Chapter Eleven
“Cam, are you actually listening to me at all ?” Sam said. “I’m in trouble. I called you so you could tell me I was doing the right thing and all you can do is laugh your ass off.”
“I’m laughing with you!” Cam protested as she started doing it again. “Only you could have the best sex of your life and then immediately call everything off.”
“There was nothing to call off. It was a test run. We aren’t exactly a couple or anything, and HW agreed with me. He backed off pretty damn fast himself !” Sam protested.
It was early morning and Sam was only up because she’d slept so badly. Her dreams had been filled with HW, her body restless, as if scolding her for not giving it more HW. He’d brought her back to the ranch like a perfect gentleman and said nothing more inflammatory than that there was an okra curry for dinner, which she hated. She could hardly blame him for Ruth’s culinary decisions.
“HW backed off because you told him to,” Cam reminded her. “You didn’t give him a chance to say how he felt.”
Sam snorted. “Trust me, he’s not the kind of guy who keeps silent about anything. If he had something to say, he would’ve said it.” She paused to consider. “I’d say he was just relieved I said it first.”
“So, basically, you’re both idiots,” Cam said. “You both panicked and now you’re both going to pretend that nothing happened and just move on?”
“That’s been working quite well for us so far.”
“You can’t always question your judgment like this, Sam. Just because Jason turned out to be a complete asshole—”
“Let’s not talk about him,” Sam interjected.
“Why not, when he’s relevant to this discussion?”
“Um, because he can’t defend himself ?” Sam regretted the comment even as she said it and winced. “Sorry; I can’t bear to talk about that even with you.”
“You loved him, Sam, that’s okay, but he treated you appallingly. If he hadn’t cheated on you, would you still have gone through with the wedding? You were already having major doubts about him before he proved he was a complete asshole.”
Sam closed her eyes tight and fought the memories. Maybe Cam was right and it was time to examine those emotions more closely and let them go. See, that was the problem with HW. He’d stirred things up that should’ve been left alone.
“You can’t blame HW—by the way, what is his real name? How can you have sex with someone who’s just a bunch of initials?—for what happened in the past. You can’t push away a chance at happiness because of what one man did.” Cam was obviously reading her mind again.
Sam flopped back against her pillows, her phone glued to her ear. “Sometimes I hate you so much.”
“For not shutting up?”
“Exactly. I don’t think I’d be sane if you hadn’t come back into my life and nagged me into getting my own life started again.”
Cam chuckled. “You give me way too much credit. You’re a fighter. All I had to do was light the fuse and stand back.” Her tone softened. “Don’t deny yourself happiness, Sam.”
“So you think I should just go with the flow and enjoy the next three weeks with HW?”
“Why not?”
“Because . . .” Sam stared up at the ceiling. “He’s just too amazing, too challenging, too much. That scares me.”
“It’s okay to be scared.”
“I know. It never used to bother me.” Sam tried to smile. “But I feel so vulnerable.”
“Then chuck it all in and come home.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Ha!” Cam’s soft chuckle made Sam sit bolt upright.
“See, there you go again, making me admit stuff that I’m really not ready to hear.”
“You’re welcome.”
“If I’m going to stay at the ranch, I’m going to have to figure out away to make this work, aren’t I?”
“Yup.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Now, I have to get back to work. Call me later if you need to chat, okay?”
“Will do.”
Sam checked the time and contemplated her options. She could go over to the dining room, get breakfast, and see if anything was going on that morning that didn’t involve bumping into HW Morgan. She could even duck out of her riding lesson with him in the afternoon, but she had a feeling he might chase her down to ask why.
Maybe he would be avoiding her, too? She’d told him to back off. She put on her riding boots, her body aching in new, unfamiliar places after becoming the filling between a wall and an HW sandwich. She paused to remind herself of exactly how good that had felt and gave a breathy moan. So much man; such a hot, desirable, strong man . . .
