Page 84 of Heartless
Cade shakes his head, clearly not wanting to go out and using Luke as an excuse.
“How about you, Red?” Lance says, and I visibly flinch because I’ve come to associate that nickname with Cade. It somehow feels like that’shisname for me.
When I peek up at Cade, his jaw is set, teeth working with a grimace on his lips.
I wave the cowboy off. “Nah. I’m good.”
“It’s supposed to be your day off, Willa. You should go,” Cade bites out.
I rear back a little as I stare up at him. It feels like he just slapped me. Like he’s trying to pawn me off on someone else. But he doesn’t look pleased about it either.
He’s an awful lot of work some days, and the rush of annoyance at him has me shaking my head in disbelief.
It has me feeling reckless. A little spiteful. I’m not necessarily proud of this facet of my personality, but it’s here all the same. I get madandI get even.
“Thanks for the permission, Cade,” I snip, watching Jasper fidget with the brim of his hat again while Rhett stares back with wide eyes. I turn to Lance. “Since the boss gives it his stamp of approval, yes. Let’s go out.”
He smiles back, giving off sweet, boy-next-door vibes. “Alright, cowgirl. Off we go.” He points one lanky arm in the direction of the trailers parked in the back.
I swallow a big gulp of dry prairie air and observe the way his body moves in the tack. Not my type at all.
Because apparently my type is a broody asshole cowboy whose handsome face I would currently like to stomp with the heel of my boot.
But then I’d want to kiss it better too.
It’s only when I walk toward Lance that I glance over my shoulder. Cade is still sitting on Blueberry and his eyes are laser-focused on me.
I wait for a beat. Hoping he’ll say something. Tell me to stay. Ask me to go home with him instead. I love it when he says homelike it’sourhome.
But he doesn’t.
So I go.
20
Cade
Cade:Be a gentleman.
Lance:Lol. Cade. Relax. You know I’ll take care of your nanny.
Cade:One hair out of place and I’ll kill you.
Lance:What about multiple hairs?
Cade:Are you fucking kidding me right now? You got a death wish?
Lance:You’re the idiot who let her go.
* * *
Ihate myself. I want to take it back and throw Willa over my shoulder and drag her home with me.
Where she belongs.
But I pushed her off on a perfectlyniceguy because I’ve convinced myself that fucking the nanny is out of bounds.
It doesn’t take a psychologist to know I’m the issue. My insecurities are the issue. If I couldn’t make a small-town woman—who was my age and desperately wanted me—happy, how the hell can I make a woman like Willa happy?
