“Who knew Kenny Roy had such cute friends?”
“If by cute you mean a sneaky man-whore who sails back into town without so much as a phone call, then um, yeah, I guess Tyler McCall fits the bill.”
The minute the words were out, Brandy wanted to snatch them back. So what if he hadn’t called to tell her he was back in town? It wasn’t like he ever called. He showed up. She showed up. And the fun began.
They were strictly sex buddies. No strings attached. No explanations needed.
Just two people enjoying the company of each other behind closed doors.
She just hadn’t counted on the crazy emptiness she’d felt when he’d left this last time, and stayed gone so long that she’d almost stopped counting the months.
Almost.
“I meant cute”—Ellie’s voice pushed into her thoughts—“as in cute. You know, nice hair, good body, handsome face.” Ellie slid her a sideways glance. “Vent much?”
“Sorry. I’m just a little disappointed. Kenny Roy’s not here.”
“Sort of like the universe’s way of saving you from yourself and sending a distinctly clear message that I’m right and you shouldn’t be pushing for a face-to-face with a bunch of felons. Just drop off the mash when it’s ready and let’s be done with it.”
“I can’t.” Brandy turned the key and the engine grumbled to life. “I have to follow the process.”
“Then tell me about this Tyler McCall.” Ellie turned her attention back to the front porch. “Has he always been so hunky?”
Unfortunately.
“So sexy?”
Yep.
“So downright scrumptious?
A frown tugged at her mouth. “Can we talk about something else?”
“I take that as a big, fat yes. So what’s the story with you and this hunky cowboy? Was he your steady? Did he stand you up? Did you stand him up? Did you make like monkeys and do it fifty ways till Friday?”
“No, no, and no.”
“That’s only three nos, which means you purposely ignored the last question, which means you screwed his brains out and then something happened.”
“Nothing happened. He left town, that’s all.”
“And left you behind?”
“It wasn’t like that. We were just friends. Occasional friends.”
“You mean fuck buddies.”
“Can we talk about something else?”
“I thought you’d never ask.” Her eyes gleamed. “Tell me about his friend.” She motioned to the guy who pushed through the front door and came up next to Tyler. “What do you know about him?”
Brandy peered through the darkness at the other man, who stood a few inches shorter than Tyler. He was slightly leaner than the muscular bull rider, but every bit as good looking with whiskey-blond hair that framed his face and reached just below his jaw.
Even so, her gaze kept going back to Tyler, to the intense way he stared after her, that sexy slant of a grin to his lips that still made her stomach flutter even though she hadn’t seen him in two years.
Because she hadn’t seen him in two years.
“So?” Ellie’s voice pushed into her thoughts. “Who’s the sidekick?”
“I don’t know.” She shoved the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway. “He’s not from around here as far as I know.”
“Which isn’t saying much since you spend your Saturday nights up to your elbows in flour. He could be burning up the dance floor every night at Diamonds and Dust and you would never know. You need to get out more.”
“What I need is to find Kenny Roy.” One last glance at the two men on the porch and she swung the nose of the car out into the street and stepped on the gas. Gravel spewed and the massive hunk of metal bolted forward.
“We could swing by the VFW Hall. It’s Friday night. He could be making a delivery to the domino club. They like to add a little kick to their punch while they play.”
“And talk to him in front of the biggest gossips in town?” Brandy shook her head. “I’ll stop back by later. Maybe he’ll be home.”
Hopefully.
Her heart kicked up a beat and her hands trembled.
At the prospect of finding Kenny Roy.
She certainly wasn’t getting anxious because Tyler McCall was back in town.
Her gaze went to the rearview mirror and the headlights that sliced through the darkness and settled behind her.
Ellie glanced behind and a smile tugged at her lips. “So what’s the scoop on you and Mr. FB?” she asked as she settled back into her seat. “How did you meet?”
“And here I thought the biggest gossips were over at the VFW Hall.”
Ellie shrugged. “So I like to get the scoop.”
“And spread it around.”
“That, too, but I’m due. I’ve been the object of my fair share of gossip and now it’s my turn.” She glanced at Brandy. “Tit for tat, you know.”
