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“Ouch,” Nico said with a chuckle.
Ouch indeed, I thought as I watched Spencer walk away from me.
Spencer
When I’d looked across the room and saw Nash sitting there at the table looking good enough to eat, my first thought was that it had to be my imagination because Nash belonged in River Gorge, not in Vesper. But then he started toward me, and there was no mistaking the way he moved. He had this sexy, confident stride that said he had a right to be exactly where he was and fuck anyone who didn’t think so.
I should have walked away before he touched me, but when he reached out and pulled me to him, my brain short-circuited. Then, when he asked me to join him and his brother at the table, I was just about to agree when his friend walked up and reminded me why being with Nash was a horrible idea.
Not that I didn’t like the idea of a Daddy in theory. My Uncle Alex’s brother Blake was a Daddy. His boy River was a super talented photographer, and I’d seen the way Blake treated River and supported him in his dreams, so I knew how amazing Daddies could be.
When I first started going on various hook-up apps and to clubs back in Austin, I’d thought that having someone who would treat me like Blake did River sounded like a dream come true, but let’s just say the reality didn’t live up to the dream.
In my experience, the more dominant the man, the more attached they were to the idea of topping me. Most assumed I’d been hurt or I was damaged in some way. That all I needed was someone with a gentle hand, and I would come around. But news flash, I wasn’t damaged. I just didn’t enjoy anal, so sue me.
This whole night was just a reminder of why I’d decided to take a break from dating. It was too complicated. Besides, starting a life in a new town was enough to deal with. I didn’t need to worry about disappointing a partner, too.
I found Julius and let him know I was ready to go. He was cozied up next to a big old bear at the bar, so I offered to just grab a ride share. He kissed me on the cheek and slipped me his apartment key. So much for neither of us hooking up.
“Don’t worry if I don’t come home. Daddy Jay and I are old friends.”
“I’ll plan on seeing you in the morning, then.”
“Yep, breakfast at the Flippin’ Egg?”
“You better believe it.”
Chapter 6
Nash
The next week was a flurry of activity. We got in two rescue horses from all the way over in Nolan County, and Cruz had people in and out, placing bids to work on the new buildings. It was going to be disruptive, but it would be so worth the hassle when it was all finished. I even heard Cruz talking to Gibson about potentially bringing on a staff veterinarian. Which I thought was a great idea with the shape some of the horses arrived in.
I’d kept an eye out all week in case Spencer came to hang out with Nolan, but if he did, I missed it. He might not have agreed to stay and hang out with me last Saturday night, but I couldn’t get that dance out of my head. That or the way his tight little body looked in those fucking black booty shorts and mesh top.
I’d decided I would give it one more shot and ask him out when I saw him, so of course this would be the first week in months that he hadn’t come out here. Looked like I was out of luck. Instead of a date with Spencer, I’d head to The Watering Hole and play some darts with whoever happened to be hanging around.
I didn’t need to venture all the way into River Gorge since The Watering Hole sat on the outskirts of town, but I wanted to stop by Artist Row and pick up something special for my mother’s birthday. I figured I could find something unique for her in one of the shops there. As I drove down the street, I thought about the place where I grew up compared to here. Living in a small town was different from the city in a lot of ways, but the biggest difference was how friendly everyone was.
People were getting out of their cars and walking on the sidewalk, and they all waved as I drove by, whether they knew me or not. People just didn’t do that in the city. A minute later, I noticed a familiar head of curly brown hair come around the corner and slip into the coffee shop. I might not have seen Spencer at the ranch all week, but it seemed luck might be on my side after all. I turned down a side street and drove around the block so that I was coming from the right direction to park in front of Cap’s. I got out and went inside.
As relieved as I was to see him, I didn’t like how exhausted he seemed. My guess was that he’d just gotten off work, but he looked about ready to collapse. He stood at the far end of the counter where you picked up your to-go orders, so it looked like he wasn’t staying here. Hopefully, that meant he was going to his apartment to get some rest from here.
I walked up beside him and gave him a slight shoulder bump. “Hey there, cutie. Haven’t seen you all week.”
He glanced up at me, and up close, his exhaustion was even more evident. “Yeah, it’s been a rough week. I thought things would slow down now that we’ve made it through the worst of flu season, but the clinic was slammed all week because of a stomach virus.”
The barista handed him his coffee and turned to wait on the next person in line. I’d expected him to get a pastry or one of their sandwiches, not just a cup of coffee. He needed to take better care of himself, especially when he was expending so much energy taking care of other people.
“You look like you’re dead on your feet. You really need to get some rest. Have you had anything to eat?” I knew when I said it that it wasn’t my place, but it killed me to see him run so ragged.
He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, and then once he was sure they weren’t, he glared at me. “Not only are you not my Daddy, but I’m not looking for one. So how much sleep I get and what I eat are none of your concern.”
“Wow. Okay then.” I put my hands up in surrender. “I’m well aware that I’m not your Daddy, but it’s easy to see you’re dead on your feet. Sorry for attempting to give a damn.”
His shoulders sagged, and he dropped his head. Then he let out a long breath. When he looked back up at me, all the anger was gone. “I know, I’m sorry. I’m just really tired and cranky. I was supposed to be off today, but I had to go in and cover for one of the other nurses. I just want to go to my apartment and sleep for a few days.”
I nodded. “It’s okay. We’ve all had weeks like that.”
