Page 22 of Blame It On Midnight

“Pretty much. She’s staying at Duffer’s Place and hasn’t made plans to leave Big Bend.”

“Because of you.” Vivian waited for him to answer.

He shrugged. “I guess so.”

“Do you want to know what I think?” Vivian asked.

“It’s why I’m spilling all my secrets,” he replied dryly.

“You might not like it.”

“Since when has that ever stopped you?”

She flashed a smile. “Fair enough.” His sister took a moment. “I don’t know Collins at all. I met her last Christmas. But my impression of her and Kip, for that matter, is that they’re smart and sophisticated people. Her career is at its peak right now, and she could have any man she wants, but she’s in Big Bend because of you. That tells me this is more than attraction. More than just sex for her.”

Benton didn’t reply but waited for his sister to continue.

“And you feel an attraction for her, or you never would have gone back to her condo in Nashville. So, if this was just attraction and nothing more than the physical, Benton, you would have told her that. You would have been honest, and she would have been crushed and probably on a plane to New York last night. Instead, she was at the Sundowner, slugging beer no less, and the minute you headed outside, she bolted. When she came back nearly twenty minutes later, she looked like she’d been doing some things out there in the dark. It made me wonder last night, but now I know.” A grin touched his sister’s face. “Whatever that something was, she was doing it with you. Am I right?”

He gazed out at the mountains and said nothing.

“I’ll take that as a yes. And that has me circling back to why she’s still here. Like I said before, she’s a smart girl, so if she knew there was no chance for the two of you to get together, she’d be done. My conclusion is that you want her here, whether you realize it or not, and you’ve been sending mixed signals.”

“Christ, you sound like a lawyer presenting a case.” Benton sighed and rubbed his jaw.

“Yes, and I’ve got the jury in the palm of my hand.” She leaned back onto Dallas. “What do you think?” she asked, looking up at her husband.

“I think Bent’s got a lot on his plate.”

“That’s it?” she asked, frowning.

Dallas glanced over to Benton. He looked as if he was wrestling with the urge to say what was on his mind.

“Just spit it out, Henhawk.”

“Vivian and I didn’t get things right the first time. Pretty sure I lived half a life until she came back to me. It took a lot to get past all that baggage. To get us to a place where we were okay with being happy.” He shrugged. “You said that you’re not owed happiness, but the way I figure, it’s not about being owed. It’s about being man enough to grab something you don’t think you deserve. It’s about being man enough to deal with a situation, knowing it’s going to be hard.”

“Jesus, I feel like I’ve walked onto the set of Dr. Phil.”

Vivian ignored the jab. “If you think this woman can make you happy, why are you pushing her away?”

“Make me happy?” Incredulous, he looked from his best friend to his sister. “You’ve got me walking down the aisle with a woman I barely know.”

“The fact that you even brought her up to us tells me this is more than what you think it is. Or maybe, more than you want it to be.” Vivian had that no-nonsense look he was all too familiar with. “I think Collins Lafferty is more than one night in Nashville.”

“She might be,” he replied, before he could stop himself. He glanced at his sister. “But that doesn’t mean it’s right or that I should give it legs.”

“Then why are we talking about her?” Vivian would not give up.

That, he thought, was the million-dollar question. He just didn’t have the right answer. Yet.

With time moving on, he was able to leave without getting into it any deeper, and an hour later was back at the ranch house. He cooled down his horse, then handed him off to Haimish, who would get the animal fed and squared away in the stable. It was nearing six o’clock, and Daisy Mae would be back with Nora any minute. He needed a shower.

He headed to the house and took the stairs two at a time. Not more than ten minutes later, he walked out of his bathroom, a towel slung around his hips, while he used another to wipe off excess water from his chest and the ends of his hair. It was getting long. Needed a cut.

He tossed the towel and rooted through his sock drawer when a throat cleared behind him. The fuck? He glanced over his shoulder and frowned when he spied Daisy Mae sitting on the large cedar chest beneath the window. She wore a simple yellow dress that clung to her slender figure, and her hair hung in long waves. Russet in color, it shone. Looked as healthy as the glow on her cheeks.

But none of that meant anything because he’d seen her looking this good before. There was always room to fall, and his ex was still early days into her recovery.

---