Oh my god! Kerri’s mouth dropped open. Could Jordan be right? Possibly. After all, that was the whole reason she took off her nylons and let her hair down.
“Do you really think so?”
Jordan nodded. “Yes.”
Wow. Kerri stood and walked back to the fireplace. He thought I…he thought…
Turning around, she looked at Jordan and shook her head. “You mean I didn’t turn him off?” He was angry with himself for finding me attractive because he thought I’d just had sex with Duke, then sent Duke home and proceeded to lure him in for the same...
“Definitely not.” Her sister walked over to her and smiled while taking both her hands. “Now do you see? Lance was attracted to men, and it was not because of you. And Connor is so attracted to you, he’s trying to push you away because he’s afraid of getting burnt for the fourth time.”
Sucking in a deep breath, Kerri squeezed her sister’s hands. “If all of that is true, then that would mean there’s nothing wrong with me,” she said more to herself than Jordan,
“Of course there is nothing wrong with you. Except that you seem to think so.” Pushing Kerri’s hair behind her shoulder, Jordan continued, “You are a very beautiful and attractive woman. You have a wonderful sense of humor and wit, and I think it is about damn time that girl showed her head around here.”
“Okay. But don’t expect it to happen overnight,” Kerri replied. She needed to take these new revelations and let them soak in.
Connor was working on the fence in the southern corral the next evening when he heard hoof beats in the distance. He’d already told his mother not to expect him for supper. Not because he had a lot of work, which he did. The spring cattle drive was coming up. But that wasn’t what kept him from calling it a night.
No. It was desire to keep busy. To not think. Work hard. Drop into bed too exhausted for anything but sleep. Yeah, that suited him just fine.
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding,” Cole said, approaching from the east on his horse. “I thought so.”
Connor stopped pounding the post long enough to see his brother dismount and walk toward him with a bag in his hand.
Great. That meant Cole was here to badger. If an emergency had been the reason for a late evening ride, his brother would’ve stated it outright. Or called. Cell phone reception was actually great on the ranch. So, no, the reason for his brother’s interruption was definitely to badger. He knew because he’d been guilty of it more than once. Hell, just last year their roles had practically been reversed.
“I’m not hiding. I’m working,” he said, continuing to pound the latest post deep into the ground.
Cole snickered. “Yeah, I can see that. You’re the reason I’m out here having a roast beef sandwich instead of a roast beef dinner.” His brother pulled two wrappers out of the bag, tossed him one, along with a bottle of water. “Compliments of Emma.”
He didn’t want to eat. He wanted to work, but knew the sooner he placated his brother, the sooner his brother would leave.
Connor grunted, unwrapped part of the sandwich and began to eat. It was good. Real good. He had half of it gone before Cole opened his mouth.
“We need to talk.”
Looking at his brother’s broad smile, Connor’s insides churned. “Whatever it is, Cole, I’m not in the mood.” Ignoring him, he finished his sandwich and opened his water.
Cole chuckled. “Oh, boy. Avoiding family, skipping meals, doing physical labor could only mean one thing.”
The goof was trying to get at something, but Connor wasn’t about to help. He set his water on the ground, picked up the hammer and began to pound in a nail.
“Has to be a Masters.”
It would’ve been fine if his hammer hadn’t slipped off the damn wooden post and slammed into his friggin’ knee. “Son-of-bitch!” Connor stumbled around, alternately rubbing then shaking his leg.
“Yeah. Definitely a Masters.” Cole nodded. “Looks painful, bro. That’s gonna leave a mark.”
“I’m gonna mark you if you don’t shut it, Cole,” Connor ground out between curses.
Backing away, his brother held up his hands. “Hey, just payback from last year when I smashed my thumb, thanks to you.”
Connor grumbled, bending over to rub his leg. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Oh, I know, Connor, because I’ve been there.” Cole slapped him on the shoulder. “Last year, I took a bottle of Jack, locked myself up in my office and proceeded to empty it.”
