Cowboy Outcasts (10 page)

“What? I’m
not getting on there.”

Hailey was
too inhibited. She was a good girl, and he rarely tangled with them. They were
too much effort and not nearly as exciting in the bedroom. “Don’t be a baby.
Just climb on and hang on tight. I’m just going for a quick run.”

“I don’t
know…”

“Come on.
It’ll be fun. Promise.”

She bit her
full lower lip, gathering her hair into a makeshift bun. “Is it safe?”

“Trust me.”

Hailey
cautiously approached. She rested a hand on his bicep while lifting her leg
over the seat behind him. Her body was slight but pressed tight to his back.

“Hold on
tight.” As soon as he hit the gas, her arms snaked around his waist, holding on
for her life. It felt good to have a woman’s hands on him again. The vibration
of the engine travelled through his body, bringing him to life. He couldn’t
help but smile as he raced down the familiar dirt roads. As a teen he had his
dirt bike. It was the same thrill now, one he savored. When he heard Hailey
squeal, a jovial sound, he was glad he’d pushed her to come along.

Being on the
road was an adventure, always something exciting happening to keep his mind off
reality. He was terrified to return home and fall back into the same bleak
routine. But now that he witnessed the endless golden fields, and the rich
evergreen treeline in the distance, he knew he’d made the right choice to come
home.

Hailey’s
hands gripped his shirt, kneading the muscles in his chest.
 
Arden
twisted his wrist, sending the bike speeding along the barren stretch of road.
When he finally realized they were only coasting, the roar of the engine
extinguished, they were miles from home.

Chapter Eight

“What’s
wrong?” she asked.
Arden
steered the bike to the side of the road. The steady drone of crickets filled
her ears once the engine quieted.

“I was
too damn hasty.” He got off the bike and knocked the kick stand down with his
boot. “Come on.” He helped her off the bike, the sound of gravel crunching
under her shoes when she hit the ground.

“Did
you run out of gas?”

“Could
be. Like I said, I wasn’t thinking.” His jaw clenched down hard, and he kicked
at the weeds growing along the side of the road. “
Fuck.”

She
felt awkward, unable to help because she knew nothing about mechanics. After a
few minutes
Arden
returned his attention to the motorcycle, trying to get it running. His waves
of dark hair fell over into his eyes, his shirt pulling tight over his
shoulders. Hailey couldn’t help her physical attraction to the cowboy—or
perhaps it was just his similarity to Callum that piqued her interest.

“Do you
know if there’re any farm houses in the area?”

He
exhaled an irritated breath. “Darlin’, ain’t nothing ‘round here but prairie.
The closest ranch is back at my place.”

“You
don’t have to yell,” she said. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Like
you’re trying to help Callum, by getting
yourself
a grant? Maybe my brother is love-blind, but I’m lucid enough to know
nothing in life is free.”

“Wow,
you’re something else.” She began to walk away, in the direction of the O’Shea
Ranch.

“Fuck.
I’m sorry. Stop.”

She
ignored him, walking a fast clip. There was nothing wrong with some good,
old-fashioned exercise. She just hoped the heat wouldn’t kill her.

“Hailey!”
She heard his heavy footfalls catching up with her.

“Leave
me alone. Why don’t you find some comfort in the bottom of your flask?”

His
hand wrapped around her upper arm.
Arden
easily stopped her, spinning her around to face him. “Sometimes I speak before
I think. It’s a flaw of mine.”

“Callum
has an excuse for his behavior. You? You have a choice in how you act.”

Unlike
Callum’s dark eyes,
Arden
’s
were as blue as the clear sky above them. He forced her to pay attention to
him, and she had little choice in her current predicament.

“You’re
right. I was wrong. But before you judge me, try walking a mile in my shoes.
You’ve seen and heard Callum’s symptoms. Imagine them tenfold. He’s improved
over the years, teaching himself how to mask the tics. Back when we were
younger I was fighting nearly every damn day of my life.” He tilted up her chin
when she tried to look away. “You see, Callum’s not a fighter. When he’s upset,
he internalizes the pain. Me, I lash out.”

“That’s
understandable. You love your brother, so you look out for him. I can respect
that.”

“Don’t
you see, darlin’. There ain’t nothing wrong with me. But I couldn’t in good
conscience socialize with people who teased by kid brother. A man has to have some
honor.”

“You
can’t use your sacrifice as an excuse forever.”

He
narrowed his eyes. She knew he was looking for sympathy, but she wouldn’t
enable his cycle of negative behavior.

“Are
all scientists cold-hearted?”

Before
she could respond, the sound of an approaching vehicle captured their
attention.

A black
pickup truck with raised suspension pulled up alongside them. There were three
rough and rowdy cowboys inside, a low twang of country music coming from the
radio. The driver leaned out the window, a sly smile on his face. “Well, hello
there, beautiful. Looks like you may need a ride.”

“Our
bike broke down,” she said. “Could you give us a ride to the O’Shea Ranch?”

“Hailey,
don’t,” whispered
Arden
.
She didn’t see what the problem was. If they could get back to the ranch,
Arden
could get his truck
and horse trailer and come back for his motorcycle.

“Listen
to your friend, sweetheart. There’s only room for one in our truck. I’m sure
Arden
can manage on his
own.”

Shit.
They knew each
other. These were probably some of the bullies Arden and Callum had to deal
with.

“Well,
if that’s the case, I’ll walk with
Arden
.”

“What a
man. Leads his woman into the boondocks and then forces her to walk. Classy,
Arden
, as always.”
 
