Cowboy Underneath It All (2 page)

Kane wished he could dispute at least one part of that. Any part. But, hell, he wanted Violet to be happy, too. He just didn't want her happy with another man. He was so glad he hadn't said that aloud, though, because it made him sound petty and selfish. He wasn't normally either of those things, but the shock and anger were getting the best of him.

And the confusion.

Because his mind was in a whirlwind, it took Kane a moment to pick through the whirl and process something Eliza had said.

“How'd the lie that you told keep snowballing?” he asked.

Eliza opened her mouth, closed it. Groaned. That groan was not a sound he wanted to hear, because Kane knew this had to be bad.

“How?” he pressed. But Eliza didn't get a chance to answer because the bathroom door flew open, and a woman came in.

Violet.

She was still wearing that veil, and she halted in midstep, literally with her foot still in the air. There was just a moment of surprise on her face before she smiled.

And then giggled.

That giggle wasn't something Kane wanted to hear, either. Not just because it sounded drunk, but it also seemed as if Violet was thrilled about something. Since he was in the ladies' room with what had to be a very confused look on his face, Kane couldn't see anything for her to be thrilled about.

Violet hurried to them, gathering them both into her arms, and she kissed them on their cheeks. “Kane, I'm so glad you're here.” When Violet pulled back, there were tears in her eyes.

Happy tears, Kane was sure of it. But he couldn't figure out why they were there. He had a really bad feeling, though, that this had something to do with the snowballing.

“I'm in seventh heaven for both of you,” Violet went on. “When Eliza told me you two were seeing each other, it just made my life complete. I mean, it was long over between us, and I wanted you to move on. It's nice that you moved on in my sister's direction.”

Kane had to shake his head. “Seeing each other?” Kane questioned.

Eliza had mentioned texting but not
seeing
. He figured there were other things she'd left out when Violet's happy tears continued. “I just know you two are going to have the perfect life together.”

“Say what?” he growled.

Violet slapped her hand over her mouth as if she'd just blurted out a huge secret. Well, it was a secret to Kane all right. A secret that soon became a whole lot clearer when Eliza put her arms around him.

“Violet, I didn't say that Kane and I were engaged,” Eliza pointed out.

Violet winked. “Not yet anyway. But since you're in love, that's the next step, right?”

The blood rushed to Kane's head. Crap on a cracker. This wasn't snowballing. This was an avalanche.

One that continued.

Violet caught onto both his and Eliza's arms and practically threw them together. “Go ahead, Kane. Kiss the woman you love.”

Chapter Two

Eliza felt like an idiot. Man, oh man, what had she done?

Kane was no doubt about to ask her the same thing, along with blowing her lies to smithereens, but Violet put a stop to him saying much of anything. He managed a grunt before Violet pushed them together at the exact moment when Eliza was looking up at him. And Kane was looking down at her.

Or rather glaring at her.

Violet finished pushing, and Kane's mouth landed on Eliza's for what had to be the stiffest kiss ever. One of the best kisses ever, too.

Here, all these years she'd fantasized about kissing Kane, and now they were doing exactly that even if it wasn't what Kane wanted to do. Even with that extreme limitation, it certainly lived up to expectations, but it was part of the snowball of lies.

Kane didn't let the scalding kiss go on. After just a few seconds, he pulled back, and his glare got significantly worse.

“Is there something you want to say to your sister?” he asked Eliza.

This was easy. No, she didn't want to admit to the white lie that had turned into a series of whoppers. But she had to fess up. Now that Violet was engaged, maybe it wouldn't even matter.

“She doesn't have to tell me anything,” Violet blurted out before Eliza could get her mouth working. “It's just so nice to see both of you happy.” She glanced at the stalls, hobbled around a little on her toes. “Now, if you don't mind getting out of here, I have to pee. Like right now,” she added when they didn't budge.

Kane volleyed glances at them while Violet continued to hobble around. Just when Eliza was about to confess all, Violet hurried past them and into one of the stalls. Despite there being a door on the stall, Kane bolted out as if someone had scalded him.

“We'll talk when you're finished,” Eliza told her sister. She followed Kane into the bar, not near anyone though, because Kane pulled her to the side.

“When she comes out, you tell her the truth,” he demanded just as Eliza gave him another “I'm so sorry.”

“The truth,” he emphasized. “And don't apologize again. It won't help. The only thing that'll fix this is to tell Violet the way things really are.”

