Page 54 of Blame It On Midnight

But how can I be sure? I’ve practically thrown myself at him.

“See?” Daisy Mae shrugged. “You know I’m right. Just like you know, he will never invite you into this family because I am the mother of his child. I made that little girl with him. That matters. I matter. Not you. You’re not even from here. You’re a city girl and don’t belong in Montana. You have a career that takes you all over the world. This is play time for you, isn’t it? I mean, you’re not actually thinking of making Big Bend some kind of permanent home.”

Her face fell, and Daisy Mae chuckled. “Oh my, you let your feelings get involved. Sweetie, don’t think you’re the first woman he’s been with since he and I split. I mean, look at him. He’s hot as hell, and his needs are impressive. I should know. But there’s been a lot of women, and when he’s done with you, when he’s had his fun and used up all the bright shiny pieces you’re saving for him, he’ll come back to me.” Daisy Mae smiled. “He always does. And the next time, I’ll be ready for him. I’ll be the woman he wants.”

Nora appeared, saving Collins from further humiliation. “Will you promise to look after Hero until I come home?” The little girl handed over the kitten.

“I’ll give him to your father,” she responded quietly.

“Let’s go.” Daisy Mae herded her daughter out of the room, Collins already forgotten. That smarted just as much as the fierce verbal smackdown.

It wasn’t long after, that Benton finally showed up. He strolled into the house, all long limbs and easy manner. A smile on his face that would make the angels weep.

“Hey,” he said, moving toward her.

“Nora left with Daisy Mae.”

“Shit, I forgot she was coming out to the ranch. How was it?” He seemed genuinely concerned.

“Awkward.”

“Sorry about that. She can be a lot.”

Collins was ready to leave. Had her things tossed into a bag she’d found tucked away in one of the drawers in the kitchen.

“I’m going to go.” Collins kept her voice light and handed Benton the cat. Felt like a fool because she was on the verge of tears and didn’t know why exactly. It was more than Daisy Mae. More than the words, the woman had tossed her way. In that moment, she realized just how far out on a limb she’d crawled, and the branch wasn’t exactly stable.

“Thought you’d stay another night.” His voice was warm and husky, and my God, her body reacted instantly. She wanted to stay. She just didn’t think she should.

“No.” She answered quickly. Abruptly. She needed some space. Some clarity.

“Are we good?” He frowned, clearly puzzled by her behavior.

God, I’m acting like a goddamn teen.

“We are.” Collins pasted a smile to her face. She reached up and pressed her lips against his, and when he would have deepened the kiss, she pulled back. “Thank you for…” All the sex. The cuddles. The laughs. The warm and fuzzies. “Everything. Talk tomorrow?”

“Sure.” His frown deepened, but she grabbed her bag and headed out to her rental. Collins gunned it and sailed down the lane. She was embarrassed and scared, and confused. Not a great combination. She was headed back to Big Bend, but she’d left her heart at the Triple B.

What the hell was she going to do about that?

Chapter Nineteen

By Wednesday Benton was in a shit mood. He’d been texting with Collins on and off, but something had changed. She was saying the right things, used more emojis than he knew what to do with, but still, all of it felt different. He couldn’t put his finger on what exactly it was, and it was driving him nuts. He was pretty sure Daisy Mae figured into it, but with their upcoming court date, he wasn’t about to poke that particular bear. Either way, he didn’t like feeling out of sync with the only good thing to happen to him in a long while, but he wasn’t the kind of man to chase after a woman. If Collins needed some distance, then so be it. Hence, the shit mood.

For all he knew, this was how the younger generation did things. They shut down, went through the motions, and either disappeared or showed up down the road.

It was late afternoon when he pulled up to his sister’s place, and he was barely out of the truck before Nora bounded up the steps of the ranch house. Scarlett smiled from her perch on the porch and told Nora to slow down when she zoomed past. His kid was on a mission to find her best pals, Cameron and Ryan Pulman, the twins Taz had adopted when his sister had tragically passed in a car accident. Now, they called Scarlett mom, and it sure looked good on her.

“Where’s Hank at?” His young nephew was nowhere to be seen.

“Millie Sue has him.” Scarlett giggled. “It’s like a never-ending revolving door of Bridgestones going from house to house.” Her eyes were soft. “Never thought I’d see the day, and now with Vivian expecting…” She picked at the edge of the cushion. “Everyone is happy. We’ve come full circle. It kind of blows my mind.”

“Yeah.” He spoke because it felt like he was supposed to. “Taz here?”

“He should be back soon. Went with Angel to check on a horse she rescued.” Scarlett frowned. “You doing okay?”

“I…sure.”

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