Too Close For Comfort (Sweetrock Cowboy Romance Book 2) (9 page)

T
essa drove
to Happy Trails the next day with mixed feelings. The previous night had been like a dream. Cash had stolen her heart with that meal and the thoughtful way he’d set the table, even thinking to decorate with candles and flowers. He’d even bought her favorite dessert which they never got a chance to eat.

But the dessert she did get had been way better than a pie. The intensity of his lovemaking left little wonder about his true feelings. Yet, she’d sensed an undercurrent of uncertainty, and this morning, even when they’d lingered in bed it had felt almost as if he was pulling away.

It was their usual night to meet the others for drinks at The Bull Sheep and Tessa had thought it odd at first when he’d suggested they take separate cars. She would have preferred coming home to find Cash in her bed, but she knew that if neither of them showed up at the Bull, questions would be asked. She wasn’t sure she was ready to reveal how their feelings for each other had intensified to all their friends just yet. Everything was still so new and fragile and she didn’t want to jinx that by blurting things out too soon. Not to mention that it probably wasn’t a good idea for them to spend too much time isolated together this early in the relationship.

So it actually made perfect sense for them to take separate cars especially since they would be on opposite sides of town. Cash probably didn’t want any of their friends to suspect things between them had changed either for the same reasons.

Or maybe he wanted to send her the message to not get too close, not to read too much into what had been happening between them.

She went through her morning routine on autopilot, playing back every word, every touch from the previous night. Over-analyzing everything that happened. When she’d casually mentioned that they had only two nights left at the ranch together, Cash hadn’t said much. He’d seemed hesitant, reserved. He’d never mentioned what would happen once they went back to their own houses. Did he plan to continue the relationship or was this just a convenient friends-with-benefits scenario for him?

Stop it!

These types of thoughts had sabotaged all her previous relationships. Looking back now, she saw the pattern. Things would be going good with a guy and then she’d start to second-guess everything. Once that started, she’d act distant, pushing the guy away and then eventually coming up with a reason to break things off.

She couldn’t do that this time. Cash wasn’t some random guy who would just disappear if she broke things off. He was a close friend. Maybe even her best friend. She couldn’t lose him.

“Girl, you got a rosy glow about you. I recognize that glow.” Beulah had come into the barn dressed in a turquoise western shirt with fringe on the chest and a pair of stonewashed blue jeans. She was looking at Tessa with a smirk on her wrinkled lips.

Tessa’s cheeks flamed and she forced a smile.

Beulah’s eyes narrowed. “But something isn’t right, is it? Did you ever look up that old guy, the one that threw you off the horse?”

“Derek?” Her stomach roiled at the thought of him.

“Yep. Gotta get past that or it’s going to screw things up for you. I can see it in your eyes. Shouldn’t be hard to find him.” Beulah reached into her back pocket and whipped out a smartphone, squinted down at the screen. “You want me to Google him for you?”

“What? No!” Panic shot through her. Talk to Derek? She couldn’t. Could she? The thought of facing him struck fear into her heart.

“What’s his last name?” Beulah persisted.

“Masters.” She was sure Beulah wouldn’t be able to find him on the internet.

“Oh, well, looky here. He’s living right here in Sweetrock. That’s right, the old Dobbins place. I heard someone bought that. So there you go.” Beulah’s eyes pierced her over the top of her phone. “Now, why don’t you march right out there and have it out with him?”

Tessa felt dizzy. “I don’t want to talk to him.”

“Sure, you don’t want to. But take it from me. I know how these things work. Not having closure with him is going to fester inside of you. You’ll never be able to have a fulfilling relationship. You need to go see him and say what you never said all those years ago. Then you can move on.”

Tessa chewed her lip. Beulah’s words struck home. It was true, she never had gotten closure. She’d never been able to tell Derek exactly what she thought or ask why he had cheated the way he did and then never even had the decency to tell her to her face. Was it something in her that was so inadequate he’d been compelled to take up with another woman behind her back? She needed those answers. Was Beulah right? Would she continue the pattern of pushing lovers away until she resolved things with Derek? Could all these doubts she was having about Cash be banished by finally having it out with Derek?

