“What’s going on, Cowboy?” Law asks as I get my shit together after helping the guys load the cattle into the pens. I turn around and take off my work gloves to shake his hand.
“Do you know Maria Lorenzo?”
“No.”
“Well, my foreman’s daughter Maria came back from New York, looking for trouble and seems to think she and I have some sort of relationship. I warned her father yesterday and yet she was here when I got back. She was in my house yesterday when she damn well shouldn’t have been.”
“Okay. We can file a restraining order on her or have her arrested on B & E charges if you’d like.”
“I don’t know how to handle it, but I doubt it’s over. She didn’t come all this way just to flirt and be easily rejected.”
“Maybe the Big Apple didn’t work out for her and she’s looking for someone to take care of her wealthy lifestyle.”
“It doesn’t matter what she’s looking for because she’s fucking trying to hump the wrong leg.”
“I’ll speak to them and write up a report even if you don’t want to press charges so the incident is recorded.” We move forward with everything and that’s when Jose comes pulling up to the ranch in his pickup. He’s scowling as he hops out, taking off his hat and running a hand through his hair.
“Jefe, can I have a word with you?”
“What’s going on, Jose?”
“I came to apologize for my daughter’s actions. I don’t know what’s come over her, but I warned her yesterday to not come back and to give me the keys she’d taken from my place.”
“I can’t have her here again.”
“I understand.”
****
A week. Life can’t even go on like this. I miss her and all I want to do is find her ass. I drive to the clubhouse on my motorcycle because I can’t handle staying at the ranch, knowing that she’s not coming back anytime soon or maybe ever. That’s just un-fucking-acceptable.
“Hey, what’s going on, Cowboy? You look like shit,” Mick says. He’s recovering from almost dying a couple of months ago, but looking at him you couldn’t tell. It’s almost Christmas and I’m without the woman I love, so I might be a bit on the shitty side.
“Have you looked in the mirror, prick?”
“Ah, what’s her name?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just need a beer and to chill.” I walk around the bar and pull out a beer from the cooler, tipping it under the counter to pop off the cap before downing it in one long swig.
“Yeah, that’s some sort of problem. We all seem to have them these days. There aren’t many of us left who haven’t met someone yet.”
“Most of us aren’t attached.”
“Not to say there isn’t someone they’re interested in.”
“So who is she?” Morgan says. She is Mick’s wife and the sister of Jackson and Boomer.
“No one. Drop it.”
“Ooh, I remember. It’s the girl Sammie mentioned seeing a couple of times.”
“Well, she went home, so there’s no point in talking about it.”
“I knew it,” Mick cheers. “Come sit down and have another beer. Maybe Morgan has some more female friends she can introduce to the rest of the single men in Steeleville.
“You know damn well, I’m all out of friends. Crystal’s the only one I made outside of the riders.”
“I suppose you have a point, woman. Now come sit down and relax.” He pats the sofa next to him and she plops down happily beside him, being careful to avoid his injuries, but Mick isn’t having any of it. He lifts his wife onto his lap. See that’s what I need to be doing, bringing Angel’s sexy to me, and making sure she stays put.
“I need to find Cyber. Excuse me.”
“Good luck getting her back.”
I head into the security office where Cyber is busy watching for anything suspicious.
“I wondered when you’d come to see me.”
“I need to find her and everything you have on her. Something’s not right. She said that she couldn’t contact me and that she was going on another assignment but that when it was over she’d be back. Frankly, something doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, I’ll start digging, but I gave you all the basics.”
“I know, but it’s not enough. She disconnected that phone last night, so I don’t know what the fuck is up.”
“Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe you should just forget about her.”
“The day you find the woman you want to spend the rest of your life with, I’ll remind you of those words.”
“Everyone tells me that, but I’ll never find the right woman for me.” Damn, he actually seems down and out about not being in love, and at this point he’s fucking the lucky one.
“Trust me. It isn’t all peaches and cream like those assholes make it appear. I’ve barely known this woman and she lives inside my soul. I can’t decide what’s the right direction anymore because all I want to do is please her and she asked me to give her space. Something I’m just not prepared to do.”