Tackling Summer (12 page)

“I’m glad you called,” she said.

“Me too,” Maddox said and ordered a whiskey on the rocks. Beer wasn’t going to be enough to take the edge off tonight. “So, you going to help me rock this town tonight?”

Lila cocked her head to one side. “Not much to rock. This town is a one-trick pony, and you’re in it.”
 

“You two eating tonight?” The grizzled bartender sported a gut and a stained white t-shirt. Maddox was dubious about the food offerings in this joint, but he hadn’t eaten since lunch. He was starving.

“Yes.”

Two sticky red menus were passed across the bar.

“Thanks, Tony,” Lila said.

Maddox scanned the list. Typical burger and deep-fried bar food. He knew he’d regret it, but he was sick of beef and frozen pizza. So, he decided on the fish and chips. Lila ordered a chef salad and another beer.

The door opened and closed and a couple of women stepped into the dim room. Maddox could feel their eyes on him. A quick assessment told him they were much too old for his taste.
 

Lila missed nothing and laughed. “You’re fresh meat. It’s slim pickings in the man department around here.”

“Well, then it’s a good thing you caught me fast,” Maddox said.

She clinked her glass with his, and he downed his drink, motioning at Tony for another.

When their food arrived, Maddox fought the urge to wipe his fish with his napkin before eating it. He hated to admit it, but Lila’s salad looked more appealing. When had he become such a food snob? He couldn’t remember ever cringing at a meal in his life before coming to Clifford’s Bend.

He went to the bathroom to wash his hands and bumped into a cowboy about his age but sporting the gut that seemed to be attached to the majority of the men and several of the women in this joint. He mumbled an excuse me and turned on the faucet.

“See you decided to take a ride on the village bike,” the cowboy said.

“Excuse me?” Maddox jerked his head up and met the other man’s stare in the mirror.

“Lila. Everybody’s tapped that one. You’re new here. Thought you’d want to know. Wear a rubber, man.”

Maddox’s brows drew together. Who was this asshole, and did he think he sounded witty with his ripped off movie lines?

The cowboy reacted to Maddox’s stormy expression. Holding his palms out in front of himself. “Nothin’ to get pissy about. Every town’s got one.”

Maddox ripped a length of paper towel from the dispenser and turned to face the guy. He was a good couple of inches taller, and he knew he outweighed him in muscle.

“She seems pretty nice to me.”

The guy shrugged and braved turning away from Maddox to pull open the door. “Do what you want.”

Maddox sucked in a deep breath. Locker room talk, that’s all that was. The guy was a jerk, but Maddox could hear the voices of teammates rumbling through his brain saying the same types of things after practice as they plotted their evening’s conquests.

Someone had fired up the jukebox while he was in the bathroom, and the place was thumping to some country song. It had a slight pop beat, wasn’t too twangy. Maddox saw Lila on the floor line dancing with a handful of other ladies. A few couples whirled together. These people took their dancing seriously. No bumping and grinding on the floor like at the city clubs.

Lila caught his eye as the song ended and crooked her finger. A slow song started, and she pulled him close as soon as she could reach him. She had an exotic, spicy fragrance, a contrast to Chanel’s light and sweet scent, and her curves felt good under his hands. An unfamiliar sliver of doubt about going home with her niggled at him. Was it what the jerk in the bathroom had said? Of course not. He’d never cared about a girl’s backlist before.

Maddox pulled Lila tighter against him, her full breasts pressed against his chest. He tried to think about her shapely legs below the short denim skirt, but instead he saw Chanel’s longer ones extending from her running shorts. That was two Chanel comparisons in about as many minutes. How had she managed to get in his head? Lila brought him back to her when she began trailing her fingers down his back and up again, giving him a shiver.
 

“How long do you want to hang out here?” Lila tilted her head back, so she could see his face.

Still undecided, Maddox said, “You already done showing me off?”

“I think enough folks have seen us to start spreading the word about how I snagged the hot new guy,” Lila said with a throaty laugh. “It’ll circle ‘round to me, and I can brag about how I’m seeing a future NFL player.”

Instead of being flattered, Maddox felt kind of bad for her. Did she realize what people said about her behind closed doors? Add that to the fact that there was a good chance he had no future NFL career.
 

