Page 77 of The Lucky Heart (Jamison Valley 3)
“I don’t know what to do about the weather up here. Last week it was snowing. Today it was in the sixties,” Paxon said.
He was sitting at the small table in my breakfast nook while I was in the kitchen, cooking pasta for dinner.
I laughed. “March is tough. It’s just so unpredictable.”
It had been two weeks since I’d met Paxon at the coffee shop, and in that time, he’d attached himself to my side. Whenever he hadn’t been working on the ranch or hanging out with Silas, he had been here with me.
Talking.
And I had been listening.
Paxon’s demons made mine look like teddy bears. In my house sat a man with burdens I couldn’t even fathom.
I usually had no idea what to say when he confided in me. The first few times, I had urged him to talk to Silas but he’d refused. Why, I wasn’t sure, but Paxon had been adamant about keeping our conversations between us. So I’d opened my ears and promised my mouth would stay closed. His secrets were safe as long as they didn’t threaten his wellbeing or safety.
“You and Silas didn’t have big Friday-night plans? No night out at the Silver Dollar or Claim Jumper?” I asked.
“I couldn’t find him earlier and he didn’t answer his phone.”
“Oh, I see how it is. I’m second fiddle.”
“Yep.”
“You could at least pretend to like me more. Inflate my ego a bit.”
“Right. Sorry. Next time.” He grinned as I went back to cooking. Pax was a handsome man and, in a different place and time, maybe boyfriend material. But my heart was for Silas only.
If he wanted it.
All he had to do was take it.
Silas
“Pax?” I called into my apartment as I shrugged off my coat.
I had just gotten back from working in the Quonset. I’d been having trouble with a tractor earlier and found out that it wasn’t going to be a simple fix that I could do myself, which meant a call to the mechanic and a hefty service bill on top of my already shit day.
Dad and I had gotten into a rip-roaring fight this morning that had left Mom in tears as she tried to mediate. I was an ass for putting her in the middle and not controlling my temper with Dad. Then, on top of all that, the tractor had broken down.
I needed a beer, or five, and some time spent away from the ranch tonight. Only two things stood a chance of snapping me out of this mood: sex or beer. The only woman I wanted to have sex with was Felicity, and since that wasn’t going to happen, beer would have to do.
Where was Pax? He was always up for a trip to town.
The situation with Felicity had been weighing heavily on my mind. Slow had turned to stagnant, and with Pax as my house guest, I’d hardly seen her. I cursed myself for not getting more than a barely there kiss in the barn. I’d gone for the slow burn when I should have picked fast heat. We’d been so close that night to crossing the line. So fucking close.
Paxon’s timing had been worse than a broken stopwatch’s.
I’d been glad to see him until he’d opened his asshole mouth, tossing out that comment about the woman I’d hooked up with in Seattle. Fucker. We’d had words about that one.
But the damage had been done. I’d felt the pain that flashed through Felicity’s body. Was that why she’d been distant? Over two weeks, and she’d disappeared completely. I didn’t know what was going on in her head. Every time I got close, she froze. It wasn’t in a scared or nervous way, she would just turn solid. Like she refused to move and meet me in the middle.
Maybe it was time to do something drastic. Get us out of this rut. But I was worried about scaring her away.
Beer. I needed beer.
“Pax,” I called again after pulling off my boots and walking down the hallway. “Gone again?” He’d been disappearing lately. I smiled and shook my head. “Didn’t take you long, man,” I said into the empty room. Paxon had a way with the ladies. He had probably gotten bored out here alone and had found a hookup in town.
Walking to the fridge for a beer, I paused to read a note on the counter.
