Boots and Leather: Ugly Stick Saloon, Book 2 (7 page)

Mark downed half of his before he set the mug on the table.

Luke left his untouched. “What now?”

“We remind her of our date to go riding tomorrow. It’s our last chance to woo her.”

His fingers drumming against the table, Luke stared across at the woman foremost in their minds. “What about tonight?”

Mark wanted nothing more than to beat off every man crowded around the bar and snatch Libby away from the noise. “She has to be exhausted after staying up last night, and shouting over the music won’t help get our message across.”

Luke nodded. “We can’t even get close to her, not with that pack of yahoos sniffing around her.”

“Then we wait for her to go on break.” Mark downed the rest of his beer and headed for the door.

Luke followed. “That could take a long time.”

Mark cocked a smile at his brother. “She’s worth the wait.”

“Absolutely.” Luke led the way outside to their pickup, dropping the tailgate. “Have a seat.”

Mark sat beside his brother. “What do you think?”

“About Libby leaving?” Luke removed his cowboy hat and ran a hand through his hair. “It blows.”

“No kidding.” Mark leaned back and stared up at the stars. “I’ve gone over and over everything she said, everything we did.”

“Same.” Luke leaned back on his hands. “Were we too pushy? Did we overwhelm her? Was she ready for the two of us at once?”

Mark sighed. “At the time it all felt…”

“Right,” Luke finished.

“She’s running from something.”

“God, I hope it’s not a husband.”

“You and me both.” Mark sat forward, slapping his hat against his leg. “Can you picture her at our place?”

Luke straightened, cramming his cowboy hat on his head. “I’ve done nothing but envision her at Skyview.”

Mark pushed off the end of the tailgate and stood. “It’s the perfect place for her…for the three of us.”

“She’s a special woman.”

“Are you still okay with sharing a woman between the two of us?” Mark asked.

Luke’s lips quirked upward in a smile. “As long as it’s Libby.”

“That’s what I’m thinking.” Mark rocked back on his heels, his thumbs hooked into his belt loops, images of Libby lying naked under the stars. “Do you think she’d be willing to be with both of us for the long run?”

Luke’s gaze met Mark’s. “She was with both of us last night. Like I told Audrey, I didn’t hear any complaints.”

Mark’s lips twisted, a sinking feeling filling his gut. “And look where that went.”

“Right.” Luke’s shoulders sagged. “Turned in her notice.”

One of Libby’s remarks from the previous night slipped into Mark’s thoughts. “Remember, even before we touched her, she’d said she wanted us to make love to her like there’s no tomorrow.”

“Yes, she did.” Luke stared across at his brother. “More than once.”

A lonely, sad feeling squeezed Mark’s chest until it hurt. He pressed a hand to the soreness. “Reckon she knew she’d be quitting the saloon?”

“I reckon so.” Luke shook his head. “Might even be why she decided to have a fling with us.”

“We can’t let it end.” Mark slammed a palm to his thigh. “Not now that we’ve found her.”

“She’s got a right to leave,” Luke reminded him.

“But we could be so much more than a tumble in the hay.”

“Not if she has her way and skips out of town.”

“We can’t let her go.” Mark clenched both hands into fists. “Think she’ll come riding with us tomorrow? Might be our only shot at changing her mind.”

“I don’t know. Why don’t we ask her?” Luke nodded toward the back door of the saloon.

Libby exited, closing the door behind her before leaning against it, pushing a hand through her hair. The yellow light over the back door glanced off her coppery curls, forming a kind of halo around her.

Mark’s breath lodged in his throat. “God, she’s beautiful,” he whispered, stepping out.

Luke slid off the tailgate and laid a hand on Mark’s shoulder, bringing him to a halt. “Play it cool, man. We don’t want her to run.”

“I got this.”

Chapter Five

Libby had fought back tears since Mark and Luke had dropped her off in the wee hours of the morning. She knew what she had to do and staying any longer would only make it harder.

