Pressure Point (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 3) (23 page)

Em blinked. “Nash tried to give the money back?”

“He came to see me right after he got back from the cabin. He explained everything to me, including the detail that you didn’t come clean because you didn’t want to hurt me. It proved I’ve been too rough on you at times just to protect you.”

“You’ve never been too rough. You’ve been good to me, to Jewels, and Pearl too.” Tears poured from her cheeks and he handed her a tissue. “I’ve always remembered when I was young. I started kindergarten and I was so afraid. I wanted to stay home with our nanny, Clementine, and with you on the ranch.   That first morning, you drove us to the end of the lane to wait for the bus. Jewels and Pearl climbed out, ready to face the world, and I stayed behind, sitting beside you, my hands shaking. You turned to face me, pulling your wallet from your pocket and took out something very precious and dear to you.”

“The picture of your mother that I carried.” Tears fell to his weathered cheeks.

“The picture was worn and faded, but you placed it in my hand and told me—”

“When you felt sad, when you were scared, look down at your mother and feel proud that her blood, strong and spirited, runs through your veins. No matter where you are, Em, you can depend on the fact that she is watching over you.” He sniffed loudly. “You see, honey, that picture had gotten me through some very hard times. When I felt lost, I’d go and sit at the church, praying, holding your mother’s picture. I believe there’s a magic in it. Every time I would look at her smiling face, I couldn’t help but smile too.”

“Dad.” Em stood, tears still flooding her cheeks. She hugged him tightly on the shoulders. “I’ve kept that picture with me all of these years. I know what you mean. I can’t help but smile when I look at her. She was so beautiful.”

“All three of you girls look so much like her, but you Em,” he patted her arm, “You are her in spirit and character. She’d be so proud of how you ladies have turned out. Just as I’m very proud.”

“Please forgive me for lying about my relationship with Nash.”

He nodded. “There’s nothing to forgive. But be sure that before you give up on any of the possibilities, you’ve examined your feelings carefully. Look at the finer details. And then walk away if you must. Be aware the wedding wasn’t called off, which is strange. The boy had the guts to face me to tell me the truth, and yet neither of you have admitted the truth to Jewels and Pearl.”

Em wiped her tears as she stepped back. “Thank you, Dad.” She rushed toward the door.

“Where are you going?”

She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I’m going to grab myself a husband.”

****

A week had gone by since Nash had left the cabin.

He’d made an utter fool out of himself when he’d suggested to Em that they get married. And the scorching heat of embarrassment left him senseless.

Jobe gave him a side-glance over the coil of barbed wire fencing that he held.

“Why are you looking at me like that, bro?” Nash shook his head.

His brother shrugged. “Hell if I know. You’re acting worse than a horse with a wasp on his ass. Argument between you and Em?”

“None of your business,” Nash forced the words through clenched teeth.

“It is when you’re disturbing my mood. And if you don’t quit playing with the barbed wire you’re going to get cut wide open,” Jobe warned.

“Then hell, you try.” He tossed the fencing on the ground between them. He knew his mood stunk. He tried concealing it from his brothers, but they were good at calling him out, making him face facts.

“Nash, have you ever had one of those moments when worlds seem to collide and, although it seems impossible, you’ve managed to find yourself in a place where you have to choose happiness or walk away? But it could bring you to your knees?” Jobe asked.

Nash looked at his brother. “Yes.”

“And what do you do?” Jobe’s eyes narrowed.

“You grab life by the reins and jump heart first.”  He thumped Jobe on the shoulder. “Thank you, bro. I needed to hear those words.” Nash raced off toward his truck.”

“Where you going?” Jobe’s words were lost in the breeze. Nash’s truck was already heading down the lane. “Damn. This wasn’t about you, it was about me.” He threw the wire and growled.

Nash pushed the pedal to the medal on the narrow lane. He knew what he had to do. Em was a woman who needed a strong man, one with confidence. She needed to see inside of his heart, and he’d open up to her once and for all.

The truck kicked up dirt as he sped toward the main road.

A flash of red turned onto the lane, barely missing him by an inch, and barreled past him. “What the fuck!” He slammed on the brake, watching in the rearview mirror as the truck that had passed also came to a stop, sliding sideways. The dust finally settled and he saw someone had gotten out. Then he noticed her standing in the middle of the lane. Em had never looked better.

Nash pushed open the door and slid out. “Damn, you’re lucky you didn’t kill us both!”

Em had her hands on her hips, her chin cocked and her eyes on him. “I know how to drive, Nash! You were on my side of the road!”

“How the hell could you tell with how fast you were going?” He took a step closer. “Why are you here?”

“We have two weeks. That ain’t much.” Her arms dropped to her sides.

“Two weeks?” He raised a brow as he took another step.

