Authors: Dixie Lynn Dwyer
Tags: #Romance
Then he remembered his attitude toward her and her response to his orders. He had been kind of abrupt and bossy when he reprimanded her for being alone in the woods. Damn, did she tell him off. He really must have aggravated her for her not to even acknowledge him. She was more than likely stuck-up to boot. He shook his head. He must have lost some of his brain cells lying low in the desert sand.
Colton spotted Michael and Chad immediately. He gave his brother a tap on the shoulder, noticing that Evan was staring at the woman’s backside and assisting her by holding her elbow as they made their way toward Michael and Chad. She pulled from his brother’s assistance and gave him a look over her shoulder. She was tough and probably had men grabbing at her all the time. The thought immediately angered him.
“There they are!” Michael yelled as he pulled Colton into a bear hug, and Chad hugged Evan and slapped him on the back. They then switched and greeted one another until a pretty little blonde woman with a great body walked over. Michael wrapped his arm around her waist and introduced her as his woman, Alexa.
“This is Alexa, our girlfriend and a Dixie Chix.”
“Congratulations, friend. What do you mean by Dixie Chix?” Evan asked as he shook Alexa’s hand hello.
“My friends and I own the place. There are seven of us. You just met Ava, she’s a Dixie Chix, too,” Alexa informed them, and Colton turned to see where the gorgeous blonde had disappeared to. He caught sight of her outfit and stunning hair immediately. She was trying to make her way through the crowd, but three big, tall cowboys were talking with her. He waited to make sure she was okay. When she started walking away, she shook her head in annoyance while the three men watched her ass and one licked his lips as he nodded.
“So, how does it feel to be out finally and to also own your own ranch?” Chad asked Colton and Evan.
Colton turned around to engage in conversation with his friends. He hadn’t seen them in about four years.
“It feels great. I’m glad he’s finally out and we can move on with another stage of our lives,” Evan told them.
“I don’t know how I feel about it yet. Kind of miss the dirt, sand, heat, and worrying about getting my head shot off every few minutes.”
Michael chuckled and handed him a bottle of beer.
“Well that worrying is over. This should be the best years of your life. You deserve to relax a little and enjoy the peace and quiet,” Chad offered.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to get back to work. I’ll talk to you two later,” Alexa said then quickly gave Chad and Michael a kiss before she walked away.
“That is one fine-looking woman you two landed,” Colton told his two friends.
“Yeah, what the hell is she doing with you two psychos?” Evan added.
“We’re the psychos? You two are the psychos and especially you, Colton. I’ve often wondered if you even have a heart,” Michael said.
Colton gave Michael his mean stare, and Michael looked at Chad and then Evan before glancing back at Colton.
“Maybe I don’t have a heart,” Colton stated very seriously.
“Maybe you should find yours,” Michael challenged and then Evan and Chad started laughing.
“Nothing like watching these two mess with one another,” Evan said.
“I kind of missed that mean streak of Colton’s. You know, never knowing if I said something to piss him off enough for him to slit my throat during the night in the middle of the desert,” Chad added and Evan laughed.
“He was always known as a scary hard-ass, but he was your commander a few times during your tours, Michael,” Evan added.
Colton took a sip of his beer and watched Michael over the top of the bottle.
“I suppose I owe him for saving my ass and keeping me safe.”
“That’s right,” Colton replied, and they all started laughing.
“To kicking ass and spitting out sand.” Chad raised his beer up, and the others tapped theirs to it.
Colton took a slug of beer then glanced around at the dance hall. It was a really nice place and as the night went on, he met other retired soldiers and men who were part of the Delite Warriors. He didn’t own a motorcycle yet, but getting one might be a necessity by the way the men talked about riding. After spending most of his time alone, when his brother wasn’t around and stuck on a tour of duty in the Middle East, he’d had a lot of time to think. It made him a quiet man and a man who didn’t mind being alone. He caught sight of Ava again and his heart pounded inside of his chest when she approached. He wondered if she was coming over to talk, but then she bypassed him to speak to one of the bartenders. He was disappointed and that was a definite first for him. He glanced at Evan, and damn it, his brother had seen the whole thing.
“She’s stunning.”
“Who?”
“Ava, the Dixie Chix,” Evan said to him.
“Oh, yeah, she is.” Colton took another slug of beer.
“You know, I haven’t really looked at another woman since Chelsea. But that Ava sure did snag every bit of my attention. I don’t think I’ve ever had that feeling before.”
“That’s a big step for you, Evan. You were hung up on Chelsea.”
Evan looked down at the ground then took another slug of beer, but it seemed as if the taste was bad, as Evan crunched up his nose.
“I was willing to do the right thing. I would have made a good father and a husband.”
“I know that, but the baby wasn’t yours and neither was Chelsea. If she hadn’t gotten into that car accident, you might have never found out the truth about the affair or the kid’s real father.”
“I know. Let’s not talk about it. I’m not fixing to open up my heart for pain again. I’m focusing on the ranch and our new life here in Delite.”
“Cheers to that, brother.” Colton knocked beer bottles with his brother.
Now if only he could get himself to stop searching for the blonde, then their plans for their future would be just fine with him.
But a half hour later, while he was walking out of the bathroom and toward the bar again, Colton noticed some guy holding on to Ava’s arm and pointing at her clipboard yelling. He was way bigger than her, and seeing that the man was actually touching her pissed him off. He approached and heard the man yelling.
“You have to have my name on that list. What are you, some kind of blonde bimbo?” Colton was about to tap the guy on the shoulder and teach him a lesson about how to treat women with class, but Ava beat him to it.
She pulled her arm from his grasp and shoved the clipboard against the guy’s chest.
