Page 39 of Untamed Heart
I moved back slightly, smiling.
‘I’d like that, but . . .’
He shook his head, arms still locked around me.
‘I know,’ he sighed, taking a reluctant step back. Hesitating, he looked down before he asked, ‘When do you head home?’
It felt as though I’d been doused in ice water.
‘What happened?’ Jesse said, suddenly appearing to my left, carrying drinks as Lil followed. ‘Was Eli making trouble?’
‘Trying to,’ Cole replied, taking his drink with his eyes still on me, frowning at the change in my face.
‘Tell me you didn’t fight,’ Lil groaned. ‘I just swore to Bill over there that we wouldn’t make trouble and I definitely don’t have the money to fix anything we break.’
‘It’s fine,’ I jumped in as they both stared Cole down. ‘Cole pretended to be with me instead, so Eli just gave up and left.’ Jesse’s mouth fell open and I shrugged. ‘It worked.’
As Jesse high-fived Cole, a sheepish grin overtaking his surprise, Lil gave me a small, suspicious smile. I shrugged, but her face remained tight.
‘I don’t trust them,’ she said, glancing back over at the bar where the Elk Creek cowboys were gathered in a large circle. ‘I want to get us out of here – those assholes are hunting for trouble, I just know it.’
Cole nodded, holding back for Jesse and Lil to take the lead out of the bar. I moved to follow them, but as I did, he caught my hand.
‘Just so you know,’ he said, lifting the brim of his hat. ‘I wasn’t pretending back there. And I know you’re leaving soon, and maybe this is more than you wanted from a trip out here to see your cousin . . . but a kiss like that doesn’t happen very often. I’ve never met anyone like you before, Lottie.’
I searched his face, wanting to remember it all, memorize every feature as he stared back.
‘Neither have I.’ My voice was sad, and I was unable, unwilling to hide it. ‘I . . . I don’t want to leave. I . . . don’t want to never feel that again.’
He took my hand again at that, his thumb brushing over my palm.
‘Then don’t. Fuck London.’
‘And what?’ I laughed, shaking my head like it wasn’t as easy as all that. The whiskey dared me to say the words that formed immediately in my mind. ‘Fuck you instead?’
He bit his lip, shaking his head.
‘That mouth,’ he murmured, urging me to walk forwards and follow the others. He kept hold of my hand, easily hidden by the crowd. ‘You can’t imagine what I’ve thought of it doing.’
I turned back, ready to tell him that I most definitely had, but his face had changed. His eyes were hard, fixed on the doorway.
‘Stay behind me,’ he pleaded, letting go of my hand with a gentle squeeze and striding past me, right towards the Elk Creek cowboys, who were now gathered around Lil.
‘. . . can’t put it off for ever, Lil. Not with our new investor. He’s got pockets deeper than the valley out there and a whole team of people behind us. You’ll be off that ranch by Christmas, you watch.’
‘I swear to the almighty, Eli, get the fuck away from her – from all of us. How many beatings do you need?’
Cole stood within two feet of the other man, towering over him, Jesse at his side.
‘Don’t worry, Miller, I’m just the messenger. You can kiss all the pretty girls you want – you’ll still be a drifter come spring.’
Cole paused and I froze, bracing myself for him to swing at Eli. Instead, with Lil on one arm and Jesse on the other, he left, with me right behind, opening the doors to the cold darkness beyond.
CHAPTER11
The guest cabins were the definition of rustic chic. I opened the windows to air them out, following the instructions Lil had given me, reeled off in a rush the previous day when I’d agreed to help out. The guests weren’t due until tomorrow, but I needed a distraction. Badly.
I’d left Lil, Jesse and Cole at the kitchen table, still playing cards at 1 a.m. In the wake of the Elk Creek threat, Cole and I had fallen back into the roles of ranch manager and cousin, comforting Lil and trying to offer solutions.
