Wicked Need (The Wicked Horse Series Book 3) (13 page)

“So what’s
up with you?” Jake asks. “Jimmy said you’ve been
here a while.”

Jimmy is one of his
employees who is manning the store today. He also doubles as a
fishing guide, but the trip he had set this morning got cancelled. It
rained like hell last night and the rivers are too muddied to make it
worthwhile.

“Just waiting
for a friend who is doing some errands around town; thought we’d
go get some lunch after she’s done.”

“She?”
Jake asks, an eyebrow cocked and with a quick lick to his lips.

“Yes, a she,”
I affirm. “I’ve been known to like the opposite sex, you
know.”

It’s
no wonder Jake has a healthy dose of skepticism when it comes to me
making any type of plans that sound like a date with a woman. He’s
the one person who knows firsthand how turbulent my relationship was
with Tarryn. He also knows that when it ended, I sort of swore off
relationships for a while. While he has no clue about The Silo and
what I do there, he’s also observed me for the past four years
and hasn’t seen me date anyone. I’ve been to dinner at
their table, gone out with him and Lorelei on many a weekend, but
they’ve never seen me with a date.

And why would I?

Even though I truly
understand what happened to our relationship, Tarryn left me a little
jaded by her infidelity. Besides, there was no shortage of tourists
and locals to fuck once I settled here in Jackson. Once The Silo
opened, that pretty much sealed my fate as a bachelor because I could
get off whenever I wanted with no-strings attached. It’s
not that I’m opposed to the strings, but it’s just easier
when they’re not involved.

“This is
monumental, dude,” he says with a grin. “It’s about
time you started dating again.”

“We’re
friends,” I correct him. “She’s down on her luck
and crashing at my place for a few days.”

Friends who are
fucking though.

“Friends my
ass,” he says without any qualms of dismissing my motives so
quickly. “So when do Lorelei and I get to meet her? How about
dinner this weekend?”

“Maybe,”
I say, not bothering to try to assert that this is a friends-only
deal. He’s not buying it. Not because he has any great insight
into me, but because he doesn’t want to. Jake’s always
been a romantic at heart, and he wants everyone to fall in love, get
married, and pop out kids. “She’s going to come here
after she’s done dropping resumes off, so you can meet her
then.”

“She’s
job hunting?” he asks before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Yeah, you
hiring?”

“Not right
now, but I will be in about two weeks to gear up for the start of
hunting season. I’ll need some extra help to keep track of all
the expeditions and guides.”

“How many are
you up to now?” I ask curiously. Jake has never hunted or
fished in his life that I know of, but he’s become quite
successful at gathering knowledgeable guides who flock to this area
during peak tourist season to pick up work.

“I’ve
got eleven,” he says nonchalantly. “Seven returning from
last year and four new that I’m hiring.”

“Jesus,”
I say with a teasing grin. “Do you even bother with the snow
sporting world anymore?”

“Still my one
true love,” he answers before pushing his chair back and
standing up. “And I need to get to it as I have a shitload of
stuff to do today. I’m already a few hours behind.”

“Sure, man,”
I say, standing up as well and not wanting to hold him up… too
much. But I have to ask, “Listen, this friend of mine…
her name’s Cat, and she’s really in a tough spot. If you
hear of any job openings, let me know, okay?”

“You know I
will,” he reassures. “But you know it’s tough
around here. Everyone wants to live and work in this area.”

And that’s
the fucking truth. I’ve been all over the world and much of the
United States, and there isn’t much that’s comparable to
this area in the way of scenery and activities. Throw in the grandeur
of Yellowstone just north of us, and the competition for work is
stiff.

Movement over Jake’s
shoulder and beyond the open doorway of the breakroom catches my
attention. I see Cat walking toward us. I’ll admit that my
tongue was hanging out of my head this morning when she came out of
the bedroom wearing a slim-fitted skirt that came just down to her
knees but with a slit up the side that showed just a tiny peek of her
lower thigh when she walked in her high heels. It wasn’t enough
to be overtly sexy, but it was enough to get a man’s attention
and for him to wonder what else was up there. Luckily, I knew the
answer to that question.

