Tyler (8 page)

Funny how the long, mirrored hallway didn’t seem odd anymore. His life was definitely going down a path he’d never imagined. He busted his ass all day long at the Circle G, same as always. Only now he scrubbed off the evidence of the day’s hard work, got dressed, and then drove nearly an hour only to get undressed again.

Go figure
.

Perverse, that’s what Grandpa always said life was. Like the beauty of a wild horse, begging you to climb on and take it for a ride, only to get on its back to be bucked off. But any man worth his salt, or his grandfather’s good opinion, ignored the lumps and bruises and got right back on that wild horse hanging on for what could be the ride of a lifetime.

Something told him the little woman he held against his heart would be worth the ride. Walking over toward the front of the stage, he bent and carefully set Emily on the nearest table. It was a struggle to ignore the way her snug black leather skirt inched higher. A good long look at her first-class legs reminded him that they’d agreed to meet later. Now that’d have to wait. “Let’s have a look.”

She squirmed as if trying to find a comfortable spot on the hard surface before trying to straighten her leg. Having taken his share of spills and life’s hard knocks, her sharp intake of breath and way she swayed told him just as much as looking would.

He squatted in front of her and rested his hands on his thighs. “Take a deep breath.” He knew it hurt like a sonofabitch but didn’t offer her any sympathy, afraid she’d break down; and anyway, as his brothers liked to remind him, he was useless as tits on a bull once a woman started crying.

Emily swore and he was impressed; he’d never thought to string
cocksuckingsonofabitch
together in one breath. He couldn’t help himself; the snort of laughter escaped before he could hold it in.

Jolene narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. “You think this is funny, cowboy?”

He cleared his throat and inclined his head toward where Emily sat, her eyes suspiciously glassy.
Damn.
He decided to go with the truth. “No, ma’am.” He paused then added, “Ain’t never heard anyone think to use those particular, ah…” He flicked his gaze back to Jolene. “Adjectives together before.”

The sound of her hissing out a breath didn’t bode well for him, but her anger didn’t worry him right now; Emily’s knee did.

“Verbs.”

Not recognizing the deep voice, he looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see a man standing there. Dave and Joe were still outside waiting for the law to arrive—he’d called them as soon as he’d heard the shotgun blast—so it was up to Tyler to protect the women. He drew in a deep breath, straightened to his full height, and turned to face the stranger. “Not unless you use the word bitch first. Bar’s closed.”

“Not because of any violations I’ve written them up for this time.” The light-haired stranger turned his attention to Jolene.

“Jake,” she rasped. “What are you doing here?”

Tyler stopped and unclenched his fists. “You know this guy?”

Jolene nodded, and the man looked from one woman to the other demanding, “What the hell happened?”

The look Jake and Jolene shared told Tyler they were acquainted, so he answered, “We didn’t get that far yet.” Sliding his gaze toward Jolene and back to the man standing beside him, who was obviously as frustrated as Tyler, he nodded. “First we’re going to clean up Emily’s knee and then we’re going to see if I can convince her to go on over to the emergency room to have it looked at.”

“No.”

The whispered word had him walking back over to where he’d deposited her. “Someone can go with you, so you’re not sitting there all alone for hours.” He always hated that particular part of going to the emergency room—the sting of antiseptic and needles would be the rest of why he only went if he was unconscious and had no say in the matter.

He felt sorry for Emily. She looked shell-shocked. Wondering how his boss was handling the situation had him glancing in Jolene’s direction. Damned if she didn’t have a similar expression on her face.

Jennifer’s voice slashed through his thoughts and drew his attention away from the sorry looking pair of redheads. “Well, well, if it isn’t the big bad fire marshal.”

“Now, Jen,” Natalie said, “he doesn’t have his clipboard with him today.”

“I was just doing my job,” Jake said, looking at the group of women. “Can’t we let it go?” he asked.

Jolene shrugged and Tyler figured that was as close as the newcomer would get to an answer. Needing to get Emily to agree, he pressed her. “Your knee’s swelling; you should get an X ray.”

“No.”

He could feel his temper simmering. “You always this difficult?”

“You always this bossy?”

He snorted to cover the laugh he didn’t think she’d approve of. “When it matters.”

Steering clear of the real reason—his gut-twisting need to protect the little redhead he’d tangled tongues with and fallen hard for—he tried to get her to agree to go to the emergency room. If he timed it right, he planned on tangling a whole lot more of them together as soon as humanly possible.

“Do you have any ice?”

A few minutes later Jennifer returned with a bag of frozen peas, antiseptic spray, and cotton balls.