But it wasn’t just his body that excited her. That was the problem. She liked him, even though he regularly kept her off balance and infuriated her. He drew her toward him like a magnet. But she didn’t want to be stuck on someone like an appendage. She’d spent the last three years rebuilding herself, and that independence, that strength was her salvation.
“Come on, Sam. Stop drooling over HW Morgan. Move on out.”
Grabbing her hat and her thick jacket, she opened the door and blinked at the brightness of the sun. It was already colder in the mornings and she hastily zipped up her coat, her breath freezing in the air. The tops of the mountain range were probably covered in snow by now but were currently obscured by some high cloud.
She loved the space of the ranch and the peacefulness surrounding it. Despite what had happened to HW’s mother, the place was full of warmth and happiness. The Morgan family deserved to be successful in their new endeavor. The mixture of history, spectacular scenery, old-fashioned service and courtesy worked like a charm.
Sam walked slowly up the gentle slope to the guest center and breathed in the scent of bacon, coffee, and maple syrup. Was there any better way to start her day? Apart from waking up next to HW, sliding her arms around him, and cuddling into all that warmth, and . . .
“’Morning, Miss Sam!”
She looked up to find Roy holding the door open for her.
“’Morning, Roy.”
“You’re up early.”
“Must be all this fresh air and exercise.” Sam grinned at him. “Any plans for this morning I should know about?”
He followed her back into the deserted dining area and pointed her toward the fresh coffee. “I was just about to pin the schedule up on the board. Do you want to see it?” He handed her a piece of paper. “Chase says he’s developed an app or something fancy for the calendar, but I’d rather use this.”
Sam perused the sheet and read aloud. “Pigs in heaven. All you ever needed to know about pig husbandry. Who’s running that one?”
“That would be me, Miss Sam. None of the Morgans understand those pigs quite like I do.”
“So none of them are likely to attend?”
“Probably not.”
“Then I’ll see you there after breakfast.” Sam handed him back the list.
“If you’re quick, I can give you a ride down and you can help me set up.” Roy produced a tack from his pocket and stuck it through the top of the paper. “I’ve got a couple of things to do in the barn before I go.”
“Then I’ll meet you there.” Satisfied that her morning at least would be HW Morgan-free, Sam helped herself to bacon, pancakes, and half a jug of maple syrup and settled down to eat.
* * *
HW paced back and forth in the barn, checking the time on his cell at every turn. Even the horses and barn cats had gotten tired of watching him and were sleeping in the warmth of the afternoon sun. The sound of a truck coming into the yard made him look up and march toward the front end of the barn.
Amid much laughter, three guests were disembarking from Roy’s battered truck. HW stayed where he was as Sam detached herself from the group and headed down the slope toward her cabin.
“Hey!” he called out, and she looked back over her shoulder and stopped dead. “You coming for your lesson?”
She pointed at her jeans and moved off again. “I have to shower.”
HW had no choice but to follow her. He tried to remember the last time he’d chased a woman down and couldn’t come up with anything other than playing kiss chase at elementary school.
She wasn’t limping at all and she held her head high, her ponytail bouncing along under her hat. Three weeks in and he could see definite improvements in her overall balance and posture. Rediscovering core muscles when riding had that effect on most people. Then there was the fact that she was as hot as hell in those jeans and cowboy boots and even better naked . . .
“HW, are you following me again?” Sam reached her door and turned to confront him.
He stopped and held out his hands. “I’m just checking whether you want to ride this afternoon or whether you’re finished for the day.”
“I said I was going to shower, and get back to you.”
“No, you just said you needed a shower.” The wind blew in his face and he wrinkled his nose. “Jeez, what did you step in?”
“For your information, I spent a very interesting morning learning about pigs with Roy.”
“That certainly explains the smell and the need for a shower.” HW nodded. “And if you wanted to keep me away from you, that works, too.”
“Conceited much?”
He shrugged. “I can’t help being irresistible.”
“Oh, trust me, I’m resisting you perfectly right now.”
