Under the Open Sky (Montana Heritage Series) (30 page)

             
As summer approached Amanda felt none of the excitement of previous years, for her nothing would change. She would continue to school and work through summer and occasionally agree to a date. Okay, so she was sort of seeing a guy. She and Josh had gone out several times now and he was a lot of fun. The problem was he seemed to want to make it something more exclusive; Amanda just wanted to hang out and enjoy laughing together. Why did it have to be all or nothing with men anyway?

             
Amanda was asking herself this as she played pool with J
osh, Jenny, and Ben, Jenny’s date for the evening. She had been looking forward to the evening but Josh kept sliding an arm around her waist, or dropping kisses on her neck as though he was trying to make a statement to the other men in the restaurant.

             
“Your shot, baby,” Josh let his hand trail around her waist as he passed. Amanda, mentally thanking Cade for teaching her to hold her own at a game of pool, moved to the table and sank her shot. Her next shot bounced just off the edge just to prove she hadn’t quite mastered the game. She stepped back to let Jenny go and leaned against the unused table behind them. Her gaze was scanning the room when her heart leapt into her chest.

             
“Here,” Amanda shoved her pool stick at her date and started weaving her way between tables.

             
“Hey, Manny,” Cade grinned as she approached and threw her arms around his neck.

             
“Hi! How are you?” she demanded as she leaned back in his arms.

             
“I’m good,” he assured her as he let her settle back onto her feet, until his hands slid to her waist.

             
“What brings you here?” Amanda drank in the sight of him.

             
“I wanted to see how you and Jenny were doing but it looks like I caught you at a bad time,” he nodded to where her date was glaring at them and dropped his hands from her waist. “I was leaving town when I spotted your Jeep.”

             
“Not at all, come join us?” Amanda invited.

             
“I’m guessing that wouldn’t go over well.”

             
“And I’m guessing I don’t care if it doesn’t,” she tilted her head in challenge.

             
“Tell you what, let me get a table and maybe I’ll join you after I eat,” he suggested.

             
“You better,” she insisted with a smile. He smiled back before finally acknowledging the hostess who was waiting to seat him at a table. Amanda reluctantly left him to return to her date; she was suddenly wishing she had been sitting home alone tonight. She would much rather be with Cade than avoiding Josh’s constant touches.

             
“Who’s that?” Josh demanded as soon as Amanda approached the table.

             
“Cade. He’s a family friend and works for my Daddy,” Amanda responded.

             
“It’s your play,” Josh, his expression stormy, thrust her stick back at her.

             
Amanda continued to play pool but she was distracted. She kept watching Cade watching them and wanted to ditch the game; only her desire to not be rude prevented her from doing so. Even with Cade’s distance across the room, Amanda could tell he was in an increasingly bad mood. Making her even more miserable, was the fact that Josh seemed more determined than ever to send the message that Amanda was his. 

             
“Can’t we just enjoy the game, Josh?” Amanda side stepped another attempt at pull her close for a kiss.

             
“I thought we were,” he returned irritably. Josh stepped up to take his next shot and cracked the balls with enough force to send one off the table.

             
“Whoa, careful there,” Ben cautioned.

             
For the next hour Amanda glanced between her increasingly moody date and Cade where he sat drinking a beer or beers, she wasn’t certain.

             
“I’m sorry,” Amanda finally whispered to Jenny when the tension between her and Josh began to influence their entire group.

             
“Want me to distract Josh while you escape with Cade?” Jenny teased her friend on return.

             
“I’m tempted,” Amanda smiled.

             
“Tempted to what?” Josh was back and trying to pull her close again. Amanda tried side stepping again, only to find he wouldn’t be put off so easily.

             
“Why are you acting like I’ve got the plague? I thought we were here on a date,” he snapped at her.

             
“There a problem here? I don’t care if she is your girlfriend, when a woman doesn’t want you touching her, you stop,” Cade, slightly unsteady on his feet, joined the group.

             
“He’s not my boyfriend,” Amanda clarified.

             
“Then what is this?” Josh demanded.

             
“A friendly date,” Amanda explained.

             
“A friendly date!?”

             
“Amanda won’t commit to anyone, Josh,” Jenny informed the irate man.

             
“I wonder why that is, Cade?” Jenny turned to pin him with a sardonic smile.

             
Amanda shot her friend a withering glance before turning back to Cade. He was watching her closely, his expression inscrutable. When he reached for her, she came to rest willingly against his side.

             
“When a man puts his arm around a woman she should come willingly and if she doesn’t that should be a sign,” Cade shot at Josh.

             
“Okay,” Amanda sighed out aloud. “Cade, you are drunk; where are your keys?” she demanded.

             
“I’m fine.”

             
“No, you aren’t. Can I have your keys; please?” Amanda placed her hand on his chest and leaned closer. She would have to sweet talk him into turning them over and she knew it.

             
“I’m fine, I should be getting back to the ranch,” he maintained stubbornly.

