Tough Talking Cowboy

by Jennifer Ryan

  “You’re going to need a better lock on this door if you’re going to live up here and have customers and employees in this place. Anyone could sneak up here.”

  “I don’t know why they’d want to, but I’ll put it on the list.”

  “Do you have a security system on that list? I haven’t seen anything set up yet. Cameras. An alarm system.”

  “To tell you the truth, we hadn’t thought of it.”

  “You need it. For your safety and to protect your assets here. Cameras and security signs are a great deterrent for anyone thinking of robbing the place.”

  “Do you think someone wants to steal our massive ovens?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “No. But they may think you’ve got money in those registers or in a vault.”

  “The vault is in the office. I’m assured no one can move it or open it.”

  “Adria.” The warning in Drake’s tone cut off her resistance to adding security and another huge expense to her list.

  She sighed. “I’ll get on it.”

  “I can do it.” Drake’s enthusiasm surprised her.

  “You can?”

  “We used all kinds of surveillance equipment in the military. I can set up a simple security system for you.”

  One less thing for her to worry about. “You’re hired.”

  “Just like that?”

  “You’re worried about me and Trinity and our safety. I’ve put a lot of money into this place. I want to protect it.”

  He swept the back of his fingers over her cheek. “I want to protect you.”

  “Which is why you’re casing this place like you expect an ambush.”

  His eyes dropped to the floor.

  She put her hand on his chest. “I know it’s habit and ingrained in you. I’m not criticizing. I’m not trying to make you self-conscious. Hypervigilance is part of your PTSD. I see it when you come to my place and you’re looking over your shoulder and locking the place up tight before we’re falling into bed.”

  “I can’t help it. If something happened to you . . .”

  She went up on tiptoe and kissed him. “I feel the same way about you. So tell me how much you need and I’ll get you the money to buy a system and install it.”

  Drake nodded, then looked around the wide-open space. “This is more like a studio apartment.”

  “Yeah. It’s not much, but it’s got great views out the windows. It kind of feels like a loft. The kitchen needs a major upgrade.” She slid her foot back and forth over the scarred wood floors. “I think I’ll refinish the floors and maybe whitewash the red brick to brighten up the place.” She glanced around the cluttered room. “Once the downstairs is complete, we can move all this stuff to the storage room. A couch, chair, and TV setup by the window and a bed over against the other wall with a dresser and that’s all I’ll really need. Oh, and a whole bottle of bleach to clean out the disgusting bathroom.” She wrinkled her nose at the thought of what she’d seen in there.

  “Or you could stay at the cabin?” He wanted her to stay.

  Her belly fluttered with excitement. “That was never supposed to be permanent.” But she really loved being with Drake.

  “I don’t see why you can’t stay there. With me.” Drake held up his hand. “I’m not saying we live together. Not exactly. But . . .” His shy delivery endeared him even more to her.

  “You like the way things are now.” So did she. No more sneaking around. The freedom they shared to be themselves with each other in front of everyone made it all the sweeter.

  “With one small change. I don’t want to have to leave you alone and naked in bed.”

  She gave him a sexy smile. “A dinner date tonight and a sleepover. I’m a lucky girl.”

  “Stop teasing and making this hard.”

  She slid her hand down his belly and over his fly. “I’m making you hard. Is that why you wanted to bring me up here to look at dusty floors and the leaking kitchen sink?”

  He slid his fingers through her hair and held her head. “I can fix that for you.”

  “A guy who can fix things is really sexy.” She rubbed her hand up and down the length of him as he swelled under her hand.

  “Hey, I thought you were going to help with the shelves,” Declan yelled up the stairs.

  Drake jolted, then called over his shoulder, “I’ve got to fix Adria’s leaking sink first.”

  “Is that what you two call it?” Unveiled mirth filled Declan’s words.

  Adria ran her hands up Drake’s chest. “You and me. Later.”

  “All night.”