Sleep had been impossible. As soon as the garage in Temptation had opened, she’d called Nick McBride, the owner and chief mechanic, asking him to collect her bike and make the necessary repairs. For the trip ahead, she also asked him to change the oil filter and give the machine a once-over for good measure.

Nick called two hours later, informing her that he’d replaced the cut fuel line and performed all the maintenance. The bike was ready to go.

Trouble was, Libby wasn’t ready to leave Temptation. Not by a long shot. But she had to, or risk being found by her father and forced to return to a life she hated. The last place she’d stayed more than six months, her father had located her, his bodyguards surrounding her apartment building. If it had just been her father, she’d have risked seeing him. Maybe he’d listen this time to why she couldn’t live with him anymore. It wasn’t really her father that had made her run. It was the lifestyle he insisted she live.

Hell, sometimes she missed her father so much, it hurt. But she couldn’t live in his ivory tower ever again. To avoid being trapped in that life, she’d had to leave without going back to collect her stuff. All she’d had when she’d arrived in Temptation was her bike and the clothes on her back.

Libby had walked the few blocks to the garage.

When she didn’t find Nick in the office, she stepped into the open bay, inhaling the strong scent of oil and grease, a strangely comforting smell reminding her of hard work and honest men.

Nick stood under a raised pickup, working a bolt loose with a wrench. Dressed in a grease-stained jumpsuit, he brushed at the sweat on his forehead, leaving a dark smear behind. Despite the sweat and grease, Nick was a handsome man and as friendly as the rest of the inhabitants of Temptation. She’d miss him. She hadn’t trusted anyone with her beloved Beast as much as she trusted Nick. She’d miss a lot of people in the small town she’d called home for the past eight months.

Libby would miss Helen Roberts, the ancient cook at the Sweet Temptation Diner who always had a smile for her. And Calvin Northcutt, the old man who sat on the porch outside the General Store, greeting everyone who happened to walk by. She considered Kendall, Charli and Lacey, the waitresses at the saloon, her friends. They’d always included her on excursions to the malls in Austin, pizza parties, and even boating at the nearby lake. Libby always felt welcome, like one of the gals.

One of the hardest goodbyes, besides the Gray Wolf men, would be Audrey, the woman who’d offered her a job when Libby had been flat broke. She’d run out of gas on the county line at the end of the road where the Ugly Stick Saloon sat. Libby had stumbled into the saloon, looking for enough work to pay for a tank of gas and a sandwich. Audrey must have seen the desperation in Libby’s eyes. She’d sat her down in the storeroom and brought her one of the sandwiches the saloon offered their customers. By the end of that night, Audrey had taken Libby under her wing and into her home, helping her get back on her feet. She’d been the sister Libby never had, the only family she claimed since she’d left New York City two years ago.

When she’d told Audrey she was leaving, her boss and friend had argued for an hour, trying to convince her to stay, to make Temptation her permanent home. Audrey had said she couldn’t get along without Libby as the bartender, especially with the Cowboy Masquerade Ball coming up. But more than that, she couldn’t imagine not having Libby around as a friend.

They’d ended up hugging. Libby had almost caved and told Audrey she’d stay forever. Especially now that she’d discovered what she’d pretty much known all along, and that was how wonderful Mark and Luke were.

But Libby couldn’t stay and risk her father and his bodyguards catching up to her. She had to move on, or possibly lose the freedom and anonymity she treasured more than anything. Libby stood firm, telling Audrey she had to go, making one concession, promising to stay until after the Cowboy Masquerade Ball.

Audrey reluctantly agreed, promising not to say a word to the rest of the staff.

Now Libby stood outside the back door of the Ugly Stick Saloon, swallowing hard on the sobs rising up her throat. Mark and Luke had been there and left without so much as saying a word to her. She’d felt as if she’d been stabbed in the chest with a very sharp knife. It was all she could do to serve the men at the bar. Audrey had slipped up behind her with a bouquet of flowers, claiming the twins had left them for her and that she’d bet they were waiting outside, if Libby wanted to thank them. Audrey even offered to fill in for her behind the bar.

