Second Burn Cowboy (Second Chance Series Book 6) (20 page)

“You
’re talking about your ex-husband, right?”

She nodded. “
A month into our relationship, we were married and living a life I’d only dreamed of. We even opened a restaurant together and life was good—well, while I ignored the truth.” She looked into the distance as a group of deer grazed at the edge of the woods. “I wanted to believe it was good. I started seeing small changes in him. At first, I thought it was stress, but once I noticed discrepancies in the bookkeeping, I knew there was more going on than I could ever imagine. It didn’t take long, with a little investigation, to realize he was gambling and drinking away our money.”

“That must have been
a kick in the pants.” Deckland removed his hat and hooked it on his knee.

“You could say that again. I confronted him, expecting denial, but
he admitted to all of it, even that he’d cheated.” Seeing Deckland’s scowl, she sighed. “I’m not the first woman who has faced the fact that her husband needed more than she could give.”

“A cheater doesn’t cheat because of his p
artner. He cheats because he’s always searching for something to make his insecurities go away.” Deckland’s voice was somber. “In other words, you were married to a jerk who didn’t have a clue what he had.”

“I guess we all know someone who’s cheated.” The dog nuzzled Elsa’s hand
, and she scratched his head. She’d always wanted an animal.

“My mother cheated on my father, with her sister’s husband. I loved her with all of my heart, still miss her dearly, but I’ll never understand why.” The gruffness in his ton
e made her hair stand.

“Did it tear up the family?”

He shrugged. “I can’t remember a lot because I was young, but Aunt Betty, her sister, forgave her, even after a child was born from the affair.”

“A child? You have another sibling besides Dante and Dillon?”

“Dillon is the child. He knows and he’s accepted it, but I’m sure he’d like to ask Mom why too.” Sighing, he touched her hand, and the warmth zapped her veins. “Go on. Tell me the rest.”

“
Well, he promised me it’d never happen again—the drinking, the gambling, the affairs. Yet, two weeks down the road, I found him neck-deep in his lies again. Of course, when I asked him this time, he wasn’t as amiable and didn’t beg for forgiveness. When I told him I was leaving, he threatened that he’d never let me go, no matter what he had to do.” His hand tightened on her knuckles.

“Was he sputtering words or was he psycho enough?”

“At first, I thought he was doing anything he could to keep me with him, but after a few more episodes with a slap across the face, I knew he was no longer the man I had married. He’d become a monster and I no longer cared for him, if I ever really did. He even blamed me for his appetite for other women. I worked too much at the restaurant to not being wild enough in bed for him.”

“But you finally left him.” Deckland
removed his hand.

Searching his gaze, she saw the sincerity in his expression.
“The night I left I had used a knife to protect myself against him. I’ve never hurt another living soul. I’ve never even dreamed of drawing a knife on anyone, but I had been pushed to my limit. I knew then if I didn’t walk away someone would die and I refused to live like that.” Chills raced through her as tears moistened her gaze.

“
And he came to see you here.”

She nodded. “
Every message, every call from him, I had ignored. But he needed to enforce his bullying face to face.”

Decklan
d’s jaw was set at a sharp angle and his eyes were steely cold. She knew he must have a gamut of emotions spiraling through him. “What did he say?”

“He said
if I didn’t come home with him, he’d see that everyone around me, everyone I cared about, would pay for my choice. He didn’t admit to starting the fire, but he used it as leverage.”

“Why didn’t you go to the p
olice?”

“And tell them what? Don’t you think I
would if I felt they’d do something? Tom has been in trouble many times, but because his family has a lot of money with expensive lawyers under their belts, they can pay their way out of every problem and issue. I know that too well.” Her lungs ached and she sucked in a deep breath.

“You divorced him and he got everything?”

“Pretty much. I was allowed to go into the home we shared and gather some of my belongings, more than I had walked away with, but he’d destroyed most of it before I got there.”

