Page 111 of Ride a Cowboy

Oakley shrugged. “We’ve never been here either. I asked Lorelie for the name of a romantic restaurant and she mentioned this place.”

Romantic? Sadie’s chest tightened. Did Lorelie ask who Oakley was taking out? Had he told her? Lorelie thought she was with Joel. If Oakley had said…

Sadie struggled to catch a deep breath. The air was getting thick and humid, the walls closing in on her.

“We felt like celebrating,” Oakley said.

She frowned. “Celebrating?”

Oakley glanced at Joel and grinned. “Joel’s mom caught us kissing in the barn and she didn’t keel over. Or kill him. Or me. We figured that was worth a big night out on the town.”

Sadie experienced two emotions at once—horror at the thought of Joel’s mother catching them in the act and relief that the event hadn’t severed Joel’s relationship with his mom. It also offered her a brief distraction from the fear that hadn’t abated since she’d looked into Jane’s eyes and known what she would have to do tonight.

“What did she say?” Sadie asked.

Joel didn’t appear as overjoyed by the event, though he didn’t look upset either. “She was surprised.”

“She freaked out,” Oakley said.

“We talked about it, and…” Joel shrugged. “I think she’s going to be okay with it. Eventually.”

Sadie smiled, though she wasn’t particularly happy about his story. Not that she wasn’t glad for Joel. He and Oakley would be facing some tough times ahead as the new nature of their relationship became public. She knew how much Joel cared about his mother, how much he worried about her. It would have devastated him to lose her approval, so she was glad for that.

However, once again, she felt like the outsider, the usurper. She needed to take a step away from them, so that they could move on with their lives, their futures. They had a shot at real happiness, but that couldn’t begin until she set them free to find it.

Joel put his menu down. “Of course, I’m going to throw her for another loop when I tell her the rest of it.”

“The rest of it?” Sadie asked.

“When I tell her about you,” he said.

She scowled. “Why would you tell her about me?”

Joel’s expression darkened. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“You tell her about all the women you fuck?” She tried to keep her voice calm, but there was no masking the fear creeping into it.

“No,” Joel said. “But I would like to tell her about the woman I’m in love with.”

“The woman we’re in love with,” Oakley added.

“I think we need to stop here.” Sadie didn’t like where this conversation was headed. Time to put them back on the right track.

Joel shook his head. “No. I think maybe it’s time to talk about what comes next, Sadie.”

“Nothing comes next.” The words fell from her, but once they’d been spoken, she let them hover, hang in the air. She couldn’t take them back, couldn’t waver in her resolve.

Oakley’s foot disappeared from her leg as he leaned back in his chair, his expression far too serious for her fun-loving friend. “What’s wrong with taking this to the next level, Sade? Let’s change the definition of this from fling to relationship. You gotta admit it feels right.”

No. Nothing had ever felt less right to her.

Her temper piqued. She hated being afraid. Being weak. They were pushing her, putting on too much pressure. “I’ve never lied to you about what I wanted from this. Never pretended it was going to be more.”

Oakley ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “It’s not like we’re asking you to marry us, Sadie.”

“Well, that’s a good thing. Since it’s illegal. Little crime called polygamy. You might want to look it up.”

Oakley didn’t take offense at her cutting tone, which only served to annoy her more. She was purposely being a bitch, hoping it would drive them away, but neither man seemed willing to leave.

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