Page 55 of All in with the Maverick Montana

Amy frowned. He was talking a mile a minute. And changed? In four months? “I… I’m not in Bronco, I’m in Tenacity right now—”

“Perfect.” He cut her off. “I’ll come to Tenacity then. Tomorrow. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He hung up before Amy could say anything else.

She blinked down at the screen and contemplated calling him back, but wouldn’t it be easier to have this conversation in person anyway? Before she could make up her mind, her phone rang again. It was Josh this time, and she gasped. She hadn’t expected to hear from him again today after the way he rushed off.

She answered, her heart pounding. “Hi.”

“Hey,” he said. She could hear the murmur of voices. A lot of voices. He must be in town somewhere. A door opened and closed with a thud, and the voices died away. “I’m sorry about how abruptly I left,” he said as the silence lingered.

“It’s okay,” Amy said. “I don’t blame you for your reaction. I’m still in shock about it myself.”

“Right.” Some more silence. “Well, I’ve done some thinking, and I’m going to follow your lead here. Whatever you want to do, I will support you.”

“Oh?” Amy said, a little taken aback.

“I mean it.”

“Okay, that’s, um… Well, it’s good to hear. I actually just called Tru to try and tell him about the baby.” She wrinkled her nose. She shouldn’t even be telling Josh this. It would make everything worse. “He didn’t really let me get a word in, but he’s coming to town tomorrow. I suppose in many ways it might be easier to break the news like that instead of over the phone.”

Josh got very quiet again.

“You still with me?” she asked. Maybe she shouldn’t have told him Tru was coming. But she didn’t want to lie to him.

“Yeah,” he said, but she wasn’t sure he was. Then he said, “Okay. That’s…uh, good, I suppose. That’ll be good. For you to tell him.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, um, you get some rest and call me if you need anything.”

“Okay,” she said. “I will. Thanks.”

She hung up and stared down at the phone. Somehow this felt just as bad as him walking out.

Chapter Fifteen

Josh climbed out of the taxi at the entrance to Split Valley Ranch and gave a little wave as the car peeled off. With just three cars in their roster, the company was kept busy, even in a town the size of Tenacity. There was always someone that needed a ride or a delivery made, which left little time for chatting or meandering, which Josh preferred.

Especially right now. The last thing he needed was the driver asking him any leading questions.

One wrong slip and his business would be all over town.

Did you hear Josh Aventura got beaten out by a movie star? That guy never stood a chance. What was he thinking?

Josh grimaced at the unfamiliar voices that filled his head. He doubted anyone would really say that, at least not to his face, but he couldn’t shake the dread as he lumbered down the gravel drive to the house. He’d opted to get dropped off at the road. He needed a good walk and some fresh air to clear his head, but it wasn’t clearing much of anything.

Josh stuffed his hands in his pockets, feeling every bit as pathetic as he probably looked. He’d barely worked up the nerve to call Amy before he left the Social Club. Moments before the taxi showed up, he’d realized he needed to apologize for rushing out on her the way he had and for making excuses instead of processing the way he was feeling in the moment. He knew that leaving things to linger would only end up making them both feel worse.

But hearing that Tru McCoy was coming to Tenacity tomorrow was like a kick to the gut. He hadn’t realized Amy would move so quickly with the news, but he supposed she couldn’t really afford to wait. The baby had been a surprise, so there was probably plenty to sort out, first of which involved telling the father.

The father. He thought the words over and over, grumbling every time. Tru didn’t deserve to be the father of this baby. Josh wanted to be supportive. He wanted to follow Amy’s lead with this. At least, that’s what he’d told himself upon walking out of the bar. He’d been so sure of himself when he dialed her number. But now the thought of Tru coming into town to sweep Amy off her feet was both devastating and nauseating in turns. It filled Josh with a wicked heat that swelled in his head and made his cheeks burn. He’d never hated someone he’d never met before. Frankly, he’d never hated anyone.

But Tru McCoy left a bad taste in his mouth.

His dad would tell him to take a step back and assess the circumstances with a clear head, reminding Josh that he was far too close to the situation if he was having thoughts like that. But that was the problem. He was already too close to Amy. Too close to simply step aside and pretend like none of this mattered.

He didn’t want to stand aside.

He wanted to be here for Amy and the baby, but did she even want that from him? Or had everything that happened last night just gone out the window? Tru was about to ride into town like a knight on a white horse, making her promises Josh couldn’t hope to match in his wildest dreams. Of course Amy was going to choose him. Why wouldn’t she? Tru could offer her so much more than he could.