Colorado 02 Sweet Dreams (37 page)

I turned on a foot and ran to the house. Tugging open the sliding glass door one-handed, I ran to the kitchen counter where my phone was. I put down my mug, touched the screen that said “Captain Calling” and put it to my ear.

“Tate?” I asked into the phone.

“Wood still there?” he asked back without saying hello.

“Yes, but he says –”

“Put him on the phone,” Tate ordered.

“But, honey –”

“Lauren, put him on the
goddamned
phone.”

Someone was
not
happy.

That was okay because I was not happy either.

“Maybe you might want to talk to
me
about what’s happening?” I suggested acidly.

 Tate replied instantly, “What’s happening, Ace, is Neeta’s a fuckin’ nut. I may have only had three women on the back of my bike, that doesn’t mean I’ve only had three women. And one of the reasons I’ve only had three women that I put on my bike is because Neeta hears I got someone in my bed, and she hears I take them there more than once, she moves to stake her claim. She’s been married to a man for seven years but, make no mistake, the bitch claims
me
. She might be forty-two years old but she never stopped actin’ like a teenager. Not a lotta women like havin’ threatening letters shoved in their mailboxes, crazy, screamin’ women showin’ up at their work shouting obscenities or gettin’ in hair-pulling catfights at the diner. She’s in town it means she’s in town for a showdown
with you
.”

Oh my
God!

“Tate –”

“And you grew up on a fuckin’ farm in Indiana and spent the rest of your life in suburbia. You and your sister might know all about attitude but even your considerable attitude, babe, ain’t gonna mean dick when you’re up against Neeta. I like your face just like it is, I don’t need her clawin’ it with her fingernails. Firstly because, like I said, I like your face as it is. Secondly because, that bitch lays a fuckin’ hand on you, I’m gonna take her ass down and I’m not big on takin’ out a woman. Now give the phone
to Wood
.”

I took the phone from my ear and held it out to Wood.

“He wants to talk to you,” I whispered and wondered if Wood could hear me over the beating of my heart.

Wood gave me a look, took the phone and put it to his ear.

“You got me,” he said into it then listened then said, “Yeah.” A pause. “Yeah man.” And finally, “No shit? Remember who you’re talkin’ to, yeah?” He listened again and finished with, “Right.” Then he held the phone to me.

Hesitantly, I took it and put it to my ear.

“Tate?”

“Wood takes you to work, he brings you home and he sleeps on the couch. You with me?”

“Tate –”

“Yes or no, Lauren.”

“Yes,” I replied.

“I’m in Lubbock, sittin’ outside a titty bar where my boy is havin’ himself a good time. He’s about to get a lap dance that isn’t gonna end too good for him. Even though I’m takin’ him down, time I get to Denver, get him processed, return Thyne’s SUV I had to borrow and get home, Neeta could wreak havoc. Deke’s in South Dakota. Wood needs to cover you. I’ll be home early tomorrow, latest.”

“Okay,” I said quietly then asked curiously, “He’s in a titty bar at 10:30 a.m.?”

“Ace, he ain’t a member of the Rotary,” Tate answered and I gave a short giggle.

Then I asked, “Titty bars are open at ten thirty?”

“This one is,” Tate replied.

“Wow,” I whispered.

“Question, babe,” he stated.

“Yeah?”

“When I’m pissed as shit at Neeta, why am I sittin’ in a borrowed SUV smilin’ every time I hear you say the words ‘titty bar’?”

“I don’t know,” I answered.

I listened to a moment of silence.

“Shoulda never started it with you,” he muttered and I felt my breath stop coming.

I still managed to force out a, “What?”

“Not feelin’ happy vibes that my good girl is usin’ the words ‘titty bar’ ‘cause I’m sittin’ outside one and that she’s gotta count on Wood to keep her safe from my fuckin’ ex when I’m not there. High-class good girl like you should live a life untouched by that kinda shit and a man like me should know better than to bring it on her.”

“I lived a life untouched by that kinda shit, Tate, and I’d never been unhappier because there was worse shit in it and it had nothing to do with talking about titty bars,” I whispered.

He was silent a moment as if contemplating this.

Then he demanded, “You sleep in one of my tees.”

“Sorry?” I asked.

“Wood’s in the house while you’re in my bed. Only claim I can stake since I’m fuckin’ three states away and I’m stakin’ it. You sleep in one of my tees.”

“Tate, that’s unnecessary.”

