So Tough To Tame

“Jesus, Nicole. You have a husband!”

She shrugged. “As if he cares.”

“He cared enough to fire me, apparently.”

Mouth tight with anger, she finally said, “Fine,” and headed toward the door. Walker followed, wondering if the back of his neck was as red as it felt. Thankfully he still hadn’t gotten that haircut.

Why the hell had she come here and drawn attention to both of them? At least he didn’t have to wonder what the town knew anymore. Everybody suspected. If they hadn’t before, they certainly would now.

He almost started down the sidewalk to take her to his apartment, but the idiocy of that struck him before he hit the first step. The porch of the Crooked R wasn’t exactly private, but twilight had settled in and it was cold enough that no one else had taken a seat on any of the ancient bar stools.

She bumped into him when he changed directions and headed for one end of the porch. “Don’t you live right there?”

“I do,” he said, and left it at that.

For a moment, he thought she was going to explode. Her jaw clenched, her eyes narrowed and she drew in a deep breath. Walker braced himself for some of the cursing he’d heard her aim at her husband during fights. But in the end, she let the breath out slowly and paced to the railing to look out at the street.

“You’re treating me like shit, you know. I know I’m not your girlfriend, and I know I’m married, but how can you just walk away from me like I’m nothing?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, and meant it. “I don’t want to make you feel bad. I just...”

“I’m lonely, Walker. My husband and I aren’t talking, and you’re the only one who ever treated me as more than the owner’s wife. It’s a hundred times worse now. People don’t know if they should even be nice to me.”

“We shouldn’t have done what we did. What we were thinking about doing. If he thinks we—”

“Oh, please. Like he doesn’t cheat? Everyone knows that black-haired bimbo who stays in the Settler’s Cabin every July isn’t there to get in touch with nature. Jesus Christ, last summer she didn’t even bother with one trail ride. Do you all think I’m an idiot?”

“Ah.” Walker swallowed hard, glad she was facing away from him. Yeah, they’d all known. It was part of the justification he’d given himself for messing with her in the first place. “So why don’t you just get divorced?”

Her back stiffened. “Why don’t I get divorced? Really? I like how you say that as if it never would’ve occurred to me.”

He shrugged. “Well?”

“You want the truth? My husband wants me around to raise his kids and I stay because of the prenup. Lovely, isn’t it?”

He didn’t understand rich folks. Wouldn’t she rather be free and a little poorer? “You can leave, Nicole. Just move on. I’m sure you love your stepkids, but they have a mom. You could start over.”

She turned to face him. “I don’t want to start over. I just want what I had. A nice house. A pretty life. And you, Walker. You were always around when I needed you.” She smiled. That sweet little smile she used when she wanted something. “It would be good between us. You know it would.”

Well, hell. Yes, it’d be good, but he couldn’t say he’d ever had bad sex, per se. You got what you put in, as far as he could tell, like most things in life. “Yes, it’d be good, but... It’s not right. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to treat you badly. I thought it was just about convenience for you. You were bored. I was there. But if your husband suspects...” If everyone suspects... “It’s silly, I guess, but a man has to have some standards.”

“Some standards, huh? Real nice, Walker.”

“I’m not talking about you! I’m not one of those guys. We were both there, together, doing the same thing. I’m just talking about myself. For whatever reason, it seemed harmless for a while, a few kisses, some fantasies...but I don’t want to take it further.”

“You damn sure did that night in the tack room.”

Walker took off his hat and ran a hand through his hair, trying to scrub away the panic that raced through his head at the memory. Yeah. He’d already shoved up her skirt and unzipped his pants when someone had walked past the tack room door. He’d thought his heart was going to jump out of his chest in that moment, waiting for whoever it was to open that unlocked door and expose them. It had only taken him a few seconds to zip back up and straighten her clothes and then feel damn grateful they’d been interrupted. Nicole hadn’t been so thankful.

She crossed her arms, her hands gripping her own elbows as if she was trying to find a little security. “I miss you,” she whispered.

Oh, God. What was he supposed to say to that? He couldn’t be cruel. “You’re lonely, Nicole. You should leave the ranch. Find something else.”

“No.” Her hands squeezed harder.

“Well, I can’t be your big distraction from your life.”

Her hands still squeezed her elbows, but she tried that sweet smile again. “Why not? You’re so good at it, Walker. You’re fun.”

Yeah, he was fun, all right. A lot of fun. “I know. But that fun got me fired and it’s making it hard to find new work.”

She finally let herself go and moved closer to touch his arm. “I’m sorry. Really. Let me help. Maybe...maybe I can get you hired on back at the ranch.”

“No way. I can’t work there now, knowing what everyone’s thinking.”

“No one knows anything! It will be fine, and I’ll get to see you every day. I’ll talk to—”

Walker cut her off. “I can’t.”

She nodded, but her face went tight and there was no missing the way her eyes glistened. “So you just never want to see me again?”

“Come on. I didn’t say that. And you can call anytime you want to talk.”

“Talking isn’t really what this is about. I don’t want to talk.”

Right. That wasn’t what she wanted from him. It wasn’t what anyone wanted. “Thanks for being honest.”

She rolled her eyes. “Why do you have to be this way? When we’re alone, everything is fine. As soon as I leave, you start regretting what we both want. Just take me to your place and fuck me, Walker. You told me you didn’t want to do it because you worked for my husband. Because it was his house and his ranch. But none of that applies anymore and I want you.”

A tiny part of his brain was telling him it didn’t matter. He might as well. Everyone suspected they’d been fooling around already. Hell, even Charlie knew now. She was probably getting an earful at this very second. So what did it matter?

A bigger part of his brain told him to sit down and shut up. “I can’t. I’m sorry,” he said softly.

“You’ll regret this. You’ll miss me. Give it another week.” She turned away, her hair flying out in a bright arc when she spun to stalk off the porch. Walker let her go, relieved that the conversation was done. He should have been up front in the first place, instead of trying to avoid her. But hell, he’d assumed their friendship would just die its natural death. Done. Over. He hadn’t expected her to demand her due.

He’d liked Nicole at first. He’d been flattered by her attention. He’d gotten caught up in the thrill of flirting with the boss’s hot wife.

Damn it.

He collapsed onto one of the outdoor bar stools and set his hat on another. For a moment, he stayed like that, head in hands, lost in indecision.

He shouldn’t have come to the saloon and he damn sure didn’t want to be there now, but he had to go back in. Otherwise, the story would end with him leaving the bar with Nicole and not returning.

Suddenly he was a hundred times more tired than he’d been an hour earlier. A thousand times.

But he stood, put on his hat, pasted a smile on his face and walked back into the saloon.

“You came back!” Charlie said as soon as he was in earshot.