“I don’t know...”

“Don’t know? Sure you do. Life is full of things we don’t want to do but you know doing this will be for the best.” Beulah fisted her hands on her hips and stared at Tessa. “It’s just a conversation, and then you’ll be able to move on with a nice young man. Or is that what you’re afraid of?”

* * *

T
he Bull Sheep Bar
was crowded when Cash arrived later that night. His eyes automatically searched the crowd for Tessa. She was seated next to Sam at a table near the far end of the room and once his eyes lit on her, it was almost as if she were the only person there. He stood there for a second, just watching her. Drinking her in, his heart memorizing every detail. The deep red of her thick curls, the perky way she gestured as she talked, the sensuous curl of her pouty lips, the spark in her sapphire eyes.

Cash wondered if he should just sweep over to the table, grab Tessa and kiss her. Let them all know about his true feelings for her. Then they could sit at the table, holding hands like Donnie and Iris always did. But it wouldn’t be fair to Tessa. He wasn’t even sure if she wanted everyone to know. That was something they’d have to decide together.

His heart clenched at the thought that maybe she didn’t. Maybe things weren’t the same for her as they were for him.

Damn, he needed a beer.

He started toward the bar, elbowing his way through the crowd. He spotted the back of Nick’s head one row back from the bar. Nick was talking to Kade, the two of them bent over, their heads together looking at something Nick held in his hands.

Did they have money out? What were they betting on now?

As Cash approached them, Nick’s words floated out to him. “Okay, I put fifty bucks on—“

Nick saw him out of the corner of his eye. Cutting his words short, he stuffed the money in his pocket, and then turned to Cash.

Cash’s brows tugged together, his eyes flicking from the disappearing money to Nick’s face. “What’s going on? Are you guys betting on something?”

“No.”

“Nope.”

Cash’s eyes ping-ponged between the two of them. “What do you mean, no? I saw you with the money. What is it? Let me in on it.”

Kade got a funny look on his face. “We can’t let you in because...” His eyes drifted out into the room and Cash turned, seeing that same brunette from a couple of days ago. Oh, so that was it. They were betting on him and the brunette.

“Oh, I see. The bet’s about me so I can’t be in on it.”

Nick clapped his hand on Cash’s shoulder. “That’s right, Buddy. The bet is about you.”

Nick and Kade exchanged smirks. Boy, they were really ratcheting up this bet on the brunette. Couldn’t they tell he wasn’t interested? Cash’s lips formed a smirk of their own. He hated to tell them, but someone was going to lose that bet bad. He had no desire to go anywhere near that brunette. Not when he had Tessa.

But did he
have
Tessa?

He bellied up to the bar, getting a beer for himself and one for her. His heart was all mixed up. He was having trouble interpreting the signals he was getting from her. The way she’d brought up the fact that there was only one more night together at the Riley ranch but never mentioned anything about how they might continue afterwards scared the crap out of him.

And what about Derek? Why hadn’t she told Cash that Derek was in town? Maybe she didn’t think it was important, or maybe she didn’t even know. The way Derek had asked after her indicated he hadn’t talked to her yet, but surely someone would have mentioned it to Tessa by now. And if they had, wouldn’t she think it was important to bring up the fact that her old flame was back in town to her new—what was he, exactly? Boyfriend? Flame? Passing fling?

When he turned to make his way toward the table their eyes locked and in that instant he saw deep, true emotion. The clarity of her gaze, the quirk of her lips told him she wasn’t hiding something from him. She wouldn’t sneak around or cheat on him. Maybe she was just as confused and uncertain of how to proceed as he was.

Her radiant smile drew him toward the table and everyone else in the room faded away as he walked toward her. He was vaguely aware of Sam scooting over to make room for him next to Tessa, a knowing look on Sam’s face that made his heart hitch. Had Tessa told Sam about them? That would be a good thing, right?

