Page 3 of Just Say When

“I’ll do my best. Go out the back door, okay?”

“Thanks.” I paused. “You know, we have a sewing club. Saturdays at the library, ten a.m. You should come.”

“A sewing club?” She wrinkled her nose.

I laughed at her unenthusiastic response. “It’s fun,” I promised. “You get to stab things.”

“Huh.” She tilted her head, looking interested.

The sun was low in the sky when I slipped out theback door of the bar. There was just enough daylight left for me to pick up Pirate and get him settled for the night. But first I had to slow Brax down. I grabbed the rapid tire deflator from my SUV—a nifty little device that had come in handy on more than one occasion—and squatted next to Brax’s truck, adrenaline making my heart race as the air whooshed out with a hiss.

And then, even though I knew I shouldn’t, I pressed my lips against the windshield. I wanted to leave no doubt in his mind that it was me. That I had won.

In my rearview mirror, I caught sight of him bursting out of the bar as I tore out of the parking lot, the empty horse trailer rattling behind me. I grinned. He was too late to stop me.

“Toodle-oo, mother fucker,” I muttered, and hit the gas.

2

Brax

Well, shit.

I eyeballed the deflated tire, then squatted low to get a closer look. There were no signs of treachery—other than the obvious one, anyway. I ran my fingers over the grooved rubber and found nothing. She hadn’t made use of the pocket knife she always kept handy. I’d have to put on the spare, but at least I wouldn’t need to shell out for a new tire. Real neighborly of her.

Still, I reached inside the driver’s side to pop the hood, just to make sure she hadn’t fucked around with anything else. I wouldn’t put it past her, lulling me into a false sense of security with the deflated tire, only to cut the brakes.

That’s when I saw it, the bright red mark on my windshield. Essie’s kiss. I’d recognize that mouthanywhere. A cupid’s bow with sharp peaks and a slightly fuller bottom lip.

I stared at the mark, rubbing my chest absently, while I considered my next move. She didn’t want me following her, that much was clear. What was she up to? It only took a second for the puzzle pieces to click into place. The empty trailer bouncing over the gravel parking lot. Her sudden interest in the biggest loser alive. The lack of alcohol on her breath despite the empty glasses.

Goddammit. I thumped my palm angrily on the steering wheel, then smacked it again for good measure, wishing it was Essie’s ass. The little hellion deserved a spanking for this. She had always been wild and reckless, following her heart instead of her head. Straight into trouble, more often than not. Like the day she’d almost died—she hadn’t learned one fucking thing from that, either.

The tire would have to wait. There was no way I could beat her to Gaffney’s house. Even without the flat tire, she had a head start. If I couldn’t stop her from taking the dipshit’s horse, then I would simply have to change the stakes. A little jailtime might be exactly what Essie needed to get her head on straight, but Jack would tear mine right off if I ever let that happen to his twin sister.

I had made a promise. To him. To their mom. Andmore importantly, to myself. Fuck if I was going to break that promise.

I shoved through the ancient oak door with enough force that it bounced off the wall. Janie’s head jerked up and she eyed me warily as I approached the bar.

“Forget something?” she chirped, twirling a red lock of hair around one finger, her brown eyes wide with feigned innocence.

Like she was fooling anyone. We both knew her whole deal with the credit card machine giving her problems had been a stall tactic to help Essie. The woman had balls, I’d give her that.

Then again, it was the rare person who could say no to Essie Price. Her smile was wide, her laugh loud, her spirit bright. She was fun. Exciting. She was a rainbow in a gray world, and the thing was, if you stood next to her long enough, you got the crazy idea that maybe you could be a rainbow, too. I couldn’t blame Janie for risking her job to be a rainbow.

I settled onto the stool Essie had vacated and gave Janie a baleful look. “You got a pen and notepad back there?”

She tilted her head, suspicion etched on her face like she was trying to figure out if giving me what I asked for was going to bite her on the ass. “Yeah.”

“I’ll take that and a water.”

“You got it.”

I turned to Alan. “How much for the horse?”

Since he only owned the one, he didn’t ask for clarification. Just squinted at me with a greedy gleam in his dim-witted eyes. “Pirate’s not for sale.”

“Everything has a price.”

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