  She tapped her hand on his chest. “Well, that’s quite a boast, big guy.”

  He smacked her on the ass. “You know I can make you fall to pieces with just a kiss.”

  “That’s because of where you kiss me.”

  He leaned down and kissed her long and deep, then abruptly stopped before things got too hot.

  She tilted her head and gave him a mock frown. “I was thinking of something lower.”

  “Me, too, which is why I stopped.” He spun her around and smacked her bottom again to get her to go downstairs. Back in the kitchen, he touched her arm to get her to face him again. “I’m really proud of you and Trinity for what you’ve done here. It’s amazing.”

  “Thank you, Drake. That means a lot.” It did, because she’d worked hard in school and on this dream. And though Roxy and Sonya were proud of her, too, having him say it added something extra and boosted her confidence and made this a little more special.

  But she had one big concern. “I hope Juliana likes it.”

  “Do you think she’ll come work here with you once she’s out?”

  “That’s the plan.” One she hoped Juliana embraced. “A job. Stability. Support. She doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life. I hope this place will give her a chance to figure it out.”

  His eyes brightened. “She can live upstairs.”

  Adria smiled and shook her head at Drake’s blatant dismissal that Adria would move into the apartment. “That’s a good plan.” Because she’d already made up her mind to give in to temptation and happiness and stay in the cabin with Drake.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Adria dropped everything and drove an hour to the rehab center. Once she got there, she paced the lobby, arms crossed over her chest, her mind whirling with what she wanted to say to Juliana and dreading what Juliana had to say to her.

  “Sweetheart, you’re going to wear out your boots.”

  Adria glanced down at her black leather ankle boots, jeans cuffed just above them, and sighed. “I’ll buy new ones.” She paced away from Drake. As soon as he heard her plans, he’d immediately said he’d come with her this morning and visit his Army buddy at the same time.

  He didn’t want her to do this alone.

  She appreciated his support.

  She hadn’t seen or heard from her sister since she dropped her off here. Just hearing her voice this morning brought back the nightmare she’d finally stopped seeing every time she closed her eyes. But the whole way here, all she thought about was seeing her sister’s blue lips as she lay lifeless on the bathroom floor.

  She ran her hands up and down her arms over the soft blue shrug sweater she’d grabbed on her way out of the cabin. The ends waved out by her sides as she spun and walked back toward Drake, sitting in a chair, his arms over his chest, eyes locked on her.

  “You’re making me anxious.” When she got within reach, he snagged her by the hips and pulled her into his lap. His arms banded around her and his chin rested on her shoulder. “Calm down. You’re supposed to be the sane one in this relationship.”

  “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen her?”

  “Longer than it’s ever been before, but she needed this place, and maybe you needed to just be you for a while and not you and Juliana.”

  How did he know that’s how it felt to be an identical twin? “I don’t know how to be me without her.”

 
; “That’s a lie. You were just you when you forced me to confront my demons and the lies I told myself and made me that deal. You wanted to be you when you walked out of that bedroom naked.”

  “That sounds like a story I’d like to hear.” The deep voice drew both their stares.

  Drake stood, pushing her up and off his lap in the process. He hugged the big, dark-haired man with a smack on the back and a smile. Drake held him by the shoulders. “Chase. Man, it’s good to see you.”

  “You look better than the last time I saw you.” Chase eyed her. “Is this your Melanie?”

  Drake shook his head, pulled Adria close, and made the introduction. “This is Adria Holloway. She saved my life.”

  Adria shook her head. “All I did was make you see the truth behind the lies you told yourself. You did the work.”

  Chase looked Drake up and down. “Whatever you’re doing, it’s working. Keep it up.” Chase glanced back at her, eyes narrowed. “You look just like . . .”

  “Adria,” Juliana called from behind Chase.

  Both men turned to her.

  Chase whistled. “They’re twins.”