“You heard right. How the hell are we going to finalize wedding plans in fourteen days?” Her words sounded breathless.

“But it’s a farce, Em.” His chest ached. “I already told your dad.”

“Yeah, I know, but I want a husband!” She took a step. She looked amazing in a strapless dress that reached three inches above her knees, showing off gorgeous legs.

“Have you tried one of those online dating sites that specialize in marriages at first site?” He smiled.

“Why would I do that when I have my best friend, my soul mate, standing ten feet in front of me?” He could see her bottom lip tremble.

“How do you know, sweetheart?” His heart beat so fast he became heady.

“Because you said yourself, you ‘get me’. And you do. Now why should we waste any more time? Will you marry me?”

He strolled to her, pride filling his chest. “It’s about time. I would have hated to hog tie you and make you listen to my speech on why we should marry. I had it all planned out in my head.” She came running and jumping into his arms, wrapping her legs around his hips.

“Is that a yes?” she whispered.

“On one condition. I love you, Em. I love you from the bottom of my heart, through every nook and cranny. But I don’t want a wife who can’t give me all of her…”

“Stop talking, cowboy” She kissed his cheeks, his jaw, his lips.

“Now that’s not very nice, not when I’m trying to be all sappy and sweet.” He smacked her on the bottom.

“Baby, you had me at hello.” She pulled back, meeting his gaze. Her eyes misted. “I fell in love with you the moment you decided to help with Sea Breeze. You were willing to help me with nothing expected in return. Do you forgive me for fighting the truth for so long?”

“There’s nothing to forgive. Not when I’m the happiest man alive.”

The End

From the author:

Thank you for reading. Please leave a review and let others know your thoughts.

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Hugs,

Rhonda Lee Carver  “Writing Men Who Love to Get Their Hands Dirty…”

At an early age, Rhonda fell in love with romance novels, knowing one day she’d write her own love story. Life took a short detour, but when the story ideas were no longer contained, she decided to dive in and write. Her first plot was on a dirty napkin she found buried in her car. Eventually, she ran out of napkins. With baby on one hip and laptop on the other, she made a dream into reality—one word at a time.

Her specialty is men who love to get their hands dirty and women who are smart, strong and flawed. She loves writing about the everyday hero.

When Rhonda isn't crafting sizzling manuscripts, you will find her busy editing novels, blogging, juggling kids and animals (too many to name), dreaming of a beach house and keeping romance alive. Oh, and drinking lots of coffee to keep up with her hero and heroine.

I hope you’ve enjoyed
Pressure Point

For other titles by Rhonda Lee Carver, please visit:

www.rhondaleecarver.com

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Other books by Rhonda Lee Carver

Diamond in a Rose

Double Dare

Delaney’s Sunrise

Second Chance Cowboy (Book 1, Second Chance Series)

Second Ride Cowboy (Book 2, Second Chance Series)

Second Round Cowboy (Book 3, Second Chance Series)

Second Dance Cowboy (Book 4, Second Chance Series)

Second Song Cowboy (Book 5, Second Chance Series)

Second Burn Cowboy (Book 6, Second Chance Series)

Second Hope Cowboy (Book 7, Second Chance Series)

Castle’s Fortress

Dreaming Ivy

Friends With Benefits

Sin With Cuffs

With Honor

Wicked Pleasures (Book 1, Wicked Wolves Series)

Wicked Lust (Book 2, Wicked Wolves Series)

Fighting Flames

UNDER PRESSURE (Book 1, Rhinestone Cowgirls)

PRESSURE RISING (Book 2, Rhinestone Cowgirls)

Under the Mistletoe

Cowboy Paradise (Cowboys of Nirvana)

Leather for Two, Wings of Steel MC

Watch for…

Second Sunrise Cowboy (Book 8, Second Chance Cowboy) Coming 2015!

Have you read Cowboy Paradise (Book 1, Cowboys of Nirvana)? Here’s a gift to you…Chapter One.

Chapter One

Three years later…

The creaking and popping of the old Victorian house brought Cara to a sitting position in bed. She listened closer, but only heard silence. She was alone.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose and wiping the beads of sweat from her brow, she forced her breath in and out of her lungs, calming the fast beating of her heart. The last panic attack had been months ago and she wasn’t about to have another one. Not tonight.

She’d had a nightmare about James—a nightly event that she had no control over. Three years had passed since the accident, the one that had brought her freedom, yet the damage had already been done.

After James had accused her of sleeping with Tommy Baker, and slapped her around, Cara had blacked out. When she awoke a few minutes later, she’d heard the whirling of sirens. Then what happened was a blur. He was arrested and Cara was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she was met by a concerned Cleo.  She’d admitted that she’d called the sheriff because she worried about Cara’s safety.  Once released from the hospital a few hours later, Cara went to the sheriff’s department where picture after picture was taken, and statement after statement was given.

