Hold Me Close (Bridgewater County Book 4) Page 3

  Yeah, chance blown. Because of that, she’d put up an invisible barrier between us that might as well have been made out of steel. Ethan, on the other hand, was the golden boy in her eyes. I’d seen the way she smiled when he greeted her in the mornings. Oh, she didn’t flirt with him—she was too much of a professional for that—but she wasn’t giving him the cold shoulder, either.

  Lucky bastard.

  Still, I couldn’t be too jealous. It was my own damn fault he and I were sitting on the sidelines pining over our sweet woman while she was on a date with the town’s biggest jackass.

  Ethan and I had been best friends since we were kids. I’d grown up on the East Coast, but I’d come with my parents often enough. I’d always loved Montana and when I had the cash from my time in pro baseball, my parents had been happy for me to buy them out and enjoy their retirement. That had been when I was still playing ball.

  It was Ethan who’d convinced me to give ranch life a shot with him as my partner when my baseball career was cut short by a shoulder injury. After three years in the majors, I’d had to suddenly find a new career. I’d assumed sports commentating or coaching, but neither had panned out. I’d been too bitter to linger, to be involved in a sport I could no longer play. I never imagined I’d turn out to be the co-owner of a Wild West guest ranch.

  As always, my best friend had been there with a helping hand when I’d needed him most. He’d gotten his MBA and knew what the shit he was doing when it came to keeping the business in the red, hiring the right staff, marketing. Even trusting Emmy’s judgement on hiring Rachel. Some could say he was the brains and I was the brawn, but Ethan had twenty pounds of muscle on me. We’d always been close but my moving back to Bridgewater and working the ranch together had solidified our friendship.

  Over two many beers one night, we realized we wanted the same thing, a traditional Bridgewater marriage. Not only did we want to share the business, but we wanted to share a woman too. The right woman. We’d just been waiting for her.

  Well, we’d met her all right. And I’d scared her away.

  I watched Rachel now, smiling at that sleazy ass with his chinos and polo shirt, like he was some sort of big shot preppy playboy and not the owner of a small-time hardware store in a tiny town. I had nothing against small business owners. Fuck no. I just had a problem with assholes.

  She looked amazing, as always. At the office, she wore the unofficial uniform of jeans and a button-down shirt with the Hawk’s Landing logo on it, just like Ethan and me. She always looked professional and put together with her long, soft brown hair pulled back in a bun or simple ponytail. Her business attire didn’t detract from her beauty, only enhanced the feeling of untouchability. Professional, friendly, but nothing more. Just what we wanted from our employees.

  But not tonight.

  Tonight her hair was down, like it had been at the rodeo. It curled gently around her shoulders, softening her delicate features and making her seem younger and more lighthearted than she was at the office. She’d swapped out the jeans for a sundress, and even though it covered her modestly, it molded to her body in a way those damn buttoned-down shirts of hers failed to do.

  Her tits looked amazing and the hint of cleavage was enough to get me hard, even from across the room. They’d definitely be a handful. My fingers itched to find out. I remembered the way her eyes had darkened with lust when I’d whispered those damned dirty words at the rodeo. She’d been turned on and so had I. I hadn’t had to use much imagination when I described the ways I wanted to touch and fuck her. I’d had those images seared into my brain the moment she stepped into my line of vision.

  The fact that she’d gotten turned on made me even harder. There was a wild side to this one. A naughty girl hidden beneath that prim and proper exterior. I’d seen it for a minute or two, but she’d vanished the moment I opened my big mouth and ruined the moment. I’d tried to scare her off and I’d succeeded. I’d used the words as a weapon, and that had tainted them. The sexy vixen had gone back into hiding after that and I never saw a hint of her again. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I would have believed Rachel was just as cold and distant as she appeared to be.

  But here, tonight, with her hair down and her body on display, it was like getting a glimpse of the real Rachel, the one who she tried too hard to hide.

  I liked this new look. Hell, I loved it. But I hated the fact that it was Bob sitting across from her, soaking in the sight of her warm smile and generous curves. That she’d dressed that way for him. It should have been Ethan and me.