“I thought you were bringing ice?”

“Frozen peas’ll work better.”

Shrugging, he reached for the spray and cotton balls first, and handed the bag of peas to Emily, fighting the need to scoop her up and never let her go.
Females were trouble
. According to his grandpa, redheads were double the trouble.
But twice the fun.
Tuning out everyone else in the room, he locked his gaze with Emily’s. “This might hurt some, but you need to clean it out and keep the swelling down.”

She angled her chin higher and nodded at him.

After her initial intake of breath, Emily was quiet.

He stood slowly and moved back a step only to bump into something solid. “What the hell?”

“She might have water on the knee or a cracked patella,” Jake said, inspecting Emily’s scraped and swelling knee from where he stood just behind Tyler.

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

Jake’s gaze slid over to where Jolene stood talking to the deputy who had arrived while Tyler’d been busy tending to Emily.

“I’m checking to see that those violations weren’t just temporarily fixed.”

“What violations?” he demanded, reaching for the antibiotic ointment and bandage Jennifer was handing to him.

Instead of answering, Jake stared at Jolene.

Tyler shrugged. He didn’t have time to talk. He had a woman to convince she really needed to go to the hospital. “Emily—” he began, keeping his voice even.

“No hospitals,” she interrupted, her voice was firm and her mind obviously made up.

Instead of telling her that he thought she was hardheaded as well as stupid, he noticed Jolene looked really pale. Emily noticed at the same time. “Jolene, your elbow still bothering you?”

Her cousin had one arm wrapped around herself and didn’t look as steady as she had a little while ago. She was probably still reacting to the shooting and Emily’s injury. Time to start deflecting some of the lawman’s questions.

Before Tyler could get the words out, Jake stepped in and bit out, “I think Miss Langley needs to sit down.”

The deputy questioning Jolene nodded, waiting while Jake took her by the arm and urged her to sit.

Satisfied Jake would take care of Jolene, Tyler turned his attention back to Emily and couldn’t help but notice her damned black leather bustier again. It cupped and lifted her ample breasts up as if for a thorough tasting. He had planned on sampling the creamy flesh just begging to be tasted after his shift was over. But now… well, he’d have to wait.

She drew in another breath and need hit him hard and deep. They’d have to put off getting to know each other intimately a day or so, until the swelling in her knee went down… but then again… she could just lie back while he took his time sampling the skin at the top of her thigh, the base of her throat, the valley between her breasts. Oh yeah, he could just imagine taking his time tasting all that fire and cream confection. He could be careful, and they could go slow.

Swallowing hard, he dug deep for control and zoomed in on the conversations going on around him.

“Do you two have any enemies?”

Emily looked at Jolene, and they both shrugged at the same time.

The deputy wasn’t satisfied with either woman’s response. He asked, “Has anyone threatened you?”

Jolene shook her head. Emily mimicked the movement.

Tyler could swear he heard the lawman grinding his teeth together. “I want you both to list your enemies, or those that you think might want to do you harm—”

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Emily said, struggling to her feet and rounding on the lawman. “Did you not know that those wild-eyed Baxter twins got a pair of shotguns for their sixteenth birthday?”

The deputy snapped his black notebook shut and stared at Emily. “Just doing my job, Miss Langley.”

Tyler eased her against him, and she was grateful she could lean against his strength and take the weight off her leg. Answering the deputy, hopefully setting him straight, she said, “And we appreciate it, but don’t make this into something it isn’t. I’ve been in town six months, and we don’t get much action here, except for the occasional high jinks of the local teenagers, but that’s no reason to make it into a murder investigation.”

Jolene added her two cents. “You should be concentrating on someone who’s riding around town with a twelve gauge shotgun and load of bird shot.”

“How do you know what caliber it was?” the deputy asked.

Emily looked at her cousin and wondered why they had to spell it out for the lawman. She shrugged, and Tyler loosened his hold on her but didn’t let go. “Can’t you tell the difference by the sound?”

When the lawman didn’t reply, she continued, “We grew up down South. Just because we don’t own a shotgun, doesn’t mean we don’t know what one sounds like.”

“Emily,” Tyler soothed, “I think the deputy has enough information now.”

Jake looked in their direction and nodded. “If either Miss Langley remembers anything of importance,” he said, “we’ll be sure and give you a holler.”

When the deputy was gone, Tyler turned and asked Jolene, “What are you and Emily going to do about tonight?”

“Sleep.”

Emily snickered.

Tyler could feel his temper simmering again; he tamped it down. “You two could have been killed.”

