“If the power was out, how the hell did you?—”
“Went out back to get some more candles. Plus, you were both pretty flush when you came back, even in the candlelight.”
Rubbing two fingertips along my brow, I groaned. “Shit. Do you think anyone else saw.”
He shook his head. “No, like I said, my bar, my job to know. So? Does she want more than you’re willing to give?”
My chest clenched as I thought of her back at the ranch, laughing and joking with Glenn. It wasn’t surprising he was sniffing around; she was too sexy, too beautiful not to be noticed.
“Not quite,” I finally admitted. “I’m the one who wants more, just not sure she does.” I dropped my head back and blew out a frustrated breath. “Fuck, I don’t even know if that’s what I want either.”
“You like her, though?”
The door to the kitchen swung open and Frank the short order chef popped his head out. “Sorry, Wild, it’s gonna be a few more minutes. You kinda caught me on the hop.”
I waved him away, suddenly not hungry. “No problem, Frank.”
When he disappeared, Delaney turned his gaze back on me. He wasn’t going to let me off the hook, it was obvious from the expectant rise of his eyebrow. The banging of pots in the kitchen, followed by a curse, caught my attention.
“Does Frank need some help?”
Delaney shook his head and reached over the bar for a half-drunk bottle of water. “He’s fine. So? Do you like her?”
What was the point in denying it to him? Wasn’t it tradition to tell your barman or your barber your inner truths.
“Yeah,” I breathed out feeling the pressure release, like someone had lifted a concrete block off my chest. “More than I ever wanted to.”
“And the problem is?”
“What if it isn’t what she wants?”
He shrugged. “You won’t know if you don’t ask.” His large hand squeezed my shoulder as his gray eyes blinked slowly. “Don’t lose something that could be great, before you’ve even given it a try. You’re no coward, Wild. Never have been. You and your brothers fronted up the town when your dad did what he did, you carried on and proved to everyone that the Miller brothers were not a product of their upbringing. Damn it, who was the one who streaked across the field during that championship football game in tenth grade?”
“Hey,” I warned, “nothing to be scared of there, buddy.”
Delaney laughed and gave my shoulder another squeeze. “Maybe, but let’s see that ego that’s as big as the dick you claim to have. Eat your fries, drink your beer and then go and tell that girl how you feel.” He winked at me. “Because I have to be honest with you, if you don’t, I might just throw my own hat in the ring.”
He was lucky that Frank appeared at that moment with my fries, because he was most definitely coasting close to the edge of a punch to the nuts. While they smelled good, my appetite had already packed up and left.
Whether I ate them or not, one thing Delaney was right about, I wasn’t a coward, and I should tell Brownie how I felt. And if she didn’t want more than sex then maybe I’d have to walk away, just to save my own soul before it drowned completely.
Chapter 25
Hold On – Wilson Phillips
Tally
The thud of the trailer ramp crashing to the ground, brought me out of my reverie. Not so much as a reverie, but more an unease about what I thought was coming. That thing called women’s intuition told me it was something bad. After seeing Wilder stalk away like his heels were on fire, I couldn’t help but wonder when he would be back to drop the bomb.
“Tally, can you grab his reins from Mikey?”
Giving my head a shake, I gave Gunner my attention, moving forward to show I’d heard.
As Mikey led the stallion down the ramp I held my breath, he really was magnificent. Coal black, rippling muscle, glossy mane and a tail that flicked with disdain as he haughtily looked down on us. He was the king, and we were most definitely his lowly subjects. He walked majestically, head held high taking in his surroundings, surveying and assessing.
“Wow.”
“I know.” Gunner shook his head slowly, just as amazed by the horse he’d purchased as everyone else, and he’d seen him before.
