Naked Heat: Naked Cowboys, Book 7 (10 page)

“It’s more than that. I told him why this kind of thing upsets me and he said he’d do his best not to settle it with his fists or some other kind of violence. He said he’d try.”

“Maybe he did, Nida.” Dillon’s voice was soft. “If I were in his shoes, crazed with grief and let down by the very people sworn to uphold the law, I might be tempted to do the same thing.”

“Just…just do this for me, okay? I need some time.”

“All right. I need to let him know the kind of campaign we’ve put together to take care of this anyway. I’ll settle him down and give you a call afterwards.”

“Thank you. Thank you very much.”

She hung up and sat there holding her phone, an ache in her heart.

“I take it that wasn’t good news?” Cyn asked softly.

“Good and bad. Depends on your point of view.” She relayed Dillon’s information. “I appreciate you and Jesse babysitting me, but I think now I’d like to go home.”

“Will you be all right?”

She looked at Cyn and told her in a sad voice, “Eventually.”

Mac had not seen Nida for four days, and it was killing him. He’d wanted to clean himself up and go apologize to her the minute he was back in Saddle Wells, but Dillon had been very firm,

“She said to give her time,” he repeated. “I’d do that if I were you.”

“I should have listened to her. She told me you guys would take care of it and you did.”

Dillon nodded. “That would have been the smart thing.”

Mac hadn’t believed they’d be able to do anything about Dale Richmond, but it seemed he’d been wrong. Jinx had taken all the information about the evidence and written an editorial about how money and power in Rowan County had corrupted a situation and allowed what amounted to a murderer to go free. She’d used her connections to get the piece picked up not just in San Antonio but in Austin and some of the other cities.

Dillon had gone to his former captain at the SAPD and together they’d gone to a judge they knew they could trust. The judge had issued an arrest warrant and now, despite the elder Richmond’s rages and threats, Dale was sitting in the Bexar County jail. Even his high-priced lawyer couldn’t get him bail with all the media publicity surrounding the situation.

Mac had gone to see his folks before the story had broken. He’d asked Alicia’s fiancé to meet him there and told them everything. His mother had broken down crying and even his father had a few tears in his eyes. Alicia’s fiancé shook his hand so hard he thought the bones would break. But it was only the first step toward healing.

Now he had to hope he could heal something else, and this one might not be so easy.

He spent the day working off some of his anguish by hauling brush out into the gravel, calling the volunteer fire department to give them a heads up and then building the biggest bonfire he’d ever seen. After that he used his new pressure washer on the outside of the windows and then decided to do the entire house. The place was beginning to grow on him, and moving back to San Antonio had lost its appeal. He had a comfortable financial cushion, so he could look around and decide what to do next. Maybe even get out of the investment business completely. There were too many things in Saddle Wells to keep him here, including one very special person that he was going to see right now.

He decided not to call first. If she wasn’t at the office, he’d ask one of her friends where she was. They all kept tabs on each other. If she was out on a call, he’d just wait for her. But he was afraid if he called ahead she’d just tell him no.

So here he was, showered, shaved, dressed in fresh jeans and a shirt, mentally crossing his fingers and giving himself a pep talk. He’d point out to her that this was a onetime thing, under exigent circumstances. That he wasn’t normally a violent man who settled arguments with his fists. That he was unlike that asshole in her past. And could she please give him a break this one time, because he really didn’t want to walk away from what was growing between them.

She wasn’t in the office. The one sales person there working on some listings said she wasn’t sure where Nida had gone off to. He went by the newspaper, but Jinx wasn’t around. Dillon was out somewhere at a meeting, so he decided to go to the bar and hang out with Liam. He only knew the man from their two brief encounters, but he liked Liam and felt comfortable with him. He could have gone to the Bit and Bite for coffee, but he thought the bar would be less crowded in the middle of the afternoon.

