AllFreeNovel
Share Us
At least until she got Egan out of her system.
That kiss had started something she either wanted to finish or fully extinguish, and that wasn’t going to happen with her chatting with a hot virtual date.
“Something’s come up recently,” she tried to explain. “Or rather someone. And I need to work out a few things.”
Dave’s smile faded, and he gave a resigned nod. “Figures. Like I said, you look amazing so it shouldn’t surprise me that someone else is in the picture. I’m disappointed, really disappointed, but I wish you the best, Alana.” He paused a moment. “And feel free to call me if this other someone doesn’t work out.”
This time her smile was more genuine, and she gave a nod. But there’d be no future call. If Egan totally rejected her, then she would go back into sexual hibernation until, well, maybe forever. Or at least until she felt the same things she was starting to feel for Egan. Considering she’d only ever felt those things for Jack, then it could be an extremely long hibernation.
She ended the call and went to her contacts to press Egan’s number. Hesitating and worrying, though, she gave herself a moment to settle her nerves and instead checked her messages to see if she’d gotten a response for her “is everything okay” text she’d sent to Tilly earlier. But there was nothing, and that caused Alana to frown.
Something was wrong.
Of course, Alana had already suspected that since throughout the day, three people had mentioned they’d seen Tilly and Egan in the parking lot of the diner. Heck, Alana had seen them, too, but apparently she’d missed the part about Tilly looking upset when she’d left. About Egan looking upset, too.
Alana wondered if something had happened or been said to make Egan change his mind about going to the life celebration. That would have definitely upset both Tilly and him. But it was equally possible this was about the photo that Tilly had taken of Egan at Jack’s grave.
Now that the picture was on several newspaper sites, it was getting a lot of buzz, and no way would Egan have wanted that kind of attention. If he’d demanded that Tilly have the photo taken down, then it would have created a sticky, unsettling aftermath.
It’d been the prospect of the “sticky and unsettling” that prompted Alana to send the text to Tilly. She’d expected a quick reply but clearly hadn’t gotten one. She made a mental note to drop by Tilly’s on her way to work in the morning. For tonight, though, she might be able to get some answers from Egan.
She nearly made the call to him, but then wondered if he was still at the base. He’d been heading there hours ago—twelve to be exact, judging from when she’d seen him at the diner—but maybe he’d gotten caught up in his work. No way did she want to bother him if that were the case, and she didn’t want to phone the ranch, either, to see if he was around.
Instead, Alana grabbed her purse and headed out. She’d drive out to the ranch, and if she saw Egan’s truck parked there, then she’d give him a call. Or maybe send him a text. Or maybe she’d just chicken out, she thought with some disgust at all this waffling.
Since her house was on the opposite side of town from the ranch, Alana made the drive out of her neighborhood and onto Main Street. She’d been behind the wheel less than a minute, though, when she did indeed spot Egan’s truck. Not at the ranch but at the town’s main bar, which was only just around the block from her house.
The Watering Whole, which was a throwback to the Old West saloons, was apparently meant to have been named the more traditional Watering Hole. However, the owner, Freddy Frazier, was a horrible speller, and he’d used the incorrect word when he’d ordered the sign. Not wanting to waste his money, Freddy had installed the sign, and a local institution had been born.
Over the years, some drunks and teens on a dare had climbed up on the steep roof and painted out the extraWorlein the Whole. Others had tried their talents at graffiti to turn it into Watering Whale, Tatering Hole and other such things, but Freddy had always repainted and kept his misspelling on display for all to see.
Alana pulled into the parking lot and took the empty spot next to Egan’s truck. Of course, he wasn’t sitting in his vehicle, which meant he was almost certainly inside.
Definitely something that wasn’t part of his usual routine.
From what she’d heard over the years, he would sometimes go to the Watering Whole with his dad or his siblings when they were in town. But Alana figured it was a place he’d avoid on his own since he’d have to listen to heaven knew how many people mentioning the hero label that he felt he wasn’t worthy of.
She sat there, debating if she should go inside and check on him when the front doors swung open and Egan came out. He was no longer in uniform but instead wearing his work clothes for the ranch. One look at his face, and Alana got more confirmation that something was very wrong.
He stopped when she stepped out of her car. Just stopped. Along with muttering something under his breath that she didn’t catch. Alana hoped he wasn’t cursing because she was there, but it was possible since they were doing their best to avoid each other.
Well, sort of their best since after all she was here and parked next to his truck.
But she’d temporarily ditched the avoidance because she’d been worried about him and because of the realization she’d gotten with Dave, the fireman. The last wasn’t anywhere near a stellar reason, but the first certainly was. Almost certainly, anyway. And even if it weren’t, she was here, and she couldn’t just leave without saying something.
“I’m not stalking you,” she volunteered just as Egan asked, “Are you here for Jesse’s birthday party?”
It was possible that both of them looked surprised. She was since she’d had no idea it was Jesse’s birthday, and even if she had, she wasn’t part of the man’s circle of friends and therefore wouldn’t have been invited.
“It’s Jesse’s birthday, and the ranch hands had a get-together for him,” Egan explained, and his tone and expression invited her to spill all about her stalking denial.
“I was worried about you,” she admitted, “and then I had a problem with my virtual date.”
Alana hadn’t expected or wanted to tack on that last part, and it put some instant alarm in Egan’s eyes. “What kind of problem? Is some guy stalking you?”
“No,” she couldn’t say fast enough.
No way to explain to him that Dave had been imperfect for her in a perfect sort of way. If she attempted to tell Egan something like that, she’d sound like an idiot. Added to that, she would have to spell out why her mind and body had decided that it wanted Egan and only Egan.
