Sharp Shootin' Cowboy (Hot Cowboy Nights, #3)(29)

Tonya? That was his ex’s name, the brunette from the picture. She sat up, crossing her arms over her chest as her head filled with visions of Reid doing the same things to her that they’d done. Her stomach tightened. It was completely irrational, but she couldn’t ignore the stab of jealousy.

“No, I don’t. Wait—” He covered the receiver and exhaled a soft curse. “Hey, Tonya.” He met Haley’s resentful stare with a helpless look. “Please, give me a chance to explain,” he whispered to her, and then spoke back into the phone. “No, Ton, I was talking to someone else. No, I’m not on base, but this really isn’t a good time. Can I call you back in a few?” He went to the bedside table and took up a pad and pen. “Where are you? South Utah? And you’re staying in Anaheim? That’s about eight hours away from you.” He scribbled a few notes. “Sure, I’ll come up. It’s only about an hour north of here. I gotta go now. Tell Krista I’ll get back to her in a little bit, okay? Bye, Ton.” Reid ended the call. “That was—”

“Your ex?” Haley supplied, a knot choking her throat.

“Yeah,” he confessed. “She’s with my little sister, Krista. They’re on their way here. Not here precisely.” He rubbed his neck, visibly flustered. “I mean to California. I’m sorry, Haley. I’d wanted to spend my free days with you, but now I have to go meet my sister. I had no idea she was coming. Krista’s never traveled this far from home before.”

“I’m sure she’ll be very happy to see you.”

“Yeah. Me too. We’re pretty tight. My whole family is.”

“I’ll call Yolanda and see if she’s ready to go.”

His gaze widened. “You’re leaving? Now?”

“Yeah.” Common sense told her it was past time to make a strategic retreat. “Yolanda and I were supposed to go to dinner together. What time is it anyway?”

It was impossible to tell. The room was dark. They’d drawn the drapes for privacy. She rose from the bed with the sheet wrapped around and dug her phone out of her purse. She quickly scanned her messages. There were three texts from Yolanda. The first was a reminder of their dinner reservation. The second informed her she’d missed dinner, but Yolanda had taken Garcia instead. The third message said she was worried and to call ASAP. She noted the time. That was an hour ago. She felt a sharp stab of guilt. She was a horrible friend.

Reid sat on the bed and pulled her onto his lap. She tried to get up but he held her tight. “Come back to bed with me.”

“No, Reid,” she said, forcing out her reply. She wished she could stay with him forever, but it was over. It had to be. It was far better to suffer a little bit of hurt right now than a whole lot more later on. “I have to go now. We had a good time, but now it’s out of our systems, right?”

“Is it?” He brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, then his fingers grazed her cheek. “I don’t think so. Not by a long shot. I like being with you, Haley, and whether you’re ready to admit it or not, I think you feel the same way. I’m not ready for it to be over.”

“Look, you got what you wanted. I don’t resent that. But what more did you expect from me?”

A better question might have been what she’d expected. She’d been a fool to think she could be sexually intimate with him and not become emotionally engaged. But she didn’t need entanglements. Not at this point in her life.

“You think all I wanted was a f*ck? Is that what you really believe?”

“I don’t know what you wanted, but there’s no sense in continuing this. You’re leaving again soon and so am I. It can’t go anywhere.”

“I know our circumstances make this difficult,” he said, “but I’d like to try and make it work.”

“But aren’t you leaving for Anaheim tonight?”

“No. They’ll be getting in late. We’ll drive up first thing in the morning.”

“We?”

“Yeah. Come with me, Haley. I’d like you to meet her.”

She shook her head. “No, I’m not comfortable with that. You haven’t seen your sister in months. I’d only feel like an interloper.”

“It’s not like that with my family. People are different in Wyoming. Maybe it’s because we’re in the least-populated state, but we’re more open, more welcoming to outsiders. You’ll see. You’ll like Krista. I promise.”

“It’s not my liking her that’s the issue. Did you forget that she’s bringing her best friend, who just happens to be your ex-girlfriend? No thank you, Reid.”

“If the idea of Tonya bothers you, we’ll invite Garcia and Yolanda to come along.”

“But I don’t have any clothes with me,” she continued to protest.

“Easy fix,” he countered. “There’s a boutique in the hotel. I’ll buy you something.”

Before she could formulate another argument, he picked up the phone and hit the redial button.

“Hey, Sis. Sorry I was tied up when you called. No, it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle.” His gaze darted back to Haley. Her chest ached every time he looked at her like he was looking at her now. “I’ll drive up to Anaheim in the morning to show you the sights. I’ll be bringing a couple of friends with me. You remember Garcia, right? He’ll probably be coming. The other’s Haley. You’ll like her too, Krista.” He paused. “Yeah, I said her. We’ll see you around eight.” He ended the call with a wrinkle furrowing his brows.