He glanced at his brother in surprise, wondering if that was during the Masters’ sister’s first visit or second. Cole had been a bear both times.
“It didn’t work, by the way. Jordan still continued to haunt me, and that only stopped when a very wise person made me see things clearly.” Cole squeezed his shoulder, then released him to lean against the fence and stare intently at him.
“That was totally different. My feelings for Kerri are not the same as yours are for Jordan.” He swiped his water from the ground and proceeded to drain the bottle.
“Oh, so you don’t feel a tightening in your gut when you look at her? Kerri’s kisses don’t haunt you at night and the thought of her making love to someone else doesn’t make you want to punch something?”
Well, hell.
Connor stared at Cole, then lied through his teeth. “No.”
He could tell his brother didn’t buy it. Yeah, the way Cole threw his head back and laughed his ass off was a dead giveaway. Connor watched as his brother sobered and shook his head.
“That’s exactly what I would’ve said last year, and I would’ve been lying, too.”
Grumbling, Connor stuffed his garbage in the paper bag, then shoved it into Cole’s gut. “My love life is none of your business.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, bro. It is my business when I see you hurting.”
He held back a snort. No way was he getting roped into this conversation. Shaking his head, he walked away to pick up the hammer.
“What happened between you and Kerri while I was gone?”
Jesus. Doesn’t the guy quit?
“The two of you can barely breathe, and you won’t even look at each other. Why is that, Connor?”
Pain-in-the-ass, that’s what Cole was. And as tenacious as his bride. They were peas in a pod. Two tenacious, pain-in-the-ass peas in a pod. And because of that, Connor knew he wouldn’t get away with remaining quiet.
“Look, you don’t understand.”
“You’re right,” Cole agreed. “I don’t understand. So, why don’t you enlighten me?”
Chapter Thirteen
Enlighten him?
Connor expelled a breath. Fine. If his brother wanted to hear the whole sordid soiree then so be it.
“She went out with Duke last Saturday after I asked her not to.”
“That sucks. Did you ask her nicely?”
He must’ve given something away in his expression because Cole smirked. “I didn’t think so,” his brother said.
Hammer gripped tight in his hand, Connor walked to Cole, shaking his head. “You know, I had no intentions of following her that night, either, but after I picked Ashley up, I drove to the restaurant I’d overheard Kerri mention.”
“And?”
And, Jesus, yeah, the and part.
“And then he took her to a club afterwards where I found her dancing seductively with Duke and three other guys!”
“Kind of like you at my Engagement party?”
“Yeah, but that was different.”
“Oh, sorry, my mistake. I forgot it was okay for you to dance harmlessly with a bunch of women, but Kerri can’t do that with a bunch of men.”
“Right! They were undressing her with their eyes.”
Cole laughed so hard he had to hold onto the fence to steady himself.
Connor’s grip tightened on the hammer. “I’m glad you find this so funny.”
“Sorry, Connor, but you should see your face.”
He took a deep breath. “What happened next?”
“I tried to get her to leave with me, but she wouldn’t.”
Cole nodded. “I bet you were very tactful, too.”
His stomach clenched. “I sort of called her a...tramp.”
“Oh, man, you didn’t…” Cole blinked. “What did she do?”
“She went to hit me, but I stopped her.”
“Naturally.”
“Yeah, but she got me back when I accused her of being drunk.”
Cole dropped his head into his palm and groaned.
“She insisted she was drinking soda and threw it on me.”
“I see.”
Bastard brother was biting his lip now, and damn shoulders were shaking, too.
“So, I took Ashley home and waited outside Kerri’s apartment until Duke brought her home.”
Cole inhaled and shook his head. “Oh, shit, bro. Bad move. You don’t undermine a Masters.”
Now he tells me.
“I learned that the hard way that night.” He pointed the hammer at Cole. “Do you know what she did?”
“I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“She kissed him in his car, then again on the porch—with me there in the driveway!”
“No?”