When he pulled into the parking lot, however, he was startled to see a big black SUV familiar to him. What in hell was she doing at a bar at three in the afternoon? And who owned the other cars around it? Was she having an afternoon cocktail hour with the women?

Maybe he should just go home and wait, try seeing her at her house tonight. On the other hand, if she’d had a drink or two, she might be a little bit more mellow towards him.

Sighing and saying a little silent prayer, he opened the door and walked into the cool, dimly lit interior. Liam was leaning on the bar reading the newspaper. He looked up when he saw Mac and started to say something. Mac just shook his head, so Liam pointed to a round table in the center of the room. Gathered around it was what he’d come to think of as the Saddle Wells Sisterhood.

Man up
, he told himself and headed for the table.

Georgie was facing toward the door so she was the first to see him. She gave him a sly smile and reached across the table to Nida, who was opposite her. Then she waved at him.

“Hey, Mac,” she called. “How about having a drink with us?”

He grinned. “It’s only three in the afternoon. Aren’t you starting a little early?”

“Nida closed a big deal today so we’re celebrating that and Dale Richmond’s arraignment. Jinx just wrote the story on it.”

“That right? Well, maybe I’ll just have a drink with you then.”

“Oh, we need to get going,” Cyn told him. “I have to get back to the store, as a matter of fact.”

The other women rose as one, dropped money on the table and made hasty goodbyes. Nida had still not turned her head to look at him. He pulled out the empty chair next to her and dropped into it.

Don’t let her get up too.

But she didn’t. She remained in her seat, looking down at her hands folded in her lap.

“Hello, Nida.”

“Hi.” She said the word very softly.

He tucked a finger beneath her chin and turned her to face him. “Are you so mad at me that you can’t look at me?”

Jesus. He hoped not.

“No, I, um—That is—”

“Come on, spit it out. You can tell me anything, you know that.”

“Oh, Mac.” When she looked up at him her eyes were filled with anguish.

His heart lurched. “What’s wrong? Do you want me to go away? Are you that angry?”

“No.” She almost shouted the word. Then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “To tell you the truth, I’m mad at myself.”

He lifted his eyebrows. “You are? Why?”

She looked down at her hands again. “I was very hard on you. Harder than I should have been. I compared the stress you were under and your justifiable rage with the juvenile antics of a man who was nothing but a bully. That was very, very wrong of me.” She looked up at him from beneath those thick, sooty lashes. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Forgive
you?
Darlin’, I’m the one that needs forgiving. I went off my rocker and did exactly what you asked me not to do.”

“But at least you had a good reason,” she pointed out.

“I don’t know if I agree with you on that.” He grinned. “But it sure felt damn good.”

“You’ve seen all the stories?” she asked. “Dillon told you about the arrest and Jinx did a piece today on the arraignment.”

“Yes, he did and I did. Dillon kept me filled in on every detail. Including the hell Ray Richmond’s been raising and the fact that all the publicity has killed anyone’s desire to help him sweep this under the rug again.”

“So your sister will finally get justice. I hope that helps you and your parents and her fiancé find some peace.”

He nodded. “It does. I’m driving into the city Sunday morning. We’re all going to the cemetery to put flowers at Alicia’s grave. Then we’re going to brunch at her favorite restaurant to celebrate the joy she brought to us when she was alive. And to pay homage to her memory.” He paused. “I’d like you to come with me, to meet my family.”

“Oh, Mac. That’s such a private thing. I’d feel as if I was intruding. Besides, they don’t even know me.”

“But they know about you.” He grinned. “I told them what a treasure I’d found in Saddle Wells.”

When she lifted her gaze to his, the anguish was gone from her eyes, replaced by happiness and hope.

“And they won’t mind if I tag along with you?”

“As a matter of fact, they insisted.” He rose and pulled her chair back. “Now how about getting out of here? Now that I’ve thrown myself on your mercy, I thought we’d go to your house so we can talk about what I’m going to do with the rest of my life in Saddle Wells.” He lowered his head to give her a soft kiss, ignoring the few patrons tucked into a couple of booths, and Liam grinning at him from the bar. “Maybe I can talk you into fixing dinner for me. Barbecue sounds pretty good.”

