Trouble in a Stetson (10 page)

Nick Mantucci looked as handsome as ever with his black hair and dark, swarthy skin. His expensive shirt was impeccably tailored as were the pleated trousers he wore.

He was the kind of guy who would sneer at a place like Chaps. He went for elegance and class all the way. It was a wonder he ever hooked up with a poor little nobody from the sticks like herself.

He moved closer, hemming her along the wall, bringing the scent of his expensive cologne with him. “I’ll admit I played a trick on you, honey. I flew to Dallas and rented a car as soon as I got a bead on you.”

74

Trouble in a Stetson

Lola didn’t understand. Not a bit. Shaking her head, she looked at him. “Why? I don’t get it. We’re over.”

“No, we’re not. Not as far as I’m concerned. Breaking things off was a huge mistake.”

“No, it wasn’t. You were right. Things between us would’ve never worked. Heck, Nick, there are a million girls in Vegas just like me. We’re a dime a dozen.”

“You’re wrong. There’s nobody like you, Lola. I figured it out soon enough and I want you back.”

This couldn’t be happening. Things were over between them. It had only taken one night with Sam Campbell to make her realize how misguided she’d been about everything. She wasn’t the woman Nick needed. She belonged to Sam.

“Nick, go back to Vegas and find another showgirl.”

“We still have it, Lola. Let me prove it to you.”

Before she could blink, much less move Nick was on her, kissing her as if he’d drink her very breath. Futilely she pushed at his shoulders but the man wasn’t budging. Why had she ever thought his kisses totally swoonworthy? They were nothing compared to what she felt with Sam.

“Well now. I hate to break this up.”

Sam!

Lola jerked her face away and saw Sam standing there like a damn statue in the middle of the hallway. “Sam. Sam this isn’t—”

“Who the fuck are you?” Sam glared at Nick, shook his head and then smiled bitterly. “No, don’t answer that. Even a dumb rube like me can see you are the fiancé.”

“Ex-fiancé,” Lola whispered. But Sam wasn’t listening.

He speared her with an icy glance. “Didn’t figure you to be the kind of woman to play a man for a fool, Lola. Thought you were as honest as the day is long. Guess I was 75

Regina Carlysle

wrong about that. Go on with your rich man, honey. I’m sure the two of you deserve each other.”

And just like that he was gone.

Lola blinked as her eyes burned from tears. She turned her anger, hurt and frustration on Nick who simply looked at her as if he’d never seen her before. “Maybe this is for the best,” he said.

“Fuck you, Nick. Why did you have to turn up now and ruin my life? Again. Or was once not enough for you? How could you hate me so much as to ruin the happiness I’ve found here in Mesa Blanco?”

“Are you involved with this man?”

Lola thought back to all the times Nick had laughed at her, poked fun at her accent and teased her about being “blonde and dumb”. She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him as if he were a six-year-old. “Duh. How long did it take you to figure it out, Nick? Look who’s dumb now.”

She left him standing slack-mouthed in the hallway but then the tears began to fall.

There was no way Sam would believe her considering he, no doubt, believed all the trash talk about women in her profession. She shouldn’t love him after this blatant distrust but damn it, she did. Gasping for breath, she rounded the corner and came face to face with Roxie and Emily.

“What the hell?” Roxie grabbed one arm and Emily took the other.

“Is Nick here? Sam said—” Emily stopped and stared as Nick brushed past them making a hasty exit through the front door of Chaps. “Shit! He
is
here!”

Choked, her throat clogged with tears, Lola looked at them. “Get me outta here,”

she whispered. “Please.”

There was no more talk, no questions as they herded her through the door.

Honestly, she didn’t remember much of the four block walk to her place. She only knew that Roxie was cussing a blue streak and Emily kept stopping to mop her face with 76

Trouble in a Stetson

some tissues she had in her purse. Mascara ran into Lola’s eyes practically blinding her.

But finally, finally they made it to her place.

Roughly thirty minutes later, Lola had stripped out of her jeans and shirt and donned a pair of plaid cotton boy shorts and a tank top. Face washed clean of all makeup she sat on the floor of her living room and was working on her second margarita.

The girls had gathered up big plastic bowls and filled them with assorted goodies and a box of expensive chocolates lay open on the floor. Lola munched a crème filled candy as she sipped on her drink. “Ew. Chocolate and margaritas. It’s gross together but I just can’t give a rip right now.”

