I pulled out my phone, squinting at the screen. Three missed calls from Beau. Two texts from Lucas asking if I was okay. And one from Mrs. Baxter that just said “???” for a reason I couldn’t comprehend.
Great. Just great.
I shoved the phone back in my pocket and kept walking, my boots crunching against the gravel on the shoulder of the road. The Turner Ranch was a good five miles from town, and I’d maybe made it halfway. My feet were already screaming at me, blisters forming where the leather rubbed wrong, but I deserved every bit of discomfort. This was my penance for losing control, for letting my body betray me like some horny teenager.
A vehicle rumbled up behind me, and I prayed with every last fiber of my being that it wouldn’t slow down. So, of course, it did. I felt a surge of relief as it came into view. It was a truck and not an SUV. But as I glanced over, I saw Beau sitting in the front seat, his brows furrowed in concern.
“Hey Marcus,” he said in a voice like he was talking to a scared cat. “You alright?”
I considered lying. Considered telling him everything was fine and I just needed some air. But the look on his face told me he wasn’t going to buy that for a second.
“Not really,” I admitted, stopping in my tracks. The heat radiating off the asphalt made the air shimmer, or maybe that was just my vision going blurry from dehydration and mortification.
Beau pulled the truck over completely, putting it in park. “Get in. I’ll give you a ride back to town.”
“I can walk.”
“Marcus.” His voice was firm but not unkind. “It’s ninety-five degrees out here and you look like you’re about to pass out. Get in the damn truck.”
I hesitated for another moment, then relented. My pride had already taken enough of a beating today. There was no point in adding heatstroke to the list of my failures. I yanked open the passenger door and climbed in, immediately grateful for the blast of air conditioning that hit my sweat-soaked skin.
Beau didn’t say anything at first, just pulled back onto the road and drove. The silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable. I stared out the window, watching the landscape roll by, trying to figure out what the hell I was going to say if he asked what happened.
“Xavier called me,” Beau said finally. “Told me to go after you.”
Of course he did. My stomach dropped. “What did he tell you?”
“That you had some kind of... incident during the fitting. That you left in a hurry, and he was worried about you.” Beau glanced over at me, his blue eyes searching. “He wouldn’t give me details. Said it wasn’t his place. But he said you wouldn’t want him to come after you, so he sent me.”
I felt a flicker of gratitude that Xavier hadn’t immediately broadcasted my humiliation to everyone. Though that didn’t make the situation any less mortifying.
“It was nothing,” I muttered.
“Didn’t seem like nothing if you’re walking five miles in this heat without your shirt on.”
I looked down, realizing I was still clutching my uniform shirt in my lap like some kind of security blanket. “I just... needed some air.”
“Marcus.” Beau’s voice was gentle. “I’ve known you my whole life. You don’t run from anything. So, whatever happened back there must’ve really rattled you.”
I clenched my jaw, feeling the muscle jump. He was right, and I hated that he was right. I’d spent years building up walls, keeping everyone at arm’s length, maintaining the careful image of Sheriff Webb. I was stoic, professional, and unshakeable, just like my daddy had been. And Xavier had managed to crack through all of it in less than two weeks.
“He was measuring me,” I said quietly. “For the suit. And I... reacted.”
There was a pause. Then, to my absolute horror, I heard Beau trying to suppress a laugh.
“It’s not funny,” I snapped.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
But I could hear the smile in his voice, see his shoulders shaking. “Beau, I swear to God?—”
“No, no, I get it.” He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. “I’m not laughing at you. I just... Xavier seems to have that effect on people.”
My head snapped toward him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Come on, Marcus. The man walks around in crop tops and jeans so tight I don’t know how he breathes. He’s gorgeous and he knows it, and he uses it. Colt had a boner within fifteen seconds, not that that’s strange for Colt, but you know what I mean.” Beau kept his eyes on the road, but I could see the knowing look on his face. “Lucas told me Xavier’s been talking about you quite a bit since you first met. I think he’s got a thing for you.”
“Yeah, well, that’s too damn bad,” I spat, crossing my arms over my chest. “I don’t swing that way.”
