Branded as Trouble (Rough Riders #6)(111)

“I’ll remind you my sister, Skylar, is married to a McKay.”


Cat gave her a droll stare. “And I’ll remind you about the number of McKay shindigs you’ve been invited to because of that association. Zero. Am I right?”


“Can you turn your leg a little?”


“It shocked me to hear you and Colt were together.” Cat laughed. Not a nice laugh, a mean laugh. “A few of us around here wondered if you weren’t gay.”


“Me? Gay?”


“Come on. With the bull dyke swagger, the piercings and the excessive tats, not to mention the motorcycle, the addiction issues, the funky haircut and the tough girl attitude?” She slurped her Diet Coke. “Granted, single men are slim pickin’s unless you’re in the market for a dumb cowboy.”


A loud click echoed in the room. India sat up and heard it again. She scrutinized her tattoo gun. Did it seem overly hot? She smacked it on her hand. It’d be just her luck if the damn thing died on her. She stepped on the foot pedal, let go, and waited for the noise to sound again. Nothing. Weird.


“Is everything all right?” Cat asked.


“Just fine. I’m switching ink colors.”


“As long as you’re not changing colors.”


India wished she could change customers.


“When I heard you and Colt were ‘dating’,” Cat made quotes in the air, “I thought as your friend, I should warn you. Don’t get suckered in by his charms, because that cowboy talks sweet. And before you know it, you’ll be watching him doing the same sweet-talking routine on another woman as soon as he gets bored with you.”


“You telling me you’ve dated Colt?”


Cat attempted an innocent look. “Would you be upset if I said yes?”


Yes. No. Lie. If you say no she’ll get pissy and clam up. India settled for, “Maybe.”


“I didn’t ‘date’ him, but I did sleep with him a couple of times.”


“When was this?”


“Right after I moved here…maybe three and a half years ago.


We were dancing at the Golden Boot, one thing led to another…and we ended up back at his place.” Cat paused. “Then a week or so later we were at a party and ended up in somebody’s bedroom again. Anyway, he f*cked me and never called me. What kind of man does that?


“My friend Mimi went to a party at the Boars Nest, his old house, like a month later, and Colt was f*cking some stripper, right in front of everyone! And when he finished with her, he passed her off to another guy.”


Yeah, and then Colt probably passed out. Those drinking escapades were a thing of the past, in Colt’s past, and had no bearing on their future.


Still, India had to concentrate on keeping her hand from shaking. “Why are you telling me this about Colt if it happened years ago?”



“Because a leopard doesn’t change his spots, India. Knowing the truth about him will save you a lot of heartache. You wouldn’t be the first woman in this area to fall for his lies and lines and you won’t be the last.” Cat pushed onto her elbows and looked at India over her shoulder. “Besides, didn’t Blake West ask you out?”


“Yeah he did.”


“What happened?”


Colt happened. “We decided to stay friends.”


“Was that before or after you and Colt hooked up?”