Wicked Need (The Wicked Horse Series Book 3)(4)

“I couldn’t—” she starts to say, and I knew she’d rebuff the offer.

“Come on, Catherine,” I cut her off sternly. “We’re friends. That’s what friends do.”

“It’s Cat,” she says.

This throws me off because I’d been expecting an argument. “Excuse me?”

“Cat. The name I prefer to go by is Cat.”

I blink at her, stunned for a moment by the change in subject. “I didn’t know that.”

She shrugs nonchalantly and lowers her gaze to her cup. “No one ever bothered to ask. Catherine is what Samuel insisted on calling me. It’s how he always introduced me.”

Fuck.

Just… f*ck.

I can almost see her identity disappearing right before my eyes. What did this * do to her? He left her destitute after already stealing who she was right out from under her.

Taking my cup from the counter, I walk over to the table and sit opposite of her. I make a command decision, knowing it’s the right thing to do in this moment. I know Jake will tell me I’m slipping into my savior role, but f*ck him. Cat needs help and I don’t think she has anyone else to turn to right now.

“Here’s what we’re going to do,” I say in a firm, take-control voice. Her eyes immediately snap up to mine. “You’re going to stay here in my apartment with me. If you want to remain stubborn and stick with the couch, that’s fine. No argument from me. That will let you get your feet underneath you. You can take a bit of time, figure out what you want to do… or where you want to go.”

“I don’t have any money—”

“If it’s that important to you, you can pay me back when you get some.” I don’t even consider trying to talk her out of just accepting my generosity because I can see Cat has pride. I can see that’s about the only thing she has of value to her name, and I’m not about to steal it from her. “How’s that sound?”

She turns slightly away from me, letting her gaze roam over the tiny space of my apartment. It takes her two seconds before returning to me. “You don’t have a lot of room here. I wouldn’t want to get in your way.”

“I’m not here a lot,” I tell her as I stand from the table with my cup in hand. “I have a full-time day job. Between that and being at The Silo, we probably won’t run into each other that much.”

And why do I feel a crushing sense of disappointment over that thought?

“I’d want to pay you rent once I maybe get a job or something,” she says, her chin lifting higher. Christ… the sexy seductress looks just adorable right now, all bowed up with dignity and determination.

“What kind of work would you want to do?” I ask her, thinking I’ve got contacts in this area. Maybe I can help her out that way too.

“I’ve only ever done two things to get by in this life, Rand,” she says softly with just a trace of bitterness. It sucks to hear that tone the first time she calls me by my name. “And that’s dancing and f*cking.”

“Dancing?” I ask, because I can’t bear to think of her prostituting herself to make a living. Although really… wasn’t that what she was doing by marrying an older man?

I mentally curse at myself for letting my head go there.

“I was an exotic dancer in Vegas,” Cat says with a grim smile. “That’s where Samuel met me.”

I’ve seen Catherine naked many, many times and yeah… she has a dancer’s body. Long limbs, soft curves in just the right places, and breasts that are spectacular. I bet she put on a f*cking fantastic show.

But that wouldn’t benefit her here in Jackson as there aren’t any titty bars and the thought of her returning to Vegas isn’t all that appealing to me either for some weird reason. So I point her in the next best direction for now.

“I suggest you work on finding out more about your legal rights,” I tell her with a pointed look before lifting my cup to my mouth for a sip.

“My legal rights?” Her eyes blink in confusion.

“Well, yeah. I mean… you thought Samuel was going to take care of you, then some attorney shows up and tells you to get out of your house. Did he even show you a copy of the will giving him that authority?”

Cat shakes her head, cheeks turning red with embarrassment. “I didn’t ask. He was pushing me hard to get my stuff packed and to vacate.”

Even though I may not have gone to college and only have a degree from the school of hard knocks, I know enough to know that doesn’t sound right.

“You need to go to that attorney’s office and ask for a copy of Samuel’s will,” I tell her. “As his wife, you’re entitled to see it. I seriously don’t think they can just kick you out like that. I’m sure there’s some long process they have to go through or some shit.”

Cat’s cheeks turn even redder. “I didn’t even think to ask for a copy. God, I’m so stupid.”

Before I can stop myself, I take one step to her chair, grasp her chin with my hand, and squeeze slightly to get her attention. “You are not stupid. You’re in a bad place and that attorney took advantage of that. But now you’re on solid ground and I’ll help you figure this out. Okay?”

For a moment, I think she might cry on me, and I brace myself for it. I don’t do well with tears. I’m a sucker for them. If I see one drop spill, I’ll pull her in my arms. At that point, I’ll really have to take shit from Jake that I can’t seem to help myself when it comes to a lost woman.