  Adria left the guys and ran to her sister. Her hug practically knocked Juliana down. Juliana held on and buried her face in Adria’s hair. They held tight for a good long minute before Adria could pull herself together enough to release her sister and take a look at her.

  She’d filled out a bit with regular meals at the facility. Her clear, not bloodshot, but still wary eyes studied Adria right back. “How are you?”

  “Fine. Better. Ready to get out of here.”

  Adria didn’t like the sound of that. “I know the month is almost up, but I thought you might want to stay and work on your issues.”

  “I’m clean, sober, and bored out of my mind.” Juliana looked past her. “Who’s the guy?”

  Adria smiled as Drake and Chase stood talking in the sitting area. “Drake McGrath. Trinity’s oldest brother. My boyfriend.”

  Juliana side-eyed her. “Well, well, well, sis. You took a page from my playbook. Big and dangerous. Just my type. I hope you put the little surprise I stashed in your bag to good use.”

  Adria ignored that because she didn’t want to tell Juliana he’d torn up the nightie but used the condoms. “He’s ex-military. He’s been through a lot, so be nice.”

  “You like surrounding yourself with damaged people.” That stinging accusation hurt.

  “It started with Mom, then came Roxy and Sonya. Everyone who works at the Wild Rose Ranch is fucked-up in some way. It’s no wonder you’re drawn to people who are messed up. What happened to his face?” Juliana winced.

  Anger flashed. “How can you be so callous? That man has two”—she held up two fingers—“two Purple Hearts. Be nice, or I’m out of here.”

  Juliana leaned back. “So it’s like that. You don’t need me anymore—you’ve got him.” The seething tone made Adria clench her jaw.

  Even though Juliana pissed her off, she understood her sister wanted to push her buttons and test her to see if Adria would back away. Never. “Juliana, I don’t know what your problem is, but this isn’t you.”

  “You’re the one who left me here to get my brain fucked.”

  Adria stepped closer, looked Juliana dead in the eye, and pushed back. “You chose to stay. No one forced you. This place is voluntary. You can leave anytime you want.”

  “Right. But then I don’t have my sisters, do I? Not much of a choice.”

  Adria resented the tone and the unwarranted anger. But at least Juliana valued them above her partying ways. “I saved your life. Do you get that? You were lying on the floor nearly dead.” It took everything she had to get those shaky words out her clogged throat.

  “Adria saves the day again.” Sarcasm didn’t mask the disdain or resentment.

  She simply didn’t get Juliana. It hurt her heart to feel this disconnected from her. “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Let’s discuss it in my office,” a woman said from behind Juliana. “I’m Dr. Chen.”

  Adria shook the doctor’s hand. “Adria. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Drake came up to her, oblivious to the turmoil between her and Juliana. “Hey, Chase and I are going to be out on the back patio catching up.”

  “Okay. Drake, this is Juliana and Dr. Chen.”

  Drake nodded hello to both of them, but focused on Juliana. “Adria misses you. She talks about you all the time. She can’t wait for you to come home.”

  “I’m not allowed to go home.”

  Drake took Juliana’s snark in stride. “You’re alive, thanks to her. Take your second chance and do something better with your life.” Drake leaned over and kissed Adria on the head, gave her an encouraging nod, then left with Chase.

  “Who the hell does he think he is?”

  Adria wanted Juliana to see exactly what she’d shown Drake: she wasn’t the only one who’d ever been hurt. “Someone who has found a way to deal with his problems and stop taking it out on everyone around him.”

  “You think that’s what I’m doing?”

  “Yes,” she and Dr. Chen said in unison.

  Juliana huffed out a frustrated sigh, spun on her heel, and walked down the hall.

  Dr. Chen touched Adria’s arm. “At least she’s headed to my office. You two have a lot to discuss. I’d like to remind you that, while this may not seem fair, this is about her today.”

  Adria sighed, sucked it up like she always did, and readied herself mentally to face Juliana and her demons.