             
“Come on, Cade; please?” Amanda was facing him now, the sides of his jacket in either hand. “Let me drive you to my house for a while. I’ll fix some coffee and we can talk and catch up,” she coaxed.

             
He continued to stare at her, his expression stubbornly blank until Amanda started searching for his keys herself. He made no protest when she claimed them and took his hand before turning back to Jenny; she reached into her own pocket as she did.

             
“Would you?” she held up her keys.

             
“Sure. I’ll bring your Jeep home; see you there in a little bit.”

             
“Thanks, Jenny. I’m sorry, Josh; we’ll talk later,” Amanda offered before she led Cade from the restaurant. He was silent, his demeanor brooding, on the drive to Amanda and Jenny’s place. Amanda might have felt threatened had it been any other man. By the time she got Cade inside, it was clear he was too far gone for coffee to make a difference.

             
“I think you are going to have to sleep this off,” Amanda informed him as she helped him down the hallway; his steps were unsteady. She gave him a gentle push onto the side of her bed and started tugging on his boots. He finally shook his head as though coming out of a fog.

             
“I can do that,” he offered sullenly.

             
“Good,” Amanda stood back and let him pull both boots off. She helped him remove his jacket, shirt, and undershirt before he grabbed her wrist and his gaze met hers.

             
“I’m sorry, Manny, I didn’t mean to make an ass of myself,” he apologized. “This is why I don’t drink. I don’t want to be like my old man.”

             
“You aren’t, Cade,” she assured him as she reached out to push his hair off his forehead.

             
“I don’t want to be that man always hurting people and…” he leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees a moment. “I’m sorry, Manny,” he stood. “I should go.”

             
“Sit down,” she insisted with a gentle shove. He actually looked to be on the verge tears, she noted before he averted his gaze. Amanda stepped close and wrapped her arms around him until his head rested against her chest; she stroked his hair. She could feel his shoulders shaking and buried her face against his hair. To be such a big, strong guy he had a lot of insecurities; she knew because he had shared them in his letters.

             
“I’m sorry, Manny. I’m sorry; this is why I don’t drink,” he reiterated a few minutes later as he gained control of his self. He looked on the verge of collapse.

             
“Why were you drinking tonight, Cade?” she finally asked him as he leaned back and swayed to stay in a seated position. “Come on,” Amanda urged him to lie down.

             
“I didn’t like it,” his eyes were already closed.

             
“Didn’t like what, Cade?” she covered him with her blankets.

             
“Watching you with him.”

             
Amanda smiled and shook her head. She leaned over to kiss him lightly on the lips before speaking, though she wasn’t certain that he could hear her. “You didn’t have to you silly man. All you had to do was ask and I would have left with you at any point.”

             
Amanda changed her clothes and gathered her things before leaving Cade asleep and turning off her bedside lamp. She moved to the couch and grabbed the remote to find something on. She was watching a rerun of one of her favorite comedies when Jenny entered and tossed Amanda’s keys to her.

             
“Where is your inebriated Prince Charming?” Jenny set her purse on the counter and removed the light jacket she had worn.

             
“In my bed.”

             
“Do tell?” Jenny raised her brows.

             
“He passed out; very romantic,” Amanda grinned and shook her head.

             
“I didn’t know Cade drinks,” Jenny seated herself beside Amanda.

             
“I don’t think he does as a normal thing; it’s something he avoids because of his dad.”

             
“So why was he tonight?” Jenny shifted herself to face Amanda.

             
Amanda rolled her eyes. “He said he didn’t like watching me with Josh. I told him all he had to do was ask me to leave with him and I would’ve but I think he was already out cold at that point.”

             
“You two need to get together before you drive each other to the nut house,” Jenny informed her.

             
“Tell him that,” Amanda requested.

             
“I will,” Jenny grinned.

             
“I’m sorry I ruined your date, Jenny. When I suggested we double I thought it would be fun. Josh and I usually have a good time together but even before Cade arrived Josh seemed to be determined to make a statement,” Amanda offered on a sigh.

             
“Probably because several other men were watching you. As for Ben and I? He was nice but I don’t think I’m interested in a second date. You and Josh and your drama aside, Ben isn’t really my type. I thought it was only fair to give it one date anyway,” Jenny shrugged.

             
“There’s someone out there for you,” Amanda assured.

             
“Except the man I want?” Jenny asked, her expression that of disappointed child.

             
“He hasn’t walked down the aisle yet,” Amanda pointed out, though Trent and Christy seemed pretty hot for each other at the moment. According to their aunt, ever since he had arrived home from college he had been moping around and called her every night.

             
“Yeah, I think I’m giving up,” Jenny announced.

             
Amanda decided a subject change was in order.

             
“Was Josh totally pissed off?” Amanda queried with a grimace.

             
“Yep. He was ranting and raving so I put him out of his misery and simply told him that you have been in love with Cade since you were fifteen years old. He seemed sad but accepting,” Jenny offered helpfully.

             
“Jenny! I should have been the one to deal with that.”

             
“You had your hands full with Cade,” Jenny pointed out.

             
“Thanks, I think.”