Breaking the Bad Boy (18 page)

The horses walked back to the ranch, their riders in silence, each with their own thoughts. Joss said nothing to her father when she walked past him into the house and straight to her room. Fleetingly, she remembered doing the exact same thing as a pouty teen, down to the same flopping on the bed, but she couldn’t be bothered with acting like an adult. Her bear would die, sooner or later, she just hated that she was the reason for his end.

Equally alarming was how weak willed she had become around Buck. It was a close call, the closest she’d had in some time. Buck made Joss feel something she hadn’t felt in eight years, and she could tell he was another bad choice. He wasn’t a bad man, she was pretty sure of that, but he wasn’t going to stick around, and her heart was going to be destroyed by him, and there was already no way out of it. She bent to clean up her room.

Hours later the bloodthirsty crowd came back empty handed, but with one of their number injured by a fall. Joss and Buck shared a look that bothered Brent more than he thought possible. Buck was going to break his little girl’s heart, he hadn’t seen her that taken with anybody since, well, ever.

***

The next morning Joss ran with Butterscotch again, but in the pasture instead of the road. The sports bra failed epically, both back and front ached by the time she was done, and she took it off at the halfway mark and just crossed her arms. She needed a better solution. Butterscotch was very happy to be back in the swing of things and pushed Joss with her velvety nose several times to invite her to ride.

“I will, baby. I promise I will. Maybe tomorrow if Brent won’t have another coronary.” She said.

“How was your run?” Brent asked. They had come to a kind of détente about the bear. Joss knew she couldn’t stop Brent, and Brent looked pale and old when she and Buck came back from her reckless departure yesterday, that she was keenly reminded that he was still very ill, and her being fed on by a bear would probably kill him.

“Awful, you want to join us tomorrow?” She grinned.

“Not in the slightest. Are you going into town today?”

“Yes, I need a haircut. Do you need something?”

“I need a new barn. I did an estimate for what we’ll need for supplies, lumber and the like,” he handed her a piece of legal paper. “Could you give this to McGruder?”

“No problem. Brent, when I get back, you and I are sitting down and talking. I can’t stay here indefinitely, as much as I might want to.”

“Okay, Joss, I’ll tell you everything,” he said nodding thoughtfully.

Joss drove into town and her first stop was the salon. Her hair was irrevocably ruined, and it had to go. It would be a relief to get it off her very sensitive back, too. Her stylist went to high school with her, but was a little younger. She was relieved, friends of Leanne’s were still mad at her about Billy, and in a salon she’d be at their mercy. The women in the salon were shocked and appalled she went a whole day before coming in, and held her hand when it came off for support.

“I’m pretty sure it’ll grow back, I’m not squeamish about its going,” she told them, and they looked at her like she was not quite right in the head. “Is it beyond donating?”

“No, there are feet left to donate; some lucky person will get the most beautiful wig from this.”

Joss wondered if the woman was listening to herself. Some poor cancer patient will have a nice blonde wig, was what Joss was thinking. But she gingerly leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes and let them do what they would. When they massaged her scalp she could only think of Buck braiding her hair while she was lying semi conscious in the hospital that night. The touching of the scalp was unquestionably a turn on, why didn’t more people practice that? What did she know? Maybe they did, Buck was her first.

“You’ve had a busy week,” Rhonda said. “Is it true about Big Jake?”

“What about him? Is he okay?” Joss asked.

“You tell me, you’re the one who broke his heart,” she said.

“I did what?” Joss asked astonished. “What are you talking about?”

“We hear things in here, and I heard that Big Jake proposed and you broke his heart.”

“Oh, who told you that?” Joss asked. “Because that didn’t happen at all.”

“I also heard you got flowers from Peter in
Denver
, and a doctor licked you.”

“Well, I did get flowers from
Denver
, but if any doctors licked me I think I might have noticed. You do hear a lot of stuff in here,” Joss said, impressed.

“So Big Jake didn’t propose?” She sounded disappointed.

“Nope,” Joss said thinking it wasn’t really a lie, because she didn’t think it was marriage Big Jake was hoping for when he was pressing her up against the fridge.

“But he brought you flowers, too,” she continued.

“Oh, he and Brent go way back,” Joss said. Again, not really a lie…

“Oh, I guess Gertie got it wrong, then,” she said unconvinced.

The hairdryer went on and Rhonda began to brush her hair and dry it and Joss relaxed into the seat again. This is why people got monthly haircuts, it was true pampering. When straight men discovered how grateful women were after a forty minute session with someone running their fingers through your hair, things were going to change. Not only was there pampering, but when you walked out of the salon you looked beautiful because you felt beautiful, there was a lot to be said for state of mind.

When Joss walked out of the salon she felt great, and ready to go to the hardware store. With Brent’s list of supplies in her hand she walked in and went straight to the back desk. It was elevated so that McGruder could see everything going on in his store. Joss had no problem reaching him, but she had to wonder how anyone under 5’8” would.

“Hi Mr. McGruder, how are you?”

“I heard your barn burned down,” he said tersely.

