Page 29 of Tracking Wolfe

Thierry did a very French pfft sound before grabbing his wineglass and sitting back. “That will never happen. Val is a hundred percent into the ladies. When we were in Moab, he took two different women back to his van at the same time.”

Armand ignored him. “Listen. See how it goes with this Jake, and if you want to stay, stay. You can always call us to come back and get you if you need to.”

I was touched by his offer. “I don’t think I’m ready to stay the night,” I admitted. “If that’s what you mean.”

Armand shrugged. “See how it goes. Who knows?”

Thierry pursed his lips. “Try the sexy bartender for a good time, and if it’s no good, we can get out of here tomorrow and find somewhere else to camp.”

“Nah. I don’t think I’ll need to make a great escape, regardless,” I said with a laugh. “Besides, we have plans to hike that wildflower trail, remember?”

We spent the next few songs watching Shay and talking about the other hikes we wanted to check out in the area. Shay finished her set to strong applause.

By the time she made it to our table, she was babbling with excitement and yanking a friend along behind her. “Will! This is Teeny. I told her about the stuff you were showing me earlier. She said she wanted to meet you.”

I shook her friend’s hand. “Nice to meet you. Shay, you were great up there. Good job. How did it feel?”

While she and her friend talked excitedly about the performance, I glanced over at the bar several times. Thierry and Armand were right. I caught Jake glancing my way more than once, which made my stomach jangle with nerves each time. I couldn’t deny how sexy he was. His arm muscles bunched as he reached for glasses and the long wooden handle of the beer tap. His grin punched out a dimple on his cheek, and his thick blond hair was damp at his temples from all the racing around he’d done tonight.

Thierry bumped my shoulder. “We’re heading out now, okay?”

I swallowed and glanced back at the bar one last time. The crowd was already thinning out now that the live music was over. As soon as my eyes landed on Jake, he glanced back and lifted his eyebrows in question. I nodded and smiled, ignoring my misgivings.

“I’m staying, but will you take my guitar back for me?” I didn’t want to add, In case I need to walk back, but I was pretty sure they understood.

Brennan caught my eye from somewhere behind Thierry and flashed me a cheeky thumbs-up. I rolled my eyes and moved to the edge of the stage, where Shay had already put the guitar back in its case.

“Thanks for letting me use it,” she said, stroking a hand over the case. “I can’t believe you did that. I looked it up online, and it’s a really expensive one, isn’t it?”

My new guitar was a Fiddleback mahogany Lowden I’d been drawn to at the music store in Los Angeles after I’d bought the van. It wasn’t as expensive as the 1969 Martin D-28 I had at home, but was probably ten times more expensive than anything she’d ever played.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “It’s a nice one.”

She glanced at the case and hesitated. “Any chance I can convince you to show me some more tricks on it before you leave town?”

I forced myself not to make specific promises, since that depended on what happened with her brother. “If I’m around.”

She squealed and lurched forward for a quick hug, as if I’d made those promises anyway. “Thank you, thank you!”

After handing the case off to the guys and thanking them again, I moved to the bar to close out my tab.

“On the house,” Jake said with a smile. “Don’t worry about it.”

I shook my head, remembering what they’d said about their debt. “I insist. Please.” I forced him to take my credit card and didn’t think about the name on it until it was too late. Wolfe Marian.

Fuck. Why hadn’t I taken the time to pull out more cash before coming here?

Please don’t notice. Please do not notice.

Fortunately, he only glanced at the card for a split second, then turned to the credit card machine to run it.

When he brought me the receipt to sign, he smiled. “You’re not closing out because you’re leaving, are you?”

I shook my head. “No. I thought I’d stick around for a bit. I only wanted to make it easier for you to finish up.”

He nodded as he handed me back my card and my copy of the receipt. “That’s awful thoughtful of you, Wolfe.”

Fuck.