He closed the gap between them. “How about now?” He braced one hand on the door behind her head and then recoiled. “Nope, I can’t do this. You really do stink.”
“Thanks,” Her victorious grin made him instantly hard. “Maybe I’ll start wearing pig as my perfume and patented HW Morgan repellent right away. I could sell it at the rodeo!”
“I suppose you think you’re funny?”
“I know I am.” She reached for the door handle. “Now let me go shower and I’ll text you if I want to go riding.”
“You’re certain you don’t want any help?” He straightened as she opened the door.
“No, thank you.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Because I wouldn’t want to tempt you or anything.”
“You’re not.” Smiling sweetly, she closed the door in his face and he had to take a step back.
Hang on, she was the one covered in pig shit and he was still trying to get in her pants? Something was wrong here and it sure as hell wasn’t Sam. HW stomped up to the barn and started mucking out stalls. They’d agreed to back off. He was good with that, wasn’t he?
Three stalls in and he was sweating and stripped down to his T-shirt and jeans. If Sam did turn up for her lesson, he’d definitely smell way worse than she did.
“I’m ready.”
He looked up to see Sam smiling at him over the stall door. A waft of flowery perfume drifted over him and he noisily inhaled.
“That’s better.”
“Thanks. I already got Dollar and Cisco up from the field. I brushed them out and checked their feet.”
“Yeah?” He wiped the sweat from his brow and dumped the last load of soiled hay in the wheelbarrow. “Thanks for doing that. Let me just finish up in here and I’ll be right with you.”
* * *
Sam stood back to let HW go past her with the wheelbarrow and wondered how he could even smell good when he was sweating. She wanted to rip off his damp blue T-shirt and lick him clean like a Popsicle. Whatever was going on between them was obviously not decent if it made her find him hot even when he needed a shower. But what the heck was she supposed to do about it? Walk away from all that amazing manly goodness? Ignore centuries of female instinct to claim the best male out there?
She fought the insane urge to follow him around to the manure pile and jump his bones and instead went to the tack room, where she started assembling Dollar’s riding gear. By the time HW appeared she was almost done.
She looked up from buckling the cinch. “Do you want me to start on Cisco?”
“No, I’ll do it.” He grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and mopped his face. “Damn, now I stink. I’ll have to change.”
“What’s the point if you’re just going to get even more sweaty?” Sam pointed out. “Take that off, put your shirt and jacket back on, and let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
He ripped his T-shirt over his head and stood there in all his golden-muscled glory. Sam momentarily lost the power of speech as she remembered how he felt up close and personal. His jeans hung low on his hips and he had a big gold rodeo buckle on his belt. Her fingers flexed with the need to attack that buckle and get at the glorious goodies below . . .
“You okay, Sam?”
She sighed. “Just mourning lost opportunities.”
He rubbed a leisurely hand over his flat stomach. “Your choice, honey.”
“You agreed with me.”
“Yeah, and doesn’t that make me a fool?” He sighed as well. “Let me find my shirt.”
He disappeared into the barn, leaving Sam feeling all hot and peculiar. Determined not to stare longingly after him, she focused on checking that Dollar was ready to go.
A horn honking made both her and the horse jump as a large white limousine came through the outer gate and swept into the circular yard.
“What the hell?” HW emerged from the barn, his arms in the sleeves of his shirt, the tails and cuffs still flapping.
“New guests?” Sam guessed as music pounded from behind the blackened windows.
“Not expecting any.”
HW frowned as the limo driver got out and went to open the car door. There was a high-pitched giggle and a woman practically fell out of the vehicle, followed by another one. HW went completely still as a short guy in a cowboy hat joined them.
“Oh, hell no,” HW muttered.
Sam nudged him. “Do you know them?”
HW was already moving forward, his body language so unwelcoming that he didn’t need a weapon to look scary. Sam followed along behind.
“Hey! There’s my favorite boy!” the man bellowed. “Come and give me a hug.”