  By the time Adria entered Dr. Chen’s spacious office, Dr. Chen had taken a seat in one of the two armchairs facing the sofa where Juliana sat with her legs tucked up under her. In jeans and a plain white T, her hair down and face devoid of makeup, she looked young and vulnerable and angry all at the same time.

  Adria sat in the opposite corner of the sofa, giving them both the space they needed to get through the hard stuff so they could be close again. Adria had to believe that would happen, because having her sister this angry at her shredded her heart and made it hard to breathe. She lived each day hoping she and Juliana found their way back to each other.

  Juliana hugged herself. “It’s always so cold in this place.”

  Adria pulled off her sweater and handed it to Jules, who slipped it on and rubbed her hands over the soft material. They’d shared clothes their whole life. They used to share everything, but Juliana had slowly closed up these last two years. Adria missed the days when she knew her sister’s every thought.

  “Are you sleeping with him?”

  She expected Juliana to continue to be outrageous and say unexpected things for shock value and to get attention. She wished Juliana would calm down and talk about what was really bothering her. “We’re not here to talk about me and Drake. I came so you could talk about what is upsetting you.”

  “I’m not upset.”

  Defensive much?

  Adria eyed her, letting her know with a single eyebrow raise she didn’t buy it. “What are you then?”

  “You left me here.”

  “And that makes you feel . . .” Dr. Chen prompted.

  “Angry. Hurt. Like you can’t trust me to get my shit together on my own.”

  Adria tried to remain calm. “Well, you continue to prove that you can’t keep your shit together.”

  “That’s not true,” Jules whined.

  “You failed several classes and dropped out of school. You spend your days partying and going from one guy to the next without seeming to care about any of them.”

  “Two classes. I didn’t drop out—I just didn’t want to go anymore. It’s a waste of time. And I like all those guys.”

  “Those are excuses for your irresponsibility.”

  “I don’t need to be responsible. You take care of that for the both of us.”

  Adria half expected Juliana to stick out her tongue. She faced Juliana head-on. “You go about your life with no care in the world for yourself or those
around you. Yes, I take care of you, because you don’t take care of yourself.”

  Juliana folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t need you to take care of me.”

  Adria drove her point home. “You overdosed. Twice. You nearly died. If not for me, you would be dead!” The words shook her to the core. The thought of losing her sister broke her soul.

  “If not for you, I wouldn’t be like this!” Bitterness filled Juliana’s voice.

  Why did her sister resent her for saving her?

  Adria clutched her knees in both hands and tried to understand. She really didn’t get it, but she wanted to for Juliana’s sake. So she sucked in a breath and opened herself to listening. “Explain to me why you doing drugs and failing school is my fault.”

  Juliana pointed to the doctor. “Ask her.”

  Adria looked to Dr. Chen to explain. “I want to help my sister. I want her to get better. So tell me, what is it that I did that made her this way? Did I not love her enough? Did I protect her too much? Should I have let her fall and not tried to catch her? When she hit the bottom, should I have not tried to pick her up? What?”

  Dr. Chen looked to Juliana. “Why did you sometimes pretend to be Adria?”

  Juliana glared at the doctor for putting her on the spot instead of going after Adria, which seemed like what Juliana wanted her to do. “We’re supposed to talk about what happened.”

  “You mentioned that you like to fool people into thinking you’re her. I believe what happened to you girls when you were young has everything to do with why you do that.”

  “I like tricking people.” That statement dismissed any notion that it was more than a trick. “We’re identical. It’s so easy to make them think I’m her. It’s fun.”

  Dr. Chen pushed. “Why do you want to be her? Do you believe being Adria is easier than being you?”

  “She carries around her damage in such a pretty way. Sad, lonely, poor broken Adria. Everyone wants to make her feel better.” Juliana’s unsympathetic words stung.

  Taken aback, Adria tried to breathe through the pain those callous words inflicted. “Is that how you see me?”

  “It’s how everyone sees you.”