“Yes, it certainly did,” she said. “This is the list of supplies Brent needs to rebuild. If you could give him an estimate, we’d be grateful.”

“What started the fire?”

“I don’t know that, the Fire Marshall has determined that yet, but you’ll probably know before we do, so give us a call when you hear.”

“Don’t get smart with me, missy,” he grinned at her and went back to his work. She guessed she was done at the hardware store and turned to leave when a hand went to her ass and squeezed.

“Fuck!” She said loudly, she realized, as heads turned toward her, and turned around to look into the familiar blue eyes of Billy Tomlinson. “Don’t grab my ass, Billy, you have no right,” she said pointing a finger at him. Little wonder everyone in town thought she was the town lay.

He lifted his hands in a peace making sign and gave her a trademark grin. “Sorry, Joss, I just couldn’t help myself, there are so many good memories having to do with your pretty little ass,” he said moving close. Damn, he was still gorgeous; couldn’t he have lost his teeth or gone to flab in the past ten years?

“Yeah well, hands off,” she said backing up.

“I heard you were mauled by a bear, but you look pretty good to me,” he said stepping into her personal space again. “In fact, you look great.”

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Yes, you are,” he said looking overtly at her breasts. She crossed her arms. “So, are you back for good?”

“No, I’m back because Brent had a heart attack, I’m helping out. Actually, I’m useless; I’m just getting in the way. Well, it was nice to see you, Billy, I’m done here.”

“Hey, what’s your rush? I was hoping we might, you know, pick up where we left off,” he said running his hand up and down her arm. Right, she thought, he did that before, and back then it felt good, now, not so much. She laughed.

“Let’s see, where did we leave off? I have a vague recollection of Brent shooting at your feet after catching us in the hay loft. That was where you wanted to pick back up? Brent would be delighted.” She grinned.

Billy laughed. “I was hoping we could pick up from right before he caught us,” he raised and lowered his eyebrows several times quickly with a very sexy grin. “I thought he was going to kill me, sugar, can you blame me for not calling?”

“No,” she smiled at him. “I think our relationship had run its course by then, don’t you?”

“Are you kidding? We’d still be at it if your daddy hadn’t caught us. Don’t you think?”

“Absolutely not,” she smiled warmly at him and he grinned back.

“Well, we’re different people now. Joss, sugar, you cannot deny it was the best you’d ever had,” he said.

“You’re right, but Billy, I was sixteen, it was the
first
I’d ever had,” she said.

“Sure, you didn’t know what you were doing when we started, but by the time we got to the hay loft…” he smiled genuinely at her and she couldn’t help it, she smiled back. “You were a fast learner.” He picked her hand up and put her fingers to his lips watching her, waiting for her to cave in like old times. “What do you say, sugar? I’ve got a real bed these days.” She smiled and took her hand back.

“I’m sorry Billy, as tempting as that may be, I’m in a serious relationship,” she said and he shook his head.

“Can’t be anyone here, Brent would castrate him. Someone in
Denver
?”

“How do you know I live in
Denver
?”

“Small town, sugar. I also know that Big Jake went a courtin’ and a big Indian has been all over you like a bad rash. Is he the serious relationship? Or are you just keeping yourself entertained?” She stared at him and wondered if she should say yes, it was Buck. He probably got his information from Jake.

“You really are exactly the same aren’t you?” Billy grinned and nodded like it was a good thing.

“I am not entertaining myself here; I’m here because Brent had a heart attack. My serious relationship is with Felix in
Denver
, I live with him. He’s all I could want, sensitive, patient, undemanding. All the things you really aren’t.”

“You’re right about that, but aren’t you bored? From what I recall…” he started.

“Please don’t recall anything here in the hardware store, Billy, I’m already Hester Prynne in this town,” she said.

“I don’t know her, is she as pretty as you?” He kissed her cheek. “I’m in the book if you change your mind, sugar. Hands down, you were always my favorite.” He winked at her and walked out of the store. She stared after him, all thoughts of getting reacquainted flowing soothingly out of her. It felt as if she passed a test of some sort, her next obstacle would be getting Buck out of her vivid daydreams. Who was she kidding? Buck was the only reason she felt nothing for Billy.

“Who’s Felix, Duchess?” Buck asked from inches away, thinking he might just like to go and kick the shit out of Billy Tomlinson later. He was a smug bastard, grabbing his Duchess’s ass in the middle of McGruder’s; he had a lesson in manners coming to him.

“My cat,” she turned and he laughed. “Were you eavesdropping?”

“You weren’t exactly being quiet,” he looked up at McGruder who was hanging over his elevated desk watching them. Buck could see a little drool.

“Oh God,” she shook her head.

“Billy Tomlinson? You really do like the bad boys don’t you?” He started to guide her out of the store, his hand low so he wouldn’t touch anything sensitive, but he was dangerously close to her ass, and they both knew it.

She sighed. “Even Superman has his Kryptonite,” she said and he threw his head back and laughed.

“I really like the haircut, you look like Marilyn Monroe,” he said.

“Very funny,” she said and they walked out into the street and she stopped.