Boy, did she ever. That’s why she and Ellie had become friends as well as co-workers. While Ellie wasn’t from Rebel, she hailed from a nearby small town and with her good looks and casual attitude when it came to men, she’d learned early on what it was like to have folks talk about her. Yep, Ellie was a kindred soul. The only difference is Ellie had earned her reputation. She wore tank tops and short-shorts and flirted shamelessly.
Brandy, on the other hand, had always done just the opposite. She’d kept her ample curves covered up and played the good girl.
In public, a voice reminded her, stirring a wave of memories that sucked her under and reminded her that behind closed doors, she was every bit the bad girl the town painted her to be.
“So?” Ellie nudged. “Give me the details.”
“Tyler and I went to high school together.” Brandy tore her gaze from the pair of lights and focused on the blacktop in front of her.
“And?”
“And nothing.” She shrugged, ignoring the memories that pushed and pulled at her as she followed the road that led back to town. “We went to school together. We graduated. I stayed here to bake and he left to ride bulls.”
“Did you actually date?”
“No. We just fooled around.”
“I wouldn’t mind fooling around with his buddy. Talk about a hottie.”
She slid a sideways glance at her assistant. “Don’t you have a boyfriend?” She was reminding Ellie of Bart Wilburn, the hunky ranch hand who’d been picking her up after work for the past few months.
“Sure do.”
“And he doesn’t mind if you see other people?”
“As long as I don’t get caught seeing other people. See, while we like each other, we don’t like each other. I know it and he knows it, but instead of ending things, we stay together because it’s better than being alone. Meanwhile, we’re both still looking for something better. At the same time, we don’t want to make the other look bad so we keep it discreet.”
“That’s the most dysfunctional thing I’ve ever heard.”
“So sayeth the woman who’s married to her oven. Then again, if I had a hunky FB like the one back there, I might be able to work out my frustrations and keep my focus on work, too. Speaking of which, I’ve noticed that you’re a little tense. I think it’s a good thing this guy is back in town.”
“I’m not hooking up with Tyler McCall right now.”
“Why not? That’s what he’s for, right? At least take one night off and do the deed. You never know when he’ll be back. You know what they say—use it or lose it.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Brandy crossed over the railroad tracks on the outskirts of town and glanced back at her mirror. As expected, the headlights slowed at the small dirt road just on the other side of the tracks. The shiny black truck swung a right and disappeared through the thick trees that shrouded the entrance to Rebel’s one and only trailer park and Brandy ignored the strange sense of loss that niggled at her.
“It’s the God’s honest.” Ellie held her hand to her heart. “I heard just yesterday from Amanda Huckaby who heard from Kaitlyn McGuire who said that her cousin spent every second of her twenties building up her hair salon. She worked nonstop. Then all of a sudden, she hit thirty and bam, she wanted to shift into the next gear and have a family. But she couldn’t and do you know why?”
“No.” Brandy turned right at the next intersection and followed the street into the heart of Rebel. “But I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“Because her lady parts had been on pause for so long that they forgot what to do.” The woman gave a shudder. “Her vagina practically shriveled up and died from neglect. At least that’s what her gyno said.”
“No doctor said that.”
“Not outright. He used some fancy medical terms, but the bottom line is she can’t have any kids because her coochie is useless. And all because she put business before pleasure.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Is it? If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Say you went ten years without using your legs, you wouldn’t be able to just jump up and start running. Not without some serious repercussions. We’re talking leg cramps. Weakness. Pain. Why, you’d be lucky to stand up at all let alone walk around or run.”
“It hasn’t been ten years.” Brandy pulled up behind the small Ford Focus parked in front of the bakery and killed the engine. “Just two.”
“Are you freakin’ serious? No wonder you’ve been so irritable lately.” Ellie gathered up her purse and climbed out of the car. “Don’t tell me you’re going back inside,” she added when Brandy climbed out of the car and started for the front door.
“I’m already here. I might as well get everything prepped for tomorrow morning. Besides, I want to check on the mash and make sure it’s still bubbling.” She slid her key into the lock. “And I’m not irritable because it’s been two years. Sweet Somethings has some serious competition for the breakfast crowd. I have a right to be on edge.”
“If you say so,” Ellie said as she pulled open the door to her Focus. “Use it or lose it, sister.” She slid Brandy a glance before disappearing behind the wheel. “That’s all I’m saying.”