This sudden bout of conscience irritated him. Determined to drive it and Chanel from his mind, Maddox lowered his lips to Lila’s. She parted them eagerly, threading her fingers through his hair. It was enough to flip the switch to start thinking with a different part of his anatomy. Fisting his hands in those silky thick curls, he pulled back so he could see her face. Lila’s porcelain skin was flushed, eyes burning up at him.
 

“Let’s get out of here.” His voice was husky with desire.

They tumbled out of the Leaning Camel’s bar entrance, Lila’s hand already up Maddox’s shirt. He pressed her up against the wall, deepening their kiss.
 

She moaned against his lips. “Damn, I’ve never felt abs like that.”

Probably not around here, Maddox thought picturing the population of beer guts on the other side of that door. That image brought him back to himself, and he pulled back. Lila’s lips were swollen from his kisses, her chest rising and falling heavily. Those breasts so much fuller than Chanel’s.

“My place is three blocks that way.” She pointed to her right. Taking his hand, she pushed off the wall and began leading him down the street.

As they walked, Maddox could see Chanel’s disapproving glare in his mind. She shook her head and turned away. So what if Chanel wouldn’t approve. She only got to tell him what to do during work hours. His vigor renewed, Maddox scooped Lila into his arms and nuzzled her neck making her giggle.
 

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a heated kiss. “Hold on, baby, we’re almost there.”

Maddox returned Lila to her feet, and she broke into a jog despite her tall sandals. He kept pace with her until they reached a little white house with a chain link fence. Lila opened the gate, and seconds later she was closing the front door behind them. Maddox pinned her against the wall in the entryway and lifted her skirt. Screw Chanel Eber. He’d do whatever the hell he wanted.
 

***

Steam rose from the kitchen sink as the mound of soapy bubbles grew. Chanel submerged the rectangle glass pan she’d used the night before to bake tater tot casserole. It would need to soak for a bit. She gazed out the window over the sink, taking in the view of the barn, corrals, shop, and bunkhouses.
 

An unfamiliar sedan rolled across the cattle guard, breaking the midmorning silence. It came to a stop beside the bunkhouse lawn. Always wary of strangers poking around, Chanel squinted and leaned closer to the window. She recognized Lila Biggs emerging from the drivers’ side. When Maddox opened the passenger door, Chanel recoiled from the window as if someone had slapped her. They kissed, Maddox pressing the woman against the car. Chanel’s shock turned to fury in an instant. She reached for the phone and dialed Seth’s number. No answer. Slamming it down, she plunged her hands into the scalding dishwater and yelped, jerking them back out again. Cursing, Chanel grabbed a towel and wiped them dry.
 

How could he be with Lila? Why did she care? Emotions running wild, Chanel picked up the phone again, and this time dialed Roberta.

“Hey there,” Roberta chirped when she answered.

“He picked up a woman last night,” Chanel yelled into the phone.

“Your dad?” Roberta sounded horrified.

“No! Maddox!” Chanel continued to watch the make out session, until Maddox pulled back and took Lila by the hand, leading her to his bunkhouse.

“So? You’re not sleeping with him.”

“Dammit, Bert, he can’t act like that in a small town.” Chanel scraped her fingers through her hair.

“Have sex? Hate to tell you this, but it happens everywhere. Besides, why do you care who he’s sleeping with? You don’t even like him. The guy is entitled to a life, even out in the sticks.”

Chanel gritted her teeth, knowing Bert was right but hating it. She moved into the living room and curled into a ball on the couch. “You’re right. It shouldn’t bother me.”

“You’ve been off from the moment he landed on your doorstep. You crushing a little bit?”

“Oh my gosh, we aren’t teenagers anymore, Roberta.” Chanel only used her friend’s full name when she was extremely frustrated.

“Then stop acting like one.”
 

This was the second time in five minutes that Chanel felt like she’d been slapped. She wished Seth had answered his phone. He wouldn’t have been so harsh. Well, maybe. He’d echoed Bert’s thoughts about just giving in and sleeping with Maddox at the beginning just to get it out of the way.

“You can’t tell me Maddox is the only man bringing women back to the bunkhouse.”