“I will.” She paused. “But you don't think it could wait until after the wedding? Just hear me out,” she added when Kane growled out a no. “It's just for a couple of days, and then I'll tell her the truth when she's back from her honeymoon. I don't want anything to put a damper on her mood.”

“And this would?” He cursed, and it seemed to take him a couple of seconds and another round of profanity to find the words he wanted to say. “Why the hell would Violet care if we're together or not?”

Uh-oh.

He was not going to want to hear this, but she'd already told so many lies that she had to go with the truth. “Violet knows I've always had a thing for you. And she was worried about you, that you would take her engagement hard. Worried about me, too, because I broke up with my boyfriend. She thought this would be the perfect fix for both of us.”

Kane was staring at her as if she were on fire.

“It's true,” she insisted. “You must have known I had a thing for you.”

Judging from the next round of profanity, apparently he hadn't known that after all. Well, he certainly knew it now.

“You were a kid. I wasn't,” he argued.

“
Was
a kid.” That was all she needed to say.

He frowned and glanced at the bathroom again. He was no doubt wishing Violet would hurry so they could have the air clearing that Eliza didn't especially want. Not until after the wedding at least. Then maybe Kane and she could quietly “break up.” Violet and her family would know the truth, but maybe she could save a little face without everyone in Spring Hill hearing about it.

“Why did you split with your boyfriend?” he asked.

Kane was probably just killing time with that question, but it threw her. Mainly because she didn't want to tell him the truth but definitely didn't want to lie, either. She'd filled her lie quota for a lifetime.

“I, uh, thought it was for the best,” Eliza settled for saying. Since she was going to have to fess up to Violet, there was no need to fully fess up to Kane as well about her ex, Brett.

Judging from the way his mouth went into a flat line, he wasn't buying that vague response. However, before he could press for more that Eliza didn't want to give him, the front door of the bar opened.

And Dax walked in.

As Eliza had done, Dax stopped a moment, his gaze combing over the dimly lit pub, but it didn't take him long to see Kane and her. Dax smiled. Or rather the smile started to form on his mouth, but it froze. Maybe because he remembered that Kane might want to pulverize him. But the smile returned when he saw how close Kane and she were standing.

“So, it's true,” Dax said, when he reached them. He pulled Kane into a man hug, hooking his arm around Eliza and squeezing her in those beefy arms of his. Two hugs in one day.

Hugs based on lies.

Dax took Eliza's hand and dropped a set of keys into her palm. “Violet forgot these, and she'll need them to let herself into the house tonight. Violet and I went ahead and moved in together,” he added to Kane. “She won't be in any shape to drive, I'm sure, so somebody will need to drop her off.”

“I've got that taken care of—” Those were the only words Eliza managed to get in.

“Figured you had. Don't worry. I won't be driving, either. Rico fixed up everything in that department, I'm sure. You remember Rico,” Dax said to Kane.

Kane nodded. Of course he remembered him. They'd all gone to school together, and Rico Bullock was a hand at the McCord Ranch, where Dax also worked.

“Listen, Dax.” Eliza wiggled out of his grip. “There's something I have to tell you.”

“No need. I can see it written all over your face. You're in love.” He lifted his shoulder. “But then you've always been a little in love with Kane. That's why you gave that guy from college his marching orders.”

Well, so much for her not wanting to fess up about that. Kane stared at her with an “is that true?” expression, but Eliza just sighed and shrugged. Apparently, this was going to be the day for a serious air clearing. But it didn't continue. Violet came out of the bathroom, and she was still in giddy giggle mode because she hurried to her fiancé and kissed him. Dax kissed her right back, and it went on way too long, considering they had an audience.

And one of those audience members was shell-shocked. Maybe Kane was reacting to the kiss or everything that he'd just heard, but his “is that true?” expression turned into “what the hell?” Of course, he'd had that expression a lot since this ordeal had started.

“Sorry,” Dax said when Violet and he finally broke the lip-lock. “Every time I see her, I just have to kiss her.”

And put his hands on her. Eliza had grown accustomed to seeing them together like this, but she was betting it would take Kane a while to get used to it. If they had a while, that was.

Eliza could see this playing out in three bad ways. Violet would be so upset when she learned the truth that it would spoil the wedding. Scenario two was that Kane would just leave town and never come back. Scenario number three was that once everyone heard about the lies, she would be branded the town's liar, along with people calling her pathetic.

The last one was pretty much the best of those choices.