“Babe. Sleep. In. One. Of. My.
Tees
,” he said slowly and with waning patience.

“Oh all right,” I muttered.

More silence then a soft and sweet, “There’s my good girl.”

My breath caught and I opened my mouth to say something but he’d disconnected.

I touched the button and put my cell on the counter.

Then I turned to Wood and asked, “You want coffee?”

Wood crossed his arms on his chest and his eyes dropped to my bare, tan legs exposed by my cutoff jeans shorts. I’d cut off the legs of some of my old, fat jeans so the shorts hung on my hips but even I thought they looked kind of sweet, however, now, I was considering changing them.

Wood’s gaze came back to mine, he grinned slow, it was no less sexy than the times I’d seen it before and he answered, “Yeah.”

I went to get him coffee and I decided I was definitely wearing Tate’s tee to bed.

* * * * *

At 3:30 a.m. in the morning, I stood uncertainly in Tate’s living room watching Wood nab the remote.

“Do you need more pillows?” I asked.

“I’m all right, Laurie,” Wood answered, moving his body to lounge on the couch where I’d put the two sham covered pillows from Tate’s bed with the blanket from the couch.

“Um… I need to –” I started.

Wood flicked on the TV, turned the volume low and his eyes came to me.

“Baby, go to bed,” he said gently.

I nodded and his phone on the end table by the couch rang. He reached for it, looked at the display, grinned huge, flipped it open and put it to his ear.

“Tate,” he said, his voice vibrating with the chuckle he was suffocating and I bit my lip and decided to listen to the conversation.

“Yeah, she’s home safe and sound. No Neeta. Though, some guy named Brad turned up at Bubba’s.”

I could swear I heard Tate roar, “
What the fuck?
”

Or maybe that was in my head.

Wood burst out laughing.

Nope. It wasn’t in my head.

I closed my eyes but opened them again when Wood started talking.

“Yeah man, you meet this fuckin’ guy?” he asked, his voice amused. “I know. Total dick,” Wood agreed. “Bar was jammed. Saturday night but more. Word was out Neeta was in town. Half the folks came to see the faceoff; other half came to take Laurie’s back. Ned and Betty were there, both of ‘em. All the waitresses were there, even the ones who weren’t on including fuckin’ Jonelle. Krystal, Bubba
and
Dalton were all mannin’ the bar. Stella, Holly, Tyler that trainer and that gay guy who owns the salon showed. Even those two fuckin’ hippies were there, the guy still wearin’ those fuckin’ glasses even though it was night, purple this time.”

This was true. Everyone I knew or even spoke to in Carnal was at the bar. Twyla even turned up. Apparently Neeta was a big draw. Also apparently I’d made some good friends.

At first Krystal, Bubba, Jim-Billy, Wendy (who was on with me) and Wood seemed a little stunned at this show of support. Then they all thought it was hilarious. Then they all talked about it,
loudly,
sometimes yelling about it across the bar. My “posse” as Wood started to refer to them, joined in the yelling conversation and everyone thought this was the height of comedy, especially the more liquor they got down them. Even Krystal joined in the fun, not only making acid comments about Neeta (who it didn’t take a psychologist to read she did
not
like) but also ending the night doing shots with Twyla. I’d stood at the bar waiting for Dalton to fill an order and stared at her like I’d never met her. Dalton was right there with me. Then he turned to me, smiled and put my drinks on my tray. 

My mind came back into Tate’s living room when Wood started talking again. He was warming to his story and enjoying telling it if the massive grin on his face was anything to go by.

“Then this fuckin’ guy walks in… to Bubba’s…” Wood started choking because he was laughing so hard he was having trouble speaking but he forced out, “in a fuckin’
golf shirt.
Man, I think he had girl shit in his hair.”

Wood lost his battle with his hilarity and burst out laughing.

I wondered if Tate was laughing or if he was looking for something to throw.

Wood controlled his mirth and, still chuckling, stated, “No wonder Laurie got in a car and fled suburbia. The prospect of that guy the rest of her life… Christ.”

I sighed and crossed my arms on my chest.

Wood kept talking. “Trouble? No man, he came in ready to bring it on but Laurie’s posse saw him walk in, eyes on her, they clocked him immediately and he didn’t make it within five feet of her. The whole lot of them closed in, except the hippies but they kept goin’ outside to their van so I think they were stoned outta their minds by this time. They were in their own world, they missed the whole thing. Anyway, he started to throw ‘tude and fuckin’ Jim-Billy, of all people, sucker punched him in the gut. Then that butch chick, the new waitress, she got him by the scruff and frog marched him out the door.” Wood shook his head. “Wish I had that shit on tape.

