Cowboys Mine (7 page)

He grabbed North’s shirt and started to walk away.
What was he supposed to do? Make a scene for half the rodeo? Normally nothing
would stop him, but then again, Eva had never shown such genuine interest in
another man. For some reason it struck Colton the wrong way. Maybe the
introduction of a love interest would deem Colton and his brother irrelevant. He
needed her, and even though she wasn’t his woman, he still didn’t want to share.

“Where you going?” asked North, continually looking
back over his shoulder. “Fine, I take it back, I do give a damn. Now let’s go
back and get her.”

Colton shook his head. “There’s no point. She’s made
her mind in the matter. If she wants that cowboy, more power to her.”

“You trust that piece of shit? Did you see him kiss
her?”

“It was just a kiss. Maybe he’s Prince Charming. I
don’t know.” Colton had no right to steal any happiness from Eva. She’d been
his rock since his dad walked out on them. Without her, he’d never have made it
through in one piece. Now she was old enough to move on with her life, to start
a new generation of Fords. For years, he’d protected her, coddled her, and kept
men at bay. Now she was a beautiful twenty-two year old woman ready to spread
her wings.

“He sure as hell ain’t Prince Charming!” North
shrugged him off when Colton attempted to steer him towards the trailer.

“As long as she’s home before dark, it’s her life to
live.”

****

North was ready to brawl. In fact, he craved it like
never before. Pain would be preferable to the ache in his heart. Somewhere
along the line he began to see Eva as more than the sweet girl next door.
Somewhere along the line he’d fallen in love.

What he didn’t understand was Colton’s sudden
disinterest. Their feelings for Eva always mirrored each other’s. Half the time
when he’d escape to the Ford house, Colton was already there. They’d come on
the trip specifically to keep Eva out of trouble, but instead, his twin was
turning a blind eye.

They ate dinner in silence. North watched the sky
turn from blue to black, every darkening shade bringing his anxiety to a new
level. She still wasn’t back. God knows what that cowboy was doing with little
Eva. The thought of his filthy hands on her made his blood boil. He wasn’t sure
how much longer he could sit still with his imagination running wild.

He was just about to bolt from his seat when the
door to the trailer opened. Cool air flooded the interior and the sound of Eva
clearing her throat made every live wire inside him suddenly lose power. He
exhaled a nervous breath, glad she was at least home safely.

“Told you I’d be back in one piece,” she said as she
hung up her cardigan. “There’s no need to go hunting me down. Seriously.”

She started to climb up into the loft.

“Where’s lover boy?” asked North, no humor in his
tone.

“His name is Wade, and he just dropped me off, like
a perfect gentleman.”

“That why he had his lips all over you?” asked Colton.
His brother was just as unimpressed, even though he’d condoned the behavior.

“Hush you!” Eva slipped under the covers.

“You haven’t eaten,” said North.

“Wade bought me dinner.”

He ground his teeth together, stifling a growl. The
sound of that man’s name on Eva’s lips made him see red. If he never heard the
name again it would be too soon.

They secured the trailer and turned out the lights
before joining Eva in the bed. He tossed his shirt and lay down on his back,
staring up at the low ceiling. She was already comfortable, obviously not
feeling the volatile energy keeping him awake. He kept as far to his side as
possible, the cold wall of the trailer chilling his arm. Every time she shifted
in the bed, he tensed.

“I’m cold,” she murmured, cuddling closer to him.
The heat of her body scorched his bare skin. In a matter of days, everything
changed for him. He wasn’t sure when it happened, but he wished he could go
back to the way things were. Uncomplicated.

He tried to get away from her but he was trapped in
the tight confines of the sleeping area. He held his breath as she ran her palm
over his chest, over and over in small circles. Her touch had always been
soothing—not so much anymore.

“What’s wrong with you?” she whispered against his
neck. His eyes lolled back in his head. Even her fucking breath was sweet.

“Nothing. Go to sleep, Eva.”

“You’re acting weird, North. Is this because of
Wade?”

He decided the cowboy was a safer topic than his
changing feelings for her. “I don’t trust him.”

“Why not?”

“Just don’t is all.” He rolled to his side and away
from her. It didn’t feel right going to sleep on a sour note, but he couldn’t
have this discussion now. Mrs. Ford was the one to teach him and Colton not to
speak out of passion. It was always best to confront a person with a level
head, after cooling off and replaying the events over in your head. He usually
didn’t take the advice, but tonight felt like a good time to start.

“Will you two quiet down,” said Colton.

Eva pressed her body against his back. Why had he
taken off his shirt? He needed layers between them—many, many layers.

“I know what I’m doing,” she said in a whisper. “You
don’t have to worry about me.”

“I’d worry less if you spent more time with Bessie
and Ruby than that drifter.”

“He’s not a drifter.”

“Why you defending him?” he asked. “You act like
you’re already an item.”

She kissed his shoulder. “I just want you to be
happy for me, North.”

“It doesn’t matter what I think.”

“It does. You’re the one who taught me how to rope a
calf, and even though it took me weeks to learn, you never got impatient. You
protected me when Jameson’s dogs got loose.” She ran her hand delicately down
his arm, her fingers lingering over the raised scars on his forearm. “You
bought me a corsage when no boy asked me to prom. Remember when the three of us
danced in the rain that night? My dress was covered in mud.”

“I remember.”

“Well those are just examples of why I love you so
much. It doesn’t feel right doing anything without your blessing.”

He wasn’t sure he could ever give her what she
wanted.