Cash wanted everyone to know. He wanted to shout it to the whole town. But he’d have to know that Tessa wanted that first. Cash wasn’t the type to kiss and tell, even if what he had with Tessa was much more than anything else he’d ever had with anyone.

“I got you a beer.” He slid the bottle in front of her, the condensation leaving a wet smudge on the table.

“Thanks.” She held it up and they clinked the tops of the bottles lightly. Their eyes locked and the sultry look he caught in hers hit him deep in the groin. They gazed at each other until Sam cleared her throat, stealing his attention.

“Hey, Cash. How’s it going?” Her eyes flicked from Cash to Tessa, her brow slightly raised.

“Good. You?”

“Excellent.”

“Hey, Cash.” Melina leaned over Sam to clink bottles with him. Cash was relieved to see she seemed relatively sober. The past few days he’d had no room to think about anything but Tessa and he hadn’t checked in to make sure Melina hadn’t gone off the rails. She’d done too much of that lately, and he, Nick, Jackson, and Kade had an agreement to watch over her. She was having a rough time and they wanted to help her through it. Heck, with her grandparents dead and her brother on active duty, they were the only family she had.

He was just glad that introducing her to the charity work had helped. Gramps had been right, caring for someone other than herself had given her something to do. A purpose. Even though he hadn’t checked in, seeing her at the school the other day told him she was still keeping up with it.

“Keeping busy, I see,” Cash said, not wanting to make a reference to the charity work. She’d sworn him to secrecy. Melina fancied herself to be a tough cookie and didn’t want anyone to think that she was getting ‘soft’.

“Yep, too busy.” The strange look she gave Cash had Tessa’s brows furrowing.

A pang of guilt shot through him. He hated keeping things from Tessa, but this wasn’t his story to tell. He’d felt terrible when they’d seen Mel at the school and he’d had to pretend it wasn’t her. He’d lied to Tessa and that didn’t sit well with him, but he’d had to do it and it was more like a little white lie to protect Mel.

Cash sipped his beer, listening to the chatter of his friends. Nick and Kade came back, making no mention of the bet, but he could tell by the way they kept sneaking looks in his direction that they were wondering when he was going to make his move. Everyone at the table was probably in on it but maybe that’s why it seemed like they were all looking at him funny.

Becky Thomas, one of their friends from school, waved and came bouncing over to the table with a fruity drink in her hand. Cash had heard she had her eye on Kade and he snuck a look down the table at him. Becky was cute, if not a little too energetic. Maybe Cash should get a bet going on Kade and Becky behind Kade’s back.

“Hey, you guys, how’s it going?” Becky’s eyes drifted across the group, lingering on Kade.

“Great, Becky. How about you?” Tessa asked.

“Perfect. I just got promoted to manager over at the bank. If anyone wants to open up a retirement account, I have some great investments.” She shrugged and laughed.

Cash slid his eyes over to Kade again. Maybe he’d take the “no way” side of the bet. He remembered Becky was a little flighty and couldn’t picture her with Kade, who was more serious in nature.

“We’ll keep that in mind,” Donny said.

“Thanks. So you guys gonna stay and dance?” Becky eyed the empty chair at the next table as if she wanted to pull the chair over and join them.

Melina pushed up from her chair. “I am. You guys want anything at the bar?”

Donny and Iris ordered Pearl Harbors, everyone else was good. Melina patted her chair and gestured to Becky to sit in it. “Have a seat. The bar’s crowded and I’ll be a while.”

Becky sat, her leg tapping a mile a minute. She seemed uncomfortable now that the conversation had died down.

“Hey, did you guys hear Derek Masters is back in town?”

The question pierced Cash in the gut. His eyes jerked over to Tessa. Her face was impassive. No reaction. Which meant she must’ve already known he was in town, because if she hadn’t surely she would have been surprised.