  I heard Ethan sigh beside me. “She’s beautiful when she smiles.”

  If he’d been talking about anyone other than Rachel, I would have laughed and teased him mercilessly for pining over some chick. But this wasn’t some chick and I was just as gone as he was. We were both a couple of lovestruck, mooning idiots. Bridgewater men knew their woman right off. That was true for the two of us. That might not have been such a bad thing if we weren’t stuck on the sidelines watching some other man woo our girl.

  Ethan was right. She did have a beautiful smile. It lit up her face, making her green eyes sparkle. She all but glowed.

  I leaned forward, not even trying to pretend I wasn’t staring. She was smiling, all right, but it wasn’t genuine. Her lips were curved up, but it didn’t go beyond that. She may not have been interested in me in any way, but I watched her. Saw everything about her. When she was tired, frustrated, sad, happy. Even when she had a fucking headache, I could tell. So when she plastered on her you’re an annoying guest but I have to make you happy face, I smacked Ethan’s shoulder. “Look again.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  MATT

  He frowned and gave me an annoyed stare. “We shouldn’t be staring. The last thing we need is to creep her out by stalking her on her night off.”

  He was probably right, but I ignored him. My gut was telling me that something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t just the fact that our woman was on a date with another man. As I watched, I could see the tension building in her.

  “It’s not stalking if we’re watching out for her.” I nodded my head in her direction. “Look closely. Does it seem like she’s having a good time to you?”

  Ethan turned once again, shifting slightly for a better view, but a waitress passed with a tray of drinks. I watched as his expression went from curious to intent to furious. “What the hell is going on over there? She looks ready to bolt out of her seat.”

  I nodded. That had been my take, too. Her shoulders had grown tense, her spine rigid. The smile that had seemed genuine was now a pale imitation. What had Bob said or done to make our girl go all uptight and panicky? If we weren’t here to watch out for her, she wasn’t alone. She had a roomful of patrons to turn to if she needed help. All she had to do was raise her voice and make a commotion. But she wasn’t doing that and I didn’t like knowing she was unhappy. Not for one single second, especially with the douche canoe.

  I couldn’t stand around and hypothesize any longer. Shoving my stool away from the bar, I made my move. I heard Ethan right behind me. He didn’t try to stop me, thank god. Not that he could have. The closer I got to her, the clearer I could see her discomfort.

  “Matt.” Ethan said my name like a warning. He was worried I was going to lose my temper and he had a right to think it.

  Ever since the injury to my shoulder—ever since my baseball career was flushed down the toilet—I’d had a bit of an anger issue. It had been my dream to pitch for the big leagues and I’d had it, but it had been yanked from me years before I was ready. I’d had the dream but had to walk away because of a fucking shoulder. At twenty-seven, I’d had to look for a new career, to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up. I never imagined it being owner of a guest ranch in the middle of nowhere in Montana. And so it had taken awhile to get over the disappointment, the anger at my own body for sabotaging my dream. Hell, I’d been mad at the world.

  Whatever it was, I’d been battling waves of irrational anger, trying my best to work through it any way I knew how. Riding at the rodeo, for example. Doing something wild and reckless. Putting in long hours working on the ranch.

  All of that was fine and good for keeping my temper in check when dealing with the more annoying guests and the tedious vendors. But no amount of physical exertion could temper my anger now. This was different. My anger wasn’t directed inward. Adrenaline flooded through me as every instinct told me to protect our woman.

  I felt Ethan’s hand on my arm as we drew close. He tugged to get me to slow down. “Remember, we want to scare him, not her.”

  I paused long enough to take a deep breath. He was right. I’d fucked things up enough with my ill-advised asshole act at the rodeo, I’d be damned if I’d make things worse tonight.

  I gritted my teeth and clenched my hands, fighting for control. Goddamn it, I hated when he was right. But like it or not, he was the levelheaded one. And since I’d done such a bang-up job back at the rodeo and fucked up his shot with Rachel too, I didn’t have a leg to stand on.

