Joshua Healy (The Mitchell/Healy Family #10)(6)

“Alrighty then. How about I drop you off and we hook up another time?” I’m still willing to make it happen if she is. I mean, she’s so easy on the eyes it’s hard to give up on the chase. I’d regret not hitting it if I saw her around in the future.

She’s shaking her head while peering into my eyes. “I just found out that my boyfriend knocked up my roommate.”

“Say what?” I’m finding it difficult to imagine a guy cheating on her, so I’m wondering what this roommate must look like for it to have happened. I’m shallow, so I’m obviously only assuming it had to do with sex appeal. “Were you friends with the girl?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Damn.” I feel sorry for Tamsyn. I can tell she’s in shock, so I decide to play the sympathy card. “You okay? I can be a good listener if you need one.” Drama can be entertaining, especially when it earns me brownie points.

She shakes her head again, her eyes squinting as she fights to hold back more tears. “No. I’m not okay at all. I want someone to tell me it’s all a sick joke.”

“Were y’all together long?” It’s a friendly question, one that might explain why she’s this broken up. “

“Three years,” she explains with a few sniffles in between. “You must think I’m a crazy bitch for jumping into your truck like I did. To be honest, I wasn’t planning on going with you. I thought you’d be a no-show, but you weren’t, and I needed to get away. I get it if you’d rather drop me off somewhere and be on your merry way. I wouldn’t blame you. I’m not good company, and there’s no way in hell I’m going to sleep with you, not tonight, and maybe not ever. I’m not desperate for revenge.”

Challenge noted.

I take a few seconds to think about the situation. I could drop her off and go home, where I’d have a few more beers and kick back in my room, probably falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning after online gaming. My cousins, Jake and Jax, twins, make fun of me as much as possible. Working on the ranch with them makes it difficult. I’m the youngest of the cousins. Ten kids, and I’m the spoiled rotten baby. Most of the time I love it, unless my parents are getting on me to grow up, or my family is ragging on me about being immature.

“You hungry?” I can at least buy her a meal.

“No. I feel sick.”

“Don’t puke in the truck, please. My sister did it a few months back and it took weeks to get the smell out.” I realize immediately that I sound like a dick, so I keep talking to change her mind. “You sure you’re not into revenge, because I’m fairly certain I can get your mind off of the * that hurt you.”

She’s curious. “How?”

“I can take you back to my ranch and do things to you that your piece of shit boyfriend has only seen when he’s beating off to porn. Give me one night, and I’ll make you forget all about him, or…” I pause for a second. “We could go somewhere quiet and let you calm down. I’ll pick us up something to drink and we’ll hang for a time.”

She snarls at me. “You’re relentless.”

“Sorry, I usually get what I want.” I take my hand and drag it over a new set of tears that have escaped her eyes. “Or maybe I really hate to see a beautiful woman distraught over a douche who couldn’t see what’s right in front of them.”

Now I’ve gotten her attention. A smile forms in the corner of her mouth. She shyly glances out the window, refusing to look at me. “You can’t say stuff like that. I don’t know you.”

“Have you considered I’m being honest?”

“I told you I’m not interested in sleeping with you. You dated Livvy. I’m in a bad place. I’m the last person you should want to spend time with.”

I start to put my hand on her thigh in a supportive sort of way, but retract it and leave it sit on the cushion next to her instead. “I’ve got nowhere else to be. So, do you want company or not?”

She nods, her sullen eyes meeting mine.

I’m driving again, headed for the first liquor store I can find. Maybe I’m asking for punishment. There’s a big chance I’m never going to see this chick after tonight, but for some reason I’m interested in hanging around. I might be a dickhead on most days, but she has nowhere else to go. Like it or not, she needs my company, so I’m going to make the best of it and make her want to let me in between those sexy legs of hers.



Once we’ve left the liquor store, picking up enough tonic to get the both of us shitfaced, I take her to the one place I know she’ll find solace.



The family ranch.





Chapter 4


Tamsyn


I don’t know what I’m doing here with a complete stranger. It feels wrong in every way, but there’s no place else I’d rather be. I’m doing my best to cope with what’s been thrown at me. My heart feels like it’s being ripped to shreds, and then there’s this guy who still wants to spend time with me. He’s innocent in all of this. He doesn’t know the people who betrayed me, which makes him safe. Sure, he may ask questions I’m uncomfortable answering, but I’d rather talk to this man I know nothing about than have to face any of the people who will constantly remind me of everything I’ve recently lost.