Glad to escape the noise and laughter inside, but nervous at the same time, Libby had dragged her feet on her way out the back door. Standing in the circle of light from the security lamp over the back door, she’d peered out into the darkness, unable to make out anyone. Perhaps Audrey had been wrong, and Mark and Luke had already left.

Libby sucked in a deep breath of the warm Texas air and stepped off the back stoop into the darkness, afraid they wouldn’t be there, and even more afraid they would.

She hadn’t taken ten steps, her eyes adjusting to the limited lighting, when two tall hulks loomed in front of her. Libby pressed a hand to her mouth, muffling a scream.

“Libby, it’s us.” Luke Gray Wolf touched her arm, his fingers warm and gentle against her skin.

She drew in a shaky breath. “You took a year off my life.”

Mark smiled at her with a grin that melted Libby’s knees. “Sorry. We thought you saw us.”

Libby blinked up at him, her pulse leaping. “My eyes hadn’t adjusted yet.”

“You shouldn’t walk out here alone.” Luke’s frown made her body warm. Obviously he cared about her safety.

But she didn’t want him to care. She was leaving. Libby opened her mouth to say she could take care of herself.

Mark raised a hand to forestall her protest. “We know. You’re a big girl. We just worry about you.”

They wouldn’t have to worry long. Once she was gone, they could move on with their lives, without Libby. Some lovely girls would snatch them up so fast, they’d never know what hit them. The thought of Mark and Luke with someone else made her stomach clench into a knot. She backed toward the door.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t be out here. I think I’ll go back inside. I just came outside to thank you for the beautiful daisies.”

Mark grinned. “The flowers were Luke’s idea. Daisies were mine.”

“You both did good. Daisies are my favorite.” She gulped back a fresh sob and backed up another step. “Really, I’d better get back to work.”

“Before you go…” Luke reached out and captured her hand. “We didn’t hurt you last night, did we?”

She blinked hard to keep the tears from falling. “No. You didn’t hurt me.”

“Did my goofy brother offend you in any way?” Mark asked.

Luke punched him in the arm. “Hey.”

Libby choked on what could barely be called a laugh. “No, you were both wonderful.” That was the problem. She could very easily fall in love with them both…if she had more time.

“Then you’re still coming on the ride with us tomorrow?” Luke lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the knuckles. “Please.”

The look in his deep brown eyes melted a hole through her heart all the way into her soul. She couldn’t afford to spend another minute alone with Mark and Luke, yet she couldn’t reject them. “I don’t know.”

“She didn’t say no.” Mark swept her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips.

“I didn’t say yes,” she reminded him breathlessly.

Luke gathered her close, his hands on either side of her cheeks. “We’ll be waiting.” Then he kissed her, his lips sliding over hers so gently, Libby’s knees buckled. If he hadn’t been holding her, she’d have melted to the ground. Biker-babe, huh! Pansy-ass, more like.

He set her away from him, tipped his hat and spun on his boot heels, striding away, reaching back to snag Mark’s arm to drag him along with him. Within seconds, the two men were gone, leaving her standing in the gravel, her heart breaking into a million little pieces.

That night Luke didn’t sleep at all. After he’d pulled Mark away from Libby, he’d climbed in his truck and headed straight for the sheriff’s office to have a talk with Jackson’s buddy, Deputy Cramer, about what he might have found on Libby.

Which wasn’t much. Unfortunately, or fortunately, no one by the name of Libby Jones had been reported missing in Texas or anywhere else in the nation.

“Next step is to check Libby’s description against the nationwide database of missing persons. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.” Deputy Cramer rose from behind his desk and stretched. “I’m beat, and unless you have more for me to go on, it could be a lengthy process.”

Disappointment sank Luke’s spirits. They knew so little about Libby. As the three men left the building, Luke remembered something Libby had said about not seeing the stars where she’d come from. He grabbed Cramer’s arm before the man walked away. “Start with persons reported missing from New York City.”