled and the hostess seated them at a small table and gave each a menu. Tate didn’t recognize the new hostess. At one time, before she’d started working for Gage, Tess had usually served as midday hostess. She had often served as bartender in the evenings for Nectars which was the bar side of the Hummingbird.

  Tate set his western hat on one of the empty chairs at the table. “Hi, Penny.” He gave the waitress a smile as she stopped by their table.

  “Hey, Tate.” Penny looked from him to Jo. “How are you doing, Jo?”

  “Good.” Jo smiled. “I’m just going to have my usual, so whenever you’re ready to order is fine,” she said to Tate.

  He nodded to Jo. “Go ahead.”

  Jo ordered a club sandwich on whole grain with coleslaw, and Tate said he’d li
ke a bowl of chili with cornbread. Both asked for iced tea with extra lemon to drink.

  “What are you doing in town?” Jo asked Tate after Penny left.

  He settled back in his chair. “Had a bunch of errands to run and my hair was getting a little long at the collar.”

  Jo let her gaze drift over him and a smile tugged the corner of his mouth. “You look good,” she said.

  He leaned forward with his forearms on the table. “And you look absolutely gorgeous.”

  If he wasn’t mistaken she blushed at the compliment. He found that sexy as hell. A woman who looked as good as she did had to be accustomed to being told she was beautiful.

  She glanced around them at the busy dining room. “It’s different now that Tess doesn’t work here anymore.”

  Tate nodded. “I’m happy to have her as a new sister-in-law. She’s a sweet little thing.”

  Jo smiled. “She’s a special woman.”

  “Well hello, Tate McBride.” A familiar woman’s voice had Tate looking up to see Daphne Warren standing beside the table. “Imagine running into you here.”

  “Hi, Daphne,” he said after a slight pause and got to his feet. He reached out his hand, but she moved in close, kissed his cheek and hugged him. He was enveloped in her flowery scent that brought back a rush of memories.

  He stepped out of her embrace and gave a nod to Jo. “Daphne, I don’t know if you’ve met Jo Burke. She owns Jo-Jo’s.” He turned to Jo. “This is Daphne Warren. She’s an old friend.”

  “A friend?” Daphne laughed. “Try an old long-time girlfriend.”

  Jo’s pleasant expression didn’t change. “Nice to meet you.”

  Daphne didn’t return the greeting, instead she returned her gaze to Tate. “Some time has passed since we’ve gotten together.”

  He studied the pretty blonde. “It’s been a while.”

  It had been just over two years. Not only had she been an old girlfriend, but Tate had been infatuated with the petite woman. He’d been in love with her before she’d stomped her cowgirl boots all over his heart. Even then he hadn’t been able to forget her. A part of him had pined for her and had hoped she’d realize that she loved him, too.

  But that had been then. Things had changed.

  “You don’t mind if I join you, do you?” Without waiting for a response, Daphne pulled out a chair, slipped into it, and scooted up to the table. She barely acknowledged Jo.

  Tate felt the awkward moment stretch out as he took his own seat again and he glanced at Jo. It was hard to tell how she felt about Daphne joining them.

  “I was going to track you down, and here you are.” Daphne gave him a broad smile. “This saves some time.”

  Thankfully, Penny stopped by with Tate’s and Jo’s glasses of iced tea. “Hi, Daphne,” Penny said. “Can I get you a menu?”

  Daphne waved the suggestion away. “I’d love one of your great hamburgers with everything on it,” she told the waitress. “Make the burger well done. Oh, and I’ll have a Coke.”

  Penny nodded. “I’ll put in your order and bring you a drink.”

  After the waitress left, Daphne smiled at Jo. “Tate and I used to come here all of the time. Did he order the cornbread and chili? That’s his favorite.”

  Jo’s smile remained pleasant but Tate thought he saw a flicker of fire in her green eyes.

  He didn’t know what the hell to do. It was clear what Daphne was doing and he didn’t like it one damned bit. He didn’t see how he could get out of the uncomfortable situation Daphne had put them all in.

  When Penny returned with the Coke for Daphne, Jo turned her smile on the waitress. “Penny, I just realized that I have a meeting with my staff in about fifteen minutes. Please wrap up my sandwich to go.”

  Tate wasn’t sure whether he was relieved or not. He’d wanted to spend the time with Jo, but Daphne had made everything more than awkward. He thought about telling Penny to make his meal to go, too, but it wasn’t in his nature to dismiss a woman like he’d be doing to Daphne.

  What had happened to Daphne? He didn’t remember her ever being this rude to another woman when they’d been dating. But then he hadn’t been around her with another woman since Daphne had broken up with him.

  “Well, I guess it’s a good thing I stopped by,” Daphne said to Tate. “You’d have to eat all alone since your friend is leaving.”

  He met Jo’s gaze and tried to tell her that she was the one he wanted to be with at that moment.

