Cowgirl Up and Ride (Rough Riders #3)(115)

“Colt, shut your f*ckin’ mouth,” Colby snapped.


“I’ll bet you’re having a big goddamn laugh about this, Kade.”


“I ain’t laughin’, Sky, ’cause it ain’t a joke. I planned to tell you—”


“Right after you screwed me in the parking lot of a honky tonk not an hour ago?” she hissed. “Was it all a lie? A trick? See if I’d notice the difference between you two?”


“No!”


“Aw, sweet darlin’, there’s plenty of us McKay men around if you wanna give me a shot. I’m up for anything.” Colt ran his fingers down Skylar’s arm.


Kade jumped up and clocked Colt in the jaw. Colt stumbled but remained upright.


“Don’t you ever f*ckin’ touch her. Don’t you even look at her, you drunken piece of shit.”


“At least I don’t have to pretend to be someone I’m not in order to get some *.”


Kade lunged for him again and Colby held him back as Colt hit the ground.


He noticed everything and everyone in the bar came to a dead stop.


“Come on.” Colby and Kane each had one of Colt’s arms as they dragged him outside.


Somehow, Kade found the balls to face Skylar’s justifiable fury. He boxed her in so she couldn’t escape until he’d said his piece. “No matter what you think, I was me when we were together. Me. Kade McKay. Everything I did, everything I said, every damn time. None of it was a lie. The way I feel about you ain’t a lie either.”


She whispered, “Just go away and leave me alone.”


“I’m takin’ you home.”


“No. Just go.”


“But—”


“Don’t humiliate me any more than you already have. Go.”


Miserable, he walked out.


Colt had passed out in the parking lot. The three of them threw him in the back of Kane’s truck with more force than necessary.


“How’d you track him down?” Kade asked.


“The bartender called me. We’ve put the word out to all of Colt’s regular waterin’ holes that we’re lookin’ for him.”


Colby was pissed and as close to losing it as Kade had ever seen him. “What the f*ck am I supposed to do with him? I can’t take him home. Ma is already a mess over Dag’s death and she’s worried sick the same thing is gonna happen to Colt.


“If I leave him by himself to sleep it off, he’ll disappear again, or I’ll find him dead from chokin’ on his own vomit. You guys can’t stay up all night and babysit him because we’ve all gotta work tomorrow. We’re short-handed since Cord’s been gone and Colt ain’t been around to pick up the slack.”


“Colt ain’t done shit for months, Colby. None of us are happy about that.”


Colby paced. “My pregnant wife is f*ckin’ hysterical because she’s afraid my stupid brother will do somethin’ to get me killed. Now she refuses to let me work anywhere around him. How am I supposed to tell my folks that? When Colt and Cord can’t work together anymore either.”


Softly, Kane said, “She’s right.”


“Well, what the hell am I supposed to do? We’ve got a goddamn ranch to run! None of us can spend our time worryin’ about soap opera family shit like this.”