“I was just about to tell Kane that I was worried,” Dax said to Violet. “I wasn't sure how he'd take us getting engaged. But I can tell he's fine with it.”

No, he wasn't, but Kane stayed mum. And he glared at Eliza again, giving her a not-so-subtle clue to start explaining.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Violet asked her, but her sister continued talking before Eliza could answer. Violet snapped her fingers as if remembering something. “The family dinner. Did you get a chance to tell Kane about that?”

Eliza shook her head, and once more Violet continued without giving her a chance to speak. Her sister was clearly past the giddy stage now. “We're having a family dinner tomorrow night, and we want you there.”

It must have taken Kane a moment to realize Violet was talking to him because his scowl morphed to a blank stare before he shook his head. “I can't—”

“I won't take no for an answer,” Violet interrupted, and she plopped a sisterly kiss on Kane's cheek. “Be there at seven. I might have recovered from the bachelorette party by then.”

Just when Eliza didn't think there could be any other complications to this mess, one more walked in.

Charlene Fletcher.

Even though Charlene was a rancher, she was dressed like one of the exotic dancers at the strip joint just outside town. Low-cut dress, nail-me-now heels and a hungry smile that she aimed at Kane. Since Charlene didn't seem surprised to see him there, that meant her cousin, the bartender, Frankie, had likely called her to let her know.

“Kane,” Charlene said, her voice a seductive growl. “I'm here to seal the deal on those cows you're buying from me.”

“Cows, my butt,” Eliza mumbled a little louder than she'd intended.

Charlene was going to love the fact that Kane was now unattached. And she'd love even more that Eliza would be dubbed the town liar. There was a history between Charlene and her. Also between Violet and Charlene. Simply put, the woman had tried to bed every single man that Eliza and her sister had ever dated. Eliza had considered going out with a slimeball just so Charlene would eventually get a dose of that slimeball, too.

Charlene sauntered closer and touched her index finger to Kane's chest. “Maybe you have some time right now.” It wasn't a question, and Charlene slid a cool glance at Violet. “Since I'm sure Violet and Dax have plenty of things to do. Eliza, as well,” she added like an afterthought.

“Eliza does indeed have things to do,” Violet piped up. “Now that her honey's back in town, I suspect she'll be plenty busy.”

Charlene pulled back her shoulders as if she'd just snapped to attention. “What honey?”

Violet smiled, slipped her arm around Kane. “This guy. Eliza and he are, well...” she lowered her voice to a whisper “...hot to trot for each other. Isn't it wonderful?”

Clearly, Charlene didn't think it was wonderful at all. Her mouth squeezed together as if she'd sucked a basket of lemons. “Since when?” Charlene snapped.

Now, this would have been a really good time to come clean since it might cost Kane the sale of those cows, but Eliza let the old rivalry kick in, and she didn't say a word. Neither did Kane. There wasn't an old rivalry between Charlene and him, but maybe he wanted a break from a barracuda like her while he got his footing.

“For months now,” Violet answered. “I'm surprised you hadn't heard.”

There was a reason for that. Eliza had asked that the lie stay limited to family and Dax. Of course, now that Kane was back, no way would Violet keep quiet, and the couple rumor would catch fire. Then the big news that the couple part wasn't real after all would soon follow that fire.

Violet giggled. “Everybody who knows is thrilled for them.”

Not everybody. The look Charlene gave Eliza was sharp enough to cut galvanized steel.

“I'll be in touch with you,” Kane said to the woman. “About a business deal I want to discuss with you.”

“Yes, I'll be in touch,” Charlene repeated, her voice as sharp as the look she was still giving Eliza. The look lingered a moment before Charlene finally left to head to the bar.

“Somebody's got her nose out of joint,” Violet remarked. “And she'll dislocate her hips if she keeps swinging that way.” That resulted in another of her sister's giggles.

“Violet, get back over here,” Misty Reagan, the bridesmaid, called out. “You're missing your own party, and you'll have plenty of time to fool around with Dax on the honeymoon.”

“Sorry, but Eliza and I need to go.” Violet looked at Kane. “This is just stop one. Eliza hired us a limo, and we're hitting some bars in San Antonio.”

Violet kissed Dax. “You and Kane have fun at your bachelor party. Keep him away from strippers,” she added to Kane with a wink.

Kane was still shaking his head, but Dax took hold of his arm. “Come on. Let's head over to the party. We can do some catching up along the way, and you can tell me all about how you fell for Violet's kid sister.”