Chapter
Six

The following afternoon, Eva went to take care of
Bessie and Ruby. She needed to keep up their appearances because the judges
would be in town tomorrow morning. Wade was waiting for her in the holding
paddock, his hat in his hand as he leaned over the rails. They usually spent
time together before she got to work and he had to go practice, but this was
the first time the McReed brothers knew about it. They’d walked her to the barn
today, and when she looked back over her shoulder, they were both still
standing on the periphery. Colton and North looked like hired guards with their
arms crossed over their chests.

She didn’t want to disappoint them, in the same way
she never wanted to disappoint her father. Their opinions mattered, but she had
the idea no man would ever be good enough in their eyes. It was the reason she
was taking the reins of her own future.

“Good afternoon, darlin’.” Wade brushed some stray
hairs from her face, a lazy smile on his lips.

“Hi.” Her stomach felt sour knowing the twins were
watching and disapproving. When she dared to peek behind her, they were gone.
She sighed in relief and turned to focus on Wade.

“You alright?”

“I’m fine now. Are we still on for tonight?” she
asked.

He worried his lip. “About that, baby doll, I’ll
have to postpone. I’m meeting with one of those sponsors from the city tonight.
It came up sudden like.”

“Don’t worry about it. It sounds like it may be a
good opportunity for you,” she said.

“That’s what I’m hoping.”

She stayed with Wade for twenty minutes before he
had to leave for a barrel racing event. Eva collected her grooming supplies and
slipped in the stall with Bessie and Ruby. She began to slowly rub circles over
Ruby’s coat with the curry comb. Her mind was elsewhere.

What had she really come to Chester for? She’d been
seeking something—excitement, freedom, success, love? She wasn’t so sure. Wade
was handsome and attentive, but she’d be lying if she said he made her heart
pitter patter. She thought true love would hit her like a firestorm and whisk
her off her feet. Instead she felt out of place, trying to create something out
of nothing. If she returned home without a ribbon or a man to show for her
trip, she’d feel like a failure. If she could bring home a cowboy to make her
daddy proud, it would be the beginning of a new and better life for her. Or so
she believed.

After returning home from the barn, the silver
bullet was empty. There was no sign of the twins, only the faint scent of
Colt’s musky cologne. In fact, she spent most of the evening alone, no clue
where to find Colton or North. It was odd not having them breathing down her
neck every minute. It was nice, but in a weird way, she missed their constant
meddling.

****

Colton waited for North in front of the local pub.
He was late. It was nearing dinner hour, so the place was filling up in a
hurry.

When his brother finally made an appearance, he
looked worse than shit.

“Where’ve you been so long?”

“I told you I was hauling hay,” said North. He took
off his Stetson and swatted some of the dust off his jeans.

“That shouldn’t have taken this long.”

“They asked me to set up a roadblock and make a wall
around the petting zoo. Not many of their hired workers can move hay with a
forklift.” North shrugged. “It was worth it. I wanted us to have enough money
to take Eva to dinner tomorrow night. She likes stuff like that.”

Colton scowled. His brother was acting like a
schoolboy in love. “How do you know?”

“Didn’t you hear her voice when she mentioned Wade
took her out to dinner? She ain’t used to stuff like that, and she deserves
it.”

“Let’s get a drink.” Colton pushed open the heavy
wooden door and entered the melee. The place was already packed, and they had
to weave their way to the back bar.

He ordered a couple shots for both of them. Colton
wanted to forget the world as much as he needed to stay away from alcohol. It
was too similar to the nightmare his mother was putting them through, and it
all stemmed back to that one asshole. He swallowed his first shot, trying to
envision Jess McReed walking into the bar. Colton wasn’t a scared kid anymore,
ready to cower under the sight of his belt or fist. He was a grown man, and his
father would be a fool to land a hand on him today.

He swirled the dark amber liquid around the second
glass, staring at it as he lost himself in his fantasy world. It seemed
everything was falling apart around him. He couldn’t help himself, never mind
his mother or his twin. His only escape was slipping away like water through
his fingers. Any time now and Eva would walk out of his life just like his
father did. He thought the pain twelve years ago was unbearable. Losing Eva
wouldn’t even compare.

“Set me up again,” he said to the barkeep.

“Take it easy,” said North. “You’ll regret it come morning.”

Colt choked back more throat-burning whiskey before
turning to face the crowd, his elbows resting on the bar. “Is that who I think
it is?”

Even with a good buzz building up, he recognized
Wade sitting at a table near the entrance. He didn’t even hesitate to march
over to the piece of shit.

North pulled out a chair and sat backwards on it,
inviting himself to the party of two. “You have good taste in women, Wade.” His
brother’s tone was anything but friendly.

The cowboy wasn’t fazed. “Just a friend, boys.” He
nodded to the buckle bunny to leave, smacking her ass as she sauntered off.
“How’s your sister doing, anyway?”

“She’s not our sister, and I imagine she’s off
dreaming about you right now.” Colton was seriously pissed off. As much as he
hated the cowboy for stealing Eva’s heart away from him, he wanted the best for
her. He wanted her happy.

“Look, it’s not going to work out, okay.” Wade
tipped his beer bottle back for a drink. He acted as if he was talking about
the weather.

“What the hell not? She’s fucking gorgeous. You’d
never find a finer woman that her.”

“Exactly. I’m not looking for a wife. She’s lucky I
waited on her as long as I did, but a peck on the cheek after nearly a week
isn’t going to cut it.”

“You’re a filthy bastard,” said North. His tossed
the chair to the side when he stood. “What gives you the right to play with
Eva’s heart?”

He shrugged. “Her mother should have taught her
about men like me.”

Colton’s blood was boiling. “She never had to worry
because she had us. I shouldn’t have let down my guards, especially when you
rubbed me wrong from day one.”