"Don't rush," Ashton said. "She might be running a bit late. See ya soon, cowboy."
When the phone clicked in my ear, I had to resist the urge to throw it. So that was why she'd freaked out on me. I should have known she'd have a boyfriend. Girls like that didn't spend a whole lot of time single, but did the guy have to be such a dick? Then again, would I be any nicer if some stranger was calling my girl?
But I'd already said I was coming, so I had to go. Slamming the truck into gear, I eased it onto the drive and back onto the road. It wouldn't take an hour to get to Southwind, which meant I had enough time to stop at the feed store and then pick up my horses. If I timed it right, I could get everything loaded before anyone realized what was going on. That meant fewer questions to answer, and - well, Paul Simmons didn't really need to know where I was moving them.
An hour and a half later, I was pulling into her drive, hauling a three-horse slant loaded to the gills. I'd not only picked up shavings, but when the guy from the feed store said he had the rubber mats Violet bought, I offered to drop them off. In all of that, I hadn't had time to change, but it didn't matter. My shirt was a bit damp from working in the summer sun, and it might be a bit too tight, but I was ok with that. She'd obviously liked what she'd seen yesterday, and it wouldn't hurt to show off a few muscles in case her boyfriend decided to be a dick. Give the guy a reason to think twice, at least, and make sure Violet knew exactly what she was missing out on.
Then I saw the rental car. Parked right beside her cute little white Audi was a bright red Porsche with Hertz tags. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. Girls like her were used to being wined and dined. Guys who leased cars like that had the money to make it happen. For a long moment, I sat there, debating whether I should just back right out of the drive and pretend something had come up. If I hadn't already loaded the horses, I might have. Instead, cursing under my breath, I turned off the truck and hopped out. I'd already called, so they knew I'd be there. Too late to back out now.
Shoving my phone in my pocket and my hat on my head, I avoided the house completely. First, I'd put the animals away. Popping open the back of the trailer, I had to haul out four bags of shavings by hand. Those went into the first stall. Didn't take much to spread them, and Cricket would pace enough to finish the job. Then, I went back to the tack room of my trailer for another four. Those went in the second. I found a pair of buckets, hung them on the wall, and made sure my babies had fresh water. Then I filled their mangers with hay. When I finally had everything in place, only then did I get my horses. Storm backed off like a perfect gentleman. My mare, however, was a bit hesitant. Thankfully, both settled into their new home without any drama.
Now, I should probably let my new barn owner know. I thought about calling for a split second, but decided I didn't want to risk talking to her boyfriend again. Besides, she'd said to meet her behind the barn. Since I was already here, I could do that. Hopefully she'd be alone, but I wasn't about to hold my breath.
When I came around the back side of the big building, the first thing I heard was a click. The first thing I saw took at least a minute to sink in. Lying across the hood of a broken-down, rusty old truck was the perfect pin-up girl - but the colors were all wrong. One hand was held before her parted lips as she looked back. The other held her off the scorching metal hood as she perched on the bumper looking like a child caught climbing on the counter.
For a split second, the moment was frozen in time. I saw Violet's eyes widen in shock. I heard her gasp. Beside me, a man laughed under his breath. Deep in my chest, my heart forgot to beat as I realized she was wearing nothing more than matching purple bra and panties. I didn't need to rake my eyes over her. Every last detail was seared into my memory, ready to be replayed over and over. Then my heart pounded again, and I remembered the man standing beside me. Shehadexpected company, just not me. Violet had been out here with her partner.
"Pardon me," I managed, then spun and headed the other way. God, I was a damned fool!
The man just laughed harder. "Damn, sweetie. That was exactly the shocked look we needed."
"Luke!"
Her voice stopped me in my tracks, but I would not turn around. "Yes, ma'am?"
"You're fine, Luke."
"I can come back later," I said, inspecting every inch of the ground before me.
I was seething, and it wasn't just because I'd been made to look like a schoolboy with a crush. It was how the asshole had lured me out here. What I wanted to do was beat the fucker, but I knew better. All I had left was acting like a gentleman, because this dick sure as hell wasn't going to. Violet deserved to have someone treat her with the respect she deserved!
Bare flesh squealed against metal as she slid off the truck. "Give me a coverup, Ashton. Luke, you've seen me in less."
"Considering he doesn't have a raging boner, I'm thinking he's gay." That was Ashton. I already hated him.
I turned, keeping my eyes on the man. Unfortunately, he wasn't some scrawny metrosexual. Sure, he was pretty. The guy had this carefree, dusty brown hair and vivid blue eyes. His face looked like something that belonged in a magazine, and his clothes were perfectly coordinated. Unfortunately, none of that came with either lean or weak to make me feel better.
Ashton was almost as tall as me and just as broad. He also looked a little too amused at the awkward situation. Maybe this was a lot of fun for him, but I didn't think Violet was quite as impressed. Deep in my chest, the anger was raging out of control. This was what I was losing to? Would she really put up with a guy like that just because he didn't have a kid?
"She wants to meet me behind the barn, huh?" I asked the guy. "You think this is real funny, don't ya? What kind of dick treats his girl like that?" Then I turned to Violet. "You deserve better. I'm sorry to interrupt."
Violet's head snapped over to the asshole. "You set this up?" She hadn't gotten the coverup on, so she threw it at him. "Fuck you, Ashton. Not funny. Do you even remember the definition of awkward?"
I jerked my eyes away from how her cleavage spilled over the top of that bra. This girl was going to either kill me or get me killed, although right now, it might be Ashton doing the dying. No wonder everyone in town said she was trouble. Then again, she was the only woman I'd ever met who was worth it.
When she stormed past me, I caught her arm, refusing to look any lower than her eyes. "Need a shirt?"
Violet patted my chest. "I'm fine, Luke. Half this town's seen me in underwear." When confusion flickered across my face, she giggled. "Risqué Lingerie ads are on a few billboards, in dozens of magazines, and such."
"Thought you said you were a model."
An arm reached over my shoulder, clutching the thin, lacy coverup. "She is. The lingerie kind. Violet was making a name for herself long before she helped me start the company. She even turned down Victoria's Secret to make sure Risqué worked out. Told her we should do the purple set at Gran's house as a memorial."
"Get thefuckoff me," I growled, turning around to face him.
"Or what?" Ashton asked. "You gonna go all caveman and try to defend her honor or something?"
The asshole had officially gone too far. Violet's honor wasn't some joke, and it certainly wasn't up for debate. I didn't think, I just pushed. The problem was that Ashton pushed back.