“Really?” She chuckled. “Then we’d better stop by Cyn’s and get some of her special rub.”

“Yeah about that.” He guided her to the door. “What the hell is so special about it that everyone grins when it’s mentioned?”

“It’s quite a story.” They were out in the parking lot now and standing beside her SUV. “The recipe’s been in her family for generations. When she moved here she wanted to see if she could enhance it a little and she read about a special herb that could make the flavor richer.” She grinned at him. “The problem is it also jacks up the libido.”

“You’re kidding.” He stared at her. “You’re not kidding.” Then he threw his head back and laughed until his sides ached. “No wonder this is such a happy town.”

“When people go into her shop, they have to specify which seasoning they want.” Her lips twitched with mirth. “I’ll make sure to season the meat with it tonight.”

“Darlin’, if you do that it might be days before we get out of bed.”

“As long as we make it by Sunday,” she said, “I’m good with it.”

Unable to restrain himself any longer, he pulled her into his arms, pressed her body to his and gave her a kiss that rocked them both. People driving by honked their horns at them, but they just ignored everyone. When he broke the kiss, they were both breathless.

“We have something special here, Nida,” he told her in a thick voice. “I’m glad I didn’t fuck it up.”

“And I’m glad I didn’t either. Because I love having you in my life, Mac McDaniel.”

“Same goes, Nida Benoit.” He paused. “How do you think Nida McDaniel will sound?”

She hugged him. “I think it sounds just perfect. Let’s go home and practice saying it out loud.”

“When we get home, we’re going to be too busy practicing other things.” He gave her a quick kiss. “Let’s get going. I can’t wait to start the rest of our lives together.”

About the Author

Known the world over as the oldest living author of erotic romance, and referred to by
USA Today
as the Nora Roberts of erotic romance, Desiree Holt is three times a finalist for an EPIC E-Book Award (and a winner in 2014), a nominee for a Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award, winner of the first 5 Heart Sweetheart of the Year Award at The Romance Studio as well as twice a CAPA Award winner for best BDSM book of the year, and winner of the Holt Medallion for Excellence in Romance Literature. She has been featured on
CBS Sunday Morning
and in
The Village Voice
,
The Daily Beast, USA Today, The (London) Daily Mail, The New Delhi Times
and numerous other national and international publications.

Learn more about Desiree and read her novels here:
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@desireeholt
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Look for these titles by Desiree Holt

Now Available:

Naked Cowboys

Stark Naked

Buck Naked

Stripped Naked

Naked Desire

Naked Flame

Coming Soon:

Naked Hunger

Don’t miss the other titles in Desiree’s Naked Cowboy series!

The heat between them burns red hot…until danger turns it white.

Naked Cowboys,
Book 6

Burned out from years in the Dallas PD, Charity Vance flees to Saddle Wells for a fresh start, someplace to lie low and decide what to do with the rest of her life.

Hanging out with her old college friend in the local bar, she can’t help but notice the sexy, brooding owner. She also notices he needs a waitress. Charity steps in to help—and steps right into his arms.

After two tours in Afghanistan, Liam Douglas has settled nicely into running his dad’s bar, but trying to keep decent help has been running him ragged. Accepting Charity’s help only adds fuel to their explosive chemistry. Although neither one of them wants a relationship, pretty soon they’re burning up the sheets.

When a drug lord Charity helped put away busts out of jail, Liam’s overprotective streak starts to feel more like the strings she didn’t want. And running seems to be the only option to save the town…and her heart. But leaving Liam is more difficult than she thought…especially when he won’t let her go.

Warning: Contains a sexy, brooding man with a complicated past, a feisty heroine who thinks she’s in charge and sex hot enough to burn up the sheets.