Emily looked at Jolene and sighed. “True. The bird shot could have broken the chain holding up that big old star and it could have landed on your head… or mine.”

Jake’s lips twitched, though he fought against smiling.

Tyler had to admit they had a point, and he was overreacting. “Well, what if it hadn’t been bird shot?”

Emily and Jolene shared a look before Emily turned to Tyler and rasped, “Then I’d be rounding up a posse to hunt down the dirty varmints who shot the heart out of our sign in cold blood.”

The picture Emily painted loosened the tension in the room. Jake chuckled and Tyler joined in; soon everyone was laughing together. When they grew quiet again, Tyler said, “Just so you ladies know, while no one was seriously injured, I’m still not leaving you alone tonight.”

Jake nodded. “The two of us will stay.”

“And sleep where?” Jolene demanded.

The men shared a look before Tyler glanced her way and had Emily’s toes curling.

“Wherever we have to in order to be here to protect you two stubborn redheads.”

“Who says we need protecting?” Emily sounded annoyed, but Tyler didn’t give two damns.

“Who says they weren’t aiming lower and missed?”

“You ladies ought to get some rest if you’re not going to go to get those X rays.”

Emily wanted to shout at the dark-eyed cowboy that she was fine and didn’t need any damned X rays, but she knew that was unfair to Tyler. His concern went bone-deep and sent the man into full-on protective mode. It was nice. It’d been some time since anyone other than their close-knit group of girlfriends had cared.

She sighed and reluctantly agreed. “Come on, Jolene, we could probably use to take a break. Gwen and the girls can open for us.”

Jolene stood with Emily. “Well if y’all are sure, we’ll just take a break and have some sweet tea.”

Emily dug deep for a smile that was a little rough around the edges. No use complaining about her sore knee or looking for sympathy; she wanted her knee mobile. Glancing up at Tyler she sighed, long and deep. She needed to be mobile for later. “Be back in fifteen minutes.”

“We’ll check on you in an hour,” Tyler promised.

“Who died and put you in charge?” Jolene grumbled.

Tyler flicked his gaze at Jolene, then turned to look at Jake, as if for back-up
. Men digging in together for the battle
. Emily’s heart felt just a bit lighter for having noticed. “Come on, cuz. We’re taking a break, and they can all be in charge. That way, chaos will reign while we’re upstairs, and you can come back down, wave your magic wand, and fix it.”

Jolene’s lips twitched, just as Em had hoped. “You can be such a bitch, Emily Langley.”

Emily’s felt the smile blooming up from her toes. “I know, honey, but you love me anyway.”

Her cousin sighed as they hooked arms and walked toward the door that led to their upstairs apartment. Halfway up the stairs, she wished she’d asked for help. “Damn that hurts.”

“I know. Me too, but we’re almost there,” Jolene coaxed. “Does it hurt when you walk or just when you bend it?”

“Yes.”

Jolene stopped and started to laugh. “Only you, Em.”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”

“Need a hand?” Emily stared at Jolene who shrugged and said, “I’ve still got one arm that works just fine.”

Emily shook her head. “Nope. I’m good.” Inside the bathroom, Emily realized it wasn’t quite as easy as she’d thought, maneuvering with a bum leg, but with a hand on the edge of the sink, she managed to sit and pee.

“Hey, Jolene?”

“Right here,” her cousin called from the other side of the door.

Emily snorted. “I knew you wouldn’t leave me in my hour of need.”

Jolene’s laughter warmed her heart. “Not even if you wanted me to.”

“Do you think we should be worried about whoever it was riddling our perfectly beautiful lucky star with holes?”

“Uh uh. I agree with you. Remember the other day when Mavis stopped by and was telling us about the Baxter twins?”

Emily struggled to her feet and washed her hands. Pleased that she’d managed the task alone, she started to repair her eye makeup. “I loved her description of them: ‘just two wild-eyed Texas boys, shooting off their mouths and showing off with their brand new birthday shotguns.’”

“Yeah. Old man Peterson was fit to be tied when he caught them shooting up the weather vane on top of his barn.”

“Mavis nearly bust a gut laughing, describing the old goat’s attack rooster chasing after those boys.”

Jolene was silent, and Emily wondered if she was still there. “Jolene?”

“Hmmm? Right here,” she called out. “I was just thinking: do we really want two men staying overnight, telling us what to do and when to do it?”

When Emily didn’t answer fast enough, Jolene called out, “Everything all right in there?”

