Monroe, Melody Snow - Leather and Lace [The Callens 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (10 page)

As she rode toward the Watson property, she relived her whirlpool experience. A bit of heat raced up her body. At the image of Wade proudly standing before her, her pussy gushed again. Both men excited her, but she knew a relationship with them would never happen. There was something about her running a ranch that bothered them.
Well, too damn bad
.

After an hour, she was beginning to fatigue and headed back to the barn. She was pleased at how well her arm was holding up. Her strength had returned more than she would have guessed. Once her horse got within sight of the place, he sped up. “Easy, boy.”

She walked him into the barn. Jake was there.

“How did it go?”

“It was great to be back in the saddle.”

“I’ll rub him down for you.”

Why was he being so nice? “I can handle it.”

“Never said you couldn’t. Just thought I’d do something to help.”

If he was offering, why not? “I appreciate it.”

“Say, are you going to watch the parade tomorrow?”

Was he asking her out? She couldn’t lie. “Heath is picking me up.” That was safe to say. It wasn’t a date per se.

“You need to watch those two.”

She so didn’t want to get into a spitting match between those guys. “Thanks for the warning. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow there.”

“You bet.”

That was an awkward exchange. This was precisely why she shouldn’t date anyone. Not that going with Heath was a date, or so she tried to tell herself, but rumors might fly.

Once she got home, she charged into the shower. Getting to wash her own hair without having to wrap her arm would be freeing. The hot water pulsed over her body. She scrubbed every inch, including her arm. There was a scar where the bullet penetrated, but in time, the redness should go away. To her, the injury was a badge of honor. It showed she was a survivor.

After she ate the food Heath had prepared, she headed to bed. It was strange being in the house by herself. While she didn’t always interact with the men, especially if they came in late, she felt calm knowing one of them was there in case something happened.

Between the whirlpool relaxing her muscles and the hour-long ride, she fell asleep right away. Morning came all too soon. She’d slept better than she had in weeks. Having the cast off was incredibly helpful. Since the sun was shining, she figured it might be hot standing around watching the parade. Instead of her normal jeans, she pulled on a thin pair and tugged on a short-sleeve T-shirt. In case the festivities went late, she decided to bring a denim jacket along.

She’d just finished breakfast when the doorbell rang. Heath was early. She jogged to the door and pulled it open.

Wade came instead. “Where’s Heath?”

His hand slapped his chest. “You wound me. Heath’s busy and sent me instead. Can you handle that?”

She couldn’t tell if he was challenging her or not. “Sure.”

“You ready?”

“Let me get my wallet.”

She rushed back inside. In case she wanted to buy something, she wanted cash. As she walked out, she pulled her hair into a ponytail. It was great to be able to fix her own hair for a change.

“How about leaving it down?”

From the way his eyelids lowered, he wanted her to be more feminine. Maybe she should not worry about image so much and start acting herself. “Sure.” She pulled the tie out and threaded it over her wrist.

She stopped short when she spotted his motorcycle. “You drove that?”

He shrugged. “It’s easier to park. The entire town will be there and finding a spot will be hard. We can take your truck if your arm isn’t strong enough to wrap around my waist.”

She clasped her hands together and tugged. “It’s good. As long as you don’t go too fast around any dangerous curves, I’ll be fine.”

“Super.” He handed her a helmet. “Put your jacket on. It’ll give you more protection.”

She wasn’t sure about riding into town on the back of Wade Watson’s bike. He was considered a bad boy by some, despite his excellent track record of being a successful rancher. Wouldn’t the rumors spike if Jake saw her. Who cared? She hopped on up.

“You ever been on a motorcycle before?”

Once.
“Sure.”

He cocked a brow. “Hold on tight and lean the same way I do.”

Lean the same way I do.
He acted like she was ten and clueless. She slid behind him and grabbed hold of his waist, trying not to touch him too much. He took both of her hands and overlapped them. His rough palms scraping against her skin sent her senses soaring. For a split second she imagined what it would be like to have those palms on her tits.

Stop it. Focus.

Purely for safety reasons, she locked her fingers. Now her chest was pressed tightly against his back. Could this get any more embarrassing?
Or exciting?

As soon as he started the engine, he took off, and she had to tighten her grip. The dirt road leading out of her ranch jostled her around and her muscles tensed. As soon as he swung onto the main road, she was able to relax and take in the scenery.

While she got a thrill from galloping across the plains, there was something exciting about racing around the road on a motorcycle. As they got closer to town, he had to slow down because of the traffic. She spotted Jake’s red truck ahead on the road and prayed her foreman wouldn’t spot her in his rearview mirror. She wasn’t sure why she didn’t want him to see her holding on to Wade, but she felt too much like a woman behind the powerful man.