Deckland rubbed his chin
. “Did he start the fire at your business? Is that who I saw running across the street?”

“I don’t know
. I really don’t. He’s evil, but how far he’d sink, I’m not sure.” She threaded her fingers through her hair and tucked tendrils behind her ear. “But I knew I had to gain some distance between you and me. I couldn’t risk that you, or anyone, could be the target of his animosity. I didn’t tell you sooner because I’m ashamed. People wonder why I let him hit me and stayed. It’s not a simple story to explain.”

“I understand,” he said.

“No you don’t. You’ve never had someone look at you like you’re guilty because you ‘allowed’ your husband to stay after he hit you. It’s demeaning.”

Deckland scooted to the edge of the seat, pulling bo
th of her hands into his larger, callused ones. “I’m not afraid of that bastard. I may not have his bank account or reputation, but I promise you, if he steps foot back in Texas, I’ll know and I’ll be waiting. That’ll be a grand mistake on his part.”

“Tom
doesn’t have a conscience or boundaries.” She moistened her lips. “I’m sorry, Deckland. Like I’ve told you, I’m poison. I can only make things harder for you, and you deserve so much better.”

He lifted one hand and palmed her cheek. “Sweetheart, these are
distortions that he wants you to believe. He wants you to be unhappy. Stop letting that asshole control you and start living the life you want. Let me help you achieve that.”

“I can’t ask anything from you. I have to stand on m
y own two feet this time.” The back of her throat tickled.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t come here and stay. You’ll be safe and you won’t have to worry about your ex coming around.
And I think we can both agree that you’ll have more protection here than in town, alone.”

“But I have a problem with this.”

His brow snapped up. “You do?”

Wringing her hands together
, she thought over her words. “I won’t deny that I have feelings for you. I’ve known for some time, but I don’t want you being kind to me out of obligation. Nothing would hurt worse than knowing all that you see when you look at me is a weak lamb that needs rescued.”

He laughed and she couldn’t help but smile.
“Hope I don’t sound like an ass, but I have a personal gain in you being here, and it has nothing to do with a lamb needing rescued.”

“Oh, you like my desserts, don’t you?” she teased.

“Can’t say that I mind them.” His eyes twinkled.

“Or is it the sex in the truck?”

He shifted and she saw the obvious zipper bulge, making her panties wet. “I am a red-blooded man, aren’t I? But that’s not the reward I was referring to.”

“Then what am I missing?” H
er heart fluttered. She wanted to hear him say how he felt—she needed to hear him divulge a little of his own emotion after she’d opened up so profoundly.

“Sweetheart, seeing you in the morning with your sweet smile, upturned nose, and
sparkling gaze always makes my day brighter. But I know you’re going through a vulnerable point and I’d never take advantage of that.”

She stood up
and went to the rail, leaning against the top beam. “I agreed to keep an eye on the place in town where I’m staying, only for a few weeks. But if I move back in here, there are conditions.” His brows lifted over curious gaze. “I need to pay my way.” His mouth opened, and she lifted a hand to stop his argument. “I insist. And I will only see this as a temporary situation and I won’t take advantage either. Once things with the insurance are squared away, I will open my business and leave your kitchen as I found it.”

“Sounds fair, that is, if you insist.” He nodded.

“But I’m not finished.” Again, a look of surprise sped across his features. “You have to let me make the coffee.”

“Are you saying t
here’s something wrong with the coffee I make?”

“Yes, I am. I think I’ve drank enough to put hair on my chest. I’ll set up my professional coff
eemaker, with my gourmet grounds, and you’ll see how coffee can become a delicious treat.”

His bows scrunched together. “Elsa, I’m a cowboy. We don’t drink that hoity-toity, pinky-in-the-air-while
-you-drink stuff. We drink it thick so we keep the hair on our chest. And last time I looked, I didn’t see one hair on yours.” He dropped his gaze to her breasts, and she trembled in delight.