Cara went home, packed up all of James’s things and took them to his sister’s house. Early the next morning, Cara went out of town and hired a divorce attorney.

Pulling strings, James was let go from jail. Celebrating his release, he’d gotten drunk at his local hangout and called her threatening that if she didn’t stop divorce proceedings, he’d have to take matters into his own hands. She didn’t need the finer details to understand what he was suggesting. But, she’d decided she would rather die than live another day with him.

When the bar closed and he left, he ran his truck into a tree. A passerby found him dead a mile from Cara’s house. She often wondered if he’d gotten what he’d deserved. Maybe karma had played a hand in his demise.

When she’d opened the door and the deputy told her the news of the accident, she knew she was free at last. Never having to live in fear again was priceless. But she’d felt an unexplainable guilt that stuck with her. Although the love she’d had for James had died years before, a part of her questioned if she could have saved and changed him if she’d divorced him much sooner.

Yet, in her heart, she realized he never would have changed.

A second shock had come when she learned James had bought himself and Cara a life insurance policy, merely two months before his death. There was a certain amount of suspicion why he’d taken one out on her too, but she’d been awarded enough money upon his death that she could do all of the things that he’d kept her from doing during their marriage.

First thing she did was sell his law practice, then sunk the money into her shop, Time is of Essence. She loved working with vintage clothing and jewelry, a challenge she needed to help her get through the healing. The business had grown, especially after she’d opened an online store, and she didn’t have to worry about anything except…

Her future.

It seemed bleak.

There weren’t many prospects for her in Coal Springs, Texas, and she’d thought about packing up and moving to a place where no one knew her past. She hadn’t gotten that far yet. The few single men in town, known as bad boys, who’d asked her on a date, she’d turned down flat. Not only were they not her type, but that jerk of a dead husband of hers messed up her mind—and her heart. He’d told her enough times that she was ugly and worthless and she’d finally believed him.  He’d hypnotized her with his degrading insults and his physical abuse. Certain parts of her brain were malfunctioned—and vital parts of her body.

She’d spent enough money on a therapist that she could have traveled the world three times over, but nothing had really changed in all of the years. She was still alone. She was still damaged.

And yet, she still had dreams.

Cara wanted a family—wanted a child more than her next breath. She’d always hoped by now she would have found someone else, had a supportive partner, but maybe James had been right, she would never find a man that wanted a washed up woman. Enough people in town knew of her situation with James. They steered clear of her. His sister, Tammy, had spread rumor after rumor, mainly how Cara was at fault for James dying and how she’d caused him to drink heavily and turn abusive.  Cara shrugged off the statements.

She had bigger fish to fry.

The problem was, she was broken inside. She didn’t know if it was possible to trust another man, to love again. To feel secure in the arms of another. But she had to try to rebuild. Try to move ahead. She was too young to lie down and give up. She couldn’t let James win—couldn’t let him control her from his grave.

Clicking on the bedside lamp, she hit the book on the nightstand and it dropped to the floor. As she reached to grab it, something caught her eye. She stared at the brochure she’d thrown into the trash can a few weeks before after a tense and depressing visit with her therapist, Deidre. She told Cara things had come to a standstill in her therapy. Deidre slipped Cara the brochure, telling her to read it and to consider it as an option for healing. Deidre had said, “It would do you some good to get away.”

Cara had left the office, feeling down, and had almost forgotten about the brochure. She had skimmed through it, reading about the R&R. She didn’t need a vacation. She had the shop to worry about.

After another nightmare, she was on the brink of desperation.

Sighing, she took the pamphlet from the can and placed it in her lap. She read the cover… 

“Nirvana Ranch. A place where people find tranquility in nature.”

The picture of horses and the lovely sunset was definitely an attention getter. No denying her curiosity was tweaked, although she wasn’t sure the ranch was what she needed. How could she go away right now? She certainly didn’t think she’d be bold enough to go to some R&R miles away where they promised tranquility. She opened the cover and floated through the information. Seclusion. Horses. Nature. Riding lessons. A life skills coach. “Oh my.” Her throat constricted.

She read further.

“Visit us online and apply for an opportunity to visit Nirvana. We hope to see you soon.”
Nope, not going to happen.

Dropping the brochure back into the trash, she turned off the lamp, rolled over and buried her head into the pillow.

The clock ticked. The wind whistled. Tree branches scratched the window. Her heart pounded inside of her chest and her palms were sweaty.

Punching the pillow twice, she jerked the blanket over her head.  Once she fell asleep her nightmares would find her.

She wondered what it would be like to sleep peacefully for one night.