HW obviously wasn’t in a huggable mood, but that didn’t stop one of the women launching herself at him and flinging her arms around his neck.
“HW, baby, darling! It’s so good to see you again.”
Baby ? Sam might have growled but was relieved when HW carefully set the woman to one side and advanced on the man.
“Paul, what are you doing here?”
“Just checking in on my favorite client.” Paul slapped HW’s shoulder. “Thought if you wouldn’t come to me, I might as well come see why.” He looked around the space. “Nice place you have here. Must be worth a fortune.”
“I wouldn’t know.” HW hadn’t moved an inch. “When do you have to get back?”
“That’s not a very nice way to welcome the man who made you famous, now is it?” Paul shook his head. “And I brought two of your favorite ladies with me as well.” He winked. “Figured you’d need cheering up after all that hard work riding the range.”
“Last I heard, Lally and Octavia were with you, Paul.”
The blonde stepped forward again and put her hand on HW’s arm.
“Don’t be like that, baby. You know how much I love you.”
Again, HW pulled away from her touch. “Lally, we were done a long time ago, so what do you want?”
Lally pouted at Paul. “I told you he wasn’t being nice to me anymore.”
Paul waved away her words. “Look, it was a long drive out here. Can we at least sit down and talk?”
“Sure. Come on up to the house.” HW glanced over at the limo driver. “Your driver, too.”
Sam didn’t wait for an invitation to join them but snuck up the steps to the covered porch that surrounded the house. The two women were cooing over the house. They smelled of expensive perfume overlaid with so much matching body wash and shampoo that Sam’s eyes were stinging. They were both tall and skinny and perfectly dressed for lunching in the city.
And what was that Lally person to HW? She’d said she loved him . . . Sam reminded herself it was none of her business and followed the ladies into the house. Before HW stopped to take off his boots, he pointed Paul and his companions in the direction of the front parlor, where Ruth and Roy liked to sit in the evenings and watch reality TV shows by the dozen.
“Just give me a moment to tell my grandmother we have guests and I’ll be right with you,” HW said.
Guessing that HW wouldn’t be too keen on talking to her right now, Sam nipped into the parlor and took the seat closest to the door. Paul stood beside the fireplace and the two women settled on the couch together.
“Ouch!” Lally squeaked and jumped to her feet.
Her companion giggled and picked up a pair of knitting needles with half a sock dangling from them. “You sat on this!”
Lally rubbed her perfect ass and pouted. “What a silly place to leave that.”
“Good job it wasn’t near your new boobs.” Octavia nudged Lally in the ribs. “That would’ve been epic, like a popped balloon.”
Sam decided she quite liked Octavia, who winked at her as Lally settled down again. Paul’s gaze swept over Sam and gave her the once-over.
“Hi. I’m Paul White, HW’s agent. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Sam gave him her best smile. “Sam Kelly; it’s a pleasure to meet you, too.”
“Are you part of the family who run this place?”
“Nope. I’m just a trial guest.”
Just as Paul opened his mouth, obviously to ask her what the heck she was doing there, HW came in with a carafe of coffee, mugs, and a jug of lemonade and set it on the table. Sam tried to look as invisible as possible.
* * *
“My grandmother will be here to say hi in a minute. She’s just prepping lunch.” HW forced himself to smile at his uninvited guests as he handed them all a drink. He’d told Ruth who had turned up and she’d immediately delved into the freezer to add a few things to the standard ranch lunch.
Octavia visibly brightened. “I’m starving! How’ve you been, HW? You look awesome!”
“I’m doing good.” HW turned to nod at her. She worked as one of Paul’s PAs and had always been a good friend to him. “How about you?”
“I’m great!” She half-rolled her eyes at her boss. “We were in Sacramento and Paul decided to drop in on you.”
“That’s a heck of a drop,” HW said mildly. “Maybe you ladies would like a tour of the ranch after lunch while I talk business with Paul?”