I smile at her, and
she says hesitantly, “The
guy up front said you were back here and that I could come on back.”

Jake turns to the
sound of her voice. Because he’s
a genuinely friendly guy and an extrovert on steroids, he sticks his
hand out and says, “You must be Cat?”

She enters the
breakroom and takes his hand, shooting me a quick smile before
looking back to him. “And
you must be Jake. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“And I haven’t
heard nearly enough about you,” he says as he gives a quick
shake and releases her hand. “But unfortunately I’ve got
to get to work. So I demanded that your man set up a double date with
me and my wife, Lorelei.”

Cat’s
eyes cut to mine. While she doesn’t need to say a word, I can
read the look. It says,
He
doesn’t
know we’re just fucking?

I shoot her back a
look that says,
It’s
more than just fucking and you know it.

She smirks at me
before turning back to Jake. “That
sounds like fun. We should do it soon.”

And just like that,
it looks like I might be having my first real date in well…
for fucking ever. There’s never been anyone other than Tarryn
and shit… we were still kids when we started seeing each
other. Dates back then consisted of making out in the school library
or grabbing an ice cream in town. Once we got older and life got
busy, dates were an uncommon occurrence.

“Sounds
awesome,” Jake says. He turns to look at me with a pointed look
that says,
Let’s
do this sooner rather than later before you chase her off.
Turning
sideways,
he slides past Cat while saying, “Nice
to meet you.”

“You too,”
she murmurs and then turns back to me. “Sorry that took so
long.”

“No worries,”
I assure her. “You hit all the places you wanted to?”

A slightly uneasy
look crosses her face, but she nods. “Yeah…
now it’s a wait and see.”

“What
happened?” I ask bluntly. I can tell
something
happened in the last two hours that has her a bit rattled.

“What do you
mean?” she asks, those large, brown eyes blinking at me in faux
innocence. I don’t buy it for a second.

“Come on,
Cat,” I say softly as I step into her. She looks up at me with
her lower lip tucked in between her teeth, and Christ… that’s
sexy, but I move past that thought. “You’ve already told
me enough of your dirty laundry that you obviously trust me to some
extent. Tell me what’s got that beautiful face filled with
trouble.”

That lip pops free
as she gives a resigned sigh, her eyes lowering briefly as she takes
in a breath and then looks back up at me. “I
ran into Kevin on the street.”

For a moment, I
don’t
comprehend who that is, but then it hits me hard and my protective
instincts arise. Reaching out, I take her by the upper arm and pull
her a little closer. “Did he hurt you? Are you okay?”

She nods quickly.
“Yeah…
I mean, he was a creep as always, and he threatened me, but I think—”

“He fucking
threatened you?” I snarl, and she jerks in surprise over the
deadly tone in my voice.

“Not to fuck
with him,” she says timidly. “To forget about the will.”

“You two
discussed the will?”

“Among other
things,” she says as she steps backward and pulls her arm
slightly to get me to release it. I’m not sure if she’s
seeking distance because I just scared her or she doesn’t
appreciate the caveman mentality, but I let it go for now. Instead, I
cross my arms over my chest.

“Okay, how
about tell me everything start to finish?” I command.

“It was short…
we literally bumped into each other on the street. Well, actually, I
think he ran into me on purpose to get my attention, but no matter.
Anyway, I told him wanted a copy of the signed will and he wasn’t
happy about that. But then he propositioned me—”

I curse under my
breath and that stops Cat’s
dialogue. She looks at me in question, and I wave an impatient hand
at her. “Sorry… go on.”

“He said I
could move back into the Jackson house, but I told him I wouldn’t
let his needle dick anywhere near me. Then he told me not to fuck
with him, reiterated the Jackson house offer, which was essentially
to be his side piece, or I could take five thousand in cash and go
away.”

“Did he touch
you?” I ask through a locked jaw and gritted teeth.

She knows by the
tone of my voice that her answer could be perilous, so she stiffens
her spine and simply says, “Yes.
He grabbed me and pulled me into an embrace just before he threatened
me. But we were on a public sidewalk and he wasn’t about to
make a scene. When I pulled away, he let me go.”

