Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders #13)(113)

“Yep. Evidently I’m so f*ckin’ bad in bed that I can turn a woman back into bein’ gay.”


“Come on. You don’t really believe that.”


He kicked a clump of clover. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. And as long as I’m confessing shit, you oughta know… I had a pretty good lyin’ streak goin’ there over the years about how many chicks I banged. Pretending to be a McKay stud who knew everything about sex backfired on me big-time. I ain’t gonna go into details about what happened, ’cause it’s the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever done and I have been forgiven by the person involved. In the meantime, I’ve been tryin’ to get all the sexual experience I’d been pretending to have. Which is how I ended up doin’ it with three lesbians. I should just stick to poker. I’m one helluva lot luckier in cards than I am in love.”


Seeing his little brother so dejected and his face so red from embarrassment, Tell attempted to lighten the mood. “So Dalton and three lesbians walk into a strip club…”


Dalton said, “Fuck you,” but he smiled. “That brings me to the next point. I was at the Golden Boot Saturday night. Georgia saw me make a drunken idiot of myself and she took my keys.”


“You were gonna drive?”


“I guess. She took me to her place to sleep it off.” Dalton looked him in the eye. “I take back the shitty things I said about her. She didn’t have to help me; she coulda let me sleep it off in my truck. But takin’ in a stupid cowboy like me showed her generous nature. That’s not the type of thing a user does. She’s sweet and fierce and smart and loyal. She is something special.”


Don’t I know it.


“You’re a lucky guy, bro. She’s perfect for you.”


“Did she say anything about me?”


“Just that you’re the greatest guy she’s ever known. She seemed sorta sad. Did I miss something? Why weren’t you guys together Saturday night after the rodeo?”


“No. We had a big blow-up when I found out she never intended to stay here permanently.”


Dalton raised his eyebrows. “You’re just gonna let her go?”


“It’s not like I’ve got a choice.”


“Bullshit. Don’t be a dumb-ass, Tell. Convince her to stay. Wow her with some of that McKay mojo I’m lacking.”


He snorted. “Right. Like that’ll work.”


“Then maybe you oughta tell her the truth.”


“Which is?”


“Christ. You’re really gonna make me say it? Tell her that you love her and can’t live without her.”


It couldn’t be that simple. Could it?


It was worth a shot.


Tell grinned at his brother. “Thanks, bro. You know, you’ve got a romantic streak. There may be hope for you yet. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m goin’ to get my woman.”


Tell cleaned up and dressed in better clothing than he normally wore on a Monday afternoon. On the drive into town, he cautioned himself not to ask what the hell she’d been doing whoopin’ it up in the bar after the shit that’d gone down between them at the rodeo Saturday afternoon. He composed snappy comebacks—a mix of charm, snark and wit. Then he practiced keeping his face a blank mask when he imagining her saying it was a fling, I’m returning to Dallas and never coming back, but he knew he’d never pull it off because he’d be crushed beyond repair if she left.


So what would he do to get her to stay?


What would it take for him to follow her?


He’d never considered that option. Could he seriously pull up stakes and leave his family and everything he’d ever known? Just to be with a woman?


Yes. If that woman was Georgia.


Whoa there. Before he started packing his shit and looking for cowhand jobs in Texas, he’d better find out if that was something Georgia wanted.


Tell fought a massive wave of anxiety as he knocked.


The door swung open and Georgia froze.


His heart began that slow, sad tumble to his feet until Georgia threw herself into his arms and squeezed him so tightly his heart stopped beating entirely. “Cowboy hottie, I am so happy to see you. If you wouldn’t have come to me today, I was gonna drive out to your place.”


“That right?”


“Yes.” Georgia tugged him into the living room and shoved him on the couch. “I didn’t call you because I had some important things to deal with first, not because I was waiting to hear from you first. We’re beyond that behavior, aren’t we?” She perched on the edge of the coffee table, facing him.


“I hope so. What’s goin’ on?”


“I know we need to talk about a lot of stuff. But before we get all this out in the open, I have to ask you one thing.” Her eyes searched his. “Did you mean it when you told Deck that you wanted me for keeps?”


With all my heart. With everything I am. “Yep.”


“You sure? This thing with us was supposed to be a fun diversion with some smokin’ hot sex thrown in and it turned into so much more than that. I don’t think either of us was prepared for how fast everything changed. Although it’s pretty obvious it never was casual. It’s always been something special between us. Something I’ve never felt.”