  I turned to him and gave him a short nod. “You do the talking.”

  Ethan gave me a small smile and slapped my shoulder. He knew how hard it was for me to stand there and act like a gentleman, when all I really wanted to do was drag Bob out of his seat, ask him what the hell he’d done to make Rachel unhappy, and then bury my fist in his gut.

  Turned out, I didn’t need to ask what he’d done to make her uncomfortable. Ethan and I could see with our own eyes as soon as we drew near. Neither one of them had spotted us, which gave us time to take in the scene.

  From a distance, all had looked normal. Just a beautiful young woman and a smarmy, but nice-looking man sharing dinner at The Barking Dog. But when we got close, I saw it and I saw red. His hand was on her knee under the table.

  We watched as she jerked her leg to the side and his hand fell. But then, not more than two seconds later, he moved it back. She visibly flinched at the contact and he just smiled. Clearly, he couldn’t read women’s cues for “no” or he just didn’t care.

  That was it. I couldn’t stand by and watch anymore.

  Luckily for Bob’s pretty face, Ethan beat me to the table. “Well, well. Fancy meeting you here.”

  He’d turned on the laid back, cowboy charm he was known for and I was glad to see Rachel’s visible relief when she spotted Ethan. Then her hazel gaze turned to me and the happy look shuttered, but not before I saw a flicker of nerves.

  Shit. I hated that she was nervous around me. I wasn’t like Bob. I wouldn’t lay a finger on her if she didn’t want it. Yeah, I’d said stuff that wasn’t all that appropriate, but I hadn’t meant it.

  I’d been trying so hard to put her at ease this last month in the office. I always kept the door open when she and I were in the same room, never moved in too close even though I ached to be near her. I’d maintained the perfect, courteous gentlemanly demeanor. But it was clear that despite my best efforts, she was still nervous around me. I just hadn’t had an opportunity to prove I wasn’t that guy. But Bob? He was totally that guy. The fucker.

  I would have given up the ranch and all my savings for a chance to go back to that day at the rodeo and do it all over again, listened to the voice of reason that had said “this woman is no buckle bunny.” I’d give her a chance to explain who she was and what she was doing there before leaping to stupid conclusions. To keep her away from the other horny assholes by protecting her, not running her off.

  God, I hated to think about how she must see me. Like I was some sort of man-whore or something. That wasn’t the case. Sure, I’d had my fair share of women, that I really did want to do the dirty things I’d said to her, but not until she knew we wanted to marry her. I wanted her for more than just a night.

  I hadn’t even glanced at a woman since that horrible first encounter. None other had a chance in hell with me now that I’d met Rachel. My dick didn’t get hard for anyone but her. Just her scent in the air made me hard. And thinking of her? Fuck. I spent too much time in the shower rubbing one out these days. It seemed I was perpetually hard when she was around. Or not around. But how was I supposed to get her to see that if she kept me at arm’s length?

  She was forever, I knew it in my bones. While I wasn’t a Bridgewater man born and raised, I was just like one because I knew when I’d found the one. I glared at Bob over Ethan’s shoulder. She might not know it yet but she was ours.

  Ethan drew closer, placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “Rachel, good to see you enjoying yourself.”

  Even though Ethan’s voice was calm and even, the gesture was a sure sign of possessiveness and his eyes said “ours” loud and clear as he stared down Bob.

  Nicely done, Ethan. He’d managed to calm Rachel while scaring the crap out of Bob. The asshole looked ready to shit himself as his gaze turned from Ethan to me. I stood a few feet away, not wanting to spook Rachel, but I made no attempt to hide my hatred for this handsy piece of shit. Rachel might not know his rep, but we did. And he knew we did. It wasn’t going to happen; we’d shut that shit down.

  Ethan turned to Rachel and I could see the warmth in his eyes. Sure enough, Rachel blushed. She’d seen it, too. “You enjoying your night, Rach?” he asked.