Emily popped a marshmallow that squished with gooey goodness between her teeth. “Don’t think about it. Margarita and chocolate does a body gooood.”

Roxie snickered as she lifted a half empty pitcher of the drink in question and topped off all three glasses. “Ah, nectar of the gods.” She sat back, crossed her legs and sighed. “I can’t believe that dick Nick showed up all the way from Vegas.” She dug into a bag of cheesy doodles and crunched on two or three of them. “Hey, that rhymes. That dick Nick. What d’ya know?”

Lola rolled her eyes. She was tired of bawling like a baby. Her eyes stung, her throat was raw. It wasn’t the first time she’d been hurt by a damn man and it wouldn’t be the last.

Emily focused on her. “I’m so mad at Sam. I can’t believe he wouldn’t even listen.”

“It was like I was invisible. He just couldn’t see me. He only saw Nick.”

Roxie shook her head. “Typical. Show me a man who’ll actually do what I say and believe me at all times and I’ll show you the guy worth marrying.”

“Here here,” Emily said lifting her glass. “And since we can’t figure them out and most likely won’t even get close to that tonight, I suggest we drink up.”

* * * * *

77

Regina Carlysle

Sam sat with Cliff and Wyatt in Cliff’s office at Chaps. Slumped into a chair, his Stetson pulled low over his eyes, he thought briefly of getting the hell out of there but then Cliff opened a drawer to set a bottle of well-aged whiskey on the desk.

What the hell.

Mentally shrugging, he figured now was as good a time as any to get blistering drunk. Cliff reached behind him to his credenza and snagged three squat glasses which he promptly filled with bourbon. “Looks like we could all use one of these.”

“Got that right,” Wyatt said, as he lounged back in another of Cliff’s office chairs.

“Been a long night already. You okay, buddy?”

Sam grunted. “I’ve been better.” He downed half his whiskey in one swallow and removed his hat. The ankle of his left leg was propped on the knee of his right so he settled the hat on the toe of his boot. Sam thought about that casino-owning, rich asshole with his hands all over his Lola and wanted to spit. He downed the rest of the whiskey and held out his glass for a refill.

Cliff complied. “Better take it easy with that, Sheriff. It’s like a rattlesnake. The stuff will bite you in the ass if you aren’t careful.”

“Don’t lecture me,” he snapped. Sam drew a deep breath and shook his head.

“Sorry. I’m an ass.”

“No argument there,” Wyatt drawled. “Did you even talk to Lola?”

“What was there to talk about? I saw her in a liplock with her ex fiancé. Hell, he might never have been an ex at all. Maybe her whole damn story was a lie.”

“Not a lie, Sam,” Cliff said quietly. “Roxie told me the whole story.”

“I heard the same from Emily,” Wyatt added. “Listen, you’ve always been the most rational man we know. Why don’t you talk to her? Get her side of the story.”

“Hell no—”

78

Trouble in a Stetson

A sharp rap sounded at the door before Nick Mantucci walked inside. Sam bristled and got to his feet. Wyatt and Cliff stood too but it was Wyatt who spoke. “Whoa, Sam.

Settle down now.”

“What can we do for you, mister?” Cliff said.

“I need to talk with this guy. Sam, is it? I asked around and someone told me where to find you.”

Sam wasn’t about to give the man the benefit of standing for whatever he had to say. He sat back in his chair and picked up the refilled glass of whiskey. “What do you need?” When the man didn’t answer immediately, Sam shot him a look. “Spill it, asshole. What do you want?”

Rage was killing him. Hurt and disappointment shook him. How could he have been so wrong about Lola?

Nick Mantucci shoved his hands in the pockets of his expensive britches. “Um, look, I owe you an apology. I think you got the wrong idea.”

“Oh yeah. About what?”

“About me and Lola. I treated her really badly in Vegas before she left but it didn’t take me long to realize that I loved her and wanted her back.”

“So?”

Nick walked toward him and took the chair that Wyatt had abandoned. “I tricked her. I told her I had some of her important papers and managed to get her address. I showed up here thinking that she’d be so glad to see me she’d tell me she loved me and fall back in my arms. Didn’t happen that way. You didn’t see her pulling me to her. You saw her pushing me away.”

Silence fell between the men. Sam cleared his throat. “Why are you telling me this?”

