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Oh, God. What was he supposed to say to that? He couldn’t be cruel. “You’re lonely, Nicole. You should leave the ranch. Find something else.”
“No.” Her hands squeezed harder.
“Well, I can’t be your big distraction from your life.”
Her hands still squeezed her elbows, but she tried that sweet smile again. “Why not? You’re so good at it, Walker
. You’re fun.”
Yeah, he was fun, all right. A lot of fun. “I know. But that fun got me fired and it’s making it hard to find new work.”
She finally let herself go and moved closer to touch his arm. “I’m sorry. Really. Let me help. Maybe...maybe I can get you hired on back at the ranch.”
“No way. I can’t work there now, knowing what everyone’s thinking.”
“No one knows anything! It will be fine, and I’ll get to see you every day. I’ll talk to—”
Walker cut her off. “I can’t.”
She nodded, but her face went tight and there was no missing the way her eyes glistened. “So you just never want to see me again?”
“Come on. I didn’t say that. And you can call anytime you want to talk.”
“Talking isn’t really what this is about. I don’t want to talk.”
Right. That wasn’t what she wanted from him. It wasn’t what anyone wanted. “Thanks for being honest.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why do you have to be this way? When we’re alone, everything is fine. As soon as I leave, you start regretting what we both want. Just take me to your place and fuck me, Walker. You told me you didn’t want to do it because you worked for my husband. Because it was his house and his ranch. But none of that applies anymore and I want you.”
A tiny part of his brain was telling him it didn’t matter. He might as well. Everyone suspected they’d been fooling around already. Hell, even Charlie knew now. She was probably getting an earful at this very second. So what did it matter?
A bigger part of his brain told him to sit down and shut up. “I can’t. I’m sorry,” he said softly.
“You’ll regret this. You’ll miss me. Give it another week.” She turned away, her hair flying out in a bright arc when she spun to stalk off the porch. Walker let her go, relieved that the conversation was done. He should have been up front in the first place, instead of trying to avoid her. But hell, he’d assumed their friendship would just die its natural death. Done. Over. He hadn’t expected her to demand her due.
He’d liked Nicole at first. He’d been flattered by her attention. He’d gotten caught up in the thrill of flirting with the boss’s hot wife.
Damn it.
He collapsed onto one of the outdoor bar stools and set his hat on another. For a moment, he stayed like that, head in hands, lost in indecision.
He shouldn’t have come to the saloon and he damn sure didn’t want to be there now, but he had to go back in. Otherwise, the story would end with him leaving the bar with Nicole and not returning.
Suddenly he was a hundred times more tired than he’d been an hour earlier. A thousand times.
But he stood, put on his hat, pasted a smile on his face and walked back into the saloon.
“You came back!” Charlie said as soon as he was in earshot.
“I never left.”
Rayleen watched him with sharp eyes, but for once she didn’t say a word.
He grabbed a beer but only drank half of it before he shook his head. “Listen, I’m exhausted. I’m gonna go fall into bed.”
Charlie cocked her head and studied him for a moment. “All right. Walk me home? I’m tired, too.”
Was she trying to catch him in a lie? Did she think Nicole was waiting at his apartment? “A few minutes ago, you were leading the whole crowd in a song. You said you could go for hours.”