“You listen here, jerk off. You’re not on the list because you’re a loser and a troublemaker. I don’t make mistakes and if you ever lay your hand on me again, I’ll personally teach you a lesson.”
“Stupid bitch!” he replied as Ava stepped back. The guy appeared to be about to strike, and Colton wasn’t taking any chances. He grabbed the guy by his shirt collar and pulled him back. In a flash he had him in a choke hold and on his knees.
“Say sorry to the nice young lady, asshole.”
Ava looked shocked, but then she placed one hand on her hip and stared at the guy.
“Sorry,” he choked out and Colton released him. The guy was coughing as he stood up.
“Don’t ever speak to her like that again.”
“I’ve got it, man. I’ve got it.” The guy retreated and hurried away, embarrassed at the scene that was made.
Colton stared at Ava. He could see the red mark on her arm from where the guy had grabbed her.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine. I had that under control, you know.” She gave him the once-over. Damn did his dick get hard. She was something else.
“It looked that way, but it’s always good to have backup.”
“I do. There are cameras everywhere.”
“Not in the woods.”
“Are we back to that again?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Just saying, darling, a pretty young thing like you shouldn’t place yourself in such dangerous positions.”
“Whatever.” She started to walk away.
“You’re welcome.”
She looked at him over her shoulder and nodded her head.
Holy crap, she was the sexiest fucking woman he had ever met in his life. She was also the first one to dis him. He chuckled as he made his way back to the bar and an awaiting Evan, who apparently saw the entire scene.
“Get her number?” Evan asked.
“Don’t be a jerk. She’s like ten years younger than me.”
“So what. She’s special. I can tell.”
“Oh yeah, how?”
“I’m attracted to her, too. You and I have never been attracted to the same woman. Ever.”
Colton took a look around them. There were plenty of ménage relationships around this town. He and Evan had spoken about the idea and how it might be a relationship that could work for them. Both he and Evan had issues, to say the least. And where one lacked, another had abundance. A woman would never feel neglected or deprived. His gut clenched. What did he have to offer a woman as beautiful as Ava anyway? She probably already had a boyfriend, or two for that matter.
“Hey, why the sad look? This could be good. I mean, I’m willing to explore it. Michael and Chad seem very happy in this type of relationship. Plus the other guys, too, like Carl and Richie, and even fucking Monte and his crazy brother BJ.”
“I don’t want to be in a relationship with someone, Evan. I like being alone and it’s better like that.”
Colton took a slug of beer as he absorbed the atmosphere at Dixie Chix. Suddenly, as he looked around the room, he could pick out the couples, and the multiples. There were three guys with one redheaded woman. She had their full attention. There were two guys with one brunette and they both had a hand on her. One was on her shoulder and the other guy had his hand on her thigh.
Then he searched for Ava, and when he found her, she was talking to three cowboys. They were all smiling and inching closer to her. He couldn’t help but wonder if she belonged to them, but then she stepped away. The three men watched her then turned to one another. One of the guys waved his hand in front of his chest as if indicating that Ava was hot. The others agreed then high-fived one another. He didn’t like the feeling he had. In fact, he was downright seeing red. Maybe exploring this type of relationship wasn’t out of the question for him?
Ava couldn’t help the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She stared at Dr. Nickles in shock.
“A biopsy? Why? Why do you need to take one?” In her mind, every horrible thought flashed like lightning.
I have cancer. I am going to die. The biopsy is going to be malignant. It is going to show that I have breast cancer.
Ava clasped her hands on her lap and tried to control her breathing.
“Ava, please calm down. Everything will work out fine. I have to get a sample from that lump so that I can get it tested and see where we are at. I know this is difficult. I understand, with everything that you went through with your husband and the loss of your child, that you’re fearful, but please, let me do what is best for you. You came to me early enough. I’m confident that I can help you.”
She stared at him, half listening to his words because the pounding inside of her ears was a total distraction. She wiped her eyes and gave herself a pep talk before she spoke to him.
“How quickly can I get this procedure done and how long before the results?”
“I can schedule you to come in tomorrow. The results will take at least a few days or a week tops.”
“Okay. Schedule it.”
Dr. Nickles was a really nice doctor. He was young, in his forties, but had an excellent reputation. Sheila, a young woman who would come to Dixie Chix all the time, spoke highly of him one night, when Joe Nickles visited the dance hall with some friends. Sheila carried on about how wonderful a doctor he was and how handsome and helpful. She told Ava about doing self-exams on her breasts and how easy it was to do in the shower or in bed at night. Although Ava was only twenty-seven, she still didn’t want to take any chances. She had grown up in an orphanage and didn’t even know who her parents were or if there were specific medical conditions that ran in the family. That thought made her feel more fearful.
As Ava had spoken with Dr. Nickles about his profession, she felt pretty comfortable with him. So one night while in the shower, caressing her breasts and doing the monthly test Sheila had explained to her, she was shocked to feel the small bump on her left breast. At first she tried to ignore it and pretend that she was imagining it and that the lump was nothing at all. But then, it grew and she was really worried. She made the appointment and now, here she was, uncertain of what her future held.
“Please, Ava, trust that I know what I’m doing. I promise that the fact you came to me right away will be important in your diagnosis. Now, get here around eight forty-five tomorrow, and we’ll do the biopsy.”
She reached her hand out to shake his as she said good-bye and was shocked when instead, Dr. Nickles pulled her into his arms.
He gave her a squeeze. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Ava pulled away and gave the doctor a small smile. She supposed that if she needed to go through something like this, that at least her doctor was caring and empathetic. If he weren’t, she would be even more frightened right now.