Page 3 of Wait in the Truck
This asshole.Sick of dealing with him and his gaslighting, I tap out a quick response before shoving my phone back in my pocket.
Get fucked.
KADE
2
Thirty minutes have passedsince the twins and I came back inside after we took care of Toby and the handsy out-of-towner. Unfortunately, the warm, nonalcoholic beer in my hand does nothing to dampen the pent-up anger still clawing at my chest.
Jaw clenched, I bite down on my molars as a dark scowl narrows my eyes. With every passing second, I fight to keep my ass in our regular booth so I don’t follow that asshole home to deliver him a proper beating.
“Need ice for those knuckles?”
My eyes fall on Rhett sitting across from me as he juts his chin toward my busted hand. I shrug him off, still pissed at him for earlier. For some fucked-up reason, I didn’t like the show of protection he gave Sage, and if I’m being honest with myself… I’m nearly as annoyed by that asI am by the two douche nozzles who put their hands on her.
I have no idea what happened between Sage and Rhett when he followed her into the bathroom, but my imagination is running wilder than my eight-year-old stallion. And Rhett’s silence isn’t helping matters.
Picking at the label of my beer, I scan the bar, my gaze following Sage as she clears off a couple of vacant tables. At first glance, she seems to have brushed the incident aside, but the more I observe her, the easier it is to see the slight tremor of her hands. As if she can sense my eyes following her every move, she cranes her neck toward me. For several beats of the song, our eyes connect, and I maintain my unrelenting stare. Finally, I show her mercy and look away, allowing her to believe she has control of the situation.
My focus shifts to Jace and Cole across the bar on the dance floor. They’ve got some eager brunette between them, and by the looks of it, they’re more than willing to share the attention she is giving. Unlike Rhett and me, they’re clearly more capable of setting their feelings about the drunken fuckery aside, never taking life too seriously while they chase a good time.
Rhett’s phone pings from across the booth, snapping my gaze in his direction. His eyes narrow on the glow of the screen as his lips twist into a snarl.
My brow raises, knowing he’s on call tonight. “Is there a problem?”
He lifts his head. “That was Samuel. There’s a breech foal at the Everett ranch. I gotta take off.”
“Ridge can’t step in to help?”
“It’s after nine. Knowing him, he’s probably passed out with a bottle of whiskey.” He moves to exit the booth. “You stayin’?”
I nod, eyes flicking back to Sage as she picks up another round of drinks from the bar. “I wanna make sure the rat bastard doesn’t cause any more trouble.”
Tossing back the dregs of his Coke, he then slams the empty glass on the table. “Good call. Johnson seemed pissed enough that I wouldn’t doubt he’d come sniffing back around. What she sees in that fuckin’ asshole is beyond me. She deserves better.”
“Do you thinkyou’rethe better man?” My eyes bore into his. “Is that why you went chasin’ after her and left me to throw him out on his ass?”
He holds my gaze, and I wait for the lie to leave his mouth. I saw the way he was looking at her, and it didn’t sit well with me. For as long as I can remember, I haven’t liked anyone paying her too much attention. Not Rhett… and especially not that sleazeball of a boyfriend she keeps forgiving.
“Anyone is better than Toby Johnson. But to answer your question, she’s Jonah’s sister, and that’s all I’ll ever see her as.”
“Lucy’s our sister, and that never stopped Jonah fromstakinghisclaim, even when it was forbidden by our parents.”
“I’m not Jonah.” He touches a few fingers to the brim of his hat, then with a wink, he swaggers out of the bar in true Rhett fashion, leaving me to decipher the meaning behind his unspoken words.
Left to my own devices, I decide to move from the booth to the end of the bar, giving me a bird’s-eye view of the establishment. Sage keeps busy running orders while I tap my fingers against the counter, signaling to Billy for another round.
“Same again, Kade?”
I tip my chin.
“Sheriff comes in, I didn’t give you this.” He slides the nonalcoholic beer toward me before muttering to himself, “Never understood why you have to be twenty-one. Not like you’re getting drunk off the stuff. You sure you don’t want a real one?”
With a swift shake of my head, I decline. “I’ll tell you the same thing I tell you every time you ask me, Billy. I don’t drink.”
“And yet you’re in my bar every other night.” He glances past me toward Sage, making me aware that he knows exactly why I’m frequenting his Boozin’ Boots more often than not. A sly tilt graces his lips before he saunters away to deal with one of the remaining patrons.
Like a breath of fresh air, Sage appears at my side butignores my presence. She sets down her tray with a clatter before stepping onto the foot rail and boosting herself up to snag a maraschino cherry from the dish at the garnish station. There is nothing I can do to stop myself from appreciating every inch of those long legs as she stretches across the wood countertop. Unbidden, my eyes glide up to where her perfectly rounded ass cheeks peek out from beneath the hem of her tiny denim shorts.