  “What have you been up to since I saw you last?” Daphne turned to Tate, shutting Jo out of the conversation.

  Jo tried to keep her breathing even as the woman dismissed her. The feelings of jealousy had caught Jo by surprise. She hadn’t even been on one date with Tate yet, and she was feeling as if this woman had cut into something that had been developing between Jo and Tate for a long time.

  She did her best to keep a smile plastered to her face and keep her expression pleasant as Daphne ignored her.

  Jo wasn’t sure what Tate was trying to tell her with his eyes when their gazes met as Daphne monopolized the conversation. It seemed as though he was trying to apologize.

  Even though she had no right to be angry with Tate, Jo fought the irrational urge. This woman had barged in and he hadn’t had a choice on how to react. He was a gentleman and he couldn’t just brush off Daphne the way the woman was brushing off Jo.

  Could he?

  Penny arrived with Jo’s takeout bag. Jo handed Penny enough to cover the sandwich and tea, along with a healthy tip.

  Tate protested that he would get the bill, but Jo shook her head. “I’ve got it,” she told him.

  Jo pushed back her chair to stand, and like the gentleman he was, Tate got to his feet. “I’ll see you later, Jo,” he said.

  She nodded. “Goodbye, Daphne,” Jo said as pleasantly as possible. She was doing her best not to stoop to Daphne’s level. She was not going to get into some kind of catfight.

  Daphne gave Jo a little wave that was as good as dismissing her.

  Clenching her bag tightly in her hand, Jo strode out of the Hummingbird through the open glass front door.

  When she was outside, Jo took in a deep cleansing breath. She let it out slowly, trying to relax the tension that gripped her body.

  She heard the jangle of the bells on the door behind her, then Tate’s voice sent a little thrill through her despite herself and she turned to face him.

  “Jo.” Tate strode up to her with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry about what just went on in there.”

  A little of the tension eased out of her. “You have nothing to apologize for.” She offered him a smile. “I’m going back to the club. You go ahead and catch up with your ex-girlfriend.”

  “That’s what she is, Jo.” He looked uncomfortable. “An ex-girlfriend.”

  “I know.” Jo gave a nod. “Get back in there. I’ll see you tomorrow morning when you pick me up.”

  A look of relief passed over his features. “Tomorrow,” he said quietly before she turned and walked away.

  Chapter 4

  Jo buttoned her jeans and felt a moment of panic when they felt tight across her waist. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thinking back on what she’d been through in counseling.

  She’d literally nearly starved herself to death while working as a model. She’d lived on just a few saltine crackers and water each day in an effort to get thinner and thinner for the camera. She’d started to lose hair, felt weak and exhausted, and had developed a form of anxiety that made daily life more than difficult. Her low sense of self-esteem came into play when she was at her ideal body weight. She always had to get thinner and thinner to make herself feel better.

  At one point people who cared about her told her she looked emaciated and had begged her to get help. She hadn’t listened until her agent said she’d actually gotten too thin and that she had a problem. She’d been told she had to seek counseling or the agency was going to drop her.

 
; Even then she’d struggled with trying to make herself eat more. The counselor had told her that according to statistics, twenty percent of women and girls who were anorexic and didn’t seek treatment would die. Jo was depriving herself of the most basic of nutrients and the counselor had said Jo would be forced to check into a hospital if she didn’t respond to counseling and take control of her life and her eating disorder.

  The real wakeup call had been when a model from the same agency had died from anorexia.

  Jo let out her breath and opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror and tried to see herself as she really was. Everything was fine. She was going to be okay. She was careful to maintain good nutrition and eat an appropriate amount of calories each day. Despite her efforts, there was always a tightness in her chest, a fear of gaining weight, a struggle she dealt with day by day.

  People she’d known over the years had told her they’d rather have the problem of weighing too little than too much, that being anorexic was better than having an overeating disorder. Obesity carried with it a lot of health problems, but what they didn’t realize was that anorexia was just as dangerous if not more so. It caused fertility problems, a variety of heart problems, and even kidney failure. Anorexia killed.

  Jo took a deep breath and turned her thoughts back to today. Outside it was cool, so she chose an emerald green top with three-quarter length sleeves to go with the jeans and put on a pair of socks and sturdy athletic shoes. Rather than wearing her normal makeup, she only made up her eyes and put on a light shade of cinnamon lipstick. Jo braided her hair into a fishtail braid that fell down her back.

  She tried not to think of yesterday when Daphne had barged in on Jo’s almost-lunch with Tate. The woman was beautiful in a wholesome girl next door way. But the way she’d behaved had been anything but wholesome.

  But if Daphne and Tate had dated over a long period of time, would Tate consider going back into a relationship with the woman?

  Jo shook her head. She wasn’t sure why she was even thinking about it when she and Tate didn’t have a relationship to speak of.