CHAPTER 19
He could get used to this, demanding kisses of her in public. She kissed him with the same intensity she had at Thanksgiving, and again the night they’d made love. He had to pinch himself to remind himself this was for show, and that if they’d been standing here in any other circumstances, her hands would not currently be twined around his neck. Nor would she be wearing that gaudy, God-awful ring. As soon as he’d laid eyes on it in the jewelry store, he’d had to have it, knowing it would provoke a response from Lydia. What surprised him, shocked him even, was the possessive instinct that rose up from a deep place inside him when he slipped the ring on her finger for the world to see. It might only be temporary, but for the time being, she belonged to him, and he liked it.
When they pulled apart, the cheers and whistles registered. Lydia looked around, wide-eyed at the crowd that had amassed, shooting him a fear-filled look when she saw the number of phones outstretched to take a picture. He pulled her close, ducking his head. “Don’t worry sweetheart, they’re just fans. No press. You don’t have to worry about anyone at home finding out.”
She nodded, sagging against him.
“Hey,” he tipped her chin up, allowing himself another quick taste of her sweet mouth, to the delight of the crowd. “Everything’s gonna be fine. Think of your boots.” He turned, keeping his arm around her, and raised an arm to the small group gathered. “Thanks, y’all. In case you haven’t figured out here, this lovely lady has agreed to marry me. And she makes a mean pair of boots, too.”
Lydia smiled, dipping her head bashfully, clearly unused to the attention.
“Took you long enough,” a voice that grated on his very last nerve called out. “Daddy and I thought you were gonna keep your lady hidden until we flushed her out.”
Beside him, Lydia stiffened. It took effort, but he kept his voice relaxed. “Nice to see you, Sammy Jo. I was just about to bring Lydia by to say hello.”
The look on Sammy’s face said she didn’t believe him for a second. But she didn’t have to, it was God’s truth. He’d needed to pick up a ring before he showed up at Vanguard Chaps & Leather with Lydia in tow.
“Lyds, meet Samantha Jo Carter, Hal’s niece. You’ll meet her daddy, Harrison this evening at the rodeo. Sammy Jo is one of the smartest businesswomen I know, and head of Vanguard Chaps and Leather.” Sammy Jo had an ego the size of Texas, and as long as she believed she was the best in the room, she’d be easier to handle. The second she felt threatened, the claws were likely to come out. The challenge over the next few weeks would be to keep Sammy from cornering Lydia. She didn’t play by the same rules Lydia did, and even though he and Sammy Jo were old news, years-old news, he wouldn’t put it past her to exact some kind of revenge if she thought she could get away with it. Hell, she’d once threatened to put cayenne in his briefs in a fit of rage, and he’d hidden his drawers for weeks because of it.
Instead of stepping out of his embrace and extending her right hand, Lydia offered her left hand, angling her hand so Sammy couldn’t help but see the ring. He suppressed a chuckle, entertained and pleasantly surprised by Lydia’s claws coming out.
“So nice to finally meet you. Colt’s told me so much about you. I’d love to take you to coffee and learn more about your experience running Vanguard. Colt speaks so highly of the job you’ve done, and since I’m just starting out,” she gestured around the space, “I’d love any advice you could share.”
Her brows slashed together as she frowned briefly. “Yeah, sure. I… yes. I’d be happy to.”
It wasn’t often Sammy Jo didn’t know what to say. Pride surged through him. Lydia handled her like a pro. Maybe he’d underestimated her. A knot of tension across his shoulders began to release. This whole thing would go much more smoothly with Sammy Jo in check. Placing a kiss on the top of Lydia’s head, he made their excuses. “If you’ll excuse us, I wanna make sure Lydia gets some food. We’ll catch you later.” Before Sammy Jo could reply, he steered Lydia down the aisle and toward the food court at the center of the exhibition hall.
When they were out of earshot, Lydia glared up at him. “Why didn’t you tell me your ex was a Carter?”
A twinge of guilt poked at Colt. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not a dummy, Colt. Anyone with half a brain could see she was fit to be tied. Only an ex would be that catty.”
“You handled her perfectly.”
She made a face. “I worked with a lot of temperamental types in New York. But that’s beside the point. I would have appreciated some warning.”
Colt rubbed his jaw. “Sammy and I were more off than on, and honestly, I figured I’d have more time.”
She stopped in the middle of the aisle and turned to him, eyes flashing. “Really? Like before tonight? You’ve been leading the Carters on for what, four, six weeks? And I’m guessing you probably let it drop that I was coming to town… so you didn’t think to lay all your cards on the table and give me fair warning?”
Shame licked at him, heating his neck. The way she framed it, ate at him. “All I’m doing is re-vamping my image to their liking. Which I was already planning on doing.”
She cocked her head in disbelief. “Umm-hmm.” She waggled her left hand at him. “And that’s why you went to all this trouble?”
He flashed her a disarming smile. “Of course. And,” he said stepping up to her and tilting her chin. “I get to spend more time with you. Which I like.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
She shut her eyes briefly, shaking her head and screwing her mouth up into a little bow. “You are something else, Colton Kincaid. Something else.”
He got the feeling she didn’t mean that in a good way, which ate at him too. “What would you do if you were in my shoes?” he said low enough that only she could hear.
Her eyes narrowed, and she speared him with a look that arrowed into the deepest reaches of his heart. “I’d be honest.”
That got his hackles up. “I may have been a lying, cheating sonofagun before Travis gave me the boot, but I learned.” He grimaced as the memories flashed through his mind in picture form. “You have no idea how I learned. In fact, it was my very honesty about my life choices that got me into this mess in the first place.”
He stared at the ceiling and counted to ten. Hell, he knew plenty of cowboys that had a woman at home and one on the road, and their sponsors knew it and looked the other way. He’d never been anything but up front that he wasn’t looking for more than a good time from the women he was with.
“Listen up, sweetheart,” he said tersely and bent close to her ear. “You like that nice sized investment check I sent you? I have the luxury of being able to do that because, in addition to my hard-won earnings, I have sponsors. So before you get all high and mighty over fifty shades of the truth, you’d best remember we’re both in this together.”
Lydia’s face remained carefully neutral, but her eyes told him he’d hit his mark. She nodded once. “I see.” She nodded again, staring at the ground. When she raised her eyes, her jaw was set. “Thank you for clearing that up.”
Oh, hell. “Lydia, I–”
She held up a hand. “Save it for later. You’re competing tonight, and I think I need to get back to my booth.” She brushed past him, hurrying back the way they’d come.
Colt bit back a groan of frustration. Damn straight they’d talk about this later. Of course, it was his fault they were in this mess at all.