Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 133878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 669(@200wpm)___ 536(@250wpm)___ 446(@300wpm)
Then they’d come back from the bathroom, looked him over like he was dirty, and walked out.
He didn’t smell or anything. He looked good. It didn’t matter. He knew why he was here, and he was close to meeting that goal.
He also knew something else. “I’m fairly certain they came in Cleo’s car. It’s tiny. I don’t think they’ll all fit.”
It was late, almost closing time. The last time he’d gone to the restroom, he’d taken a tour of the parking lot and the only cars remaining were Sawyer’s Jeep, their truck, and that tiny Fiat that wouldn’t fit more than four people.
The Farley brothers weren’t allowed out after ten, since apparently that was when the devil showed up, so Brooke was going to need a ride.
Was she thinking she would get one from Cleo? Or was she planning to call her brothers at almost two in the morning? Did she think they were so bad for her she wouldn’t even accept a ride from them?
He intended to correct that impression tonight. By being a gentleman. He intended to show her how good they could be for her.
And how are you going to do that? His inner voice kept creeping in. What good are you going to do her? You got no real money. You don’t have a house. You barely have a car, and you can’t even consider going after her yourself because you learned long ago that you’re half a man and always will be.
He took the last sip of beer, the one he’d been saving. He wasn’t listening to that crap tonight.
“Hey, guys. It’s last call,” Sawyer announced from the bar in a booming voice. “I close in twenty, and I mean to be up that mountain about two minutes after. You don’t have to go home but you…”
Shane knew the next words. “Can’t stay here.”
How many nights had he and Bay stayed at the bar until they heard those words because it was better than wherever they happened to be staying? His rodeo days had definitely been spent that way. Cheap motel room. Closest dive bar. Rinse. Repeat.
How many women had they gone home with? Oh, he’d told himself it was for sex, but it was also to stay out of that room they shared. Whether it was a motel or a bunkhouse, he was constantly reminded that there was no home for him.
No one wants you. Your father only took you in because his pastor knew about you and it would make us look bad if we let you go into the system.
Sometimes he wished she had.
But then that would have left Bay alone with her. He suspected if he hadn’t been his stepmother’s whipping boy, she would have turned all that anger and regret on her son. In some ways, he thought having him around had spared Bay a lot of pain.
Sawyer walked up and grabbed their empty glasses with a frown. “You two are disappointments.”
Not anything he hadn’t heard before. “Yeah, we get that a lot.”
“You’ve been here for hours and you’ve nursed two whole beers. I don’t do this for my health. I need serious drinkers, and that’s not the two of you.” Sawyer glanced back at the only other table left. “You stay for her?”
Was this the moment when Sawyer took away their big chance with her? “We thought we should hang around. She’s going to need a ride. Unless you think they can strap one of them to the top of a Fiat. I suppose she could call someone, but I thought we should make sure she gets home okay.”
“So you kept the drinking to a minimum.” Sawyer stared at him as though he could see through to his damn soul. Or he was deciding how to kill him in the cleanest fashion. He’d heard the big guy didn’t like a mess. He finally nodded. “Okay. I need you to know that I’m watching you. If she doesn’t get home all right or if you take advantage of her, I’ll kill you. Deal?”
“Could we talk about the word advantage?” Bay asked. “It could mean different things to different people.”
“How much has she had to drink?” Shane got right to the point. “I saw her drink two glasses of wine and some water.”
“She had a glass of champagne about an hour ago, but since she’s been drinking club soda, and she split a BLT with Cleo, who is also sober,” Sawyer explained. “I can’t say the same for the rest. They look wasted, but then they’re actors, so I’m not surprised. I think the only class of employed people who can drink actors under the table are teachers, but I totally don’t blame them. I’ve seen what those kids can do.” He looked over and Cleo and the group were walking up. “Can you handle them okay? I can get Wyatt to come down and drive some of you home while I close.”