I didn’t. Experiencing it once was enough.

Though seeing Twyla frog march Brad out the door
was
kind of funny and Carrie and Mack would get a kick out of seeing it on tape.

“No, Tate, not a problem. Bubba jumped on his bike and followed him to the town line. The guy got frog marched out the door by a chick. She’s solid and her chick status is questionable but I’m pretty certain she’s still a chick. That kinda hit to his manhood? He ain’t comin’ back.”

Wood was wrong. Tate, Wood, Bubba, Jim-Billy, Dalton, they took that kind of hit to their manhood, they wouldn’t come back.

Brad was another story. Brad got something in his head, even Twyla delivering a hit to his manhood wouldn’t get it out.

Which meant I had the unpredictable Neeta and the stupid, stubborn, idiot Brad to worry about. Not to mention a night with me in Tate’s bed and Wood on Tate’s couch.

I was beginning to wish I was back in Horizon Summit, locked behind the gates.

Though I was wishing for the time when Brad was gone and I was there alone. I could have made it. I made good money. I’d have to fire Griselle, the cleaner and Juan-Carlos, the gardener and maybe forego my monthly pedicure and bi-monthly manicures but I could have eeked by.

“Yeah?” Wood asked. “Okay, I’ll hang until you get here.”

I stared at Wood and wondered if my luck was changing and realized it was when his eyes came to me and he said into the phone, “Yeah, she’s awake,” and then held it to me, “wants to talk to you, baby.”

I walked to him, took the phone and put it to my ear.

“Hi,” I said.

“You okay?” Tate asked and I heard in his tone that he wasn’t looking for something to throw but had found the whole story amusing.

“Yes,” I said shortly, not finding anything amusing.

“Goin’ to bed?”

“Yes.”

“Wearin’ my tee?”

“I haven’t changed yet.”

“Right, then change of plans. I’m in Denver. I’ll be home in less than two hours. Wear nothin’ to bed.”

I blinked at Wood’s feet on the couch.

Then I turned with a jerk and walked toward the kitchen.

“Tate –”

“Naked, babe.”

“Tate, I can’t –”

He cut me off. “Buck.”

I stopped in the kitchen.

“Sorry?”

“Buck naked.”

“Wood’s here,” I whispered.

“He’ll be gone in two hours and I’ll be there.”

“I just got done working the night shift,” I reminded him.

“And I just got done apprehending a man out on bail on a murder charge and drivin’ over six hundred miles.”

“So you’ll be tired and I’ll be tired –”

“You’re naked, I’ll find a way to revive you.”

“Captain –” I whispered.

“You’re not naked, I’ll still find a way to revive you.”

“Tate, it’s three thirty in the morning, you’ve had a long day. You shouldn’t even make that drive.”

“Baby, you’re naked in my bed, no way I’m not.”

“Tate,” I said to dead air, he was gone.

I took the phone from my ear and stared at it. It slid from my fingers, my head came up and I watched Wood flip it closed.

“Go to bed, Laurie,” he said quietly, his eyes soft on me.

I swallowed. He was really handsome, almost as beautiful as Tate but in a different way. There was an edge to both men but I got the sense that Tate’s was sharper and closer to the surface. Wood’s was just a sharp but it ran deeper.

“Okay,” I replied then I pulled in breath. “You… today… what you did, looking out for me.” I paused. “It was really kind, Wood,” I finished on a whisper.

His body moved slightly toward me but he locked it down and I saw his jaw tense.

Then he repeated, “Go to bed, baby.”

I nodded, thinking exiting his presence immediately was probably a good idea. I walked by him and headed down the hall.

“Lauren,” he called and I stopped and turned back to him. He was leaning into a fist on the kitchen counter and his eyes were on me. “Once we were brothers,” he told me and I held my breath. “I’d do anything for him.”

I didn’t know what this meant and I stayed frozen, staring at him, waiting for him to go on.

When he didn’t, I chanced my guess on a whisper. “You miss him.”

Wood held my eyes and didn’t speak. Then he turned away, walked across the kitchen and hit the light switch. The kitchen went dark but I watched Wood in the light coming from the living room walk back to the couch. He dropped down to lounge there, his eyes on the TV, his face blank.