“That would be awesome,” Octavia said. “Is Ry around? I haven’t seen him for ages.”
“He’ll be here for lunch, so you can catch up then.”
For the first time, HW noticed Sam sitting in the corner and raised an inquiring eyebrow.
“You need something, Miss Sam?”
“No, I’m good.” She continued to sit there and smile at him. Knowing her love of sticking her nose into his business, he wasn’t surprised to see her there. Without physically removing her from the room, which was damn tempting, he wasn’t sure how to get rid of her. Luckily, at that moment Ruth came in to welcome her guests, and they all trooped down to the kitchen for lunch.
HW let them all precede him out of the room and snagged hold of Sam’s T-shirt as she attempted to get past him.
“Hold up. Who invited you?”
“No one. I’m just keeping you company.” She deliberately leaned some weight on his toes until he let go. “What’s up with Lally?”
“Nothing that need concern you.”
“Is she your girlfriend?”
“Ex.”
“She’s really pretty.”
“Yeah.”
“Did she dump you?”
“Nope.” He turned her around and gave her a gentle shove in the back. “If you want lunch, keep moving.”
Paul behaved himself during lunch, while Octavia caught up with Ry and Lally stared at HW and sighed. It was beyond irritating. Sam of course was taking everything in, asking all kinds of questions and generally making him want to strangle her. He’d learned early how to read a person and use his charm to deflect their attention and stop a blowup. Lally was obviously spoiling for a fight and Sam was stirring the pot.
“So you and Paul are dating, Lally?” Sam asked.
“Kind of.” Lally swallowed hard. “Paul was real nice to me after HW just dumped me and left me homeless.”
“I didn’t exactly—” HW said.
Sam grabbed his knee under the table and squeezed hard.
“I can’t imagine HW doing that to anyone, but then, who ever really knows a person?”
“Thanks for nothing,” he muttered under his breath as Lally unleashed a whole tirade of real and imagined grievances against him and Ry. It didn’t seem to occur to her that she was doing it right in HW’s family home and that his grandma was listening. His family already considered him the black sheep and her tale of woe wasn’t helping.
“Lally, you’re super-gorgeous and I bet you could get any man you wanted,” Sam cut across Lally’s complaining. “So why did you stay with HW if he was that horrible to you?”
Lally licked her lips. “He had other . . . good things to offer me.”
“Like what?” Sam asked, all innocent.
It was HW’s turn to kick her under the table. “Like money, booze, and drugs. And when I decided to get rid of those things from my life, Lally wasn’t very happy with me.”
Lally pouted. “Only because you were no fun without them.”
Ry cleared his throat. “Weird, because I liked him a lot better when he sobered up.” He turned to Ruth. “I think Lally made a good decision to move on and find someone who shared her life choices, don’t you?”
Ruth sniffed. “I don’t hold with any of those life choices, whatever that means. I’m just pleased HW got some sense knocked into him at last.”
HW met his twin’s gaze and Ry winked at him. “You’re welcome.”
Paul used his napkin and set it down on the table. “Well, that was fantastic, Ruth. Thanks for being so hospitable to your unexpected guests.”
HW rose to his feet and nodded at his grandma. “Thanks, Ruth. Maybe Paul and I could take our coffee inside while we talk?”
HW closed the door into the parlor behind Paul. Ry had offered to take Lally and Octavia off HW’s hands. Knowing how much his twin disliked his former girlfriend, HW was confident he’d keep her on task and away from him. To HW’s surprise, Sam had offered to go with them, which meant he hadn’t had to deal with her either. Now all he had to worry about was what she’d been saying to Lally.
HW set his coffee down on the table and took a seat opposite his agent.
“What was so urgent that you had to come all this way to see me, Paul?” HW asked.
“As Octavia said, I was in Sacramento. It wasn’t that far.” Paul sipped his coffee. “And why shouldn’t I come to find out what was stopping you from fulfilling your commitments to me, your sponsors, and your fans?”
