“I’m gonna tie her up.” Nash raises his eyebrows at me over the table.

I smirk and take a drink from my beer bottle. The saloon is mostly empty, with nothing more than a few early evening drinkers peppered here and there.

I lean back in the booth and give the topic some thought. “Too bad we only have a week left here. She’d warm up and get wilder with time.”

He sighs. “Too bad. I can’t believe you didn’t fuck her years ago.”

“She was fifteen last time I saw her.”

He waves his beer around. “I’m talking about after that, ya sick bastard. All the times you came home to visit.”

“I didn’t come home much, I guess,” I grumble. “And Cheyenne and I just never ran into each other.”

“What’s up with her dad anyway? Does he actually exist? I’ve never seen him.” He grins at his own joke.

“He has Parkinson’s. Didn’t I tell you? He’s not moving around much anymore.”

The smile falls right off his face. “Shit. She said she can’t leave home to look for a job… He’s what she was talking about?”

“Yeah. Her parents need her help. That’s why Cheyenne’s mom asked us to do those repairs.”

“You talked about this with her?”

“My dad told me.”

Nash thoughtfully scratches his chin. “Where we headed next?”

“You’re just gonna change the topic like that?”

He scowls. “What am I supposed to do? Cheyenne’s parents need her. It’s not my problem.”

“You sound like an ass.”

“I’m being realistic.”

I look away and throw back more beer. I’m tense and there’s no point in taking it out on Nash.

“Sidney,” I tell him. “We’re headed to Sidney.”

“That’s where that Julianna girl lives, right?”

“Right.”

He shakes his head. “Perfect tits.”

“Yeah,” I emotionlessly agree.

Nash’s lips twist and he takes another long sip of beer. I’ve got a feeling he’s not as excited to get with Julianna again as he acts. Last time we saw her face she was in a strip mall parking lot winding up to throw an empty Jack Daniels bottle at Nash’s truck.

To say we’d left her in a shitty mood would be an understatement.

But we’ve left plenty of girls in even bitchier states. It’s not our fault some of them seem to forget Nash and I are men of the road. We aren’t loyal to any one girl and we don’t aim to pretend to be.

Besides, no matter how angry we leave them, they always welcome us back the second we come rolling into town.

“Fuck her,” Nash suddenly tosses out.

I eye him. “Who?”

“Julianna. All of them. All these women.”

I wait for more. It’s sure to come, whether or not I push it.

Nash sighs and takes off his hat to rake his fingers through his hair. “There’s only one girl in this state worth screwing.”

I know who he’s talking about. “Or any other state.”

His eyes catch mine. “It doesn’t make sense. Cheyenne’s not even experienced but she’s the best damn lay of my life.”

I bow my head in agreement. “That’s part of what makes her good.”

Nash’s eyes roll back in his head. “The best. She probably doesn’t know how good she is.”

“And it makes her better.”

I run my thumb across a callous on my pointer finger and think about last night. Cheyenne totally surrendered to us in Nash’s truck. She gave herself over in a way no woman ever has. It was sexier than anything I’ve ever experienced.

Nash jams his hat back on and stands up. “I gotta get back to the ranch.”

“What for?”

“Daniels is out tonight. I’m gonna help with the feeding.”

“You’re a ranch hand now?”

He turns away from me. “Got a problem with that?”

I don’t answer. There’s no point. Let Nash indulge in his fantasy of being a cattle farmer. Maybe it’ll help him get out some pent-up energy and attitude. We’ll be back on the road soon enough anyway.

“See you back there,” he says over his shoulder.

He leaves the saloon, leaving me alone with the other early drinkers. I catch the bartender’s eye and signal for another beer. One sip and I lose all desire to drink it. Instead I just stare at the bottle’s label.

It’s strange being back home. Even without my dad here. It’s too… comfortable.

I don’t like it. The sooner the rodeo finishes up here and moves on, the better.

“Hey cowboy,” a woman’s voice says.

My head jerks up. A lithe female form slides into the booth across from me. I start to smile at the pale woman with jet black hair but then freeze.

The girl sitting across from me isn’t a stranger. And she’s not someone I know from years ago in the Town of Cody.

“Emily.”

Her lips purse. “Oh, you remember my name?”

Her name would be the easiest thing about her to forget. Emily’s antics put Julianna from Sidney to shame. Nash and I hooked up with her several months ago in South Dakota. She got our phone numbers, probably from someone else on the rodeo. She began calling us incessantly, leaving about a voice mail per day. Some were filled with shouts, others with tears.

Eventually I texted her back. Just once. And just to let her know we weren’t interested or available. She still didn’t let up. She called Nash so much he changed his number and blocked her.

“What are you doing here in town?” I ask.

She flips some hair over her shoulder. “Do you really need to ask me that?”

I glance at the front door but Nash is long gone. Looks like I won’t be getting any backup. “You visiting someone here?” I ask, a creepy itch in my gut telling me the answer is no.

She guffaws. “You could say that. I’m here to see you and Nash.”

Nausea fills me. “You came all this way just to see us?”

She puts on what looks like a sweet smile but really isn’t. I’ve only spent a few evenings with this woman, but just one hour would be enough to know she’s as conniving as they come.

“Hold on,” I say. “Are you the one who’s been calling Nash all the time?”

“You don’t seem happy,” she complains.

I clear my throat. “Look Emily. I get the sense you’re looking for something Nash and I don’t have to offer.”

Her eyes flash like lightning. “Then why did you spend those three days with me? You loved what we had, Clay. I know you didn’t want to let it go.”

I lick my dry lips and give it another go. “That time was nice, really. But Nash and I travel around a lot. We’re not looking for a girlfriend.”

“Right. You mean you’re just looking to fuck a new girl in each town?”

I grit my teeth together. What Nash and I do is no one’s damn business and I don’t like the way her voice is rising. This is my hometown. I don’t need some jaded bitch coming in here and starting problems.

The bartender looks over at us in interest, probably wondering whether or not she needs to intervene. The saloon’s grown quieter, a good sign others are listening in on mine and Emily’s conversation.

“Who is it now?” Emily asks. She grips the table and leans forward. “Who are you fucking now? Don’t tell me she’s better than me, because there’s no chance that’s true.”

I stare at her, completely speechless. The woman is crazy. Back in South Dakota I knew she was kind of off the rails, but this is a whole new level. I pull my wallet out and drop some bills on the table.

“I need to get going,” I slowly say.

“You don’t have your next rodeo till tomorrow.”

“What, are you stalking me or something?”

She bats her eyelashes. “The rodeo schedule is public knowledge. It’s on the website and the fliers are all over town.”

“Well good for you.”

I turn heel and start to stalk away. Two steps and she’s in front of me, planting herself just inches away.

“You think you can just walk away?” she snarls.

I take a long breath and exhale sharply through my nose. “What is it you want, exactly?”

Her eyes glisten and her lower lips trembles. “I want you and Nash to admit what our time together meant.”

I have to swallow a curse. She has no shame. Everyone in the place is watching us out of the corners of their eyes and she’s bringing on the waterworks. “Don’t cry,” I say in a low voice.

“Why not? You don’t want everyone here to know about how you used me?”

I sigh. “Look Emily, Nash and I told you it wasn’t gonna be anything serious. We told you we were moving on in a few days. Did you think that was gonna change?”

Her arms fold. I’ve hit the nail on the head.

“I’m gonna make you pay for this, Clay Murphy.”

“What exactly does that mean?”

An evil smile sneaks across her lips. “You’ll find out.”

“You’re crazy.” I push past her and leave the saloon as fast as I can.