Blazing fury fills
me as I think about that asshole taking advantage of Cat’s
body because he believed his dad owned her, and now trying to do so
again. The thought he could think to take what I was fast starting to
think of as mine pissed me off. That he would even think about trying
to touch her again makes me furious, especially when he essentially
forced himself on her before. She may not have fought him, but he
damn well knew she didn’t want her husband gifting her to his
son whenever he felt the need arise.

“Something
good came of that meeting though,” she says quickly.

My eyes focus in on
her, leaving my other thoughts about murdering Kevin behind. “What’s
that?”

“I know damn
well that will leaving me nothing wasn’t executed. Otherwise,
he would have never threatened me or tried to pay me off. He was
wigged out when I told him I wanted to see the signed copy.”

“So what…
you think the original will is still in Vegas?” I ask.

“I do,”
she confirms. “And I’m leaving tomorrow to find out if
I’m right.”

“What?”
I ask in stunned disbelief.

She’s
leaving?

Maybe not coming
back?

“I’m
going to drive back to Vegas,” she says with a gleam in her
eye. She gives a pat to her purse. “I was able to pawn all my
jewelry, so I have some money to help me get by. I’m getting
into that house and Samuel’s office, and I’m not leaving
until I know the truth.”

“You pawned
your jewelry?” I ask in disbelief. “Why would you do
that?”

“Because I
need the money, Rand,” she says with a little irritation in her
voice. “I can’t just live off you, you know. And I can’t
sit back and let that dickhead take advantage of me anymore.”

I hate she has
to make these tough choices, and I can’t stand the thought of
her being so desperate she pawned her jewelry, but I can understand
her reasoning to do just that. Cat’s done with taking a
backseat to her life. She let Samuel dictate everything and now that
he’s gone, her backbone is starting to shore up.

“You should
have at least tried to sell the jewelry to some reputable jewelry
stores,” I grumble.

“I did try,”
she says. “No one was interested, so I had no choice.”

“Well, at
least if you’re owed some of Samuel’s estate, you can get
it all back,” I concede.

Cat gives an
unladylike snort and shakes her head. “I
don’t want that jewelry. It means nothing to me. I don’t
want anything reminding me of that man and what he did to me.”

I smile in
understanding and take a step back into her. Putting my arm around
her waist, I pull her in and give her a kiss to her forehead. “Okay,
I get it. You’re ready to charge into battle and nothing’s
holding you back.”

She responds by
wrapping both arms around my waist, her purse squished in between us.
Squeezing me, she says, “That’s
right.”

“You coming
back?” I ask, bracing myself for the possibility that tonight
might be the last time I ever see Cat again.

“I’m…
well, I’m not sure,” she says quietly with her cheek
still pressed to my chest, and that’s a better answer than I
actually expected. Vegas
is
Cat’s hometown. She can get a job there quickly, I’d
imagine. Nothing here to pull her back this way.

“So what time
do
we
leave tomorrow?”
I ask, throwing caution to the wind and then locking my arm tight as
I expect her to pull away.

She jerks slightly
but merely tilts her head back to look at me. “You
want to go with me to Vegas?”

“Fuck if I’m
going to let you ride off into battle alone,” I tell her with a
charming grin. “I’m a white knight after all. Besides, I
don’t trust Kevin or Richard. If for some reason they’re
there, I don’t want you handling them on your own.”

“But your
work,” she points out.

“Pish won’t
care,” I tell her confidently. But he’ll so care. He’ll
be pissed because he’ll have to get his ass up now and open the
shop. He works late hours, preferring to do his inking at night, but
I can’t worry about him right now. This is more
important—although why, I’m not quite sure. But I’ve
decided to follow my gut, and if I lose my job, so be it. I don’t
need the money as my earlier sponsorship deals have left me
financially secure. “Now how about we go grab some lunch and we
can plan what we need to do?”

“No… I
can’t let you do that. I can’t disrupt your life like
that. This may be nothing more than a fool’s errand.”

Fool’s
errand.