“I kid you not. Then, as if that wasn’t bad enough, she took him inside the house where they remained for a whole damn hour, knowing full well I was sitting outside in my truck.” He slammed the hammer into the nearest post, twice, as the frustration of that moment came rushing back. Then he stopped and turned to point the hammer at his brother again. “And I’ll tell you, Cole, I went to that door prepared to bust in if he was hurting her, but I only heard Kerri laughing, so I didn’t.”
His brother wisely remained silent.
“And then,” he said, whipping the hammer near his pile of tools. “When they finally did come out, her hair is all down and shoes are off and she kisses him…and that bastard salutes me! He fucking salutes me!”
Anger took over. Connor reached for a nearby sledge hammer and went to town on the post as he vividly recalled that awful moment. Several whacks later, when the muscles in his arms went from strained to numb, he stopped and sucked in air.
“Carver’s an asshole,” Cole commented quietly.
Nodding, Connor dropped the sledge hammer and turned to his brother. “Oh, believe me, it’s a good thing he drove off when he did, because I’ll tell you, Cole, I swear I could’ve beaten the pulp out of him right then.”
“I don’t doubt it.” His brother handed him another water.
Connor drained the bottle, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “As if that wasn’t bad enough, Kerri turns to go in without saying a word to me. Can you believe that?”
“Really?”
“Yeah, she was going to try to go in without saying a stinking word. But I wouldn’t let her, and ended up inside before she could shut the door.” He smirked, remembering the shock in her beautiful brown eyes. They’d widened to the size of a shot glass. “Then we argued, and she slapped me.”
“Now, why would she do that?”
Connor looked down at his boots, and then at his hands before replying. “I sort of called her a tramp again.”
Cole whistled as he shook his head. “Bad move buddy. Then what happened?”
He remained silent. He may be angry at the woman, but he wasn’t a kiss-and-tell kind of guy.
“Okay, so you kissed her and wanted more,” Cole stated with surprising accuracy.
Connor’s head snapped up. “How did you know?”
“She’s a Masters.” Cole shrugged. “They seem to have that effect on us McCalls.”
“Well, that’s what happened. Before I knew it, we were on the couch. I looked up and noticed pillows on the floor and her shoes and panty hose near the chair, and I wasn’t the one who took them off her.” Christ, it still rotted his gut. He sucked in a breath, then released it. “When it sunk in, I got up real fast. She asked me what was wrong, and I told her ‘she’ was and that ‘this is one man you won’t have.’ Then I hightailed it the hell out of there, I can tell you that!”
He threw down the empty bottle, ripped his hat off and thrust a hand through his hair. God, he was such a fool. Suckered by another city girl.
“Tell me, Connor,” Cole began, and waited until their gazes met. “Was I this big a fool last year?”
“What?” He strode to his brother and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Didn’t you hear what I said?”
“I heard you, but apparently you aren’t seeing things too clearly.”
Bullshit.
“I’m seeing things just fine.” He let go of Cole and began to pack up his tools. “Kerri had sex with Duke, then sent him packing and was willing to take me on right afterwards.”
Cole’s laughter echoed in the evening breeze. Cripes his brother was an idiot. Why the hell would he laugh at him after what he’d just revealed?
His hands tightened into fists. “You’d better stop that, Cole, or I swear I won’t hesitate to wipe that grin off of your face.”
“Calm down, bro. I’m sorry, it’s just that the thought of Kerri actually being capable of such a thing is ridiculous.”
He stared at Cole. Nope. He didn’t see anything funny about it.
“Look, you can’t possibly think Kerri would allow Duke those privileges, do you?”
A month ago, he would’ve said no. But now… “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “It sure looked like she did.”
Cole stepped close and grabbed his arm. “Connor, this is important. What else did you notice about that room?”
He closed his eyes and grit his teeth. Christ, he was tired of thinking about that night. For the past week, that was all he’d done. It was a constant reminder he’d been fooled again. By a city girl. Again. He was such a patsy. An idiot. He should change his name to Sucker McCall.