Emily grabbed hold of the edge of the sink to steady herself and reached behind her to open the door. “Yep. Just wanted to get rid of the mascara under my eyes before we go back downstairs… after we take a little rest.”

Jolene opened the vanity drawer and pulled out a bulging makeup bag. “If we don’t have it in here,” she said with a grin, “honey, you don’t need it.” She paused and said, “You didn’t answer my question.”

Emily looked at her cousin’s reflection and shrugged. “I kind of like that Tyler and Jake are worried about us.”

Jolene frowned. “Skip that part and get to the part where they’re going to be telling us what to do and how to be sure to lock the doors and windows.”

Before Jolene could build up any steam, Emily stopped her. “Don’t you just love it when a man you’re interested in goes into full-on protective mode? His jaw clenches, his eyes narrow, and he starts surveying the territory around him like he was a sheriff waiting for the Dalton Gang to ride up and start shooting.”

Jolene’s lips twitched. “You surely do have a fanciful mind. Maybe you ought to try submitting some of those ideas to Harlan over at the
Pleasure Gazette
.”

Ignoring the suggestion that she write for the town’s local paper, Emily said, “Seriously, Jo, you can’t tell me the handsome fire marshal doesn’t just set off a few bells and whistles, and have your guts churning and your pulse pounding when he turns and looks at you.”

Jolene bit her lip, fighting not to smile, but ended up giving in. “He is good-looking, isn’t he?”

Emily agreed. “Nearly as yummy as the big bad cowboy you have working for you.”

Jolene smiled. “You two seemed pretty friendly upstairs earlier.”

Remembering the taste of him and the long, hard length of him, Emily sighed. “The man’s lips should be licensed as lethal weapons.”

“I’m here for you, honey,” Jolene said. “Tell me more.”

They were laughing when a deep voice called out, “Is everything all right up here?”

Jolene whirled around, smacking her elbow against the door jam. Her low moan had Tyler moving forward and barking out orders. “Emily, sit down for God’s sake and take some weight off that knee.”

Emily remembered that it was concern that sharpened his voice and had him telling her what to do. Man, she hated when anyone did that, but she sat on the edge of the tub, mostly because Jolene had turned green before every ounce of color drained from her face.

“Where are you hurt, boss?”

Jolene was too busy trying to breathe and not pass out, so Emily answered for her. “She hit her elbow”—she paused—“she landed pretty hard on it outside earlier.”

Tyler maneuvered Jolene over toward the toilet and made her sit down on the lid. “Can you move it?”

Jolene shook her head, and Emily knew it was much worse than Jolene had let on.

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier?” Tyler’s voice sounded harsh.

Emily frowned up at him. “Because that’s the way she’s made.”

He slid his gaze over to where she sat and shook his head. “Women.”

“We’re a lot stronger than you give us credit for,” Emily blurted out. He glared at her and shook his head again, which really ticked her off. “Jerk.”

He opened his mouth but ended up clamping his jaw shut without saying a word and turned back toward Jolene. “What hurts the worst?”

Jolene took her time answering him. “It hurts to move my arm, but the elbow hurts the worst.”

“Do you want me to drive you ladies to the emergency room?”

Jolene got her gumption back with a vengeance. “You’re the new headliner here, Tyler. After the advertising I paid for, we need you downstairs. We’re expecting a crowd.”

Conflicting emotions rushed through him: relief that the show would go on and he’d be able to collect more money toward the mortgage bill, and resignation that he’d have to go on stage again tonight.

He nodded. “What about Natalie or Jennifer?” he asked. “Can’t one of them drive you?”

Jolene shook her head. “I need them here if I’m going with Emily.”

“What about Gwen?” Tyler asked.

“She’s our bartender and bouncer. I need her here.”

“Then who’s going to make sure the both of you get checked out?” he demanded, unable to keep his frustration under control.

“That would be me,” a now-familiar deep voice answered from behind them.

“Jake,” Jolene sounded relieved.

“OK,” Emily answered, tilting her head to one side, while she studied first her cousin and then the man standing just outside the bathroom.

Tyler wondered just what was going on here. The fire marshal had definitely helped earlier, but now he wondered if there was more to the man’s motives than just being helpful. The set of his jaw and his stance—as if Jake were poised ready for a fight—indicated the man’s involvement was more than just the need to be useful.

Testing his theory, while at the same time doing his damnedest to protect the women, Tyler said, “I’m sure we can find someone else to drive them. Besides, I’m sure you’re busy, doing random inspections.”

The fire marshal moved to a fighter’s stance, flexed his hands into fists, then raked his hands through his hair. Definitely the sign of someone who was emotionally involved with the situation. “I said I’d drive them.” Jake braced his feet apart and crossed his arms over his chest.