Laughing, she
crossed her arms, hiding the fact that her nipples hammered the material of her bra. “Will you just trust me and give it a shot? If you absolutely can’t stand gourmet, we’ll put your one-setting antique back on the counter, and you can have coffee detail again. Fair?”

With sl
ight hesitation, he finally nodded his consent. “I can see my brothers laughing at me.”

“Deckland, I’ll let you in on a lit
tle secret. April was one of the best buyers for my special blend, Mocha Melt-your-toes. She bought it by the box.”

He shrugged. “So what. April is a city girl at heart.”

Elsa shook her head. “April didn’t buy it for herself.”

Deckland’s mouth dropped open. “For Dante?” Elsa nodded. Deckland jumped up from the chair and smacked his hand against his thigh. “My bad-ass brother likes frilly coffee. Well, well…man, the ways I can tease him.”

“No you won’t,” Elsa corrected.

“I won’t? Why?”

“I can’t lose my customers because you’re making fun of them. And, I’d bet my left arm that you’ll fall in love with my blend too,” she stated cockily.

He wriggled his brows. “Sounds loaded.”

“Maybe. In the meantime, let me see if I can entice you with another talent I have.” She glided to the screen door and tossed him a come-hither look over her shoulder. “Coming?”

She didn’t have to ask twice.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

DECKLAND STEPPED INTO the upscale restaurant, Zupita Bistro, and pulled off his sunglasses, dropping them into his front pocket. Removing his hat, he held it against his chest as he scanned the pretentious decor. It didn’t remind him of a place Elsa would own. He couldn’t see her in the kitchen here, hair pulled up into a messy bun, apron on, a dusting of flour on her cheek and a spot of chocolate on her lip.

A young brunette approached
him. “Do you have a reservation, sir?”

“No, I don’t,” he answe
red. He inhaled a strong whiff of garlic and rosemary, reminding him that he didn’t eat lunch before the plane ride here, but he certainly wouldn’t be tasting the food in this joint.

“Then I’m afraid—”

“I’m not here to eat. I’m here to speak to the owner.”

Surprise
lit her expression. “I’m afraid he’s not here at the moment.”

Working a charming smile, Deckland leaned over the cherry wood podium, meeting the worker’s gaze head on. “I understand you have a job to do and must follow what the boss tells you, but let’s save the mumbo-jumbo. I saw his Porsche sitting behind the building
, and I have to speak to him about something urgent.” He winked to drive home his words.

She blinked.
“I’ll go get him.” Excusing herself, she disappeared through a set of doors on the right.

A few minutes later, a tall man with an olive complexion,
garbed in an expensive suit, stepped into the lobby. His toothpaste commercial smile dropped when he saw Deckland. “I guess I’m at a disadvantage here since you apparently recognize me.”

He smoothed his fingers along his
silk tie and cleared his throat. “I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m very busy.”

“Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? You know why I’m here
. We can discuss the finer details here, in front of your staff and patrons, or we can talk in private.” Deckland’s fingers ached to strangle the man who’d dared lay a finger on a woman—and Elsa of all people. He reminded himself that only a coward hit a woman, and Deckland knew how to handle Tom’s type.

“Sir, is
there something I can do?” The hostess asked. Her skin was pale and her eyes were wide.

“No, Mandy. It’s okay.
” He waved a hand through the air and she disappeared.  “Would you care to step into my office?”

“Sounds good to me.” Deckland followed him through the doors, down a narrow hallway and into a spacious office. Surveying his surroundings, Dec
kland immediately saw the wedding picture on the shelf behind the massive desk. Elsa was wearing a long white gown and she was holding a colorful bouquet. Her long hair hung in ringlets down her back in a silken wave. She reminded him of an angel with her million-dollar smile. His heart sank, knowing she had no clue what she’d have to endure by the hand of her pathetic husband over the next years.