Wade found a parking spot in no time. He helped her off and pulled a bag out of his saddlebags. He held out his hand. “Come on.”

The parade would begin at the courthouse and proceed the fifteen blocks down Main Street. The sidewalks were already packed with families, so they had to weave their way to the start point. She wasn’t sure why they had to be at the beginning of the route, but there was no use questioning Wade. He had a mission, and nothing was going to stop him.

When they arrived on the grassy area in front of the courthouse, she spotted his foreman, Wilt, standing in front of a bunch of grocery store carts wearing a Groucho Marx mask. He looked ridiculous. Wade pulled her closer.

“You ready?”

“For what?”

He tugged on her hand to bring her closer. From the bag he took from the pouch, he lifted two Groucho Marx masks and handed her one. “Put this on.”

“No way.”

He slipped his on. “Why not?”

Wade looked outrageous but somehow managed to look sexy at the same time. She couldn’t help but laugh. “Someone could see me.”

He took the mask from her hands and placed it over her face. The big nose and mustache tickled, and the glasses sat lopsided on her face.

He grinned. “You look cute.” From the stack in front of Wilt, Wade pulled two grocery carts toward them. “We’re pushing these.”

She tore off the mask. “There is no way in hell I’m going to walk down the street like this pushing that cart.”

“You afraid people will see you as weak?”

What was up with these guys? They seemed to think she had problems with her self-image. “No.” She was fine as long as none of her men saw her do this. Maybe no one would recognize her in this disguise. Since none of her workers had seen her with her hair down, maybe she’d go unnoticed.

The music from the high school marching band began. Wade leaned over. “It’s showtime, babe.”

“I’m not your babe.”

“Ouch.” He winked.

The man was insufferable. She should rip off the mask and duck into the crowd, but then someone was sure to spot her. She was probably safer looking like the fool. Who would guess Samantha Callen would walk down Main Street in a mask, pushing a grocery cart, looking almost like a homeless person?

He elbowed her. “Here we go. Happy Fourth of July.”

“Why are you so cheerful?”

“I love America.”

Now she was speechless. He waved to the crowd, and then he turned his cart into hers.

“Hey!” She banged his back.

The two of them got in a pissing match, smashing their carts against each other. Wade started laughing, which got her laughing. There were about fifteen Groucho Marx wannabes, all of whom worked for Wade. As they followed the group in front of them, they got sillier and sillier. Wade even started acting like Groucho and quoting the man.

“You are so annoying.” She slapped his arm.

“Here’s another one. ‘Only
one man in a thousand is a leader of men. The other 999 follow women.’”

She rolled her eyes, though she had to admit she liked the phrase. They were halfway to the end of the parade route when Wade veered to the right. She followed, though she had no idea where he was going. “What are you doing?”

Everyone was looking at them as they left the parade. Wade wheeled his cart around a few people until he reached the sidewalk. “Excuse us.”

She debated ducking back in line behind Wilt, but she was curious what crazy Wade was going to do next. She’d never seen him act like this. In the past, he’d been more reserved, as if he, too, didn’t want anyone to see him be anything other than the boss man.

He stopped in front of the grocery store and went into the entranceway. “Leave the cart here.”

She was happy to get rid of that encumbrance. “Now what?”

“The best part.” He checked his phone. “It’s time for the tobacco spitting contest over on Fourth Street.”

When Sam was a little girl, her dad liked to watch that event, but she’d forgotten about it in recent years. Once more he clasped her hand in his as if they were a couple. This sudden change of heart confused her. Yes, he was seductive in the whirlpool, but ever since she went riding on her own, he’d been distant, almost as if he feared she really would get reinjured.

Did he like her?
Nah.
His statement all those years ago that he and Heath would claim her as their own one day had surely been a comment to make her squirm.

A large group was gathered, cheering the competitors. Tape had been placed across the road with distance markings on them. There was a second area taped off, too. “What’s the other group doing?”

“Accuracy contest.”

“Only in
Intrigue
.”

He faced her. “Are you kidding? This is a national pastime. I heard there’s one in Missouri that has us beat.”

A roar went up. Wade swung her in front of him, placed her back to his chest, and pulled her close. She seemed to melt into his arms. The security of having him surround her took her by surprise. It was nice for a change not to be in charge.

“Look at that.” Wade pointed to the brown spit on the twenty-five-foot mark.

She laughed. “This is a necessary skill because?”

“It’s a man thing. You wouldn’t understand.” He leaned over her shoulder. “Or would you?”

Enough was enough. She swiveled in his arms. “In case you haven’t noticed, I am not a man.” He was goading her, but she didn’t care. She’d had enough of the man comments.

He leaned close. “I guess you’ll just have to prove it.”