Bo doubted Bryce Hughes would even notice his wife was gone. He’d fucked just about every girl in the county. The man seemed to prefer the trailer-trash girls of the world, and they loved him back. Bo had noticed that Bryce always had people coming in and out of that real estate office of his, and at all hours of the night. Bryce liked to work late, it seemed. Bo felt bad for Shelley. She was a nice lady.
Leo turned to Wanda, pulling a card from his pocket. “You would make an excellent Domme, ma’am. If you ever decide to investigate the lifestyle, give me a call. I can get you into training.”
Wanda stared down at the card, phone still in her hand. “A Dom? I don’t know what that is. Patty, do you know why some man with a ponytail would call me Dom?”
Leo and Shelley walked out toward the parking lot, but Bo just stared as Mouse walked straight up to fucking Trevor McNamara and put her arms around his waist. She leaned in to Trev’s body like she belonged plastered against him. Trev sure as hell wasn’t pushing her away.
“What’s going on here, Mouse?” He suddenly had a terrible feeling that he knew.
Mouse gave him a shy smile. “Trev picked me up last night. I guess you could say we’ve decided to start dating. I hope you’re happy for me. You’ve told me for years that I needed to find a keeper.”
That was a joke. He’d said it a hundred times because trouble always seemed to find Mouse. He’d told her to find a boyfriend, too. He’d said it because he’d known damn sure she wouldn’t find one. Certainly not an ex-football star with addiction problems.
“Yeah, I hope you’re happy for us, Bo.” The way Trev’s hands curled possessively around Mouse’s shoulders set Bo’s teeth on edge. The bastard thought he could just swoop in and steal Bo’s girl, did he? “I want to get along with Beth’s friends. I hope we can do that for her sake.”
“Yes, Patty, Trev is being very polite. But I think Bo just figured out what we’ve known all along.” Wanda didn’t bother to keep her voice down.
Bo flushed. He scrubbed a hand through his hair. He’d just gotten over what people would say about him marrying Mouse. Now he realized that losing Mouse was going to be even more humiliating.
“Bo, are you ready to go? Do we need to take you to your truck?” Mouse asked. Her hand went to Trev’s chest.
His truck was still out at The Rusty Spur. He hoped. Unless someone had towed it. Hell, the way the last twenty-four hours had gone, his truck might have been blown up by aliens or some shit. It would be fitting. “No. Just take me home.”
The Rusty Spur was on the other side of the county. There was no way he was going to ride with them for twenty damn minutes watching Trev hang all over his Mouse.
Fuck. She wasn’t his anymore. How had things gone so fucking wrong in the course of a single evening? How was he going to win her back before she slept with that asshole? Trev wouldn’t wait long. Trev was used to all kinds of freaky shit and probably a whole lot of it. He hadn’t been picky. The asshole could easily give Mouse any number of diseases. No, there was no way Bo was letting that happen.
The good news was Mouse liked to take things slow. She was the kind of girl who slowly pulled off a bandage, hoping and praying that it wouldn’t hurt too much. She took six months to buy a refrigerator, looking at hundreds and researching to get the best price. He had a little time, surely.
He would still talk to her. Ten years couldn’t be erased because one ex-football player gave her a ride home and then offered to drive her out here. It just couldn’t. He would wait until they were out at the ranch, and he would talk to her away from the glaring eyes of Trev. It could still work out.
She just didn’t realize that Bo wanted her. That was the trouble. Once she realized he was finally ready, she would leave all this talk of dating Trev McNamara behind.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Bo said, eager to leave the sheriff’s office far behind him. He turned back to Wanda. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”
She smiled brightly. “Lucas? I hope so. That man is delicious. You tell him to bring the paperwork himself. Yes, Patty. I know he likes boys, too. It’s a little naughty. Have you seen him without his shirt on?”
There was no intimidating Wanda. Bo gave up and followed Mouse.
He hated the way her hand slipped down into Trev’s, like it belonged there. Trev’s fingers curled around hers, linking them together. Trev pushed out of the double doors and into the heat. Leo and Shelley were still standing outside. Leo’s head shook as he looked at Trev’s vehicle. Trev’s old pickup was sitting in the parking lot, and it looked like someone was making his opinion known.
“Trev,” Shelley started, her face sympathetic.
Trev stared at his truck for a moment as though the sight didn’t quite register.
“What the hell? How did that happen? We were only in there for a couple of minutes. No more than ten.” Trev dropped Mouse’s hand as he walked around the truck. There, in big, black, spray-painted letters, was a message for Trevor McNamara, former hero of Deer Run.
Go Away
There were squiggles and dots all over the truck, but the message was what Bo found important. Someone didn’t want Trev in town. Someone was willing to trash his car in the Sheriff’s Department parking lot, where anyone could walk out and see him.
Bo pretty much knew just how that person must feel. He wanted Trev out of his fucking town, too.
Trev sat down in the cool sanctuary of Aidan O’Malley’s office and waited. He could hear Aidan talking to his brother. Bo’s voice was low, but Trev got the gist of the conversation. Bo was very unhappy that Aidan was bringing Trev in as the foreman.
One more person who didn’t want him around.
Something ugly was gnawing at his stomach. All he could think about was beer. He just needed one. That other part of him was whining. Just one beer and I’ll shut up. Don’t you want me to shut up for a while?
“I thought you might like some coffee.” Beth stood in the doorway, a mug in her hand. She had on a well-worn pair of jeans and a button-down shirt that looked to be a size too big. It hung off her, but he knew the curves that were there.
Just like that, the voice fled. There wasn’t a place for it when Beth was standing there looking like sunshine. And he really did need the caffeine.
“Thank you, darlin’.” He held out his hand, and she crossed the room. Her eagerness was like a balm on his wounded ego.
“It’s the good stuff,” a sassy voice claimed. Lexi O’Malley stood in the doorway, a smile on her face. Lexi was a lovely woman with a sharp mind and, oftentimes, an even sharper tongue. “Lucas bought one of those single-cup makers. It’s like heaven in a mug.”
Trev took a whiff. It smelled dark and rich.
“It always tastes like motor oil to me. I prefer tea.” Beth looked down at the mug as though trying to understand.
“It’s all right, darlin’. You stick to your tea.” He took a long drink. It was rich and bitter, and entirely wonderful. He just had to be addicted to something, and all he had left was coffee.
“Mouse doesn’t understand the call of caffeine, I’m afraid,” Lexi explained.
“Her name is Beth.” Despite his affection for Lexi, no one was going to call Beth by that name around him again.
Lexi stopped, and her eyes went back and forth between Trev and Beth, assessing and judging the situation. “You and Beth?”
She hadn’t asked Beth. The question had been directed at him, and he couldn’t misread the momma bear protectiveness behind it. “Me and Beth. And yes, I know what I’m doing.”