She could take the over-the-counter sleep aid that helped, but she didn’t like thinking she would be in a deep sleep and not arousing if something happened. A fire. A break-in. An important phone call. Who would call her in the middle of the night? No one called her during the day either. Her one, and only, friend was Cleo. Cara had more in common with the seasoned woman than anyone. Most thirty-year-olds were out having fun, but Cara stayed home every night. 

What would life be like if she found herself again, the young woman with compassion, adoration for life and a romantic fantasy of love and family? She’d been so happy before it was crushed under the weight of reality.

Turning on the light again, the pamphlet seemed to draw her like a beacon.

Her options were thin. She could live in fear and a safe bubble for the rest of her life, or get over the hell she’d once lived and had surrounded her like iron bars of a prison. Take a vacation. Do what normal people do.

She took the pamphlet and tapped the shiny paper with one nail.

It was time she kicked her husband out of her brain.

****

Ben Kade stared down the length of the pock-marked fence. Ranch hands, his friends and co-workers at Nirvana Ranch, were gathering around, greeting each other.

He looked out over the fields where the horses grazed. A hushed chatter arose from the men. Ben remained quiet, listening. There was always a tense excitement, for some more than others, as a new round of heartbreaks were scheduled to come and stay at the ranch.  ‘Heartbreaks’ was a name the staff called the visitors, because everyone who came through Nirvana had a story to tell, whether they knew it or not.  Heartbreaks spent a lot of money to come here to enjoy the outdoors, learn new life skills, fish and ride horses—and to get away from the hustle and bustle of a busy life. Over the years, he’d seen hundreds of women come and go, because ninety-nine percent of their guests were female. Most were single, some were married, and some were looking for a getaway while they cleared their head. Even a few came to hike through the vast trails or learn to cook by taking lessons from the staff chef. Several had come to meet the legendary rodeo star and owner of Nirvana—Chase Sever. Each and every one had their own reason. A lot of them were rich, city folk who wanted to find out what it was like on the other side of the fence, so to speak.

The workers here at Nirvana had stories to tell too, and most of them liked the fact that they were far away from civilization.

Ben looked at Maverick, who was leaning against the fence. The thirty-something cowboy wore his past on his harsh expression. He’d lost his wife to an illness six years ago. Further down he saw Jace, who grew up in a home with only his dad, who was an alcoholic. All of the men knew what it was like to lose, but Ben didn’t know all of their stories. Some weren’t as loose-lipped as others.

Ben started working as a ranch hand at Nirvana four years ago. Little did he know when he signed onto the job it would require more than tending horses and stacking bales of hay. It required healing, slowly and gradually. There was something about the countryside that made a person search for answers.

His main duty was to tend the horses, but he also liked to call himself the ‘friend’ of many women over the years. Sex between heartbreaks and hands was against the rules, although Ben knew that sometimes on a rare occasion the workers found themselves in situations where human nature took its natural course. For Ben, he didn’t like mixing personal and professional.

He laughed. To each his own.

He removed his hat and rubbed his forehead.

“I’m ready for the new heartbreaks,” Dade said as he took a seat on the top rail. “Ready to see people besides all you ugly men.”

Ben shook his head. “When aren’t you ready.”

Dade was the youngest cowboy and had more charm than he knew what to do with. His dimples alone made the ladies swoon, and his naïve, country boy innocence made him a danger to himself at times. He hadn’t quite earned his spurs yet, so to speak. He was a kid in a candy store. Chase, the owner, used Dade for transporting and errands. Ben knew Dade was in a hurry to advance on the proverbial ladder to success, to become a ranch hand, but the kid didn’t understand that everything looked better from afar.

“Maybe I’ll join you fellas in the ranks soon. I’m ready to do more than meet and greet.” Dade’s eyes twinkled with hope. “I want to teach riding lessons. I could also do crossbow lessons.”

“That’s up to the boss.” Ben wished he had half of Dade’s unabashed excitement. Once upon a time, Ben couldn’t wait for a new season, new opportunities. With age comes maturity. And disappointment.

He liked to keep the line between professional and personal drawn. He considered himself a man with a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen and a boost to a woman’s bruised ego. But he never allowed his emotions to get involved—or his dick. Some of the men joked that Ben didn’t have any emotions and that’s why he was good as a hand at Nirvana. He didn’t succumb to every pretty woman who batted her eyelashes—and boy did the ladies get out here in the country and get horny. Unfortunately, after an article was published in a prestigious magazine liking Nirvana to “a cowboy orgy” Chase was on a warpath. It was an unfair and unjust article by a journalist who hadn’t even visited Nirvana. Sure, some lines were crossed at times, but nothing more than what happened at any other R&R anywhere in the world.