Sharp Shootin' Cowboy (Hot Cowboy Nights, #3)(21)

A photograph? She retrieved it slowly, with a slight stab of guilt.

It was a picture of Reid with his arms around a tall, slender brunette. They were staring into each other’s eyes as if in a prelude to a kiss. Her brows met and chest tightened as she flipped the picture over.

A night I’ll always remember. Tonya.

She stared at the note through burning eyes. She didn’t know why Reid’s deceit hurt so much. Maybe because she’d begun to trust him. She should have been relieved to discover his true colors, but felt only anger and a profound and aching disappointment.

She’d wanted to believe he was different, but this just proved he wasn’t truly the man she’d thought he was…had secretly hoped he was. “Reid Everett. You are just another lying, cheating son of a bitch.”

She should have known better. He was a marine, after all.

*

The next day, Haley stopped at The SJ Café on her way home from the post office, seating herself in Yolanda’s section.

“Haley!” Yolanda’s face lit up the moment she emerged from the kitchen. She dropped off her order, whipped off her apron, and sat down across from Haley. “When did you get home?”

“Day before yesterday.”

Yolanda’s smile faded. “And you didn’t phone me?”

“I’m sorry. It’s just been so hectic.”

Apart from a couple of postcards, she hadn’t been in touch with her best friend in months. Part of it was her lack of cell service, but that didn’t excuse her for not calling once she’d returned home. It just seemed awkward all of a sudden, as if they’d drifted further and further apart.

“I understand.” Yolanda’s hurt expression said she really didn’t. “How was Alaska?”

“It was incredible,” Haley gushed. “Where else can you find polar bears, wolves, and humpback whales?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t say I’ve ever looked for any of them before. The pelicans and sea lions at the La Jolla marina are enough wildlife for me. I can’t believe you stayed up there all winter.”

“Me either actually, but it was really important. Jeffrey thinks we’ll be able to get new conservation legislation passed.”

Yolanda arched a brow. “Jeffrey? Since when are you on a first name basis with your professors?”

Haley’s face heated. “I’m not his student anymore. Not in the technical sense anyway. I’m his research assistant now. We’ve grown pretty close over the past few months.”

“Really? How close?” Yolanda pressed.

“Not like that…well, not yet anyway.”

“But you’re thinking about it?”

“Maybe,” Haley confessed. She was comfortable with Jeffrey. They understood each other. Wasn’t that the best foundation for a relationship?

“What’s he like?” Yolanda asked.

“Intelligent. Articulate.” Haley began ticking off her mentor’s qualities.

“Is he good-looking?” Yolanda asked.

“Yeah, I suppose he’s easy enough on the eyes.”

“Does he make you laugh?”

Haley had to think about that one. “No, not really. He’s more serious. Focused. Intense.”

“Intensity is good and focus is even better at the right time…and in the right place.” Yolanda grinned. “But you’re too serious. You need a man with a sense of humor to balance you.”

“I’m not sold on the theory that opposites make good relationships,” Haley argued, thinking immediately of lying, cheating Reid Everett. “Mutual goals and compatibility make a whole lot more sense to me.”

Yolanda rolled her eyes. “Sure, if you like predictable and boring…”

“I only said I’m thinking about it. I’m not ready to jump into anything with anyone right now. I’m just glad to be home for a while. I loved the adventure of Alaska, but I missed the California sun.”

“Then let’s go to the beach,” Yolanda suggested. “It’s been ages since I’ve been. Do you remember the summer I took you out to Black’s Beach?”

Haley groaned. “How can I ever forget when you didn’t warn me it was clothing-optional.”

Yolanda laughed. “I wish I’d had a camera when we ran into that group playing desnudo volleyball. The look on your face was priceless.” She burst into another ripple of mirth.

“There were far too many jiggly parts for my taste.” Haley shuddered. “Why is it that the last people you’d ever want to see naked are always the first to take off their clothes?”

“Let’s do it again,” Yolanda said. “It would be just like old times.”

“No, thank you!” Haley shook her head. “I had nightmares for months. Besides, I have too much work to catch up on.”

“Work? Don’t you ever take a break? All you ever think about anymore is work and books. You haven’t been yourself since you went off to that school.”

Haley shrugged. “I just have a lot on my mind.”

“Then your mind needs to take a vacation. C’mon, chica,” Yolanda cajoled. “You’ve been gone for months. Let’s drive out to Coronado Island. Just for half a day. We can have lunch and walk the beach.”