The other men laughed inside, the hysterical
sound destroying the peaceful serenity of the landscape.

“Maybe
you should go,” whispered
Arden
.
“If you want to save your feet, it’s your best option.”

“Listen
to the man,” said the driver.

She
kept walking, shaking her head. “Thanks anyway.
 
But I enjoy walking.”

They
wouldn’t take no for an answer. “Stop playing hard to get. Makes no sense
walking when we’re offering to drive you.”

She was
beginning to feel uncomfortable, so she ignored them, looking straight ahead.
If Callum were there, he’d stick up for her, make her feel safe.

When
they wouldn’t drive off,
Arden
put himself between her and the truck.

“You’ve
heard her, now fuck off.”
 
He even
stepped up onto the running board with one foot, getting in the face of the
driver. “I know where you live, Bradshaw.”

The
humor fled from the man’s face and he hit the gas after
Arden
stepped down.

He’d
surprised her. “Thank you,” she said, taking a deep breath once she could only
see a billow of dust down the long, narrow dirt road.

Arden
stopped her again. “Why’d you do that?”

“Do
what?” she asked.

“You
could have gotten a ride, but you refused.”

“I
wasn’t about to leave you all alone.”

“But I
was being an asshole.”

“You
were just being human. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
 
She smiled at him, hoping to make amends if
possible. Hailey still had to live with Arden and Callum if she was to finish
her research.
 
Being on hostile terms
would be unpleasant at best.

“You’re
something different.” He stroked her hair, an intimate touch she wasn’t
expecting. “Pretty, too.”

“We
should start walking,” she said.

“Are
you frightened of me?”

Could
he feel her body tremble with trepidation and anticipation at once? She
desperately wanted the bad boy to want her, to desire her. But she also knew
exactly what kind of man he was. He’d use her for all she was worth and discard
her faster than she could redress. After finding a potential relationship with
Callum O’Shea, she wouldn’t jeopardize that for the cowboy drifter. At least
Callum showed signs of stability, work ethic, and devotion. She was well aware
they were both virtual strangers, but her initial assessment warned her to stay
away from
Arden
.

“A
little,” she said honestly.
 
Hailey was
scared of what he represented, and of her intense attraction to him.

“I’ve
never hurt a woman, and never will. My daddy may have been a volatile man, but
he loved our mother something fierce.” He slipped his hand around her waist,
bringing her a hair’s length from his body. “Tell me, lady scientist, does that
mean I’m capable of love, too?”

“E–Everyone
is capable of love.”
 
She could feel the
heat of his body and the roughness of his hand against the small band of
exposed flesh at her back. Her body reacted, tempting her to give in to his
ministrations. But she wouldn’t.

“What
about you, Ms. Watson. Can you love a sinner?”

Her
breath caught. It would be so easy to close her eyes and let him whisk her away
to a place only the two of them existed. She imagined he’d be a skilled and
attentive lover, even if untamed. Hailey knew the pleasures of the flesh
firsthand thanks to Callum, and that knowledge only made
Arden
more tempting.

“Don’t
you love your brother?”

He
cocked his head. “Of course. Why you asking?”

“You
said he’s falling in love with me. If that’s true, I wonder how he’ll feel knowing
you’re ready to take what he considers his.”

He
groaned, taking a deep breath before pulling away.
Arden
massaged behind his neck with both
hands while staring at her. “You know what? I was going to fuck you right here,
out in the open. That was my whole plan when coming out here. I was going to
prove to myself you were no good for my little brother.”

“Why?”

“Because
he’s special! I won’t have some money-hungry whore breaking his heart,
pretending to love him back while mocking him in her head.”

She
stopped breathing, her chest tight. He was crude, not holding his tongue for
anyone. Was that what
Arden
thought of her?

“But
then you came along and proved me wrong. I didn’t think a woman could ever love
Callum the way he deserved.”
 
He returned
to her, trailing his thumb over her lower lip. “You’ve just complicated my
life, baby girl.”

They
started walking. She hadn’t said a word, still trying to decipher everything
he’d said. She felt like a leaf being tossed back and forth between the waves
and the shore, unable to settle on either. Hailey’s heart felt bound to Callum
but she had new, intense feelings for his own brother. Maybe she would have
been better off living in a cardboard box than showing up at the O’Shea Ranch.
They weren’t just town outcasts. They managed to work some sort of spell on
her, making her incapable of walking away. Visions of Leprechauns danced in her
head.

“It’s
getting hot,” he said after they’d walked for what felt like miles. “Too hot.”

She
nodded, trudging on.

Arden
decided to yank off his shirt. He tucked the edge through a loop in
his belt and carried on. Unbeknownst to him, his bare upper body was making her
ravenous. He had Celtic bands around each developed bicep and a Celtic cross on
his right pec.
 
His tattoos only added to
his rugged appeal. The more she knew she should stay away, the more she wanted
him.

“Want
me to carry you?” he asked after a while.

“We’re
both tired. I’m not going to make you carry me.”

“Just
for a bit so you can let your feet rest. Besides, there’s nothing to you.” He
stopped, squatting on the ground.

“
Arden
, no.”

“Come
on, now.”

She
mounted his back and he hoisted her up, an arm supporting each thigh. Hailey
felt like a child, clinging to his shoulders in fear of falling. He was tall,
so the drop wouldn’t be pleasant. His skin was warm with a light sheen of
sweat. She wanted to splay her fingers and explore his body, but kept her
fantasies locked in her mind.