Page 59 of I Want Crazy (Loco, Texas 3)

Jessie saw the last car leave and knew it was Red. She shouldn’t have taken her issues out on him, but honestly, she couldn’t stand for him to stare at her like she was broken. That pitying look that says, You poor thing, but you put yourself in that position.

How do you know he feels that way?

Because what man was going to be okay dating essentially a porn star, even if it wasn’t by choice? Who knew how many men had seen her? One day they could be on their honeymoon, and someone might recognize her, or if they had kids, and—

Whoa, honeymoon? Kids? Do you realize what you’re thinking about?

It was actually scary how much she had been thinking about a future with Red. What it would be like to be a part of his large, boisterous family. Wondering if their kids would have red hair, if they would be tall, and if they would live the rest of their lives in Loco, or would they move somewhere like Florida?

And now, it was all ruined.

Getting up from her rock, and wiping her eyes, she headed back to the bar to lock up. She could hear Ray moving around in the kitchen and was glad he’d stayed. Despite her assurances to Red that she wanted to be alone, the fact that Will had left a parting gift for her before leaving town, that he had been in her bar without her knowledge, made her physically ill.

But having Red stay, hovering over her, hadn’t been what she needed either. When he was around, logic and reason went out the window.

And she wanted a clear head to consider everything. Then tomorrow she’d go to the police and report Will’s parole violation. She should have done it the first time she saw him in Loco, but part of her still thought the videos were her fault. If she’d only recognized what an evil monster Will was earlier, she would never have been put in this position.

And you would have never met Red.

As she walked inside and started closing up, she had to admit that with Red, there was a different kind of happiness that warmed her whenever he texted, called, or touched her. He was the real deal, the kind of guy women looked their whole lives for. Not that he was perfect, far from it. He was stubborn, pigheaded, sometimes sexist, and could rub her wrong like no other.

But he was also kind and caring, willing to put other’s needs before his own. He was protective and loyal. He was just…right.

She emptied out the drawer and after locking the money in the safe, she headed for the kitchen to say good night to Ray. She pushed open the door and stepped inside. “Hey, Ray, I’m going to take off—”

Jessie saw Ray lying still on the ground and rushed toward him. Before she reached his side, something hard hit the back of her skull, and blinding pain shot down her spine.

And then everything went black.

* * *

Red made it home but hadn’t gotten out of his car yet. He couldn’t erase Jessie’s expression when she’d seen that video from his mind. Had she asked him to leave because she really wanted space or did she think he cared?

Pulling out his phone, he texted her. We need to talk. I don’t care about the video or your ex or anything but you.

He pressed Send and waited, realizing he really didn’t care about anything she had done or someone had done to her.

Because in just one month, he had fallen head over feet in love with Jessie Dale.

He couldn’t believe he hadn’t realized it before, but it was true. It was different from the love he’d felt for Rand, which had come over him like a sucker punch. This was slow and had grown deeper with every smile, every touch, and every thought shared. What he felt for her was the kind of love that lasted a lifetime and then some.

He checked his phone again, and she still hadn’t texted him back.

“Fuck it, I don’t care if you want to talk or not, woman, I’m gonna have my say.”

He backed the Charger out of the driveway, then squealed his tires out onto the main road, back to the bar.

Chapter Seventeen

The first thought that struck Jessie was that someone was bouncing on her head with a pogo stick.

Not actually, but that was the feeling currently making its home inside her skull.

The second thought was that the smell of chemicals was overwhelming, so strong she felt bile rise up in her throat and hadn’t even opened her eyes before she was vomiting.

When her stomach finally quieted, she looked up, her vision blurry, and saw someone tossing her bar.

“You’re awake. Good. This is such a nice place you got here, baby. It must have cost a pretty penny to buy and, I’m assuming, remodel. Is that where all my money went?”

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