“All my commitments are up for renegotiation right now.”
Paul frowned. “Who told you that pile of bullcrap?”
“Don Post did. In case you’ve forgotten, he’s the representative of my main sponsor. He told me we needed to negotiate a new deal.” HW sat back in his chair. “I’m not stupid, Paul. Ever since you pissed off my best friend, Rio, and my brother, I’ve paid close attention to the status of my contracts with you and everyone else. If I’m going to retire, this is the best time for me to do it.”
“For all your so-called smarts, I think you need to read that contract again, son.” Paul’s smile wasn’t nice. “I own your ass.”
“No contract is unbreakable. What are you going to do, Paul? Sue me?”
“Sure, if I have to.”
“Why? I’m at the end of my career. Go find ten newbies and work with them.”
Paul sighed. “There you go again, making out like I’m trying to cheat you or something, when you owe me everything. Where’s the gratitude?”
“So you came all this way just to threaten me?” HW glared at his agent. “What the hell is wrong with you? All I need is a final account of what you owe me and we can go our separate ways. What’s so hard about that? You’ve let dozens of riders walk away. What’s so special about me?”
Paul’s mouth settled into an obstinate line. “It’s not that simple, HW, and you know it.”
“The only way it could be otherwise is if you’ve been doing something you shouldn’t have done,” HW retorted.
“Now who’s being threatening?” Paul stared down at his mug. “Why do you think I brought Lally with me on this trip?”
HW blinked at Paul’s abrupt change of subject. “What’s that got to do with anything?”
“She’s been telling me a lot of stuff about you—not good stuff, damaging stuff, you know, HW? She’s threatening to go public about it.” Paul put down his coffee. “I thought maybe you’d like to know—seeing how badly your family reacted the last time their privacy was invaded.”
Aware of a sinking sensation in his stomach, HW breathed out slowly through his nose. “With all due respect to Lally, her version of our life together bears no relationship to reality.”
“Not according to her.” Paul looked positively regretful as he sighed. “Now, I don’t want all that kind of stuff out there about one of my clients, but—”
“Then set me free,” HW interrupted him. “Then whatever Lally thinks she has to proclaim to the world, let her say it and we can both deal with it in our own separate ways.”
“You think I wouldn’t get drawn into it?” Paul asked. “You know what she’s like.”
“So, basically, you’re worried that she’ll spill some dirt on you.” HW nodded. “That’s the first thing you’ve said today that makes sense. So what’s the real deal, Paul? You’re afraid she’s going to talk shit about you?”
“She wouldn’t be saying anything about anyone if you’d just take her back,” Paul argued.
“I’m not getting back with Lally.”
“Why not? Just string her along for a bit and then she’ll forget all about accusing you of anything; you know how she is.”
“Because . . .” HW looked helplessly at his agent. “That would be wrong in so many ways. Can’t you see that? Whatever she says, I haven’t done anything terrible.”
“Mud sticks, HW.”
“When I retire, I’ll no longer be a public figure, so maybe I don’t care whatever the hell she says.” HW stood up. “This sounds like your mess, Paul. Maybe you’re the one who should be cleaning it up, not me.”
“All I’m trying to do is be the good person here, and warn you that Lally means to cause trouble and get you back one way or another.” Paul slowly shook his head. “And you’re accusing me of not being in your corner? Don’t us guys have to stick together?”
“Not this time.” HW crossed over to the door. “We’re done. Send me a reckoning for your account, stop negotiating anything for me as of right now, and I’ll draft a formal notice of my retirement to release to the media, okay?”
“Don’t be too hasty, HW.” Paul rose to his feet. “I figure you’ll be the one owing me money before we’re done.”
“That’s not possible,” HW said flatly. “I’ve got my own set of accounts and you definitely owe me.”
“You’ll have to force me legally to open my books to get it if you don’t cooperate.” Paul paused. “What’s one more year, HW? Just be nice to Lally, work with me, and then in a year’s time we’ll call it quits.”