Nick’s face was solemn when he finally spoke. “You didn’t see the look on her face when you walked away without giving her a chance to explain. I did. You might as well have jabbed a knife in her heart. In all the years I’ve known Lola I’ve never seen that 79

Regina Carlysle

look on her face. She never loved me. At least not like that.” Nick stood and looked down at him. “This is the way I see it. I treated her like shit the entire time we were together. I cheated on her. I treated her like she was a stupid doll who couldn’t think for herself. It wasn’t until I lost her that I realized that she’s one in a million. She’s sweet and funny. She’s beautiful and kind. I threw her away like garbage. Lola didn’t deserve that. That’s all I’m going to say on the matter. I knew the minute she looked at you that I’d lost her forever.”

With that, Nick Mantucci turned and left the room.

Rocked by emotion, Sam sat there like he’d been sucker punched. “What the hell have I done? I’ve lost her.”

Cliff bent down and picked up the Stetson that had fallen to the floor and handed it over. “Not yet you haven’t.”

Wyatt gave him a calm and steady look. “Go get her, Sam. Maybe it’s not too late.”

Sam raced from the club and fired up his truck, hoping against hope that he hadn’t ruined things with Lola.

Damn it! He loved her. Everything Nick had said about her was true. She was sweet, funny, beautiful and kind. Shit! He was such a fucking ass! Gunning the truck he pulled up near the entrance to the alley leading to Lola’s place. She seemed perfectly happy in that awful dump. Why had he insisted on believing her some kind of gold-digger? He was a fool. That was why.

Tromping through the alley, eager to apologize and even grovel if need be, he lifted his hand to knock when he heard the sounds of female voices. He knew Roxie and Emily were with her for their infernal “girls night”. Sam went still, caught his breath and turned the knob.

Unlocked.

Figured.

Opening the door, he stepped inside. “Lola I need to talk to you.”

80

Trouble in a Stetson

Three pairs of startled eyes looked up at him from their position on the floor. Emily and Roxie jumped to their feet but he only had eyes for Lola. Devoid of makeup, her eyes were swollen and her face was blotchy from tears. He’d never seen her look more beautiful. She slowly stood to glare at him.

But then out of left field, Sam felt himself under attack.

A wad of marshmallows hit him in the face and he stared, open mouthed at sweet little Emily, who yelled like a banshee. “You rat! You scum! Asshole!” She tossed another handful of marshmallows and then Roxie was yelling at him too.

“You frickin’ creep! I ought to kick your butt.” Roxie dug into a bag and flung cheesy doodles at his head. The yellow mess rained down on him but it didn’t satisfy Roxie’s need for vengeance. “You made Lola
cry
! Shame on you!” Roxie went for a bigger impact and waved the cheesy doodle bag until they fell everywhere. They hit him in the mouth, his eyes. Crap.

“Yeah, shame, shame,” Emily flung more marshmallows until she was pitching them at him with both hands. “Bastard!”

“Stop it! Stop it! Okay, I am. I’m an asshole. The biggest creep alive.” Sam fisted his hands at his sides and looked at both of them. It dawned on him how lucky Lola was to have them in her life. Their pretty faces were fiery red with anger. Flags of bright color burned on Lola’s cheeks too. “Damn it, Lola. I love you.”

Emily and Roxie halted mid-attack and gazed at each other. “We’re getting out of here, honey. Right now,” Em stated with finality.

Roxie slipped into her boots and gave her a lopsided grin. “Yeah, we’ll come back tomorrow and clean this mess up.”

“Forget the mess,” Lola whispered.

“Yeah. Just leave and don’t come back until we call you,” Sam added. Roxie sauntered out the door and as Emily turned to close it, he looked at her. “Thank you for being her friends.”

81

Regina Carlysle

Emily grinned. “Don’t mention it.”

Silence fell when the door snicked shut. Lola looked at him over the battleground littered with junk food and her bottom lip quivered. Damn, he’d hurt her so badly. He could see it on her face and in her beautiful blue eyes. Uncaring about the crap on the floor, he went to her and filled his fist with her messy blonde ponytail. “I love you.”

“Sam.” She shook her head. “I thought—”

“I was wrong about everything and damn me for jumping to conclusions. It’s been so long since I trusted a woman, any woman. But hell honey, you came into my life and you were so good. Honest. I just had to believe, finally, there was someone in this world who would love me for me. Just the way I am.”