  She made a noncommittal sound and started inching toward Ethan, sliding out of the booth. He took her hand, helped her up as she said, “Yes, thanks.”

  Fuck, she looked good in the sundress. It was white and fell to flirt just above her knees. She seemed innocent and sweet, the color only highlighting her tanned skin, her smooth shoulders.

  “But I think it’s time I head home.” She barely glanced at Bob as she mumbled a thanks for dinner.

  That would have made me happy except she avoided meeting my eye, too, as she made a beeline out of there as if the hounds of hell were chasing her. Or perhaps maybe she thought I was chasing her.

  Bob made a move to stand and follow but froze when I turned to glare at him, a low growl escaping from my throat.

  “Date’s over,” I told him, putting my hand on his chest and pushing him back into his seat. “And don’t call for a second.”

  This asshole didn’t realize how lucky he’d been. I was a breath away from losing my shit. The only thing standing between this fucker and a beating was Rachel. I couldn’t just let her run away, not if she was upset and definitely not out in the parking lot across the street by herself. Yeah, she could take care of herself, but we’d see to her safety.

  The parking lot was dark when Ethan and I followed her out. She was hurrying toward her small sedan, a car we’d need to replace for her once winter hit. There was no way I’d let her drive to the ranch every day in the snow and ice without four-wheel drive. How we’d convince her to let us buy her a car was a problem for another day. Right now, all that mattered was she was unharmed, that she was safely in her car, engine running, doors locked before we left.

  “Rachel, wait up,” Ethan called.

  She came to a stop next to the car, her hair falling over her shoulder. She stared down at her keys with her back to us. Either she’d forgotten how to unlock her car or she was stalling. We stopped a few feet away, but the distance was killing me as I knew it was Ethan. I wanted nothing more than to go to her, wrap her in my arms and not let go until she was safely tucked into my bed. Our bed.

  After that…well…I couldn’t let my imagination go there or I’d scare her away if she glanced down at my cock. That was the last thing I needed. My cock was already straining against my jeans at the sight of her in that dress. If I started picturing all the ways we’d love to fuck her I might come right then and there. So I cleared my mind of all thoughts and took some slow, deep breaths to keep cool.

  Rachel shocked the hell out of me when she spun around to face us. Her normally sweet expression had been replaced by a ferocious scowl. “What was that?” she demanded.

  I was the one with a temper and I’d come to think of Rachel as Miss Calm, Cool, and Collected. This reversal of roles had me blinking at her like an idiot. I saw Ethan jerk back in surprise, but he recovered quickly, holding his hands up in surrender. “Easy, sweetheart, we didn’t mean to step on your toes back there—”

  “I was on a date.” She crossed her arms over her chest and I tried my damnedest not to notice the way it pushed her tits up and out, accentuating her already phenomenal cleavage.

  “Yeah,” Ethan said slowly, his voice soothing. “But it didn’t look like you were having a good time.”

  “How would you know?” Her eyes narrowed as her gaze moved from Ethan to me, suspicion written all over her face. “Were you watching me?”

  She asked the last of me, not Ethan. I was the one she was suspicious of. Hell, every time she looked at me, she had this wariness in her eyes, as if she was afraid I was going to mock her or say something cruel. And every time I saw that wariness, my gut twisted in pain.

  How the hell could I get her to see I’d been trying to protect her at the rodeo? I’d never hurt her intentionally. I’d never make fun of her. I couldn’t find the words. Everything in me wanted to go to her, crush her to me and claim her lips in a searing kiss. I’d always been better at showing than telling. Maybe I could have done some sort of epic gesture if I hadn’t fucked things up so badly two months ago. Instead, I shoved my hands in my pockets and answered honestly. “Ethan and I just came here for a beer. We didn’t know you’d be here, but we spotted you from across the bar.”

  Ethan hurried to take over, probably afraid I’d lose my temper once I started talking about that dip shit Bob. “We saw you on your date and weren’t going to intrude, but it seemed like you were…uncomfortable.”

  Her reaction was interesting. She flinched, like Ethan had just insulted her.

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