“No.” HW flung open the door. “It was great to see you, Paul. Have a safe trip back.”
Paul sauntered toward him and hesitated, looking up into HW’s face. “Don’t do this. We’ve worked well together for years. Why fall out over one stupid woman?”
“Lally isn’t stupid,” HW snapped. “And our problems run much deeper than that.”
“So you do still like her, then?”
HW ignored the obvious trap. “She deserves to be treated with respect.”
Paul’s grin was all teeth. “I don’t think you’d say that if you heard what she’s been sharing about your little habits.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Lally does. She claims to have video and everything.” Paul patted his arm. “Good luck, my friend. You can’t win, so why not compromise so we can take her down together?”
HW shrugged off Paul’s hand, turned on his heel, and stomped down the hallway. He needed to get away before he planted his fist in Paul’s smirking face. Because, hey, that would really help everything, wouldn’t it? He exited the house and carried on walking down toward the barn. He had no idea where he was going, but he needed space.
Behind the barn, he almost tripped over a bucket and relieved his feelings by kicking it so hard it went airborne and scared the chickens. He stood still, breathing hard, his gaze on the manure pile, which somehow seemed the perfect frame for what was going on in his life. He needed to calm down and find a moment to talk to Lally before she left. But what the hell could he say?
“You okay, son?”
He spun around to find his father watching him from the door of the barn. Billy was one of the quieter members of the family, like Ry, and had the same knack of turning up just when you didn’t want to see them.
“Not really.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“Nope. This one is all on me,” HW muttered savagely.
“It’s not like you to get so worked up over something.”
“True.”
“You were always the one who tried to make everything right when you were a kid.” Billy paused. “Maybe you felt you had to be the positive one, eh?”
“Maybe.” HW remembered the terror of walking in on his parents fighting and getting in between them, trying to sweet-talk his mom, trying to stop her taking it out on his twin later. . . .
He briefly closed his eyes. He hated conflict and now, due to his own stupidity, he was going to have to defuse a situation that had blown up out of nowhere. He could announce his retirement right now on social media, but he sensed it wouldn’t stop Lally or prevent the backlash against his family. Had Paul been so busy getting the dirt on HW from Lally that he’d inadvertently created a problem for himself? It made a horrific kind of sense.
“Do you know where Ry took the ladies?”
Billy looked as if he wanted to say something else but instead cleared his throat. “Yeah, he took them down to see Roy’s place and meet the pigs.”
HW wanted to smile at Ry’s inspired choice but couldn’t dredge one up. “I’ll go find him, then. Thanks.”
“That blond woman, Lally, said she was your girlfriend.”
“Did she?” HW started walking toward his truck. “That was a long while ago.”
“She reminded me of some of the women I met while I was drinking.”
HW slowed down and turned back to his father. “In what way?”
Billy shrugged. “I don’t mean to sound offensive, but she looked like she was wired up on something. And her eyes . . .” He blew out a breath. “Like a lost soul.”
“I suppose you think that’s my fault,” HW snapped.
“Whoa.” Billy took a step back. “That’s not what I said, son.”
“When I met her, she liked to drink and party and so did I. Eventually, I worked out I wanted to win the championship and wised up. She didn’t like it, we fought, and she moved on.”
“If that’s the truth, then how could I possibly think it was your fault? At some point, everyone has to take responsibility for their own choices, HW, and that includes Lally.”
HW winced. “I’m sorry, Dad. I’m just . . .” He stared up at the sky. “Not having a good day.”
“Do you want me to come with you to fetch the ladies?”
“Nah, I’ve got this. I do need to speak to Lally, though.”
“Tell her to get some help, son, but don’t expect her to appreciate you telling her that.”
“Got it.” HW nodded at his father and this time managed to reach his truck without seeing anyone else. He found his keys and started the engine, still not sure what he was going to say to Lally and how the hell he was going to avoid Sam overhearing him.