“Connor, come on. What else did you see?” Cole squeezed his arm.
Whiny ass bastard.
With a sigh, he opened his eyes and thought back to last Saturday. “There were two cans of soda on the coffee table and a…”
“What? What else was there, Connor?”
He looked at Cole as if the fog had cleared. “Popcorn. There was a bowl of popcorn, too.”
“There, see? They watched television while you sat outside.” Cole moved his hand to Connor’s shoulder and grinned. “Oh man, she is good. You, my brother, don’t stand a chance.”
An invisible band began to tighten around Connor’s chest. “Are you telling me she only pretended to fool around with Duke…even going so far as to take off her shoes and stockings just to make it look like...?”
Cole nodded, still grinning as he slapped Connor’s shoulder. “Yep, and don’t forget her hair. You said it was down too.”
Shit. Connor slumped against the fence, his mind back in a dazed state. “Jesus. You mean she did all of that to fool me?”
“Yes, although I’d say it was more to teach you a lesson for not trusting her. And, Connor?” Cole waited until he made eye contact. “You blew it. Big time. Whatever you did and said must’ve really hurt. She doesn’t deserve it. You owe her an apology.”
Christ. Not only was his chest tight, now his whole entire body ached. And Cole was right. He was still an idiot, but for an entirely different reason. Now all he saw was the wounded look that had come into Kerri’s eyes when he’d delivered his parting shot.
“And you’d better make that apology soon, big brother, because Kerri’s ex-husband is on his way here to see her as we speak.”
In the middle of calling himself all sorts of names, his heart stopped at Cole’s Texas-sized bomb.
Late Sunday afternoon, Kerri was helping her mentor prepare supper in order to channel her nervous energy. She needed an outlet. Cooking and baking were an ideal way to help take the edge off life. At least, it always had for Kerri, and today was no exception. Emma thankfully asked no questions and allowed her to work
it off while she waited for Lance to show up with Jordan’s belongings.
A little after three o’clock, the moving van pulled up out front—with her ex-husband at the wheel.
Oh Lordy.
All the nerves she’d managed to keep at bay hit her full force. She ripped off her apron, tossed it on the counter, then rushed from the kitchen to the half-bath down the hall. A deep breath or two helped slow the drum solo going on in her head.
“You can do this,” she told her reflection, then double-checked her appearance.
She was wearing a chocolate brown, ribbed turtleneck, black jeans and boots. Neat, clean, comfortable. Perfect. Whatever. Kerri didn’t want to dress fancy and appear over anxious, so she’d kept it simple and casual, and the heels of her boots gave an advantage since Lance wasn’t much taller than her.
Another quick glance in the mirror told her everything was as good as it was going to get. Sucking in her third deep breath, she silently chanted, I can do this, then exhaled and left the room to join the commotion in the foyer.
Kerri arrived as Jordan finished introducing Lance to Connor. The cowboy was there to help Cole carry the things her sister wanted upstairs, while the rest would go into storage until their house was finished.
Okay, one awkward moment averted. Thank you , Jordan.
Now, it was her turn. She glanced at her ex husband, and other than the nervous strain she saw on his face, Lance appeared the same. As usual, he was dressed in a polo shirt and khaki pants. His short, dark hair was neatly in place and his green eyes looked at her with what she recognized as…love?
What?
Kerri swallowed hard and walked toward him, nerves knocking at her knees. I can do this. She hoped her expression was full of calm, serene, wonderful, fantastic coolness, because, oh, Lordy, that was not how she felt.
She stopped in front of him, well aware of three pairs of eyes watching their exchange. “Hello, Lance.”
“Hello, Kerri.” His gaze fastened on her face and looked…sad. “It’s good to see you again.”
She couldn’t bring herself to say the same. Because it wasn’t. It was so damn awkward and painful her mind reeled. “You must be thirsty after your drive. Would you like a drink?”
Her Unbridled Cowboy (Harland County Series) Page 17