Tyler pushed one more button to be sure he could trust the guy. “I already offered to drive them.”

Jolene sighed. “And I’ve already told you that I need you to do your show tonight, Tyler.”

Her voice had an edge of desperation to it, and he wondered why. Not moving until he was satisfied with the arrangements for his new boss and her cousin, he imitated Jake’s stance.

Tyler sensed it was a struggle for Jake to keep a lid on his frustration, and his next words confirmed it.

“Look,” Jake said, “Jolene needs you to do what she hired you to do.”

The expression on Jake’s face was hard to read. Tyler was ready to pound on the guy if he added anything derogatory about Tyler’s job at The Lucky Star. But Jake didn’t do more than appear very concerned about Tyler’s boss.

Finally, Tyler nodded. “I’d be obliged if you’d drive them over to the emergency room and stay with them.”

Jake’s gaze met his and the silent communication between them was all that was needed. Jake would protect the women while Tyler did what Jolene needed him to do.

“I’ll be here when you get back,” he told them.

Jake nodded, but Emily blurted out, “That could be hours from now!”

Tyler helped the women out of the bathroom and toward the stairs. “I’ll wait.”

“But what about—” Jolene began, but he didn’t let her finish.

“I said I’d be here.”

“Won’t you be expected home tonight?” Emily asked.

Tyler wondered if what she really wanted to know was who would be waiting home for him, and almost asked her if that’s what she meant. At the last minute, he was able to stop himself from looking foolish. They were a long way from asking each other those kinds of questions… for now. Besides, his gut told him that even though they hadn’t flat out asked, neither one was in a relationship right now. Ever since he’d broken it off with the brunette from over in Amarillo, he’d developed a sixth sense about lying women. Emily didn’t strike him as the type who would smile and lie to his face.

The other man nodded as he placed a protective arm around Jolene and led her toward the stairs. “I meant it about hanging around tonight,” Jake said. “I’ll keep you company.”

“Appreciate it,” Tyler said, slipping his arm around Emily’s waist. The woman had amazing curves. His arm fit snugly in the gentle inward sweep between her waist and hips. He clamped down on the need flaring to life inside of him and eased her toward the stairs.
Later.

When Emily’s step faltered, Tyler didn’t ask, he swept her into his arms and braced to catch an earful. But to his shock, Emily didn’t say a word. After a few moments the rigidness left her body as she relaxed against him.

Contentment swept up from his gut right to his heart.
This woman mattered.
He couldn’t even begin to guess why now, why her, but was Irish enough to accept that fate often had more to say about the path of a person’s life than a sack-full of good intentions.

As he followed Jake down the stairs and past the bar, Gwen called out, “Natalie needs you back in five to go over the dance steps.”

He cringed at the thought of getting back on that stage. “Be right back.”

Fate was a fickle son of a bitch sometimes. After he and Jake were satisfied that the ladies were settled in the car for the short ride over to the hospital, he headed back inside. He had a job to do and the sooner he did it, the sooner he could get back to where he wanted to be… right there beside Emily.

***

“I told you to keep them from opening for business tonight, not permanently!” The head of the Pleasure Preservation Society stood with his back to the room.

“It’s not my fault,” the other man was quick to explain. “My sister’s boys are good kids with dead-on aim. They hit their target.”

Emerson glared at him.

Jim Dooley continued. “Hell, they’re only sixteen; how were they to supposed to know the women’d get too close to their target?”

Emerson’s mouth opened and closed. Was Dooley serious? “They had to notice two redheaded women on the sidewalk in front of the bar.”

Dooley nodded. “Hell, Frank. They’re just a little trigger happy’s all… they haven’t got a mean bone between ’em. Besides, the women didn’t get hurt.”

“Just tell them to lay low for a couple of days,” Emerson said. “We can get a rumor going about The Lucky Star and its owners so that people will line up behind us while we continue our campaign to change the town’s name.” At Dooley’s blank look, Emerson grumbled. “We need everyone in town behind us, or we can’t get enough votes.”

“Are you worried about that?”

“Pleasure’s an old town with shady beginnings; the odd thing is most of the townspeople were born and raised right here and proud of their beginnings. We’ll need to be very persuasive to convince them to change our Take Pride in Pleasure Day celebration and rodeo to Take Pride in Emerson Day.”

“What about my nephews? Sheriff McClure’s deputies are sniffing around asking questions.”

“I’ll handle everything,” Emerson promised.