She was right. In the past, though not recently, Fritz had brought a string of ladies home. Jerry had a steady woman who from time to time spent the weekend. David hadn’t brought Faith home for the night, but everyone knew he stayed at her place. Really, her dad was the only celibate man on the crew. Unless…while she was away at school…Chanel shuddered at the thought.

“No,” Chanel grumbled.

“There’s a lot of summer left, Chel. You’re gonna make yourself crazy if you keep obsessing over him. Make peace with the situation or do something to change it.” A deep murmur came from Bert’s end of the line.

“Who’s that?” Chanel asked.

“No one. Traffic,” Bert said quickly.

“You have someone over!” A smile took over Chanel’s lips. She was ready to shift the attention to her friend.

“No, I don’t.”

Remembering Bert was on her cell phone, Chanel rephrased. “You stayed at his place!”

“Well, maybe. I should probably go. He’s out of the shower, and it’s been a while since we’ve eaten.”

Chanel could picture Bert’s wicked grin.

“Fine. You better call me with details later.”

“Of course, doll. Remember what I said.”

“I will.”

“Bye.” With that, Roberta was gone, and Chanel was alone on her couch. Mulling over their conversation, she chewed her thumbnail. It was time to make Maddox just one of the guys.

CHAPTER TEN

Potato peels curled into the sink, and Chanel dropped another bare potato into a colander. The kitchen air was heavy with the scent of the homemade baked beans Christine stirred on the stove despite the open window and frantic whirring of an oscillating fan.

“Thanks again for helping me today,” Christine said as she replaced the lid over the simmering beans.

“No problem,” Chanel replied. The kitchen wasn’t her favorite place to be, but she could cook when called upon. And today she wanted to be here rather than putting out salt for the herd on the mountain. Seth was due to arrive that afternoon, and she intended to be here the moment he drove in.
 

Christine was so excited for her son’s visit that she’d invited all the ranch hands in addition to Chanel and Mitch to her place for dinner. As far as they knew, everyone was coming, except for David. He’d claimed to have plans with Faith, even though it was Wednesday, and he rarely went to town during the week. When Chanel suggested he bring his girlfriend to dinner, her cousin got shifty and hurried away, ending the conversation. Faith had been in Chanel and Seth’s class in high school, and Chanel was sure the other woman would be happy to reunite with an old friend—unless, for some reason David had turned her against Seth too.

“How are things with Maddox?”

The half peeled potato in Chanel’s hand squirted into the sink with a thud. “What do you mean? He’s fine.” She squeezed her eyes shut. The words tumbled out way too fast. The jerk was great. He’d managed to find a throwaway screw miles from nowhere. But, she wasn’t going to tell Christine that. It would open a whole new line of questioning. “Well, he might be a little sore. He fell off Rosalind the other night. I haven’t been able to coax him back on her.” And her father was not happy. Mitch had informed her that she could have ended Maddox’s football career. He went on and on about how she needed to be more careful with the overgrown pansy, and it was time to take the burr out from under her saddle pad. Chanel fumed through the uncharacteristic tirade, and when he’d finished, pointed out she’d warned her father about Maddox being inept on the ranch. Then they’d stormed to their separate corners of the house. Chanel and Mitch never fought like that, and she was still smarting and blaming that great blond ape.

Chanel peeked over her shoulder to see her aunt cracking an egg into the mixing bowl. She was making Seth’s favorite, German chocolate cake. That’s what they had for dessert every time he came home. It had been a while since the scent of baking chocolate had graced this kitchen.

 
“You two have been spending a lot of time together,” Christine said not looking up from her cake prep.

“Uh, yeah, Dad gave me the job of babysitting our little city boy this summer.” Chanel cringed. She hated how she sounded just like Jessi when she copped an attitude. Eager to change the subject, she asked, “Where’s Jessi? I thought she’d be sticking close with Seth coming today.”

Christine laughed, but it was hollow. “She went swimming with Brad Wilkins and some other kids out at the falls. You remember that age. Boys trump family.”

Leaning against the counter, Chanel dried her hands on a dishtowel. “Not really.”

Christine’s shoulder slumped as she sifted the dry ingredients into the bowl. “That’s right. You didn’t get caught up in all that.”